Summer’s here and the time is right!
Hello, Hello! I hope everybody had a great holiday weekend and your summer is off to a good start. We were back at Legend Valley outside Columbus. While it wasn’t our usual Dark Star Jubilee, just being there over the holiday weekend brought back some sense of normalcy. I think the thing that makes it feel most real is being vaccinated and comfortable hugging our friends who are vaccinated. Missing that personal contact has been such a drag.
Well, the weather did not disappoint, that’s for sure. It wouldn’t be a Jubilee (or Jubilation) without some inclement weather. We either get a good amount of rain or abnormally cold temps. This year we were lucky enough to have both!! It was, however, not a factor to the fans. Sure, it made things less than ideal, but nobody seemed to care. Everyone is just so happy to be able to be out listening to live music and camping that it has put a new perspective on things for people. That may be one of the very few positives to come out of this pandemic.
One of the things I love about the Jubilee, and festivals in general is the collaboration onstage. Over the years, I have gotten to sit it with many of the bands I have long admired and made new friends along the way. Thinking about just the Jubilee, I have had the pleasure of sitting in with (off the top of my head): Robert Randolph, Donna Jean, The Wailers, Yonder Mountain String Band, Keller Williams and a host of others. I love the sit-in! Many reasons behind it: playing different music, having to stay on my toes to blend well with the band, the collaboration with friends, getting to be a part of some of my all-time favorite bands and mainly, the fact that I just love to play.
Case-in point would be Los Lobos. I have been a HUGE fan since the mid 80s- before La Bamba gave them commercial success-and have known them since 2000 when they first invited me to sit in. That was a surreal experience to say the least. I have had the honor of playing with them dozens of times since and when they came to Jamaica with us, I played nearly every note over the 3 nights. At one point, David Hidalgo said to me “As far as we are concerned, you are a wolf and are welcome to play with us anytime.” I can’t describe how that made me feel.
This year we didn’t have many bands but I did get one sit-in with the always energetic Rumpke Mountain Boys. Talk about love to play! These guys will play in any weather and as long as you let them. I remember one night in Jamaica playing shakers and tambourine with them until 4am after our show. At that point, I couldn’t keep up (they can play FAST!) but I know they played until the sun was up. They played after us this past Friday night and I joined them on just a snare drum with brushes. That is another thing I love about the sit-in. It is very rarely on your normal gear, so there is an additional challenge to the game. I love to play brushes and figure out what to do to a particular song on the fly and with Rumpke it is always a fun challenge. As the festival scene comes back to life, I am looking forward to a great Summer!!!
Thanks for being here-