The Hurdygurdy Trio

**Paddler** · November 3rd, 2015, 07:14 AM

From the Gig Journal, October, 2008

Early in the week, Dave called and asked us to help him out at the opening jam session at Quail Hollow. Dave is the honcho of the Blue Eagle String Band, the band that anchors the Old Timey venue for the jam. He said his fiddler was in the hospital having his ticker bypassed and he needed some extra musicians to temporarily fill the gap, and please bring the hurdy-gurdies. Well, who could resist an invitation like that? Jody and I packed up a guitar, a concertina and two 'gurdies and hauled 'em to Newpuddle.

The audience was not very large, but that was understandable, it being the first night of the season. They liked the Old Timey music and gave us applause for it. They were totally flummoxed when we got out the 'gurdies. Dave brought his new lute-backed 'gurdy so when we finally had them all tuned up, we had a trio.

There was a family there from way down-under in New Zealand and they couldn't believe their eyes; never saw such outlandish instruments. They must have taken twenty pictures of us. They were probably used to more mundane instruments, like six-foot lengths of drainpipe.

Dave said that, what with everybody getting heart bypasses, he was thinking of renaming the band to "The Myocardial Infarctions". I think it should be "Dickey Ticker and the Four Stents". I will suggest it, next time I see him.

Sir MCR>
Abstractor of the Quintessence
Order of the Digital Grail

NB: Dave's ticker gave out on him two years later.

**Marsilius** · November 3rd, 2015, 07:30 AM

Thank you for the nice story. I guess you were there to give an organistrum transplant?

**Paddler** · November 3rd, 2015, 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by Marsilius

Thank you for the nice story. I guess you were there to give an organistrum transplant?

I wish. Too many of those guys are gone now -- good musicians all. I mean, who is gonna play "Squirrel Heads in the Gravy" at my wake? Nobody. It's over. Damned shame, too.

**jar** · November 3rd, 2015, 10:16 AM

Why not the Squirrelheads? But they book early so give them lots of lead time.

**Marsilius** · November 3rd, 2015, 08:23 PM

Lots of hurdy gurdies in my neck of the woods. Well, a few anyway. I don't know "Squirrel Heads in the Gravy" though. Should I be afraid to ask?

**Paddler** · November 4th, 2015, 07:32 AM

Originally Posted by Marsilius

Lots of hurdy gurdies in my neck of the woods. Well, a few anyway. I don't know "Squirrel Heads in the Gravy" though. Should I be afraid to ask?

Fear not. It is just a tune in the old timey genre. It could be modern. It could be local. There is nobody left here to ask.

We put a couple of hurdy gurdy tunes in our Christmas repertoire. It puts the wind up the locals for sure; breaks 'em right off at the ankles. They walk up while we are playing and demand to know "what that thang is." They think every musician has enough brains to hold a conversation and play at the same time. I don't.