Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Unexpected Excellence

Most people know that along with school comes both good and bad. Shit-tons of homework and other bullshit tend to fall into the bad category. Occasionally though, you'll get the opportunity to do something awesome, that otherwise, you'd never have known about. Two weeks ago I was in a meeting with my professor for my senior project class. We tend to talk about things that don't really apply to anything, and that day, we stumbled upon the topic of music. I mentioned bluegrass, and it sparked his interest. He asked me if I knew of a band called the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band. I told him I didn't and he quickly pulled up a you tube vid. I was instantly hyped.

I had no idea where he was going with this, but was on the hook to find out. He explained that he had two tickets that he and his wife weren't going to be able to use. He then offered them to me. Without hesitation I said yes, and the experience was amazing.

Peter Rowan, an Old and In the Way veteran, played alongside Jody Stetcher on mandolin, Keith Little on banjo, and Paul Knight, on the stand-up base. The guys killed it. During their show, they mentioned that the Clark Center happened to be one of the best acoustic rooms they'd ever played in, and this proved to be true. The sound was incredible. Peter Rowan cracked jokes between songs, getting the crowd involved, and making them feel like a part of the show. Stecher killed it on mandolin, even incorporating what looked like a pvc slide into the music, twanging the sound of his strings throughout the venue. Keith Little, had a composure like no other, often battling Stecher in improvised solos. And the glue who held it all together, Paul Knight, kept feet steady tappin' and the baseline firmly driving. An amazing experience to say the least. Thanks prof.

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