Inside Summer NAMM 2006 Austin, Texas
by Richard Gilewitz

Attending my 833rd NAMM show in a row allowed only one initial thought in my head, "What am I doing here again?" Eight hundred and thirty-three nanoseconds after that thought crossed through my head (not much there to stop it), I recalled a comment that sportscaster Bob Costas once made when describing an upcoming football game. He claimed that the most exciting thing about his upcoming commentary was that there was no script.

How could I have known ahead of time that I would come away from the weekend Austin, Texas Summer NAMM event with a genuinely new experience and a fresh set of memories? The NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show is a biannual mega trade show involving the music industry's leading manufacturers and a plethora of upstart companies plus music store dealers and artists alike. And opportunities! How could I have known that one of these opportunities would place me in a booth jamming with guitar legend Rick Derringer or meeting new friends and artists such as Vicki Genfan, fellow D'Addario String endorsee?

As the evening came in under the hot mid-July night, many NAMM attendees either gathered throughout the town in the legendary 6th Street area, or scattered to various hotels to enjoy an evening of music. As a guest of Rick Shubb I was invited to enjoy a wonderful night of Gypsy jazz music from guitarist Jon Jorgenson and his quintet - enough to put any player in his or her place. I must say, however, that I have yet to meet a more gracious and genuine artist in the industry, although John Hammond could go for the tie!

By the end of the weekend as everyone dismantled their musical booths and I headed towards my shuttle bus back to the hotel exhausted, I remembered what Mr. Costas had said and realized why I always return to the NAMM Show. There is inevitably a new invention of some sort to wonder aloud about, a reunion of old friends, new relationships ripe for the budding process, and that sense of the unpredictable - such as the BATS! Two and a half million to be exact, or 2.5 million minus 833. I lost count. Tune in next month to discover what happened outside the NAMM show. And discover the bats!!

---

Richard Gilewitz just released his 5th recording, "Live at 2nd Street Theater", recorded in Bend, Oregon with special guest and fellow Breedlove Guitars artist, Radim Zenkl. Upcoming GillaCamps: 3-day fingerstyle guitar workshops are scheduled for Ohio, Washington, New Zealand, and Florida. More information and dates can be found at www.richardgilewitz.com.