Pickin’ and Grinin’

April 11, 2013

Thursday afternoon we journeyed to Waynesville for the twice monthly old-time jam at the Frog Level Brewing Company.  There are two obvious routes to Waynesville from Cherokee so why not take both, one to and one fro. 

The “to” route is shorter in miles but longer in time as it winds over the mountain top and down into Maggie Valley, quite a climb and descent.  You could call this the scenic route aka a good waste of gasoline.  

The “fro” route is relatively flatter, a few miles longer, and appreciably less time.  It is also safer in pouring rain and wind.  Taking this route home was the wise decision as the rain was heavy and there was a power outage.  The dark road and lack of house lights clued us into a possible power outage and sure enough there were no working traffic signals or lights in Cherokee.  It was a dark ride back to the campground where the generator powered the front light and bathrooms.  Around mid-night thirty the power was restored.  Thank you to the linesmen and power company.

OK, back to the Old-Time Jam at the Frog Level Brewing Company in Waynesville.

The setting is perfect.   You know this is music friendly because there is a clear sign on the front door.  As you walk through the door frog croaks a welcome and then the brewery staff greats you with a big smile and kind words.  There are several tasty brews available and for samplers such as me, you can purchase sample sized glasses.  That was a wise decision as I found the porter my favorite after trying the rye and another dark brew.  

Bess and Suzanne

On to the jam where the pickers are more than welcoming.  We circle up and then each player names and starts a tune.  We played the 'standards' such as Angeline the Baker, Over the Waterfall, Waterbound, Old Joe, Johnny don't get drunk...

Funny how music brings people together and you always meet friends.  The first musician (other than us) was Roger who looked quite familiar as he should be.  We played with him at the St. Augustine Farmer's Market!  And we have many friends in common.  Music is a universal language.

Kalie and Roger

There were two tunes I need to learn: Barlow Knife and Winder Slide.  Barlow Knife is one I have not played in years and in 'A' it seems to have many similarities to Boatman.  Winder Slide captured my heart several years ago but I never mastered that.  So, I've a bit of work before the next session.

Best get to the banjo...