Jun 30, 2007

Great Performances: The history of a venue.



Went to a club last night to hear a group called the Mojo Men play. The bar/club is called "Stout", and it has certain trappings of an Irish pub.


For years, it was a club called "Poor David's Pub" (which has since relocated to a larger space in a trendier area). As Poor David's, I heard many fabulous acts/artists perform there, including (but not limited to):
  • Richard Thompson
  • Leo Kottke
  • John Fahey
  • John Cale
  • Ashley Hutchings and Robin Williamson
  • Bo Diddley
  • Townes Van Zandt
  • John Renbourn
  • Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady (Hot Tuna)
  • Dan Hicks (and his Hot Licks)
But none of those performances has been as important for me to hear and see as last night's group was. What was it that made the Mojo Men so important?

It was their bass player, Marcus Baker.

He is my wife's brother, the one who was hit by a red-light runner about two months ago. After a month in ICU, we were told he probably wouldn't live. The doctor was wrong.


Ask me why.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

WHY?

PM Summer said...

WHY?

At 5:30 AM on Mother's Day, we got a phone call from Marcus' wife. His heart had stopped early that morning, and he was in critical condition. We rushed to the hospital, as all the family was gathered.

At 8:00 AM, they let us go into his acute-care room, where we laid hands on him and prayed in Jesus' name for healing, for strength, and for the will to live.

The charge doctor asked to speak to us, so we went out to the family room. The doctor told the assembeled family that she didn't think he was goinfg to make it.

We prayed. More, harder, intensely, all of us as a group, individually, and even in small clumps. We prayed as many of us had never prayed before. In different languages, even.

He got better that morning.

Were our prayers effective? I have my answer, but for the doubters (rightly), let me say this...

I would rather be able to say now, "We prayed for a miraculous healing and he got better, somehow", than to say at a funeral, "Gosh, I sure wish we had prayed for a miraculous healing."

Anonymous said...

That's great to hear. I confess that I often have doubts, but I pray too. Annie tells me wonderful things about you. Thanks for always loving, accepting, and being there for her. She says she sees God in you. Now, that's high praise.
Sincerely,
Annie's friend (Jo Ann)