Afterglow 2009 - Day 5 Wednesday

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Nothing that I do down at the fire pit is intentional. And that is mostly because by this point in the night I am 3 sheets to the wind. I've heard that expression used before, but I have no idea what it means. It must be something that old people say to describe drunk people. I'm going to go ahead and promise to never use it ever again. That is until I'm old I guess. I think my Mom took this picture, and when I put them side by side, it looks like one giant panoramic picture. Which leads me to believe that when she was taking these two individual pictures, she envisioned that they would one day be joined as one. Like Nostradamus and Benjamin Franklin before her, my Mom is a genius.

Pete came down from his cabin to listen to us play. We must have sounded like a choir of angels or something, for we were able to entice him to come out of his home to spend some time with us. Pete works real hard keeping this joint running, and he could be doing anything with his relaxation time, but he decided to spend it in our company. And I completely understand why. If I wasn't me, then I would certainly want to hang out with me. And then I'd hang out with my family too. Cause they rock. We all rock. And anyone who doesn't think that can go to hell.

Uncle Rick likes to pretend that he is a musician, and sometimes I get worried that he's upset that we call ourselves The Uncle Greg Band instead of the Uncle Rick Band. But it's just as much his as it is any of our band. Each member brings their own unique aspect to the band, and we are better off because of it. We are all important. Uncle Rick adds commentary that stands out in the background of the majority of the recorded tracks, which adds some much needed humor to normally sad songs (like American Pie or Cats in the Cradle). Plus he is the keeper of the fire, which allows us to see and have something to sing around. We are forever in his debt for bringing that to the band.

Pete was doing some crazy things with a camera and a flashlight. If I wasn't so busy entertaining the crowd, I would have watched him in action so that I could properly describe it. But since I always put the people first, I'll do my best to explain it for you. He set the camera on a tripod and adjusted the exposure so that the lens would stay open longer, then went behind people and drew goofy shit on their heads. As long as the people remained still, the effect in these pictures is as you see them. Now that's a very amateurish explanation of this photographic trick. If there are any experts out there who know how it really works, let me know. I'm curious. Of course I really could just go and Google it.

I had never seen Pete do this before, so I'm going to assume that it was one of the 2009 improvements / updates to the Afterglow experience. With this photo trickery, he is able to create keepsakes and give them to people. Those people will most likely then keep them for all time and look back upon them with fond memories. For people that are in love (like James and Melissa on the left and Brian and Kevin on the right) the heart is a universal symbol of that love. Most people won't confuse that, but some may think that the heart over Brian and Kevin's head signifies romantic love instead of the lifelong partner love they share. Let those people think whatever they want. We all know the truth.

By now it should be no secret that The Uncle Greg Band lights up the campfire area more than the uh... campfire does. Except we don't provide sight in the darkness, we light up your hearts with our music. Unless the good people of Afterglow hide their true feelings, I'm pretty sure that everyone there appreciates and enjoys our music. I really hope that they do, because I enjoy playing it for them.