Did I dream it? Did it really happen? Already? Yes, The Hoover Hootenanny 5 – The Last Hoot has come & gone! Sadly, all good things DO come to an end. Harumph! Though it has come and gone, it certainly was one to remember!

I’ve been in attendance for all five of the Hoover Hootenannies and this was certainly the earliest. June 21st was a brilliantly sunny and not too warm Saturday. By the 5:00 PM start time, the temp cooled down even more, to the point I went home (after I played) and changed into jeans and a hoodie.

There were many more performers this year than ever. Of course Geoff Hoover And The Vinyl Junkies “Guitar Army” took the stage first. I decided to play second and get it over with. With my health these days, it was a wise choice. Didn’t know if energy would wane if I waited to later in the evening. So I got up and did a three song solo set. My good friend and drummer Fred Bennett was not in attendance this year. I went out the way I came into Hoot — acoustic and solo!

Hoover Hootenanny 5 - The Last Hoot

Being that Karen Bennett was not at Hoot 5 to record my/our set this year, I set up my iPhone on my Bogen tripod and had Duke Hoover record my set. Thanks Duke! Figured I’d post my set first as I’m waiting on the rest of the video & photos to come poring in. Hopefully I’ll do another Hoot 5 post with more video and photos of all the other fantastic musicians and friends who played and attended.

Though you can not tell, my hypothyroidism was really fogging my brain badly that day and I was pretty low energy. I was on autopilot that whole set! Good thing I practiced my butt off for weeks before. Especially for the first two songs, which were new. I had never played them out before either. My whole time on stage felt like an out of body experience. Such an odd feeling — to say the least! But I do remember having fun!

Thanks again to Geoff, Tatiana, Indiana, Duke, and Texas Hoover, and Marian Porges for all the work that goes into making a Hootenanny happen! Special thanks to Joe Baron of Attitude Inc who helped underwrite the cost of Hootenanny 4 & 5! Thanks to all the performers, especially Indy and Texas’ friends who drove all the way from Tennessee to play their first Hoot, and those new and long time Hoot attendees for traveling from all parts of the country to be in attendance! You all ROCKED and made it all so much fun!

Hoover Hootenanny 5: Joe Streno – Solo