Suggestions for who to invite? I've already got my own ideas, and two things are clear:
1) Pretty much everybody did a great job
2) Events grow stale when you invite all of the same folks back, although an event that defines itself as a homecoming is allowed some latitude in the repeat-billing category.
I haven't yet emailed any of the teacher/performers (except Brandon) to say "Thank you," but I'll tell you where my thinking is right now:
1) Billy Branch has asked to come back and he is DEFINITELY coming back.
2) Johnny Sansone will be an official part of the ticket.
3) Sugar Blue couldn't make it this year, but I want him next year.
4) Satan and Adam will be there. I just got an email from Dave, our drummer. He's going to kidnap Sterling from the old-folks home
5) Deak will be back. We got rave reports on his teaching and he contributed mightily, in every direction, to the general spirit of HCH
6) Bill "Howl-N-Madd" Perry and Terry "Harmonica" Bean both contributed mightily to the bluesiness of the event. But we can't have all the same faces. We'll certainly invite one of them back; bringing both of them back is somewhat less likely, but not impossible. That's why they invented the phrase, "Back by popular demand." God knows they did a great job. (Promoters of successful events have a thankless task picking the following year's lineup.)
7) Brandon and Billy G.: One is very likely, both is highly unlikely. We can't have all the same faces.
8) Jason Ricci: Why the hell not?
9) [edited to add] Charlie Sayles! God damn. Where's my cell phone?!
I've heard good things about Sunpie Barnes. Jerry McCain is local/Alabama and would add a nice touch.
That's all I'll say for now. It's way too early for final decisions. I'm glad y'all liked my selections for 2010, in any case. You may be assured that 2011 will kick ass.
Last Edited by on May 27, 2010 2:20 PM
Hey Adam...Can we work in some stage lighting ? You can put together and adequate set of lights (just for photo/video) purposes for about $30.00 from Home Depot. I'd bring mine but they would not fit in my carry on - LOL Really....a couple of small lights would have made a huge difference. ---------- 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
On deciding between Bill "Howl-N-Madd" Perry and Terry "Harmonica" Bean: I LOVED Terry, but you'll need a band for jam sessions and Bill's band would be great for that.
Additional guitar players for side jams and additional participation by all that would like to get a little time to practice / apply what they have just learned.
Just a thought.
RPoe, no whining now ;-)
---------- -- BTMF --
Last Edited by on May 27, 2010 3:18 PM
Bruce Willis: yes, of course, he's exactly the right guy for HCH 2. Jeez. Shoot me now. I love his acting, though.
Somebody recently told me that Watermelon Slim now lives in Clarksdale. If that's true, he'd be a great guy to pull into this thing.
Last Edited by on May 27, 2010 3:30 PM
Adam, what about Wade Schumann (Hazmat Modine)? You probably know him well from the NY scene. I've only met him a couple of times but I have this vibe that he'd be a good teacher.
Bob Dylan Neil Young kidding but more time for jamming for the guys like me maybe even have one more day for the intermedate player to do some jamming maybe that Friday with a hand full of guitar players .Just a though.Maybe I ll be playing like Little Walter in year ---------- Fred HARP (Harmonica Assn 'Round Philly)
Last Edited by on May 27, 2010 4:06 PM
Wade is an extremely interesting suggestion. He IS a great teacher, he and I go way back (I met him in Paris in 1986), and he really knows that old-style stuff. We probably can't afford a fee + r/t airfare, but who knows?
More importantly, he's not overexposed on the teaching circuit.
Note: For the most part, I'm NOT interested in bringing in harp guys who are are already doing Augusta Heritage @ Elkins and other "blues week" type workshops, including Gindick's and Dave Barrett's MasterClass. Maintaining brand distinction is important. Apart from the headliners, I'm interested in bringing in serious blues players who are legendary, or not as widely known as they should be. We succeeded at that this year.
The guitar angle is very important. We gave folks a chance to work it out with Bill Perry and Terry Bean. We definitely need to expand on that a little.
One of my inspirations, actually, is Tom Cullen and the Bucks Country Blues Society--the R&B Picnic. Tom and those guys always had a harp-heavy roster of entertainment, and I spent many July mornings (and afternoons) drinking cold beer and having my mind blown in the mid-to-late 80s by William Clarke, James Harman, Sugar Ray & the Blue Tones, and other acts. We caught some of that raw edge at HCH this year.
