Great time in Santa Cruz

[M19]

Good event for Sylvans...looks like they sold the 00 Erik Skye they had.

[drplayer]

Originally Posted by LWSog

I just had a really fun weekend in Santa Cruz where SCGC had their 40th anniversary celebration.

Saturday night, there was a wonderful concert in which several performers did three song solo sets. Each performer shared stories of how they came to use Santa Cruz guitars, and expressed their gratitude to Richard and the SCGC folks. The performers covered widely varied genres of music, and they were all great. My favorites included: Eric Skye (super expressive and dynamic playing), James Nash (a great songwriter and performer), Don Edwards (he brought a well earned legitimacy and presence), Catfish Keith (wildly entertaining - I've never heard anyone quite like him!), and Colin Hay (still sings great, and could possibly make a living in stand-up comedy!).

My takeaways from the weekend: there's a lot of love out there for Richard and SCGC; he is truly passionate about his work; his guitars are spectacular; Santa Cruz remains one of my favorite places! Fun times....

Originally Posted by tadol

My wife and I spent the whole weekend in SC, and it was fantastic, as expected -

The Friday night show was a complete sell-out, and the crowd was fantastic. The artists that night were mostly local people -

Bill Coulter
Steve Palazzo
Keith Greeninger
Sharon Allen
The Banana Slug String Band
McCoy Tyler
Billy Pitrone with Bean Creek
The Carolyn Sills Combo

They all were just fantastic - I'm really surprised that Keith Greeninger isn't better known, he has some fantastic material. And if anyone has ever called the SC shop, you've probably talked to Carolyn Sills - she and her partner Gerard (who works in the SC set-up shop) have an incredible sound, and their latest CD - is very worth buying! (shameless plug - https://youtu.be/q2o8SaG6Fbw )

The evening ended with everyone excited about the next night -

Saturday was the informational talk with Richard and Eric Skye at Sylvan - Eric always takes his personal 00-Skye model with him always, but as he usually does, he pulled the 00-Skye that was on the wall down and performed with it. Do I even need to say that it sold?

Then Saturday night was the "big" name show -

Colin Hay
Don Edwards
Eric Skye
Scott Law
Catfish Keith
SONiA
James Nash

It started with a nice informal video about Richard and the company, and there was a companion video after the intermission with greetings and praise for the SCGC and Richard from a great many world-class musicians, builders, and dealers. I won't even try to list all the big names that were singing the praises of their SC guitars, just too many, and when the builders - all of whom are extremely well-known on this forum - started offering their best wishes and sincere gratitude for Richard and his friendship and his pioneering work in establishing the market for these high quality acoustics - Richard had not seen it, and it was truly moving. The mayor of Santa Cruz presented a placque designating Sept 22nd as Santa Cruz Guitar Company day in Santa Cruz, so everyone mark their calendars -

The performances were all wonderful - I even got to meet Sonia, whose signature model guitar has been a favorite of mine for some time, even though I hadn't mcc of a clue as to who she was. Catfish Keith was mind-blowing, Colin Hay was amazing, Eric Skye is just so uber-talented he's in another category, and Don Edwards is just so perfect at what he does, I don't know what to say. Scott Law was great, and I really enjoyed hearing Sonia live for the first time - she is so great.

Great write-ups! My wife & I arrived in Santa Cruz on Thursday morning, went right to the Bay, and then took the tour that afternoon. Richard's passion for what he does is absolutely infectious, and his legacy is so much more than just making outstanding guitars. His commitment to his business, his community, and the environment (through the use of sustainable materials) is impressive, and it was very evident at Saturday's concert/presentation that Richard's actions speak louder than his words. The respect, love, & admiration he has gained from employees, players, dealers, peers, etc. was a beautiful thing to see, and it was obvious that Richard was very humbled by it all. He's a pretty remarkable man!

ALL the performers both nights were excellent, providing a very eclectic mix. I could comment on them all, but that has been very well done above. To touch on a few, however...Eric Skye's talent is just from another planet (and he seems like a really nice guy). His rendition of Wichita Lineman--as a dedication to Richard because it's, "the closest thing to a cowboy song I know"--was incredible. Don Edwards is just the nicest person, and at 77-years young, his voice still sounds great. Colin Hay was very funny, but his humor certainly didn't out-shine his music--EXCELLENT! Again, that's just the tip of the iceberg...all the performers were outstanding!

Sylvan's has some amazing guitars, with over 30 Santa Cruz models in stock. I played about 5-6 different SCGC models, and honestly would have taken home any of them...they're just that good! I fell in love with a custom H/13 with German spruce top, 1-13/16" nut, and hide glue package. AMAZING guitar, but after just recently buying my SGCG OO-DE (Don Edwards signature model) and a Blackbird Lucky 13, my guitar fund is sadly tapped out at the moment. However, that guitar is definitely "on deck"...

It was just a fabulous trip that provided ample time for the "guitar geek" stuff to be intertwined with exploring the area and going on a few excursions. I left Santa Cruz feeling I had made new friends, and also proud to know that my Santa Cruz is not just an outstanding guitar, but part of something bigger...

Monterey Bay


SCGC Tour - Richard Hoover & Yours Truly


Whale Watching






Sylvan's with Eric Skye (that H/13 I fell for is the sunburst guitar directly above Eric)




Steam Train Ride through the Redwoods





Saturday Night's Concert

Don Edwards...


The Ghost Oak Guitar...


Sunday in San Fran...






Pacific Sunset on last night...

[BrunoBlack]

Great pictures DR. I bet the train ride was fun. SF is a great town. My daughter & family lived in Marin for quite a while and we always enjoyed our visits.

[bho]

Thanks for the trip report, the pictures were nice too. I really wish I could have gone to this.

I have seen Colin Hay perform twice, and he always has a bunch of guitars but I've never seen him with a Santa Cruz. Do you know what model he was playing?

[drplayer]

Originally Posted by bho

I have seen Colin Hay perform twice, and he always has a bunch of guitars but I've never seen him with a Santa Cruz. Do you know what model he was playing?

It was a sloped-shoulder dread, so either a Vintage Jumbo or Vintage Southerner, or some customized version of one of them. Whatever it was, it sounded REALLY good!

[Organic Sounds Select Guitars]

Great pics, DRplayer! It looks like you also had a great weekend. I had a home in Felton for 11 years, right near that steam train and the redwoods, and walked my dogs on those trails everyday. Fun to visit.