Gateway City Bluegrass Festival...(Natt's point of view.)

This weekend we (The Lonesome Hill Gang), went to St. Louis for the 20th Annual Gateway Bluegrass Festival. It was really fun!! It was in a nice hotel.

We were really excited to go because The Bankester Family and The Josh Williams Band were going to be there.

We got at the hotel at about 9:30 am so everything hadn't really started yet and the Bankester's weren't there yet, so we relaxed in our hotel room and practiced until about noon. Then, we went to a Convention room in the hotel where different music stores had put out instruments and music accessories. Nathan started trying out guitars and after about an hour of playing two different Martins he bought the first one he played!! We hadn't even go to Gateway with the slightest thought of Nathan buying a guitar! :D He really likes it, and we got a really good deal...

Then we went downstairs to the concert room...we bought tickets and then we went by the JWB table and looked at his C.D.'s and things. Josh Wiliams' mandolin player was sitting at the table and asked us if we played, we said yes, and when he heard that I played mandolin he asked me if I had played a Daley mandolin before. (Of course I said no because pretty much only professional musicians use Daley's instruments, and I've never had the opportunity to play one. :)) Anyway, he said that after their first show to come by their table and play it!!!

They played an amazing show!!! Jesse Daniel (JWB's mandolin player,) is SO good!! He plays like Adam Steffey. After the show I played Mr. Daniel's mandolin a little bit and asked him if he would show me some "stuff" on the mandolin, and he said to come to the table later in the day and he would!! I was so excited. :)

Nathan finally got to meet Josh Williams! :) He played Nathan's guitar and gave Nathan a $35 pick! That was neat...Mr. Williams is really nice, so is the rest of the band.

The Bankester's got there around 4:00pm. They are the nicest and sweetest people!! And they are a ton of fun! ;) When they got there I just had time to give them a hug before I had to get my mandolin lesson from Mr. Daniel. :) He's a good teacher.

After my lesson, (which was really fun,) We watched The Bankester's and then The Josh Willams Band. Two really good concerts one right after the other! :D

The rest of Saturday evening was spent jamming with Kyle (banjo player for The Bankester's and Melissa's (bass) husband.) We played a really neat (and silly) version of "Mary Had A Little Lamb". :D That was funny!

On Sunday we watched The Bankester's play and then we went out for Lunch at Noodles & Company with The Bankester Family. It was delicious! :D

We had such a BLAST!

Natt~