Old friends 'n' stuff

I went to see the Mekons last Thursday night. It was a fun show. They have evolved into a somewhat more folky kind of sound, but they still have a rock 'n' roll attitude. Accomplished musicians one and all and very progressive politically. Funny and engaging people on stage, too. If they happen to come to your town, I recommend going to see them. If you visit their site, click on Lu and Steve and look at the lists of people they've played with. You'll undoubtedly recognize a few names.

The last time I saw them was probably something like twenty years ago and I was playing with a group, Appliances-SFB, that opened for them on at least two occasions, back in the day. Four of the five members of A-SFB were at the show. Most of us don't see much of each other these days, and it was good to see all of them, see The Mekons, hang out for a little after the show.

L-R: Bill Siebecker, Sally Timms (Mekons), Ed Feeny, Bill Feeny, Meredith Young

Ed Feeny, Bill Siebecker, Jon Langford (Mekons), Meredith Young, Bill Feeny

I get occasional e-mails from people who tracked me down to tell me how much A-SFB meant to them at some point in their lives. These are people, for the most part, that I haven't ever met, yet the music we made was very important to them. I like hearing from them. It's nice to know that what we were doing was meaningful to other people. There has been some talk of an Appliances-SFB reunion. A local promoter has been asking some of us what it would take. It would be great to play together again, but I'm not holding my breath.