Since Aug 2, 1993, an aging VHS video has been safely ensconced in my library. What makes the video special to me is that it documents the realization of a boyhood dream I had had since 1968, when I first began learning a tune by Mason Williams called ‘Classical Gas’ — to perform the tune live in concert with Mason!
(BTW, the guitar duet with Mason begins at 0:17:20)
MASON WILLIAMS & FRIENDS
Mason Williams – guitars, vocals
Byron Berline – fiddle, mandolin
Rick Cunha – guitars
Jerry Mills – mandolin
John Hickman – banjo
Don Whaley – bass
Hal Blaine – drums
and on this one night, yours truly!
The backstory is a long one, and recounted in full on my website in the article “The First Song”. You can read it here if you like.
As for this video, it’s not professionally produced by any means, just an amateur recording by a friend at the live concert with Mason Williams & Friends, for which I was the solo opening act, at the Melodrama Theatre in Bakersfield, California.
For many years I knew that I needed to get the original VHS transferred to digital to ensure its survival, and with the advent of YouTube I’ve naturally had the desire to share it online. But there was always some other project on the burner, and I just never got around to starting the digitization process.
But a few weeks ago, I saw an ad for Photo Video Digital Solutions, a shop in nearby Bloomington, IN that offered good rates on conversions, so I finally prioritized the project and delivered the source tape for digitization, receiving the digital files a couple days later. My thanks to Clyde for the quick turnaround.
After not seen the video in probably 20 years, on viewing it for the first time I had two sensations: 1. I was considerably thinner and better-looking 24 years ago, and 2. The quality of the video wasn’t great, but it was the audio that disappointed me most. As with most consumer camcorders in those days, the audio was noisy, heavy in the mid-range, and sorely needed help. So I opened the file in Logic Pro X, detached the audio, and went to work improving it as best I could given the tools at hand. I managed to inject a shot of clarity and tonal balance, and reduced the noise and hiss considerably. The final editing was done in iMovie.
So, while it’s a rough video, I hope you view this for what it is: documentation of a special night when I was able to realize a boyhood dream — to perform the most influential tune of my formative years as a guitarist with the original artist in concert, in a theatre filled with family, friends and fans who knew what a special night it was.
RELATED LINKS
Mason Williams website: http://www.masonwilliamsonline.com
The First Song: http://www.stringdancer.com/goto/gas
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