Happy New Year To All and To All A Goodnight...Susan & Gary
(click on picture)

Happy Holidays

Best wishes to all for a happy and healthy holiday season.

Susan and I spent Christmas Eve with Ralph at his church. Lots of Christmas Carols, Ralph played some great guitar with the band. Finished off the evening doing burgers and way too much coffee at Hoff's Hut. Thought I'd throw this up as a teaser to Ralph's Demo CD that we hope to finish up soon. Here's the rough draft of the CD cover.

Peace to all,

Gary & Susan

Happy Hoiday's

We wish you a Merry Christmas, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!!!
Hello our Paradox family, so looking forward to seeing you in June. We have exciting news, our daughter Virginia is going to be a Grandmother in July!!!! This of course means we are expecting to be Great Grandparents for the first time. Move over Tony and Leigh! Virginia is up here for the holiday's , back from India, getting used to the idea, just too cool!
Have a good one.
Bob and Helen

By any chance did any of you catch on KVIE or what ever public TV is in your area "The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers"? It's really fabulous, another trip down memory lane. Some great Pat Paulson, Mason Williams, Steve Martin. Watch it if possible.
Helen

Damn flies

Here's one to mess with your head!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbaQWYXiazE&feature=related

Diane's Wallet c. 1967

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

As many of you know, I moved two years ago. What you may not know, and I'm not anxious to admit, is that I'm still not 100% moved in. Over the long weekend, I thought I'd make an attempt to empty a few more boxes and ..... voila! I found the old wallet I have packed around with me since 1967 -- literally falling apart at the seams.

I wish there were snapshots taken at the Paradox -- there aren't -- however I have found Bob, Helen, Ginny, Linda, and Blooming Kid photos from that time. A photo of Norman Greenbaumn et al. in full face paint. And many other surprises (like a drawing I'm pretty sure Bruce Kunkel did). There's even an Elswit Thomas business card and a much coveted invitation to Beethoven's birthday party, which will soon be upon us.

Alas, this computer doesn't have the software to run my scanner (another tale of woe.... spilled coffee on my old one) but will try to scan some photos soon.

In the meantime, does anyone else have a stash of old photos to share?

Happy Thanksgivng

Wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving! Overeating is a given, and we always say (I always say) I souldn't of had that piece of pie, Only comes once a year, so go for it!
Steve Scaff called me last week and wants to make the stuffing and the yams, is that sweet or what, He's such a dear man and he's doing very well.
All of you tell me your plans for big day of overeating. I'm having 9, wish all of you could come, my Paradox family.
Helen

A trip Down Memory Lane

Blog has been way too quiet so here is something to make a little noise.
http://concerts.wolfgangsvault.com/
You'll have to register to listen but it's worth it Bigtime!..............ENJOY

Gary, Ralph, Steve....

How was the show last night? I can hardly wait to hear.

Van Morrison Astral Weeks Live Hollywood Bowl

Here is a small sampling of what we were privileged to be a part of Saturday 11/08.
Van and the band were amazing! A transcendent journey of the spirit and the soul.
More to be revealed when they release the finished product. http://www.vanmorrison.com/

This just in from John McEuen

In another busy year, John has just finished the music scores for three documentary films (“Sizzle - A Global Warming Comedy;” “Maynard Dixon - Art and Spirit”; “Howard's Trail”), and has been seen on the road either solo (about 48 cities) or in his 42nd year with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (42 cities). Capitol Records just released a remake of Mr. Bojangles by NGDB with Keith Urban and Dierks Bentley!). McEuen's XM radio show (Acoustic Traveller - channel 15) begins its 4th year.

This summer McEuen also started producing an album for his lifelong friend, actor Steve Martin. All Martin's original music - for release in 2009 - John says "the Steve album is coming along great! People will be shocked at how vast and varied is music is, and how great he plays… this album will show Steve as a composer of unique hot licks and soulful lyrics. He is definitely a songwriter with an unusual twist for lyrics, and, in the 44 years I've known him, I've never heard him playing better."

Martin's yet to be titled album (a dozen instrumentals and three vocals) features such diverse talents as Earl Scruggs, McEuen, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Tony Trishka, Pete Wernick, David Amram, Craig Eastman, (Vince Gill duets with Dolly Parton on Pretty Flowers and Tim O'Brien sings Daddy Played the Banjo) … and Steve even sings one. ard to pigeonhole as to 'style', John brings together Americana folk traditional instruments to Steve's world of notes where you will hear strains that combine influences from their mutual past - Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, The Music Man, Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring, and bluegrass - in way that “will take the music world by surprise”, says producer McEuen.

This fall you can catch John McEuen on the road (with banjo, guitar, fiddle, and mandolin) for his highly acclaimed solo performances. He brings to his stage songs from years on the road and recording, including many NGDB tunes from the early years and the historic Will the Circle Be Unbroken album (you can see some of his early wardrobe and the banjo used on that historic recording in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame exhibit) and from his own CDs on Rural Rhythm Records and Vanguard Records.

For those of you in the L.A. area:

He'll also be at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena, November 11 at 8:00.
For reservations call 626-398-7917

The Times They Are A Changin'

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'

Vote Early * Vote Often

An old classic to get you in the mood!

http://www.jibjab.com/originals/time_for_some_campaignin

Pre Election Thoughts

At the risk of going out on a limb or preachin' to the choir, here are my thoughts in a nut shell!

