“SAY GOODBYE” : A STEVE GUTHE RETROSPECTIVE

Ferryboat Music Releases CD by Late Northwest Folk Leader

Steve Guthe, my friend and music partner, was a leading light of the Pacific Northwest folk music scene for over 25 years. He passed away in April 2005 of a heart attack, and his absence leaves a large, silent hole in the music circles he once traveled. In an effort to fill part of that void, and to make his music accessible to the public again, Ferryboat Music has released a retrospective album of Steve’s songs and instrumentals called “Say Goodbye”.

I should probably start at the beginning, to refresh old friends’ memories and to introduce him to younger readers who never had the chance to meet him. Steve was born in upstate New York, raised in Boston, and moved to Seattle in the late 1970’s. As a kid, he learned guitar from a teenage neighbor named Bill Staines, beginning a life-long affair with folk music. Steve’s initial attempts to busk on the streets of Seattle met with abject failure: “You can starve to death playing guitar!”, he later recalled . He soon bought a hammered dulcimer from Dusty Strings, learned to play it, and began performing aboard the Seattle-Winslow ferry. Failure quickly changed to success: passengers listened, passengers threw tips in the instrument case, passengers bought cassette tapes.

Steve teamed up with a series of partners to form The Ferryboat Musicians, featuring Steve on dulcimer and banjo, the partner on guitar, with both sharing vocals. The set usually opened with dulcimer tunes, then progressed to songs, heavily infused with wry jokes and a great deal of showmanship. Steve’s original partner was Alan Levy, who shoved off for Alaska before long. Next came Kat Eggleston, who recorded two cassette albums with Steve before leaving for a solo career in Chicago. Steve also sang on two Victory At Sea albums, and served as a board member for both Victory Music and Wintergrass.

Steve quickly found new music-mates with whom to record and perform. These included Susan Welch, Mike Saunders, and myself. Renaming his group The Ferryboat Band, Steve took to the road, performing as far away as Texas, Hawaii, San Francisco, and Baltimore. He recorded two more CD’s. The first was an Irish instrumental album called “A Fine Time Indeed” with Mike Saunders on guitar, fiddle, and clawhammer banjo. The second, “Brave Boys!”, was a vocal and instrumental album recorded with The Rounders (Robby Thran and myself).

Steve’s untimely passing left all of his albums out of print, and some unfinished tracks in the studio. It would be a crying shame to let his music sit in a closet, unreachable by those who’d like to listen. So I dusted off what Ferryboat Music still has of Steve Guthe, and have put together a “best of” album that reflects his vocal, instrumental, and songwriting talents.

The first order of business was to finish three of his incomplete songs. “Texas Rangers” a haunting a capella solo, needed only editing and reverb. The homeward-bound shanty “Goodbye, Fare Ye Well” got support from David Lange on accordion, Robby Thran on bass, and harmony choruses from Mark Iler, Brian Maskew and myself. “Say Goodbye”, a bitterly funny song Steve composed after a romantic breakup, gained subtle backing from Mark on lead quitar and harmonica.

The album opens with “The Swallow-Tail Jig/Unfortunate Rake” medley on hammered dulcimer. Steve called them his “E Minor Tunes”, and invariably commenced live performances with that pair. There are rowdy sea songs, like “Jolly Rovin’ Tar” and “New York Girls”, balanced by the nostalgic love song “Lakes of Ponchartrain” . Interspersed with vocal renditions are instrumental tunes on dulcimer, backed either by Mike Saunders or myself. As we reviewed “Run Come See Jerusalem” we discovered a false start, in which Steve broke out laughing at himself. It’s classic Steve – so it went on the album. In all, there are seventeen Steve Guthe performances on the CD, ending (appropriately enough) with “Say Goodbye”.

Added at the end is one unlisted track: my rendition of “My Rambling Boy”, which I sang at Steve’s memorial service. It’s my way to “say goodbye”.

Putting this album together felt like a “family affair”. The cover photos were shot by my son Hank IV when he was only eight years old – he spent a lot of his childhood on the road with me and Steve. (He’s 23 now). My wife Kit McLean did the graphic design. Recording was done over the years by Steve’s friends Rob Folsom and David Lange.

The expenses of producing this CD were paid by Ferryboat Music. Proceeds from the sale will go to Tumbleweed, Steve’s favorite folk festival. I hope the release of this CD will allow old friends and fans to enjoy “one more song” from Steve Guthe, and let new listeners appreciate the talent he shared with us. The CD will be available on-line through the Ferryboat Music website, and will likely be offered for sale through stores that carried Steve’s music in the past, such as Northwest Seaport and Dusty Strings in Seattle, the Galway Bay Pub in Ocean Shores, and the Sun Mountain Store in Winthrop. They may also be ordered by mail for $16 each (postage included) through Ferryboat Music, PO Box 22, Winthrop, WA 98862.

For more information, e-mail kitcramer@mac.com or call (509) 996-3528