I, Hillbilly

Those who know me at all, know that I often proudly refer to myself as a hillbilly. I will also reference in our shows that we are certified hillbillies, or at least certifiable.
Some may wonder why I do that, when so many people use the term hillbilly as an insult and as a reference to someone who is uncouth, uncultured, and ignorant.
The answer to that is that I know the truth about hillbillies, at least those in the part of the hills I grew up in. I know that these people, called hillbillies, are the hardy descendants of Scot, Irish, and Scot-Irish immigrants who drifted to these remote hills that reminded them of their homeland. They were and are some of the most independent, hard working, hospitable, caring, and inventive people I know of.
This was a remote and fairly sparsely settled part of the world until recently. Here in Union County, there was not a paved road until the 1950's. I grew up in the adjoining county of Fannin until I started high school. I remember when my dad built an indoor bathroom. I remember getting our first telephone when I was in the first grade. The language is very different now that it was when I was growing up also. Radio first and then television have brought the world to us and there is not the strong localized language and sayings that were once so prevalent. I do remember being surprised that there was not an 'r' in warsh (Wash). Though I will say that my immediate family was more traveled and did not speak in the same way as many of the people I went to school with. My dad was in WWII and then traveled with business throughout the US, and would often take us with him. He felt is was important for us to know more about the world and the people beyond the little patch of mountains we lived in. I have tried to pass that attitude along to my children. I love these southern mountains, but believe it is important that we look beyond them sometimes to get perspective. In fact, by the time I started high school, I had been in 23 states, the District of Columbia, Mexico and Canada. So I was shocked in high school to learn I had classmates that had never been out of Union County. They had not even traveled the 10 or less miles from their house to the state line or county line. It was almost inconceivable to me at the time, and still is. There is nothing wrong with that, just that it was hard to understand within the way I was raised. I still love to travel and my children have learned that and are becoming pretty well traveled. In some cases beyond what I have done. My daughter even lived for 3 years in Hong Kong and taught in a school there.
Those who want to put down hillbillies, would be surprised at the number of influential and celebrated people who have come out of this isolated area. There has been state supreme court justices, state school superintendents, a renowned poet, educators, bankers, politicians, and all sorts of businessmen and women. Of course, in my line of interest, there has also been truckloads of musicians that came out of these hills.
So, I continue to proudly proclaim my hillbilly status and roots. We are what we are, so we should accept and celebrate those traits that make us that way.
See you down the road.
Nelson

I Believe

I received this in a forwarded e-mail and thought it was too good not to share. I really liked several of these and hope you enjoy them.

Nelson

I Believe,

A birth certificate shows that we were born; a death certificate shows that we died; pictures show that we lived!

I believe - That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I believe - That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe - That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe - That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe - That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe - That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe - That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe - That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I believe - That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe - That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe - That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe - That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe - That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe - That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe - That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe - That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe - That no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe - That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe - Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe - That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe - That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I believe - That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe - That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I believe - The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have. 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."

Father's Day Surprise

The subject of this post, may sound different than it actually is. The surprise I got had nothing to do with Father's Day, just that it happened on that day.

On the Saturday before Father's Day we drove to my daughter's house in Athens. The plan was to work some in her Attic to prepare for putting some plywood there as a flooring for storage of several boxes of her memorabilia that is currently stored in our basement. Patrick, our oldest, planned to join us and help. The weekend weather was extremely hot and as it happened, the AC went out at her house. With the heat as it was, we decided to avoid the attic completely.

Sunday afternoon, my wife decided that I was acting less normal than usual (later she has said that it started on Saturday). Of the things that she has noted was that I was not doing the things I normally did as we prepared to leave, but also was doing what she told me to without any argument. The gist of it all was that she decided I needed to see a doctor. The choices was the ER in Athens, in Gaines ville, or in Blairsville. She talked with my younger sister, who is an ER nurse in Gainesville and we ended up at the ER in Gaines ville.

They took blood and gave me several types of tests. Then I was taken to have a CT Scan. Surprise to me and to them, the CT showed that I had experienced a stroke. Later I had an MRI, which confirmed that diagnosis and gave more information concerning what had happened. I then spent two nights in the hospital as they continued to check me, give me fluids, and tried to make sure I was continuing to do well.

Later, my sister got a copy of the results of the MRI. It was an eye opener to me and proof that God is watching over me. As the doctor told her, I took a pretty good hit. The good news was that it was the best kind of stroke to have, if you have one at all. The other good news was that it did not affect me at all physically or in my speech or any of the other classic signals of stroke. The bottom line is that it hit in the cognitive areas of my brain.

Last week I went to see a neurologist. He sent me to have a post stroke assessment at the rehabilitation center. I told David that I must be a real musician now that I have been sent to rehab. The assessment went very well and I am going back for another session on Friday afternoon.

There are some things I have learned since this happened. I don't like being sick, I don't like people treating me as if I am sick. I understand my dad's frustration with having everyone you see asking how you are doing. I appreciate knowing they are concerned, but I feel fine and don't notice any difference. It is also very strange to admit that, yes, I had a stroke. That is something you think of happening to older people and something that is very serious and even life threatening. But it happened to me. Yes it is serious and it concerns me. I am now on blood pressure medicine, blood thinner, and cholesterol medicine, even though my cholesterol was in good shape when they checked it. However, the neurologist said that since I have had a stroke they would want my cholesterol to be even lower than they would normally want it to be.

