Since I was done performing for the day (12 noon) I was able to cruise the conference for the rest of the day, seeking out friends and other surprises as they presented themselves. No longer booking Godfrey’s has made this endeavor much more enjoyable these day. (I used to have a ‘booking’ target on my back for years… )
I was able to find some great face time with my old friends Ansel Barnum, Sam Steffen, Michael Jerling, Ed Snodderly (40 years), several old GD booking folks, various familiar faces and other chance meet-ups. That’s the charm of these conventions; sometimes incredibly deep and sometimes pretty superfluous. Nature of the game, but always engaging today.
I had time to check out Ed Snodderly’s hidden treasure set in a hotel room in the afternoon. Ed has traveled a parallel life tour with his establishment of The Down Home. a club in Johnson City, TN. We both play, we record, we promote folk. I am glad to play his music on my radio shows. A fellow traveller. Very cool, and made my day.
I cruised the space and handed out Playground (kids) and Troubadour (adult) CDs to folks. I’m certainly not going to sell them, but I’m particularly proud to spread the music around to folk who care. I got some very nice feedback from folks I had put my Troubadour CD in their hands. Radio folks, fellow players and folks whom I really respect. That was a nice perk for the day
I planned to stay for the dinner and seek out folks I hadn’t hooked up with – Claudia, in particular, but ended up chatting with a woman in the atrium who was at the kids’ showcase. We proceeded to talk about what we do and struck up a very nice conversation about folk music, arts and taking risks. It was powerful stuff and a wonderful escape from the relative chaos of the scene. I think I fell in love.
I wrapped up my gear, said a few goodbyes and slinked out to the parking lot and headed back to Bethlehem in a driving rain. It’s been a very long day, but, somehow, I am energized, even after midnight. A great day on the planet.