For 10 years the Acoustic Guitar Project hath existed. It’s slowly expanded to it’s current form, with cities all over the world taking part. I’ve been aware of it for closer to seven years, which, looking back, is how long the local DC edition has existed. I’ve long been aware of friends being invited to pick up a signature-covered guitar, write a song, play a show – it seemed like a really cool thing but with my reputation I NEVER expected to be invited to participate!
However – 2020 came along and in one more way t’was unprecedented and I became a part of the class of 2020 along with Rick Engdahl, who I’ve known for years, Patty Reese, who I’ve known not quite as long, Janine Wilson, who I’ve known not quite as long as Patty, and Arch Alcantara who I’ve known not at all.
I picked up the guitar from Patty Reese as she was playing one of her last outdoor gigs of the year last fall and dropped it off with Janine at a rest stop on I-95 one week later. Meeting up with Patty was the first time I’d heard Live music in person that wasn’t being played by me in MONTHS and meeting up with Janine was one of the first purely social encounters of the pandemic outside of my pod.
Oh, and in between those two meetings I wrote the song “everything hurts”.
Well, the concert where we all get together and PLAY those songs got canceled twice, and then this Sunday it finally came to pass and it was MAGNIFICENT. I didn’t know Patty’s house was such an exquisite retreat, and though the day continued a weekend of hot mugginess and near exhaustion, the show ALSO continued a weekend of joyous abandon, great playing, fun meetings and getting to see my friends! In this case, old, old friends – many of which were part of the very first “scene” I ever sort of realized I was somehow ISH accepted into!
It was a beautiful day.
Janine brought cookies, Arch brought sound, I streamed. It was too hot, it was too humid, it frankly got me into the innards of my head a bit much (also hot and humid inside THERE!). We played and I played HARD because it’s what I do.
I’ve had some great compliments this weekend and I hope I never get so big (doubt it) that I don’t treasure every single one… but tonight a man told me “I always wished I’d played guitar, and now I know I wish I’d have played it like YOU” and, from Ruthie of Ruthie and the Wranglers “you’re too good to ever go first again”.
There’s a longer conversation to be had there, but I want to click “publish”….
Wish I’d brought a guitar stand – it was cool to see all our axes together! Patty’s beautiful garden was the home to carp and toads and a grumpy, recently-evicted-from-the-house frog.
The audience included a LOT of local musicians including Billy Coulter, Ruthie Logsdon, Cletus Kennelly, Steve Steckler, Susan Rowe, Jillian Matundan, Michelle Swan – and others who I know I’m forgetting…
Patty Reese welcoming us all into her home. Janine Wilson and Patty Reese. Richard and Audrey Engdahl. Audrey actually had me pretty nervous through much of the night as she was the woman in college who taught me my first chords – and the girlfriend whose relationship inspired SO much music. I’m in a much better place and really Love Rick and Audrey’s music together (Sense of Wonder) and greatly appreciate how we’ve branched off from one another. We do incredible things. Rockin’ out.
Not the best of the photos, but my favourite. Ldft to right : Janine Wilson, me, Arch Alcantara (it is his fingering of the top soundhole in the guitar making me and Janine make those faces), Patty Reese, Rick Engdahl and Suzanne Brindamour.
Rick and I have a long history which is pretty much all in my head – however he caught me this toad and now we HAVE to be friends! And somehow this cat only understands French. I don’t really have any idea why.
