A few months ago I wrote an email to the Guthrie Center that has here-to-fore gone unanswered. I wonder if it got lost, or if they're really not interested. I thought I'd post a paraphrased version here. It seems that if this find is as cool as I think, it might catch the right person's attention...

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I met a fellow waiting in line to purchase tickets for Arlo's show in Tampa this coming March. (Yup, there was a line...there were two of us waiting for the tix to go on sale!) The fellow I met told me a story about an Arlo gig he attended at University of South Florida, to the best of his recollection, in the fall of 1971. This fellow got into the show for free by virtue of his student press pass. This fellow had a portable reel-to-reel recorder with him. I guess he knew the sound guy or sumthin', 'cause he plugged his reel-to-reel directly into the sound board and recorded the opening act (Ry Cooder), and the main act (Arlo backed up by Ry Cooder's band), directly from the board!

John, my new friend, played an old cassette copy of a few songs from that show...The old dust encrusted cassette tape, copied from the reel to reel years ago, played on a cheep sound system...sounded wonderful! I hope that the original reel-to-reel is faring well. More so, we are all hoping that he can locate the original in his old boxes of stuff. (He seems pretty certain that he knows right where it is).

I told my new friend John about The Guthrie Center, and am encouraging him to donate the original to The Guthrie Center so that it can be properly taken care of and added to the Guthrie Family Archives. He seemed perfectly willing to do so.
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I thought this was a pretty cool discovery. Strange that I haven't heard back, isn't it? Or am I off track, and it's not really a big deal after all?

Thanks for posting it again.... The GC doesn't have anything much to do with things like this, so maybe you can resend the original more detailed info to Rising Son Records, which deals with recordings etc. I'm pretty sure it may be of interest if we knew who has what where.

Rising Son Records
218 Beach Road
Washington, MA 01223

email: annnie@risingsonrecords.com
tel: 413.623.6112

Thanks again

Ha!

Well, I guess that's the right person!

Thanks, Arlo...I'll do that right away!

~Eric

Well, I tried to email to annnie@risingsonrecords.com, but the email was bounced back. Is there another addy?

I can be reached directly at Eric@ESchmidt.com

I private messaged you the details, including John's contact info and my own. Please keep me in the loop! I was enthralled when I heard his story and the recordings. I'd at least like to know what happens to it!

Arlo, did you mean annie@risingsonrecords.com? I noticed you put an extra "n" in Annie's name unless she recently changed the spelling of her name to Annnie? I thought I point that out to you:)

Lorie

I think the bounce back is due to a typo. adg added an extra "n" in annie. try it again with one less "n".

still didn't do the trick.

annieguthrie@risingsonrecords.com works

Whoops! looks like Lorie beat me to it when I posted before! But you guys deduced that..........

That's really a great story Bones!

To think it all came about from wandering down to get some A-Man tickets!

very cool indeed, glad this appears to be getting into the right hands

Hey folks,

I'm glad I'm getting a little positive feedback here. I was a little confused after the unanswered email to the GC. I mean, I was pretty enthralled by the old (on cassette) copy of the performance.

I spoke with John a day or two ago, and he has located the original reel-to-reel! He still seems willing to donate it for restoration. I gave Annie his contact info, so I won't be horning into the middle of things. I'm kinda hoping to be kept in the loop, and maybe shake the folkslinger's hand before the show, when/if John hands it over. But even if not, I've got second row seats, and I'll be happy and relieved to know that this old treasure is in the right place.

Cheers all!

~Eric
http://www.ESchmidt.com

Hell I'm just excited and wondering what we were playing in those days - regardless of whether a bootleg copy comes out. Thanks for the info... adg

Yippie Skippy