ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA

Subject: Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 25 Apr 21 - 01:17 AM

There was a coffeehouse in San Diego, California that I went to just once in the 1990's, when I was visiting friends who used to live in that city back then. I don't recall the exact year. Anyway, the night I was at this coffeehouse, there was a trio of two guys and one girl performing that night. They were a local folk trio and not anyone well known beyond that they played at local folk clubs in San Diego.
I did buy a cassette tape they were selling that night but my friends did not buy one.

Ok, this is the problem. I do not recall the name of the trio,(or any of their individual names either unfortunately), but they were very folky, not blues or bluegrass. The female had a beautiful folky, Joan Baez kind of voice.

I lost the tape years ago and have no way of trying to track it down. But as I mentioned, they were not well known and they all resided in the San Diego area.

I'm hoping that someone reading this who went to Drowsy Maggies regularly, might have some idea who they were.

Drowsy Maggies closed many years ago, back in the 1990's. I would love to find this tape again (probably self-produced), but I know it is a long shot as I don't have any further information or even the songs. It was probably a mixture of covers and maybe some originals mixed in.

If anyone can help with who this trio was, please post a reply. I'm sorry that I have such little information about this trio to provide.

Subject: RE: Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST,#
Date: 26 Apr 21 - 10:33 AM

Not that it helps much, but the club was called Drowsy Maggie's, note the possessive case.

I spent a good hour looking for anything that might help your search and have come up empty. There are no set lists or trio names online that I could locate. The only suggestion I have is to try asking people who were at the club during the time you recall. If you think that may help resolve the issue please let me know and I'll dig for some names.

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 26 Apr 21 - 10:01 PM

To Guest #
Hi. Thank you for taking the time to try and help me with this search. I was only at this venue one time, maybe early 1990's but don't remember the exact year. I was visiting friend's who lived in San Diego at the time and don't know of anyone at all who played at the club or even who ran/managed it. My friends only went there for the first time, (to take me there) and they have long, long ago moved from that area. I have lost contact with them years ago. I had read somewhere about this club. I never did live in San Diego, just was there from out of town, about 4 days to visit, so I never knew anything or of anyone who played at this club. I think I had just read about it in a local calendar section of some San Diego newspaper that just listed the club as a folk music venue. I have no idea at all who in San Diego to contact to try and research this and have no friends that live there now.
Thank you,
Lin

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST,#
Date: 26 Apr 21 - 10:12 PM

Thanks for the reply. I'll try to get some names for you of people who were around the club in the 1990s. Positive or negative, I'll post the result(s) here.

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 27 Apr 21 - 12:48 AM

To Guest#,

Thank you so much! That is very kind of you to help me with this. I really appreciate it.

Lin

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Apr 21 - 01:03 AM

Sam Hinton would know. Amos Jessup would know or would be able to find out. But both of them are gone, ands I don't know anyone else to ask. Makes me understand what we lost when the earlier generation left us.

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST,#
Date: 27 Apr 21 - 12:39 PM

[e-mail]

That link is to an historical society in San Diego. They have mentioned the club, so possibly someone there could help.

Also, the owner of the club from its inception in about 1980-1991 when it closed and/or moved elsewhere was named Marcus Robbins. He would be about 68 today, so I'll try to find him. This could take a bit of time, Lin, but please know I'll keep digging. One person who could be of tremendous assistance is the Mudcat poster, cnd, whose abilities at finding 'obscure' stuff are quite phenomenal. Anyway, hang tough because it ain't over until it's over. :-)

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST,#
Date: 27 Apr 21 - 02:15 PM

The club lasted 10 years under Marcus Robbins' care. He rented the facility in 1981 for $1000/month. In 1986 the rent went to $1400. In 1991 the rent zoomed to $3,500/month and Mr Robbins did not re-up the lease. The establishment didn't serve alcohol or allow smoking. I haven't seen anything about their booking arrangements or how they did it. One article said they passed the hat, but I don't know if that pertained also to featured or main acts. It's an interesting piece of history.

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: cnd
Date: 27 Apr 21 - 02:46 PM

Do you know any of the instruments they played? Or what style of folk? (ie, Irish, Celtic, American, pop folk, etc?)

Also related to the search, it appears as if the club only ran from about 1980-April 1991, so if it was in the 90s as you recall that greatly helps narrow the search window.

