Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008
Hi there,
Another weekend, another KOA, another incredible gig. Last Saturday night Sculls and I drove up to Franklin, NY, for the 2nd annual Kampertainment evening hosted by yours truly. I'm not sure where to even start. Kath and Mike greeted us in the shop with smiles and a positive attitude. We talked Olympics, of course! Turns out Kath's brother is in China as a coach of one of the American track stars: Lopez. Lopez was one of the "Lost Boys" of Sudan, having been kidnapped at 6 years old and then having escaped, placed in an orphanage, and eventually sent to the US. His story brings tears to my eyes, tears of joy and sorrow, even now just thinking about his incredible journey. It's just unimaginable to think that people live these experiences throughout the world.
After the introductions we got right down to business setting up for the show. Two beautiful little girls, Emma and Haley, instantly took a shine to Scully and I, offering their services as roadies. At around 7 and 5 years old, they were adorable doing mic checks, setting up the music stand, and tuning the guitar. The show went well from that point on. A small groups of girls, all between 6 and 11 years old, kept us entertained in the early hours, getting up to sing Taylor Swift and Hannah Montana tunes. I joined in where I could. They were so cute!!! The kampers were interested in both original and cover tunes, and we had a lovely evening under the stars. Just as it was getting dark and nearing my bedtime, I spotted a couple of teenagers sitting down in front that I guessed were into music. One fine young gentleman, Cory, took the bait and got up to sing and play a few tunes, and man, was he awesome! Cory played a fine rendition of Pearl Jam's "Better Man" and we even dueted on Damien Rice's "Volcano". A second fellow, Braiden, appeared from the darkness just outside the tent, and he equally floored us with some fancy fretwork, covering a Canuck with the surname Ross. (His first name escapes me at the moment). Then, just when it seemed the night couldn't get any better, Mike, chief at the KOA, leaned in to Sculls and I and informed us that Braiden, was, in fact, a fiddle player and had one in his car! Well...Braiden was not going to get out of this one. He must not have realized what the "Julie Corbalis" gig is all about - if you can play, you WILL play! Braiden ran for the fiddle and returned to play an unbelievably gorgeous tune (one of my favorites!) called "Ashoken Farewell." This is a fiddle tune that was written for the Civil War PBS series a few years back. It stops me in my tracks every time I hear it. It was the perfect end to a spectacular evening.
Once again, thank you so much to the folks and families at the Franklin, KOA. We really felt like part of the family.
Jules