Mule

I saw people stand in line all day to take a picture with a picture of Zach Bryan.

I saw a teenager named Christian’s face when he saw the guitars in person for the first time, “NO. WAY. “

I saw some of the biggest names in music play for a quarter million people.

I saw a wife tear up talking about how her husband couldn’t stop talking about one of the instruments, and how hard he worked, and how she knew she was going to get him something to show him she loved him.

And I saw an eight year old girl named Landen bounce up to the booth with a big smile on the last night at the last minute and pull an 8 lb mulecaster off the wall and start banging away on it.

“You play guitar?” “Nope! Never! This is a good guitar!”

My most familiar state is the fulcrum of a mental teeter totter - reevaluating, committing, fearing and warring, failing and… failing, feeling deep discomfort and incredible joy. Something I heard along the way that reframed this internal battle positively is this: success is the balance between two opposing ideas.

Experiencing music to me is experiencing human connection in a way words alone can’t express. I saw both ends of the spectrum of musical experience this week being part of the American Music Supply tent at Bourbon and Beyond.

It got me thinking about a new way to experience music with you. And I am so pumped.

- Matt