It has just been brought to my attention that today is Odd Day (5/7/09), so....Happy Odd Day!

In its third year of existence, many people are saying that last weekend's annual Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California, has become the premiere country music festival in the world. I can't argue with that, given the sheer number of people at this event. I haven't heard an official head-count yet, but estimates of attendees are around 10,000. It's easier for me to describe my own experience as way of explaining just how many people were there.

My mom and I left Riverside for Indio around 1p Saturday afternoon, stopped for lunch, and then continued our way east, thinking that we'd arrive at the polo field just before 3:30p - giving ourselves some time to park and walk the lo-ong walk from the parking lots to the entry gate before the first act that we wanted to see went on stage. Wrong. After turning off the freeway, we sat in traffic for an hour and a half before parking, and by the time we got into the festival grounds, we were seated so far back from the "Mane Stage" (like a horse - get it?), we couldn't even see the big screen, much less the actual artist on stage. We learned our lesson on Sunday, and left Riverside much earlier in the day - and only sat in traffic for 40 minutes waiting to park. We still had pretty crappy seats, though.

However - I did not consider this festival a wash by any means - in fact, it was one of the best musical experiences I'd ever had. Because it's marketed toward fans of mainstream country, but also showcases Americana (or whatever you want to call it) and bluegrass, if you're a fan of those genres, you are in luck (if you can stand the waiting in the traffic). Because most of the people at this festival are of the Kenny/Flatts/Taylor/Toby variety, a much smaller portion of the audience is interested in seeing the side stages - meaning, you can get REALLY close to the music - even closer than if you were seeing these bands at a club gig. And you get to sit down for most of them. My mom and I sat in the front row to see Earl Scruggs.

We were in the second row for the Duhks:

But back to the front row for Ricky Skaggs:

And for Hot Club of Cowtown:

(During their set, I asked my mom if she was happy with our choice to see Elana James' wicked fiddle playing. "We could be watching Kid Rock on a screen right now," I suggested. My mom rolled her eyes.)

We weren't front row for Dale Watson, who closed out the weekend for us, but we were still pretty close. My most favorite moment of the weekend happened during his set, when an old man asked a cute, itty-bitty blonde to dance. She leaned over to her boyfriend, his arms covered in tattoos, to ask his permission. "Absolutely!" he replied, and later gave them a thunderous applause after their two-step. Super cute.

(Okay, I know Dale looks faceless in that pic, but do ya see that chandelier?!)

And, my momma and I got to meet Miranda Lambert. We didn't get to see her from the front row (we had to settle to watch her on the big screen), but Miranda was gracious enough to sign a CD for my Grandmother, who heard "Gunpowder and Lead" on my iPod and really liked it. I'm not sure that Grandma knows what that song's about, and I don't think I can legally reprint the lyrics here (if you aren't familiar with the song, I'm sure you can easily google the lyrics), but let's just say it's not exactly something you'd expect my almost 90-year-old grandmother to appreciate.

Last night my friend Pam and I made the trek up to Bakersfield to see our boy Jack Ingram at the Crystal Palace. I'd never been there before, but Pam and I characteristically left much later than we'd intended to, so I didn't get to have the full Crystal Palace experience, visiting the museum, etc. But it was still fun!

We did get to hang with Jack on the tour bus for about 15 minutes before the show started. He used the facilities on the bus, then came out and hugged us. I asked him if he'd washed his hands and he said no. I will forgive him only because he's Jack Ingram, and he plays country music
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After putting out a couple of albums that sounded like they were still searching for their new sound, the Derailers have hit the nail on the head with their new CD, Guaranteed to Satisfy. They performed at the Redwood Bar this afternoon to support the album, and even though they sounded fantastic, I will totally be okay if I never hear them do "Johnny B. Goode" ever again.

Split Lip Rayfield at Spaceland last night. We miss Kirk Rundstrom, but SLR is still awesome!

Yesterday afternoon I took the red line from North Hollywood to Civic Center to go to the "Americana Brunch" with the Gourds at the Redwood Bar, then took Metro Line 92 to the Grand Ole Echo for Ted Russell Kamp's CD release party, and got there early enough to see the last two songs of Dead Rock West. To go home, I took Metro Line 2 to the red line station at Vermont/Sunset, then took the red line back to NoHo. I love public transportation!

It seemed that nothing could stop Charlie Louvin from doing his thing at Spaceland in Silverlake last night, and certainly not the neighborhood blackout leaving the stage dark about 20 minutes into his set. He soldiered on, lit only by a flashlight, the glow of cell phones, and the occasional digital camera flash.

His show was a lot like a country music history lesson: he did Charlie Louvin songs, Louvin Brothers songs, Monroe Brothers songs, Kris Kristofferson songs, and Dallas Frazier songs.

His audience was a lot like a who's who of the LA music scene: spotted in the crowd were Dave Alvin, Brent Harding of Social Distortion, and of course Tex from the Groovy Rednecks. Of course, Charlie's special on-stage guest appearance from Lucinda Williams didn't hurt either.

But while a lack of light couldn't keep Charlie off the stage, and neither could a failed Obama joke, when the amp went out in the middle of Charlie's third-to-last scheduled song, he did give up, and after finishing the song acoustically, ambled off stage to reverent cheers and applause.

Taking sushi lessons from David Fisher Stevenson of Big Blue Hearts.

Attending my 10-year high school reunion...and learning that I am not nearly as bitter as I thought I was.

Discovering public transit. Even though gas prices are currently at a five-year low, life is so much more interesting when you ride the bus to work.

Spending way too much time in the desert for the Coachella and Stagecoach Music Festivals.

Getting kidnapped by the Eli Young Band after the CMA Awards.

Volunteering at a beer booth at Gay Pride. My favorite moment was watching a young man lose his lunch into a trash can...then watching his boyfriend hand him another beer.

Taking my goddaughter to the beach for the first time!

Seeing the Kirov Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Los Angeles Ballet - all in the same year!

Serving as a panelist on the "Call Day" panel at the Americana Music Conference (for those counting at home - that's four trips to Nashville I made this year. FOUR!!!!).

Visiting the Autry Museum, California Science Center, and Skirball Center for the first time.

An historic election.

Adopting two kitties from a local shelter. Or, rather, I should say, they adopted me. Either way, it's the best thing I've ever done for myself.

And to think that it all started by waking up with a terrific hangover at my friend Natasha's house on January 1, 2008 after her annual New Year's Party....and realizing I'd locked my keys in the truck.

James Intveld at Billy Block's Western Beat radio show at Cadillac Ranch in Nashville, Tennessee earlier tonight. Help him continue his birthday celebration at Joe's Great American Bar and Grille in Burbank this Saturday, November 15th.

One Flew South performed a free concert to celebrate the Brandin' Iron's 16th Anniversary on Tuesday. I practically grew up at this San Bernardino bar, so I felt that I knew its clientele well enough to know that maybe this was going to be a tough crowd (they're a group that typically likes cover bands, and who may not get an artistic group like OFS). Happily, though, the crowd really reacted well, the band played for a solid hour and a half, and sold a good number of CDs.

And really, the best part for me twenty years from now, when someone asks, "Where were you when Barack Obama was elected President?", being able to say, "I was home."

A fuzzy pic of The Bittersweets Wednesday night at the Hotel Cafe.