far and few between: Knicely Done

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Knicely Done

Danny Knicely sat in one time with Walker's Run at Michael's Bistro a hundred years ago in Charlottesville, and they still haven't been able to reconstruct the back wall. Brennan Gilmore's group was inspired by, and formed in the tradition of, Knicely's Magraw Gap — so it's only natural he'd blow the place up.

Several months back, in heat of summer, I'd ridden a bike from south of Harrisonburg to the very-exotic-sounding Keezletown Ruritan Club to catch Danny and Will Lee debut their Murders, Drownings and Lost Loves CD.

Danny Knicely

That free CD . .

Part of the deal was a free CD. Which would have been great, except that I forgot to pick mine up.

At recent James Leva show . .

Flash forward to when I went to see James Leva and Purgatory Mountain recently. Leva's music accomplishments — and those of his family — read like an encyclopedia of Appalachian music.

And Danny was appearing with them.

Telling the lost CD story . .

At the venue, I'm telling and re-telling the story of the left-behind CD to anyone who would listen. Then I spied Danny at the Coke™ machine. I could tell he wasn't listening to my woes at all, that he had musician matters on his mind.

Oh, well. At least I'd get to enjoy the show. If I could just quit thinking about how I'd never see my free CD.

Just then, at the moment of my greatest despair, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see something being proffered to me from behind. Turning further, I saw Danny's smiling face, as he placed a shrink-wrapped copy of the Murders, Drownings and Lost Loves CD in my trembling hands.