And heck: I knew nothing about the moonshine until Annie H. handed a cup of it to Bill Perry. I had no idea THAT was going to happen. Some of the rough edges just showed up.
I'll leave this thread now and leave y'all to your suggestions for whom to invite, which I'll read with interest. Thanks in advance!
Final note: Nobody has mentioned him here, but I love what Mitch Kashmar does. I would be extremely interested in getting him to HCH at some point. But now I'm getting crazy, with performers who will blow up my budget and talk that makes it sound as though I'm going to do this thing for more than next year. So I'll just shut up and go for a run.
Last Edited by on May 27, 2010 4:23 PM
One more and one who has a great style and ability to share is Sonny Boy Terry who attended this one as a participant who would I think would share his gifts if asked.
We also have a totally unknown in NO who Adam met and got to play with Thomas Walker. Thomas is a very gifted guitar player and a that is his second instrument to the harp which I see him having as much tone and musicality as anyone out there. Given his guitar playing and harp skills, he would be a real asset to the project.
I'd like to second the vote for Sugar Blue. If you can get him there that would be badass. And it would be great to have Jason there as well.
Last Edited by on May 27, 2010 6:04 PM
@Adam "Maintaining brand distinction is important". Does this mean you will no longer be working with Jon's Jam Camps?
As for attending my biggest issues were: 1 pay cuts during a recession 2. was it worth the $ during lean times (it was for me when Mr. Satan and Jason were involved. When they couldn't make it I changed my mind) 3. transportation from airport seemed either sketchy or expensive. All told I decided to hold off a year to see how it went and am glad that I did. Maybe next year. ---------- The Art Teacher Formally Known As scstrickland
Another vote for Jimi Lee (going to see him this weekend) and Watermellon Slim.
I'd love to be exposed to more of the regions players. I'm going to watch Kenny Wayne Shepherds "10 Day's Out" documentary again. I think there were a few players from Mississippi and Louisiana shown. I recall a harmonica player with one arm.
For the record, I'd steal my kid's lunch money to go again. The performers, instructors, the new friends and even the folks at FoxFire Ranch made it worthwhile. Nice venue with nice people.
Willie Smith - Recently gone back to playing harp, should have some great stories and is a neighboring Arkansas native.
Watermelon Slim - another vote. Last time I saw him he didn't have his chops together but has been great in the past and would probably be a good instructor.
Phil Wiggins - Piedmont blues isn't regional but I think it would still fit in with HCH and add some variety.
Just saw Watermelon Slim play last week and he DID mention he moved to Clarksdale. Jimi Lee would be great too. Non harp players- How about the Dickinson brothers,sons of Jim. I know they're local and love to jam. Jimbo Mathus,too.
Last Edited by on May 27, 2010 8:22 PM
I think Andy J. Forest would be perfect for HCH 2011. You guys would walk away amazed, just like you did for Johnny Sansone. When Andy does his frotier thing, it will amaze you.
Watermellon Slim is a great choice ... Adam i have his Personal Cell # ...and i also have RJ's Number ..Sugar Blue ... he is a close friend too i can get him on my FB .He Called me while i was in London on tour with Kilborn Alley BB .. he lives in France now .... but he is always in the states ... what about Joe Falisko ... ? ...As far as a Back up band ... I think it would be a good idea to hire a Chicago Band <> or a great West Coast band that can play any style ... RJ could get that to happen ...He is realy resorsefull ...Ok ill be quiet .... LOL ... Kirk Out ....
I have a very good buddy, who, possibly with a free ticket or guest pass priced ticket??, would bring his guitar for use with folks who wanted to play along with harp...in the crowd, before and after breakout sessions.... He's a marathon guy too. Unhappy unless he plays for hours...hes 33 but been playing since he was 8. very good blues guitarist. we needed more of those in the crowd.. ---------- Kyzer's Travels Kyzer's Artwork
UK Players to consider. West Weston he is a fantastic player in the Chigago west coast style, a great communmicator and very much underated player world wide. It is my ambition to spread the word.