Vote Obama! Keep Palin's finger away from the trigger!

So if that makes me a left wing radical, socialist, terrorist, elitist, Marxist, communist, anti-American whack job, well, I guess I'll just have to live with that.
I welcome any and all opposing views, while we still have some semblance of a Democracy in the good ol' U.S.A!

*** Vote Early * Vote Often ***

From Rob and Sara:

This just in from Sara, thanks to Helen:
(If you can make it to the open house or moving sale, I'm sure Rob and Sara would love to see you before they head south!)


We have big news to share. Rob and I have decided after much thought to move to Abiquiu, New Mexico where my folks live. We know this comes as a shock to many of you and you were in our thoughts when we made this decision. We have been considering retiring to New Mexico in five or six years from now, however events in our personal lives and the needs of family has made us realize that now is the best time for us to make this move. Rob is planning to pursue his studio art and pottery and will be selling the tile business and molds. I will be developing the Fashion Dell'Arte with Arnel into an education, show, and product based company.

My last day of work will be October 31 and our last day in town will be Nov 28. Below is an invitation to our open house where we hope you can all come.

Rob and Sara's House Cooling and Open House Week

When: Friday 11/7/08 thru Thursday 11/13/08
Fri, Sat, Sunday 10am-9pm Mon, Tue, Wed 10am-4pm
Thur. 10am-9pm

Come chill out with us. Have you picture taken so Sara can make her scrap book, and let us share with you on a map where we will be moving (so you can know how to visit us). Also the next week we will be having a moving sale. Feel free to come and visit and shop also.

Rob and Sara's Everything Must Go Moving Sale.

When: Friday 11/14/08 thru Wed 11/18/08
Friday Sat Sun 9am-7pm Mon Tue Wed 9am-3pm

Van Morrison Hollywood Bowl

Thought I'd throw this up in case anyone is interested. Van Morrison is recording a live version of the Astral Weeks album Nov. 7 & Nov. 8 at the Hollywood Bowl. It is the season closer for the Bowl and the 40th anniversary of the original Astral Weeks release. It should be a an incredible evening and I highly recommend it to anyone that can make it. Susan and I have Terrace Box Seats for Saturday night and tickets are still available on eBay.Check out this link for further details. http://www.vanmorrison.co.uk/

Wherefore art thou.....

This just in from Joe Romeo, thanks to Helen!

Susan and I are now settled in Amsterdam and loving it. I'm doing research at the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam and we plan to be staying here until the end of next summer, so I'm afraid we won't be making it to the next Paradox reunion. I really wish we could have found the time to visit you before we left the country but getting everything together for this trip proved to be an overwhelming set of tasks and there just wasn't time.

Living in Amsterdam has been even better than I had hoped. I think the Dutch are an under-appreciated people (or at least the Dutch in and around Amsterdam - we haven't had much opportunity yet to travel in the more rural parts of Holland). I've been very pleasantly surprised at how warm and kind most of the people I've encountered here have been. Our daughter Annie is doing her junior year in college at the University of Paris so we've been getting to know that city as well and, while I can certainly understand why everyone raves so much about what a fantastic place it is, I have to say that I'm happy that Susan and I decided spend my sabbatical year in Amsterdam rather than in Paris as we had originally planned.

There has, however, been one major drawback during the trip... While we were in Paris six weeks ago, Susan broke her ankle. I can tell you that dealing with the French medical system would be daunting enough if you spoke the language but it is certainly no picnic if you don't. So after 2 stressful days in Paris we hobbled back to Amsterdam where we could at least understand what the doctors were saying, since most of them speak such excellent English (which, of course makes us feel like idiots for being so linguistically challenged). But Susan is out of her cast now and learning to walk like a biped again, so we hope things will be back to normal soon.

Anyway - enough of all the travelogue stuff. We are having a wonderful time here but we do miss the beautiful people at home, which is why I'm thinking of you. I hope everything is well with you and would love to hear from you. Please take good care of yourselves and give my best to all.

Losing Rob and Sara!

Bad news for us, good news for Sara's parents. Sara's mother has breast
cancer, her father is well into his 80's, they live in New Mexico. Both
Sara and Rob feel they need to go help out, soooo they are moving back to NM
in November. Sure hope they come back for our upcoming reunion. If it
wasn't for them, our last reunion would have been a disaster, they were
such a tremendous help to us. We will miss them so, but I would do the same under the circumstance.
Good luck to you Rob and Sara.

Ukulele Ladies (and Gents)

I just received my latest installment from Mr. Fretkillr (thanks Gary) and am off to find a ukulele for the reunion.











http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0KxtvFsTzE

I think we should put together a little ukulele band. We have eight months to prepare!

