Cabinet 9/29/12 Snail Pie Lounge, Glennville, PA

Good morning to you all. Today is somewhat of a holiday as it is Trey Anastasio’s birthday. But I did some celebrating of my own yesterday when the past collided with my present and had my mind blown in the process. Cause yesterday it was all about Scranton, my roots, and Cabinet at the Snail Pie Lounge in Glennville, PA.

     Since Kclinger’s closed in April, the music scene in Hanover has suffered greatly. Yes, Perkins and his mustache have been working overtime trying to get local shows going, like the Music in the Park and Dutch Days. And the Winner’s Circle has had a few local bands play. But no one has been able to get national or regional acts. But there is a place right outside of our little borough doing something about that, the Snail Pie Lounge in Glennville.

    Take a right off of 216 and then a left on a dirt, rutted lane called Appaloosa Lane (no signs or anything) Drive back a quarter of a mile and roll by a barn. Park in the terrace fields and stumble yourself down to the barn. Steve the owner, doesn’t charge admission, he takes donations. And this show was sold out, featuring the bluegrass troubadours of coal country, Cabinet.

     As some of you are aware, I grew up outside of Scranton. It was actually the rather wealthy suburb of Clarks Summit but I say I’m from Scranton ‘cause if you say you’re from Clarks Summit, people think you’re a pussy (Apologies to Lewis Black).

     So it was a huge deal to see a really good band from Scranton playing 15 minutes from my house. I went with my friend Jess Richley, who I have known forever. How long? We have known each other since before Kclinger’s opened. I did a little bit of research and the last show we attended together was Bo Diddley at the 8x10 club in Baltimore on 4/26/96. On the 27^th, I saw Widespread Panic at Gettysburg College and on the 21^st I saw them in Boalsburg, PA so that was a pretty good weeks’ worth of music.

    But back to the Snail Pie Lounge. It’s on the second floor of a barn that appears to have a lot of its original wood in its structure. It had seats for a little over 100 people, seven rows about 15 seats across. A little bit of an area to dance off on the side which is where we set up shop. Steve the owner had a Band shirt on and a huge poster/mural of the Band across the back of the barn. It had to 15 feet across. I believe the Band would have loved to play this venue.

      I’ve seen Cabinet 5 times now and they really don’t mix up their set lists too much but what they do play is all acme stuff. Highlights included How Mountain Girls can Love, Up on Cripple Creek, Susquehanna Breakdown, and Midnight Moonlight. I didn’t see anyone taping but you can get your fill of cabinet shows on the Archive

http://archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3Aetree%20AND%20format%3Amp3%20AND%20creator%3A%22Cabinet%22&sort=-date

    They took a set break and that’s when my past came back to life. For better or worse, my personality and future were formed in Scranton. My best friend growing up was a kid named Eric Maria. He came from an Italian-Irish Catholic Family. His Italian dad’s name was Cataldo Maria. His Irish mother’s name was Mary Ann Clark. You can’t get any more ethnic than that.

     They had 8 kids, 7 boys and one girl. Again, no good Irish/Italian Catholic family is gonna use birth control. Eric was the second youngest and to say his older brothers picked on us is an understatement. But it toughen me up and helped my develop my wit and sense of humor. But more importantly, Eric’s older brother Mike got me into the Grateful Dead. He was my Obie Wan for all things Heady.

      He was into everything before everyone else. He had a Burton snowboard around 1984, well before anyone outside of Vermont had heard of snowboarding. I remember him being into Faith No More in the mid 80’s long before Mike Patton even joined the group. But he was tie-dying in 1985 and dropped out of college without telling his folks to follow the Dead. He had a tape with American Beauty on one side and Mars Hotel on the other. He also had The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Between that tape and that book; I was ready to get on the Bus.  But back to the present……..

     It was a really chill scene at set break with the band mingling with the crowd outside. I ended up talking to the drummer Jamie. When I told him where I grew up, he said he had just moved from Clark Summit. I then asked him if he knew Mike Maria…... and lo and behold he did. Jamie also played in Scranton Dead cover band the Village Idiots. He knew a guitarist named Brian Sarafinko that I would have graduated with. He knew a few of the other bands and people that I hadn’t seen in years. It really was a mind blowing experience to be talking all things Scranton after so many years.

     The band played a little over 3 hours and did a cool little accapella tune about moonshine. We went to my friend’s place for a post show bonfire. That was really cool, very reminiscent of some of the Devolver after show parties. So everyone have a great Trey Day as I root on my Fantasy Football and marvel at the wonder that occurs once you get on the Bus.