(Long) Weekend Diversion: Northwest String Summit 2013

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." -Victor Hugo

Well, they say that man cannot subsist on bread alone, nor should he want to, and I suppose I'm no different. You all know I'm a big fan of music, particularly live, and with outstanding musicianship. You don't get much more outstanding than David Grisman, who's been tearing it up for around 40 years, producing some amazing music, like

Flatbush Waltz > Opus 57.

I've never seen him live, and that's all about to change. Because this year, he's headlining Northwest String Summit.

Image credit: screenshot via http://www.stringsummit.com/. Image credit: screenshot via http://www.stringsummit.com/.

This should be a fantastic time; I've been a number of times before, and the location/venue is gorgeous,

Image credit: Horning's Hideout, via http://www.sayido.com/. Image credit: Horning's Hideout, via http://www.sayido.com/.

the lineup is spectacular this year, and for the first time ever, they're offering a live stream of the full event! (Prices are actually reasonable, too.)

Image credit: Northwest String Summit, via http://www.stringsummit.com/. Image credit: Northwest String Summit, via http://www.stringsummit.com/.

So don't be sad that there's no Friday or weekend post this week, be happy that I'll be having a little vacation, enjoying a small part of the joys that make this life worth living.

Image credit: Spedy Photography, via the Official Northwest String Summit site. Image credit: Spedy Photography, via the Official Northwest String Summit site.

And to those of you who absolutely demand a little bit of science/space goodness, remember how I told you that I write for NASA now? And I've got a monthly column in their astronomy club newsletters (some 200+ of them) all around the world?

Well, guess what arrived today to make me feel like a real NASA pro?

Image credit: I'll say this is me, but let's add NASA / JPL-Caltech just to be safe. Image credit: I'll say this is me, but let's add NASA / JPL-Caltech just to be safe.

So don't go too crazy while I'm gone -- no comments released from moderation until I come back on Monday (probably) -- and I'll see you back here at the start of next week!

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In the 80's David Grisman was a prime motivator of my musical endeavors, as was the entire genre that included "dawg' music. My roommate and I would tape David Grisman and playback at half speed so we could pick out notes. It revolutionized my approach to chording, but we discovered that his old guitarist Tony Rice was incredibly more difficult to play than the inventiveness of Grisman.

I once saw a woman leading a band at an outdoor festival in a park in Louisville. She played a mandola. Her technique bore the unique signature of David Grisman's chording. Later on, I had the opportunity to compliment her on that and she just looked down and said "yeah... I know". Thinking she had misinterpreted what I said I repeated that her style resembled David Grisman's. Her response was "yeah...I know. I lived with him for two years." I felt a bit awkward, but hell, she really was good.

My fondest memories are of great outdoor parties that included a large community of talented musicians in our area. Jamming with joyous spontaneity a setting of sylvan splendor is a wonderous thing. Sam Bush also hung out a lot back then with the local guys.

By MandoZink (not verified) on 18 Jul 2013 #permalink

Kill all the hippies!!!!!

Have a very nice vacation!!

By Eric Cartman (not verified) on 19 Jul 2013 #permalink

@ Eric
Oh crap. Yeah... I forgot about the hippies.

By MandoZink (not verified) on 19 Jul 2013 #permalink

Years ago my wife and I ducked into a bar f in Durango for a quick beer before dinner. The quick beer turned into a few as the group playing just blew us away. Leftover Salmon, great band....

By LookupAndLive (not verified) on 27 Jul 2013 #permalink