Mrs. Muse and I spent this past weekend among friends and family performing with The Ashley Gang, shooting photos, and listening to the music at Willfest 2009. That's Amy Carol Webb in the picture above, performing on the Magnolia Stage along the banks of Florida's Withlacoochie River.
It was a peaceful, yet powerful weekend as I was reminded of the power of words and melody. My busy life doesn't allow me the time I once had for making music and enjoying the sounds made by friends accumulated over 25 years in Florida. These are musicians who care about Florida's heritage and Florida's future -- preserving that bit of natural, undeveloped beauty that yet hangs on against the flood of cash hungry "growth" agents. Even out in rural Dunnellon (levy County) you can see it and feel it as the city of Ocala spreads west into the oaks and subdivides the horse farms. Where there used to be an occasional sink hole, the land is now pock-marked by dry retention ponds. We sing loudly and with passion because we have so much to loose.
So, passion for making music renewed, we came home, we went back to work, and began to look forward to the next opportunity to come together and sing our memories, celebrate friends gone and friends still here, and sit around the campfires to swap tunes.
As norm would say... let's have a tune! Here's Rod McDonald, on stage at WillFest...Simple...
(More photos from the festival are on my website HERE)
2 comments:
That's a great portrait shot - very professional and well done!
I only wish I wasn't 1,500 miles away. I really would have loved to have gone and seen and heard you all!
Oh well, another day, perhaps?
Don, I look forward to that day -- and it will arrive sooner or later!
-- Paul
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