MarioD’s birthday reminded me, I’ve met Mario, Pat Marr (twice), and John Ford. All great experiences.

I know Pat makes an effort to travel for this purpose so I expect his list will be long. He even attempted organizing a BIAB reunion a few years ago.

How about you?

Pat Marr once, and 1 I knew before I joined. In fact if not for him I never would have known BIAB existed, so you have him to thank/blame for me being here.

We’ve met floyd/spouse, Pat and Tom/spouse.

Plus regular FaceTime meetings with Peter/spouse.

Wonderful friends all.

Pat Marr and Charlie Fogle.

I've only met Pat twice even though we live pretty close to each other. That is totally my fault though because I'm an introvert and hermit by nature.

I've known Charlie for a long time but it has been too long since we've enjoyed each others company.

Jim, you would have hit the daily double when I was down there had you not been busy!

Very true Eddie. I regret missing the opportunity.

Well, "opportunity" is pushing the envelope a bit.....

I have met Matt, Pat Marr, and Danny Campo. Next year I hope to make the trip that has been cancelled twice already down south and hopefully met some of the other forum members.

Funny...I never met anyone here.

On The international forum OHM Studio I met six or seven people plus wives and kids in France, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland. One couple from Switzerland and one couple from Canada came to visit me here in Florida.

Musicians and people in Europe in general seem to be less fearful of meeting new people.

Even in years past when I had my sailboat in the Med I met a zillion people. There was access as things were not locked behind iron gates like here in the US. Much safer countries with not much violence.

I hope I live long enough to see this pandemic over and Europe return to normal.

Billy

I should add that if any forum members are going to Niagara Falls and want to meet up let me know. I live about an 1.5 hours away from it and I could meet you there.

I met Pat Marr a number of years ago when he took his famous road trip. He spent the night and we hung out talking about music and things....

I also know and have met David Snyder, numerous times. We live just a short distance apart and before the covid closed the world, we had songwriter meetings monthly in Raleigh where often we were both in attendance.

There's many here who I feel like I have met through working on songs together but not in person.

Pat Marr

We met up for lunch at Ruby Tuesdays when he was passing through Mobile on the way to Pensacola.

Pat and I both grew up in Pennsylvania and discovered that we had mutual friends after we connected.

I didn’t think twice about going out and meeting Pat; however, my wife somewhat tried to discourage me from doing so. She asked me if I was 100% sure he wasn’t an axe murderer.

Bwahahahahaha... my wife said the very same thing....( "Oh that's just great! You invite some guy from the internet you have never met and don't know to come and stay with us? But honey, he's a musician. Yeah, so was Charles Manson and see how that ended? ) and Pat was going to sleep in his car in my driveway because maybe he thought the same thing about us..... we did convince him we were harmless, and he stayed in our guest room that evening.

interesting thread! Thanks for starting it Matt!

My efforts to put faces to the names of friends in the forum started in 2013 when I learned that John (Silvertones) lived in western NC. John was already doing what I wanted to do (playing solo with backing tracks) and I wanted to see his setup and procedures. Drove over to see him and posted several videos of the visit, including some interesting discussions of how he creates his magic. I believe John has since moved to Texas, so I was lucky to catch him while he was still within driving distance.

I think it was the summer of 2015 when Streetjelly (located in Easter Tennessee near Pigeon Forge) hosted a get together. At the time JoAnne Cooper was performing regularly on SJ and she made the trip from South Africa where she lives to attend the get-together in Tennessee. Knowing she would probably never be that close again, I drove across the Great Smoky mountains to meet her briefly, then drove back home the same day. That woman has a lot of energy! she keeps a lot of tasks going at the same time.. my hat is off to her!

Jim Fogle lives in my town of Winston-Salem NC. I think we've met 3 times at various restaurants (twice just the 2 of us, and once with Charlie Fogle, his brother)

I met Charlie twice.. once on the road trip and once when he visited Jim here in Town. When I visited Charlie at his home in SC, he let me play his double neck Gibson which he has since sold to a collector or museum, I forget which. That was a highlight of my trip. Charlie has a standing offer of free steak dinner any time he comes here for a visit. (Hint hint)

Matt Finley has family in Richmond Va., and so do I. Somehow I learned he would be in Richmond at the same time I was visiting my family, and we arranged to meet at a restaurant where a friend of Matt's was playing live music. Then a few years later I traveled to Lake George NY where Matt had been playing an annual jazz show for 31 years. Turns out I caught the last of his shows. The group disbanded after that... so I feel quite lucky to have been there for the grand finale. Matt's wife is also a musician, and she played at the concert too, which made the trip twice as worthwhile!

