Hiya All,
As the title says I am working on a research project at CU Boulder about the Festivarian scene of “New West Bluegrass Culture” as some academics have begun to call it. I’ve spoken with a bunch of you all already but this request is sort of a final piece of the puzzle. If you would all be so kind, I would love to hear from any and all of you on three subjects:
What are the three songs that most express for you what it means to be a part of festivarian society? Not necessarily favorites, but songs that evoke the essence of the festival scene.
What three material items most represent your connection to the festivals and the culture? (Instruments, t-shirts, whatever!)
Is there a single moment or memory that you can identify as the moment when you knew that this scene, music, culture, etc. was going to be a significant part of your life. In many ways this is like the favorite story thread, but I hope you all will take the opportunity to explore what the scene means to you and why, and share that with me.
Feel free to reply here on the forum or to my CU email : stetson@colorado.edu
Thanks in advance and I hope to hear from as many of you as can take the time.
1a - Euphoria - Leftover Salmon
1b - Same o’l River - (Sam Bush version)
1c - Gentle on my Mind - John Hartford
2a - Old Friends
2b - Taping Gear
2c - my computer for staying connected
3 It’s a toss up between my first time drivin’ in to T-ride, seeing Bridal Vail falls, and knowing that was my view for the weekend. The 2nd option was seeing Bela’s “Tales from the Acoustic Planet” tour with Bela, Sam, Jerry, Stuart, Bryan and Byron,
1. What are the three songs that most express for you what it means to be a part of festivarian society? Not necessarily favorites, but songs that evoke the essence of the festival scene.
What three material items most represent your connection to the festivals and the culture? (Instruments, t-shirts, whatever!)
Is there a single moment or memory that you can identify as the moment when you knew that this scene, music, culture, etc. was going to be a significant part of your life. In many ways this is like the favorite story thread, but I hope you all will take the opportunity to explore what the scene means to you and why, and share that with me.
Q1
Telluride by Grisman quintet
The Music Never Stopped by the Grateful Dead
Sailin Shoes by Little Feat (sammy bush and Jonny C version)
Hmmm, inherent contradiction in Question 2
But, I’ll say my $40 cowboy hat that dies every year. My ridiculous tie die that only comes out at festivals.
I found the scene after moving to colorado and after having been a dead/phish head. I watched the dead fizzle out, then Phish got stadium big, and then I found in the festival scene that same free spirited energy that existed at Highgate and on the earlier phish shows, then I found the festivarians to be more homogenous, I guess in a good way, then the previous two scenes. Then I went to telluride on the rocks, sci at the ten mile room in breckenridge, and followed that train to my first telluride in 2000. I never looked back. I remember LOS first headline at tride, with the parade and seeing everyone on stage and jamming and thinking, this is the place.
I’ve sat in the audience and thought, “my future wife is in here.” Now I sit in the audience and think, “if everyone here got a hold of a copy of my book…” More on that later…
