Well, what is better than music and old friends? I think the answer is old friends performing the music! My hubby and I had wonderful evening at the Strubler Performance Barn in Michigan, listening to our friends perform their Peter, Paul and Mary tribute. For those of you not old enough to remember, PP&M sang folk songs that spoke of peace, love and war of the 60s and 70s, You may also remember that we lost Mary Travers last year to Leukemia. What a loss. . . a beautiful voice and spirit lost, but not forgotten. . .
When they started their first set, standing on the small platform, with guitars in hand, the audience anxiously waiting. . . . the show began . . Donna ‘Mary’ Wilson with her 70s psychedelic shirt, really looked the part. And even tho I have heard them sing these songs before, I could not believe my eyes and ears. You see, I was a big ‘folky’ back in the day and loved PP&M . . . I used to belt out their songs in the privacy of my own bedroom . . door locked of course. Well, this trio had the look and the sound . . and Donna . . . wonderful Donna . . sounded so much like Mary that it brought tears to joy to my eyes. It was truly amazing. Both Doc Probes and Jim Hawley did an awesome job performing Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey’s parts as well. It was truly a magical night for everyone in the audience.
And as if that wasn’t wonderful enough, when the show was over and all of the guests had gone, we all went up to the Stubler family home to relax and revel in what had taken place an hour or so before. I say relaxed ‘sorta’ tongue-in-cheek because someone noticed a guitar in it’s case against the wall and that was all it took. . . hours and hours floated by in an instant. The songs, the voices, the instruments. . . oh my. . .There was Donna Wilson singing, Jim Hawley on guitar, Rick Jacobi on guitar, Ann Strubler the fantastic violinist improvising on everything from old time blues to soft rock and the ever erasable Doc Probes who played everything else! Literally. . . bass, piano and concertina. . . what a night. So sorry it had to end but in the wee hours of the morning, we were all pooped out. It’s hard to say good night, it’s hard to say goodbye. . . can’t wait for another chance do it all over again. . .
You are probably wondering where the recycling or spirituality is in this post. . . well . . I find that by being around wonderfully talented and creative people as well as bringing back memories of a time gone, one can’t help but be open and receptive to creative thoughts and ideas. If you have stalled, you get the itch to be creative, too. . . . it helps open the door. . . now just walk through. . .
If 60’s – 70’s style folk music is a source of inspiration for you, check out the Peter, Paul & Mary website: http://www.peterpaulandmary.com/
