treemusic

This is about my 5th time volunteering at the Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country. My job is to shuttle main stage artists from the San Antonio airport to Quiet Valley Ranch and back. I get a unique perspective through the conversations with the mostly full time musicians, some who have had mixed success on major labels. The trip to the airport and back gives us a little over an hour to chat. I find most of the artists very talkative and willing to share perspective. The challenges of the music industry don’t seem to ease up on a higher tier of success. In some ways, the challenges are amplified, as more money is invested in projects, more debt is accrued, and more energy and time is needed to make records and plan tours when compared to the pursuits of some of the independent DIY troubadours that I know. 

I was not planning to stay for all 18 days of the festival, but I did. I ended up getting voted into the annual staff concert along with two other Trevors. Together, we were The 3 Trevors! Novelty and corny-ness aside, it ended up being a very nice blend, with Trevor Mills on Bass, Trevor Smith (Green Mountain Grass) on Banjo, and myself on guitar. Mills and Smith are masters of their instruments, and are in high demand on and off the festival grounds. One of the reasons is because they are very tasteful, lending support and adding texture to the song rather than showcasing their super powers.

    After running though a handful of songs, we decided to perform a couple of my tunes. I found out later that there was a 4th Trevor at the festival who is a drummer! Maybe next year we can regroup as a full band.  I have given a lot of performances before, but was extra nervous for this one. It is not often that I get to play for a thousand people in an amphitheater with an audience listening intensely to every word and note played. I was a bit worried that our hushed style of music wouldn’t fit the usually highly energized staff concert, but the audience responded very kindly. The staff concert has always been one of my favorite events at the folk festival. It was an honor and a surprise to be voted to play. 

One of the perks of volunteering is that we get free admission to all of the shows ($30 each otherwise), though I find that I often nap through the mainstage performances so that I can stay awake for the after hours campfire circles and street performances, which all Kerrville veterans know is where the heart and soul of the festival lies. After the mainstage closes at midnight, music in the campgrounds and at the infamous “crossroads” continues until sunrise.

Volunteers also get breakfast and dinner daily (with good veggie options), free acupuncture and massage, drinks, backstage access,and  a unique experience and perspective only available to volunteers. 

But perhaps the biggest highlight of all is reconnecting with good friends and some of my favorite musicians of all time, some of who I only get to see once a year at the Kerrville Folk Festival. 

More Pictures here.