Virtual Year-Round Campsite

Tommy and Jake

2006-10-17T06:08:00.000-07:00

So my buddy Scott sent this to my late last night. It's a video clip of Tommy Emmanuel playing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with Jake Shimabukuro, the greatest ukelele player in the world. Prepare to be blown away.

Denver Dan

2006-10-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

I was in my car a lot this weekend. Thankfully, because of my Ipod, I was able to listen to nothing but Winfield family music throughout my hours and hours of driving. Maybe because it was Yom Kippur and I wasn't feeling particularly connected to my Jewish roots I listened to the Wilder's album of spirituals "On the Wings Of A Dove". If you don't own this album buy it NOW.

Deena and I had our latest checkup at the doctor, and on the way home I was in a sentimental mood. I popped in Denver Dan Forde's album and put "Hey Dad" on repeat. I didn't really get to know Dan until this year's festival, and I'm wishing that I had hung around with him more in years past. What a fabulous songwriter and person. There's just a warmth that comes through in everything about him.

Particularly, I love his writing style, and his comfort with emotional lyrics. I was so excited to listen to his album and hear how genuine the recording is. It leaves you feeling like he is sitting in front of campfire playing for you and a couple of friends late in the evening. I hope Dan doesn't mind, but I'm putting up his song "Hey Dad" for download. If you haven't heard it give it a listen and enjoy.

jason

Dreaming of Winfield!

2006-09-27T12:43:00.001-07:00

So, I couldn't sleep and used my time awake to upload all of my and Peter Seltser's pictures from this year's Winfield onto Yahoo. Please click on the link to view and download any of our photos from this year's festival.

Enjoy, and if you took any of your own please email them to me or send me a CD of them and I'll load them onto the same picture site.

Jason

And the winner is!

2006-09-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back from another spiritual pilgrimage to the Brigadoon that is Winfield, Kansas. I have much to write, and even more to post, but I thought that I would start with a picture of acclaimed dentist and songwriter Ian Barwick. Ian won a medal at this year’s National Songwriting Contest at the Walnut Valley Music Festival for his song “A Cowboy Gone Bad”.

For those who haven’t heard it, you can click here for a free mp3 download.

Stephen Bennett is a really good man!

2006-03-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

So I had this idea recently that I would like to get a little more information from some of our favorite performers at Winfield. I thought about performers that wwe know, love, and respect, and at the top of my list was virtuoso Stephen Bennett. I sent him a list of my questions, and thankfully he was kind enough to answer my questions. Many, many thanks go out to Stephen for taking the time to answer my questions. I'd like to make a series out of this, so if you have other artists that you'd like me to contact, or additional questions you'd liked asked, please let me know. Here are Stephen's unedited responses:

The Questions
1. How many years have you been a part of the Walnut Valley Music Festival?
I HAVE ATTENDED MOST YEARS SINCE 1983. THAT YEAR I CAME TO COMPETE AND PLACED SECOND IN THE FLATPICKING CONTEST AND NOT AT ALL IN THE FINGERPICKING. I RETURNED IN 84,85,87,88, AND I THINK ALSO IN 89. I MISSED 1990 BECAUSE MY SON WAS BORN THAT AUGUST. THEN BACK AGAIN IN 91 AND 92. I'M A LITTLE FUZZY ON THE NEXT FEW YEARS, BUT FOR SURE I WAS BACK IN 95, AND I THINK I HAVE PLAYED EVERY WINFIELD SINCE 96.

2. What or who brought you to Winfield that first time?
I STARTED TEACHING GUITAR FULL TIME IN 1982. THE OWNER OF THE SHOP I TAUGHT AT TOLD ME ABOUT WINFIELD, ALTHOUGH HE HAD NEVER BEEN. HE ENCOURAGED ME TO ENTER SOME LOCAL GUITAR CONTESTS, WHICH I DID QUITE WELL AT, AND SO THOUGHT WHY NOT, GO TRY THIS BIG CONTEST OUT IN KANSAS. SO I DROVE OUT TO SEE WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT AND HOW I WOULD FARE.

