karlifairbanks.com

Birds on a Wire folk Festival was quite a great event. I went into it excited about the lineup but not really knowing what to expect for turnout at the stage and time slot I was assigned. The lineup did turn out great and as with most well done festivals it was even difficult to see all the bands I wanted to see! Al James, Justin Townes Earle, Tony Kevin, Jenna Conrad (Avian’s Alight), Joel Smith, Hueco, Cataldo, The Old Believers, Laura Gibson and Damien Jurado. I thoroughly enjoyed each one. And I felt special to witness Horse Feather’s performance in the Belltower where they got two standing ovations and played one of the most beautiful, breathtakingly intimate sets I have seen them perform.

My set happened at the Belltower also, an old church that has been renovated into a event/venue facility. High ceilings, stained glass, thick etherial reverb and pews for chairs all added to the wonderful vibe. I played at 5pm so it was still light out and I could see each bright face in the audience gazing towards me. I knew as I sang the first notes of my beginning song, that it was going to be a genuinely good feeling performance.

The audience was with me during every song and even in between songs. I felt like I could talk to them and they even laughed at my silly remarks! Not to mention their applause sounded huge in the room with so much natural reverb. I felt confident enough to share a few new songs that I haven’t played out yet and I even got an encore at the end of the set. Boy that felt great.

Sometimes I don’t believe in myself, even just a little bit. And I need the help of other people to show that they believe in me to start believing in myself again. This weekend I got that help I was really aching for.

So, thanks Larson and Bethany Hicks (and all the other festival volunteers) and everyone who came to watch my set this weekend. I so deeply appreciate it and am so excited for this festival to continue in the future. It was such a great expression of the music community in the Northwest.