[Harp-L] Dude! Where's my sweatshirt?...or how I spent my first SPAH week

["Robert Gaustad" <robertgaustad@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, okay, here's my belated post on my first SPAH in Denver.  Bottom line
for me was a feeling that I wish it wouldn't end.  It was, for me, the best
week I've had in a long time and nothing but a huge pleasure.

Like many people, I'm sure I'll forget some names of people I met for the
first time, but I'll give it my best.

First off, hey Polesky, did you find my sweatshirt in your room by any
chance?  I could have used it on the plane back home to San Rafael.  I left
it there after our Friday night/Saturday morning jam until 4:30 in the
morning with Michael, Bobbie Giordano, Javier Argomedo, Warren Bee, Allen
Holmes, and Marc Lempert, the great guy who is making the harmonica
documentary.  The after blues jam, blues jam was a ton of fun until very
early in the morning, but I got a great kick out of watching Allen Holmes
teach Marc bass licks while playing the harmonica and directing the
"orchestra"...we being the orchestra.  One of the most fun nights I've ever
had jamming with harp players.  And Warren Bee kicks ass.

I had the honor of meeting great players and great people for the first
time, in no particular order, such as: Winslow Yerxa (from my neck of the
woods), Dennis Gruenling (from my other neck of the woods, the east coast),
Gary Primich, Robert Bonfiglio, the aforementioned Warren Bee, Allen Holmes
and Javier and Marc, Chris Michalek, Mojo Red, Elizabeth from Long Island,
Susan from Denver (SuzyQ), The Rhode Island Kid (Mark Russillo), Smo-Joe,
Michael Rubin (Michael was great with the new SPAH attendees and those who
were not entirely comfortable with their playing), Jimi Lee (what can I say
about Jimi?), PT Gazell, Buzz Krantz (what can I say about Buzz that ain't
already been said?), Jumpin' Joe Filisko (Joe put a lot of time into the
SPAH experience and we're all better for the work he did), Bubbles, and tons
of others.

It was also great seeing again Michael Polesky (it's been too long
Michael)...and while I'm on Michael Polesky, I've just got to say, he's a
great guy.  Always has a smile on his face, he's always ready to party, and
he plays a mean chromatic harmonica.  He's one of my favorites. Michael,
come to the Bay Area sometime and I'll show you around the joint.  And I
hadn't seen David Fairweather in a few years...it was nice to see him again.

It was nice to see and hear once again, Michael Peloquin.  I've got so much
respect for this guy's musical abilities and his sense of style.  I'm happy
to say I know him and get to hear him play in the Bay Area from time to
time.  It was nice also to see and hear, once again, Gino Bambino. I loved
his set at the harmonica blowoff on Tuesday night.

It was also great seeing Jason Ricci again and I so appreciate all the time
and effort he, Shawn Starski, and Todd Edmunds...and their new drummer, put
into SPAH.  These guys were everywhere all week and were a fantastic
addition to the whole convention.  

To sum up my SPAH experience, it was like one big, fairly happy family with
a lot of different personalities.  Some you love and some you don't love as
much, but all you pretty much respect...and the kicker is that we all are
passionate about the same little, but powerful instrument.

One piece of news helped make my SPAH experience even better...I'd been
trying to buy a pizza restaurant for some time and I got word in Denver that
the owners of a failed pizza restaurant in Berkeley, CA accepted our offer.
So now I'm, once again, leaving the high tech world behind and opening my
own restaurant.  Seven days a week, 16 hours a day will soon be my norm, so
I'll be blowing a bit less harp and making a lot more pizza.

We plan to open in early November after closing the old place and
steamcleaning and painting for a few weeks.  The name of the place is "Bobby
G's".  That's right, it's named after Bobbie Giordano and has absolutely
nothing to do with my name, Robert G. :-).  If ANY harp-l or SPAH member
gets to Berkeley and wants some great thin-crust pizza near the corner of
University and Shattuck, I'll give them a 10% discount.  If you blow your
harp a bit for our customers, I might even give you a pizza for
free...unless somebody walks out. Hey, I kid, I kid.

Thanks to every member of the Mile High Harmonica Club, and all the SPAH
volunteers, for making my first (and not last) SPAH a fantastic week of fun
and harmonica.

Robert Gaustad

PS - If I've forgotten anybody's name that I met at SPAH, please forgive me.
My brain just ain't what it used to be and that's why I make pizza.