Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland

Subject: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Jesse in Sonora
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 01:52 PM

A few weeks back some people were talking about music at Quinn's in Oakland, CA. The real name of the group is called "The Starboard Watch" The Sons of the Buccaneer's was the group that took over when the "Starboard Watch" lost it's leader in 1995 to sail around the world. The leader returned a few years later. the group has since reformed. It consists of Skip Henderson (Leader) Larry Johnson (Salty Dog Records) Hap Smith (formerly of The Joy of Cooking) Jim Nelson (formerly of Alberta) Lloyd Jones Jr. ( Formerly Black Irish Band and now with a group called Winter's Wages & Crew) and George Altschuler (baritone) the group plays mainly Irish and Maritime songs...they do a lot of performances at the National Park down in San Francisco as well as special maritime events such as ship launchings and sinkings, floggings, etc. I know the one guy plays in this area sometimes. Jesse.

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Fadac
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 04:25 PM

Jesse, You forgot to mention that Skip has a CD out. And one of the others in the band will have a CD out soon.

I was there about three weeks ago, and the picture still said "Son of the Buccaneers". But Mordici is moving to Hawaii so Skip is taking it back. I think. When I talked to Skip that thursday, he was talking about getting another boat and heading back to Mexico.

I'll ask them again tommrow night.

Perhaps you will be there, Jesse.

-Fadac

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Jesse in Sonora
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 04:39 PM

No, I dont think I will drive that far. Yes, I heard there was some changes with the other leader. The last I heard, he was in Hawaii. A women here who knows one of the members said the pub has lost money over the last few months and and did not know how long they would play. Yes a station here played that cd I think last week. Thanks Jesse.

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Fadac
Date: 16 Jun 99 - 04:47 PM

Jessie, I can't speak for how the pub is doing, but it was packed when I was there. If there packed on Thursday and empty on other nights, they should put it together.

I was there from about 5:15 untill 10:30. And the place was full. Not standing room only, you could find a place to sit, but not empty either.

I'll ask tommrow night and give a report.

Fadac - The reportor that writes for peanuts, (Quinn's)

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Fadac
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 10:17 AM

Ok, here is the latest from Quinns Lighthouse. There are still pictures of the "Sons of the Buckineers" all over the place. In the barroom, the banner has letters a foot tall. They didn't mention their name.

Mordiki was not there, so I guess he is back in Hawaii.

The banjo player was dividing up the tip pot. (I don't remember his name.) I believe that he is now the leader. He seemed to get more than an even share of the leads.

The only real Mudcat event was, well I had three beers. I drank one, spilled one (missing Bseed's cameras and harps by only a few slow seconds.) And gave a couple away. That was too much for me so I switched to coffee.

The one big pain about Quinns. There is SO much talking going on, it was hard for me to hear all the music. You would think, with all that great music that folks would just shut up, and listen. But nooooo they have to discuss all sorts of crap. Lawnmowers, kids, etc. none of which have a thing to do with the muisc. Augh!

Well, the songs are alive and well at Quinns Lighthouse, Thursday nights, 8 pm to about 10pm.

-Fadac

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Winters Wages
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 11:18 AM

Hey!Fadec..The guy with the banjo is Jim Nelson. Yes..I think there might be an identy problem here. The leader is...well, supposed to be Skip. The only problem is Jim was with the other group. Skip is supposed to be changing the banners, etc..I gave him some Jpg's but I don't see them up to date. It sure is great seeing you guys there. Dick Holdstock was the guy with the mandolin..he a great guy. He knows one of the guys that was sitting next to you. He states he has a band as well. I wish I could get all musicians together, turn on a DAT and play all night. Who is Jesse in Sonora???Please ID yourself...do I know you??? Fadec Ill see you on the repeator and give you the lowdown. Lloyd

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Fadac
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 12:06 PM

Lloyd,

Like, Duh. Well, should have remebered. You know what they say about age, memory is the second thing to go. I don't remeber the first. ;o)

The guy next to me is Dave. I didn't know that he had a band, he was talking about having a jam at his house. That would be a real hoot. Dave?

