Our coverage of the 2016 World of Bluegrass will continue over the next several days.
Thursday had lots of music to see, and workshops to take, but also offered opportunities for participants to learn more about the IBMA and offer their input to the organization. There was a Town Hall Meeting in which the IBMA board lined up in front of the room while some issues, achievments, and possible ideas for the future were addressed both by the board members and the participants who were present.
Another meeting I attended later in the day was The Women’s Council where they asked for feedback and ideas from some of the ladies from around the country to see if there was interest in possibly forming a “Women’s Council” as a regular fixture within the IBMA. There was definitely an interest, and many ideas were bounced around regarding what types of programs or issues it might be able to offer.
There were showcases throughout the day, and well into the night, in conference rooms, bars, churches, theaters, hotel rooms and in the exhibit hall. The exhibit hall had all sorts of music related items for sale, but also provided spaces for bands, record labels, tourism boards, music associations, and the like to showcase music as well. One never knows what great music you might stumble onto around any next turn during IBMA week in Raleigh. Let us also mention that there is a small army of folks helping make that music happen. The musicians are obvious and generally make it into the papers, the photos, and the videos everyone takes, but let me take a moment to acknowledge and thank all the sound engineers and other support staff that help it all sound and look great all week.
I will include a couple of videos so you can get a little taste that you can hear and see.
Molly Tuttle at Special Awards luncheon…
The Thursday night awards show this year had a theme of how bluegrass music has appeared through TV and movies over the years, and it ended with a song many people know from a banjo playing frog named Kermit.
Last song of Awards Show with Lonely Heart String Band…
