Well I can hardly articulate how fantastically fun the International Folk Alliance Conference was. I played my own showcase (with my son Emerson at my side on the mandolin), played with many talented friends, and saw so many impressive artists doing amazing things that it made my head spin!
This was Emerson's first trip to FA, and it was pretty cool to hang with him and introduce him to some great somewhat unknowns. He and I particularly enjoyed hearing Mike Farris's sensationally soulfull singing, 21 year old Anthony Dacosta's immediately engaging songs and performances, the writing and delivery of old-soul-in-a-20 something John Fullbright, to name only a few.
I gave a workshop/presentation called "De-mystifying the Pedal Steel Guitar", and was delighted to see such a good turnout of seekers of pedal steel knowledge. It's always a kick to see the looks on folks faces when they start to understand just what the heck is going on with that fascinating instrument.
And now we look forward to...SXSW. I'll be playing several shows of my own, and playing along with many others through that week: Walt Wilkins, John Inmon, Ramsay Midwood, Jeff Talmadge, Matt Harlan, Freddie Krc, Emily Grace Berry...have I left anyone out? I'm attempting to update the calendar section of this, the new and improved version of pattersonbarrett.com, so come back often to see whats happening when, and thanks for stopping by!