Subject: Re: [Harp-L] spah.org Content

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Bill:
 
Can't disagree with a lot of what you say about how to make oneself  
comfortable at a SPAH...you made a lot of very good points, but I would have to  
disagree with one minor point...and that is that you couldn't possibly judge  
even that one entire SPAH you attended from the perspective of a day and a 
half,  mainly because by the 3rd day of no sleep... staying up to 3 or 4a.m. 
of  yet another playing in the hallways late night jam after the 2nd late  
night jam after the 1st late night jam ;)....one falls into a certain  
groove which doesn't dissipate until days later. It's literally a high  one has 
to come down from (even without alcohol).  Something like jet-lag,  but 
musically oriented. I've even gone up to my room and played - at 4 in the  
morning (very quietly, to be sure, but with mind buzzing) something I'd just  
heard at the 3rd 'after jam, jam'...
 
 Of course I've only been a SPAH attendee since 2005...so this  was just my 
5th SPAH and 10th Convention (including November's GSHC), and  I need to 
add that SPAH gets better and better with each passing  year and with this new 
GSHC - the 'East Coast SPAH' topping  everything(IMO), only on a slightly 
smaller scale ..245 attendees at last  count!
 
What makes SPAH work so well are the changes made over the last few  years 
(which you might not have been privy to, depending on when it was you  
went)...the concurrent events (people now get to choose which to  see ...only a 
problem if you want to see both)...since it's grown so  much there's no 
choice but to run the events simultaneously. It makes it much  more hectic (but 
fun)...sometimes with people going back and forth to catch  their favourite 
player in each room.
 
My one main problem is with the night Blues and Jazz Jams  
overlapping...since I love attending both. Jazz is my main draw, so Blues has  had to take a 
back seat. I do miss sitting in as audience on those great  sessions these 
last 3 years or so since Jazz has become much more established  and 
downright fabulous. Only 4 years ago Jazz was relegated to a room no  one could 
find...now it's out in the Bar area with back up musicians and  half of the 
hotel guests listening in, drawn to the high quality of the  music.... 
 
I will definitely agree that there is occasionally just a bit of chest  
'puffery'...but disagree on who's doing it. I haven't seen any  recent example 
among SPAH regulars. This past SPAH the only two individuals  who were 'over 
the top' in attempting to dominate/show off/take too much blues  jam 
time/challenge others/throw temperamental fits, seemed to see themselves as  big 
fish in their own ponds, bringing that attitude with them to SPAH where they  
found many players sometimes half their ages able to match them lick for 
lick or  better and without the egos. Hopefully they came away from the 
experience  with a new respect for being only one good player among many....
 
Especially if one videotapes, here and there one can find previously hidden 
 gems of players...as I did. Nobody expects or looks for 
perfection...that's not  what SPAH is about. It's about the friendship and camaraderie and 
hearing great  music.  At least that's why I go, and why 90% of those I'm 
friends with  attend.
 
The teach-ins (at least to me) are among the hi-lights of the conventions.  
Joe Filisko and his wonderful crew...Brilliant people willing to drag 
themselves  out of bed and to sit for hours sharing their knowledge with anyone 
curious  enough to ask questions...'there are no stupid questions' is the 
first  lesson.
 
 I've made wonderful lifetime friendships through SPAH, and now GSHC. 
 
Elizabeth
 
"When I went a few years ago I was in the same boat pretty much. I  
happened to be in town for business at one of the recent SPAHs so I got  
to check it out for a day and a half but that's all. I found it very  
easy to keep a low profile and just hit up the seminars and things I  
wanted to without getting sucked into "that stuff."  Yes, for sure  there 
is some chest-puffing-out and that BS that comes from just a few folks  
who for once in their lives are good at something and walk around  
working very hard to make sure people know it, waiting to be recognized,  
taking pot shots at peers or those "less fortunates" in this one small  
niche of life. And the hangers-on, the "entourage" types that revel in  
all the drama of big gatherings of "important people" like this. But  
most of the really good people were very humble, folks like Charlie  
Musselwhite are a stellar example. They go, have fun, are accepting of  
all, and never say a bad word about anyone despite their stature. You  
will encounter a lot of folks who are teaching, some of whom might come  
off as crass but that's not to be taken personally in most cases, the  
road and life of a musician isn't easy and some have just endured a lot  
and it's just their way. Have a little thick skin and tune that out,  
listen to what they are saying, and you can learn a lot. Or, just move  
on to someone who has a style more suitable to your own personality and  
learning style. But for the most part they are very supportive and  
friendly.

People are people and in any large gathering like this list or  a 
conferences you will find some who aren't your favorites. That's just  
society. From my observations this was limited and it was easy for  
innocent bystanders to stay out of that. From a sociology point of view,  
I thought it was hilarious to watch when I encountered it (mostly by  
hanging out in the public areas and eavesdropping a little). So that was  
just entertainment value for me! harp-l or any computer list aren't  
representative anyway since most folks are a lot bolder when they are a  
thousand miles way, anonymous behind their computer screens. And don't  
forget, sometimes since we can't read faces and expressions on the  
computer, sometimes stuff typed in this list intended as humorous or  
whatever gets misinterpreted. At SPAH the kind of stuff you see  
sometimes hinted at here wasn't as evident, folks were pretty friendly  
or stuck to their own cliques, wherein gossip and trashing if any  
probably occurred privately.

It's a very very small thing, some of  the personalities you can pick up 
on here, just people being people. It is  in no way representative of the 
conference as a whole - I found it to be  overwhelmingly informative, 
friendly and fun. I met cool interesting people  like Smokey Joe Leone 
and too many to mention and learned a lot, got to  check out cool gear 
and other styles outside of my blues/rock hole. I didn't  participate in 
the jams because I wasn't confident enough at the time and  didn't like 
the "big circle" format (not criticizing it, it's hard to find a  format 
where 100 people of any instrument can participate!) but it was fun  to 
listen to for a while. Particularly at Jason Ricci's annual harp  
blowout, I witnessed some incredible playing from a lot of  people!

It's definitely worthwhile, you'll make good friends and learn a  lot, 
there are lots of people of each gender, every age group, personality,  
and playing level.

Bill Hines"