Yes... over the years I've played at all of the festivals, coffeehouses, and clubs on "The List." In getting to them, I have driven into the ground a 1964 Ford Falcon station wagon (burn oil much?), a 1966 Ford Fairlane wagon (the gear shift eventually broke off), a 1974 Chevy Monza hatchback (worst car I ever had; at the end, the driver's side door had to be closed with a couple of big hooks & eyes like a screen door), a 1977 Datsun 140-SX hatchback (fastest car I ever had), a 1978 Datsun B-210 coupe (tough little car with a great and noble heart), a 1982 Subaru wagon (another great car), and a 1987 Ford Taurus wagon (my first car with AC and a cassette player). I am now steadily at work getting a 1996 Camry wagon up to... and beyond?... 250k.
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Winfield 1984 with
the late, great Mike Longworth,
Martin guitar rep
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One particularly memorable night occurred in eastern New Mexico in late September 1984. I had just won a D-28 in the Fingerpicking Contest at Winfield, Kansas, and was headed for a gig in Santa Fe on the way to Los Angeles. I was driving the Datsun B-210, which, for those of you who can remember back that far, was a very small car. One horrific rainstorm... it felt like ten... hit at dusk. Within two seconds I could not see the road even with the highbeams on, and darkness came down with a bang. There were no other cars around. No trucks. I pulled off the highway, going over more bumps and weirdness than seemed normal, and settled in for the night. In there with me were two dreadnoughts in cases, all my gear & clothes, plus the trophy from Winfield which was about two feet high and had spiky things on it. But I wasn't about to fling THAT out into the maelstrom. Camping gear was in the trunk. Still, everything felt right with the world, and I was extremely happy. Cramped, but happy. I eventually drifted off to sleep with the rain just hammering that little car. I woke up in the morning about fifty yards off the highway and no more than a few feet from a wash, down which one hellacious volume of water had roared during the night. If I had driven just a few feet farther... I guess God looks out for fools and folksingers a long way from home.
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Geoff with the 1984 trophy
from Winfield (note spiky things)
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At the other end of the spectrum was playing guitar for John Gorka on Austin City Limits in December 1990. We had other gigs in Texas on that trip, and John had rented a Cadillac Fleetwood sedan for the tour. We drove all over Texas in that thing. The bass player on those gigs was the great Michael Manring. The hotel was swanky and the food was great. By showtime, I think we all looked pretty hunky in our make-up and smooth shirts. Austin City Limits has been up and running for so many years now that every aspect of the production ran like clockwork. It was a real pleasure to be a part
of that show.
There was also a wonderful gig with Tom Paxton at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in the summer of 2000. We were given rooms at the Radisson and got driven everywhere in a limousine. Man, we were high tone! They gave us Rock Hall tour jackets at the gig. We tell everybody they wanted our old ones for an exhibit.
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photo by Chris Yeager
Old Vienna Coffeehouse 1990
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But perhaps the most memorable was my first ever paying gig in Boston in late 1970. Somebody didn't show at the Turk's Head on Charles street, and the owner called me. I was thrilled. After the show, I walked across the Public Gardens in the snow and bought myself breakfast at the Hayes-Bickfords on Boylston street. I made seven dollars, but it felt like seven hundred.
The deepest and most lasting pleasure has been playing for audiences large and small and sharing my music with them. I have many bright memories of playing music in green rooms, in kitchens, around campfires, with some great players and songwriters. I've met a lot of wonderful people and am proud to call them my friends. Thank you to all the people who have put me up... and who have put up with me... during my travels, to all the presenters who took a chance on me, to everyone who has run sound at one of my shows, covered the publicity, baked the carrot cake, brought the beer, invited me into
their circle, and made me welcome. Life is not easy, but mine is
richer because of you.
~ geoff
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