Playing in the Band

I blogged last week that I had some musician friends hanging out with me in Amsterdam.  Some of you know that I play (well, I try to play) Irish Mandolin, and carry one around with me when I travel.  Because I knew my friends were meeting up with me, this time I brought my good mando.  I call it my good one because it's...well, its sublime to play.  82 years old and just getting better.  Here's a nice shot of the old girl, taken by Noel Bergman...

My friends and I spent some time playing music downstairs in the bar at the hotel where ApacheCon EU happened...and for me it was a rare and wonderful evening because it was one of the first times I learned a tune in real time while simultaneously playing it!  Probably had something to do with the Duvel...after the third one I couldn't feel my fingers anymore and somehow they knew just where to go to make the right notes happen.  What a feeling to access music through your fingers like you can through your voicebox...hard to describe how great it was.  Here's a picture Noel took of the three of us playing that night...you can kind of tell that I might have been drinking (notice the lean).