Rick let me know that he was doing a gig in Windsor, Ontario, Canada at MacKenzie Hall and that it was a joint concert with Mose Scarlett. So I jumped in the car and made a quick jaunt over to Windsor..............I am sure glad I did.

First off, anytime you can see Rick in this type of setting, you should. The Windsor Folk folks use this wonderful setting known as MacKenzie Hall. It is just the right size, holds about 150 folks comfortably. They set up a very nice sound system, and run things in a very efficient, but loose way. Makes for a very enjoyable night.

Rick brought along his beloved Resophonic lap steel guitar. One can tell that he and this instrument enjoy each others company. He also brought his 6 string, his snakehead Gibson mando, and a wonderful Vega African banjo. He managed to sneack them all into his set which ran just a little under an hour.

Rick has a way with an audience that I am envious of. He is so comfortable, and that makes the audience comfortable. Rick likes to point out that he just plays what feels right at the time, he is an improvisor, and it just pops out. Another of the hallmarks of his playing is that he says he never plays the song the same way twice. I love these types of things, as they allow me to view his concerts in a different way. Given that he plays what pops in his head, or is on his mind, it allows me to get a picture of where he is at this moment of his ride. It makes it so much more than a "just sit and listen to him play John Denver songs" kind of a thing. It is like you are in his basement with about 120 or so of his friends. Bottom line is that you experience a great player and interpreter of the music in a very intimate way.

At the end of the first set, Rick brought up his old friend, Mose Scarlett, or Mosely as Rick calls him. They did a song together and you got the first hint at what was to come. Mose is a great performer to begin with. He has a very unique and eclectic guitar style, a wonderful deep voice, an interpretive sense that often lets you hear old familiar songs in a different light, and has known Rick for many, many years. The two of them got on stage and as soon as the banter began, you knew that it was a rare event about to happen.

Mose began the second set on his own. His voice is a delight. About a third of the way in, Rick jumped up on stage, and the enjoyment began. Rick backed Mose on all of his instruments. Mose hauled out some great old music from the beginning through the mid twentieth century. The music was great, but the banter between songs was priceless. Oddly enough, one of the best moments came when they were doing "My Blue Heaven". Mose had a lyrics lapse of memory, and Rick was doing what a great sideman would do. He covered to give Mose time to recover. But then he and Mose started to tease back and forth. It is hard to describe, but let me tell you that I roared. Rick was giving hand signals to cue lyrics..........you had to be there.

At the break, the Mudcatters in attendance gathered. There was Devilmaster (Steve), maire-aine (Maryanne), and ddw (David). We had wonderful conversation. David was just as I imagined him, and he felt like an old friend finally met. Steve and Maryanne were wonderful, and I am pleased to make their acquaintance and look forward to seeing them again.

Bottom line on the concert............it was one of those special moments. It wasn't technically perfect, but sessions between friends rarely are. The thing we got musically was to see and hear two of Canada's very best doing what players of this caliber do. They played wonderful music and they played it very well. But that isn't where the treasure was found. That was found by watching two old friends having a good time, enjoying that feeling that made them start playing in the beginning and all those notes ago. As a performer myself, I can tell you that sometimes the music just isn't fun like it used to be. But then comes that moment where it just flows, it happens with someone you have known so long that you automatically know where they are headed, and you know why you still do this. The only thing better at that moment than being the player, is to be in the audience.

Mick