It was a year ago on the third Friday night in October that I stumbled into Corner Coffee in Indianapolis to check out an open stage. I had originally set out that night to play at a jam session in Franklin, only to find instead a Halloween party with a band fronted by some guy who seemed to think he was George Jones.
I had read about the open stage on Cary Allen Fields’ Fields of Bluegrass site, so rather than just go home disappointed, I thought I’d check it out.
I met the hostess, Eli Beth, listened to a couple of performers, played 2 or 3 songs, and made some new friends. These folks became both a kind of family and a kind of church for me as I adjusted to a new life in Indiana and waited for Debbie to move here with me.
That’s a long story to say that I had a great time celebrating my Corner Coffee anniversary last night!! Dave and Jesse were on duty as our barristas, doing their usual fantastic job! BTW, if you live in Indy and haven’t visited Corner Coffee at 11th and Alabama, you’re missing a treat.
Eli hosted, and I enjoyed the chance to play some fills and sing some harmony with her. Caleb Hawkins was there with his new Blue Ridge guitar and Kustom amp. Eric was there, and he keeps getting better and better. Chris Wolf, who should always be able to play more that three songs that close to Halloween, has a CD coming out. That’s exciting news. There was Uncle Dave-O, Dorothy and Korey Quinn. As we closed the night, Eli took her new baritone guitar out for a spin, and (God bless her!) Sara showed up and sang an impromptu version of Love Me Like a Man. There are pictures on the web site.
As always, I left this Corner Coffee open stage looking forward to the next one on November 17.