Spoonful

John Sebastian at the Gretsch Guitar Roundup

This past week I attended the Northern California Gretsch Guitar Roundup in Norden, California. The event is held in a rustic ski lodge near Donner Pass. It's an intimate gathering of about 40 guitar players who own Gretsch guitars.

John Sebastian, leader and primary songwriter for the great 60's band Lovin' Spoonful, was the special guest at the event. I had a front row seat as he performed tunes and told stories in the lodge's Great Room. He talked about performing at Woodstock. He shared songwriting insights gained from composing hits like "Do You Believe In Magic", "Summer In The City" and "Daydream" (just to name a few). He spoke about his childhood growing up among artists, poets, musicians and actors in Greenwich Village. (His godmother was Vivian Vance who played Ethel on "I Love Lucy"). And he performed a few new tunes, too. All in all, it was a memorable evening spent with fellow musicians and a member of both the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

That's why I've been "on the road".