Letter to Dan and the Beautiful Violin Player

I would be remiss if I did not mention that Dan and I played at The Wine Bar in Half Moon Bay on Oct 6.

It was a magical night.  Finally, everything with the new setup seemed more comfortable.   I was once again able to get around the violin and improvise.  (Relief.) A cluster of couples and singles sat around the bar, listening and drinking wine.   On my breaks I sat with them at the bar.  One couple said they had come because Claudia (the owner) said we were so wonderful.  The woman said she played violin "when she was 3" but had quit after a few years.  The guy said he played trombone in junior high but he was so bad that they asked him to pretend to play. "Just blow like this."  He blew air.

The bartender kept coming over to make sound suggestions.   We tweaked until the violin and guitar levels were right.  She remained troubled by the vocal sound quality (not Dan's voice; but the system).    Later when I went to the bar to hang out, she mentioned she had worked with Neil Young for years.  She said he was an incredible perfectionist about sound, everything.  I mentioned that a few people we played for at Applejacks in La Honda said they knew him; they were neighbors.  One said he had partied with him.  She said the bikers think they know him, but "ask them if they have ever been at the ranch?"

It seems Neil Young is a legend in these parts - around the Northern California Coast.  The bars practically whisper of his presence.  I have been listening to his "Love is a Rose" over and over.   To me, the idea of letting love exist undisturbed, "unplucked," makes it seem even more palpable, precious, powerful in its untouchability.

At the end of the evening we found a napkin addressed to "Dan and the Beautiful Violin Player."  It said they loved the music but sometimes couldn't understand the words.