The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #16903   Message #3348549
Posted By: GUEST,Tim Woodbridge
09-May-12 - 04:15 AM
Thread Name: Indian Neck Memories
Subject: RE: Indian Neck Memories
I just came across "Indian Neck Memories" which certainly jogged some of my own. In 1961, John Swope, a fraternity brother of mine at Amherst, and I were in our first year at Yale Law school. Sometime during the Spring, we began noticing signs around the Yale Campus advertising a concert at Woolsey Hall to feature performers from the Indian Neck Folk festival. I no longer recall the details, but somehow John and I learned that the festival was to be held at the Montowese House, a rambling 19th century Victorian Hotel on Indian Neck Point in Branford, Connecticut. It being Friday, we decided to check the place out. When we arrived there were only a few people there setting the place up. I was carrying my clunky Gibson L50 guitar in a battered case and probably the workers just figured we were invited. As time went on, more and more people arrived, giving us additional cover. Eventually I took out my guitar and was probably fooling around on something when I was approached by a guy about my age carrying a banjo case, who introduced himself as Hank Schwarz and asked if I wanted to play some tunes, which we proceeded to do. It turned out that he was to be one of the performers at the Woolsey Hall Concert that night, and he asked me if I would like to play guitar with him. Since he was one of the best banjo players I had ever heard, I jumped at the offer. While a lot of people probably wondered who the hell I was, I don't recall anyone challenging my presence. There was no Indian Neck the following year, but Hank got me on the list for the next festival and, with the exception of two or three years, I have been to every one since.