Subject: [Harp-L] Garden State Harmonica Festival Sucked/ NO WAY!

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Warren:
 
I truly don't get it.  I'm running on empty after getting home from  GSHC 
with practically no sleep for 4 days (I got there Wed.  night), even though, 
like you it's the only Festival reasonably close to my  home.. missing many 
Harp-l digests since my mailbox was overflowing, but  honestly...this post 
of yours left even ME dumbfounded and I certainly do  usually 'get' your 
sense of humour!
 
I wait to read the older posts before catching up with the  newer, since I 
prefer them in order...but couldn't wait to see what people had  to say 
about this absolutely INCREDIBLE Festival Val Redler and Phil  Caltabellotta 
managed to turn GSHC into this year (with the help of a few elves  - one of 
whom was you).  
 
The reviews you gave of the performances were (for the most part)  right on 
- except you missed out on some GREAT beat-box playing by LD and Zach  
Gaviria - but that's ok~ I videotaped them in the Lobby. InCREDIBLE stuff...We  
were only missing Brendan (from their SPAH performance of it), but Zach and 
LD  traded off the parts which was especially fun and intriguing to my ears  
 :)
 
But....somehow, IF this previous post was supposed to be written  
'tongue-in-cheek', I'm afraid it fell far short of its aim. Just to be sure I  wasn't 
being too critical, I had the other member of my household give it a read  
- with no preparation. 'Just read 
Warren's reviews of the Fest' - and he's  been a friend of yours for a long 
time now.
 
He was as horrified by that particular post as were (so far) the  half 
dozen people who've been emailing me asking what it was about: 'did the  fest 
really suck?' 'what's up with Warren?', etc. 
 
Frankly, Mr. Bee - I'm hard-pressed to explain it. You never  make typos, 
you always sign your posts with your title of Entertainment director  - this 
post varied quite a bit.  So I'm asking now. What gives?
 
Understanding that a good 60% of the attendees were folks who don't have an 
 appreciation for sarcasm or 'NY humour', I believe you need to explain 
just what  you meant, and for Pete's sake remove that title before you scare 
away people  who think it wasn't the absolutely brilliant Festival it turned 
out to be!
 
For MY part, although I'm not yet ready to write an in-depth review of  the 
amazing performances and great people in attendance: some I already knew 
and  reconnected with, some new friends I've made at this Fest, I can state  
unequivocally that this 2009 GARDEN STATE HARMONICA FESTIVAL has so far  been 
one of THE top two Festivals I've attended since I began going to  Buckeye 
and then SPAH in 2005. This is my 10th Harmonica Convention and  it's a tie 
in first place with only one SPAH I've been to. That's  how good it became. 
C'mon....Saturday night - Will Galison jamming on  stage, then with Hendrick 
Meurkens and Enrico Granafei? Whoooo!...there were  other such amazing 
moments....I'll talk about those later (unless they're  already covered). 
 
One thing people should know: SPAH is huge - I don't dislike that aspect of 
 it but some do.

By contrast, GSHC is very personal, very warm. The biggest stars with  no 
egos sitting side by side with the likes of me. There is no 'policing'  of 
videos and photos, ergo no wasting of people's energies towards what is  
actually an ineffective pursuit.
 
 Actually, SPAH could learn from the indefatigable Val Redler. She was  
going non-stop dawn to dusk -and far beyond. Besides the work involved leading  
up TO the Festival, but now during....Not only supporting Phil in his  
performances, but working with the manager of the venue to ensure as  best she 
could the smooth behind-the-scenes running of the various performances;  
....the myriad horrible little details one can't foresee inevitably going  
wrong.  She handled it all with equanimity.  I'm proud to call her my  friend, 
and to have been involved in even a tiny way with GSHC. 
 
Bottom line, Warren...you need to explain that post.
 
Elizabeth
 
"Message: 4
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:41:19 -0500
From: Warren Bee  <gardenstateharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Garden State  Harmonica Festival Sucked
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID:
<ecfbf3c90911221541x27cb80a1m8f1432f09276bb7b@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type:  text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Worse gathering I ever attended. No fun at  all.

Thank goodness Foxwoods was on my way home so I could win back the  money I
wasted spending three days at that funky Holiday Inn. I know that I  was the
one doing all the pre-hype about big time players showing up at this  thing.
Nobody any good showed up. Even Santa Claus was a jerk.

Then I  come back to find a bunch of harp-l digests in my inbox. Most of 
them
full of  sarcastic BS. Have fun, don't have fun. Who cares?

I'm tired. I''m gonna  fry up a few twinkies and then hit the sack. I'm also
feeling a little  queasy. I think I may have cought something from all the
spit that was flying  around the hotel.

Warren  Bee"


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