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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by Mauvais Beal:
82 What a great time.
a 93 for me |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 713
Location: Alberta, Canada | Originally posted by Weaser P:
"Nicer bunch of guys? You are tearing down hard won reputations. Sure you don't want to rethink that statement? "
Don't worry, colt - they'll earn 'em back.
;) Sure as the sun rises in the east! Some folks just can't help themselves! :) |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 713
Location: Alberta, Canada | Originally posted by stephent28:
Originally posted by Mauvais Beal:
82 What a great time.
a 93 for me
;) |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | It's Saturday evening, an hour before Matt goes on, followed by whichever OFC'rs want to do a song, and I'm sitting by the fountain in the Frisky Mermaid courtyard enjoying a cigar. It's been a GREAT long weekend of laughing, playing guitars, barbeque and spending time with good friends, old and new. The hotel staff has been very good to us, and the weather has been perfect. As usual, Matt has been an incredible teacher.
Many, many thanks to Beal for arranging and orchestrating everything, and for his and his wife's hospitality. It's been a wonderful time.
If this event is repeated I HIGHLY recommend attending. I'm sure the class size will be limited, so don't think twice, it's alright...
Video will be forthcoming. Tim has been diligently taping everything and will be releasing a DVD set.
The presentation:
Jeff W announced there was going to be a drawing for a guitar and everyone put in a slip. When he called my name I was startled, because I never win drawings.
When I went up front he started pulling other slips out and they all had some form of my screen name. Now I was totally confused. Thinking that Jeff was in charge, I was immediately suspicious. I actually expected to open the case and find the pieces of the Celeb from last year glued together.
So imagine how I felt when I opened the case and found the Koala. Then it was explained to me how it came about. I honestly didn't know what to say, I was overwhelmed. I feel very honored.
Thank you. |
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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 2487
| Man this is one fantastic group. I am really missing a great one here.... again. I have just put all my resources (from guitar sales and more)into a couple of Customs I have been planning on doing for every long time. So much in fact there is no way I could swing taking a trip on top of it. Just poor timing on my part. I really would like to meet you crazy bastards, and I am in awe at the capabilites this group has for kindness. I missed another classic! Dam. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | Ah, the Skwewy Wabbitt was wheely humbewled (sp). That is so kewl! |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Originally posted by lanaki:
no, do not send it to tj! he will sell it like some old timeshare when it's his interval. :D Randy,
I couldn't have said it any better. :D |
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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 2241
Location: Simpsonville, SC | Music and I, unfortunately, had to leave this morning and miss the last session. Family matters called for Music to need to be home tonight and he will have to drive sbout 11 hours total today to get home.
I could write pages and pages about the great time that we had but ya'll already know this. I can never thank Beal and Lorraine enough for their gracious hospitality and tireless efforts to make all of us feel at home. Matt is an amazing player, teacher and person. He has given this idiot hope that I can be a real player someday and this is nothing short of a miracle. He treated everyone like they were long lost brothers. I can't really say enough about him.
Thanks to all the rest of the group for putting up with me (in soooo many ways). It was an honor and pleasure to spend time with each of you and I can't wait til we can do it again.
Well, enough for now. I need to slap Music in the head to keep him awake, especially since he is driving.
SHOULDA BEEN THERE!!! |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Waiting to board in JAX. Ran into Al, slipkid and tuppy who were grabbing lunch, which was great as I hadn't had a chance to say goodbye.
My thanks again to everyone for a most memorable time! |
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Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | Jimbo, you're right, I shoulda been there. The wife's birthday was more important. At least that's what she said... :rolleyes:
John, enjoy that guitar! I know you will. Hope everyone has a safe trip home. |
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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| Some impressions -
This has been one of the best few days a person could ask for. Songwriter's night at the Mermaid was fun and anxious at the same time, especially for us first-time performers. No need for anxiety with all the warm support from the OFCers for each other (as well as for the locals). Icing on the cake - OFCers MusicMike & Slipkid taking 1st and 2nd place in the competition.
The golfers had a grand time, while those of us who didn't golf enjoyed a relaxing day getting to know one another. Sitting on the porch at Florida House, discussing life, the universe and everything with Paul Templeman and Al was priceless (BTW, Al never closes). Tooling around the island on scooters with Al, BluesSailor & Slipkid was a blast.
BBQ at Beal's house watching the sunset, playing priceless guitars, and getting together with friends old and new - what could be better? All those same (now full) friends moving on to O'Kane's to listen to and jam with Davis & Pam Turner, two OUSTANDING performers.
Clinic the morning after, and Matt's warning that the information coming at us would be like "sipping at a firehose" proves true. In just the first 3-hour session I learn more about music and how I can apply it to my playing than I've learned in 20+ years of noodling on guitar. It helps that Matt, in addition to being one of the most talented, gifted and accomplished singer/songwriter/guitarists you will ever meet, also happens to be an extremely effective teacher. It helps that he's also one of the warmest, friendliest people you could ever know. Of course one of the highlights of the morning is Wabbit's expression upon realizing that we all pitched in to get him to stop whining - um, er get him the koala he's been lusting after for two years.
