Brush with Greatness

[Michael H Geimer]

I have a funny - but liberated! - folk band. The rule is, we play every Tuesday ... In or Out. Tonight we went Out. Meaning we basically crashed a neighborhood pub, instrumetns in hand, ready to play music. No hat, no catch, just tunes.

Great crowd ... Everyone dug it. Afterwards, a brother and sister who'd been playing pool came up to us.

"I heard you guys play a couple of old folk tunes. Ya ever listen to Doc Watson."

"He's a real Hero to me."

"Really? We're actually Watson's ourselves."

That's cool. I just got to play for the Watson family. I feel honored in way.

- Benignus

[Ranger]

wow, great story... Doc Watson was one of a kind. definately one of my favorites. thanks for sharing...
Ranger

[GVD]

Doc Watson was one of a kind

Was???

GVD

[John Flynn]

Yeah, maybe he has a split personality. Now he's two of a kind!

[AlanN]

I'm curious, where was this?

[Michael H Geimer]

Where was this? It was just a few doors up from my apartment - I posted right when I came home. We're quite lucky to have several pubs and coffee houses that welcome these spontaneous performances. (I should add these are not places that ever host music - save us. So, I don't think we're really 'stealing' a potential paying gig from another group. That would be lame, IMO)

Ya' know ... when they first walked up to talk to us, we we're all thinking the same thing, "Cool. the prettiest woman in the joint is walking our way." And no kidding, when she (they) first walked in during our set the music stuttered as we all caught a breath. Wow.

Of course it was the brother that was most interested in SF's Bluegrass and Music scene, and we talked mostly about the city's actual venues for acoustic music.

Great fun ... now I gotta drink this coffee and get cleaned up for the desk.

- Benig

[Stillpicking]

Back in the 70s there was a great coffee house that brought in a number of fairly famous and not so famous people to play.
When I say not so famous I don't mean unimportant to our musical history. Anyway the coffee house booked a blues player by the name of Lesly Riddle, at the time he was in his late 70s or early 80s. At around the same time I was switching from playing guitar to mandolin and had just traded a guitar and some cash for a 1918 Gibson A. Well Mr. Riddle played his gig and I sat in the crowd listening. After the gig was over I got invited to a jam and Mr. Riddle was there playing the blues along with a few of my buddies.
We played all night one tune after another, at the end Mr. Riddle turned to me and said "boy you really got those blues".
I have to admit that at the time I had no idea who he was. Now years later I realize that I had jammed with a man who had a musical connection with the "Carter Family" back in the 1920s.

[duuuude]

Cool story, Stillpicking

Hey Benig, I like that "In or Out" rule, I'll have to run that by our new jam group, thanks.

[Michael H Geimer]

Yep. It's a great attitude. I think I've got my BG group on-board with the idea, too!

Becarefull though ... we now have a reputation. In fact, a couple weeks ago on a Friday after work, I went in search of my my guitar player ... hoping to share a post-work beer. I was - of course - carrying the Mid-mo. I found Parker at the pub. He had arrived earlier carrying a classical guitar.

Well, pretty soon the bartender comes up and says, "Ummm, I've been asked to shut off the jukebox, 'cause they think that will make you guys play." LOL!

Of course we obligued - we sucked eggs - but we obligued.

Last night, The Watson's (Daisy and Mark?) told me that my attitude reminded them of Doc. That he loves to just play at Flea Markets, parks ... just because ... just to play for folks.

I'm listening to Songs from Home right now.

- Benig

[Mandodoc]

Jon Watson here, I don't think I'm a relation but it would be nice if some of the muse rubbed off on me. Hence my handle, mandodoc.
jon
(I've shaken hands with BB King, Ozzy Osborne, Roy Rogers (the guitar player), James Cotton, Commander Cody, Leon Redbone and none of their mojo has rubbed off but you have to keep trying LOL....)

[duuuude]

(I've shaken hands with BB King, Ozzy Osborne, Roy Rogers (the guitar player), James Cotton, Commander Cody, Leon Redbone and none of their mojo has rubbed off but you have to keep trying LOL....)

That's where yer goin' wrong, yer supposed to rub their bellies!

[jbrwky]

Especially Leon's! Don't touch his hands dude.

[Cary Fagan]

Lovely story. One of the first jams I played at, last year, there was a woman there who was a friend of Doc Watson's and had listened to him play on his front porch. Is that one or two degrees of separation?

[Ranger]

DOH!!! HATE when i do that... no more Bushmills for me, lol.
as Mark Twain said...
"The rumor of my death seems to have been greatly exagerrated."
ummm, i meant when he was "one of a kind" when playing regularly in public? thanks for catching the error.
Ranger

[Michael H Geimer]

" ... i meant when he was "one of a kind" when playing regularly in public? ?

Ranger, you ain't getting off the hook that easy ... isn't Doc actually on tour right now?

[Ranger]

is Doc on tour now? if you say so (man you guys are a tough crowd...)... lol. last i heard was that he wasn't on the road much anymore. but if he's out there i hope he remembers where Reno is! he could collect an audience here for sure.
awright, i'm gonna pull myself off this hook and shut up. or maybe just put the Bushmills back in the cabinet where it belongs...
Ranger

[Michael H Geimer]

"...or maybe just put the Bushmills back in the cabinet"

... or pass it over this way, and we can raise a toast to Doc, a true Living Legend.

[mmukav]

Doc will be at Merlefest in April, ya', he's still touring.
Doc's always been one of my favorites. His music was one of my first introductions to bluegrass. Last summer I shook hands with Sam Bush at a gig in Ohio, and I do beleive the mojo rubbed off on me! I even introduced myself as a fellow mando player and he seemed to really appreciate that. I went home and played with renewed vigor, and have since improved my skills quite a bit!!! I love your 'hit and run' technique, our bluegrass trio does a once every 2-3 month 1 hour opening set at a local tavern and like the idea of going in, doin' our 1 hour and out. It leaves the audience with a hankerin' for more.