For the past couple of years, I’ve been going to a small blues festival near me in Greeley, CO. Most years, there’s someone in particular I’m wanting to catch. This year, that wasn’t the case, but I went anyway because it seemed like a good way to spend a beautiful day. The festival takes place in a rodeo stadium. After catching some OK acts while I caught up on some magazine reading, I wandered down to the under-bleacher area to grab a bite to eat and look in on the Blues School that takes place there. In years past, I’d scored a couple of free harmonicas and, best of all, played some blues kazoo. Who knows, maybe this year I’d get a drum kit or something?
Schedule said it would be kids’ performance coming up. That sounded like it could be pretty dodgy, but I’d heard some pretty good kids on youtube, and even heard a good girl guitar player at this place last year, so it seemed as good a place as any to finish my spumoni. Sure enough, the kids were good, and that girl was back. This time, I caught her name - Michaela Rae. She shared lead guitar duties with another kid whose name I didn’t catch. Too bad, because he was really good, too. It was interesting to watch the contrast in demeanor. He wasn’t flashy, but like most musicians, he really showed in his face and body what his mind was thinking and his guitar was doing. Michaela was more of the stoic sort - body totally still, face totally passive, only her hands and her sound were going crazy. Think Derek Trucks, if Derek Trucks was a skinny little 14 year old girl (and not near his present powers yet).
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categories: Uncategorized, music
tags: blues, guitar, Michaela Rae
I have been and still am swamped at work, but I did download the new Backdoor Slam album, titled appropriately for me right now, “Coming Up for Air”. No time for much commentary, but y’all’ve got ears as good as mine. 