Mario was also in attendance for the same show, so I got to spend time with him and his dear wife before, during and after the show. I have relatives in New York State, near where Mario lives, so I expect to see him again someday.

Eddie is another road trip kind of guy, and he passed through Winston-Salem a few years ago. He let me know he was coming so we were able to connect during his stay in town. Since then he has built a very cool camper so I hope a future road trip brings him this way again because I want to see it in person!

Also a couple years ago Tommy Adams and his wife camped in NC, and I drove to spend the day with them. Bud and Janice were also there! How cool is that?? You'd think we would play music, but the recurring theme when people who have only known each other online finally meet in person is great conversation. Tommy will be camping In NC again this year, and I'll make it a point to visit him again. There are some great mountain biking trails near where Tommy will be camping this year... (I know Bud and Janice are mountain bikers, and it would be great to see them again... hint hint)

The road trip I took allowed me to meet so many people that I'm reluctant to start naming them for fear of forgetting somebody. But here's my best recollection:

Starting in NC, I visited GuitarHacker (Herb)...
... then drove to SC to meet Charlie Fogle.
... Then drove to Atlanta to meet RYSZARD, whom I haven't seen on the forum since. (Hope it isn't because of me!)
He had ordered a Gretsch Country Gentleman and it was delivered the day I visited. We recorded the event and posted a video
... then I drove to meet Al David and his dear wife
... then onward to Louisiana where I met Danny Campo and Kajun Jeaux. Danny took me along on a gig. Let me tell ya, Danny Campo is a pro. He has his act together which is why he's my mentor. Kajun Jeaux showed me his recording studio... which is a REAL recording studio, not the typical basement music room!
... on the way from Louisiana to Fla I made a stop in Alabama to have lunch with KeithS! That was a VERY interesting meeting! As he said above, we grew up not far apart in Pa. and have some common friends! Life is full of coincidences!
... then to Florida where I met John Ford, Floyd Jane, Tommy Adams and Notes Norton. I was lucky to arrive on a day when Notes and his dear wife Leilani had a gig! It was great to see them in action.. they really know how to work their audience! It was clear that many people in the audience are regulars who view them as friends. There was a lot of love in that show.

I had hoped to meet a few other people but for various reasons those visits didn't materialize.

If this Covid mess ever ends, I want to take a road trip to the west coast, at which time I'll be looking for people in that direction who might want to meet.

Since starting to perform online I've made friends with residents of Vancouver and Vancouver island. If I make it out to visit them, it would be great to stop by the offices of PGMusic, which I believe is located on Vancouver island. Can anybody tell me if visitors are allowed at work?

My town of Winston Salem is located on I-40, which goes all the way from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It's also located between I-81 and I-95 which are major north-South routes along the east coast. If anybody finds themselves traveling these routes, you have a standing invitation to visit. I'll even feed you. Just message me here by PM to let me know when you're coming.

If you don't want a full fledged visit, I'll be happy to drive to a restaurant along your route to meet you. You've got to stop for gas and food anyway!

I want to end by saying that EVERY SINGLE PERSON I met really impressed me. The conversation was better than I would have imagined. The kindness and hospitality they offered was much more than I could have asked for. In every case it was as if we had known one another for years.... and I'm an introvert who doesn't warm up to people easily. So the results I got say far more about the goodness of the people I met than it says about me.

When my wife died, it really occurred to me that we all have a limited number of minutes on the planet. Time is the most precious resource, and its up to each of us to spend it wisely. There are a hundred ways to get more money, but there are zero ways to get more time. I feel totally blessed by the willingness of so many people to spend some of their minutes with me. I say that with total sincerity. For me, it was time well spent. I can only hope my presence did not subtract from anyone else's quality of life; but I can say for sure that I will cherish each of those visits. I hope there are more to come.

Pat, you need to get out more.

Pat, the door is still open here in St. Louis if your travels come out this way.

At some point Eddie and I will probably meet as well.

I wouldn't mind stopping up in the Chicago area at some point to meet a few forum members. I lived in that area for a while in the 80s.

Likely mid to late fall as it starts cooling off up north. It used to be much easier to plan because the weather was way more stable and predictable. The last 15-20 years has seen a bit of an inversion where the south seems to get more northern-like weather in winter. For me there is nothing funnier than watching people in Atlanta drive when they get that inch of snow... LOL!

The former northerners who have moved south still remember how to drive on it, but those who only see it a few days per year are lost, and when you add to that cities that don't have the experience and equipment to handle it that makes it worse. I love the thought of North Carolina where the winter snow melts off by 10am. I once contemplated moving there but there is too much of my personal life here that really prevents that.

