Hello All- I am once again overwhelmed with all kinds of emotions right now. This years fest was such a bittersweet event for me and I doubt that I will be able to totally express why in this venue (mostly because I am no great writer and then because I haven't allowed all of them to play out as of yet), but I am inclined to get some of this out as soon as possible in the hope that I can move on towards the next BIG event. It was so sweet to be able to once again celebrate my anniversaries with so many people that I have met over the last four years of attending Ashara's dream/nightmare. There always seems to be so little time to be able to connect with everyone and quite frequently you connect harder with some than others and that is always a source of the bitter part for me. In past years I have been able to spend a lot of time playing music and this year it seemed like I didn't play as much (for peeling, marinating, and helping with soup duty) I AM NOT BRINGING THOSE DAMN THINGS EVER AGAIN!!! (even though Saint Sal is such a god in taking over the cooking duties) I did spend a lot more time just sitting and listening for a change and it was truly amazing. It is really hard for me to do that, as a lot of you know, I love nothing more than singing and playing with friends and I wear being called a jukebox proudly. There were SO many more musicians this time and it was such a treat to get to hear all of you play. As the Divine Ms. Mixon said the collaboration part was extemely fulfilling and a joy to be a part of and also to watch. One thing I did notice on Saturday is that how many of us were leaving the fest to go outside or in other rooms to rehearse while our brothers and sisters who came rehearsed were doing their thing on stage to a half empty room. I heard a couple of comments about this and really understand how they feel. This made me remember something my mom use to tell me, "you know it doesn't matter if you are playing to thousands of people or just a few, you still give it everything you got". I think so many of you did exactly that and I was moved to tears so many times by your music. This does bring to mind though that we should have a week of rehearsals before the fest begins, that way, the day of the show we can all just enjoy the performances. YEAH that's it!!!! Ash, why does it have to be only 3 days huh huh huh????? Speaking of music the whole Atty May's thing got out of control. I think we have out grown Atty May's as a musical venue. I had a long talk with May about it and I think we have done it for the last time there. It broke my heart that it collapsed the way it did. So many people were suppose to play there and did not get to. The band from here was fantastic and I wish I would have planned on having them just close the evening out from about 9pm on instead of the way we did it, but hindsight... Anyways, I do love the Plum Island retreat still on Sunday, but maybe just for a out to eat sort of thing as a group and then back to Ashara's for more music or maybe a house on the beach. I too loved the quiet jam in the living room on Sunday night late and the Ganja Line was a riot. This year there were so many new faces and so many new musicians and I was struck by all of you. Stephanie I really enjoyed singing The Arrangement with you at Ashara's piano. Yael oh my Gawd woman, you really touched me big time (and I don't mean when we were out back in the bushes lol). It was really a lot of fun playing music with you and hanging out. Don't Dream is so cool. Kate Bennett and Jeff Bisch Bisch Bisch, you guys are totally amazing. I would like to have you two all to myself for a while here in Louisiana so we can write and play and maybe do your next record here Kate. Chris Marshall it was so awesome to finally meet you and Marian Russell was SO right about you. I would also like you to just move to the US and be my bass player forever. Bob Muller thank you so much for being my son, that was a lot of fun to do that with you and you did a great job on Kingpin. I am so happy I signed you to my record label early and made you start performing at these things (just remember my 30% dude). Leslie Mixon I was so honoured for you to ask me to play Way Over Yonder with you (and while I know I kinda choked a bit on it, I had a wonderful time doing it as I am sure it was evident by the "look on my face". Thanks so much to Nikki for asking me to do The Weight. You did a great job and it was so good to see you up on the stage performing with everyone (sorry you were under the weather and not up to Nikki par, but you still managed to make the fest and hang in there till the wee hours regardless). Kay Ashley you kicked my ass girl. I know we partied together somewhere in another life somewhere. I hope you and I can do something together next year (you know something totally off the wall like a Police/Jethro Tull/Yes set!). Greg Cagno the surprise hit of the century!!! What an inspiration you are! I totally enjoyed your company and listening to your music as well as the covers you did. Claudia and Amy both made me cry during your renditions of Case of You and Circle Game. I wish you a lot of success and if I can be of any assistance in helping you record your next record, I would be happy and honoured to do so. LES IRVIN it was so good to see you finally playing on stage and a lot more. Dude you rock and thanks so much again for starting this list and for maintaining it with that wonderful grin of yours. Kakki, ohmygawd, what can I say, other than you are my oldest and dearest friend on the list and since we bonded on our first Hejira to Topsfield four years ago, we have had some incredible times together. It was great to share Plum Island with you this year as it was our discovery. I hope you enjoyed your extended stay and only wish I coulda hung out with you and May for more time to decompress together. John Van Tiel your generosity is incredible and your friendship I continue to hold close to my heart. I am so happy for you and the news you shared with me (not sure if it is public knowledge yet so I will refrain from further gushing). Claudia as usual your set killed me and love seeing your smiling face enjoying the music so much. Thank you for jumping up and singing Elsewhere with me. Chuck it was so good to see you as well and like Kakki go so far back to the old days four years ago with me. I managed to catch you doing a dulcimer demo in one of the back rooms and it was great as usual. Maggie the food this year was so good. Thanks so much for helping me (what am I saying you did MOST of the work) with the soup. I forgot to cook the damn spiders that we spent so much time separating from the rest of the shrimp heads. I had a little to much hair of the dawg (not you Pippin) on Friday and got side tracked. The soup was wonderful Maggie and thank you for all your other hard work to feed all those hungry faces. This is getting some damn wordy and breathy and stuff, phew!!! I have not even begun to crack the surface of what I planned to comment on, but find it necessary to close for now and take this up later. Before I do, I would like to thank my wicked stepsister Ashara (you know she's a witch, she lives right up smack dab in the middle of all that witchy stuff, and Petco's and Dunkin Donuts, but I digress) for all that you do. I don't know if people truly realize the risk you put yourself in opening your doors to the world the way you do or the way you allow people to cook flesh in a kitchen that normally would not allow the cooking of hundreds of tiny defenseless shrimp (not to mention leaving their tiny little legs in a bowl of marinade in your fridge). It was so good to be with you and Sal again and thanks so much for everything including helping me do my "spicy" laundry. I AM retiring from the whole shrimp thing though, if ya'll wanna eat my shrimp you'll just have to come on my own turf to get it. I hope you are recovering well and we didn't make too much of a mess of your house. My love to all of you and thanks for your friendship and positive energy. I will try to finish my thoughts tonight so I can move on and get out of this sensory deprived state (withdrawal like) that I find myself in at the moment. To be continued, Paz NP-Michael From Mountains-Joni Sept. 1967 (Thanks Ashara what a lovely gift and so thoughtful)
