I was in Texas, I am in Colorado, I will be in Wyoming. Then I will be back in Colorado.
Last week was SWRFA- South West Regional Folk Alliance Conference, in Austin TX. It’s is, of course, a conference, with conference type things, including mid hotel food, panels by people in the industry, and some awards of sorts. All of which is fun, educational and interesting (I even was on a panel about sorting out the business side of things as an indy artist- thanks Mike Beck for inviting me!)
But your average middle management regional meeting doesn’t usually have an open mic by the pool, over a hundred guitars stacked on the patio, and all night jam sessions.
I had a great time meeting some new folks, hanging with friends, and just basking in the overflow of talent oozing around every corner. It really is fun to have a peer hangout like that. One of the most fun parts is that everyone gets a prompt when you check in to the conference, and on Sunday, during the brunch, everyone plays the songs they wrote. Pretty cool.
It’s also an exercise in sleep deprivation. It was always later than I thought. The earliest I got to bed was about 2 am and that was only once in four days. By the end everything gets pretty blurry. Exacerbated by the caffeine overdose I’m sure.
I did get out one night in Austin, to the Cactus Cafe. A legendary venue on the UT campus, the Cactus has hosted many of Texas’ finest songwriters. It was great to be there and also to see my friend Nichole Wagner play a set. You should check her out- she writes great stuff.
In the middle of all that my feed was full of what’s happening in North Carolina. It definitely brought back memories of the flooding here in Colorado in 2013, though it looks like what has happened in the south is so much worse. And then Sunday we heard that Kris Kristofferson had died. The world just keeps turning no matter what. I did dust off a Kristofferson tune in his honor- I might break it out this weekend in Wyoming.
Then back to Colorado Sunday night. I missed the earlier flight, waited around in Austin, got back to Denver, lost a suitcase, but got it back (someone took it off the carousel by accident- thanks United for dealing with that!) and time to do some laundry. It’s really the best time of year here right now- it was 40 degrees this morning when I got up. And I’m always amazed at how fast the light changes. I also got to be home for my wedding anniversary- that has not always happened! We don’t make too big a deal out of it but it is good to be together. After 24 years we still like each other an awful lot.
Friday morning I’ll be on I25 headed to Casper and Black Tooth Brewing. I’m in Cheyenne at Black Tooth on Saturday! The next weekend is a Colorado double header at Black and Blues in Loveland and then BoCo Cider in Boulder. We’re both excited and a little sad about the BoCo Cider show- they’ll be closing at the end of the season this year. It’s always a bummer when a small business has to close, but Michael and his crew have been so welcoming to the local music scene. Stay up to date with shows at the shows page or follow on BandsInTown!
Enjoy the fall and hope to see you out there. -JS
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