It's Damn Well In Bramwell

Yesterday, the band took a trip back in time figuratively and literally...we played a gig in the remote area of Bramwell West Virginia.
Bramwell is a town once inhabited by the Barons of Coal ( for the unfamiliar, coal to West Virginia is like sports to America, an occupation and an obsession). I use the phrases occupation and obsession because like sports many people aspire to it, and equally as many people are obsessed by it, but in truth only a scant few become wealthy as a result of it. The people who sign the checks of the workers of the sport, and similarly the workers of coal are the truly wealthy ones.
Anyway you get the picture...
Well, every year around this time Bramwell plays host to a beerfest of fairly epic proportions. The organizers hire several bands, and several solo performers. On the porches,lawns and yards of all of these unbelievably magnificent homes, they place all of the performers and one after another have us play our music. It's actually really cool how they coordinate it all.
We shared a bill with a band called Billy Goat Gruff ( a jug band of sort...). They would do a set of about 45 minutes, then we would do a set of the same length, and so on.
It's not at all complicated, very laid back, and just a whole lot of fun for everybody.People walk all around town checking out all of these million dollar plus homes, listening to and enjoying all of the music being offered. It's family friendly, and music ready.
We had a ball playing, and as always I did my best to charge the crowds checking us out. On our last set of the day, Michael got the notion to invite one of the guys from Billy Goat Gruff to play along with us. His nickname is Goose and he played a really cool handmade/created percussion/ drum/ fun machine, and between he and our drummer Jupiter, they created a completely fun pile driver punch to our songs...it was just too cool.
Even though the weather was drizzly, and sort of annoying, it still was a fun relaxing day with friends.
I wore my New York Yankees sweatshirt and was teased relentlessly by people in the crowd, because my bassist Ted had on his Detroit Tigers gear, so with whole notion of the playoffs between our 2 teams looming over us, the audience fell right in on Ted and I. It was great fun (even though my Yankees lost...[imagine my sad face here...]), and I even gave Ted an extra plug and acknowledgement to boost him up.
In all it was a lovely day, and one quick aside here, one of the reasons that I love doing this particular festival is that it gives the everyman a chance to smack a Coal Baron in the face, and take back some of the dignity that they tried to erase from this great state. Showing that you can you can make us work like dogs for next to nothing, but you can't take away our spirits...
So it's damn well in Bramwell.

Support Live music today tomorrow and always.