But I view it as essentially a poverty culture leaning perilously close to the old Nazi mentality of Blut & Boden. And during Jim Crow there were just as many lynchings throughout Appalachia as anywhere else in the south, so I see little for African-Americans to celebrate regarding that heritage. I've always found bluegrass music to be quite boring when compared to the richness of jazz music, and unlike bluegrass, which is essentially the same as it has ever been and seems to have developed in a vacuum and continues to exist in a vacuum, one can easily trace the development of jazz from its early roots right through to its cutting-edge modern variety as an art form that constantly reaches out to other musical influences and remains fresh, rather than stagnant and insular. The whole appalachian cultural mentality seems to scream out-- "Hey! We're every bit as good as anyone else!" Well, as far as I'm concerned, the best piece of music to come out of Appalachia was "Appalachian Spring" by Aaron Copeland. Can you play that on a hammered dulcimer?

Yes, well Dave Grisman does a good job with using jazz elements to make bluegrass less tedious to a wider audience. And when I saw him on toru from that album back in the mid-80s, he seemed to have surrounded himself with excellent, classically-trained jazz musicians.

OK, let's dredge up some excrement from 300 years ago then....the banjo is a descendent of traditional African instruments? Those traditional African instruments would have never been brought here" if their owners hadn't also been "brought here" literally lying in their own excrement in the hulls of slave ships. So you'd may as well wave the ol' "Stars 'n Bars" while you're playing your banjo.

I'm not certain what you mean by "my musical community." If you mean the local music scene, I'm certain that many local drummers have had far more practice imitating songs by Lynard Skynard and Bachman-Turner Overdrive than I have. So in that regard, I haven't "contributed" very much. But if you'd care to hear a couple of my musical compositions, let me know. But of course you won't be interested, which only bolsters my point.

Must have really pissed you off with my articulate and reasoned opinion otherwise you wouldn't have immediately smeared your own local brand of shit all over me, huh?

I think that you both are missing the main point that the festival is an exciting event to many people that is filled with numerous activities including speakers, music and displays from groups and artisans. We are fortunate to have this festival take place in our community and I hope that you both will consider visiting the campus activities or attending one or many of the off campus venues that will be taking place. Many thanks to those involved in bringing the 5th annual Appalachian Festival to FSU. Susan Davis

We live at the heart of an Empire actively engaged in the process of denying millions throughout the world their right to even live their own culture, let alone celebrate it. And to a significant degree, corporate coal production in Appalachia fuels that Empire. Until the people of Appalachia fully recognize this fact, I hold no interest in their homespun culture.

My mother was born and grew up on a small family farm in the mountains of Appalachia. After the military, I chose to attend university in Appalachian Eastern Kentucky having never even been to Kentucky. And I deeply appreciate the education I received there. This is how I happen to define Appalachia culture--I define Appalachian culture to astute enough to fill their little Eastern Kentucky university with liberal professors educated by the University of Chicago and even Stanford, while being in no position to offer these professors much more than a comfortable salary and one local golf course. That's the Appalachia I respect. I don't particularly respect a small segment of the population interesting in maintaining a handful of cultural elements that were probably more uninteresting 150 years ago than I perceive them to be uninteresting today.

The valued soul of Appalachia lies in its willingness to look forward rather than backward. In addition to having a calculator where God intended there to be a heart, the very definition of a reactionary is one who looks backwards.

The Short Gap volunteer Fire Department has a couple of roadblocks this afternoon collecting donations from passing motorists. I slowed down, but wasn't able to toss any money into the guy's bucket because I wasn't carrying any cash. At this point, some woman in another vehicle wags her finger at me in disapproval. Who do these people think they are? She was probably on her way over to Wal-Mart in a vehicle she bought for a slightly better deal in Altoona, PA pays her mortgage to Bank of America and complains about having to pay school taxes now that her own children are grown.

I was driving my old 1989 car with vinyl seats, so the stuff did wipe up easily, and that which ran back under the seat won't matter anyway.

J.D.....would enjoy hearing some of your compositions. Are they on a disc, or video? I imagine there is some way to get them onto appindie with some of our tech help.

Traditional music is obviously not complex, but that doesn't take anything from people being able to enjoy playing or listening. It's about the enjoyment, whether it be jazz, classical, musicals, or whatever. Music is good for the soul.

You should give an ear to a very, very accomplished hillbilly by the name of Mark O'Conner. He bows the light fantastic.

I have a good friend who plays the hammered dulcimer, and I bet he can play Appalachian Spring!