I know I swore that I wouldn't say another word about Hill Country Harmonica until we were ready to start selling advance tickets, but I am unable to contain myself.
Billy Branch (who is performing on the Grammy Awards show this Sunday evening) will be joining us at Foxfire Ranch on Sunday, May 23. He will be teaching and performing.
Billy Gibson will also be joining us. As you know, he received the 2009 Blues Music Award for "Instrumentalist of the Year - Harmonica."
There are other teachers and performers, of course.
I visited with Bill Hollowell, proprietor of Foxfire Ranch, this past Monday and we did a walkaround. There's plenty of room for camping within sight of the gazebo and stage, although much of it is slightly angled, but there's also a secluded area about two minutes from the stage, dead flat and grassy, where I think most people will want to camp. No curfew. No showers, either, but I may be able to convince Bill to rig something up.
The only thing I'm waiting on right now, believe it or not, is Sterling Magee. I don't have 100% confirmation that his Medicare facility will allow him to join us. Obviously the participation of Satan and Adam was one key element of the event I initially envisioned. Without him, it's just Adam Gussow and his one-man-band. But I'm crazy enough that I'll probably just tinker with the schedule and hope that the prospect of a harmonica intensive in the North Mississippi hill country at the perfect time of the year, with terrific teachers and performers, great food, lots of cold beer, great camping, and exceptional fellowship will be enough to draw enough harp maniacs from various parts of the globe that I won't go broke in my first attempt at playing promoter.
I'll keep you posted. No more from me.
May 22-23, 2010. Please save the date.
Last Edited by on Jan 29, 2010 12:05 PM
---------- Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
That camping nearby thing will be brilliant. I'll be coming from Blighty, so the money has to stretch a bit more. No motel = more beer + longer stay. I've roughed it before, so this is good news to my pocket. ---------- YouTube SlimHarpMick
I'm Still Gonna try to sell my soul to play like Gussow
You can't miss me I'll be the one wearing the 4 Leaf Clover T-Shirt Holding a Mojo Hand & Twirling a Rabbits Foot Key Chain
Last Edited by on Jan 29, 2010 6:42 PM
stash- buy him a harp. then set him on the path with adam's videos. take him to one harp related concert. BAM! you now have somebody to share the ride with!!
Oh Im eating like a damned pig the day before... leaves much more room for beer and of the like... my lil ford ranger will be comfy enough for a nights stay. This is going to be awesome, Adam. ---------- Kyzer's Travels
you never said "cold beer available" you said "lots of cold beer". if i go to a party an people say theres gonna be "lots of girls" there i dont expect to pay for them. but if they say "girls available"...well thats different kind of party. but ill pay for the beer. but if you tell me theres girls available i wont pay for them....maybe...depends on the humidity down there. ----------
Last Edited by on Jan 29, 2010 7:15 PM
Most folks are landing at Memphis.....for me it is much cheaper to fly to Little Rock (from Syracuse) and drive the extra hour and a half. See the county side and save about $200 ---------- Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
Memphis is closest: 50 miles from the airport to the venue. The following four cities are all roughly 200 miles away, give or take 15 miles:
Jackson, MS Little Rock, AR Birmingham, AL Nashville, TN
Highway mileage down south is much quicker than highway mileage in the northeast. It's pretty much 70 mph from start to finish, with no traffic or other congestion. 200 miles is 3 hours and change.
Yes, Hill Country Harmonica definitely happening. I confirmed Billy Branch today and a contract is being issued.
Last Edited by on Feb 01, 2010 8:04 PM
I'm currently building a website for the event and I just came across a terrific video from Billy Branch. Remember our conversation about "Juke." Here's Billy sitting on a stool and playing it unaccompanied. This is some kick-ass harp and makes me know why I wanted him to headline the event. He IS coming, y'all. He'll be teaching and performing:
