friends converging on "sound in the lands"

I noticed on Trevor's blog that he posted the "abstract" of what he'll be presenting at the "Sound in the Lands" conference... sounds interesting, and it looked like a good idea, so I thought I'd do the same and post the "abstract" of my presentation at the conference as well:

Community Supported Music: An Alternative Business Model For The Arts

In this digital age it has become a truism that “the music industry is in trouble,” and there has been an explosion of “innovative” approaches to the creation, marketing and distribution of music. My presentation will articulate an alternative business model for the arts that is based on a different set of assumptions than the “tour! tour! tour! sell! sell! sell!” mainstream model. The “Community Supported Music” (or CSM) approach is built on the “Community Supported Agriculture” (CSA) model, a different way of structuring the relationship between “producer” and “consumer” as partners in a vital community process. Having operated a CSM since 2006, my presentation will invite reflection on the potential of this model for artists seeking to live out their artistic vocation in a way that is more healthy and sustainable in personal, relational, spiritual, ecological, and economic terms.

In addition to the afore-mentioned Trevor, I've also heard tell of other friends from far and wide who are coming to partake in the festivities, not to mention many more from closer by (some of whom will be performing at Mennofolk as well).

Amos Lopez, a friend from Cuba, will also be coming, staying with us for a few days, making a presentation and singing some songs, and I believe the plan is that I'll join him for a few. He also sent me an e-mail suggesting we go into a studio for a day and record an album together. A bit startling, but a rather refreshing approach, it seems to me, as I'm in the midst of a very different kind of recording process...

Anyway, we'll see what happens. Should be interesting.