I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity.
Edgar Allen Poe

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
- H. L. Mencken

Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so
-Bertrand Russell

What I have been telling you, from alpha to omega, what is the one great thing the sigil taught me — that everything in life is miraculous. For the sigil taught me that it rests within the power of each of us to awaken at will from a dragging nightmare of life made up of unimportant tasks and tedious useless little habits, to see life as it really is, and to rejoice in its exquisite wonderfulness. If the sigil were proved to be the top of a tomato-can, it would not alter that big fact, nor my fixed faith. No Harrowby, the common names we call things by do not matter — except to show how very dull we are ...
-James Branch Cabell

October 27, 2014 - 10:09 p.m.

Brooklyn Home of Bluegrass

You might have noticed that I didn't update this morning. that's because I'm having a Crohn's attack. I feel up to writing now. I'm not better but I'm mending. I'll deal with that later. I had a day worth writing about yesterday. This isn't good. I have to get up and get the program. and that's not so easy when I'm weak from Crohn's But I'll do it anyway. That is how much I love My Gentle Readers. It's an hour after I wrote that but I got it.

On Sunday I went to this:


Just look at that lineup, You can see it's an epic event. It was clearly an musical highlight of the year. But, and there's a but, they started off on the wrong foot. Of course before that I was an idiot.

I got a slow start on the day and at 1:30 I noticed the time. Doors were at 2:00 I wanted to be there before doors, but I wasn't even dressed I raced into my clothes and out the door. I raced to the subway. I raced down the steps. A was leaving in 4 minutes. Perfect. I checked my pocket. I left my cell phone at home. My ticket was an email in the cell phone. ARRRRRGGGGGHHHH. I really hate being an idiot. What's it like to have a brain It must be wonderful.

I raced back up the stairs. I raced back to my house. I raced up to my room. I got my phone. I raced to the subway. and and New Yorkers know what happened. My unlimited metrocard didn't work because it had just been used. I waited to see if anyone would use the gate that isn't one way for when you have large items . Nobody did so I bit the bullet and bought a single fare subway ride. I raced downstairs and there was an 8 minute wait. I could have waited for my card to be reused if I had known that. there's a 15 minute limit.

I got there around 2:20 or so and there was a line out front. I figured they opened the doors late. I asked, "Is this the line to get in? I was told yes. but it wasn't It was the line to get a drink bracelet. I don't drink. I didn't have to wait but I waited 5 minutes before I discovered that,. I got in found my ticket on my phone. It was 2:35 or so. That should be no problem. You see the poster, the show started at 3:00,. No and here's the big but. The show started at 2:15 with the Calamity Janes playing in the Frontier Room. They were in the area where the guy selling barbecue often is. They were one of the main attractions for me. I had only seen the once. It was at Bellhouse opening for Crooked Still. I loved them. They went on hiatus right after that. But I found that their banjo player Stephanie Jenckins moved in my circles and became friends with her. I've seen her perform a number of times. I ran into her a month ago or so, I think seeing Jean Rohe at the Cornelia Street Caf� and she told me they Janes were playing the Bash. I was quite excited. They were just as good as I remembered them. I hope they play some more. I somehow didn't ask Stephanie if they would. There was a lot going on.


Sucky picture of the Calamity Janes

My guess is that they started a bit late as they played till almost 3:00 when we moved into the main room.. There was no seating so I moved right by the stage, my usual bellouse spot stage Mike. that's a bit left of audience left. You had to be there to know that. There being the world of Moxy Fr�vous .

First up in the big room was Darol Anger with Joe K. Walsh, & Grant Gordy. Darol is a legendary Bluegrass fiddler, one of the main people I wanted to see as I've never seen him. That's an advantage of loving non-mainstream music you can stand by the stage and see legends. He and his cohorts lived up to the legend. The children of the night what music they make.


Michael Daves introducing them


Tony Trischkajoining in on banjo.

Then they surprised me by moving the music back to the Frontier Room. I guess that's how they handled cutting down on setup time. Of course that room isn't big enough for everyone. Lots of people took it as a break. Even worse some people moved to the bar in the front room and talked loudly. Too bad as that's where my friends played for the most part.

I got out there and Cricket Tell the Weather was starting. I didn't even know they were playing. Kristin Andreassen told me about this show originally and once I heard Darol Anger, Michael Daves and herself, I was in.. Everyone else was a bonus. But you know I love Cricket. Now you'd think I'd get better pictures in the small room but you'd be wrong. I was actually further away and the light wasn't as good. I did get some.


