Subject: [hix] Evenin' Breeze (Dan at Rancho Nicasio 6/16) Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 19:51:55 -0700 From: Kathy & Ken To: hix@egroups.com As the cool breezes started to blow into town on Friday after a record heat wave, we were off for the weekend to a B&B in Point Reyes Station, located conveniently near Rancho Nicasio. A jackknifed 18-wheeler made the drive somewhat worse than the usual East Bay-to-Marin commute, but the serene location and amenities of the B&B mellowed us out for the brief but beautiful drive through the hills to The Rancho. Dinner was, as usual, wonderful; however, the menu has changed, and the famed meat loaf (recently rhapsodized about in the SF Chronicle) is no longer offered. The expertly-prepared steak with delicious salsa was a good second choice. The Acoustic Warriors lineup consisted of Paul Robinson on guitar, Brian Godchaux on violin and mandolin, Mark Shinbrot on piano, Richard Saunders on bass, and Tim Vaughan on drums. Susan Rabin was joined by new Groovette Debbie Kee, whose sweet timbre and blend impressed us. It was Hawai'ian Shirt Night for the band, and Dan came on stage resplendent in a vivid red and yellow racing-motif FUBU shirt. (FUBU is an acronym for "For Us By Us", an urbanwear clothing line favored by other musicians such as Puff Daddy and Busta Rhymes.) The evening's crowd seemed even more friends and family oriented than usual, with couples and groups of all configurations dancing to the first set's offerings: *Canned Music *Where's The Money, which took an quick turn into Dylan-impression territory. *News From Up The Street, a really nice treat this early into the set. *Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy, to be featured on the upcoming CD. *The Buzzard Was Their Friend, which Dan introduced as "an old R&B tune". "Buzzard" got the pre-pubescent set out onto the dance floor, and surprisingly enough, some of the more senior members of the audience, too.  Dan acknowledged the applause for the number, telling the audience, "You're *so* right". *Song For My Father, introduced by Dan acknowledging the Horace Silver version. *Hell, I'd Go!, subtitled "Heck, I'd Go!" for the young lad who sat enthralled right in front of the band. (Hixters - The Next Generation!)  The song was prefaced by an offer of $25 to the first couple on the dance floor. We took on the task, since we didn't want anyone who really expected to get $25 to be disappointed. *I Scare Myself, or, according to Dan, the "I Scare Myself Rhumba". Many dancers on the floor for this one, too. *That Old Black Magic, with Dan getting pretty loose as the Bobby Darin stylings melded with the Louis Prima arrangement. -- And at this time, Sarah Wasserman, Clare's lovely and talented daughter (described by Dan as being "someone very closely related to my wife"), took the stage to render a delightful version of the 50s chestnut, "At Last", featuring Dan and the Groovettes on semi-choreographed doo-wop backing vocals.  *Milk Shakin' Mama, during which Dan engaged in some interesting bass string counterpoint with Brian. -- At this point, Dan let us know that NSync was staying at his house, in his driveway, in their motor home, and that they would be entertaining us with some of their pre-recorded music during the intermission. *Strike It While It's Hot As the band began their second set, Dan allowed as to how he would be doing a Chuck Berry song later, which turned into a rap about Chuck Norris… Scatman Crothers… and Wee Willie (something) Winkle, a songwriter from Tiburon. The set opened with: *4-5 Times, about which someone at the big table of 20-somethings next to us commented, "Now, THAT'S more danceable!". Dan's occasional interpolations in his Dylan voice made this tune The Battle Of The Bobs (Wills & Dylan).  *Nadine, the aforepromised Chuck Berry tune. *Early In The Morning *I Got Mine *My Cello *Payday Blues - "Let's all do the Payday Shuffle!" *Topsy/Swing 42 *Somebody Tell Me The Truth, before which Dan went into a rap about how he was going to be at the Milpitas Street Fair at 8AM the next day, on "Loser Avenue", which you have to take the bus to get to. Oddly enough, Ken had just taken a particularly arduous bus ride through Milpitas, and had a point of reference for this particular rap. -- Dan then let us know that he had recorded a computer duet with Elvis, who is "deader than a goddamn doornail"; a tune called "There's A Chapel Down By The Creek" which was a favorite of his mother, Ethel Steamroller. *Long Comma Viper, introduced as a Bo Diddley song. *Comes Love *How Can I Miss You, with Dan getting down with the Twist and the Monkey, among others from the Land of 1000 Dances. No encore this evening because Dan had a cold. All in all a most entertaining show and audience. One couple on the dance floor did the polka to the more lively tunes. One group of young dancers to "Buzzard" consisted of three boys, who hung with it for awhile, then split, presumably to look for trouble. It's always a down-to-earth evening with Dan and Co. at the Rancho, and we recommend it highly to all Bay Area Hixters.  Kathy & Ken