Members SilenceFriction Posted September 17, 2008 Members Share Posted September 17, 2008 What a weekend. We played at a backyard party in South Tacoma (Wa.) on Saturday. The gig was supposed to be a "Rust Fest", so our set was all Neil Young songs. Turns out that we were the only band out of four to play N.Y. Perhaps we/they were misinformed. When we finished our set, this old guy walks up and tells me "Great drumming". He was then introduced to me as Jerry Miller. Yes, the same Jerry Miller from Moby Grape fame. Rolling Stone's #68 best guitarist of all time. Jerry sat down and played a set, non-Neil Young music, just ten feet away from Sheila and I, and really blew me away. His style and ability is better than ever, as I think that he has mellowed with maturity. Effortless, after over forty years playing the same Gibson guitar that he played on the Mike Douglas show in "68. I believe that he said it is 46 years old. Still in great condition. Here is a pic of Jerry Miller ® and Billy Farmer (L). Taken 9/13/08. Evan Mullins far left on keyboard, with Billy and Jerry. Four hours of sleep later, Sunday we played at the City Hall Saloon in Cumberland (Wa.) Five bands showed up for a great day of entertainment, including Storm Creek, Weakenders (our band), Foothills Band, Rockin' Chair Money, and Knowmadz. MC'ed by Joel Lively, and slated as Harvest Howl, a Farmer Johnson production. It was a benefit for the local food banks. A $10 cover got you a pig roast dinner, and guess who showed up? Yep, Jerry Miller. He and his buddy, (I didn't catch his name) sat at the picnic table with Sheila and I, for a good dinner. We were then treated to yet another set with this great guitarist as he sat in with Rockin' Chair Money. I was very impressed, not only by his playing, but his dedication to music, and to the community as well, if you youngsters need a role model. Here, I'd like to thank Billy for including us in these events, and Jesus for providing our abilities, that we could share with those in need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tremolounge Posted September 17, 2008 Members Share Posted September 17, 2008 Awesome! He was the best electric guitarist out of that whole west coast scene. Great to see that he's still playing his big ol' Gibson. Still love to listen to "Jerry's Blues" off the Grape's second album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alndln2 Posted September 17, 2008 Members Share Posted September 17, 2008 Wow, brings back memories of when I bought Moby Grapes first LP when it came out Here on L.I., I was the only one I knew of who had it even so it was kind of a private enjoyment for me at the time. I did run into Skip Spence once at a music store in L.A. in the early 70's when I breifly lived there, but sadly he was on a decline. Good to see Jerry's in good shape and playing well. Any info on what he's doing now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted September 17, 2008 Members Share Posted September 17, 2008 Awesome! He was the best electric guitarist out of that whole west coast scene. Great to see that he's still playing his big ol' Gibson. Still love to listen to "Jerry's Blues" off the Grape's second album. There might be a few Clarence White fans who'd hold out for the late, great one, but MG had some fine guitar work (and fun guitar arrangements), for certain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted September 17, 2008 Members Share Posted September 17, 2008 That's awesome!! Thanks for posting that!!!! That must been a great experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alan Roberts Posted September 17, 2008 Members Share Posted September 17, 2008 Very cool! Jerry's really been makin' the rounds up here, lately. He sat in with the Black Crowes Sept. 8 at the Puyallup fair. He sounded great that night, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted September 17, 2008 Members Share Posted September 17, 2008 Doncha just love those kinds of stories? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LiveMusic Posted September 17, 2008 Members Share Posted September 17, 2008 Awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted September 17, 2008 Members Share Posted September 17, 2008 There's a big connection between Moby Grape and Neil Young, when he was in Buffalo Springfield. At one point, according to reliable sources, they actually considered a member swap... sending Neil to the Grape in exchange for Peter Lewis. Anyway, sounds like a fun day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tremolounge Posted September 17, 2008 Members Share Posted September 17, 2008 There might be a few Clarence White fans who'd hold out for the late, great one, but MG had some fine guitar work (and fun guitar arrangements), for certain ! That's a point well taken, blue, one that I won't argue ...and I should have said "Miller's Blues" -- I know cuz I just fired up iTunes and gave it another listen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SilenceFriction Posted September 18, 2008 Author Members Share Posted September 18, 2008 Good to see Jerry's in good shape and playing well. Any info on what he's doing now? Very good shape. Didn't miss a lick. There was a write-up in a local paper over a year ago that stated that he was working with a group called The Ruston Away Band, if my ol' memory serves me correctly. Could be just Ruston Away. Ruston is a small town on the Northwest corner of Tacoma, and is a decent stomping ground for local talent. Turns out that some of their equipment was stolen. Probably quite a setback for players of that caliber. There are some youtube clips of Jerry working on a recent project. That's about all I know for now. Perhaps I can get an update when his daughter visits us, as she stops in on a monthly basis. We know her and her family, but had never met her dad until last weekend. It should suffice to know that he is well, and still doing it as well as ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members russrags Posted September 18, 2008 Members Share Posted September 18, 2008 I just LOve the way Neil Young plays the Harmonica and GTR at the same time !!! RussNashville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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