Joe Val Festival - Feb 2013

[chuckhorton]

Hey there,

Has anyone been to the Joe Val Festival and stayed at the Sheraton? Some previous threads show that it is relatively popular amongst café members.

I’ve never been to this festival and am probably going to go – just not sure if I should commute from Boston or try to get a room in the main hotel. If I commuted I would be restricted to the commuter rail and probably a cab too, and have to leave at 8 or 9. Or I could get a room, but that would be $99 per night.

Can anyone recommend staying at the hotel? Is it an experience that can’t be missed? Let me know if you have any feedback about it. Hotel reservations go on sale (and probably sell out) tonight at 7pm!

Thanks!
Charlie

[Bernie Daniel]

Hey there,

Has anyone been to the Joe Val Festival and stayed at the Sheraton? Some previous threads show that it is relatively popular amongst café members.

I’ve never been to this festival and am probably going to go – just not sure if I should commute from Boston or try to get a room in the main hotel. If I commuted I would be restricted to the commuter rail and probably a cab too, and have to leave at 8 or 9. Or I could get a room, but that would be $99 per night.

Can anyone recommend staying at the hotel? Is it an experience that can’t be missed? Let me know if you have any feedback about it. Hotel reservations go on sale (and probably sell out) tonight at 7pm!

Thanks!
Charlie

Joe Val what an incredible talent he was. Here he is in the last year of his life....lost much too soon!

[J Mangio]

I have been to Joe Val many times but stayed at the Sheraton only once; on the quiet floors I found that it was noisy, and people were smoking in the stairwells.
Since then,I found that a one day pass was enough. The festival is set up in a ballroom with seats on the level,
which make it difficult to see.
In '10 I became a Snowbird and not in that geography any longer. In January I go to Yee Haw Junction BG Festival,
Nice festival held in a giant tent.

[Justus True Waldron]

Hi there -

I've been going to the Joe Val festival for the past few years, and it's one of my favorites! It's pretty much my "home" festival at this point, even if it is 3 hours away! - probably where I see the most of my bluegrass friends all in one place. That being said, I've only stayed at the ACTUAL Sheraton once, and that was when someone else booked the room. Most years I've stayed at the Residence Marriott a mile or so from there. The main reason for that was booking late. As it turns out, rooms at the Sheraton sell out within minutes of going on sale, and since BBU members have priority it means you pretty much have to be a BBU member to get in. As it turns out, the hotel rooms actually go on sale TONIGHT at 7, and I have my BBU membership up to date and am going to try and get a room for the first time. If I fail I'll be staying at the Marriott again.

As for the experience at the Sheraton? I'd say you'd have to want to be jamming to stay there. I jam all night long and sleep in the day once I can't keep my eyes open, so that doesn't bother me. They do have quiet floors which are probably mostly quiet, however I know the bands are on one of the floors too so my guess is there might still be some noise, not to mention lost people wandering through. As was mentioned, staircases will be full of jamming/smoking at night.

If you are looking for peace I'd recommend the Marriott. I think it might even be cheaper, the rooms are really nice and clean (and big) and it's only a mile or so away, with 24 hr taxis available. You also might be able to find someone sympathetic with a car to bring you over as well - I have a car and got asked a lot. I have no experience with traveling there from Boston, but for me leaving at 8 or 9 would never fly - that's when the headlining bands are just getting started, not to mention the best jamming which will usually start after the bands are done for the night. That's just me though, if you just want to catch some nice music in the day and don't care really about the late night jams than it might work for you.

As for the festival, as I mentioned It's one of my all time favorites. The people there are great (most of them my friends by now), lots of great Boston/Berklee talent, a staff that doesn't seem to mind the hordes of dirty sleep deprived jamming zombies, food right there, great bands and great sound (again my friends do it!) in a nice comfortable space. I have only been to two indoor festivals, Joe Val and IBMA. IBMA was of course amazing for it's sheer size and the quality of the jamming/people you meet there, but I found myself pining for certain things about Joe Val. To me it's just a great size, friendly and comfortable... hope to see you there! If you go, stop by the vendors area and say hi to Marty Macica, my luthier and yet another friend. He's always got a booth there with some cool instruments to play...

[chuckhorton]

Thanks for the info. Just managed to get myself a ticket package bundled with the hotel on a pickin floor at the Sheraton. I've never been to an indoor festival, and am looking forward to the lack of sleep!

Would have been a real treat to see Joe Val play - sadly he passed a year before I was born. What a voice though, and some amazing chops.

Maybe I'll see some of you there!

Cheers,
Charlie

[Justus True Waldron]

Awesome, I got myself a room as well. Now I just have to wait about 3 months!

[stevejay]

I met Joe Val once many years ago. I saw a man picking a mandolin on the lawn (didn't know it was him) and it was fantastic. I told him I thought I might be hearing the best mandolin I've ever heard. He was very humble. At the end of our meeting, he introduced himself and told me to check out the band. Fesivals are like that, the everyday person can meet future legends by accident.