3. Please tell us a story about your first year at Winfield
WE (MY WIFE, MY FRIEND WHO WOULD ACCOMPANY ME IN THE CONTEST, AND I) ARRIVED LATE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, SET UP OUR TENT, AND WENT TO SLEEP. A FEW HOURS LATER A CAR PULLED IN VERY CLOSE TO OUR TENT. WHEN YOU ARE IN A TENT AND A CAR PULLS UP RIGHT NEXT TO YOU, IT CAN BE A LITTLE UNNERVING. I POKED MY HEAD OUT OF THE TENT IN THE MORNING AND SAW THAT IT WAS RAINING. THERE WAS A LITTLE PUP TENT SET UP NEXT TO THE CAR THAT HAD PULLED IN AND SOMEONE TOO TALL FOR THE TENT WAS ASLEEP WITH HIS HEAD OUT IN THE RAIN. ANOTHER PERSON WAS ASLEEP IN THE CAR, WHICH ALSO CONTAINED AN UPRIGHT BASS. IT WAS NOT A LARGE CAR, SO THIS PERSON WAS REALLY CRAMMED IN. THAT WAS PAT DONOHUE, WHO WOULD WIN THE FINGERPICKING CONTEST THURSDAY NIGHT, AND THE BASS PLAYER WITH HIS HEAD GETTING RAINED ON WAS DUANE WEBSTER. WE SPENT QUITE A FEW HOURS JAMMING LATE INTO THE NIGHT THAT YEAR AND I HAVE BEEN FRIENDS WITH THESE GUYS EVER SINCE. IN FACT, DUANE OFTEN COMES UP ON STAGE TO PLAY A FEW TUNES WITH ME. PAT AND I HAVE WOUND UP ON THE SAME STAGE AT THE FESTIVAL A FEW TIMES TOO.

4. When you're at the festival, when you’re not playing on stage how do you
spend your time at Winfield?
VISITING WITH FRIENDS (OF WHOM I HAVE ABOUT A BILLION AT THE FESTIVAL AFTER SO MANY YEARS), CHANGING STRINGS, JAMMING, GETTING READY FOR MY NEXT SHOW.

5. What’s your favorite personal Winfield memory or moment?

THERE ARE QUITE A NUMBER OF FAVORITE MOMENTS FOR ME. ONE WOULD BE MY FIRST YEAR. I GOT 2ND PLACE IN THE FLATPICKING CONTEST AND WHEN THE TROPHY AND PRIZE WERE PRESENTED THAT SATURDAY NIGHT, I GOT TO PLAY A TUNE. THE STANDS WERE COMPLETELY FULL, BECAUSE TONY RICE WAS SCHEDULED TO PLAY JUST AFTER THE AWARDS PRESENTATION. I PLAYED MINOR SWING AND GOT A STANDING OVATION. MAN, WHAT A FEELING!

OTHER FAVORITE MOMENTS: ANYTIME HOT RIZE OR RED KNUCKLES AND THE TRAILBLAZERS WOULD PLAY, THE CAMARADERIE OF 2001, INTRODUCING TOMMY EMMANUEL TO THE FESTIVAL IN 2000.

6. Any new music that you’re working on that we might be interested in learning about?
I AM ALWAYS WORKING ON NEW MUSIC. I HAVE A NEW CD OF ALL NEW TUNES WHICH WILL BE READY BY FESTIVAL TIME. IT MAY BE MY BEST WORK YET. I ALSO AM WELL INTO AN ALL VOCAL CD AND THAT WILL BE READY FOR THE FESTIVAL TOO.

7. Will you be at this year’s festival?
ABSOLUTELY!!! SEE YOU THERE.

AND THANKS!
SB

Flying with your guitar

2006-02-16T18:19:00.000-08:00

I'm vacationing in FLA with my wife right now. As I got on the plane it occured to me that not everyone has the linked to help make sure that their guitar can stay safely with them on the plane.

Make sure you have this!

Emmanuel...Tommy Emmanuel

2006-02-16T18:11:00.000-08:00

Leave it to Tommy to have one of
the coolest, best websites that I have ever seen. The opening is hysterical, and the content on the site is fantastic. Enjoy!

PS. I GOT MY TICKET TODAY!!!!

The Scrapbooks Are Up

2006-02-16T13:09:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

Hope you are all having a nice day wherever you are. You may notice on the right-hand side of this site that the photo scrapbooks of the past 3 years are up and running. Please feel free to view, download, order and reprint any that you like. Access and downloading are free (sadly, high resolution copies are not, but that's how they make their money). But I tried to save them as large enough files that the downloaded copies should still be good quality at 4x6" size.

If anyone has photos that they would like to add to these collections please email them to me and I'll put them up as quickly as I can.

Thanks, and see you soon,

jason

Wouldn't It Be Nice?

2006-02-14T10:05:00.000-08:00

I hit the gym really early this morning and was pleasantly surprised to hear the Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice" over the PA system. It reminded me that I have not listened to "Pet Sounds" in a couple weeks, which is way too long if you ask me. This, of course, got me thinking about Winfield, and one of the last conversations I had two years ago with Dave Schaper about Brian Wilson. At the time, Wilson's 30+ year creation "Smile" had just come out (which I was not aware of), and I hadn't yet heard it. Has everyone heard it? Has everyone had a chance to hear a remastered copy of Pet Sounds? If not, send me an email and I'll burn you a copy of either or both.

I found myself at the gym at 6am because I woke from a Winfield dream for the second morning in a row. You folks have ruined me. Thanks!

Sharing Photos

2006-02-12T11:08:00.000-08:00

I am ammending this earlier post as I have switched to a new host for storing our photos. The links in the right-hand tool bar work just fine, but the one listed below does not anymore.