Fielder Family Hurricane Ike update

Just wanted to share last emails with the Fielder's:

HI,
We wanted to make sure you got through the storm OK. Let us know how you're safe and sound. Everyone is looking forward to the next reunion and hope you can all be a part of it....
Peace,
Gary

Hi Gary,
The Fielders are all right. Did you and Jim get to talk for a while?
Alyse
On Sep 13, 2008, at 5:28 AM, Gary wrote:

On Sep 13, 2008, at 7:00 PM, Gary wrote:
Hi Alyse,
Glad to hear all is well in Texas we were all concerned for your safety. That was a whopper of a storm!
No, I haven't spoken with Jim in a while. Is he on the road again? When you talk to him tell him the Paradox crew say hey. We're hoping you can both make the next reunion.
Stay Safe,
Gary

Hi Gary,
Yes, he is in Chicago for two days and then off to Canada.
He was home for all of August, so we had a tight budget, but we were glad to have him home with us.
Thanks for your concern.
Alyse

Looking back... looking ahead!

Howdy-hey, one and all! I'd have tacked this on to your "Remembering when..." post, Dianne, but the POOP/POOF sidebar just took command of the ship! Over the Labor Day weekend I found myself doing a lot of remembering when, and found myself grinning again and again and again. Like the Paradox experience, itself, the reunion was just so enriching... such a grand and glorious time. One thing has become very clear to me: I'd have played a lot less if I knew how much I'd look back and wish I'd talked a lot more. That's reason enough to look ahead to next summer and the next reunion.

I'm glad to hear you've spoken to Hanna and Fadden, Dianne, and that McEuen is already in the loop. That's really great! Hopefully, with this much lead time, they'll be able to carve out the dates and join us. Others will also benefit from the lead time, but working/touring musicians perhaps more than most. I say let's all communicate with those we'd like to see attend... and do so early and maybe often (just this side of bugging 'em). It's hard to imagine that the next reunion could actually be any better, but if even more of the old guard can make it... quien sabes?

Yes, terrific pic choices, Dianne. One of my favorites is the shot above of our willing, able, and gracious co-hosts. My hat's still off to you two, Bob and Helen. - Tony

Remembering when....

I've been reliving the reunion, pulling a couple photos for Jimmie Fadden.

Here's one of my favorites:





I also sent him this one:



Thanks to Tony for helping preserve these great memories!

going green

Norma and I, Helen, have come up with this wonderful, never thought of
before plan. Watch for our upcoming book "Drying Solar" . I'll share
with all of you many, many Paradox Lives blog readers. You first
stretch wire or a rope (small rope) across two points, trees, poles,
buildings etc. You then attach your freshly washed clothes onto this
line. At this time, Rik and Bob are working on adevise to hold the clothes onto this rope or wire so a wind won't blow them off. Now this is not recommended to use in the rain or snow, so it's kind of a summer only modern invention. After a few hours, in warm weather, you remove these said garments from the said wire or line, fold and put away.
What do you many, many readers think? Think it will wash????

How far can you run with something this ridiculous?

C, E-flat and G go into a bar. The bartender says, "Sorry, we don't serve minors," and E-flat leaves. C and G have an open fifth between them and after a few drinks, G is out flat. F comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp enough. D comes into the bar and heads straight for the bathroom saying, "Excuse me, I'll just be a second."

A comes into the bar, but the bartender is not convinced that this relative of C is not a minor and sends him out. Then the bartender notices a B-flat hiding at the end of the bar and shouts, "Get out now. You're the seventh minor I've found in this bar tonight."

Next night, E-flat, not easily deflated, comes into the bar in a 3-piece suit with nicely shined shoes. The bartender (who used to have a nice corporate job until his company downsized) says: "You're looking pretty sharp tonight. Come on in. This could be a major development." And in fact, E-flat takes off his suit and everything else and stands there au naturel. Eventually, C, who had passed out under the bar the night before, begins to sober up and realizes in horror that he's under a rest.

So, C goes to trial, is convicted of contributing to the diminution of a minor and sentenced to 10 years of DS without Coda at an up scale correctional facility. The conviction is overturned on appeal, however, and C is found innocent of any wrongdoing, even accidental, and that all accusations to the contrary are bassless.

The bartender decides, however, that since he's only had tenor so patrons, the soprano out in the bathroom and everything has become alto much treble, he needs a rest and closes the bar.

Week in Paradise

False dawn seeps in over little Walden Pond. It is quiet now. It will be hours before the peanut competition begins. Blue Jays vs. Squirrels, with the Blue Jays holding a slight edge, but for now they are sleeping and dreaming their little creature dreams.
It's a reflective time and a chance for Ralph and I to drink up the peace and tranquility before the journey home. The week has gone by much too fast, and we're not looking forward to the smog down south, but our hearts are torn between two worlds. I miss my Susan and Ralph misses Buddy the Cat , so perhaps it is time to go.
It was a week of tranquil chaos if such a thing exists. So much to do and so little time to get it done.
Kudos to Bob and Helen for opening hearts and home to a bunch of aging Hippies, Again. For them it's always been about the musician and the music. You have to wonder if it would have turned out the same without their over the top nurturing. Shout out to Dave for rising to the occasion and delivering his best sound and recording. Thanks to Floyd and Joy for the House Concert and the use of the beautiful studio and extraordinary piano. Ralph was a happy camper. Stand by for the Ralph's Barr CD, soon to come. Bob, Harmonius Combustion, Michael Ray,Ralph, Steve,Cat, John thanks for the great music. A nod to Mothers Beach on theYuba River, for reviving our hot dusty bones.
Thanks to Daisy and the kitties for keeping it all in perspective.
For all who couldn't make it, well.....maybe next time!
We are going too miss everyone and can't wait 'till the 2009 Paradox Reunion.....PEACE Gary

news from the ranch

Wow! what a fun week we had.