Hans doing a solo song.

Hans did the solo because it's on an album to raise money for the Old First Reformed Church and the entire event is a fundraiser for the church. On the album he plays it on the ukulele. Hey a bass has four strings too. It's just a bit bigger.

When Cricket was done we went back to the main room and I found my way to the same spot. The next act was the one probably most familiar to My Gentle Readers, David Bromberg with Mark Cosgroves.. You'll notice that I'm not providing links like I usually do. I'm weak and tired so if I don't have a macro to make the link I'm not giving it. you can Google these people as well as I can.

I do not think of David as bluegrass, I think of him as blues. Know why? He's blues. But hey if he wants to call it bluegrass I'll go along for the ride.


that's Tony Trischka playing with him. See it's Bluegrass

I hope you can realize how lucky I am to have seen Tony Trischkaplaying with David Bromberg. It's not the first time. They played together 40 years ago when Tony was in college. I told you this was an epic night.

At one point this woman just walks on stage while they are playing, walks over to Mark Cosgrove's mic and starts singing along Nobody called the cops so I figured this was OK. She's David's wife. Sorry I don't know her name and I'm not doing research today. You want to know it you look it up. She stayed for a few more songs, sang along, and danced. Pretty damn good.

Then we raced back to the frontier room to see Kristin Andreassen who has a macro, and Stephanie Coleman. I see Kristin far more often than I see anyone else on the bill. She's in the inner circle of my musicians. But guess what I still don't want to miss a minute of her making music. That's why she's in my inner circle. They did songs off Kristin's upcoming album No they didn't do the greatest song ever but I loved what they did. After the first song or too she told the crowd to pipe down. They were very loud. They listened! I wish I could remember what she said Musicians need to learn those lines. Unfortunately my pics of them are een worses than the one of the Calamity Janes. I've posted so many pics of them at other times I'm to worry about it.

Then were were back to the big room for my only friends on the main stage,
Haas, Kowert, & Tice. That�s Brittany, Paul, and Jordan respectively. If I based making macros on how much I love bands instead of how often I see them they'd have a macro. I often call what they do chamber folk but that's not right. They have too much energy for that. Chamber sound staid. Its chamber folk with a rock attitude. I think I got more good pics of them than everyone else put together, especially Brittany who was right in front of me.


Close enough to get that with my phone.


Paul Kowert pronounced Co-wert

Jordan Tice

We didn't run back to the Frontier room after that. Bruce Molsky, Tony Trischka, & Michael Daves were of course on the main stage. The show is Michael's Baby. From the way he talks I take it he's part of the church's congregation.. He's a great young bluegrass guitarist and singer.

They of course brought up guests..

Brittany conferring with Bruce Molsky

Then came the Grand Finale and everyone who didn't have to leave earlier was on stage.


Doug from Cricket Tell the weather with Michael


Fiddlers Three


Jason Borisnoff from Cricket


Invasion of the basses


Doug and Tony

Here are the rest of the pics.
Brooklyn Bluegrass Bash 14

I was disappointed how few friends I saw, just Eddie, Maggi, Amy, and Barbara.

After the show I went to Trader Joe's then I did something stupid. I ate dinner. I had started to feel the Crohn's attack during the show. I fooled myself into thinking that if I could eat then it wasn't too bad. I was wrong. I ended up being awake much of the night. I took the 20 mg of prednisone that usually works as soon s I finished dinner. Didn't work. I took some more in the middle of the night, didn't work. I took some more this afternoon and it might have worked. I'll talk more about that tomorrow along with my conversation with Lori and not the Jian Ghomeshi story about how talking about it has changed the FB social order today.

Now comes the big question, do I try and eat something. I think I'll talk to Katrina first then see how I feel. The fact that I can talk to Katrina shows improvement. When Heather called me earlier I couldn't talk. If I eat it will be breakfast .Some sort of eggs.


I signed the Pro-Truth Pledge:
please hold me accountable.





Memories: Not that Horrid Song - May 29, 2018
Wise Madness is Now In Session - May 28, 2018
The NFL and the First Amendment - May 27, 2018
On The Road Again - May 26, 2018
Oliver the Three-Eyed Crow - May 25, 2018



creative commons
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Horvendile October 27, 2014
site search by freefind advanced


Follow on Feedly



about me - read my profile! read other DiaryLand diaries! recommend my diary to a friend! Get your own fun + free diary at DiaryLand.com!