I almost don’t want to tell you how cool a festival FloydFest has become.. I don’t want to risk ruining it.  Long past the growing-stage of a fledgling hippy-fest; FloydFest, now in her 9th year, is fully-realized and a true contender amongst events in the Central Virginia and mid-Atlantic region.

Greensky Bluegrass has had an incredible summer so far.  The Kalamazoo, MI-based ‘newgrass’ quintet tours nationally and were recently featured at the Rockygrass Festival in Lyons, CO, on the main stage at the legendary Grey Fox Festival in upstate New York and performed in front of an audience of thousands at the All Good Festival in West Virginia.

There’s something homey feeling about the idea of a man sitting out on his porch as the sun sets, plucking away at his guitar as he moves forward and back in a rocking chair. And it was just that image and sensation that Langhorne Slim brought to the stage, rocking chair and all, as he sang his songs of love lost and love found to an audience more than eager to share in his musical story telling.

Until I arrived at this year’s Gathering of The Vibes Festival in Bridgeport, CT, I didn’t know I was looking for something. Until I left, I didn’t realize that I had found it. The following is a recounting of that journey. Along the way masters in the field of musical entertainment will appear. All were influential, some more than others. But as you read this recounting of GOTV 2010, remember that this is one man’s quest.

Music festivals are to live music what climbing Mt. Everest is for mountaineering: when done right both can be a truly life-changing, once in a lifetime event.