I have found in my almost 70 spins around the sun that people generally fall into 3 categories. You have people who are really talented, some multi talented, and don't believe that they are. Then there's the other group who have NO talent and think they do to a very unappreciated level. And that group right in between that know they are okay but not going to be on the cover of Rolling Stone. I went from that first group when I was young, to that 3rd group when I got into my 50s, to that 2nd group now in my older years. I can really barely play anymore. Fortunately you get to keep the knowledge you gather along the journey, but the physical skills have pretty much forsaken me. I have no reason to have all those guitars (other than I can!) because I can barely grip the neck and hold a pick. My fingers won't do what my brain knows they are supposed to. This is why this software is a godsend for me. For a couple of hundred buck every year I have a band that is ready when the mood to write hits me.

Pat is in that first group. Between music and his graphics/animation work, he's quite talented.

After being locked down for the entirety of 2020, I think we all do.

Funny. I barely noticed!

I'll keep that in mind Steve! Thanks! I can't imagine heading west without going through St. Louis at some point (Isn't it known as the gateway to the west?)

St Louis always makes me smile. WAY back when my friends and I drank a lot every weekend, We were at our usual Friday night haunt and about 11pm we decided "ROAD TRIP!" We bought a few cases of beer and a couple of boxes of Smokies from the bar and 8 of us headed out in a van. We drove and drove until everybody but the DD passed out. As it started to get light outside we started waking up and somebody said "Hey. I'm hungry. Pull into that McDonald's over there and lets get some food."

That "McDonald's" was the Gateway Arch. We had driven all night and ended up in St Louis. So we ate, napped a few hours, and bought some more beer for the drive home.

Oh man, to be young again...

All these post got me to thinking. How many of you have played together?

I have been lucky, most of my friends in Europe play in bands that I have got to set in with, plus I have a Zinky amp with dual transformers.

I never worry about the axe murders, they are all used car salesman or lawyers right?...lol
We have on occasion threaten to kill the drummers for screwing up but that is pretty standard...lol

Damn Covid...I am sick of staying home!!
Billy

update:

I recently had the pleasure of meeting up with Tommy Adams and his dear wife Benji again as they camped at a park not far from where I live. I'm an introvert, and it takes me a while to warm up to people... but Tommy and Benji are such warm and inclusive people, every time I see them again its as if we had never been apart... the conversation just picks up right where it left off, and its nothing but good will, stories and laughter the whole time.

If you've ever seen the DOS EQUIS beer ads featuring "the most interesting man in the world", you might see a similarity between him and Tommy. If Tommy's stories are to be believed, he is indeed a direct competitor for the title of "most interesting man in the world."

This was the third time I've met Tommy. Hopefully there will be many more meetings to come. You can't hear all of his stories in one sitting... and he keeps having new experiences, so the list of stories keeps growing.

If you ever have a chance to meet him, go for it.

Pat, I'm glad you are continuing this quest.

update: my child who was in Richmond now lives near Cleveland, but her family comes to us in Lake George frequently. My other two are in southern California. I'm not good on those six-hour long plane flights anymore, regardless of COVID. I did play one jazz festival there, and the TSA broke my horn on the way back, so I think I'll stay in the east.

Near Cleveland? Hmmm.... let me think. Who else lives near Cleveland?

I am down here in Trumbull County.

...Deb

thinking wayyyy ahead of myself, and plans might change, but next year I'm considering a cross-country road trip to visit a friend on Vancouver island and another in Vancouver (city). If that trip materializes, I'd like to visit the PGMusic HQ and meet the people who have made my life more enjoyable because of the product they make. Prior to departure, I'll be asking on the forum to find out which people live between NC and Vancouver, and if they are interested in meeting for lunch or coffee as I pass thru their neck of the woods.

Looking at a map. PG Music, at the address listed, appears to be a 2nd floor apartment. I suspect that their actual business locale may be elsewhere.

What caught my eyes was that 2 blocks away is Big Wheel Burger, the kind of place I love to find in a strange city. Like that place you took me when I visited. That was awesome! I don't like the Olive Garden/Applebee's/TGI Fridays places that are in every city in America. I prefer "Bob's Diner" kind of places. The further off the main road, the better! Next time I head south, likely right after the 1st of the year (because I have a NYE gig) I am going to hit the Diners Drive Ins and Dives web page and find the out of the way barbecue places in NC. My tiny trailer isn't set up to cook, so those road trips will include all road food, which I find to be the joy of road trips anyway. So if you make it to Vancouver, make sure you post a review of Big Wheel Burger!