DianeB

Season 7, Episode 1: “The Bag Lady” EXT. TENN MTS. DAY - POV: Aerial MLS of sedan on mountain interstate. VO: She’s been down this road before. Downhill and fast. Her Camry knows its way down the backside of the Cumberland Plateau. Together they spill into the Nashville Basin. On and behind the seats the bags bounce: the Navigator’s Bag, the Guitar Bag, the Gift Bag, the Feed Bag, the Fun Bag, the Trouble Bag. Another bag with two empty Laundry Bags. There’s no washing machine where she’s headed. SOF: “Aerial Boundaries” by Michael Hedges on car stereo [memo to Prod: no license yet] OS: DIANE gently tapping steering wheel, then suddenly startled as tractor-trailer overtakes on right going downhill. POV: Backseat into rearview mirror of DIANE’s eyes flickering from road to truck. FRONT ANGLE. CU. Front of car as tractor-trailer swings behind Camry. OS: DIANE: You want to draft me? Later, gator. REAR ANGLE: DIANE’s Camry roars away into the distance. CUT TO: INT. GRUHN GUITARS - PAN: STEVE welcomes about 20 early birds to reception. GREG VOROS leads tour of repair shop. GEORGE GRUHN shows off latest sinker mahogany guitar. Full CAST pulls up chairs around RORY HOFFMAN, who plays a 40 minute set. ZOOM IN on dazzled expressions of amazement in audience, RORY’s hands on guitar. CU on STEVE comping on “Misty”. PAN across CAST applauding, then scattering around the store. CU on DIANE sighing, reaches for an $11,000 Macpherson, strums a few chords, and sighs some more. FADE OUT.

For those diehards who will stick around through Saturday night... Saturday Night June 18 Shows in the Area: Grand Ole Opry lineup, Saturday night June 18: Dailey & Vincent, Katy Nichole, Smithfield, Sam Williams, others. Third and Lindsley lineup, Saturday night June 18: Resurrection: A Journey Tribute Station Inn lineup, Saturday night June 18: The Farmer and Adele City Winery lineup, Saturday night June 18: The Brothers Landreth Franklin Theater, Saturday night June 18: Film: "Father Stu"

What a beauty, Mike. And it's in well-deserving hands. Enjoy!

We’re less than 4 weeks out from our big whoop, so I will share some past advice for the benefit of the first timers. If this will be your first Guitar Gathering, I also recommend reading the threads from 2021 and prior years. The Conference: In every room, we’ll be surrounded by rows of chairs. An acoustic is probably more versatile for the workshops and jams. If you want to play your electric in the student showcase, there will be cables, amps, microphones, and a professional audio system. The main room will be locked and secure when we’re not there, so you can leave your gear. Make sure your guitar cases are well labeled; there will be a hundred black cases lying around -- in a black room. Other than the obvious (picks, tuner) I recommend bringing: pencils and a small notepad, business cards, a folding guitar stand, and cash for lunch, Greg Voros' setups, and other incidentals. I also pack sticky notes, staff paper (theory geek), my chord block stamper, foot rest and a small seat cushion. Trevecca has music stands. If you have a specific brand of strings you want Greg to use, bring them with you, otherwise he will use D'Addarios and you might not have a choice of gauge. Steve will have items from his GG store on display for sale. I've attached the 2021 program below (with the blank note-taking pages removed). Trevecca: At this writing, Trevecca will not have food service on campus. Steve says their contract does not permit outside caterers or food trucks. Accordingly, Steve is allowing a 90 minute lunch break. Last year many of us just made the short walk to the Subway at the entrance to Trevecca. There will be on-campus housing this year. The conference is held in the Jackson music building at the back of the campus. It has ample, secure visitor parking. Get your bearings with the campus virtual tour. A few scenes of the Jackson building are near the end of the video. Housing: Update: Trevecca is providing on campus dormitory housing at $65 person per night; make your reservation here. Steve has secured a conference rate of $119/night at the Holiday Inn Express Brentwood about 15 minutes away. Express-style breakfast is included. Use the conference code of GGC when you book online, or call the hotel directly at (615) 221-5001 (ask for Autumn Forbes). I recommend making reservations ASAP, because we are now entering peak travel season and hotel occupancy will be high. There are also a number of other hotel options nearby. Be aware that Nashville can be hot and humid in mid-June, and the Jackson building can be quite cool. In Town: No Summer NAMM for us this year, unless you want to swing by Anaheim. Sorry, gear hounds. So Steve will probably devote Saturday morning to the Student Showcase, a tour, or perhaps something else. That afternoon there will be a songwriters’ show at 3rd and Lindsley. Tickets are also available for Saturday night at the Grand Ole Opry, which will likely be at full capacity. Here's the Nashville Visitor's Guide. Steve has e-mailed registrants with a survey asking: Do you want to reserve a setup with Greg? Can you help with logistics (ride sharing, for example)? Do you want to play in the student showcase? He's also posted a GG 2022 Facebook Group for registrants. So, this is what I have as of May 20, and things can change. Stay tuned. (And in tune!) GG22 ITINERARY (Student 6-8).pdf

What happens to an artist after the spotlight shifts away from them toward others? The Guardian asked 50 musicians, including two of my enduring favorites, Suzanne Vega and Natalie Merchant.

@Leonmr I update the schedule as soon as I receive word from Steve. He's involved in multiple projects and often has to change plans on short notice. Watch the calendar and the Facebook feed on the home page. These are generally the first to be updated.

Oh, yeah! Very well done, Wim! 👍

While you're waiting for that special brown box, you can be thinking about your practicing environment. To get you started, here are Steve's suggestions:

Here's the best distilled wisdom I've found (links to topic in music theory forum):

Kurt: "Can you play 'Hotel Vienna'?"

Available April 31st!

I hope you can catch his show, Ron. I saw him in 2016: great show, with a bit of Allman Brothers but the music was all his own.

Simple drop D leaves the other five strings in standard tuning. It permits an open D5 on the three low strings (DAD). On the page you show, it seems nothing is otherwise affected except the notes on the 6th string (open D; fret 5 G). The chords (Bb2, C2, Dm, Gm7) are all the usual 4 or 5 sting barres. (Good luck with a Csus 22.) Double drop D (DADGBD), however, is a bit more, ahem, complexicated, and above my pay grade.

Thanks, Dave! I enjoyed them both. No OSHA, no A/C, no CNC; those were the days.

@Mike Hoodenpyle Wow, Mike, that's just lovely. And those harmonics, exquisite. I loved it.

@Wim VD1 Well done, Wim! Love the bass, the riffs and the slides.

@Joe B Like Doug, I downloaded the videos and keep the ones in use in Dropbox so I can watch them away from my computer.