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You may notice in the right hand toolbar that there is a link to the 2004 Group Therapy Photo Album. I set it up on Ofoto for a couple of reasons:

1) I want everyone to be able to view it.
2) I want everyone to be able to download the photos for free.
3) You can purchase copies of any of the photos for very little, and they will mail them right to your house.
4) I want others to be able to post their own photos in the same location. So if you have any photos that you'd like to add please put 'em up yourself, or email them to me and I'll upload them within a day or so.

If you have any questions about how to log onto Ofoto please send me an email.

3 Days Left to Purchase!

2006-02-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

I got this from Ian this morning. I'm passing it along to everyone just in case you didn't get it:

35th Annual Walnut Valley Festival
September 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 2006

December Special good until February 15, 2006

You may purchase your December Special ticket for the 2006 festival for $65. This is a delightful, affordable gift that will live on through the year. You may come by the office at 918 Main, or mail to: PO Box 245, Winfield, Ks. 67156 or order by phone on 620-221-3250 using Visa, MasterCard or Discover.

See you in September (or lose you to a summer love),

The Music of Ian Barwick

2006-02-09T10:57:00.000-08:00

One of the ways that I would like to use this forum is to post the latest recordings of our Group Therapy friends and family for all to download and listen. Here are the four tracks off of Ian Barwick's disc that he recorded this past spring.

Why Can't the Moon Be Full Tonight?
Take a Giant Step
Tastes Just Like Chicken
Coconut Grove

If anyone else has music that they would like to promote or distribute please email me. I have an FTP account and my own server, so I can take a great deal of people's digital content.

A Letter Written At My First Winfield

2006-02-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

This past week has really brought Winfield back into my consciousness this week. I exchanged some emails with Jacqueline a couple days ago, and then I got to see Ian at a Superbowl party and look at all of his photos from this past September's festival. It's now clear to me that as soon as I realized that I wasn't going to be able to make this past year's gathering that I did my best to put the whole event out of my mind. Since then I've wasted many hours at work pouring through my old pictures, recalling my past two trips out to see everyone at the Walnut Valley music festival. Going through my scrapbooks I found this letter that I posted on my old website just days back from my first trip.

A Note of Thanks From Jason

This is an open letter of thanks to all of the friends I made at the Walnut Valley Festival this year. I was new—I was a first-timer, a greenhorn, a virgin-- and I could not have had a more incredible or meaningful experience. I arrived with no expectations- just the knowledge that I was supposed to be a part of this gathering they called “Winfield”. I left a changed man. You have all made a convert of me. I can only say thank you to each person who welcomed me into this unique family with
hospitality and friendship like I have never known. Thank you to everyone for shepherding me through this first experience. I will certainly be back next year (and for many years after).

It will be impossible to thank everyone who helped me on this journey, but I will try (I apologize if I have omited your name or spelled it incorrectly.):

The Amazing Bill Barwick, Dr. Ian Barwick, Mac, Shelly and Noah, Wade, Larry and his family, (especially his son Aaron, fighting over in Iraq), Doug, Dave and all the guys in the Pecan Grove, Roger and his beautiful 12-string Mossman, Mike and Susan, Mike and Annie, Dave Schapur and his beautiful songs, Mark, Sandy, who helped me meet so many people that first night, Marcia, Sharon, Stan the Man (my Legal Seafood friend), Randy, Mirek, from Canada by way of Poland, Steve and his fabulous dancing partner, The Tom Sisters of California, Gary Bury and his ambulance, Cathy and her family, The Calloway Family, Tommy Emmanuel, Stephen Bennett, Matthew, Rachel and Clover of “Back At The Ranch”, The Hot Club of Cowtown, The Yonder
Mountain String Band, High On The Hog, Carlos Santos, Mark Sganga, Exit 81, Tiffany, The Wilders, Crow Johnson, Pete Huttlinger, Dan Crary, Classical Grass, Roz Brown, The Walnut Valley Men’s Chorus, Small Potatoes, Spontaneous Combustion, Modern Hicks,
Marley’s Ghost, The Prairie Rose Wranglers, Noah and his uke, And the Whole “Group Therapy” family, and, of course, Mr. Bob Redford, who’s vision and hard work have created one of the single best experiences of my life. Though he was already named, I especially want to thank my uncle Ian Barwick for introducing me to this wonderful world of Winfield, and encouraging me to join him on this journey. It changed my life, and I will be forever grateful.

Lastly, I’d like to thank my wife Deena for letting me leave after 10 days of marriage to join this fiesta. I promise I won’t do anything like this again till next year. So, I hope you enjoy this site I put together. If you have any photos you’d like me to exhibit on this site, please email them to me. Likewise, if you’d like to contact me with any comments please do so at my email address. Otherwise, have a safe and healthy year filled with music and friendship, and see you next year at Winfield.

All the best,

Jason Sebell

Welcome!

2006-02-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the official website of the Group Therapy campsite at the Walnut Valley Music Festival.