People: Tom and Nancy Harkness & myself ~ Place: Cherokee Tavern, West St. Paul ~ Band: Steve Daly,

Jason Kraft, Paco, the killer bassist whose instrument is really tenor sax.

Tom asked me if I play electric guitar.

I said no.

He asked why.

"All I have is an acoustic."

Have I ever played an electric, though?

Yes; I had one long ago, but I don't think it was a good instrument.

He told me I should try; he told me I was precise on the acoustic, and quite

a bit more lauding my guitar playing...(which I cannot yet wrap my mind around).

Tom said why don't you try electric, you should try, have you thought of...(and then

I don't recall what was said because moments earlier he had just blown me away

sitting in w/ the band, and now telling me I was good on guitar).

He said he had an electric to loan me, why don't I try. I said I gratefully accept. Later

on Nancy said, in a few days we should go to Plums songwriting showcase, do you want to?

I said yeah and we all agreed Jeff F can skateboard there, it's really close to his house.

At night's end, N. brought up Plums again - I said I have to practice for a couple weeks

first, maybe a month. Tom burst out, "You don't have to practice!"

So we're going in a few days; they sign writers up online I think, ahead of time. I'm cool

either way for playing or not.

I asked would it be weird if I got that guitar tonight? So I went to their house, met their

cats, took a tour of the place, and came home w/ one of The Swamp King's guitars.

You can't make this stuff up.