Lee Sankey - Adam you know this guy already
Lydon Anderson
Johny Hewitt and Tommy allen - Great Duo in the one man band vein Tommy great singer guitarist percussion and Johny fantastic harp player singer (think William Clarke)
Poorboy
to name just a few.
---------- Oxharp
Last Edited by on May 28, 2010 1:33 AM
If I can make it this next time, I'd be willing to wager that I could talk Lazy Lester into coming with me.
The Esteemed Mr. Johnson (LL) is a neighbor of mine (actually, he lives even closer to "Randy G Blues"). It would be a simple matter to swing by and pick him up and haul him to the airport with me. Randy G too, for that matter.
All it would take is an appropriate break in that Lazy Lester touring schedule.
Let me add to the chorus of accolades, it was great. I go to a lot of harmonica events, although I haven't been on a blues cruise or to jam camp. The best of course is SPAH, you get 3 hours a day in the big room with instructors at each table. It’s easy to get one on one time with them, more than I can absorb in a week. The Buckeye festival this spring was more like HCH, there were great seminars, but too many players per pro. My favorites at the Buckeye were Peter Madcat Ruth and Hal Walker. Hal Walker is a monster. Madcat showed me stuff I've never seen from him before. The other pros were great too.
One simple thing that would improve HCH in my opinion, write everyone's name on their tag. At SPAH and Buckeye that was done, and it makes everyone friendlier. I meet 10 people the first day, then the second day I'm apologizing to them all for forgetting their names.
The crossroads was cool. I thought, and hoped, we'd all get our harmonicas out and have a mass jam at the end. Maybe even sell our souls to satan (ok, I knew that wouldn't happen).
When I made my festival plans for the summer, I made a spreadsheet of the cost, the cost to get there, the number of days, the total cost per day. HCH was one of the more expensive, but if it were a day longer it would have brought the cost per day down. We don't even need any instructors, just give us the pavilion, a place to camp Thursday night, name tags, and we'll make it happen on our own. One of the real high points was the spontaneous jam at the picnic table. I think a good idea would to have no recorded music being played, and actually have some down time, 30 minutes, during which you'll see spontaneous jams happening everywhere.
The marathon "Help me" brought virgins to the stage. Really. I was at the end of the line, and people kept getting in behind me. Its because they were playing the song, and after enough times they thought they had it, they knew they could always chicken out at the last minute and not go up, they knew no one would really be listening to them anyway, and they got up and played. That was great. I've been trying to get open mikes to do it like that when there are too many harmonica players. Something similar could have been done at the Rooster Friday night (although I left early so I don't really know).
I really like hearing other guys play, not just the pros, but other attendees. I like the harmonica contest at Bean Blossom. I don't try to win, I just do some tricks. It’s a great way to hear other players. Although I'm not sure HCH could have had a contest since they had so many good players!
As far as branding, I think you worry too much. No other event does the crossroads (that I know of). The Buckeye was like a mini-SPAH, but that didn't detract from it at all. In fact the Buckeye late night blues jam was great, better than SPAH in some ways.
Ok, just my 2 cents, for what its worth. I'm just a dumb hillbilly, and I don't really know Adam's vision for the whole thing, so I hope I'm on base with some of it. I'll sure try to make it next year! And I vote to bring back Terry "harmonica" Bean and Deak!
How about making ti two weeks earlier to avoid the heat!
I was planning on going this year, but changed my mind, when it seemed there were going to be lots of kids there. Sorry, I know this is not going to be a popular thing to say, but I just don't like camping or partying around other people kids.
johnster... i noticed 2 kids all event long.. and none in the evening when the adult fun started. dont let that keep you... ---------- Kyzer's Travels Kyzer's Artwork
harmonicabruce said madcat ruth put on the very best clinic he has attended-this event might get too big for foxfire but I still loved the place and their staff the event was such a huge success that word of mouth might lead it to event where you limit enrollment or move to ole miss football stadium
@harmonicabruce: Glad you enjoyed it. We'll keep it where it is on the calendar, the weekend before Memorial Day and two weeks after Ole Miss graduation. I need those two weeks to get ready. It will never be hotter than this year, which was significantly warmer than average.
