Highway 16 as I drive from downtown Kerrville to Quiet Valley Ranch never disappoints. This road is what the Texas Hill Country is all about. It’s June and we’ve had rain so it’s green and lush along the road. Black Eyed Susan’s still poke their yellow heads up from the tall grass of the shoulder. I’m happy to be heading to the ranch again this year. For the 4th year in a row we’ve been invited to play the Kerrville Folk Festival on closing weekend. As always there’ll be old friends, new ones too and, a whole lot of music. From the minute I arrive to check in and get my parking pass for backstage I’m treated amazingly well. It’s almost unnerving for a minute until I remember where I am. It’s hot and dry but not dusty and it’s already rained once today. Perfect Folk Fest weather.
As I approach the backstage area and up the familiar wooden steps I’m treated to the sound of Band of Heathens doing their sound check. They sound great as usual and it’s good to see everyone again. I love sharing the stage with those guys. They make me want to play my best. I dig that. Most of the MQ’s are already here, including Corby Schaub who’ll be joining us for the show. I shoot a little backstage video with my Flip camera. Should have shot a bit more, but as usual I got caught up in friends and the business of sound check. I drove in from Houston, as I had a show there the night before, and I’m a bit wiped out. After sound check I waste no time in heading to the hotel in town for a nap.
With a rest and a fine dinner behind me I once again travel down Hwy 16 back to the ranch. It’s just beginning to get dark and I’m trying not to speed, but I don’t want to miss Susan Gibson. She’s playing before us and I want to hear her on the big stage. I flash my “I’m In The Band” button at the front gate and am greeted with “Welcome Home”. What a way to enter a concert. It feels good here. With my 1st beer in hand, my new cd checked in and greetings from several old friends, I grab a spot and listen to Susan from out front. She’s got the whole place in the palm of her hand which becomes ever more evident when I watch her last few songs from backstage. She’s amazing as always.
Then it’s time. We take the stage, plug in and play. I’m trying out the Flip Camera onstage on top of the bass amp again tonight. I’ve done this before but haven’t been happy with the results. I have a little technical issue at the beginning of the show, wrong cable in the right place, but get it sorted out before I have to play my first note. The crowd is right there with us. The stage sounds great. It’s inspiring. I feel really great about our performance. I even get to take WW’s guitar for the encore and we sing my song “The Next Time”. I can’t really explain the feeling of singing to an audience, especially a large one, that’s listening except to say that it’s why I keep showing up on stage. Nothing else is quite like it and the audience at Kerrville is a special one indeed.
The Heathens procede to rock the place after us and Ray and I sneak out to join in on percussion for one of their encore’s. I’m always amazed at how quickly the crowd leaves after the show until I remember that for many of them the night is just getting started. There’s campfires, songs and fire dancers over in the campgrounds. I don’t always have the opportunity to stay and wander around the campfires when we play the Festival, but this year I don’t have to leave early the next day and Corby, Ray and WW all want to hang around a while. So I walk, play and listened until 4am. As I drive back towards town on 16 for the last time today, or was it yesterday?, I feel like I just had a really fine meal. I’m full and satisfied. At least until next year.
I’ve included a video I out together from my Bass Amp Cam experiment. It’s the first song of our set and some of my backstage footage. Hope you dig it.
