See that picture? That’s the new Gibson Les Paul electric guitar that I won.
Here’s How I Won a Guitar and Got It Signed by a Songwriting Star
I went to the Gibson party at Maggie Mae’s to listen to some authentic Texas music. One really great act came after another, but I really wanted to see Radney Foster. He’s one of my favorite singer/songwriters. His song “Angel Flight” is topping the country charts right now.
Angel Flight by Radney Foster
I watched a bunch of acts, had a raffle ticket to win a guitar, and willed myself to win it. No, really, I willed myself to win that guitar. Gibson gave away three guitars during the day. I didn’t win on the first two rounds, but I said to myself, “I’m going to win a guitar.” Seriously. So, when they called the raffle number for the last guitar and it wasn’t mine, I thought, “My typical Irish luck.” But the ticket holder wasn’t there. They pulled another number. Again, not me. Then the third time to the well. My number: 422317. I raised hand in front of hundreds of people. My back got slapped and I got high fived on my way to the stage where I got my picture taken with the Gibson Guitar people and Alejandro Escovedo. Super cool, right?
It’s Cool to Walk Around Austin with a Guitar on Your Back
Yeah, even if you just won a guitar, your street cred goes up by 100 when you carry a guitar in a gig bag around Austin during the SXSW music festival. I was going to go back to the hotel, but there was a movie I wanted to see: The Happy Poet. I sat with my new guitar between my knees. I didn’t mind…the movie was terrific. The best line of the movie: Just remember, I’m the Happy Poet, motherfucker. You’ll just have to see it. Meanwhile, here’s the trailer.
Trailer for The Happy Poet
So, that’s a wrap. One more day of music and film, then it’s back on an airplane. WITH MY NEW GUITAR!
