The Hour Detroit editorial and art staff rarely run out of story ideas. But we don’t work in a vacuum, either. We talk to outside sources and freelancers, and our amazing support staff — ad sales, circulation, production, etc. — occasionally provide leads, too.
Case in point. A while back, Hour Media’s Production Director Jon Reynolds showed me a Curbed Detroit article. The Old Redford house near my neighborhood didn’t get his attention; it was the owner, Gabriel Currie of Echopark Guitars (see page 39).
Reynolds’ day job is corralling myriad steps to ensure publications actually get printed. But he’s also an accomplished bass guitarist. He reached out to his friend, Mark Goldenberg, an Echopark customer Jackson Browne’s former lead guitarist, to see if Currie was the real deal. He was.
Reynolds made our initial contact. Currie showed us his home, then brought out an instrument. I’ve played guitar since my teens, but have never touched anything so wonderful. Too bad that as an amateur, I can’t justify the $2,000-plus starting price. But a guy can dream, right?
Meanwhile, I recently met another new neighbor, Peter Fletcher. A bit of small talk revealed that he moved from Brooklyn to Detroit and he “played guitar.” Come to find that’s like saying Justin Verlander “plays catch.”
Fletcher, a renowned touring classical guitarist, recently performed with a former Metropolitan Opera friend/vocalist at a North Rosedale Park Community House fundraiser. Hanging out with Currie and seeing Fletcher in action made me want to either go home and practice my guitar, or never touch it again.
In other musical news, Jim McFarlin profiles songwriting icon Allee Willis on page 48. I found out the Detroit native and I have something in common. She has a journalism background and she can’t read a note of music.
Now that’s more my style!
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