ScottK - Posted - 01/17/2012:  00:13:28

Just wrapped up another Portland Old-Time Music Gathering.  Thirteenth annual.  Best ever for me.  Which is kind of funny, because I didn’t attend most of the concerts or workshops.  Not that I didn’t want to.  I was just too busy visiting with or playing tunes with old friends from near and far.  That got me to reflecting on this amazing journey of friendship and community that I’ve been on these last half dozen years since I started playing old-time music.  I was initially drawn to the music and the dance.  And I could tell that the folk playing this music all knew one another and enjoyed one another’s company.  But I had no idea how many friends I would make by embarking on this journey or how much I would come to enjoy their company.

This weekend I ended up with a dozen or more house guests for each night of the gathering.  Mostly (but not all) young folk from Vancouver B.C., Seattle, Bellingham, Centralia, Olympia, Salt Lake City, and Boston.  I can’t begin to tell you how much fun we had.  The kitchen jams while we were cooking breakfast (at 1:00pm ) each day were amazing.  I can tell you that the future of old-time music in the Pacific Northwest is in good hands!  But down at the Scottish Rite Center on Friday and Saturday I couldn’t walk fifteen feet without running into a local old-time friend or festival friend in town for the gathering.  Who knew that picking up the banjo would lead to so many friendships! 

There were so many beautiful and poignant moments this weekend.  Dancing to Bois D’orme Cajun All Stars on Wednesday night.  Coty Hogue’s amazing singing on Thursday night.  Square dancing in the living room ‘til three in the morning Thursday night.  Rafe playing an incredibly beautiful “Maysville” on solo fiddle Saturday morning while we were all groggy.  Hooking up with some old home town friends for a four hour cross-G jam on Saturday.  Catching a short jam with Earl White later on Saturday.  Listening to Jason & Pharis Romero, Tom & Patrick Sauber, Suzy Thompson, and Laurel Bliss playing and singing together at a house party on Saturday.  Watching young Riley Calcagno from Seattle totally rock the square dance on Sunday night.   Square dancing in the dart room at the back of the Moon & Sixpence later on Sunday night.  Watching all the young folk flat footing on the benches while Foghorn ripped it up at the front of the Moon & Sixpence even later on Sunday night.  And maybe best of all, sitting in the kitchen on Monday with an old friend after everyone else had left for home, playing fiddle and banjo duets while it snowed outside.  So good!

I guess I’m just venting my festival afterglow.  You old timers know what I’m talking about.  I just wanted to let the new comers know what they’re in for. 

Scott 

banjoy - Posted - 01/17/2012:  00:30:37

My brother lives in Portland, OR and plays bass there in several bands. He has been trying to get me out there for years, he says the music scene there is totally awesome.

I mean, just a few weeks ago ya'll had the River City Music Fest too! Sounds like two amazing music festivals back-to-back.

I would be in sensory overload, in a good way. Thanks for sharing the afterglow LOL.

Maybe I need to check out Portland....

bohemian - Posted - 01/17/2012:  07:03:15

Thanks for the observations... must attend next year.
Sounds like there's as much going on in homes and streets as the actual venues.