February usually just about wipes me out. It’s cold, it’s dark, and sometimes (like 2010) it’s just scary.

Not in 2012. In 2012, I’m putting my butt on a boat in the Caribbean and going to Cayamo, a weeklong music festival at sea. We’re not talking about some cheesy thing, either — we’re talking about a festival with so much talent that it’s going to be hard to see everyone I like. I’ve seen most of the big names (not John Prine, though, who should be on my bucket list) but it’s the chance to see up-and-comers like The Civil Wars and The Belle Brigade, along with people I’ve missed along the way like James McMurtry, Keb Mo and Iris DeMent, that causes me to daydream about this trip even though it’s still July. Not all of the headliners have been announced yet — the current hot unfounded rumors are that Mary Chapin Carpenter and/or She and Him are about to be added — and I still can’t think of a time I’ve so greatly anticipated a music event.

Did I mention the late-night jams? Did I mention that the ship is going to St. Bart’s and St. Maarten, two islands I’ve always wanted to visit? Did I mention there is a casino in the middle of all of this? Six months can’t pass quickly enough.

What is Cayamo like? Check this out from 2011:

UPDATE 7/21: No sooner do I write this than Cayamo announces that Lucinda Williams has been added to the bill. (I also forgot to mention that this cruise has been sold out since early May).