After a group dinner and another evening at O'Kane's, impromptu jams broke out among attendees. Just when you think things couldn't be more entertaining, you get to jam with all of the folks you've been posting with on the board. Hours pass like minutes with all the fun.
Another day just like the one before, learning slide and more secrets to becoming the "cool" guitar player, highlighted by Matt's performance at the Mermaid. His solo set, followed by a set with him jamming with Temp, Debanjo, Beal and Wabbit was incredible. Knowing that this was our last night kept many of us up jamming into the wee hours with a local bluegrass girl who joined us after Matt's show.
A big thank you to Matt for his excellent instruction. His technical lessons were only part of the experience. Just as important are his lessons on what it means to be a musician, to bring the joy and unity of music to others. His teachings will take this mediocre hack and make me a reasonably adequate guitarist, and those who are already great guitarists truly special.
Another large thank you to all of the attendees for their warm friendship and camaraderie. We're all different, with vastly different views on many things. Yet all of those differences disappear and matter not one whit in our shared love for guitars and making music.
The biggest thanks go to Beal and Raine for their warmth, hospitality and the incredible amount of work that went into putting this together and making it an unqualified success. May it be the first of many.
This is a GREAT community. |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 2150
Location: Orlando, FL | Wow! What a blast the last 4 days have been. My brain nearly exploded from the sheer volume of all the amazing new information I have. Matt is one hell of a teacher! He makes complex concepts easily understandable. We all have a lot of stuff to practice, but no problem, we learned how to practice effectively too! Matt is not only a great teacher, but an amazing guitarist, singer, songwriter and entertainer. And he's a really nice guy too!
It was really great meeting everyone in person, and not surprisingly, everybody was pretty much what you would expect after reading all their posts! It was great jamming with everyone and playing all those songs I'd forgotten 25 years ago!
Amelia Island was great! I saw more great live music in the last 4 days than I've seen in the last six months! There is so much music every night within a small area. It's easy to see why Beal and Loraine like it so much! Well, that and their amazing place on the intercoastal waterway. Thanks so much to Beal for instigating this event and to both him and Lorraine for opening up their home to us - it was wonderful. It was easy to get dizzy just looking at all the amazing guitars everywhere.
So thanks to Matt. Thanks to Beal. Thanks to Lorraine. Thanks to Temp for being instructional "Rhythm Bitch", providing the additional slide instruction and a couple of cool history lessons. Thanks to everybody there for making this so damn much fun! And a huge thanks to "Mr. Big", without whom, none of us would have met and we all would have had far fewer guitars! And a big thanks to Mrs Zilla, for coming along, even though she was a bit under the weather she had a great time with the other SWMBOs! If you want to encourage your other half to come to an event let me know. My wife is on a mission to get more spouses traveling so they can do some serious shopping! |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | I have to ask, what was the oldest Ovation played at the gathering? |
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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| Not sure about the oldest O, but Beal brought along a 1939 Martin D-18 and a few 1920's and 1930's Nationals.
edit - that Martin is a CANNON. Never before did I understand why people went gaga over pre-war Martins. Now I know. |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 2150
Location: Orlando, FL | There were so many great guitars - Ovations, Adamaii, Taks, Collings, Nationals a Lowden an Esteban and even a Taylor. I have no idea what the oldest O was, but the oldest guitar was probably one of Beal's Nationals or his rare acoustic lap steel that dated back to the late 20's. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 5332
Location: Bluffton, SC | Sometimes, when you miss an event that you really want to be at, you look for one capsule to take with you that makes missing it bearable.
From Designzilla: "Paul Tempelman - Rhythm Bitch"
Yeah. I'm good. |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 2150
Location: Orlando, FL | That's instructional "Rhythm Bitch". Paul would patiently play a chord progression so Matt could demo some amazing trick and then again for the entire class as we had our collective "bag of cats" moment. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 5332
Location: Bluffton, SC | No question that you guys had a ton of fun.
Sounds like a Tour to me. |
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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| As Beal would say, it didn't suck. |
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Joined:
February 2003
Posts: 2178
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Sounds like a great time was had by all!
Most of you guys from out West are headed back to nasty weather and colder temps after being in paradise! :eek: (come to think about it - It ain't to warm right now here in da South!)
I hope Music's "Family matters" aren't serious....
Man,I wish I'd been there! |
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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| We missed ya, TR! |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | and so after many had left I was talking with Joe and Diane and Diane said that of all the groups they have ever had this one was the absolute best. Everyone was so cooperative, nobody went mental on them complaining about something, the group was very respectful of the staff and one person even pitched in and was pouring coffee for other customers.
They had a great time having the OFC there.
Thanks to all of you for coming, for being kind and for being who you are. |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | The oldest Ovation was probably Adamas #35, 1976. |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Thanx MB! I sure hope it shows up in the pics. |
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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| Originally posted by 2ifbyC:
Thanx MB! I sure hope it shows up in the pics. iffy - this pic's from g8rbowl08, but #35 is there. It's one of the 3 light blue slothead Adamas in the left-center of the group. Beal can ID which one it is exactly.
and here's another teaser from GuitarDiGras: Slipkid makin' the northerners jealous
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Amelia Matt Clinic
