Sweet Afton

Been a crazy couple of days, but last night all was well as I went to see my favorite band, Nickel Creek. For those of you who don't know, I would say they are a young Contemporary Bluegrass band...with an edge. It was a fantastic show. The last time I saw them, they were co-headlining a tour with Howie Day. I think it made their job a bit harder as most of that audience was clearly there for Howie. This time, however, fresh off the release of their new album, they are headlining their own tour and clearly loving it. The audience was a bit rowdy at times, which actually seemed to annoy them a bit, and rightfully so. Perhaps they were new fans who didn't really get their vibe. Not that they don't love people enjpying themselves...but there were some drunk fools who were disrupting the show. This isn't the Stones, man. Chill...right?

Anyhow, an amazing show of musicianship. My roommmate Tommy and I were 4 feet from the stage and watching them work and play (one plays fiddle, one plays guitar and one plays mandolin), was a beautiful sight to behold. Intricate work and it was hard to tell when they were playing pre-planned music or they were just riffing. Chris Thile is one of the best mandolin players in the business. All to say, if you haven't heard their stuff, check it out. Well worth the listen. Check out the Nickel Creek website for a little taste as well.

Gotta give a little link love to a couple of folks from the Wayside. First off, my favorite stage manager of all time and close friend & partner in crime, Malia Arguello. I met her at Wayside last summer and, although I gave her a bit of trouble from time to time, we connected instantly and have and will remain close friends. You can find her at malasia's musings. And Warner Crocker, artistic director at Wayside who has been blogging for awhile now over at Life Upon the Wicked Stage, Part 2 He's a great guy with a big heart, fantastic director, and a true inspriration for continuing to do great work at a gem of a theatre in the Shenandoah Valley. Give him a read...he covers something for everybody over there.

My lady comes back from Providence for good tomorrow. Can't wait for that. But before that, my Nittany Lions face off against #6 Ohio State tonight on national television. We may not win, but hype and pride like this has not been seen in Happy Valley since the late 90s. This tent city, dubbed Paternoville, popped up Sunday afternoon and has been building ever since as students had been camping out for front row seats to today's HUGE game. Ahhh...to be in college again.