Frank Gutch Jr: Danny Schmidt, Carrie Elkin w/ Maizy— Thoughts Before and After Junction City; It Is F**k Trump Day at Dbawis; and the Notes You May Have Been Awaiting (because “waiting for” would bring out the Grammar Police)

I met Danny Schmidt at The Sisters Folk Festival nine years ago.  He had invited me to attend, though I am sure he forgot it right away.  I know I surprised him.  My first words to him as he passed by to play a set in a tented area were “The Longhorns suck” which brought the Look of Death for Danny was and is a fervent Texas Longhorn fan, him having grown up in Austin and all.  I realized my mistake right off.  He had no idea who I was, having never seen me before.  And it wasn’t his best day.

Frank Gutch Jr: A Spoon Full of Estrogen Helps the Music Go Down (Easier)— A Glance at The 81s with Luella, Elouise, and Goldie Wilson; Plus Notes…

Women.  You can’t live with ’em and you can’t live without ’em, so the general attitude seems to be.  These days, it’s a topic I would rather not broach, so many ready to take offense at the drop of a hat, but who can blame them?  The United States, in my mind one of the most open cultures in the world (until the Orange Shitgibbon came along), never gave them their just due.  We said we did, but saying and doing are so far apart anymore.  Maybe always was.  I was fortunate enough to have grown up in a family which was as close as you could probably get to democratic.  Not in the early days, of course, but who would want to put a family at the mercy of a five- or eleven-year old?  Still, us kids were included in most decisions— the ones which involved us kids, anyway.