“Why You Been Gone So Long” -the Catbirds with Sarah Swain (bass and lead vocal) at O’Shea’s Olde Inn, Dennis, MA., March 18, 2017, recorded by Mark Usher.
We’ve been playing this old David Allen Coe chestnut in the Catbirds for ages, and Steve Wood’s been playing it even longer; this is the slow version, reserved for when Sarah Swain drops in, which won’t be for quite a while, dammit, as the Swain clan just embarked last week on a sailing trip down south that may last many months.
If you don’t know Sarah, she’s one of the sweetest, cutest, rockin’est womenz we have out here on the cape of cod, not to mention one of the bravest: this was recorded the night before she checked into the hospital for some scheduled but nonetheless daunting surgery (also successful, thank god!) (or whoever…) We were amazed and touched that she dropped by under those circumstances, and she must’ve been touched, too, is my guess.
We’re not used to having the Swain Fambly gone so long, so this is sort of our way of saying bon voyage, and we love you!