Lonesome Pine, I hear ya calling

We were able to go to a bluegrass festival on the September 2nd, and it was so much fun!  We got to see Donna Hughes, Blue Highway, the Josh Williams Band, and (drum roll, please!) the Tony Rice Unit.  If you haven't heard Tony Rice, look him up on Youtube or some such.  My favorite thing of his is Shenandoah.

The great thing about Bluegrass is that the bands usually sound their best when they're performing live.  You can't say that about really any other genre.  

We got there early in the afternoon in time to hear Donna Hughes, and after that we listened to Josh Williams for an hour, then Blue Highway.  Blue Highway's banjo picker smiled at me about 5 times.  Through the sea of the wild, screaming fans!  Ok, so that's not true.  Out of the handful of people that were scattered here and there at that time, he happened to look our way and smile.  I won't even mention when their bass player grinned at me, either.

    Anyway, we went back to the van and had a bite to eat (mine consisted mainly of peanut butter), then looked around at the vendors until it was time for Tony Rice to have a signing session of his biography.  The boys went to look at knives, and I went to look at purses and bags.  {Who would've guessed that?}  I got a really cute purse - the perfect size that doesn't look huge, but is bottomless, sort of like the Mary Poppins bag!  It's a good thing I'd already decided to buy it anyway, because the lady started telling me what a pretty bag it was, and how great it would look on my arm.  *snort* Sorry, but that's not the way to make me buy something.  Way to be sly...

We headed to the place where Tony Rice would be doing the book signing, and waited.  Dad and the boys got in line (they were third), and Mom and I sat on a bench right outside the open window.  After a while of waiting, and people passing by and saying over and over to each other "Is he here yet?", a big blue truck pulled up.  A guy who was talking away on his cell phone suddenly said, "He's here!" and snapped it shut.

    Meanwhile, my head was whipping around in every direction just in case he came from a side I wasn't expecting.  Then...I saw him.  {And his wife that looked like Cruela DeVill} I heard the gravely voice, and he started slowly walking towards us.  He walked so close in front of me, I could've squeaked out a toe and tripped him.  Then he looked right at me (grinning like an idiot, no doubt), and his mustache twitched.  I was starstruck.  He kept walking, and I saw his nasty little ponytail that looked like it got caught in the garbage disposal, and then it lessened just a bit.  He went inside and sat at a little table, and started signing books.  When it was Luke's turn, he handed Tony his guitar and asked if he would mind signing it.  I hear from a very reliable source that Tony rasped "myeah, if you want me to deface it".  Luke was starstruck too.  

    After the guitar and book were signed, we went back to the car so Luke could put it away.  We all oohed and aahed at it for a while, then headed back to our seats and listened to more Blue Highway, Josh Williams, and Donna Hughes.

It was 10pm when it was finally time for the Tony Rice Unit.  It was amazing!  They didn't play that many songs, but the songs they did play were long.  For example, they did Nine Pound Hammer, and the instrumental break was so long that when they finally wrapped it up with the last verse, people had pretty much forgot that was the song they were doing.  

We finally got back to the hotel after 12, and all had to look at the signature on the guitar for a while before we could go to bed. :)

Jake and Luke having fun listening

Tony Rice

"*stutter stutter* Would you mind signing my guitar?"

 

Blue Highway

Josh Williams Band

The Tony Rice Unit!