A Pint Of Plain For Jimmy & Eric

Well, it's that time of year again, dear listeners.  No, I'm not talking about breaking out Phil Spector's Christmas Album (though that's never a bad idea - even in July).  I'm talking about 6 p.m. December 23rd (name your time zone), when stalwarts scattered the world over raise a pint of Guinness (or acceptable beverage of one's own choosing) to Jimmy Silva, the great friend and songwriter who left us now twenty-one long years ago. If you are a fan of the music of the Minus 5 and/or the Young Fresh Fellows (and why would you be reading this if you weren't?), then you know Dr. Jim Silva was a collaborator and inspirational instigator from the beginning, and in fact far before. This year we toast also Jimmy's true pal and musical accomplice Eric Scott, who has recently joined whatever version of the Goats is currently performing wherever the two of them reside.  Maybe Ian McLagan, who we lost a year ago, is handling Wurlitzer/B3 duties.  And John Lennon is supplying walls of ear-splitting feedback.

Hopefully you have some of those rare Silva sounds on hand to partake of this evening.  Or perhaps the excellent tribute CD Through A Faraway Window, on which a diverse group of luminaries perform many of Silva's finest songs.  Lacking any of those, I'm sure Jimmy and Eric would be happy to know you were listening to The Who, Kinks, Byrds, Small Faces, Beatles and R.E.M. on their behalf. 

By the way, this seems as good a time as any to announce the upcoming release of the one and only FLYWHEELS album, coming in 2016.  Eric Scott and Kim Wonderley, besides their work with Silva, have written and sung songs together for many years, and now a newly-recorded collection is near completion.  This album is a true labor of love, and I believe it comes across that way -- it's a beautiful record!  Featuring Kim & Eric plus various members of the Minus 5, Orange Peels, Smithereens, etc.  And there will be a musical celebration of Eric's life at Thee Parkside in San Francisco, February 20, 2016.  More on that later...