Re: [Harp-L] SPAH numbers?

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Attendance by the numbers was steady with previous years. However, eye observations did seem thinner. Not sure why.

Hering was a vendor two years ago but has once again vanished from US presence. Some independent vendors such as Hal iwan are no longer around, while Chris Richards who was present as a vendor in 2010 is now SPAH convention stage manager. Two years ago Doc (Harp Depot) had a vast presence in the vendor room. This year the main retailer, Danny G of newharmonica.com, had his own room. Also, the vendor room itself was smaller than two years ago, though still big enough, with no empty corners.

I rode shotgun in a van with the teens back from the Tuesday Blowoff and I could tell from their talk emanating from the back that they are passionate about what they're doing and deep into it. That and the quality of their performances tells me that this isn't just a passing fancy.


Winslow

 
Winslow Yerxa
President, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
            Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
            Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Harmonica Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance


________________________________
 From: Mick Zaklan <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2012 10:21 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] SPAH numbers?
 
   Didn't go last year because of disk surgery on my neck, but my first
impression when I arrived in Dallas was that the attendance seemed down.
And fewer vendors.  Demographically,  more kids.  I don't know if that's
going to help; my experience with kids is that they get interested in stuff
and then move on to other stuff.  There's a restlessness.  But handing out
free passes to promising kids is probably worth the gamble.  From my
standpoint, it was an extremely pleasant experience to watch these
youngsters playing around the building.  I particularly liked the one named
Jake.  Caught him twice, and each time he was extremely musical.  Hadn't
fallen under the spell of the machine gun note-sprayers.  And an
exceptional singer, too.

Mick Zaklan