I have some of the Holdstock tapes, not bad, he has a good strong voice. He really shut the yackers up. (YES!)

I wish I could have heard the bass players song. But there was just too much QRM (noise).

I should be in the lab Sat. afternoon/evening. Making room to setup the audio studio. I need to scrounge up some speakers and try and figgur out how much wire to get.

See ya then.

-Fadac

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Winters Wages
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 12:12 PM

Hey! Thak would be a hoot alright. I think Dick stated his band was "Oak & Thorn" or something like that. Yes, Larry was a little upset last night. He wants to use mikes. I have a gig tomorrow with him in Kensington?? I might not be able to go though as as of this moment I have lost my voice. I will call you later Lloyd

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Jesse in Sonora
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 04:07 PM

Im a friend of Dena's..remember when we played with the boys in Mariposa?? Dena told me all about the incident. Im sorry. Im trying to find the words to Silence & Tears. Do you remember it??? Also My office will call your office with a call back and we can talk. Im also State on the blue channel. Ive go two years..how about you. Not much going on here...a few drunks...the big thing was the three gals..You know about that Im sure. Jesse

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 04:46 PM

The Dave mentioned by Fadac is of course Dave Swan, whose wife Pamela (PJ, new to the Mudcat but fitting right in) also joined us after a meeting. A terrific couple they are. And Fadac, your beer didn't actually miss my cameras and harmonicas, but no damage was done: I was able to dry off the camera, and if beer were bad for harmonicas, there'd be a lot less music in the world. (BTW, Ralph, I wasn't swayed by your arguments about global warming and the ozone layer--sounds like the same kind of Rush Limbaugh crap my late brother used to lay on me: "There are more square miles of forest in the U.S. now than there were when the country was settled." No offense intended, of course; I just have a hard time carrying on an argument in a noisy pub.) --seed

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Winters Wages
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 05:03 PM

Hey Jess..10-4 Yea..How can I explain this..I know you will get it. There was a fuel mixture problem (unknown to me!) What I thought was a gyrocompass problem got worse. Apparently there was etoh involved. Each day I could not tell what freq to squak on. It got worse. then she lost cabin pressure altogether. I was lucky to escape with my life. the problem is there is a vortex going on down at the Maritime Park. I never know when I do a gig..if a blip will appear. I mean all over the state. I did the Calavares Celtic Faire...there she was swinging through the rigging. Il give you a landline...yes I know the words...qrt fernow WW Hello Bseed nice to see you last night ...more later T for now. Lloyd

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Fadac
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 05:23 PM

BSeed, None taken, Please lets take to the new Ozone thread that I just started.

-Thanks

-Fadac

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Dave Swan
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 05:59 PM

It was one of those occasions when time stretched itself thin, everything slowed, and sounds distorted. Like trying, but failing, to run from the oncoming freight train in a recurring nightmare.

I'd asked Pam, the bodhran playing, wildlife wrestling, lady-like lady of my life to meet the East Bay 'cats at Quinn's.

Arriving before Pam, I took a seat in the pew next to Fadac. Fadac is a man of substance. Kind, clever, outgoing and garden variety big. As he made a point, Fadac emphasisied it with a casual wave which seemed to take hours in its arc across the table. Half way through the swing of his lordly paw, Fadac connected with the top of his pint glass.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is known for its balance of hops and malt, and its sturdy head. I watched that head sketch a tsunami as it crossed the table, seemingly at glacial speed, towards 'Seed, his harps and cameras. "OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH SSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTT" said Fadac, sounding like the elephant seals declaring their love on the beach at Ano Neuvo.

'Seed looked like a living tableau of The Scream as the beer headed his way and he realized that there was no way in the world to keep his cameras clean, his harps tuned, or his crotch dry. All six-foot-white-haired-six of Kratz trying to push back the tide.