On Sunday our daughter Virginia came, and on Wednesday Steve Noonan and Michaelray arrived in Michaelray's roady van, traveling around doing gigs, here being one of them. Thursday Gary and Ralph came.

The gig in Rough and Ready was so much fun. Not a whole lot of people, but those there were a great audience. It's an old school house, really a cute place.

Dave Hall did the sound, great job as usual. Bob, Ralph, Harmonious Combustion, Cat Girton, Michaelray, Steve all performed. Other Paradoxers in the audience included Rob and Steve Scaff.

Next night, Ralph, Michael Ray and Steve did a house concert at Floyd and Joy's house. Some of you may remember them from last year's reunion. That was really fun I'm told. I didn't go, but Bob and Ginny did.

Monday we all, including Dave and Tara Hall, piled into 2 cars and had lunch in the town of Washington at a old hotel that has a deck overlooking the Yuba River, awesome place! Then we spent the rest of the day IN the Yuba River, what a ball! We all turned into little kids again, splishin and a splashin'.

The very most wonderful music we ever heard, however, came from our very own deck. What a wonderful group of guests we had.

Gary is a wonderful cook by the way. Neither Gary or Ralph ever sleep! We would all go to bed, and when we got up in the morning there would always be donuts or rolls or something magically appearing. We just had way too much fun!

OK, I rickrolled you. So sue me.

Here's a column from a friend of mine, and one of my favorite writers, Jon Carroll, of the SF Chronicle. You never know what he's going to go on about, whether it's his kids, the government, philosophy, music, his grandkids.... Sometimes I'll finish the column and have no idea what it was about, but it was a fun read.

Here he goes on about old friends of ours and music I like. This one's titled "Gritty Great Bird". If you're reading this after 8/6, you'll have to click on the title in the archives column on the right.

Without further ado, my friend Jon Carroll (applause)

http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/carroll/

Every once and a while...

... a piece of music is released that is truly iconic. That recalls those halcyon days when music mattered, and when the world was ours to change, and before the kids changed it back with whatever it is that they listen to now. Jungle music. I mean, it's all just noise. I mean, where did the melodies go?

Return with me now to the 80s, when music was still music. An era of superb sequencing and amazing hair care products, and when the idiot in the White House may have been a moron, but at least he was...... Well, a moron.

I love this band. It just killed me when they broke up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AdFA6WWJ7E&feature=related

Gary Does The Elevator Boogie

Well we just had one of those infamous So. Cal tumblers. This one was a 5.8 centered in the Whittier Narrows.
Susan and I were at her doctors office and she was at the counter finishing up and I had just entered the small elevator alone for the trip down. I pushed the button, the doors closed and as soon as it started moving, the quake hit.
I thought the elevator had failed as it rocked back and forth. I was waiting for the big drop to come but it just slammed it's way to the bottom and then the doors opened. When I walked out of the elevator people were all over the lobby on cell phones. I thought, Wow!they must have heard the elevator slamming and were calling 911.
It never even dawned on me that it was an earth quake. It was one of those jolting quakes and I can assure you a down elevator is not the place to be!

All work and no play

Did my damnedest to clear the decks and come up for the Rough and Ready dealie, but work won't let go of me. Y'all would be finished and headed home by the time we got there. Say hi to Steve, Ralph, and Michaelray for me, and book another one soon.

I hit a milestone of sorts last week, and now have as many banjo students as guitar students. I've dressed Tex's banjo up with a calfskin head, took off the resonator and flange, raised the action, and now have the killer clawhammer axe. It sounds great for the old timey stuff, and now I have to really woodshed that stuff. It's more difficult for me than the three-finger. I only get to teach one day a week (Thursdays), so I don't have much trouble filling the roster. But I'm looking forward to the day when I can give up sales and teach full time. It's much more enjoyable, and pays better, too.

Finally got the Gayle Lynn CD in the can. As always with these things, I listen to it and all I hear is what I should have played. But it does sound pretty good for a bunch of middle-aged white people. We've put the release party off until September since everybody's off on various vacations and business trips. Norma and I are being homebodies.

That's the news from Fogtown, folks. Remember, live music is best, so go out and see some, or go out and be some.

ABSOLUTE MUST SEE

TOOOOOOO MUCH FUN!
http://www.jibjab.com/originals/time_for_some_campaignin

These Days

Over the weekend I treated myself to volumes 1 and 2 of Jackson's acoustic albums:





Listening to him sing "These Days" on Vol. I took me right back to one early evening when he took me and someone else -- one of you? -- outside, under a freeway, to listen to his new song.

I must be getting old because I felt very sentimental listening to him sing that song again.

His song "Lives in the Balance" is also eerily relevant today.

The music continues...

This just in from Helen:





























Sorry I can't make this any bigger (you can click on it to make the flyer bigger) but just in case the dates and time are Saturday, August 2, at 7:00 p.m., at the Rough and Ready Grange Hall in Nevada City, California, $10.00 at the door.

A very talented family.....

And this just in from Helen and Cat Girton:



For more information, contact cathgirt (at) pacbell (dot) net.

John Besharian anyone?

