I Say "Yay."

Trusty Companion and I were up in Saratoga yesterday for the Dance Flurry. And were just about overwhelmed with all the great music. I'm always amazed at how much talent there is, both on and off stage.

The thing I regret, I guess, is that I'm so focused on Irish music that I missed all the amazing workshops and other types of music that were flying around just everywhere. Sometimes I wish I had the ability to resist the draw to play and just walk around and listen instead. The problem is, when you walk around, you're like a moving target and just the person you'd rather not see [the one who wants to talk to you for an hour about nothing] catches you right as you're stumbling across some magical moment that is happening between some dancers or on stage or in the hallway between two musicians who are having an epiphany. And it's gone. On the other hand, you do tend to run across people whose e-mail address you've regrettably lost.

When I first started going to Folk Alliance (a big sort of Marketing conference for musicians and the weirdos that surround them [i.e. promoters and presenters and agents, etc.]), I would ask my companions what their "festival moment" was. What was the one thing that stood out for you at the event? Did you meet someone you always wanted to meet? Was there a showcase that blew you away? Did you see or learn something that helped you transform your thinking? They used to laugh at me. "Well, you see, it is what it is. Nothing stands out. It's all good." I'd get kind of annoyed because how can you not be excited about being surrounded by amazing musicians and great people and the excitement of the business?!? Ah, youth.

I'm maybe a little more blase about it now, but I will tell you that I will always have a festival moment at everything I go to. I'd say that my festival moment at the Flurry was just walking through the halls and marveling at all the lovely people floating through their day doing something they love! I love seeing friends and families and young people rushing to get to a session or a workshop or their first gig, jazzed up and ready to go!

Yay to the people who organize, and Yay to the people who go! Now go out and find a "festival moment" in your lives and cherish it!

The Trad