I leapt.Like Bruce Lee with a bad sound track, I howled on my way over the table. Turning in mid air, I faced the deluge with mouth open. Raised to believe that wasted beer is a sin, I had to act. Peanut shells cracked on the floor as I hit my knees. Like Jimmy Binks in the music hall song, or a greek dancer about to do his show stopper,I had the whole end of the table in my mouth when Pam walked in.

"Oh i oney. ust elling eep eed's cuff dry."

Besides being tall and looking distinguished, ' Seed is genuinely courtly. "He says he's keeping my stuff dry. As you can see, not a drop spilled. Cameras and harmonicas in tact. What a pal."

Fadac had risen like a zepplin to kiss my wife's hand. "Charmed my dear. A Guinness?"

I sat on the floor reviewing my dental coverage and wondering how to get the stretch marks out of my moustache.

The 'catters acquitted themselves admirably and made my wife welcome. Now if I can just get this varnish out of my teeth, perhaps I can explain that it was only selfless dedication to my friends which had me lapping beer off a barroom floor.

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Barry Finn
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 07:17 PM

Dick's in a few groups, here's one http://home.earthlink.net/~rickrackin/bios.html Holstock & MacLeod (& a once & a while 2nd Holstock his wife Carol) then there's the occasional Holstock & Murphey. All of Dick's co-conspiritors are well worth while listening to. Barry

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 07:33 PM

Dave forgot to mention that he handed me his gingham handkerchief, perhaps recently stolen from his Labrador retriever's neck, to sop up the beer. At the end of the evening, he received the 'chief back from Fadac, wrapped in napkins. He probably went to sleep last night sucking the beer out of it. And "Winter-Wages" plays concertina--he's the Mudcateer I mentioned in the concertina thread who's gonna teach Sonja--after she learns how to play on her own. --seed

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Winters Wages
Date: 18 Jun 99 - 11:29 PM

Hey! Thats unfair...I know Sonja can play on her own..In fact I sent her an E-mail to that effect. Stop it. I already have women down at the park who listen to the Dr. every day who look at me like their dad that left or an ex- well you get the rst. Im on my own...Like Jim Nelson says!! get a cocker spanial...and I agree.. Hope to see some of your pixs...glad your camera didnt get hurt...I guess we must be famous..seems someone RiGGy is 1036 the area. 73'S Lon Fadac 145.23 for info.

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Barry Finn
Date: 19 Jun 99 - 12:06 AM

Curious to find a friend of RiGGy, if he be the same Ricky. Barry

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 19 Jun 99 - 12:21 AM

Damn, Dave! You toss those metaphors and similes through the air faster than a Benihana Chef on Methedrine. Great story, and the mark of a true artist to turn a spilled beer into a parable. Sounds like a great time at Quinn's and I wish I could join you all!

LEJ

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: PJ
Date: 19 Jun 99 - 05:17 AM

I remember our night at Quinn's a little differently...

A light fog hung in the air as I ascended the marble staircase to the entrance of le Maison Luce. Ribbons of colored light streamed through the leaded glass of the heavy mahogany doors, which parted to reveal my smiling, dapper host.

"Good evening, Mrs. Swan" "Good evening, Quinn," I said, and offered my gloved hand to the impeccably dressed millionaire. He slid the stole from my bare shoulders and handed it off to the maid. My friends and I were always amused by the charming, eccentric Quinn, who insisted on playing maitre d' Thursday nights at his exclusive little bistro by the sea.

You had to know someone, of course, to get in on Thursdays-- it was, after all, Mudcat night and anything could happen.

"Your party awaits you in the lounge, Madame." he said, and gestured toward the great hall. "Thank you, Quinn. Oh, by the way, is Sonja here?" "No, Madame, she has not arrived. She met a mysterious concertina player at a little place called Annap's and no one has heard from her since." "Ah, pity," I sighed, "If you see her, please ask her to join us, I'm so looking forward to meeting her." "Very well, Madame." smiled Quinn.