The key now, I guess, is to take care of myself without becoming too pessimistic or scared of what might or might not happen. I want to live while I am living. I hope the next Father's Day surprise I have has more to do with my children and them getting me outdoors for a hike, a canoe trip, a camping trip, or some other activity that I love.

Nelson

Roots & Music

We had the opportunity to open the Roots & Music Festival in Hiawassee, GA this year. It was nice to be on the Anderson Music Hall Stage and to share the stage with some wonderful acts.



The Festival was held on Friday and Saturday, June 5 & 6th. Our program began at 6:00 pm on Friday. There was a good crowd and we had a nice set. The response to us was great and enjoyble for us. Later we had the opportunity to listed to Irons in the Fire, Dale Ann Bradley, IBMA Female Vocalist of the year for the past two years, and the Seldom Scene, a band that has been around and well known as long as we have been picking , which started in the early 1970's.

Saturday had a great lineup and I am sorry to say I missed it. I started to the festival when my vehicle broke down. It turned out to be a fuel pump that was the problem. There were a few acts that I really wanted to see, including the final act of Dan Tyminski. Hearing from some who were able to attend, I missed a great day of music.

The people putting on the festival were excellent to work with. I appreciate the efforts of everyone, and especially the sound crew. It was wonderful to be a part of this festival and to have the opportunity to perform at Anderson Music Hall.

Memorial Weekend Concert 2009

We hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Weekend and are having a good Memorial Day. I also hope you take few minutes to reflect on the true meaning of the day.

Saturday night we had the privilege of kicking off the summer concert season at Unicoi State Park in Helen. We have played many times at Unicoi and it is always a pleasure to play there. Jessica, Smith, Ellen and all the others are always helpful and friendly. They promote the shows and have not only the guests of the park attending, but residents of the surrounding area as well.
Over the years we have played just about everywhere they have had music at Unicoi. In the campground area, we have played on the old back deck of the trading post, in the room in the back of the Trading Post, at the amphitheater, on the porch of the log cabin, and even on the old kiosk that has now been removed. We have played for several groups at the beach house and even a couple down at the meadow near the staff housing. The lodge has become one of the best places of all. While we have had the chance to play in most of the meeting rooms and some of the lobby areas, Master's Hall seems to be the best area to get everyone in (though A,B,C of the Logo Lobby is pretty good as well).

This weekend's concert was held in Master's Hall 1 & 2. We had a crowd of over 200. It was good to see the numbers up again. Hopefully they will have good crowds all summer. If you get a chance, go see some of their acts. We will be back again before the end of the summer as well.

See you down the road.

Nelson

Playing Solo

There is a little different way of thinking when you are playing a solo program as compared to playing a program with someone else. It is different with a duo or trio as compared to a full band as well. I have played several solo gigs over the years, and there are things I enjoy about doing this.

The picking and instrumentation is often different when playing solo than it is when you have someone else playing along. You have to make sure to keep some rhythm going while playing a melody. It is often a chance to do some songs that we do not normally do as a duo. It is also a time to try out things that I think are fun or just want to see how they go over. Of course, I do some of that when we play as a duo as well.

While I enjoy doing solo programs all along, I do not really want to do them all the time. I enjoy the give and take of playing in a duo or even a trio (though it has been quite a while since we played in a trio). There are things we can to together that is just not possible when playing alone. Additionally, I find an extra energy to a program with more than one personality involved. Not to mention how good a picker Buck is.

The first of this month I played at a festival in TN. Because Buck had to be somewhere else, I played solo. This was the first time in a while that I had played alone. The first day went well enough, though I was trying to get my solo feet back under me. The next day I was more relaxed and at least had more fun myself. I wasn't on the listening side, but I did feel it was a few steps ahead of the program from the day before.

An extra gift for me from this festival was the chance to see Steve Kaufman perform. I even had a chance to meet and talk with him for a while. I have followed his career along since he won the Flatpicking Contest in Winfield several years ago, and was glad to have the chance to finally hear him in person. It was a good evening.

Full bands are enjoyable to listen to, especially those that have played together enough to really perform and play relaxed and tight. However, it seems that the groups I most often want to hear these days are solo, duo, or trio. Not to say there aren't bands out there that I will go a long way to listen to, but there is something about the sound of a small group that I find particularly appealing.

Nelson

Traveling to Gigs

I enjoy traveling and seeing other parts of the country and the world. I have tried to do that every chance I get. Sometimes I get a lot of chances, sometimes not many at all. There are times when I combine some travels with performances, and that can be a lot of fun as well.

Saturday we traveled up into Tennessee for a program. Not a long distance, but a few hours from home. There is often some benefits to traveling some distance to a gig. We have the opportunity to discuss things concerning our music and plans we may have. There is also time to brainstorm, listen to CD's of other artists, work on singing new and old songs, and at times to listen to one of our own shows to see what we like and what we want to work on.

On the trip Saturday, we talked quite a bit about several aspects of our music. All the time there were CD's playing. Sometimes we let the music be background, then a song would come up that we wanted to concentrate on. One somewhat humorous thing that happened along with that was as we crossed into Tennessee. Just before reaching the state line, we were listening to a Norman Blake CD and he changed songs just as we were getting to the line. The song he started was "Columbus Stockade Blues" and as we crossed the line, he sang 'wish I was back in Tennessee'. He was wishing and we were there.

The traveling is enjoyable, or at least can be. Of course, the best part is getting to perform music for an audience that wants to listen. As Doc Watson says, 'it is like a warm handshake multiplied by all the people applauding'. I like to think it is a mutually beneficial activity. I know I benefit from it and feel better for days after a good program.

See you down the road.

Nelson