What a hoot!

Ramblin Jug Stompers hosted our first Callithumpian Hootenanny at Tess' Lark Tavern on Monday, Feb. 19, but you can bet that it won't be our last. Special guests included the marvelous MapInfo Mountaineers, the tireless Frank Jaklitsch, the fearless Nicole Peyrafitte, the charming duo of Almost Awake, the mournful Moanin Ed Atkeson and our own Mr. Tambourine Man, Dale Metzger.
And while each of our pals played some wonderful music, the real thrill of the night was the performance by guiatrist David Malachowski and Half Naked (the pared-down acoustic version of Naked).
As most of you know, David had been seriously ill, and his hospital stay, extensive tests and ongoing follow-up treatment has left him is serious debt. But he certainly hasn't lost his talent on the fretboard, playing three songs with Half Naked. Then we fused forces as the Ramblin Half Naked Jug Stompers for a rousing rendition of Mr. Eck's song, "Pony."
The Hoot was another benefit for the Malachowski Medical Fund (the second that we'd organized and the third that we'd performed at), and we raised $640. Add that onto the $1,500 that we raised at our January Lark Tavern show, and the total comes to more than $2,100.
We are so proud of our fans and the generosity that they have shown toward David in his time of need. Thanks again, all you Jugheads. You're the best.
We'll be sure to give you plenty of advance warning before the next Callithumpian Hootenanny, but it certainly won't happen right away. After the first one, we need a couple of months to recover from all of the excitement (and Guinness).
We're already lining up the guests for the next one, however, including folks like Jim Gaudet and Sarah Pedinotti, who had hoped to be there this month but were unable to attend.