Back to life. Back to the here and now yeah.

Well, darling reader, where to begin?  I've been away at the Cambridge Folk Festival, that annual celebration of all that is good and civilised in life.  And it's been a belter this year, even by the rarefied standards of that esteemed shindig.  The weather was spectacular, which helped no end.  It was hot and sunny during the days and yet cool enough for restful sleep at night.  Add to this a liberal helping of good friends, good beer, a waterproof tent and some musical instruments, and you've got yourself a recipe for the perfect long weekend.

The professional music on offer was impeccable too - as it generally is.  You don't get to strap on a gee-tar at Cambridge unless you know your stuff.  The high-water mark this year, and indeed of all the years I've been attending, was hit by Pennsylvanian bluegrass trio "The Stray Birds" (http://www.thestraybirds.com/)

Bluegrass is a music that is hard for all but the most cynical heart to resist.  It's life-affirming, unpretentious and accessible.  That's a good start, but The Stray Birds took it somewhere different, elevated the genre to new heights.  I saw them the Brian McNeill session on Saturday morning.  This Cambridge tradition showcases a dozen or so of the acts at the festival along with a troupe of talented young Scottish musicians.  It's a laid back affair.  You sit, reading the paper and nursing a coffee while the music swirls around you.  The Stray Birds were simply one of the acts.  They played two tracks, and on the strength of this alone, I rushed over to the music concession and bought all the albums of theirs I could find.  That's how good they were.

I saw them twice more after that, and each time they were brilliant.  They use the old bluegrass technique of singing into the same microphone.  This is dangerous territory for a live act.  Each musician has to rely on his or her ear to judge the mix of the sound going to the house.  The sound engineer would usually take care of this mix these days.  They did the same with the instruments.  The band plugged only the double bass into the desk and PA.  The other instruments were mixed ambiantly during the show by the band.  You move away from the mic to lower the mix and wander up to it to bring that instrument up in the mix.  It takes huge talent to be able to do this.  They were brilliant at it.  I watched the terrified road crew set them up for one of their performances.  They had to explain to the sound engineer twice what they were doing as he didn't believe it the first time.

Just superb.