I know that there'll be many wonderful stories to tell about the Getaway, which led me to start this thread so that us nomaders could share what turned out to be a wonderful weekend here in Connecticut.

As always, it's not possible to sample even one tenth of the music and dance going on. I caught half of a workshop by True Blue: a band that defies description. They do bluegrass, 1920's vintage jazz, folk and whatever interests them. And they do it all with impeccable musicianship. Walking through the long hallways, there was great music everywhere: fiddle and banjo tunes in the stairwells and Croatian singing and dancing in the lobby. And when the workshops are over, the musicians gravitate toward the cafeteria (and food) and keep right on playing. Members of True Blue must have played for three hours in the cafeteria after their workshop.

My first workshop went nothing like what I had planned. Which is why I love festivals so much. Planning is often a complete waste of time. My workshop with the Gospel Messengers and the Sentinels (the 5 man a capella doo wop group) turned out to be The Gospel Sentinels.
Frankie, our baritone, had a family emergency and couldn't come. That left my bass, Joe and me as a two man quartet. Not to worry. I added five more Sentinels and suddenly we were a septet. The Sentinels sing well without any familiarity with the songs, picking up harmony lines and the rhythm of the songs almost immediately. Joe and I led the seven of us on black gospel, alternating songs with the Sentinels. It was a brand new experience for the Sentinels, who are more familiar with performing in front of people with leather jackets, D.A. haircuts and poodle skirts. It didn't take them long to get comfortable, though and we had a great time. They were all excited, and can hardly wait until we can get the full Gospel Messengers and Sentinels together at our house for a jam session.

My second workshop was Songs From The Attic, with Frank and Barbara Shaw. That was great fun too, and not quite as we'd planned. We ran through the songs we'd brought to sing long before the workshop was over, which left us to sing songs that we hadn't sung in a long time: which was the theme of the workshop. We just hadn't planned on dusting off the old songs in front of an audience. I ended up doing a couple of songs from my Back When I Was Young CD that I'd never sung in public, even though some of the songs were written 40 years ago. Barbara and Frank did a wonderful, eclectic mix of songs with choruses, and we all had a great time, singing along.

It was great to see fellow Catters Tim and Vickie, Barbara Carrm, Sandy & Caroline, Guy Wolf and many others. The Sentinels left for a concert they had that evening, but were very excited about the experience at NOMAD. I expect they'll be back next year. We may need a larger room, next time around.

So, how'd everybody else enjoy the festival?

Jerry