September 30, 2004

They came from... well, I don't know where the hell they all came from, but they showed up--guitars, basses, banjos, fiddles, and mandolins in hand--with one purpose in mind: to sit around, have a few drinks, and bang out songs by two legends who need no last-name introduction: Johnny and Hank.

The CasHank Hootenanny Jamboree, held monthly in the platformed corner of Park Slope's Buttermilk Bar, is the brainchild of Alex Battles, who, after visiting several local old-time jams, "got tired of not knowing any of the songs." His solution: to create an open acoustic-jam gathering  comprised entirely of "new" old standards--mainly, the songs of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams. That doesn't mean the rules are strict: more than one player (myself included) did other people's songs that Johnny covered. And I'm pretty sure that neither Johnny nor Hank ever did a version of "Abracadabra", but that didn't stop Alex (or the rest of us) from doing it a serious injustice. Or maybe it was the other way around...

Like all good impromptu jams, the event was light on precision and heavy on passion. There's a certain sloppy magic to watching a group of musical strangers frowning at each other, trying to figure out chord changes, only to fall suddenly into smiling, harmonious sync. In traditional jam style, everyone took turns stepping up and singing. Highlights included Desdemona Finch's version of "Kneeling Drunkard's Plea," Alex's duet of "Jackson" with Linda May of the Wissler Family, and some damn fine fiddling by a couple folks whose names I never caught. (Anybody wanna help me here?)

The next CasHank will happen on Thursday, December 2, at Buttermilk Bar (577 5th Ave. at 16th St.,
Park Slope, Brooklyn). The fun starts at 9pm and is free to anyone with an acoustic instrument, a knowledge of three chords, and a love of Hank 'n' Johnny. For complete information and future schedules, click here.