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| Don Quixote's International Music Hall, Felton, CA photo courtesy of Georgewillaman.co |
The last time I saw a concert was near the end of the dot com boom. Of course, we didn't know it, and times were good for us. It was October 2000 at the Bridge School Benefit. Performers included: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Beck, Dave Matthews Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Foo Fighters. The performers all used acoustic guitars. We were very close to the stage and could see the energy, concentration and passion they used to play their instruments and sing their songs. It was breathtaking and, probably, one of the most intense and favorite musical experiences of my life. It has been downhill ever since then.
Not really. But, sort of....Of course good things happened along the way: my son was born, my husband and I have had many good times, there are family and friends, good movies, funny tv shows, good food. But really, the 90s were roaring. People ran around wearing clothes that stated "Life Is Good" and weren't embarrassed to be seen wearing them. Then the big, invisible structure that was supposed to shore up our society was apparently termite eaten and suddenly collapsed under its own weight. And down society went with it - t shirts and all. Fast forward 13 years. The axiom now is Think Local. Buy Local. Homesteading, cohousing and self sustainability are firmly in place. Life is conducted on a smaller scale. Smaller houses. Smaller cars. Smaller families. Smaller portions.
Which brings me to singer/songwriter Mary Gauthier. On 11/12/13 (as pointed about by Gauthier, ironically, Neil Young's birthday) I was able to see another concert. Instead of the big stage with thousands of people, I, along with my son, husband and about 50 other people, sat at Don Quixote's in the Santa Cruz mountains watching Gauthier perform. And what a performance it was. She is not only an excellent performer but she is a great storyteller. We had to leave at the break because it was a school night, but we wish we could have stayed the entire time. I loved watching her play her 1953 Gibson guitar. When she plays, why do her fingers not bleed? She plays it like the strings are made of velvet and not steel. When she sings she closes her eyes, stretches her neck forward and holds her voice at that perfect note.
In hindsight, I love Gauthier's performance just as much as that night at The Bridge School Benefit 13 years ago. I'll always remember her short, silver, razor cut hair. Her glasses, her blue jeans, her old cowboy boots and the red scarf she used to wipe the sweat off her face. She has great stage presence. Even though her songs are so sad, she seems content. Whether it's "Cigarette Machine," "Mercy Now," "Your Sister Cried," or one of her other many songs, one of them is guaranteed to draw you in and make you want more. It is appropriate that we found Gauthier at this time. She is abiding, and, now, so are we.
For more of Mary Gauthier go to http://www.marygauthier.com/
