A Chat With Peter Case

Found myself in the company of Peter Case this evening. Most may know Pete from the Plimsouls, but I know him for being the host of First Flight. First Flight was a program that was held monthly at the new-old Ash Grove... the one on the Santa Monica pier. Well, it's there no longer, but that's another story. From `95-`96, Pete would bring in three additional singer-songwriters and have them all sit on stools at his side on a bare stage. The idea was to bring new songs... talk about them... and then play them for the first time, live. They would go back and forth until each artist played about a half dozen tunes or so. Then the evening would end with a group jam on something (previously written).

The talent that I got to see in such an intimate setting will probably not be seen together again. John Doe, Mare Winningham, Stew, Astro Puppies, Dan Bern, John Wesley Harding... the list goes on. Well, Pete and I started talking about those good ol' busking days. He even remembered me as being the guy that was there nearly every month. Good times. If the P.I.T. continues on into 2005, I may consider a First Flight format. It would be nice to see so many local talents actually sharing the stage together instead of full sets. It is just an idea, and time will tell.