I was in charge of sound for a small arts festival in Hellertown on Saturday, with a solo set of myself at 1 pm. The musical slate was put together by Dave Reiber, a Godfreys’ old hand, and it was a solid seven hours of good, home-made music by friends. All in all, I was proud of the folks who played and represented Godfreys in fine fashion. I got set up for a 10 am set with my friend and great guitarist Jason Hahn.
The stage positioning was a little awkward, near the main thoroughfare (lots of motorcycles cruising through on a Saturday) and somewhat apart from the main group of artisans. But, we could be heard across the grounds but could never really establish a listening crowd in front of us. The festival is in its second year and hasn’t really gained attendance. Things are particularly tough for organizations like this trying to get off the ground, despite noble and local aspirations. But that’s why we volunteer to provide quality music and entertainment to support our local, grassroots organizations like this one.
There were no kids in sight for my set so I enjoyed playing my ‘adult’ material for the musicians who were on hand for their sets and mine. It was a nice community of players to play for.
It was a long day and I felt drained when I packed up at 5 pm. I headed back for an equally taxing night at Godfreys with a sold out show with Chris Smither. Heavy work on the volunteer folk scene.