Day 17: Interstate Tour 2018
My 9:00 am "Ashokan Farewell" workshop at Coshocton Dulcimer Days.
"Just wanted to let you all know that I'm not a hologram; I'm actually here."
And, with a hearty room-full of laughter, the day began. Though I was still kinda beating myself up for blanking and missing two workshops yesterday, everyone was very understanding and related many situations where they have done the same. Above all, no-one expressed anything but simple concern for my well-being, saying, "it's just not like you to not show up." It's nice to know that I have a reputation for not being a flake, at least when it comes to showing up for gigs.
Coshocton Dulcimer Days was one of the very first festivals that I taught at when I came into the scene in 2006. After attending Kentucky Music Week that first year as a student, I suddenly became a teacher when Jerry Rockwell invited me to teach at his SEODFEST in Guysville, Ohio. I remember having Steven K. Smith in my workshop thinking, "this guy needs to be teaching ME stuff" and being extremely nervous and insecure about what I had to offer. Twelve years later, that insecure person seems like he's from a different era of my life altogether.
Joe Collins teaches a workshop.
The day was packed with activity as I taught three workshops, performed a half-hour concert, shot video and visited with folks. In the process, I picked up seven new patrons for my Patreon Channel who all remarked what a great deal it was. $5 a month gets everything? Yep. All of my self-published CDs, books, tablature, teaching materials, videos, full-length concerts and more, plus all of the new productions that I create each and every week! Some people say that I'm giving away the store in this fashion, but I feel that I'm just making the material available to those who really want it. It also keeps me rocking on new material that I keep flowing to the channel. It's the evolving way that some media is being consumed these days, with the subscription method. I feel like many artists are just now grasping how much the creative marketplace has changed and continues to change. It's always been tough to stand out in the crowd, always been hard to keep an income flowing, but it will be harder for those who don't recognize the transformation taking place with appreciation of the arts these days.
Marty Radebaugh receiving flowers, love and appreciation from the universe.
The evening headliner concert with Walt Michael and Joe Collins was fabulous, plus Marty Radebaugh, from Wildwood Music, got a much-deserved love-fest as she and Don McKay close down the shop after over 44 years. It was an emotional evening for a lot of people!
After a solid 12 hours of activity, everyone was tuckered - no post-concert dining or jams. I headed back to the Walmart Resort: Coshocton and processed media files, then began editing the June 22nd Dulcimerica episode.
As I flopped into bed three hours later, a scrolling list of bullet points checked off in my brain regarding stuff that needed to be done tomorrow. This one-man traveling carnival was headed back north again - onward towards more adventures!