the world at my feet... or at the bottom of the hill

I love this place, this festival, this community, this kaliedescope of music and people and energy - inexplicable, wonderful energy. I love it. More than almost any other place on earth. I am not a religious person but this is the closest I think I come to the feeling of being in church, at temple, or something along those lines. This is MY place of worship. It is visceral, emotional and overwhelming in the most happy of ways.

It is for this reason that I am willing to put my soul into it, to work harder and longer than I do at almost anything else - certainly longer than I work for no pay for anything else. It is for this reason that I am intensely protective of this experience and a frequent proponent of it's magnificence.

I have come to the realization that there are people who "don't get it" and who may never get it. People who don't understand how grateful I am to be able to both discover something that feels truly new (but is almost always truly ancient) and to see some of the world's most famous bands, musicians and singer/songwriters. Artists who - outside our insular western pop world - are among the very best and most recognized on this planet.

Folk is where it all comes from. It is the roots of it all. Here I am able to see the influences that are felt throughout the music world that I love. I am fascinated by the energy and the rhythm and the sheer joy of it. I am captivated by the emotion that these artists pour into their performances; by the stories they tell in workshops. I am humbled by it all.

The world is so much bigger than we sometimes realize. This is where I am shown the world.