Looking Ahead

Well, with Christmas and New Year's behind us and 2006 stretching out under our feet, my mind has pushed ahead to the Spring and Summer and the inevitable festival season. Which of course brings thoughts of...

Do you remember how when you were little the entire year revolved around Christmas? Well, that's how I feel about Merlefest. It's grown into this huge affair in my head, and I'm just never disappointed. I'm in my happy place when I'm on that campus in the Spring.

So where am I? Well, I've got my reserved seat tickets of course, and of course I'm behind on booking a cabin. I promise myself every year I'll get out to Wilkesboro to look for closer cabins, but I just never get around to it. Wilkesboro is only about an hour and a half, maybe two hours in traffic, away from my home in Raleigh, but I can never seem to find the time to get out there to look. If you don't know, Wilkesboro is about half an hour north of Winston Salem and about half an hour southeast of Boone. Which, in English, means it's pretty much in the middle of nowhere. A very beautiful and musical nowhere, but smack in the middle of it.

So there are practically no hotels, rental cabins, or places to sleep that doesn't include a tent. I love camping, especially when there's pickin' involved, but not in NC in April. Especially not at Merlefest.

So, to get my mental to do list out -- I need to reserve a cabin, reserve a hotel for the jam camp, and oh yeah, reserve my spot at the jam camp. Have I told y'all much about Pete Wernick's Jam Camps? Surely I have. Anyway, the main one is the week of Merlefest on Wilkesboro campus, in the very buildings I've seen some of the best Americana talent play. That's right, I've practiced in the Walker Center where I saw Doc himself play the very next day. That's pretty cool.

The jam camps take all sorts of Bluegrass and traditional instrumentalists and singers and teach them to jam. It sounds easy, but don't kid yourself. What we're really overcoming is our stagefright around strangers. I play in a band, and have played at Bluegrass jams here in North Carolina for a few years, but even I -- as stupid outgoing as I can be -- was pretty intimidated. It took a couple of days to make me feel really at ease, but I'm so glad I went. I learned so much about music, my own playing, and my own personality. It was completely worth the money. Hands down!

And this year I've convinced my Dad to come with me. Y'all know Frank, he posts here all the time. He and Shaneo, the banjo player in my band, are my Merlefest buddies. Looks like Shaneo might jam camp along with us this year, too. The three of us and Shaneo's wife Jen have been to the past four Merlefests in a row, and we plan on making the next four and more together too. That's one of the best parts of these festivals, the friends you make and take along with you on the way.

So what else? With Merlefest firmly in my sights, I've decided I think this is finally the year I'll fly out West and pitch my tent on a Colorado mountain. I think I'm finally going to get out to Telluride. Just thinking about it right now is giving me chills. I've been wanting to go for years now!

Who's going to meet me out there? We need to have a "Hickory Wind" get together at Merlefest, and if y'all are going, at Telluride. I know Stacy and her beau Geoffrey are going to Merlefest again this year. Yay! I love the Chandlers! We'll miss you Sean and Sharon! But I guess having a newborn baby is an excuse to miss the Merle. Not a good one, mind you... but passable. And Amanda, we gotta get you to the States sometime soon. What did you say about your sister and brother in law moving up here?

Seriously, what festivals are y'all making plans for? Am I the only one who makes plans this far in advance? Surely not? Y'all HickoryWinders must be as festival-nuts as me, right? Where are you going? Let's get together!