Bearded Pigs in Phoenix
May 10, 2006
Since I'm no longer editor of the JMLA, this is looking to be the most relaxed MLA meeting I've had in several years. That's all relative, of course. "Most relaxed" in the context of MLA just means that I'm not running any meetings, I don't have any presentations to do, and (so far, at least), I've only got one 7am commitment. I'm still anticipating a string of sixteen hour days. I am doing a poster session this year (first time I've ever done that), I've got all of the Board meetings to go to (Thursday afternoon, all day Friday and then wrap-up after lunch on Wednesday), and the days in between are pretty jam packed with the sessions that I want to get to and the various individual meetings that I've set up. So it'll still be plenty hectic.
There's the Bearded Pigs gig, of course. But while that's a lot of work to put together, and involves its own sorts of stressors, it's one of the healthiest things I do. Over on the Bearded Pigs blog, there's a post from Russell on why we play. As he rightly points out, it's much more than just recreation. Back in St. Louis, when Liquid Prairie was forming, and Ranger Dave and I were dueting as the Prairie Dogs, I came to realize how essential it was for me to have that kind of expression in order to balance out some of the other aspects of my life.
The fact that it has been so well received is really just an added bonus -- if nobody showed up, we'd still get together to play. But shockingly, we've become the MLA cult band. SG has added the list of Thicket Society members to the website. When we concocted this plan last year, I was hoping that we'd get ten or a dozen members. There are thirty-five. It astonishes me.
Tambourine Grrl did a great job with the design of the t-shirt, and they should be arriving here today. Duke is putting the finishing touches on the poster. The equipment has all been rented or shipped. I've got a little tinkering to do with the set list yet, but I should be able to send that out to the others today or tomorrow. Those of us who were in Savannah are feeling vitalized from that bit of practice. This is not to suggest that we're not going to be plenty ragged -- I'm sure we'll have a train wreck or three. I wouldn't want it any other way.
I'll continue collecting tab for each item in the setlist.
My goal is to be *responsible* for no trainwrecks!
Posted by: SG | May 10, 2006 at 12:12 PM