Thus, he films and records both nights and also films off stage interviews during the day to perpetuate these traditions and stories of the masters. For blues festival goers, the major plus in Salina is the intimacy the weekend generates. Playing to a rapt audience literally seated at their feet, the performers immediately feel the close communion. Wichita guitarist Bill Garrison said it best. After 30 years of playing, this was the audience I always wanted to play for.
Most festivals have musicians playing from a monster stage to crowds in the thousands.
Within this intimate setting, the audience discovered the playfulness of the music. As the crowd gave its reactions to the men on the altar, the musicians immediately upped their performances. Talk about spanning the generations of the blues. With a career spanning eight decades, Townsend seemed to pick at melodies and floating lyrics from his mental jukebox. His blues piano approach both nights came with the same idiosyncratic sense of time that many first generation guitarists employ.