Walter Salas-Humara and Jonathan Rundman. Oh Yeah.
Man.
I told you it was going to be a good one. And it was, it was. Saturday was pretty relaxed...we'd already done the cooking and the house wasn't too much of a disaster. We'd said the hell with trying to fix three weeks of weeds in the yard so it was not too crazy a day. People started coming promptly at 6:00 and by 6:15 I could tell the crowd was going to be o.k. and I could officially relax. The potluck was great---thank you my generous friends! I knew Jonathan Rundman would be charming as I'd been communicating with him. Walter, I'd never seen live before, and he's got that brooding handsome thing going so I just wasn't sure what to expect. Turns out he's as delightful and friendly as a puppy (or one of his dogs). A talented, handsome, charming puppy mind you....but just the same...utterly delightful.
The night just got better. And then there was the music.
Jonathan opened with a set and just blew us away. Really strong songs and a great performer...mix that with mandolin and accordion and the crowd, and I, were incredibly happy.
Bonus: watching Walter stand in the doorway watching Jonathan with a big grin on his face...
Other bonus... Silos fan, and new friend, Jeff Mondak, had contacted Jonathan and Walter to see if his son Chris could play bass with them on a few songs. Chris is off to the New England Conservatory of Music this fall (if I'm not mistaken) plays locally in West of Staley and was wonderful. He did several songs with Jonathan, and then with both of them. Made the night even better!
Walter. Yeah. Walter. You gotta love a man who knows not just how to write great songs, sing them with a distinct and gutwrenching voice, but ALSO know the power of good foot stomps. And the man can work a crowd. It was just glorious. Utterly glorious.
A million thanks to Walter and Jonathan---and to everybody else that made it such a great night. I can not believe how fortunate we are.
Thanks to Richard Hill for the good photos, and to Cate Bruni for the video.