Mary McCaslin has been in touch with Bob Lesher, who was a friend of Steve and Jackson, and who is looking for John Besharian, with some round about ties to Ted Staak in Fullerton and Santa Cruz.

Does anyone have any leads on Besharian? I wonder if Rand might know?

(If any of you do have his contact info, please send it to me privately and I'll add him to my reunion list. Speaking of which, there is a "Plan B" for reunion dates because of a conflict with a city-wide race. I'll be sending out new dates to everyone soon.)

Happy 4th of July

Follow the link! http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1540404134712&source=jl999

Hello from Mary McCaslin

From Mary:

"I have the dates you sent for the 2009 events and hope to be able to attend at least one of them. I know there's a Blog, but I've never written one and am not sure what I'd say that hadn't already been said by any of the other wonderful Paradox folks. Keep in touch and give my best to everyone. Take care."

The Ranch News

Greetings from Willow Creek Ranch.

It's maybe a good thing we aren't having a 2008 reunion this time around. Last Saturday we had an electric storm, no rain but many lightning strikes Boom, Boom, Boom, right on top of us, knocked out our power for 3 hours.

It set off 800 fires in N. California. Our air quality is yucky, thick with smoke. In the Mideast they have too much water, here we have to little. I think Mother Nature has her little jokes!

Dave Hall just had to have emergency surgery, he suddenly had his retina detach on one of his eyes. He went to the Dr. here in our area, and that Dr. sent him right down to Sacramento. He isn't allowed to come back here yet because of the elevation. He has to keep his head lowered for a few days, not fun.

On August 3rd, Steve Noonan, Michael Ray Cox, Harmonious Combustion, and Bob Sheffer are doing a gig together in the town of Rough and Ready's Grange Hall together. Should be fun.

Next reunion planned for June, 2009.

Jim Fielder Hello from Texas

Jim Fielder called tonight so I got to play a little catch-up with him. Sedaka seems to be keeping him busy these days and unfortunately keeping him away from the Left Coast. Jim was in his usual great spirits and said to say Hi to all. Sedaka will be playing at The Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas in November and I plan on going. Join us if you can. Jim is about to do some recording with his local Jazz group, so maybe we'll have some new music before long. I put a bug in his ear about Paradox Summer 2009, and we'll have to wait and see how his schedule goes. I know he'll be with us if he can. I've taken the liberty to post this because Jim doesn't do the computer thing much
(kinda like Uncle Bob)!

I found a neat website that covers a lot of Jim's history, give it a look see if you can.
http://www.united-mutations.com/f/jim_fielder.htm

Misc. stuff

No ones been blogging lately, so I guess I'll throw something up.
Steve and I went to see Ralph play at DiPiazzas in Long Beach sat. Kind of a countryish lounge band with a Nancy Sinatra-ish kind of lead singer. She was actually one of the June Taylor dancers back in the day. She actually has a pretty husky voice kind of like Judy Henske. Ralph was great as always, especially doing some vocal duet stuff with her. Good to see Ralph out playing music. Sun. I took Ralph to see Steve a friend of mine that was playing guitar in Neil Morrows Country Band at the Starting Gate, across from Los Alamitos race track. The drummer turns out to be Rhys Clark (New Zealand drummer for Billy Joel, Freddy Fender,Hoyt Axton) Jimmy Harris was playing bass (Orig. New Riders of the Purple Sage)and we got to talking about the Reunion and the old Paradox days. Some how the conversation got around to our House Bass player and it turns out Rhys Clark and Jim Fielder are good friends and have even done sessions together. He also knows and has played with Steve Gillette.
"It's a small world after all"

No Reunion Blues

• O.K. So here's the plan.
• Lets write a collective Blues...But first the rules.

NOTICE: RULE CHANGE 6/17/08

1. IF IN DOUBT SEE RULE NUMBER TWO
2. STILL IN DOUBT SEE RULE NUMBER ONE

Submit verses with add a comment

1-2-3 GO!

Anyone remember this man?

Listen to my bass man, he is lavender
His woman is his bass and he is loving her, loving her
Listen to the sounds he's giving
As he is living
True to lavender

Listen to the things my friend is saying now
A poetry of notes as he is playing now, playing now
Listen to the tales he's telling
Magic bass compelling
Lavender

Listen to my bass man, he is lavender
His fingerboard's a highway, he's a traveler, traveler
Listen to his fingers making music
Hear his soul embarking
Lavender

Listen to my bass man, he is lavender

Will the real Doctor please stand up?

We had Dr. West and his Medicine Show, but somehow we missed another famous Doctor and his motley crew of medicine men.

I think there is another paradoxer hidden therein?

And on a sadder note.....

Last week, the nation and world lost one of its greatest patriots and citizens, Utah Phillips.




For those in Bob and Helen's neck of the woods, the tentative date for the funeral is Thursday May 29 with a memorial service on the following Sunday.

Greetings from Austin, Minnesota....

... home of the world-famous SPAM museum....









....but where the big news in town is that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will be playing on July 17 (missing "SPAM Days" by just a week or two).











My family will be there, remembering the time that Ralph, Jimmie, and maybe Jeff and/or Bruce were all sleeping on our living room floor in Tustin, and Tiger Jim would visit with his tiger.