I entered the spacious hall from the rear, hoping to catch a glimpse of my dear husband and his dashing friends, Fadac and Seed. As my eyes scanned the luxuriously appointed surroundings, the room filled with the sounds of a thousand lilting strings. The beautiful melody was familiar, yet oddly out of place. I struggled to remember the name of the haunting tune, and then-- ah yes, how could I forget-- it was unmistakably 'our song', "What Will We Do With A Drunken Sailor" (the Montavani version). It reminded me of him.

I wondered, was he thinking of me as he heard it play? Did he remember our wedding night in Tangiers when his tipper broke my bodhran, to the strains of that very song?

I moved through the crowd searching among tuxedos and evening gowns for the sight of my dear one's profile among the throng, but to no avail. I accepted a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and stood near the side of the room. As the music ended, polite applause arose from the crowd, then quickly faded as our attention was drawn to the sound of a silver spoon tinking a glass.

All eyes turned to the corner near the stage as Fadac rose and spoke. His commanding presence filled the room as the rich, round tones of his voice filled the air. "A toast!" he boomed. "To Mudcatters here and absent friends!" One hundred champagne flutes were lifted to join his, as the crowd cheered "Here,here!"

Just as the champagne touched my lips, a commotion arose near the stage. "Seize him!" cried Quinn, "He's got a set of SPOONS!" Glass shattered and women screamed, as the spoon-wielding fiend leapt from behind a bank of concertinas and tried to make a break for the door.

"Stand back!" shouted a tall, dashing silver-haired man, as he slipped the platinum plated harmonica form his breast pocket and hurled it deftly through the air, grazing the crazed percussionist. Knocked off balance, the masked intruder wheeled toward the audience, crashing into Fadac and spilling his champagne on nearby cameras.

"Thanks, Seed, I've got it from here!" came a voice from the front of the room. With lightning-quick reflexes, my brave husband flung himself on the fugutive, fearlessly facilitating forfeiture of the faker's flatware.

Ripping off the imposter's mask, he declared "Just as I thought! Trying to pass yourself off as one of the 'Sons of the Buccaneers' when any regular Thursday night 'Catter would know those posters out front were just a trick to hide the true identity of the greatest house band that ever played... "Hokey Pokey and the Druids!"

A cheer went up from the audience. The scoundrel was shown the back door, as Hokey himself stepped up to the microphone to lead the Druids in a stirring rendition of "Who Put The Jello In My Possum Ocarina". The crowd was on their feet and dancing in an instant.

But I couldn't hear the music. I crossed the room in a haze, my eyes locked on those of my handsome husband. He pulled his signature red bandana from his pocket and wiped the champagne from his brow. "Remember this bandana?" he asked provocatively. I blushed and nodded. "It's the one I used in Tangiers to moisten your bodhran between sets. I've never been without it since." I smiled and sank into the arms of the man I love.

Just another Thursday night at Quinns.

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: Winters Wages
Date: 19 Jun 99 - 12:48 PM

Barry: He is Rick Rakin fantastic concertina player and singer of folk songs. I believe he has a website..I could be wrong..Try Nauticaus or something like that. RiGGy if you copy...fill us in L.J.

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 19 Jun 99 - 01:25 PM

Exactly as I remember it, PJ, except you forgot the part about collapsing into my arms in terror as you watched the mortal struggle between Dave and frenzied spoonist. --seed

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From: LEJ
Date: 19 Jun 99 - 02:01 PM

PJ...your facility with the pen and your fertile imagination rival your old man's. MORE PLEASE!

Subject: RE: Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland
From:
Date: 19 Jun 99 - 07:20 PM

Yup, That's what happend, a very slow night at Quinns. One must remember though, you can't slam anything on the floor there. The floor is protected by a thick layer of penut shells. Yes the remains of many happy goobers lie upon the floor. They don't lie much, as they can't talk, but they do help protect fallen glassware, and they hide fallen contact lenses.

Just another Quinns Trivia.

-Fadac

(Zepplin? Gloves? Champaine?)