Friday notes recalled a day later
June 07, 2008
Folks, I can’t say enough about the music.
BamaJam is a music and arts festival and the quality of the music here leads one to believe this is not Coffee County, Alabama. Can you image? ZZ Top, Hank Jr., Trace Adkins, Miranda Lambert, Ralph Stanley, Ricky Skaggs, Randy Owen, Old Crow Medicine Show, Gov’t Mule IN A FIELD IN COFFEE COUNTY!?
It is the reason to be here,obviously. I do find it, uh, oddly interesting, that when we returned to the campgrounds around 11:30 last night, there are folks sitting around in camp like they been here all day. Yes, you can hear the music from here, but not when all three stages are going at once and then, a half mile across a field, you do miss the experience. THE experience.
Whatever.
Anyway, wanted to report that this new band, Houston County, is pretty good. Unfortunately, the sound system failed them. The music was good, but theirs was the only act I heard in two days, where the sound was not right. It was some sort of connection problem and the lead singer’s vocals was a wash-out. So much so that he sang the song again, but the sound was still not 100 percent.
Ronnie Gilley, the man himself, then took to the stage with them and did an Elvis impersonation, without the sideburns, but he did give out a few brightly colored scarves to some pretty girls and there were plenty of those down front. And he wore the big, funky glasses. I thought to see the white, studded jumpsuit, but to no avail..... Ronnie in a jumpsuit? ha! Wait .... any man in a jumpsuit? Any man but Elvis in a jumpsuit?
Anyway, he also sang his single out on Bandit Records, “Shortcut Home.” It was obvious the dreamer of all that is BamaJam and Country Crossing, had a good time.
It was unlucky about the sound failure for Houston County, but the Gilley folks will see to it that this new group has plenty of other opportunities to be heard. Got a shot of a little girl with a sign that read, “Houston County is my dad.” There is a real family feel over here. And I hear only two arrests for underage drinking. That’s pretty good.
Tracy Lawrence and Trace Adkins put on a good show last night too. I saw Lawrence play at the Dothan Civic Center about three years ago, right after “Paint me a Birmingham” came out. You know what, I don’t think I heard that last night, but I was blogging on site, with TECHNOLOGICAL problems (that could be solved with a more current computer I am sure), and didn’t RELAX for the show. Type A, what can I say.
And to my friend, Janet in Ozark, who wanted to know about Trace. Yes, honey, the man can wear a pair of jeans. Yes! Yes! Yes! “Be donkey, donk.”
ZZ TOP is beyond description. I have never seen the band but my gosh, these guys have been around since I was in high school. Say they were 30ish then, and I’ve been out of school 32 years. They gotta be 60 and rockin’ like the years have been nothing but fun. The lead singer also told a few entertaining tales as an intro to every song. The crowd love it.
I was glad to have the binoculars. It was cool to see the guys close up. I kept wondering if their beards were real and what they REALLY look like. The husband said “Of course they are real,” and was once-again aggravated that he married a journalist.
ZZ Top front men wore these cool black caps, turned backwards with shiny shades on top. The Texas boys in black are just so dang cooool!!! I have never seen them in concert before. They also had an awesome light and video show.
Music continues today closing out with Rowdy Friends of Hank Jr. tonight.
Campers are still coming in and those in today are getting premium spots. That’s right, the late comers get the woods. That’s backwards, but oh well. I understand, they wanted to fill in the bulk of the campground first.
OK, had one crappy cup of coffee..... WHO BOUGHT THE FOLGERS?
“It’s gourmet Folgers,” the husband says.
Gourmet and Folgers do not go together.
And then I have my mocha Java Monster. I reach for my ice cold diet Coke and what do I find? What do I find? No ice cold diet Coke. Seems the HUSBAND, aka Media Assistant who is walking around here wearing my press pass like he is SOMEBODY, and enjoying the heck out of it, ... the assistant forgot to restock the fridge last night.
“Forgot?” he says. “You are the one who drinks them!! Am I the inventory keeper? Do I look like I am in charge of stocking? Am I the stock boy?” Am I the stock boy?”
“Are you or are you not the media assistant?” I ask.
Silent standoff.
“Do you want me to strip you of your badge?”
His answer is unpublishable.
DC in the freezer ... I hope I hope I don’t forget it!! Or there’s gonna be trouble and I’m gonna have to find a way to blame the husband.
Note of explanation: Since I quit drinking two years ago, and my beverage of choice was beer in a can, I have substituted diet Coke in a can as my wild party drink! Must be in a can. No bottles. No cups of ice. It is a mental game, I guess. Or else I am just addicted to aluminum.
OK, the husband is reading the morning paper on oil prices and just said somebody needs to be shot .... can you say Revolution??? His business is transportation. He ain’t jamin’. He fumin’.
Cya
