MUSINGS & RAMBLINGS

We got there and they were already at it. Walked in and it felt warm. Immediately settled in on the dance floor along with a few others.
The band was sounding great. Saw a couple of local jewels on stage with Nick and one was Steve Barbieri on guitar. Please forgive me for not remembering the guest keyboardist. I've seen him everywhere but still....not a clue.
Really, REALLY good though!
Steve was awesome up there too.
A violinist came in, plugged in and played some great stuff that fit right in with the blues. One might think, "A violin and Blues??"
But it worked fine.
He was very good and again....sorry about the name but you might know of him when I tell you he played(s) with "It's A Beautiful Day" and is a music conductor.

Nick is just so comfortable to be around. I mean his style of playing. It's just so laidback and
in-the-pocket down-home Chicago blues. Singing, presence, and guitar.
I grew a true appreciation for Nick for the first time not so long ago. He was with Mark Hummel at the Last Day Saloon. I'm not sure what took me so long, and I am sorry it did, but I finally figured it out. He is the real deal.

During break, everyone was outside smokin' & jokin', makin' small talk when he came out and joined in. I was just standing there, watching him and listening to him and I swear...I wanted to go up and grab him by the shoulders and shake him and tell him to ...."Tell me a story!"
Man...I bet he's got many!
It was a real honor to be standing there with him at that moment.
Here we are standing in a small town out in the middle of no where with a true living legend before us! I was in awe at that moment. I love those moments. After all...I'm just a humble blues fan ;-)

The music awesome, the dance floor and the room filled with real music appreciators and lots of warm people that love to dance.
Very friendly crowd. I felt at home there and to be honest....I wouldn't mind moving to Occidental area eventually and retiring there. It's beautiful country in my favorite forset but the people are what sold me on the area.

Thanks Nick Gravenites for a really nice evening of down-home blues. You and your crew were awesome and you can bet I'll be there on any old friday night more often.
Thank You Negri's for the warm venue to crawl into on a chilly night.
Oh.... and Thank You, Rolf for driving. I got to drink a couple of beers since I didn't drive and it felt really good to unwind a bit.
And hey....I didn't even get sick from the those windy roads on the way back!

Later,
Mo