Hi Folks. Well, I had a nice time at the Folk Alliance. It was a chance to say hello to a lot of good "Folk" folks that I don't get to see very often. Among the highlights for me: (in no particular order)

1. Got to meet Art Thieme, although I'm really sorry I didn't get a chance to chat with him more.

2. Played for a solid hour with Erik Darling (I can die happy now)

3. Went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame instead of the Folk Alliance free lunch. VERY good move. Got to see Leadbelly's Stella, and many other wonders.

4. Did my little concert and invited Grit Laskin and Paul Mills to join me on concertina and guitar. With one song remaining I noticed that fiddler Anne Lederman and ace harpist Saul Broudy were in the audience so I was able to surprise them and get 'em on stage with me. We finished with a hot western swing version of "Good Mornin' Blues". If I was Jewish, I'd have been "plotzing"!

5. Got into two great sessions. Old-tyme fiddle and banjo tunes with Dave Arthur, and some blues and country with Andy Cohen and Larkin Bryant.

6. Got to know Borealis' newest signing, Clay Tyson. Was almost embarrassed to tell him that I last saw him when he was 4 years old (he's 30 now). He's got a strong voice and looks like a combination of his Mom and Dad (Ian and Sylvia) so that sure ain't gonna hurt his career!

7. Tom Paxton said he liked the way I did "Deep Fork" on the new album. I breathed a sigh of relief!

8. Got trampled on during an interview with a Texas radio station host. The only place we could find to set up her mike and recorder was scrunched on the floor in the hotel hallway, and we got run down by the band "Still on The Hill" from Arkansas. Didn't matter. Just added ambience to the interview...and the band are friends of mine. (the broken bones will heal!)

9. One disappointment was not getting to say hello to Joe Hickerson or Utah Phillips, but maybe they'll be in Vancouver next year.

Yup folk music is alive and well...but still an awful thing to make your living at! Glad to be back home and able to visit Mudcat.

Rick