a night out!!!

omigosh, i'm just waking up after having spent the night with a bunch of musicians.

no, i have not become a groupie in my spare time, but last night finally made it to Clyde's Pottery Barn Music Night, and it was GREAT!  everybody made everybody else feel so welcome - officer overby (who didn't look like officer overby because he was wearing regular street clothes) met me at the door, shook my hand and introduced me around to the local folks, to Clyde Himself, to some of the musicians. and in the music room, someone grabbed my arm.  i looked around and then down, because she's a short little thing, and there was my cousin hilda! we walked around, arm-in-arm, asking her friends there if they could see the family resemblance.  and then my son's friend garrett appeared out of nowhere.  and there was this one little group of musicians in a corner outside of the music room, playing their hearts out on the mandolin, guitar and banjo - and they were GOOD!  every now and then, a stray fiddle player would wander over, tuck his instrument under his chin and blend his sound in with the others.

i was amazed by the talent there.  there was a 15 year old girl who has her own bluegrass band, and she was fantastic.  another group played foggy mountain breakdown, among other pieces, and people got out of their chairs and started dancing.  and later, i was sitting outside the music room with overby when this small blonde walked in.  he grabbed my arm and in a breathless voice said - you know who that is??  well, no i did not. - that's bill monroe's daughter!  she calls herself the carolina rose!

oh man! the daughter of the father of bluegrass! at clyde's!  but i was quickly told that people from all over the US came to clyde's on tuesday night's to play, to listen, and if i hung around i would probably meet some big names.  can you imagine?  in a barn off a backroad round a curve in the middle of nowhere, all these people converging for the love of music. 

and i did hang around, to hear the carolina rose perform.

what really impressed me was the feeling of community.  it didn't matter that i was a stranger - they treated me like one of their own.  and a little old woman in a wheelchair came rolling up the aisle, shaking hands and saying goodnight to everybody along the wall. 

and then there was this very tall elderly gentleman wearing a cowboy hat and bolo who bent over me, shook my hand, asked me where i was from and proceeded to invite me - everybody in the room, actually - to a gospel sing at the barn on saturday night. 

oh, i had so much fun with such good folks. i live too far away to be a tuesday night regular at the barn, but...i'll be back on friday, covered dish and 5 dollar donation in hand, for the benefit Clyde is throwing for a cancer patient in the community.

love of music, love of neighbors...that's what it's all about.  and i want to be a part of it.  who wouldn't?