This past week in Nashville, TN., bluegrassers from around the world joined forces in what is likely the largest bluegrass festival in the world; the
International Bluegrass Music Association's Fan Fest. With over 50 bands performing throughout the week, alongside the
awards show on Thursday night fans were sure to be entertained. Held downtown at the Nashville Convention Center, pickers lined the walls jamming personal renditions of "9 lb Hammer" to "Blackberry Blossom." The jamming starts on Monday and doesn't stop until Sunday when hotel staff start making folks pack up and leave. It is actually a surreal experience at all hours of the night, and those not used to the banjo might go a tad bit crazy.
My wife and I decided to head down Saturday afternoon to enjoy the festivities. We brought our 18 month old little girl, who ended up having the best day of her life. She danced during every song and when the band stopped she would as well to offer an applause. To those around us, she might have stolen the show. (She did sleep like a dream that night.)
We spent some time in the
exhibit area where Martin Guitars and others lined the walls showing off the latest in instrument workmanship and technology. I could spend hours in a place like this and foresee heaven to be such a place.
We left when Emmy had had enough and my head rung with to many G runs and banjo pickin'. We had listened to the Male and Female Vocalist of the Year and also Country great Joe Diffie among others. I was a little disheartened and felt a little out of place. I realized that though I love bluegrass, more than most, I did not fit in the crowd that had spent enormous sums of personal money to travel to Nashville for this event. I live 15 mins away and only stopped in for a few hours. Those people live and breath bluegrass; they play Tony Rice guitar solo's and Chris Thile mandolin solo's and that's it. All the pickin' parties sound the same, the harmonies are the same and the amount of HD-28's is unparalleled. Don't get me wrong, I know the Tony Rice licks and the Thile solo's but I realized as I got in my car and turned on my ipod that though my love of bluegrass music is very real, all I wanted to listen to on the way home was some Akon.
