The Joys of Volunteering

The Father’s Day Festival officially began on Thursday, June 13th. I was up early but I enjoyed the time to make coffee and enjoy breakfast in the cool morning air. We made it to the stage area in time to see some old friends from Colorado: FY5.

We knew these guys back when they were still known as Finders & Youngberg, and I still have a tendency to call them as such. They put on a fabulous set. I honestly think that Mike Finders (that’s him on the guitar) might be the best love-song-writer around today. If you don’t believe me, give a listen to his song, “Sold on You.” (It’s one of my favorites.) Or “White Colored Pencil,” a beautiful song on their latest album.

After lunch we started our first four-hour volunteer shift. And let me tell you…

it sucked.

It was hot and boring. The first part of our shift involved a long lunch break with no music at all. We shared the merch booth with the Bluegrass Pride people, and they hogged all the chairs and gossiped amongst themselves while Michael and I did all the work.

If there was a highlight to the afternoon, it was watching the Lonely Heartstring Band – but not for the reason you might think. They’re talented and fun, of course! But how bands handle things when it all goes kinda sideways is fascinating to watch. And in the middle of their set things definitely went sideways. They were mid-song when we started hearing this high-pitched whine coming from the speakers. It wasn’t feedback. I could see the bandmates all looking at each other as the sound got worse.

I used to play in a bluegrass band, and we because we were a bit more traditional we all stood around a single microphone, just like Bill Monroe did. This method can be an absolute pain in the ass and I lost count of how many times I had to duck so I didn’t get hit in the head with a banjo headstock or poked with the end of a fiddle bow, but it’s definitely the simplest (and usually cheapest) way to go.

Some bands opt to use something called a pickup to amplify their instruments. It means each person need a vocals mic, and they don’t all have to cram together when they sing and dance around each other when somebody takes a break. Each member of the Lonely Heartstring Band had a pickup in their instrument.

The guitar player stopped playing and squatted down, messing around with something on the stage. Apparently his guitar was the source of the sound and he was experimenting to try and get rid of the whine.

The rest of the band just kept on playing. They hung on the same chord and riffed along for several minutes, never losing the beat or their cool. Eventually the problem was solved and the band picked the song right back up like nothing had happened.

Now that’s cool.

After our shift mercifully ended we headed back to camp for dinner and a nap. The temperature started to drop around 6:30 and by the time it was full dark I actually put my jeans on. We didn’t even have to go far for a pick – our campground neighbors already had a circle going and invited us over.

Once again, it was suddenly midnight and my fingers hurt. And I was tired. The tent looked awful inviting but somebody asked if we were going to get midnight hot dogs.

Say what?

There is a hot dog stand in the RV area of the Nevada County Fairgrounds. They open at 11pm and sell hot dogs, polish sausage, and red hots. The area around the hot dog stand is lit up like daylight and at first I thought there was a huge line, there were so many people standing around. Nope! They were already eating and listening to a jam being led by Frank Solivan (of Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen.) We scarfed down hot dogs and listened to some serious picking.

After all that I finally went to bed. Michael told me later he got back to camp around 2 or 3am. I didn’t hear him because I sleep with earplugs in, which is honestly the best way to sleep in any campground.

Friday morning our volunteer shift began at 9:30. It seemed a little cooler than it had the day before. Maybe we just got out of the merch booth before the real heat of the day began. Either way it was a better shift. I grabbed extra chairs immediately and the Bluegrass Pride people were actually helpful this time. Plus, the bands were great.

Carolina Blue played all these Monroe mandolin tunes – Southern Flavor! Old Dangerfield! – and they sounded so good we bought their album. The Po’ Ramblin Boys were fun to talk to after their set – they all wear matching 70’s outfits (think LOTS of polyester) and each member sports an impressive amount of ink.

In the afternoon I wandered the fairgrounds and took pictures of some of the more interesting setups. We were still the only rooftop tent…

RV’s were the big thing here, followed by traditional tents. I did see this envy-inducing off-road pop-up trailer, though.

Love the solar panel!

Next post: I attempt to become a night owl… by heading out for a pick by myself. At 9:45pm.

*gasp*