Billy Branch and Deak have agreed to return next year.
There were very few kids this year. I think that people WITH kids decided to stay away. Anybody who chose not to come because they were worried about there being too MANY kids clearly made a mistake.
I don't "worry" about branding. I'm simply determined to create an event with its own distinctive character. I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase, "The usual suspects." Joe Filisko, Madcat, Kim, guys who regularly participate in Mark Hummel's blowoffs, SPAH, and the Ultimate Blues Cruise: those are the usual suspects. Great players, but it's easy to go and see them in many and various contexts, including teaching contexts. That's great! They deserve the work. But as a promoter, it's obviously not required that I give more work to the guys who always get the work. That doesn't create excitement.
HCH will strive to present a slightly different subset of the blues harmonica world. Terry Bean, Deak Harp, and Johnny Sansone are three guys, for example, who are NOT overexposed, and I'm glad we were able to bring them in this year.
Wade Schuman and Trip Henderson, friends of mine from New York, would be a good fit for HCH. They teach as well as play, they specialize in stuff that's slightly off the beaten track, in blues harp terms, and they're fantastic players who are not quite as well known--Trip in particular--as they should be, although Wade's CD w/Hazmat certainly created a lot of buzz.
Buddha, thanks for the Curtis Blake suggestion. I'll check him out.
Wiggins does a fair bit of teaching as well as playing; he might be too expensive for 2011, given who I'm already hoping to bring in. Given his annual tenure at Augusta Heritage's blues week, he's arguably a little overexposed. But he's a headliner with a name, and if I do this in 2012, he'd be a natural.
Many great suggestions, folks. Thanks!
[Edited to add]: One of the beautiful things about HCH was that the divisions between us--the subcultural positionings, qualifications, and outrages--vanished in the heat, and with the help of the beer, the superlative performances, and the magic. That was a relief. 100 harmonica players who were just having a good time, together. As this thread shows--and as many of the other threads in this forum show--that's often not the way things work. Negatives, dislikes, preferences, often structure the way that we interact with each other. I didn't seek comments in this thread for how HCH 2011 might be improved, or for what people didn't like about this year; we send out a follow-up form asking for all that. I merely asked for suggestions about who we might consider inviting next year. Yet the negatives crop up--and some of them come from me, as I try to clarify why certain excellent players aren't people who strike me as right for the event. So I'm not casting stones here. I'm part of the negativity too, despite my best intentions. The virtual world seems to encourage that. But it wasn't like that in our real, weekend-long community.
To avoid those sorts of negatives, I really AM going to bow out of this thread. Remember the spirit of HCH! Those who were there know that it is real; those who were unable to join us this year will have a chance to experience it for themselves next year at HarpStock II........
Last Edited by on May 29, 2010 2:22 PM
As far as kids...I probably had the record with three boys present (ages 8, 11, and 14). My rules were as follows:
1. They had to either be with me at the activities (sitting quietly) or with their mom at the campsite (no running loose).
2. The only exception was trips to the restroom (still had to check in with me on their way by).
3. An "in the tent" curfew of 9:00pm.
This worked well for me and I think would make a good HCH policy if needed.
I probably won't bring family next year as they've now done all the local sightseeing and don't have an interest in going back. ---------- Ozark Rich __________ ##########
Sugar Blue and Jason Ricci would be off the hook! Bring back Johnny Sansone and Billy Gibson because we did not get enough exposure to those guys. They were awesome. Billy had everyone sucked up into their own heads like a bunch of autistic kids with that simple little lesson on twinkle twinkle little star and he graciously gave the spotlight to others when on stage. It would be great to see what he would do given more time and opportunity. New Blood as the house band - my head might explode.
Can we do it every six months instead of waiting a full year!!
I didn't mean to be negative about the kids, but I was being honest.
Ozarks rules are great and show a lot of parental responisbility which is cool and if that policy were adopted I'd be fine. I just have had some bad experiences of camping at festivals with kids, and my buddy and I didn't want to drive from Tampa, take two days off work, drop some serious dough and have it ruined by being around kids.
So having said that, I plan on being there for 2011.
As for acts I'd love to see Sugar Blue and maybe Sugar Ray too!
