Are You Dave?

Last year the town threw a magical birthday celebration for a true Hudson River hero, Pete Seeger. I was honored to be a part of it. Even better, Geri Fallo asked me back to join everyone in a reprise this year!

The amazing members of the Demolition String Band (Boo Reiners, Elena Skye, Clarence Ferrari and Skip on bass) put the show together and served as the MCs and “house band” for the night. Just as last year, rehearsing with Elena and Boo was a treat and a half. Even better, as we were running through “Turn, Turn, Turn,” local guitarist Julio Fernandez (you may know him from a little jazz combo called Spiro Gyra) was hanging around, and accepted our invitation to join in. He harmonized and we even threw in an extra slot for a guitar solo for him. All of a sudden I was a member of a supergroup!

I tried to remain cool on the outside, but I gotta say I was positively giddy inside. I was so cool I even offered to buy a round for everyone (rehearsal was at the Shannon Lounge, a classic pub in the true Hoboken tradition). No one took me up on it, but Julio did let me buy him a bottle of water and we sat and gabbed for a bit at the bar, where we were soon joined by Abbe Rivers on her way to rehearse her numbers. I love Hoboken, have I mentioned this lately?

Last year’s event was marred by drizzle, and the weather threatened to turn ugly again this year, but as of this writing we still haven’t seen a drop of the predicted downpour. Sinatra Park was bathed in a gorgeous sunset as we all gathered to perform.

Here’s the line-up from this year’s event:

1. The Hoboken Youth Choir did “If I Had A Hammer,” “This Little Light of Mine” and “This Land is Your Land.” Kate Jacobs, youth wrangler, asked me to stand by and play some guitar chords to keep everyone in the same key, which I was happy to do. Little did I know that Boo would join in on mandolin, along with Skip, the Demolition String Band’s stand-up bass player. It was a regular hootenanny.
2. Then it was my turn! I did “The Garden Song (Inch by Inch),” throwing in a little talkin’ blues cribbed from some classic Arlo Guthrie bits but also containing some of my own original insights. If Pete Seeger can make a speech during a song, the by gum so can I. Then the rest of the band came up, along with Julio, for “Turn, Turn, Turn.” The extra guitar and fiddle solos made the song last longer, but it was still over far too quickly for me.
3. Jon & Deena of The Cucumbers did “Kisses Sweeter than Wine.” I cornered them later and invited them to the Gordys show on June 24 (we’re covering one of their songs!)
4. Boo Reiners and the Demolition String Band led the crowd in singing “Michael Row Your Boat Ashore.”
5. Abbe Rivers melted some faces with her powerhouse renditions of “Mary Don’t You Weep” and “Jacob’s Ladder.”
6. Kate Jacobs, again in delightful counterpoint to Abbe, led the crowd in “Goodnight Irene,” one of my favorites.
7. Elena Skye told us about the times she’d met Pete Seeger, then picked up her banjo and did “Union Maid” and “Little Boxes” with the Demolition String Band.
8. Tom Vincent, former mayoral candidate, did a jazzy “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy.”
9. Eddie Fogerty ripped into “John Henry.”
10. Martha Fraiser played dulcimer and harmonized with her dad on the country classic “Get Along Cindy.”
11. I finally got to hear Annalee Van Kleeck sing “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” and WOW.
12. Gene D. Plumber did his classic rendition of “Joe Hill” and gave a shout out to union workers who gave us the greatest gifts of all: the 8-hour work day and the weekend!
13. Julio Fernandez led the crowd in a soulful “Guantanamera.” Earlier that day, talking with Julio, I found out he’d been born in Cuba and was sent to live with an aunt in Hoboken when he was 6. The man should write a book. I’d read it.
14. Dave Calamoneri channeled his inner Steve Earle for a sweltering “Bring ‘em Home.”
15. The it was time for the big “This Land is Your Land” ensemble number. There were plenty of singers and guitarists on stage, so I grabbed my harmonica and threw that in instead, which was kinda cool, I thought.

I’ve been looking forward to this show for quite some time! I love boats, I love the water, I love Hoboken, I love music… so playing music on a historic boat on Hoboken’s storied waterfront was a perfect combination.

If you haven’t visited The Waterfront Museum, check it out. I can wait. David Sharps bought the barge for a dollar, some 20-25 years ago. Since then he’s spent something like a million dollars making it livable (he and his awesome family live aboard) and serviceable as a venue (he hosts a circus every Sunday, among other things).

Shout-outs to Carter Craft for connecting us with David, and to Geri Fallo for working out the details involved in getting the barge to town, and more importantly, getting them a license to serve alcohol aboard (no, there was no booze at the Lemons’ show). We’d been concerned about the show in the weeks leading up to the date because advanced ticket sales were low, but close to 100 people came out see us on the day of… not too shabby.

I have some pretty darn good video of the show, thanks to my friends Guy and Dana and their HD camera. (Guy owed me a solid after I did some music for some of his movies. We’re even, Guy!) The barge had a little stage area complete with a painted backdrop, which David lowered theatrically as we took the stage.

The barge rocked! No, I mean that literally: The barge rocked with the swells and continually slid around underneath us. A few of the Lemons were feeling lime-green throughout the show, and I found that my usual leaping about had to be tapered down a bit, lest I come back down on a floor that had decided it had better places to be. No one fell, no one hurled, so all’s well.

I have to say, I think the Lemons rocked too (in the musical sense). Dave Entwistle did another amazing job on sound, so if we sounded less-than-stellar, it’s our fault, not his. The rocking (boat) did have an effect on the rocking (band). The video reveals some sloppy moments, but it also reveals that our energy was good and our audience was into us. The wooden walls of the barge made for a warm, rich acoustic atmosphere, and the open doors ensured our sound carried across to all of the sunbathers on Pier A. In fact, more than a few people heard us from there and wandered over to get a better look.

High points:

• Julio Fernandez wandering by and shooting me a wink through the hatch. He’s awesome. 
• Dana stepping out from behind the mic to lead the girls in the crowd in “Girls Rock!”
• Bantering with Justin and Kipley between (or even during) songs. We’re getting better at that.
• Rocking the big finish with “If You Are My Friend.”
• All the amazing fans who clapped and cheered and hung out to say hi afterwards (sometimes it seems like there’s a silent stampede for the door).

Up next, three outdoor shows!
~Dave