And I'm sure my Aunt, who was also staying there at the time, will want to remind Jimmie of the time he warned everyone to "watch their socks" because there was a crazy woman (my grandmother) who would steal them in the morning to throw them in the wash. As I recall, we had quite the house full that summer.

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone.

This just in from Helen:

As Helen writes:

"You all remember Daisy from the reunion last Labor Day, the one that helped out on many of the songs being preformed. She and Brian, year old kitty, sleep all cuddled up.

If this can happen, why can't the world get along?"

Been to Winslow, AZ lately?

Norma and I took one of our ruin-crawls through the Four Corners area on our vacation last October. We're deeply into the ancestral Pueblan culture and have made a number of trips through Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, Hovenweep and a bunch of the outliers. It's another one of those academic areas where most of what we know we learned in the last 25 years.

It's lovely country, but getting there and back eats up two days either way, Nevada is in the way, and there's no route we haven't taken a few times too many. And you've seen our little red roller skate. Not much of a highway cruiser.

It's usually my responsibility to find decent food on the road, which is a skill I picked up touring, and I'm the one who's usually saying, "I wonder where that road goes", or "I've never been to X. Let's have a look." Which is exactly what I said when we were tearing up I-40 headed towards Winslow, AZ.

When we got to the "Historic Downtown" area, it was apparent that Winslow used to be a lot bigger and a lot more prosperous. I mean, they were doing their best, but as with most of the other towns of the area, the interstate bypassed it, killing off the hotel and restaurant trade. "Downtown Winslow" is two blocks with a couple of gift shops, a couple of hotels and the civic buildings. So I mialed off some postcards and made friends with one of the postal clerks wo tipped me to a great Mexican restaurant a couple of blocks from there, we enjoyed a little bit of heaven topped with chile verde. And it meant walking through the two blocks of town.

The whole point of this post is that, right in the middle of town, there's a statue of a hitchhiker right on the corner, with a mural behind him of a blonde in a flatbed Ford, and across both streets, on each corner, is a gift shop selling souvenirs, with PA speakers outside playing the Eagles version of "Take it Easy" (over and over). Both shops obviously share the same playback system.

It's the "Standing on a corner" corner, and they have a Standing on the Corner Festival every year, with bands, rides, a parade, and everything. This is what it's come to in Winslow. I wonder if Jack knows.

Lest you think I'm kidding....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standin%27_on_the_Corner_Park

Just thought I'd check in and see what folks have been up to. It's been a blur here in SF.

My countryesque band, Gayle Lynn and the Hired Hands, just got a two gig tour of San Francisco, including sneaking my electric guitar into what was supposed to be an all-acoustic show at the Bazaar Cafe, in Seacliff, and a nice little set at the El Rio in the Mission District, which was a benefit for the Avon walk for breast cancer. I got away with the stealth electric thing because Les, the owner, a man of taste and sensitivity, was impressed by the minisculitiy (is that a word, Diane?) of my little 5-watt tube amp.

My jazzesque operation, Annie Z and the Best She Could Do, played the same club last week in a completely acoustic fashion, with our bassist playing his new Tacoma bass guitar unamplified. It went surprisingly well, although the recording didn't come out quite like we'd hoped. Bad balance. TOO acoustic. I figure that we need 7 inputs to the board. to make it work. Two vocals, all three instruments, and a stereo pair in the house for ambience. We need to hire our own geek.

Both of these are what I call Bowling Night Bands. We don't do it for the money. We do it because not doing it leaves a hole in our lives. Annie is a schoolteacher and mother of two, Scott, the bassist, works for Ideo, a design firm, and I supply culture-hungry Marinites with fine musical instruments.

The other regular musical outlet in my life is a monthly get-together in Berkeley, called the Singthing, where about 20 or 30 of us have a potluck and sing everything we can remember. It usually takes about 5 hours. There's a core group of 3 guitars - David Gans, who hosts "Dead to the World" on PRI, and a Grateful Dead channel on Sirius, Eric Rawlins, an Appalachian music fan and singer/songwriter, and me. Eric is the meat and potatoes, David adds the spicing, and I'm... well, I guess I'm sort of a vegetable. And then there's a rotating pool of fiddles mandolins, banjos and other guitarists. A lot of pros and semi-pros show up, like Mike Stadler, Henry Kaiser, Tom Rozzum and Laurie Lewis. We've been doing this for over ten years and it's the social center of a lot of our lives. Some beautiful stuff happens at these things.

Life isn't entirely sunny. I came home from a rehearsal the other night, moved one load of equipment upstairs, and got a phone call. After dealing with the call, I went senior and forgot that I hadn't finished bringing in all my stuff. The next morning, I found that someone had broken into my car and run with my beautiful old '73 Gibson RB250 banjo. You know how these things go. It's in another state by now, and I'm going to need to buy a banjo, since I use it to teach. But I'll never be able to afford a sweetie like the one that got away. I'm being pretty buddhist about it, but I can't help feeling stupid.

