This year during the IBMA World of Bluegrass, we were delighted to have Driven, one of the invited showcase acts, chronicling their experiences for us at Bluegrass Today. It is both an honor and an opportunity for a group to be invited to showcase, and we thought it would be interesting to follow one throughout their big week in Raleigh. Here is a last day report from bass player, Blake McLemore.
Today marks the close of our first IBMA experience, and what an amazing experience it’s been! With so many highlights this week at IBMA, it’s hard to hone in on a select few, but here goes.
Perhaps one of the greatest blessings about bluegrass are the friends and the “family” you make by participating in it, whether as a musician or spectator. IBMA was no different. One of my abdolute favorite things this week was just meeting and visiting with folks at our booth in the Exhibit Hall; I sure hope to see them down the road! It was also great meeting people through the late-night jamming (fingers are sore, voices are tired, but it was fun!). We even got re-acquainted with old friends we hadn’t seen in many years.
Another huge highlight for all the Driven band members came Friday night as some attended the Hot Rize concert, while others attended the star-studded Wide Open Jam. It doesnt get any better than watching a performance from living legends!
As we load up the van and part ways from Utah-bound Jake and Rebekah, the rest of Driven heads west to Kansas. The gang sure had a blast and we hope to return next year!
In closing, we sincerely want to thank IBMA for allowing us to perform as an official Showcase Artist. It has opened a lot of doors for us. We also thank Bluegrass Today for allowing Driven to share this first-time experience with all of our family, friends, and fans! Driven will be checking back in with Bluegrass Today in a couple weeks for a final follow-up!
Go west young man!
