Last weekend, Ben and I had the privilege of participating in Caffe Lena's Folk-A-Thon, a weekend-long celebration and fundraiser for the country's oldest, continuously-run folk venue, located in beautiful Saratoga Springs, NY. We played a duo set of mostly brand-new material from our upcoming record, due out in August, a couple old chestnuts, and a cover of Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go." We chose that song because it seemed fitting: the Folk-A-Thon was a goodbye, of sorts, to the old venue, the old stage, before renovations begin--the same stage on which Dylan himself stood on numerous occasions in the club's early years. "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" is, to my mind, one of the finest goodbye, end-of-relationship songs ever penned, striking the perfect balance between sadness and hopefulness. It is painful and poignant and beautiful. Last weekend was the first time we played it live, and, to quote Tony Markellis, "No one got hurt," which is to say it was well received.
But, if I am being honest, I originally learned "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome" not for the Caffe Lena event, but rather to play at my friend Carole's memorial service. She was a lover of the arts, a huge supporter of the band, and just an incredible person in general. I was honored to have been asked to play a tune or two, and I immediately knew I wanted to do Dylan's song. But, due to a series of unexpected personal reasons, I was unable to attend. At the time, those reasons were dire enough to be valid excuses for missing the service, but now, 6 months later, they feel flimsy. I wish I had a redo.
Today is Mother's Day, and we will be playing at T-Bones in Plymouth, the town where Carole made her home, spread joy, and left her mark on the community. Ben and I are going to play "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You're Gone" today, and though it's 6 months too late, one's spirit never leaves us. It's never too late to pay tribute.
As I mentioned, the new record is 100% done. Shortly we will post sneak previews, pre-order information, and so on. Also, be sure to check our show schedule; new gigs are being added all the time, including Wednesday, May 25, in Saratoga Springs, NY, at the Mouzon House, with Tony on bass, which happens to be my 40th birthday (yikes! 40? Is that possible?). I hope to see many familiar faces from the 518!
Happy Mother's Day, y'all!
Andy & JH