Just so as not to end on a downer, here's a peppy little earworm that was sent to me by my friend Ed Ward, in Berlin. There's a kid's show on TV over there, called "Schnappi, das Kleine Krokodil", and the theme to the show was one of those out of nowhere hits that went straight to the top of the charts and drove people nuts for a month or two. It was HUGE over there. If you listen to the production, it's ludicrously low-budget, and may even have been a bedroom deal. Coupla synth tracks and a kid's voice. Don't blame me if you find yourself singing in German when you're out walking. Well, go ahead. Blame me. I'm still trying to figure out how to get even with Ed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe3FG4EOgyU

Can't get the damned thing out of your head, can you?

back to our world

B&H just got back from visiting with Ed and Bette. Bob who has picked and grinned Ed almost all of his life, went to visit our good friend Dory and her now husband Ted in Green Valley, AZ. Going down hwy 10 is nuts! Towns and lakes in the desert all the way. Also meeting us were Hank and Connie, great fun!

Swinging by the OC on the way home we had a super great pickin', pizza party with Steve Noonan, Ralph Barr, Jan Hampson and her guy Randy, and of course Gary, who organized it, last Thursday.

Saturday, May 3, Bob's 6 dozen Birthday, we went to the Claremont Folk Festival. What a birthday he had! The same group that came on Thursday, plus Pam and Henry, Susan, Eugenia and Pete. It was wonderful! Like stepping back into the 60's.

J.B. is so young and healthy and talented of course. We had a nice little "howdy" with him.

On the program with J.B. (this was an all day event), were great bands all day, which I won't mention, but should because they were all great. Not just bands, but dancing, and cultural groups....great!

Headlining along with J.B. was Ben Harper, too cool, and the very great and still going strong Taj Mahal, that guy Rocks! The first time we ever saw him was the Topaga Cannyon Banjo and Fiddle contest, sitting on a log pickin'. Few years ago, try 43 or so.

So glad to be away from traffic, population freeways etc. Daisy (hound dog) was waiting for us on the driveway, on the pond, a family of just hatched baby ducks, 10 of them. "ain't no place like home."

Fact: By the time we think of it, Diane Smith has already done it

Bob and Helen and Pam and Henry.....

.... attended the Folk Fest and found one of our missing Paradoxers.

John McEuen Upcoming Events

Thursday, May 1
8:00 P.M.
JOHN McEUEN
with Matt Cartsonis and Nathan McEuen

The Coffee Gallery
Altadena, CA
2029 Lake Ave.
Altadena, CA
Reservations suggested: 626 398 7917
http://www.coffeegallery.com/

San Diego on May 10!
Acoustic Music Series
info at:
http://www.acousticmusicsandiego.com/May.html

Down the mountain

Hi all,
Bob and Helen are leaving our mountain home for a week. (oh no!) Going to pick up Ed and Bette near Palm Springs, LaQuinta to be exact, and going to Green Valley, AZ to see our old friend Dory, formally Tex and Dory who used to sing and Tex, a mean guitar. Ted passed to the otherside about 10 years ago, Dory in the mean time , is now married to Ted. Hank and Connie Fisher also are going with us. After AZ, we are then going to the OC to visit Bob's sister Pam and Henry, Sister LaVonne and Brother Don and families. On Thursday, going to meet all you So. California Paradoxers at the Huntington Beach Library park for a pot luck and some pickin' Next day, Sat. going to the Folk Festival in Claremont. I'll give you all an update when we get back. Not to worry, Tara is watching Daisy (hound dog) Kitties take care of themselfs.
expect to recieve comments!
Mission: Save the Blog!

ANOTHER PHOTO FROM THE PAST:

Here 'tis...

...said pic of Steve and me. I had visited him in NYC while he was in VISTA training, in late October 1966, just before I went into the service (I trust you'll remember all this, SN). We'd ride the EE into the Village and play hoots in those incredible coffeehouses. Seems to me we actually "landed" a third-billing at Gerde's Folk City, in front of someone else who played before Biff Rose. Those were some great times, for double-damn sure. To my knowledge, if any were even taken, no pictures of those heady days survived.

I think we figured out this picture was taken in 1968... He was living in NYC, doing his time with VISTA, and I was stationed in North Carolina, doing mine with the Marine Corps. I had driven up to the city one weekend, and we played 'til our fingers bled. I've always loved the expression on his face in this shot... totally engrossed in his music, almost painfully so... picking hand cocked just so... Classic Noonan. For my part, well... I look like a total dweeb... a single finger on the fingerboard, ridiculous military-legal mustache, and, yes, that's my tongue protruding a little. Regardless of appearances, rest assured I was absolutely in the groove with him... which we both felt was effortlessly repeated many times during the reunion.

Jose and John

Jose already had a hit record and we just couldn't afford him, but he loved to come to our Thursday night hoots because he grooved jamming with John McEuin. He's the only guitar player I ever knew that could keep up with John's Blue Grass speed.
Bob Sheffer

Rumor has it....

... that Steve Noonan is headed in this direction.

So in honor of our emcee joining us soon, I thought a new photo was in order.

I couldn't find a copy of that great photo of Steve and Tony Duque playing guitars, but did find this one of Steve and Jackson, maybe from their high school days?

Jose Feliciano

Thanks for all those great Paradox Thursday night Hoots, and after hours jam sessions. We'll treasure them always.

Rock on, Jose!

