Thank you to: * everyone who sang or played or hummed quietly in the corner. Of course, it's the music that brought most of us together so that's first, last, and always. Thanks Joan for bringing this disparate group together.
* everyone who de-lurked this year to join JoniFest for the first time (Whitten! Mac!). * Sherelle Smith and Bryan Thomas. While I love all of the music, you two in particular were beyond great, to me. Beyond extraordinary. Beyond.... well, you get the point. I've been bragging about you both on the list for a while, telling everyone to be ready to be amazed. Anyone who was in the Performance Space on Saturday night, August 24th, 2002, between 8 PM Eastern Time (GMT-5) and about 3 AM Eastern Time (Sunday morning) will not soon forget the evening. I've already used all of my superlatives. I'm sure that people who were not there will be completely unable to grasp how throughly transcendent that night was. While the rest of the weekend I was sleep-deprived, on Saturday night, I was coming off 12 hours of sleep. I was completely, profoundly stoned on the events, especially because I trumpeted you two and relished how everyone else was "getting it". In short, thanks. Now I know how Bill Graham felt. (BTW, smart alec that I am, after Bryan blew the roof off the dump this year, I pretended to console him, saying, "Don't worry about your performance too much, Bryan. Don't be too hard on yourself. You'll practice this year. You can always come back and _try_again_ next year!" Psych!) * To Jeff Bisch and Kate Bennett. Not only did this classy couple watch over the schedule, but they introduced a brand new aspect to JoniFest- the song circle. I thought that surely by now all of the elements were in place but the song circle seems, already, like a permenant fixture. It's "us". The song circle smells like "us". * If the song circle "smells" like us, the Full Moon Central Resort "feels" like our American home. I hope the UK contingent finds a home that's as cool as this one. Meanwhile, you're always welcome in the New World. * everyone who came back home this year. (I'm thinking about all of the conversations I SHOULD have had this year with John van Tiel, Claudia, and Bob Muller. Maybe we'll talk next year, folks?) * Jack Neilsen. For believing in my little project, "Flags of Many Countries". You have a great spirit and I can't wait to hear the old and new songs on your disc. What's the title going to be? * Cindy Vickery and Giselle Hawkins for making me an honorary Lez, letting me hang out and enjoy the jams on the after-hours party on Saturday night, and occasionally putting [on some kind of har-mony]. "Amos Moses"! Giselle, you rock! * Chuck Eisenhardt for making damn sure that the keyboard players had something to play this year! Even in the song circle! And thanks too for forgiving me for being a dope on occasion. I promise to get organized before the Load-in so I can help out more. * Ashara Stansfield for amassing the army that it takes for an assault of assets and talent like this. What organizational skills! You rock and I'm forever grateful for the welcome you gave me in 01. (And this year.) * Stephanie Morrison. For climbing up on stage this year. It's so cool to hear someone so accomplished and I love the way you did that Tori song. Yummy! * Christina Friis-Nielsen. Wow! Thanks for coming to America to share your amazingly versatile voice. Not only do you have all of the high soprano notes but you can growl the blues too! * Chris Marshall. It's great to hear how you filled out everyone's sound this year. Way to go! * Yael Harlap. My driving buddy. My part-time confidant. You are a very generous soul. I want to stay in better contact this year than last. * Mister Michael Paz. My musical Godfather. My mentor. My big brother, and sometimes, my attorney in delicate matters of redemption. Springsteen would "get" what you've done for me. You are THE BEST! Back to my scanning, (converting my 35mm film negatives to digital images) Lamadoo ps, the drugstore scans fall way short of my hopes. ppss, thanks in advance to Bob Murphy for beginning a new tradition of respecting my orientation from a distance as I've always done for you.
