[Harp-L] Augusta, jam camps, harp festivals: BEWARE!!

[Roscoharp@xxxxxxx]

Hey list,

Almost 15 years ago I was a novice but decent self-taught harp player with no 
exposure to any other harp players & no ambitions beyond sitting in at jams. 
I heard the Flecktones doing "Sinister Minister" on VH-1 & it freaked me out. 
Shortly thereafter I saw Bela & the boys at the Ark in Ann Arbor & Howard was 
nice enough to visit with the audience afterwords. It was then that he told me 
about the workshop that he did every summer at Augusta. I signed up right 
away........

15 years later I am a professional  musician  & completely  harmonica 
obsessed, & it is MOSTLY due to the experience I had  that week in West Virginia. 
Until then I had no idea there was a harmonica "community" out there. I had no 
idea what harmonica was capable of. I had NO idea how much work it was going to 
take to get where I wanted to be....but I was so inspired that I dove in head 
first.  Augusta literally changed my life. It didn't hurt that amongst the 
attendees were Iceman, Carlos Del Junco, Sandy Weltman, Henry Feinberg ( what 
happened to Henry?), Paul Messinger, Dr. Hank Bahnsen, & other great players I'm 
forgetting. So in addition to Howard I had the more down-to-earth example of  
these guys who were also  out there doing it.

Be aware that there might be a sleeping monster in you that can be awakened 
by musical inspiration -- it might just consume you!! 

I wouldn't have had it any other way.



later, Rosco
maybe august