Saturday, June 18 (Paul McCartney's birthday), was Gretsch Day at StreetSounds NYC, a guitar shop in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, N.Y. It's considered the largest authorized Gretsch guitar dealer in the United States.
In attendance were Fred W. Gretsch, the great-grandson of the company's founder; Joe Carducci, Gretsch's marketing honcho; and Kim Falcon, the Gretsch poster (and calendar) girl.
There were guitar giveaways, free food (one of my six favorite things in the universe), a tour of the old Gretsch factory and a solo performance by Gretsch-endorsed guitarist Paul Pigat from the Vancouver-based rockabilly band Cousin Harley. This guy is freakin' good. If you're not familiar with his playing, check out the video below.
I went to the event with my Gretsch-loving crew, because we like being surrounded by guitars whenever possible. We've all bought instruments at StreetSounds in the recent past; me: a Gretsch Silver Jet 6129T and a limited-edition Jimmy C Custom Pin-Stripe Electromatic G5120; my bro: an Electrotone G6073 bass; my other friend: a really nice 6120DC.
Check out the photo gallery below (Sorry about the really un-awesome iPhone pix!).
Here's Paul Pigat with Cousin Harley at Winter NAMM 2010:
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Surf/rockabilly/blues/rock guitarist Damian Fanelli is the online managing editor at Guitar World. He's in two bands that have performed around the country and in England, Mister Neutron and The Blue Meanies. He's a former member of the Brooklyn-based Gas House Gorillas, he's played on sessions and soundtracks in NYC and LA, and he's tired of eating apples. Seriously, how many apples are we expected to eat?
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
