Bluegrass Rain

It's been raining here for 40 days and 40 nights. Those would be dog days and nights, but still. The water is a little excessive, me thinkses.
the tribe has survived the twists and turns of outrageous fortune, we are all deposited where we were meant to be, and life as a "normal, routine" thing begins again. Let's see how long this round lasts before we get a stiff upper-cut to the psyhic jaw, eh?
In the meantime, it is back to business as usual for this lad and the Ramblers. OATS is this weekend, and perhaps I will crash that thingumie wit bud Neil, just for a hoot and the chance to play some mandolin.

Back at the work-a-day world, I got a call from a nice fella from up in Layton, NJ, who wants to work with the PB&FS* on a project that involves a folk icon whose name I cannot even type on account it would get me in trouble with the law. But the guy is really really good, a huge stage presence, and well-known to all who are worthly of the name "Bud."

Or, as the Dutchies around here prefer, "Chooney."

We got to talking about how it all might work, because to this guy, music is music and if it's good, why wouldn't in belong on the same stage?

Well, some folk say that opera is pretty good, and then some folk say that the rip-rap stuff is fly. Or whatever. I'm pretty sure that those two don't belong anywhere near each other--it'd be like matter and anti-matter, or vinegar and baking soda (what the hell does that "soda" word really mean, anyway?)

Fact is, the folks that like old-timey music tend to dress like they were still away back there in 1969, granny glasses and peasant dresses and ponytails. And the women dress odd too, never shave their legs and whatnot. And musically, there is just a world of difference between the old-timey and bluegrass ways. Old-timey folk just chime right in there with their notes and whatnots, all at the same time, not like the bluegrassers that each wait their turn politely. *

There are other subtle differences between bluegrass and old-timey fans. First of all, it's usually called the bluegrass. Now you ever hear of somebody calling it the old-timey? Of course not. And bluegrass fans wear boots, not berkin-whatsis-es. Old-timey folk sing about this land is your land, this land is my land and all that, but bluegrassers sing about this land is my land, end of story, and get yer ass off it.

Bluegrassers are for the armed forces, the flag, guns, and heavy drinking (songs). Old-timey folks sing about murder, but them guns scare the bejesus out of 'em, usually. Bluegrassers drive pick-ups or buses, old-timey folks drive them SUV yuppie vans and stuff.

So you might consider the bluegrassers like the "red" states and the old-timey, kitten-hugging, granola-eating, banjo-slammin' old-timey folks to be the blue states, and I'm not sure the bluegrass crowd would know what to make of, say, Taj Mahal or somebody like that.

I personally love Taj.. I got my version of "Fishin' Blues" from him. SO maybe I do like kittens. A little. And granola, if there's cold milk.

I'm still not sure we could have a folk/bluegrass festival without some serious words, and maybe even some birkin-whatsis marks on our butts. ALmost makes me want to try it!


*later they get nasty,about what you played. But they let you play it. You have no one to thank but yo'self!**

**sorry there's not more footnotes. I been writing scholarly crap all day and just felt the need to ffffffffffflow hehe.