Guitar safari! (described by a witness, vintage record shop owner)

by Jefferson James

"So, there I was minding my own business. A mild mannered proprietor of a small vintage record shop in Winnipeg attending to his daily routine. Suddenly the front door flew open! 5 men dressed like SO-CAL car builders burst through the door.

"Well-dressed hoodlums" I thought.

They were like a variation of the A Team. There was a big one, a hillbilly, a Face, a Murdoch and a young Hannibal.

Hannibal seemed to be the leader of this squad. He approached me and spoke, "I was here fifteen years ago and you had a Garnet amplifier head over there on the wall, do you still have it?". Fifteen years ago? Where could this guy have been for 15 years, I quickly assumed he did a stretch in prison, somewhere iconic like San Quentin perhaps?

"Nah, a friend got that one", I replied.

Suddenly they started digging trough the store for vintage goodies with great enthusiasm. They unearthed items that I'd completely forgotten we even had anymore. We were playing with movie props, old movie posters, vintage Batman toys, even original 1950s Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets... The Classics. Man-Cave memorabilia. I will readily admit this was fun, the most fun I'd had in a long time with my pants on. These five strangers had style, and the camaraderie started to flow.

Items I'd never thought I would part with were easily finding themselves a new home, I knew these guys dressed like car fabricators would give my old treasures a new start.

We joked and laughed, told stories and horse traded for hours. I even put them in charge of the shop when I had to venture downstairs to check the progress of the plumber I had working in the basement. Had I ever just left completely unknown people in charge before? Never! These five seemed trustworthy from the moment they walked in, my trust was not squandered.

They started buying stuff, the first item was a old Soup Kitchen sign used as a prop in a Anthony Hopkins/Brad Pitt movie. I agreed as long I could get a photo of the sign with the leader of this pack holding it as a memento of my owning it the last 20 years. "Sure he said, if we take it with my camera we can post it to social media. Half a million people might see it!".

Half a million? Just how big a prison was this guy in?

They found all kinds of goodies and we did all kinds of crazy fun deals.

Suddenly they had to go, only the big fella, aptly named Big D was left behind to pay for the goodies. He explained they had to get back and have dinner and get ready for the show. Show? He mentions there will be a concert. WHO is having a concert? JOE BONAMASSA he replies.

Whaaaaat?

Yeah, the guy who I've been referring to as the Hannibal of this memorabilia loving A-Team is Joe Bonamassa. A guitar legend. A player I've long enjoyed and respected. A bluesman whose Muddy Wolf At Red Rocks DVD is in my player at home as we speak. On stage he wears these impressive suits and trademark wraparound sunglasses. On stage you'd think he was 6' 5" and pretty handy with a pool cue. Dressed casually without the glasses I completely failed to recognize him. I felt dimmer than the lead actor in The Crying Game, I totally missed the obvious.

I reach behind me and pull out my personal copy of Joe's album "Live At Carnegie Hall", Big D tells me to stay put and runs outside to get Joe. Joe walks back in, immediately spots his album and grabs it and embraces it like a dear old friend. I laugh, it's a sincere moment and we're all having a chuckle. I explain that I totally didn't recognize him, he's cool with it.

What a great afternoon.

After the boys leave I grab my iPad and look at the photo Big Derek took. I notice a logo on Joe's hat, the entire time he was in the shop he was moving so fast that I never got to see the hat long enough to grasp what was embroidered on it. "Nerdsville Vintage". "Entirely awesome" I think, I've to get me one of those too, so I google it. Dammit! Nerdsville is Joe's personal museum, this guy has got the all his toes dipped into something interesting. I experience a moment of well deserved jealousy.

So now, my next adventure is to find something sweet enough to trade Joe Bonamassa for one of these hats.

Life can be wickedly enjoyable if you have the right attitude.

Thanks to the A-Team, you made today more than fun, today we made history. If ever the opportunity presents itself where I can return the favour to any of you, you need only ask once to make it happen.

Awesome!

Jefferson Bishop
The Sound Exchange
Winnipeg"

look inside for a pick https://www.facebook.com/JoeBonamassa/p … 5146189659