I just completed a long weekend at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City, MO. You can catch an overabundance of great acts, clinics, industry panels and inspiring performances that run from 9am - 4am everyday. It’s overwhelming, exhausting and inspiring. I made the most I could out of my time there, basically orphaning my family and spending the additional 2 hours of road time each day (and early morning) to and fro’ our home in St. Joe...

Today is my anniversary. After years of begging and pleading my folks finally gave in and bought me my first guitar (Jan. 27, 1986). Mom drove me out to my Aunt Joni and Uncle Barry's house to take a Black Lotus Les Paul copy and a Peavey amplifier off of their hands for 150 bucks. It was maybe the first grown-up thing I ever owned. It may as well have been a Ferrari or a laser gun, it was just that cool to get it. In guitar playing, it is famously said, you can forget about the first 20 years. There is so much too learn, it takes a ton of time, practice, patience, a real aspiration to learn and a lot of encouragement if you can find it...