[Harp-L] jason ricci habitat benefit

[Garry Hodgson <garry@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

saturday night was probably the best night of my life,
musically speaking.  jason ricci and new blood played
an incredible show at my spiritual home, the morristown
unitarian fellowship, to help us raise funds for our 13th
annual habitat for humanity trip.

it was an amazing night.  our meeting room full of friends
and family, new fans and old.  i'd been a little worried
about whether this was the right choice for a band; most
of the concerts here are more in the choral, classical, or
folk vein.  but jason won the crowd over immediately, and
had them bouncing in their seats the whole time.  it was 
funny seeing some members of the congregation that i think 
of as very staid and laid back grooving along to this music.
i had people coming up to me all weekend telling me how
completely blown away they were.  most had no idea what
they were in for.

it was great having several friends from the list there.  warren, 
elizabeth, and reach were there.  zig zeller taped it, along with me.
forgive me if i've forgotten anyone; the evening was a bit of a
blur for me.  thank you all so much for coming, it made it really
special for me.

but as impressive as jason was saturday night, he was even more
so sunday morning, when he came to speak to the kids in our
youth group.  he talked about his journey in life, good times and
bad, and how he became who he is today.  it was inspirational.
it was such a gift for our kids, and for us adults too.

we ended up raising a little over $3000 for the habitat project.
our expenses were low, since jason refused to accept payment
for playing.  he said it would sully it for him.  given how
tough it is to make a living on the road, his generosity is
overwhelming. i'm hoping he gets some benefit from increased
exposure; he certainly had a roomful of new fans by the time
the show was done, and many are anxious to do what they can to help.

i lost a lot of sleep the week before, fretting over details
and worrying about whether it would work out well for all.
turned out my worries were groundless.  the crowd was happy,
the band was happy, we made some money for a good cause.  
that's worth losing a little sleep over.  

the show is up on the archive now, at:
http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=34740
if you like it, you might consider adding a review to that
page.  you'll need to register, a free and painless process.


----
Garry Hodgson, Technical Consultant, AT&T Labs

Can't you hear my lambs a callin'?
Oh good shepherd won't you feed my sheep?