We had such a fantastic time at Blue Waters Bluegrass Festival! We would like to say a special thanks to all of the great people we met this weekend.
What a weekend. We got to hang loose with Loose Digits, fly with Prairie Flyer, cuss with Custer's Grass Band (okay, not really)... but you get the idea. Too many people to thank, but we're gonna try.
Thank you! To the thousands of fans who came and were so friendly and supportive, thank you so much. To the sound technicians, you were the best we've ever had. The volunteers were incredibly helpful and friendly. The vendors were great, the food was great, the coffee was outstanding (I think I had a total of six or so Americanos this weekend).
AND THE BANDS! Crooked Still, you still rock. One word: WOW. Anne & Pete Sibley, your music (and your love for one another & your new baby girl) is simply inspiring. Custer's Grass Band and Steep Canyon Rangers completely tore it up. Prairie Flyer was fantastic of course, as was Jackstraw, Big Red Barn, and everyone else.
I personally got so much out of the fiddle workshop led by the brilliant Brittany Haas & Tristan Clarridge (from Crooked Still), and the phenomenal bluegrass fiddler Nicky Sanders (from Steep Canyon Rangers). Warren and I also were inspired by the songwriting workshop led by the legendary Darrell Scott (former ASCAP Songwriter of the year (2001), NSAI Songwriter of the year (2002), and 2-time grammy-nominated songwriter). More than anything, this weekend solidified the direction Wanigan is heading in.
We'll have the video of our performance up soon, but in the meantime, let me close with saying that it's easy when you meet all of these phenomenal musicians to feel discouraged because there is so far for you to go. I felt that way a little bit today, but then I realized something: we're all in this together. Brittany Haas (from Crooked Still) said something that really hit home to me. When I asked her, Tristan & Nicky where they thought progressive bluegrass was going with all of of the fantastically exciting innovation and fusion that is happening right now, Brittany said that she didn't really know what was going to happen next, but that what they (Crooked Still) have been doing is bringing all of the themes and styles from their own experiences and backgrounds together, to come up with something new.
And that, in a nutshell, is what Wanigan is trying to do. These new songs that we're showcasing at our concerts now: Firefly, Let Your Dreams, Who Lived Here, etc; —we're bringing what excites each of us to Warren's fantastic songwriting, and collectively enjoying the fruits of our concerted labor (no pun intended). Our sound is strengthening and growing because we're each contributing to it, and that is simply what bands like Crooked Still, Greencards, and all the other bands that inspire us are doing.
We're all in this together.
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