Berkeley Old Time Music Con

Come on along as I make this scene

a fond and locally grown favorite,

Every year we become hillbillies

around this time




Old Time Music
not to imply that
it's all old timers

Take this handsome

young banjo-playing hobo

Which is not to say

some patriarchs aren't here

Eric Thompson

a figure in the SF Bay area

folk scene since the sixties

 played with Jerry Garcia

And it ain't all men neither

This is a music happening

for old and young

all walks of life

The String Band contest

was in the shade this year

over next to the farmers market,

A little crammed-in

but that just added

 to the conviviality

An oldsters certainly

were represented

long-practiced and fun-loving

Helps to have a gimmick,

They started jiggling

an old-fashioned loose-jointed

dancing toy

Kids delight,

so predictable

yet so genuine

Everyone is delighted

by the skillful older fingers flying

across the strings

A squeezebox in the grass

Mama's little squeezebox

lands in good hands

I'm in the green room

backstage

Well, howdy, Mam

Musicians in dresses

looking confident

I've never been accused

of looking up lady's skirts

in the past

The anticipation builds

anyone need a beta-blocker?

cures stage fright

Boom

they take the stage

a carpet on the lawn

Talented and well-rehearsed

they did the requisite

tidy two song set

Next up a Santa Cruzy band,

when you're smiling

the whole world smiles with you

An usual entry

Followers of Markos

with a skinny teenager on piccolo oud

wearing a Black Sabbath T-shirt

and a tri-cornered hat

Within a few bars

I recognized a very gifted,

 expressive player

I said "wow" after she played

a sinuous arabesque

She noticed and smiled while holding

eye contact with me a moment

Next a zany jug band
The guy in white coat
revived the reefer-crazy
Doctor jazz act
They won a prize
 for "most theatrical"

Then my favorite of the bands

in the contest

Some absurd name

Yes that's eight banjos,

They came at you

like a locomotive

 Tom Diamant on banjo

Host of KPFA's Panhandle Country

My favorite Americana DJ

a little gnarly but nice

It's not just that I have

an intergenerational crush

on Alegra in the yellow T-shirt,

 they are my faves

Oh, I won't get drink no more!

I howled along with  the words

I really dig this singer too

He was what I call authentic,

He gave me a real friendly look

Then, That Seventies Band

a string band no doubt

Berkeley and Albany high students,

regrettably it was Stevie's "Higher Ground"

40 years old, but not Old Timey

Attractive front gal

who would no doubt agree

with a second fiddle designation

First violin

a cute tomboy

They even mind your instruments

for you while you ramble about

To close the show

Then the contest went into judgment

and this band of ringers

sat in for a rousing set

They sure could wail

This led to square-dancing

Out of practice

for the square part of it,

I nevertheless danced

off to the side a bit

There's Alegra again

I suspect I'm old enough

to be her grandpa

It is a joy

to join the dance

Why do some of these men

try to run a big-legged woman down?

These two are a couple

of real singers

They appreciated my help

on "Sowing on the Mountain,

reaping in the valley"

Then as all things must

the time passed

There's Suzy in the background

waiting for the judges

I suspect ladies dominated the panel

The two all-girl groups won

The Eight Banjo juggernaut

was not mentioned

Maybe because of Suzy's husband

and daughter and Tom

It would look sort of fixed 

The it's all over,

time for breaking up

the hootenanny

Until next year,

Maybe I'll get out my

harmonicas and join in

23 September 2017