Mike joined mandolinist Jamie Masefield and guitarist Doug Perkins for a benefit performance this past Saturday, January 18, at the Village Meeting House in rural Starksboro, Vermont.

The show was the trio’s second benefit at the Meeting House. The first show, in January of 2000, allowed the Meeting House to buy a furnace. “There was much warmth,” Mike said of this year’s gig. The two-set show included a variety of jazz and bluegrass standards, including “Bewitched”, “Doin’ My Time”, “Devil’s Dream”, plus some of Jamie and Doug’s originals.

Some notes on the gig from Mike:
“This gig reeked of specialness. The vibe, for example, was being set an hour before we played by a man whose job was to lower the old church’s central chandelier in order light 25 or so oil lamps, so that we could see. The crowd was whisper soft as we started tinkling the old ivories (strings, actually). None of us predicted how nicely the three instruments and two voices would gel. We did some jazz, bluegrass, folky and funky things in each set. The cookies and muffins were top notch. Normally reserved for preschoolers, the dressing decor was bright and fingerpainted.”