You couldn't tell by the weather, but I love this time of year. If I could only find my lost February.
On Valentine's Day, I woke up with a burning throat and the distinct feeling I'd been hit by a midsize pickup. A trip to the PMC outpatient clinic revealed I had Covid for the first time. At least it wasn't too bad to bring it home. Timing is everything.
After a couple days holed up with steroids, cough syrup, and chicken noodle soup, I didn't feel too bad and thought the worse effects of Covid were over. But I miscalculated. On Wednesday nothing from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet felt right and after noon Val had to take me to the ER after a call to my oncologist. My magnesium had bottomed out.
With a couple of bags pumped into my arm, I started to feel as good as new. Keeping a low profile, I finished the Covid meds on Saturday and haven't looked back. Remember to take your vitamins, boys and girls!
Which is just to explain the lost February from that first paragraph back there. No matter the lost part, I still love this time of year. Let me explain.
It's not the weather, it's the season. It's music season. Specifically, it's book the music season.
I've been blessed since 2018 to lead the selection and book the music for a music series in Whitesburg. We've produced 72 concerts in 8 seasons featuring award winning national and international acts, with another ten coming this summer. The events are family friendly and free to the public.
They're made possible by a combination of foundation grants and public/private sponsorships with the Cowan Community Center. Every Thursday in June and July downtown.
This is the time when the final pieces of the overall series are inevitably falling into place as the calendar inches closer to the deadlines necessary to make the announce dates, usually at the end of March.
By the end of February, I've listened to at least a few seconds of 3-400 different musical acts. I've watched dozens of hours of video on youtube and agency websites. I've had direct communication with most of the booking agencies we'll hire musicians from and know who we might be able to afford and who we'll need a great big favor from.
Sometimes it happens.
I might have lost a few things this February, but I didn't lose one bit of listening time. The great thing about my job is it's Covid, cancer and caretaker proof. You can listen to music despite any of these things. And you'll feel better to boot.
I love this time of year. For the ninth straight year I'm feeling good about the shape of the series. Once again we'll present a wide range of sounds featuring award winning musicians from across the country and from our own backyard. Don't ever doubt many of the best come from right here.
Just a little fine tuning left to do and we'll be ready to tell the world. Did I say I love my job?