Did Telluride last year. ‘Twas a blissfully awesome return, particularly since a year earlier I thought my music career was over.
So they pick all us rockstars up at the Montrose airport. I waited around for a bit because the other dude that was getting picked up (who turned out to be Michael Daves) got in about 30 minutes after I did. He showed up and I was getting ready to walk out of the airport when somebody called my name. I turned around to see an old neighbor of mine from Boone, who I hadn’t seen since. Michael Jordan. That’s right. MJ was my neighbor in Boone. Anyway.
Anyway, we’re riding up, shooting the shit. Daves lives in Brooklyn, I live in Jersey. So he asks me, “where you from originally?” to which I replied “Atlanta”.
“Really? I’m from Atlanta. Which part?”
“Avondale. The next town over from Decatur.”
“Yeah, I’m from Decatur.”
So then it was where’d we go to school, and I went to Boone, so we knew a bunch of the same Atlanta born Boone musicians that used to go to a pick session at the Freight Room. This was before my time as far as bluegrass was concerned. My last paycheck cashing job, incidentally, was right around the corner 10 years later at the Raging Burrito. It didn’t exist then, but it was pretty cool going back to the day. He went to Decatur High, right around the corner from my parents office. I bought my first several basses at Emile Barron in Decatur. Just found this old video of Bill - the man himself.
So after about 3 minutes or so he goes,
“So if you grew up in Avondale, you must’ve been on the Avondale swim team.”
Hell yes I was. Swim team and the Avondale pool was the best reason to live in Avondale, as far as I was concerned. God knows most of the other kids were fucking assholes just like their parents. I digress.
“Well, we must’ve swam against each other then because I was on the Decatur team.”
So anyway, that was cool. The I caught his set with Thile the next day and I’ve been a fan since. Definitely my favorite stuff from Thile.