I was either along with Tom (Tom Hall, Mudcat's Curmudgeon) and his band (The Cuckoo's Nest or Great Bay Company) or, in the later years, performing with him, at The Press Room. Tom and his group played there every St. Patrick's Day from when the Press Room opened in November 1976 until Tom lost his voice to vocal cord cancer in the summer of 2009. Bob Frost then led a performance by mix of our Friday session family. I was ill in 2011 so couldn't drive Tom to The Press Room (he was legally blind by then) and just before St. Patrick's Day in 2012 he slipped on the deck and broke his ankle. He passed away in 2013.

I just can't go out for music on St. Patrick's Day, even to hear friends. I. Just. Can't.

Too many memories. And I don't have the patience to deal with the arschlochs that seem to abound. (Especially on the road.)

Linn