Jim Alfredson Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 Man, I just got back from The Green Door Lounge, a bar here in Lansing that has been around for a long time... affectionately named by me as the "Smokiest Bar In Lansing!" I love the people that go there; just down to earth, regular folk. But I could do without the gagging smoke. Anyway, they are usually closed on Sundays but today they held a benefit for a local drummer named Bob Grudner who has lung cancer. I've played with Bob (aka Bubba) a lot in my 7 or 8 years in the Lansing musical scene and he's a fantastic drummer as well as a real kind and funny individual. Like most musicians he has no health care and so they held this benefit tonight to try and raise money for him. Man, it was one soulful event. Almost every musician that I've ever played with or met or heard about at the Green Door was there. Cats I haven't seen in a long time. When I was just starting out, I was just a nobody keyboard player but they all took me in as family almost instantly. I started playing with a group called the Blue Avenue Delegates, which had been playing at the Green Door for almost 20 years!!!! Of course, when I was in the group there were no original members left. But tonight almost all of them came back... the ones that are still with us. Man, we had at least 12 horn players and three or four drummers and three or four bassists and some keyboard players and guitarists and it was a fuckin' blast!!! And Bubba came up and played his ass off, weak as he was. They banned smoking at the Green Door for this one night. It was a moving experience... all my fellow musicians just hanging, making great music in the spirit of helping one of our own. One of the reasons why even though I don't personally know most of the other musicians on this board (with exceptions of course), I still feel connected with you all. We hang together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 We do indeed. I've been known to play benefits for people I've never even met personally. Just a word from "a friend of a friend" is often all it takes. And I'm not unusual in this regard. All professions have their "brotherhood", and the brotherhood I've witnessed amongst musicians is a special thing. One you get away from the flaking out and the backstabbing ( ), it's a beautiful bunch of people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 Once you get away from the flaking out and the backstabbing ( ), it's a beautiful bunch of people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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