Shay Black wasn't there last Sunday--he's up in your area, Rick. Kevin, the replacement emcee, read a card from him before the solos started. I don't know an awful lot about the pub; I think I've been in it a total of six times, five of them Sunday nights in the last couple of months. The first was in 1975, after the Berkeley teachers' strike. The strike band I was a member of, the Board Erasers, were invited to come and perform our songs. Only three out of the 10 of us made it. We did a few songs, then the other two, both much better musicians than I, began playing bluegrass (a curious BG duet: fiddle and accordion) much too fast for me, so I checked out.

Oh, I came in one other time: when I did my first solo in the Irish session a couple of weeks ago, I left without my jacket, so I went in to pick it up the following night. Mondays are Irish dancing time. There was a group on the stage--most of whom had been in the session group the night before--and the rest of the room was filled with dancers. I didn't get to see much dancing as the band took a break a minute after I arrived.

Dave and PJ have been going there longer than I have, and Riggy, of course, is a regular member of the Sunday night circle--as Lloyd said, Riggy can probably give the most detailed rundown on the Plough of any of us. --seed