Blues Week

2007-06-28 09:16:00

I noticed that BassHarp did not include the Augusta Heritage Center's Blues week on the gig list. This is July 15th to 20th. It costs $410. You should stay on campus and room and board is cheap. This is way out in Elkins, West Virginia. It takes me about 9 hours from NY in spite of the fact that google maps claims it only takes 7 hours. Those West Virginia hills take forever to climb through. If you don't want to drive, there is an airport not far away, but it is a remote country area and you have to work to make the right connections.

This year they have Little Annie Raines, Terry Bean, Phil Wiggins and Joe Filisko teaching harp. Bob Margolin, Muddy's backup slide player, will be there for the jams. The best week of my life was at Blues Week. (Watch out for the White Lighting at the barbecue!)

You can still call them and sign up. They like you to register early, but one year I just walked in and they found me room. I learned to bend from Phil Wiggins at Blues Week about a month after I took up harp. The guy in the next dorm room was a long haired punk kid named Dennis Gruenling, who was also just starting out. (Dennis practiced a whole lot more than me.)

If you live within driving distance of Elkins, you should drive out on Thursday night for the concert or Saturday night for the big jam, even if you don't sign up for the week.


Augusta Heritage Center's Blues week