It was another Dave’s Night Out at Godfreys with my pals from the Graveyard Skiffle Band, the jug band that I played with in my college days at Lehigh. Chris Simmons and Bob Flower, along with my former wife Jan Sprague played in this band back in the early 70’s at coffeehouses, square dances and other assorted community events. With a repertoire of 20’s and 30’s old time, black and vaudeville songs, we really were quite different from the local scene’s music, drawn to the loose and sometimes bawdy songs we got off of rare 78’s as well as the music of Jim Kweskin’s Jug Band.
Tonight was pretty interesting and appropriately loose. Chris played fiddle, mandolin and banjo, Bob chimed in on guitar and harps, while held down the guitar stuff. Stealin’, KC Moan, Charlie Stone, Wreck of the Old 97, Sales Tax, Rowtenstall Fair, Dogs’ Meeting and others… It was cool that some of the old harmonies and stage devices popped up as though we had done them only a year ago.
I did my Jubilee Bell song, having found out that Bob’s ancestor Col. Benjamin Flower was one of the very people who saved the Liberty Bell from the British, personally in charge of hauling it from Philly in wagons of manure up to Allentown. We discussed this and Bob was able to localize this effort to within several blocks of where we were tonight. It was a wonderful moment that can happen only at Godfreys.
Once again, the turnout was minimal, to say the least. After several years of putting together superlative evenings of music, chat and LV music scene history, very few people come out to these evenings. Granted, a Wednesday night is less than optimal, but it is
‘college level’ intellectual entertainment. Yes, those two things go together. I remain proud of this series, and proud that my musical friends join me on this stage for this event. We do have a good time.