This past weekend saw the eighth annual get together known as the Riverside Jam. To those of you who don't know, the first one was hosted by Dan ("Laz") and Laura ("babydoclaz") Lasley in August of 2000 and we've moved it around to other parts of the US in the eight years since.
This year I got to play host once more and we had a number of music events taking place this past Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. You can already read some of the reports (and even see a bit of video) over on the Gigs and Jams Forum page.
The Riverside Jam has grown both in the number of participants and in its scope. This year's main event was a free five hour outdoor concert in downtown Great Barrington, Massachusetts. And, as host, I decided to use this event to raise funds for the PR Kellerman Foundation ( http://www.prkellermanfoundation.org ), a local non-profit organization that provides free music lesson and instruments to needy children in our county. At the Saturday show, we collected a little over $400 in our tips jar.
The musicians participating also contributed and the final total for the weekend was $1,350.00, all going to pay for music lessons for kids in elementary and high schools.
I couldn't be prouder of everyone that helped make this possible. So hats off to all the GN folks that participated as well as to everyone else who made it work. And a hearty thanks to Paul Hackett, who may think otherwise, but a lot of this is all possible because he created this website in the first place.
Peace
Glad it all went so well, I was thinking about you all after reading your report in the Newletter and wished I could have been there, maybe oneday - will check out on the Gigs page and hope someone posts some pics. (by the way, off topic, but great show on the roses, I've had some miraculous luck with my orchid this year - 13 blossoms on the one stem and they have lasted for nearly 5 months, not one blossom dropping off :) )
And Thank You David for hosting.
It's always a pleasure to visit Andante
John
Thank YOU! It was a total blast. Helena B. :D
Glad you enjoyed !
Congrats, folks. I wish I could have been there!
Tim
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
Great music, great food, great scenery, great people, Great Barrington!
What more can you ask for??
Falling in love is like learning to play the guitar; first you learn to follow the rules, then you learn to play with your heart.
a Great Mojo hat and shirt?
I feel all centered again. I'm glad I could be there and glad I could help.
There are so many great memories from this year and I practically remember them all.
Congrats, everyone! 8)
Bish
"I play live as playing dead is harder than it sounds!"
My how we've grown: http://www.cyberlaz.com/rj2k/RJ2Kpost.html (note that most of the old emails shown are no longer valid)
Each Riverside Jam is different, due to changing locations, hosts, and participants. This year was specatular! David had a grand plan, and he made it work. And there were a lot of musicians! I haven't seen the official roster, but I think there were more than 30 of us. It was great to meet new friends and re-connect with old Jammers.
The Songwriters night was fantastic, playing the gazebo was great fun, and the round-robin session on top of the hill was amazing. Several guitarists just walked to the edge of the lawn and looked out across the valley, strumming and smiling.
And it didn't rain for 5 days! As you can see from the pix above - it was quite sunny.
David doesn't get thanked enough; nor do Greg, Nick, Anne, Jeff and Karen. They really make it happen.
So once again - Thank You!
the castle was fantasticle!
Impressive to see the little kid playing a classical guitar in the first pic. And I used to think that I was the only unprivileged one of playing 'wide' fretboards...
And looking nice, Pearl.
Actually, Joe is playing a Seagull "Grand." It's an auditorium style model but it does have metal strings. Almost all Seagulls (and I say "almost" because I know if I say "all" I'll be proven wrong :wink: ) have wider necks, which is why fingerstyle gutiarists love them.
If it makes you feel better, at the Friday rehearsal and at the Sunday song circle, there were a number of classical guitars in use.
Peace
