MUMBO JUMBO – OCTOBER 2014
Greetings from 39,000 feet. It seems I write half my newsletters from airplanes these days, and today it’s from a peaceful empty flight somewhere over the glistening North Atlantic. I was lucky enough to grab an exit row seat on this sprawling westbound Airbus, allowing me the rare luxury of an astounding 7 feet of legroom with only one other passenger in the adjoining dozen seats. Pure travel Heaven!
When I finished my September tour with Peter and Brendan Mayer, Pete kindly finished our last show with his fantastic rendition of “Penny Lane” and sent me merrily on my way to London while he and Brendan jetted off to Paris to join Mr. Buffett.
LIVERPOOL: THE MERSEY RIVER AND PENNY LANE
Ten days later I’m returning from visiting old friends and new in England and Wales, and this photo is of me crossing the Mersey River on the ferry in Liverpool. “Ferry Cross the Mersey” has been on and off my set over 40 years, so this seemed fitting. A new friend, Liverpudlian writer Peter Turner who penned the book Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, was kind enough to give us the ultimate local’s tour. This gritty, vibrant city feels a bit like an old friend, as I’m always at home in working seaports, and the first record I ever owned was by the Beatles. It directly inspired me to learn to play the drums at age 10 and the guitar at 12.
While reading a bit of their history this week, I came across the fact that the Fab Four recorded their first LP in a mere 10 hours. In musicians’ language, that is sick! I’ve spent that much time perfecting one acoustic guitar part, and it makes me think the amount of time we spend in windowless digital studios smoothing over all the edges is crazy.
I seldom reflect back on my life as a 10-year-old, but strolling out of the Penny Lane Hotel late one evening transported me back to the nostalgic days of my childhood and those magical years of discovery. I wondered to myself what would have become of my life
if those four young men hadn’t come together in their perfect musical storm.
LONDON’S MUSIC ALLEY
Speaking of musical storms, while in London I was struck by a guitar squall on Denmark Street, the historic music alley that Londoners tell me is soon to be razed to make way for more million-pound apartments. With no intention of adding any more guitars to my collection, I wandered into a vintage guitar store as comfortable as an old shoe. After playing a few lovely sounding used Taylors and Martins, I was struck by an instrument hanging on the wall with a nearly white Englemann spruce top and rich chocolate figured back and sides.
The manager explained it was a Faith, the only new line of guitars the store carries. They are designed by an English luthier and handmade from local rosewood in a family-owned shop in Indonesia. I was stunned by the fantastic tone and volume of this instrument compared to guitars costing four times as much. You guessed it—there is a new guitar hopefully riding gently below me in the cargo hold.
FROM LONDON TO THE LAKE DISTRICT
Never one to completely escape my political past, I also had the great fortune to have dinner and drinks with a Member of Parliament one evening and very much enjoyed discussing the differences between our two forms of government, as some facets of their system have always been a bit confusing to me.
Earlier in the week, I had also been invited to a splendid lunch by a member of the House of Lords at his family’s amazing historic estate. Downton Abbey has nothing on Holker Hall, the centerpiece of this 17,000-acre property in England’s Lake District. It was a very special afternoon, but if you’ve ever seen that PBS series about the English upper class, you understand it wouldn’t be proper to discuss it!
Meanwhile, here in the wild blue yonder, it’s back to reality as I look out my window and notice we’re now flying over my grandparents’ native home of Newfoundland. No castles down there in Blow Me Down, just 16 stone foundations on the rocky coast.
NEXT STOP, KEY WEST!
After taking a little time to write, I’ll be heading south to Florida at the end of the month to my winter base at The Smokin’ Tuna Saloon in Key West. I look forward to seeing many of you at the annual Parrothead Festival later this month and others throughout the winter, and urge you to check my website for my performance schedule as I will be taking some chunks of time off to work on some new music.
My performance dates are on the web site through the end of January. February, March and April dates will be confirmed by the end of the month.
HUGO DUARTE BENEFIT: OCTOBER 30
As many of you know, our friend Hugo Duarte has been battling an illness, and treatments lately have prevented him from performing. Being sick is bad enough, but the added stress of medical bills and keeping the lights on when you can’t work is a nightmare. So I hope those of you in the Keys will join me and Sunny Jim as we host a benefit for Hugo at the The Smokin’ Tuna Saloon on October 30th. We’ll have lots of special musical guests on hand and you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to a great night for Hugo.
OCTOBER SCHEDULE
10/18 – House concert, Miami, FL
10/19 – Limin’ Place, Stuart, FL
10/20 – Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, Key West, FL
10/21 – Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, Key West, FL
10/22 – Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, Key West, FL
10/23 – Snapper’s, Key Largo, FL
10/24 – Snapper’s, Key Largo, FL
10/25 – Snapper’s, Key Largo, FL
10/26 – Snapper’s, Key Largo, FL
10/27 – Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, Key West, FL
10/28 – Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, Key West, FL
10/29 – Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, Key West, FL
10/30 – Benefit for Hugo Duarte, Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, Key West, FL
10/31 – Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, Key West, FL
Check my website for more details.
SMOKIN’ TUNA DATES NOVEMBER THROUGH JANUARY NOW ON THE WEBSITE!
Thanks for listening,
Scott
Copyright Scott Kirby 2014. All rights reserved.
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