Musically Speaking: Day after Christmas was filled with music

By JACK CLARK

jackclark@mvn.net

While many of you were busy, standing in the return lines at your favorite (or not) store on the day after Christmas, I was presented with the unique opportunity to spend most of my Saturday in the company of some of the finest musicians who reside in this part of the great state of Illinois.

Can you imagine having breakfast with two local bands, then getting to hear the impromptu jam session that would ultimately occur with something like that?

Welcome to the wide world of western omelets, Snake Lane Revue, biscuits and gravy, Moonbeam Lane and peppered bacon.

Man, I really like that peppered bacon.

That was the Saturday breakfast menu at the King City home of Moonbeam Lane guitarist John Metcalf and bassist Sharon Smith. Metcalf, it turns out, is a pretty good cook.

But, before the end of the morning, the music would be doing the cooking.

My old (think since dirt was new) buddy Bootie (or is it Booty?) and I were the first to arrive, but the musicians began to trickle in soon after.

Steve Mandrell (guitar) and Larry Barringer (guitar) showed up. Then Del Herbert (banjo). Then Jamie Dodson (vocals), followed by Steve Dodson (mandolin). Jamie and Steve are not related.

Danny Allen's arrival completed the morning’s crowd. And he brought his fiddle!

The Snake/Moonbeam Lane Crowd. Lanes seem to be popular now-a-days.

When these two musical acts play together, as they have been recently at the Tavern on 10th during open mic night on Wednesday, their full complement could be as many as 12 strong.

Now that's a crowd.

However, on that morning, due to the holiday season, some of the Crowd regulars (harpist Larry Karcher, guitarist Mike Webber, percussionist Charlie Frye and guitarist Mandy Herbert Stachyra) couldn't attend.

For those of you keeping score at home, that's a total of five acoustic guitars, a banjo, a mandolin, a fiddle, a stand up bass, a harmonica, percussion and plenty of vocalists.

Bluegrass heaven!

Still, the eight of them somehow managed to persevere, enjoying breakfast, then getting the instruments tuned.

Why is it so hard to keep a banjo in tune?

Me, well I kept going back for yet another strip of peppered bacon.

Man, I like that peppered bacon.

Digression sometimes gets the better of me. As does the peppered bacon.

Only a mere moment seemed to lapse from the time of “I'm still not in tune” to “What's first?”

It was in that surreal slice of time that I came to understand just how good these people really were.

Straight out of the blue, with only a “1-2,” I heard “In 1814 we took a little trip” and I immediately recognized the 1959 Johnny Horton tune, “The Battle of New Orleans.”

Then came the Ray Peterson classic, “Corrina, Corrina,” from 1961.

Can you imagine how “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” must have sounded?

Or how about a bluegrass version of “Bodhisatva,” originally an avant garde rock tune by Steely Dan, from the album, “Countdown to Ecstasy” in 1974?

Yeah. Nice breakfast. Great music.

Man, I like that peppered bacon.

Then, on Saturday evening, The Eveready Brothers packed the house at the Tavern on 10th in beautiful downtown Mt. Vernon.

And I do mean packed, with the crowd estimated at approximately 300.

At my age, I admit that I didn't know MOST of the younger folks in attendance, but I do believe that I knew close to half of the people there.

That tells me that those of you who came of age during the 1960s and 70s still enjoy remembering experiences from your youth. As do I.

Three hundred (give or take) local music fans calmly and collectively enjoying the music of an act that originated as a two guitar duo in the mid 1980s at the Main Street Forum near downtown.

Scott Qualk (guitar, vocals), Del Herbert (guitar), John Scrivner (drums, vocals) and Dennis Ivers (bass) were joined on stage by King City obstetrician, Dr. David Walters (guitar, vocals).

Dr. Walters has been quietly making music around the area for quite a while, when he wasn't delivering an area baby, that is.

I have been fortunate to hear him play at a few gatherings over the last few years.

“He is a great guitar player,” said Herbert. “I would rather be playing with him than without him.”

High praise indeed, from the lead guitarist of the legendary Southern Illinois band, Farm.

The 2009 version of the Eveready Brothers left nothing to chance, opening the show with such rock classics as the Rolling Stones “(Can't get no) Satisfaction” and “Money (that's what I want),” originally recorded by Barrett Strong in 1959.

Of course the Beatles version of “Money” was the most popular (in the early 1960s).

The emotion that I saw emanating from the Eveready Brother's performance of Neil Young's “Southern Man” was second to none.

If you were a fan of “top 40” music from back in the day, this was YOUR night!

Creedence Clearwater Revival was well represented, as the Eveready Brothers performed “Born on the Bayou” and “Fortunate Son.”

Personally speaking, my favorite was “Bell Bottom Blues,” originally recorded by Eric Clapton in 1969.

These always-ready Eveready classic rockers came back for an encore, deftly showing why this show was so highly regarded and anticipated, with a rousing rendition of “While my guitar gently weeps,” originally recorded by the Beatles in 1968.

Imagine that tune with three guitars!

So, that was how I spent my day after Christmas.

Man, I like that peppered bacon.

I hope that you had a good Saturday as well.

Please be careful out there.

The Illinois State Police are counting on it.

n Jack Clark is the host of Musically Speaking, a local radio program heard Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. on 102.1 WIBV.

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