Currently the two best matches I've found:

First is a group called "2/3s Home" comprised of Jonathon Bachelor, Kuntari Bachelor, and David Paul, who performed there in Jan 1988 (click for more)

Second is Marcia Bowman, Tom Cahoon, and Charlie Holdaway, who played at least thrice (May 1986, July 1986 and January 1987). This one's particularly promising to me because you can hear a sound bite (click) and because Tom's website is up and running with the following blurb:

“The Grass Is Always Greener"
These songs were originally recorded in 1986 and released on cassette. At the time, I was playing in a folk music trio. There were only a handful of coffeehouses in San Diego where acoustic music, and particularly original songs, could be performed. Over the years, many people told me how much they still enjoyed listening to the tape, so I had it re-mastered for CD. (link)

I also found the following groups which were identified as trios:
- Backsreets (bass, banjo, and guitar; members not identified) September 1982 and August 1983
- Charter Flight Trio (instruments and members not identified) March 1983
- Gypsy Moon Trio (original songs and "international folk music"; Paul and Carla Roberts and "Fiddlin'" Floyd Fronius) May 1983, August 1983, November 1984, January 1985, February 1985, March 1985
- The Swingtime Trio (blues, folk and traditional music; members not identified) November 1984
- The Epicenter String Band (hammered dulcimer, fiddle, guitar; performers not identified) June 1985, February 1986
(This list is NOT complete and is just a listing of bands I saw when I put ["Drowsy Maggie's" trio folk] in California into newspapers.com)

Are these ringing any bells?

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 27 Apr 21 - 11:14 PM

To Guest #

Wow! This man you mentioned, Marcus Robbins, might be a great person to contact.
I appreciate your help so MUCH!
I will check back but just take your time.
It is really sweet of you to do so much research on this for me. ??????
Thank you,

Lin

I usually look at Mudcat every day but sometimes miss a day ot two.

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 27 Apr 21 - 11:48 PM

To Cnd,

Thank you for your informative post!

The best memory I have is this trio was playing mostly American contemporary folk but might have had some traditional ballads in the mix as well.
No bluegrass or country. Just very folky!
Or at least the music on the cassette was.

I had a listen to the trio you mentioned, where you could hear two songs. I don't know for sure if that was the group or not. If I could hear the female singer singing it might help because I remenber being very in awe of her voice which was kind of a Joan Baez, beautiful crystal clear soprano type voice. I mean, there is only one Joan Baez of course but the female singing just had a similiar type of voice.
I don't think there were any acapella singing but was all vocals and guitar. I have tried looking online for the first group you mentioned "2/3" Home but can not find anything yet.

Still have to look up the other groups on your list.

The only thing I do remember is that they all lived in or near San Diego as someone mentioned that during the show.

Thanks again Cnd for your help!

Lin

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 28 Apr 21 - 12:11 AM

To Guest #

Sorry, the question marks, ???? on my post was by accident.
I accidentally hit that key by mistake and didn't see it until I posted my message.
I don't know how to edit a message to correct errors after you post a message on Mudcat or if you can edit (after posting messages.)

Lin


P.S. I type on a older model Tablet and sometimes it is tricky trying to type on it compared to a computer keyboard.

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST,#
Date: 28 Apr 21 - 08:12 AM

Lin,

Once the post is put on Mudcat, it can only be edited by a 'clone', but please don't worry about it. The only way to ensure the post is exactly as you want it is to use the preview button that appears to the right of the Submit Message button at the bottom of this 'box' before ya post. That said, it's cool. I keep forgetting it's there, and as a result I've posted some lulus. Such is life. And, btw, you are welcome. Don't worry about answering each post. It is a pleasure to help in any way possible. Everyone loves a good mystery, and this is one of 'em. :-)

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: cnd
Date: 28 Apr 21 - 11:04 AM

Hey Lin, glad to help. I couldn't find much on "2/3s" either, which is why I included the newspaper link with their faces [link. Did you recognize their faces? If not, no worries.

Tom Cahoon seems like a pretty amicable guy -- I'd be willing to wager that if you contact him ([e-mail]) he'd share a sample of the female singer with you.

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Oct 21 - 05:06 PM

The group was Stones Throw. Molly Stone vocalist

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 31 Oct 21 - 12:11 AM

Did this group "Stones Throw" have a cassette out at the time that they sold at the club? How could I get in touch wih any member of the group? It was one female and two guys I believe. The girl had a lovely voice. Crystal clear, soprano,
(Almost that Joan Baez sort of voice.)
Thank you,
Lin

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Oct 21 - 10:25 AM

Would this be the one?

https://www.discogs.com/artist/7013224-Stones-Throw

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST,RAT
Date: 19 Feb 22 - 05:59 PM

I just stumbled onto this thread, so this is fairly late. I moved to San Diego in 1986 - started going to open mic at Drowsy Maggie's in 1988 - and was in the Bay area when it closed in 1991. Steve Poltz and Gregory Page might be resources for names of groups, as they played there quite a bit, both as solo acts and with the Rugburns. Other possible groups were: the Perfect Cure and a group that started off as Huey, Dewey & Louie, changed their name to Rabbit Choir, adding a female singer, and eventually moving to Berkeley, where they enjoyed some reasonable success. Poltz and Page both still record, so you might be able to contact them through their websites.

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST,David Paul
Date: 10 Jun 23 - 09:25 PM

The name of that group was Two-Thirds Home
Jonathan Bachelor (now deceased)
David Paul
Kuntari Bachelor
They performed original works for about two years in the San Diego area.

Most of the songs on that cassette are still available through David Paul [e-mail]

Subject: RE: ID trio at Drowsy Maggies, San Diego, CA
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jun 24 - 01:20 AM

I worked there. Anyone know where Marcus is?