Out of Retirement, Into the Heat!
By Frank Shortt
Timothy, Frank, Sal, Anthony, and Tommy
The Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California is now a yearly event thanks to a persistent College president and a local Ranch owner. In 1978, the seed for a Garlic Festival was planted and acted upon by the College president and additional ranchers, making it a reality.
No longer is the Garlic Capital of the World in France, but is in Gilroy, California, and has been thriving since the first festival in August, 1979. The College professor convinced the Gilroy ranch owners that Gilroy was not only the greatest producer of Garlic, but also processed more Garlic than any other area in the world.
The Garlic Festival is not only known for all its strange garlic concoctions, but also, for its propagation of local bands. Some of the better-known bands who have graced the stage at the Festival are; Rascal Flatts, Brothers Osborne, Kip Moore, Jon Pardi, and Dustin Lynch. One band that ‘raised from obscurity’, but only graced the stage one time, was Frank and the Shortt Gap Band! I can’t seem to find any mention of this band by Googling it.
“Poppy, Tommy has gotten us a gig at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, would you please be lead singer for us?” My grandson Timothy was almost in tears as he asked.
I had not played in a band for almost 50 years. I had kept my voice alive by singing hymns at our bible meetings, serenaded the children when they were small and too small to protest, and later the grandchildren. My guitars were kept in the cases unless someone came along that played one or wanted me to get them out of the closet for a song or two. I was as rusty as an old barn-door hinge!
I replied, “I’ll have to do some deep thinking about that, Timothy, My voice sounds like a screech owl and my wind ain’t like it used to be!” When I was in my twenties I could sing all night in a smoky bar and never sing the same song twice. Many muddy waters had run under the bridge since those infamous days!
After much agonizing and coercion from my grandson, I agreed to be lead singer for ‘Frank and the Shortt Gap Band’ aptly named by Tommy, my daughter’s boyfriend at the time, as well as, being director of the band and the bass and rhythm guitar virtuoso! We practiced in Sal, the drummer’s house, almost bringing the neighbor’s wrath upon Sal’s household. After much practice, we felt we were ready for Gilroy. I was able to memorize enough songs for an hour or so of stage presence. Besides Timothy on lead guitar, Tommy, and myself, Sal on drums and Anthony on rhythm guitar made up the ensemble.
July 24, 2008, temperatures were already in the 90’s as we tried to find parking close to the stage on which we were to perform. It seemed that the plastic would melt off our electric guitars, and the nylon strings on my old Guadalajara Paracho Classical guitar, were stubbornly trying to resist tuning. We were the first band up on that sweltering Gilroy morning. Sal’s drums drowned out my little classical and it is a miracle I could stay on beat and remember the lyrics to the songs I sang. Timothy’s runs were so loud my head was rattling when we finished. The Festival Committee draped up some nylon netting to keep the sun from beating down upon us, all to no avail. By the time our session was over, my guitar was completely out of tune, I might as well have been playing a slack-tuned Hawaiian guitar. Had I not known the tunes I was singing, we would have been a total flop. Any applause we received was probably directed toward Timothy and Anthony, who were the young and good looking ones of our group.
My final word to Timothy regarding any future gigs: “I am content to stay in retirement!” We did do one more gig the next year at a Church Festival. It is not worth mentioning in this article!