Soaking up the Sun at ROMP
Owensboro, Kentucky
Here I sit, all alone in my office at work, on another lovely summer orientation weekend. This is the second one of the summer and I’ve seen a grand total of five students over the span of four days. I wish I could say that I have been productive during all of the down time, but I’d just be lying. During the first weekend, I ended up reading Wither on my computer while waiting for potential students who never showed up. This weekend? I priced and purchased a new computer {1}. I started reading this odd book, The Windup Girl. I bought four bluegrass albums on iTunes. I might start reading a research book after I write this blog entry.
Yeah, I should try to get motivated instead of daydreaming about my freedom.
I do, however, have an excuse – the River of Music Party, a.k.a., ROMP. I bought our three day passes a long time ago, well before the orientation dates were announced. What can I say? This is the best line up I’ve seen at the bluegrass festival since we moved down here. I’m talking about Steve Martin with Steep Canyon Rangers. Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile. Emmylou Harris. In all – 24 acts and three after party, all-night jams for only $70! Plus, you can park for free. You can bring in your own food and drinks {2}. You can even bring your well-behaved, human-friendly dog (on a leash, please). And, if you’re so inclined, you can even camp for free. Seriously, that’s one hell of a deal.
But wait, I think I might be getting ahead of myself here.
Steve Martin in all his Bluegrass Glory
ROMP 2011
In a miracle of epic proportions, The Coach and I were both free *all day* on Thursday. Seriously, that almost never happens, so we decided to head down to Owensboro a bit early, with the Moonlite BBQ theme song playing in our collective brains. By 1 p.m., we were hunkered down over our plates of mutton BBQ and other scrumptious goodies from the buffet. By 2:30 p.m., I was curled up in a chair at *$, nonfat latte by my side, research book in hand trying to ignore the fact that The Coach was snoozing – in a coffee shop. At one point, I thought he was going to drop his coaching magazine on the floor.
I’m thinking he would not be a good advertisement for the anti-somnolent power of coffee.
When I decided that I couldn’t stand watching The Coach sleep in public, I made him take me to Books-A-Million – you know, one of the book stores that we don’t have in The ‘Ville because we apparently don’t read in Indiana. That was expensive – we both found books we wanted for “work” reasons. And, of course we spent too much time poking around, mocking the silly treatise written by political pundits who really should know better. That meant that we ended up in the traffic jam from purgatory {3} while making our way over to Yellow Creek Park.
Eventually, though, we managed to park Sally – our Mustang – after a little bit of off-roadin’ through the park. And, wouldn’t you know it – we ran into two of The Coach’s former students, one of whom wrote a play that is being produced in Chicago. The poor girl had been working at a food booth, raising money for her move to Austin (as in, Texas) and was carrying her dinner around with her. I’m fairly certain that her food got cold because The Coach wouldn’t stop talking and let her eat.
NOTE: This would not be the last time we ran into people we knew at the festival: for example, the son of The Coach’s dentist.
The place was packed for the Steve Martin | Steep Canyon Rangers concert. Packed! Of course, we had to sit through all of the opening stuff to get to the main act. First: a group of folks, including a woman from Australia, who attended the jam camp led by Dr. Banjo. Second: Dr. Banjo and his wife. They weren’t bad: the jam group played a modified version of Woody Guthrie’s This Land and I think Dr. Banjo may have produced Steve Martin’s The Crow (although I could be wrong about that).
It was a little after 8 p.m. when Steve Martin and company took the stage – to a standing ovation from the crowd. That’s right. Standing. Ovation. Hadn’t even played a note, but the crowd had obviously caught a rare bird fever {4} even if I didn’t see anyone wearing a hat with an arrow through it. The show was freakin’ awesome. I think I might be half in love with good ol’ Steve Martin.
For those doubters out there (for example, one of my snarky co-workers), Steve Martin is the real deal. He did, after all, win a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album back in 2009. He’s even appeared on stage at the Grand Ole Opry. Plus, his collaborators on the new album are really excellent, as in I’m going to try to find some of their recordings sans Martin.
P.S. >> This is my favorite song from the new album.
More ROMP to come …
It’s official: The Coach is finally out of school for the summer. Well, let’s rephrase that – he’s done with academics for the summer. Today? He’s back at the school working with the football team. Oh, did I forget to tell you that he went back to coaching football? They bribed him with free shirts or something.
For the record, the actually concert was — as the dude behind us kept shouting out — “Awesome, just awesome!” Alison Krauss was terrific. Jerry Douglas was great. The opening act — some guy who was on the Sing Off — wasn’t too bad either. And, even those the air was so thick you probably could have swam in it – as in, steamy enough that Krauss quipped “I’m sweatin’ like a man up here” — the concert last for a long, long time, right through a four song encore. Seriously, her feet must have been sopping wet by the end of the night, thanks to those knee high boots. Phew!
LEFT: Saturn V Rocket. IU Ring. At the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Home of Space Camp. Huntsville, Alabama. May 2011.