Mike & Ruthy (wrap-up)

By Greg Pool
Host, TreeHouseConcerts.org

Here's a wrap-up of the visit by Mike & Ruthy to Tree House Concerts (pictures and after-show interview/encore):



* The duo was our 51st house concert since 2003 and only the fifth time a fiddler has taken the stage.

* We missed Mike & Ruthy when they were last out in Carmel Valley in 2010 at another house concert, but their original band, The Mammals, has been on our Wish List since we started our house concert series.

* We caught them on the last leg of an all-California tour that included four house concerts but started at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley.

* The night before our concert they were in Lemoore playing on a flatbed trailer for a stage.

* We joked about it the podcast, but Mike & Ruthy were very fortunate to be sent an original set of unreleased lyrics written by Woody Guthrie. They added the music and turned it into "My New York City" for the album My Name is New York audio book and music CD with 16 Woody Guthrie songs, including "My New York City."

* Mike asked if we knew his bass player, Jacob Silver, or drummer, Robin MacMillan. Both played on their "My New York City" track, and both grew up in Carmel Valley. Here's what the Monterey County Herald wrote about them in 2010.

* Mike was excited to make it home to Woodstock NY after this tour to start playing in his adult hockey league. I told him I had the same problem, but in an adult soccer league.

* Here's a video of Mike & Ruthy doing "Dust Bowl Blues" off their 2009 album, Waltz of the Chickadee.

* Mike & Ruthy were the first house concert guests to connect with me on Instagram (mikeandruthy, ruthyuke and mjmjr_).

* One of our regulars, JP Mosoff, wore a Playing For Change button on his jacket that night. What an amazing idea!