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KerrVirgin Summary from Susan Moss |
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Hey, Brian (and friends...) - Here I am, back in South Florida and writing under my own screen name once again - I never thought it would be so hard to leave a place, and I said my goodbyes sadly and reluctantly at 4:00 so Brian could get me to the airport in time for my 6:00 a.m. flight. Even seeing a deer on the side of the road did little to distract me from my melancholy - I felt the same way I do every year when I have to leave the beach for our family vacation week, and I sobbed inconsolably for a while in the car... Now I am immersed in reality
and sleep-deprived to the highest degree (I stayed up all night, and napped
fitfully for only two hours on the plane...) - not to mention the fact
that I have a severe case of what Amy Carol Webb calls "Kerr-butt"...
from sitting, sitting, sitting (on those hard wooden benches, in chairs
around a campfire, on blankets at the ballad tree). My leg muscles also
ache (in a good way) from walking, walking, walking - up the As I said earlier, I hadn't read anything Brian had written up to this point and, now that I have, I wanted to comment on a few things: << Michael McNevin played the exclusive gig just outside the mens room about 2:30 am.. Being happened upon by Susam Moss who just had said "Where do i have to go to hear Michael McNevin:.. >> This is a great story! - Brian had introduced me to Michael earlier in the day, and he and I had a nice chat, with me telling him he had come highly recommended from a particular friend of mine. Buddy Mondlock's name happened to come up, and I mentioned what a big fan I was - Michael said Buddy had been instrumental and inspirational in his musical career, and they had recently written a song together. Unfortunately Buddy and Carol had to leave early Saturday morning so they wouldn't be able to perform it together at Kerrville - I said I looked forward to hearing it someday. As Brian, Susan and I were headed back to camp to regroup about 2:30 a.m., we happened to pass Michael standing in the middle of the street (and yes, it was right next to the men's bathrooms - I later joked it was a standing room only crowd...) - he saw me and yelled out, "hey, you want to hear that Buddy song now?". Naturally, I was thrilled and we walked over as he began to play - a group gathered immediately as he shared his new composition with us, in his inimitably sweet voice... :-) <<It's hard for me to get many words in, as she keeps interrupting (talkus interruptus) with things like: "Oooohh", "Wow", "Look Look", and the occasional "are we there yet??".. She's just overwhelmed with seeing all the things she's been hearing about for the past year, and all the anticipation that has built up keeps bubbling out and overflowing...>> Talkus interruptus, huh? - and let's not forget "I have to go to the bathroom"... ;-) Yep, I was excited - so sue me! I hope I never lose my childish wonderment for things I don't understand but that I'm completely in awe of - if I do, you have my permission to apply blue eyeshadow, lace up my orthopedic shoes, and put on some Celine Dion! <<(FYI For those of you who haven't figured it out yet, Ozzie and Susan Moss are one and the same person.. Susan's a wizard of OZ freak)..>> Gee, Brian, thanks for clarifying that - I'm sure up until now, people thought I was a bat-head-biting Ozzy Osbourne fan (of Black Sabbath Fame - oh, wait, then my screen name would have to be Iron(Wo)Man... ;-) Until I went to Texas, I couldn't even imagine a day that began at noon, with songwriter competition finalists for three hours, an outdoor open mic from 3 - 5 in the spiritual ambience of Chapel Hill, 7 hours of eclectic mainstage entertainment from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.that alternately had me sweetly swaying or dervishly dancing - and the absolutely icings on the cake are the varied and sundry campfires, from Singkerrnicity to Coho to Nashville to Calm to Sweetness and Light to Cuisine to Stupid to Bayou Love (Camp Bayou Love - get it? - think old Beatles song... ;-), each with its own special cast of characters and style of music, but all sharing a welcoming generosity of spirit. Brian extended a piece of his heaven to me for a short while, and I look forward to continuing to read about it, even from a distance - plus I told him I'd write him every day (hello, mudda, hello, faddah... ;-) Now that Susan P. and I have departed, he can stop playing tour guide and go back to his regular routine... :-) Personal highlights: - Kevin, Eric and Stephanie holding court wherever they went - what a bundle of high energy and great music! - Watching Donna's smiling face and spinning figure as she plays the fiddle (my favorite instrument in the world) - I get goosebumps every time I remember that Still on the Hill will be one of the headliners at our South Florida Folk Festival... :-) - Hearing Rod Kennedy (Robby, I passed on that hug from you) announce from the main stage the details of the fundraiser for our festival in January - our small contingent of South Floridians would clap and cheer every time. - I've discovered that I love cowboy music - Butch Hancock is my new personal lyric hero! - Seeing the Four Bitchin' Babes was a dream come true - I laughed so hard during their set, my cheekbones hurt... :-) - Such a treat to hear Ellis Paul, Christopher Williams and Don Conoscenti together and rocking - I had previously only seen Ellis open for Dar last year, in a totally acoustic setting, and this was a lovely change of pace. - I'll share details later, but I am in the process of writing something "official" up about the festival for myself and others - someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse... ;-) Notes to others: - Amy, keep kicking *ss around the campfires - they love you as much there as we do here... :-) - Brian, that little square maroon pillow is mine - you may use it in my absence, but would you please (pretty please) bring it home with you? - I thought I was going to have to pay extra airline surcharges, what with all the CD's I brought home with me - ask me if I bought it, I probably did and anyone is more than welcome to borrow it! I just woke up from a nap, which has me feeling a bit more physically refreshed, even if not emotionally recharged - I think I'll take a shower, line down on my new woven Mexican blanket in front of my ceramic Circle of Friends "campfire", listen to Butch Hancock and be teleported back to Texas. It's not even close to "the next best thing to being there", but it will have to do - until next year... Susan |