Notes from the WoodSongs Fireplace - Nov 8

Tuesday mornings are always a bit tough, especially after everything goes so well ... as it did last night. I sit in my farmhouse, sipping my coffee wondering "How can we ever do better than THAT?" I think this must be sort of a musical, artistic version of post-partum depression. Not that WoodSongs is anything like childbirth. I couldn't begin to imagine what this is like.

The Cherryholmes are a remarkable group of young musicians, their mom and dad love them very much. Cia will be a standard-bearer in the world of traditional bluegrass banjo. She is following in the solid footsteps of my friend JD Crowe.

I can't help but think how hard it must have been for this family to loose their sister and turn all that frustration and pain into their music. They came from literally nowhere, learning their instruments from scratch and in a few short years beat out Alison Krauss and Del McCoury to become the IBMA Entertainer of the Year.

And musically they deserve it, no question about it.

It made me wish my dad was alive, that I had even met him at all. I wonder if he would be as supportive and ecouraging as Jere is with his kids? Would my dad be sitting in the audience while I was onstage? Would he be playing bass behind me?

I would like to think so ...