CHHR in France

Final Thoughts

// August 2nd, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Travis

Well it’s Sunday morning (OK it’s almost 3 in the afternoon) but I felt like I needed to write something to kinda wrap up the blogging for me on this trip.  Maybe we will continue to have this feature on the website I don’t know, I guess we will all just have to stay tuned to find out!  It was an eventful travel day yesterday for CHHR which has come to be the standard.  We traveled through 2 countries, France and Italy before arriving in the good ole USA and running into complications.  Really???!!!  How does this happen; we make it to a place where we can all finally speak the same language and we end up having more trouble than at any point of the journey!  I will spare you the details but we got seperated coming through customs in Atlanta, all of the guys made the flight back to Nashville but Carrie and Thom missed it.  Thom must have looked a little suspicious with all that extra growth on his face; wait, if that were the case I would have been locked up.  At least some of us did make it because God only knows what would have happened to our luggage had we not been there to retrieve it!  Lucky for me and Harp, Kristin and Kylie came to the airport to pick us up.  Which got me home about 3 or 4 hours sooner than I was anticipating.  I’m over that part of this discussion.

I want to go back to that language barrier part.  I have had the experience of communicating with people on a higher level through music, and there are simply no words in any language that can describe that connection.  Even as I sit here and try to explain it, I am having trouble trying to capture the right combination.  It does not exist in my vocabulary.  I’m just sorry everyone can’t experience that.  We played in one jam that consisted of musicians from France, Russia and England and I’m probably leaving out some.  The majority did not speak English, and the ones who did had a very difficult time understanding our Southern dialect anyway!  But they understood when they heard us say Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, or Ralph Stanley and nodded in excitement, moved their capos to the proper place and joined in immediately when we would start a song.  Every once in a while somebody would even say something like Re-Beck-A in broken English and kick it off and away we went!  We made many new friends on this trip and I am looking forward to seeing them at IBMA.  Bluegrass music is truly International.  Lester Flatt sang “Don’t Get Above Your Raisin’.”  Well I know I am speaking for all the Hard Rain guys when I say I am so proud that my raisin’ included being taught this amazing music, I’m proud to be from Gound Zero of this amazing music, and I’m proud to be able to add my 2 cents worth to keep it alive and keep it moving forward!

Travis (again; seriously Anthony?! jk)

It’s a small world

// July 31st, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Travis

Hey Dad happy birthday from France!  I called the home phone and left you a message this morning you were prolly out for a walk.  It was about 6:30 there.

So, we just randomly ran into some people from the Chattanooga area last night at the festival and made some new American friends.  Jeff and Kristi (hope that’s right, I think she told me with a K) Olson.  They flew into a Paris, rented a car and drove down to Chammonix where they saw the poster for the French Bluegrass Festival and decided to check it out.  When we first got to the festival we got in line to get some food of course, I got my “hot dog” and went to a table in the back that was nice and shady.  There was a lady at the next table reading a book, kevin came over and as we started talking she just turned and asked where we were from.  Her brother Jeff joined her and she introduced us and we all had a good time.  They ended up sleeping on the floor in our room and seemed very excited about getting their first showere in a few days.  Also, I think it was kristi’s womanly advice that finally helped Zach make some headway with the French pickup lines he’s been driving us crazy with all week!  So he owes her a BIG thank you.  Anyway got to get off here and go play.  We might get some pics up of our new friends.  Heading home tomorrow!

Travis Anderson (don’t know why it’s not showing up in my blog)

Thurs July 30

// July 30th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Travis

This blogging is turning out to be alot more work than I intend to do when I set down.  I’ve been writing for about 15 minutes and was signing off and it dissapeared.  I’m using our resident computer guru’s gear and he doesn’t have a good explanation.  Well I wrote about Annecy, the place we visited today.  It was beautiful.  The drive through the country was very picturesque.  So Thom was feeling a little under the weather and they stayed in but he’s all good now thankfully.  We left out at 7 AM this morning and i have yet to get a good explanation as to why.  Monique wanted to learn some english “slang,” because she said she couldn’t follow us when we talk amongst ourselves.  Funny, I get that all the time in Knoxville.  Anyway I think she was satisfied with her english lesson and we may be able to piece together a video we can publish.  No promises.  Kayla and Ryne, you will be happy to know I spent equal amounts of Euros on you guys and got you some cool stuff.  Anyway I’m out for now.  Cross your fingers and pray this doesn’t get lost in the anals of Cyberspace.  As Monique would say “I am over that crap man!”

Bon jour

// July 29th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Travis

     Well I got on here this morning before we left and wrote about half a page and lost out there somewhere.  But anyway there is so much more to tell now.  It’s hard cuz Zac is trying to talk to me but i will try.

     We left around 10 local time this morning and went to Chamonix.  It is the home of the tallest peak in Europe.  Our van broke down on the climb and we were on the side of the road for about an hour.  Fun times.  We have plenty of video and photo documentation, and I’m out of the mood to write now so goodbye for now.    Adieu