Abbey Road on the River 2011 was a splendid time for one and all

Olivia Morris Fuchs, who sent us a detailed report on NAMM 2011 in Anaheim, was at Abbey Road on the River over the Labor Day holiday. She sent us some details and pictures. 

 

She said her group started out discussing what Beatle fun they'd had since they were last together. "We heard someone at our adjoining table in a rather loud voice say '12.' In unison, nearly all but one person of our 20 plus folks softly said 'George.' We all smiled. The one who was rather confused asked what that meant. Again, in unison several of us said, '12 Arnold Grove,' which of course is George's childhood street address." Where else but Abbey Road on the River, she said, could such a "corporate moment" of what she called the "common brain" occur, she said.

 

The weather cooperated until the last day. Apple Corps, performing as Monkee Business, were cut short on the lawn but reconvened in the commandeered Chesapeake Room using borrowed instruments from other bands to carry on. 

 

"The Repeatles, who like the Steve Sizemore Group got in none of their final set, were joined by some from Old Brown Shoes, The Blue Meanies, Itchycoo Park and so many professional level fans who play, including Ron Perry from Santa Barbara (he loaned his guitar to the pros even though we so wanted him to lead us, as he does so well)," she said. 

 

"There was some unidentified mojo in operation in D.C., it appears," she said. "Steve Sizemore broke his Rickenbacker bass at the first night's event at Bobby McKee's, but Joe Carducci saw that he got to use a beautiful Gretsch Bass as an alternative." Jesse Jordan of The Newbees also dropped his keyboard on his foot and broke both, she said. 

 

"People kept losing things," she said. "Sunglasses, cameras, wallets, microphones, keyboards, and I lost all my wonderful rings. But I heard that everyone eventually got everything back, miraculously, me, too. Lovely Beatle people!"

 

The bands, she said, enjoyed the Gretsch Guitars Joe was loaning out to those who asked. "I understand that some of the boys couldn't part from the new babies who now have new homes," she told us. 

 

Her new "favorite band" (out of about 10 "favorite bands") was Old Brown Shoes from Holland. "I was there when Janneke received an instant proposal of marriage and children following their first set from a fan bass player who shall remain unnamed, but if he were named it would be Butch. There was a chorus line of pretty boys all in a row dreaming of having their very own pretty rocker girl drummer, too!"

 

"All You Need is Love, The Newbees, BritBeat, Rachel's Strings and Kevin Ashba again presented us with "Love!" twice. Wonderful," she said. All You Need Is love did the rock opera "Tommy." There were other special moments, too, she said, including Kevin Ashba's "Elton John Tribute to John Lennon, Empty Garden." The sets of Itchycoo Park, The Norwegian Beatles, and The Repeatles, who have played ABOTR before, "were fresh and ever more wonderful," this time. 

 

"Perhaps," she said, "it is all the sad things happening in our world currently, or just that we really all have become such very intimate friends; I don't know the reason. But, we all did an excellent job of telling one another how much we care for each other. The bands were hugging one another and we fans, and we fans spent time confirming how much we mean to one another. We've always been a sweet assemblage; but this was special, by any standard."