Tuesday....

Ruth stopped by my studio yesterday to give me the report from the Fire Marshall’s recent visit – and my studio had a small note to remove items stored within 24” of the ceiling. It was referring to the loftspace above my darkroom where I have print boxes and other items. I made a quick review of the situation, and re-arranged the stored items to comply.

Drove out to the carpool lot that Doug had designated as our rendezvous point. We then took his car to the San Bruno BART station and took BART to Civic Center station –and from there walked a mile to our old Turkish restaurant haunt to meet Lance.





The food was even better than it was when IgorA, Doug, Lance and & used to eat here when we all met at Igor’s to play guitar. After the SFBAGC (SF Bay Area Guitar Circle) vanished, Doug & Lance began making the pilgrimage to Igor’s place each week. It was here that the Geary Street Quartet (IgorA, DebraK, Doug & Lance) was born, and later Zesty Enterprise (IgorA, Doug & Lance). When my schedule allowed, I would join them for dinner and some guitar work. After IgorA’s move to Seattle, Doug, Lance and I met at my place. When I left, Doug and Lance faced the dilemma of where to meet. With Doug in La Honda and Lance in north Berkeley and the Bay area’s notorious evening commute, they sought a spot somewhere is the middle with good transit access. They decided they would meet at a BART station and play in the station. And that is what they do. Last night, I joined them. It was remarkable. Though the station is highly resonant, their unamplified guitars do not project far. And for the most part, people pass without giving them much notice. But there were a few commuters who slowed down and lingered through a piece before moving on their way. I’d taken some photos before joining in the play, and it was as I was strapping on my guitar that a fellow slowed down with interest and then leaned against the wall opposite them to listen. They were playing ‘Flying Home’ and when they got to the end of the piece, the fellow came over and said, ’Crafty Guitarists, huh?’ When he asked, ‘Do you guys play anywhere?’ with big grins, Doug and Lance said ‘Here!’ and gestured to their spot in the station.

The beauty of this setup is that you can have a setlist with three pieces since no one stays around long enough to hear anything twice. So when I joined in, we played a lot of Asturias & Growing Circle, with Hope and an extended version of One of A Thousand Regrets. We tried Where it Goes, but since Lance was the only one who knew the whole piece, it kind of fizzled out. No problem – just begin Asturias again! We also circulated and did a group loop. It was great fun.










Packing up after a good gig!