no country for old men.

last tuesday i had the privilege of hanging out with a bunch of country musicians. every week since 1958 Don MacLeay and Norm St. Aubin have held a country jam in St. Aubin's kitchen. they use to hold the jam sessions on thursdays, but recently moved it to tuesdays to accomodate another musician's schedule. there is a lot of history and talent among this crew. Curt Jensen, now Reverend Curt Jensen, is in the rockabilly hall of fame. Norm St. Aubin used to be in Country Express, a local country band. and Don MacLeay is the only surviving member of Woodie & the Ramblers, a local country band that played in just about every hall in the upper valley in the 1950's and 1960's. MacLeay told me Woodie's shows were rowdy. they used to push each other on stage and broke their instruments once in a while. MacLeay even showed me an old letter from the band's insurance company, stating their coverage was denied because of too many claims for damaged instruments and equipment. but enough about the history, the musicians finish each jam session with a chocolate dessert of some sort with milk. it was brownies when i visited.

These images are © 2010 Valley News and may not be reprinted or used without permission.