Be sure to take a visit to Jose's web site; http://www.josefeliciano.com/

Rest In Peace Old Friend

Disco Bob and Helen (with thanks to Pam Smith)

This site gets more and more fun.....

http://snipurl.com/23n1c [llnw_jibjab_com]

Fretkillr

Since this site is all about keeping great acoustic music in our hearts and our minds, I thought I would share a discovery I made on You tube. He posts under the name Fretkillr and he is indeed. If you search all his videos, you'll find some great arrangements of songs penned by our Paradox regulars. Check out Darcy Farrow II, Bojangles, Song For Adam, And just for fun Uncle Pen. Nobody seems to know who he is , but I suspect he may have ties to David Bromberg. 5 Stars and definitely worth a visit. Let me know what you think...
Peace... Gary
http://www.youtube.com/user/Fretkillr

Steve Irons His Kitty

We all remember the zany antics of Steve Martin, but who would have thought it would take the rest of the world so long to catch on to his unique brand of comedy?

In the early NGDB days, I used to set up Steve's props on stage. One night at the Golden Bear, I replaced his bouncing baby rabbit with a ball of Golden Bear's famous pizza dough. Steve was doing his magic tricks and reached into the magic box for his rabbit and pulled out this stringy mass of pizza dough. We all had a great laugh! Steve finished the show, and the Dirt Band went on stage. When it was time to play fiddle, Johnny rosin'd up the bow and launched into "Diggy Liggy Lo." No sound came out of the fiddle. Steve had retaliated by attaching scotch tape to the hairs on John's fiddle bow. Like Steve's album title said, "Comedy Is Not Pretty!"

Spirit In The Sky

Who is this mystery baby? If you get a chance spend some time at http://www.spiritinthesky.com/

Be sure to visit the game page. Thanks, Diane, this is gonna be fun.

Welcome Tony, Gary and Susan!

Glad you made it. Look forward to hearing from you.

Tony, we need one of those sunrises!

The Eggplant that Ate Chicago

Wish I still had my old Dr. West album so I could scan it here -- Norman and the other painted people on that cover were as I remember them at the Paradox -- really psychedelic.

This photo pales in comparison, alas.

What a great group that was! And remember the light show that had the three colored gels that just circled in front of the lights? Euphoria.

This is going to be fun! I anticipate that this blogspot will become the stuff of legend! ...a place where Paradoxical synergism emerges ongoing!

Kunkel & Harris

Kunkel & Harris

Hey Paradoxers…


Thank you again Diane for all that you do to keep the magic of our Paradox roots showing! ;-)

Great site! As many of you know, the new KUNKEL & HARRIS CD is out. We hope you all get a copy and tell your friends.

Rob and I are in the process of booking ourselves now to leverage the CD. Anyone know of any good venues? We are open to play on any good showcase stage. Your thoughts?

You can get in touch with us at http://www.kunkelandharris.com where you can sample and purchase the CD online.

Thanks for your support.

Can't wait for the next Paradox reunion/showcase/record/video! ;-)

All the best,

Bruce Kunkel

Blogging and Sharing Information....

Another great feature of this site is that we can share other sites with one another.

For example, have you seen John McEuen's website? I love the way the menu runs down the neck of what I assume must be a 5-string banjo?


You can keep track of his talented family there, too.

Take a look: http://www.johnmceuen.com/

Paradox Blogging

Some have asked for instructions on how to interact with this site.

Websites are static places where you can simply view information. Blogs are interactive -- where we can stay in touch with old friends, interact with one another, and rebuild our old community. So get involved and keep checking back as we find more former Paradoxers to join in here.

Since there were no blogs in the days of the Paradox, here's a quick overview of how to contribute and keep this site going for all of us:

Each post (which are now mostly photos) is followed by a "comment" section. If you click on that comment, you can read the comments others have left, and/or add a comment of your own.

For example, check out that early photo of the Dirt Band with Jackson in it and then read the comment from Merel of the old Sunshine Company. Or check out Helen's comment about Steve Gillette's house concert she attended (under Steve's photo).

If you've received an invitation to register at the site, you can also initiate a new thread -- use the new post at the top of the right side of the page. Let everyone know if you are playing somewhere this summer, if you have a new cd, or whatever. This is a public site, so it will (in theory) be shared with others interested in the Paradox or those wanting to know what former Paradoxers are up to these days.

And if you know the whereabouts of any other former Paradoxers, be sure to have them check in here. Another get together is in the works.

And speaking of Pat Paulson.....

"A tense election year. A volatile atmosphere. America at war. Unrest and cynicism. Racial tension. A nation in turmoil cries out for hope and change. One man answers the call. The year is 1968. The man is Pat Paulsen."

See: http://www.paulsen.com/pat/

Where was the Paradox?

With special thanks to Jan Hampson
President (Southern California Chapter)
Society for Prevention of Stupid Mistakes About the Paradox

http://www.tustinhistory.com/articles/paradox2.htm

Bob and Helen recently saw Steve Gillette perform... (see comments)

I once heard that Steve wrote Darcy Farrow for a class at UCLA, and passed it off as a traditional folk song. In fact, I may have heard Steve tell that story at the Paradox. Is that a true story?

If anyone has better copies of some of these great old photos, I'm happy to post them!

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee

Tim Buckley from the days of the Paradox

Here is another one from the Paradox archives.

Remember when Timmy used to come for "hoot night" on Thursdays?

The Old Dirt Band: Les Thompson, Jackson Browne, Ralph Barr, Jimmie Fadden, Bruce Kunkel, and Jeff Hanna