Chicago Sandy
07-23-2006, 10:22 PM
Greetings from beautiful (wet) downtown Negaunee, MI, where I'm staying (in a cheap motel with cruddy dialup access) for the Hiawatha Music Festival. SASS! went as a trio this year (we added Kate Early) and did two great workshops and the mainstage open mic. Yesterday we did one on leading audiences in singalongs (along with Sally Potter & Pat Madden, and the trio 'Ski plus Ira McDonald), and had a grand time--got the audience singing along on "Because We Can" and got to do six-part harmonies on "Wild Rover" and Holly Near's "Path of Peace." But today we did a harmony workshop with Garnet Rogers (who originally said he was going to harmonize with the voices in his head but then actually asked us to come up on mic and be his backup singers). He has a gorgeous voice and is a terrific writer, but is also an amazing picker--and brought a huge arsenal of electric and acoustic guitars and effects (GAS strikes again--I lust after his nylon string Yamaha Silent Guitar--which he has custom-strung with gut!). And we also sat with our jaws dropped as we listened to Cephas & Wiggins--WOW! (Yeah, Cephas played his signature Taylors). I'm struck by how close Piedmont blues is to ragtime. And I have never heard any harp player as amazing as Wiggins!