So many people have read our blog about the accident between Kevin and Ed last winter. I thought at the time that it would likely be the only automotive adventure blog I would write. That was until Sunday night.

Most of you know at this point that Ed has left the trio after introducing Kevin and me to singer/mandolin player, Eric McDonald, otherwise known as THE MANDOLINENATOR. This past weekend was our first multi-day excursion with Eric, and it was a ball, if a trifle eventful.

Kevin met me at my place at 9am Saturday morning, and we picked up Jake, our road manager, in Portland shortly thereafter. Together we made our way to Riverside Station just outside Boston where Eric jumped in, and then we were on our way to Phoenixville, PA (just outside Philly) to play at Steel City Coffee House. So far so good. We had a great show in PA and drove from there to Columbia, MD to stay with some friends, the Demmitts. Paul and Joyce Demmitt have always been so good to us, loaning us beds, feeding us great food, and ALWAYS providing us with our favorite beer!

We arrived at the Demmitts at about 1:30am, swilled a couple of cold beers and bedded down. Next morning we shoved off to meet with McShane Glover, our representative (like an agent, only better) for a light lunch at the Macaroni Grille in Annapolis. It was good for all involved to get around the table for a band strategy session. Something we should have done years ago.

After we were finished we parted company with McShane and set off toward Alexandria, VA for our gig in the evening at FOCUS Inn (a great little coffeehouse series run out of a church vestry). Our intention was to find a music store once we arrived in Alexandria so that Eric could bolster his supply of mandolin strings, just in case…. We never did find a music store, but we did get lost looking for one. And all the while the exhaust system on the band van--the gigmobile--started getting louder and louder. Finally, we gave up looking for strings and started looking for a place to pick up a muffler patch! We pulled into a convenience store and realized that a muffler patch wasn't going to help since the problem was a broken flange. So I bought some hose clamps hoping to do a hack repair which would get us through the trip.

We arrived at the church for our gig and set up, sound checked, and played a concert for a wonderful audience. After the show, I got on my back under the van and made an attempt at the aforementioned hack repair using the hose clamps, a wad of aluminum foil, and a disposable turkey roasting pan! Repair complete, we piled in and began following Scott Moore to his home in Rockville, MD for a little beer and some sleep in his home for wayward musicians.

About 10 minutes into the drive, I downshifted to get up a hill and the clutch went to the floor and never came back up. Being a quasi-car guy, I correctly surmised that the exhaust repair had heated up or somehow redirected the hot exhaust onto the plastic hydraulic line for the clutch. With no clutch, I managed to get the car into gear and Jake called Scott on his cell phone to let him know what was going on. Since the car was in gear, we cautiously continued to Scott's and WE MADE IT!!

In the morning I looked the old van over, even bought some parts at the parts store hoping that another miraculous surgery could help, but it was to no avail. The old van wasn't up for another 600 mile trip, and the cost to repair the 1994 Ford Aerostar with 296,000 miles on it would far exceed its value. We made the difficult decision to call a salvage yard and they hauled it away.

So there we were, stuck in Maryland with a pile of suitcases, instruments, and sundry musical equipment. We started researching one-way car rentals. Only one place could come and pick us up (we had no other available transportation), and they only had a sedan for $150. If we did that, we would have to leave some stuff behind, but it seemed like our only option. That's when Kevin thought of Paul Demmitt having said that he was coming to Maine to bring his daughter to Bates College after Thanksgiving. Perfect, we could leave him with our non-critical items and he could bring them to Maine in three weeks when he comes up. So I made the call.

Paul answered the phone immediately, and no sooner did I tell him that we had to junk the old van than he said, "Take mine. I hardly ever drive it." He said he had to come in our direction for a meeting and would pick us up after the meeting and we could bring him home and continue on to Maine. He went on to say that he would just drive the van home from Maine when he comes up later this month! At about 1:30 pm, Paul pulled up in his 1984 Toyota van (check out the pic taken in Paul's driveway just before we pointed it north). We loaded it up, brought him home, and started for Maine, dropping Eric on the way. Kevin and I pulled into my driveway around 2:30am, and damned glad to be there!

So, I'm looking for a new gigmobile. Any ideas out there?

Oh, and a note to Paul Demmitt, in case you ever read this, we owe you lobster. Thank you, my friend.