Dec 12
Greg Cahill Memories from the road
Editor’s note: We’ve met and visited with a lot of wonderful people in the bluegrass world in the past few years, and especially in the last six months that we’ve been involved in our Web site. We asked a handful of some memorable people we’ve visited with over the past year and invited them to share a bluegrass Christmas memory. The charming, colorful story that follows was written by Greg Cahill, the solid rock, mastermind and banjo player for Special Consensus.
To friends and readers of bluegrassjournal.com,
Special ConcensusI will take a stab at recalling our last tour of the year back in the 1980s, heading into the Christmas break we take every year so we can have quality time with our families who put up with us being away from home all to frequently throughout the year.
We left Chicago in our van to play several shows in OH and PA. We encountered a pretty intense snow storm as we drove through IN and had to pull off the road for a while due to no visibility. Once we finally got back onto the highway, the van began losing power and we nursed it into an off-highway repair shop in OH. The mechanic was very friendly and dropped everything to look at our vehicle when we told him we were a touring bluegrass band and desperately needed to keep pushing on so we could make our show in Bethlehem, PA that evening.
Sitting pretty on the charts:
Special Consensus’s latest Pinecastle CD, “The Trail of Aching Hearts” continues to hold itself high in the bluegrass charts. It’s currently No. 6 on the Roots Music Report and No. 7 on Bluegrass Unlimited’s rankings.
The mechanic determined that we had an alternator problem but he did not have the part (it was Saturday) so he put our nearly dead battery on a charger in hopes that we might at least make it to Bethlehem for our concert. Since we had to wait about two hours for the battery to charge, we began singing old gospel songs in the waiting area to pass the time. The mechanic loved the music and gave us a huge price break because he wanted to help us out - we were mighty broke in those days. We left the shop in good spirits, even though we were now really out of cash and late for our show. I phoned the venue, Godfrey Daniels, to tell them we would be late but we would definitely get there.
We were pretty depressed as we nursed the van down the highway - we had not slept, had driven through a terrible storm and didn’t know if we would be able to complete the tour because the van was in bad shape. It was the Christmas season and we were determined to share our music with all the folks who were coming out to hear us (and we desperately needed to play the dates to make enough money to buy presents for our families).
When we were just outside of Bethlehem, the van was barely moving - the battery was again running out of juice. We had our guest fiddler sit in the driver’s seat to steer while the four of us pushed the van to the top of a hill on the outskirts of Bethlehem. We were exhausted but determined to get to Godfrey Daniels to play our show. When we topped the hill, the guys jumped into the van and I climbed onto the ladder on the rear of the van - we literally coasted into town. But our breath was taken away as we passed all of the homes with candles in every window - a Moravian tradition to welcome everyone. What a beautiful sight - the night was very dark and cold and still and all I could hear while holding onto the ladder on the outside of the van was the wind whipping around us. Those lights were so welcoming and the quiet ride was so peaceful that we all rode in complete silence - and peace. I will never forget the sight of those candle-lit windows and the warmth they shared even on a very cold night. We managed to get the van started again long enough to drive to the club, where the van officially died (we did revive it on Monday). We still spoke very little, but I know we all held this peaceful feeling inside that would not allow any of us to complain about the gruelling trip.
Catch Special C in concert
- Saturday, Dec 29: 7 p.m. stage show at the Sugar Grove Community Center, in Sugar Grove, Ill., at the Northern Illinois Bluegrass Association festival.
- New Year’s Eve, Monday, Dec 31, 8 p.m., First Night Evanston in Evanston, Ill.
- Tuesday, Jan. 1, 11 a.m., The Flatlander, 200 Village Green, Lincolnshire, Ill. It’s the band’s annual New year’s Day brunch
- Friday and Saturday, Jan. 4 and 5, Front Porch Music, 505 E. Lincoln Way in Valparaiso, Ind. Shows at 7 p.m. Friday and at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Information available at 219/464-4700
Then we walked into the club - packed out! All the people waited for us for nearly two hours. We were so moved that we didn’t even take time to change our clothes - we just jumped up onto the stage and began playing. The power of the music so completely connected every one of us in the room with each other - we played very late and all knew this was a magical evening.
After the concert, we pulled out sleeping bags and actually slept on the stage, cold but smiling because we had just had an evening worth more than any amount of money could ever buy.
I will never forget that evening - I think it was the first time I realized that I will leave this earth a wealthy person, even though I know I will never have any large sum of money in the bank. Traveling the road has not been any easy life, but I feel like a very wealthy man to have met all of the wonderful people who have shared the joy of music and the true meaning of life as we all continue on this fantastic journey.
Wishing everyone peace and joy in this beautiful holiday season!
All the best,
Greg Cahill
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