Working where I have since November may force me to change my plans for this
website. When I'm not at work or doing housework, I'm practicing my banjo. To
me, that is the most important thing. I have lots I want to put here but the 
time required is a big factor.

With that said, let me tell you about my trip to Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania 
for the St. Valentines Day Massacre and Banjofest at the Allenberry Resort! This
event had its sixteenth anniversary this year. It is sponsored by the Bayside 
Banjo Aggregation and my teacher, Jim Riley, is one of the co-founders. This 
event is the whole reason the BBA exists and it is worth it!

Being a banjoist that hasn't played for a year yet, it was a pleasure knowing 
that it didn't matter. Everyone there was so friendly and encouraged me to 
continue on. The talent at this show is beyond description. Regulars here 
include Jim, Buddy Wachter, Steve DiBonaventura, Drew Frech, and Mike Kuehn. 
This year John Mumford, Dave Frey and Kurt Abell came as well. The headliner was
Debbie Schreyer and she brought her husband and father along with her. I got to 
chat with most of them but could have with all of them because everyone is so 
accessible there. What a great experience!

I came intending to buy a banjo. I got one and a little more with it. I knew 
before I got there I wanted a Vegavox but had never played a banjo other than my
Tyler Mountain. There were no Vegavox plectrums there for sale (however there 
was a Fairchild built the same way for above what I could afford.) Buddy Wachter
was very helpful in my search. He sold John Mumford a Vegavox I last year so I 
asked John if he would part with it. He wouldn't but it didn't hurt to ask him. 
:)

Buddy and Jim told me the Gold Tone that Steve Miller (not the rock star) was 
selling was really nice. I had put off looking at it until I looked at 
everything else. Then I came back to it, liked it, and bought it. For $500 it 
was a fantastic buy. Buddy took an interest to my purchase and looked at it. He 
recommended that I take it to Gil O'Gawa, who was there as well. I went ahead 
and purchased a Farquhar bridge (the best) and Gil adjusted it for me. Buddy 
checked it out again and gave it his approval.

I played three songs in the massacre with Jim Accompanying me. The three songs 
were 'Old Folks at Home', 'Whispering', and 'Somebody Stole My Gal'. People 
afterwards told me they were pleasantly surprised by how good I was. I'm glad 
that the room had double doors because my head wouldn't fit through a single 
doorway at that moment. It was a great experience. I played my Tyler Mountain 
with the aluminum pot and no tone ring. One of the banjoists told me I should 
strum the strings harder. He understood when I explained my banjo. Now with the 
Gold Tone I hope to have no volume problems.

I had a private session with Dave Frey and Kurt Abell. This was very valuable 
and I highly recommend for plectrum banjo beginners that they buy Dave's "The 
Ultimate Plectrum Banjo Player's Guide," both volumes with companion CD (see 'My
favorite Banjo Players' page for the link.) First of all, Kurt swapped banjos 
with me! He plays a Vegavox IV so there I go. Now I KNOW I want a Vegavox. The 
lesson covered playing songs with short cuts and simpler fingerings. He also 
demonstrated how one can get the proper harmonies in a song from reading the 
piano score of the song versus using the melody and chord symbols. Both he and 
Dave showed me a lot of valuable pointers and I still have to catch up with 
everything they told me.

The show was what I expected. The extremely talented and experienced players 
there let loose and I enjoyed every minute of it. I hope that wherever you live,
there is a jazz banjo festival near you so you can see what I'm talking about. I
am now a member of the BBA and will be there every year.

I hope to have lots to post here based on my experience at the event.