It’s 3:00pm the day of the show and the telephone rings. “Hi, this is Teddy Goldstein, and I have some bad news…” Teddy had lost the clutch on his car just this side of Louisville, KY. Being a “take charge in a crisis” sort of guy, I asked him where he was and determined that if I left right then, I could get to wherever his car was being towed to, and get back to Evansville in time to do a show. It was a lot easier driving to Louisville than calling a couple dozen people and telling them that the show was cancelled–besides, he was going to need the money for that new clutch.
Teddy’s show is hard to describe. Songs that could sound pathetic from another person took on dark and fatefully humorous twists in his hands. Besides being a exceptional guitarist, he blew a harp better than anyone I have ever heard while pulling a tight rhythm out of the guitar. At the beginning of the night, I was a little worried that people wouldn’t know how to take a wit honed on the Manhattan pavement, but by the end of the night, everyone’s face hurt from smiling so much.
So, it worked out pretty well. I had a gig Sunday evening near Louisville, and we were able to drop Teddy off at the Pep Boys where his Subaru was patiently waiting for replacements. Teddy made his gig, we made ours, and though the weekend seemed much too short, it was a terrific time.
You can buy cds and learn more about Teddy Goldstein on his website athttp://www.teddygoldstein.com/