Minus Ten Review- 7

My 1972 Gretsch Country Club

Ten years ago on the blog here I actually posted a ton of images! Pretty dang surprised at the stuff I had to go through for today's post, which has been unusual until now. We'll see if I was able to keep that up in future "Minus Ten Review" posts!

I posted this image of my Gretsch. Back then I didn't know what year it was or even what model guitar it was. Now through the magic of the innergoogles I have ascertained all I need to know about the thing. I still have it and it sounds pretty good when I take it out and play it. I don't use it a lot, but whenever I do, it gets way more compliments and comments than any other guitar I own combined. Something about that big ol' hollow body!

Of course, this weekend is another edition of Frostbike, the dealer only invitation show that Quality Bikes puts on. I used to go to this gig for several years, but I think this makes three years in a row that I haven't gone. I had many a good time there. Many! Too good a time some years!

2008 was not all that great, let me tell ya! Now I had been going to Frostbike regularly for five years by this point. This Frostbike was an entirely different deal. I went up with a former co-worker that was taking care of the Ergon booth for Jeff Kerkove, who had just taken on that gig the year before. The guy I went up to the show with was Carl Buchanan. He dropped me off at QBP pre-show where I hooked up with then Salsa Brand Manager, Jason Boucher. I was to "shadow" Jason all weekend and I was staying at his home while we were up there. It was a very gracious offer on his part, but it cost him dearly and I was ultimately embarrassed greatly!

Part of the gig as brand Manager was to deal with all the big dealers and international press and international dealers who were there to join in Frostbike. Back then it still was a legitimate "trade show" of sorts with a fair amount of product releases going on simultaneously. Remember, there was no Saddledrive, or anything else other than Sea Otter and Interbike for QBP to show wares at stateside. So, Frostbike was a "big deal" and it attracted a lot of dealer attention worldwide.

The "bike pile" in the basement of One On One Bike Studio in Minneapolis

So it was that I ended up in a brew pub/restaurant with Jason, the Surly Crew, the German distributors, and the Japanese distributors and their photographers. It was a wild time with food and beers flowing. Later, we were to go to the famous On On One Bicycle Studio, not far from where we were engaged in eating and drinking on a cold, snowy Minneapolis night. The Japanese contingent insisted on some kind of impromptu photoshoot with Jason and Salsa's Kid Reimer, posing them on their bicycles and filming them riding to One On One.

I was a bystander with nothing to do with any of this circus, and Jason, being cognizant of that fact, tossed me the keys to his Honda Element and told me to go ahead and drive to One On One, park the vehicle, and wait for him inside. Supposedly there was some shindig going on down there as well.

So, keep in mind that I was a total Minneapolis noob and knew nothing of the ways of the inner city. As I searched for a spot to park, I noted that there was a little used lot right across from One On One. I couldn't believe my luck as I parked the Element, locked it up, and strolled on into One On One where I saw a few folks I knew and started chatting. The conversation went to how horrendous it was to find a spot to park when I spouted off that I had found this awesome spot easily right across the street.

That's when I found out that was an impound lot- no parking or your vehicle gets towed. 

Yeah......Heart sank, felt one inch tall...... All the guilts! Anyway, I went down in the basement where the infamous One On One "bike pile" is and stayed out of the view of the crowd upstairs which was buzzing about the "idiot that got Boucher's car towed".

Obviously Jason showed up to find out the terrible news and he shot out of there to retrieve his vehicle. A couple of hours later and over $260.00 dollars poorer, I found myself in a very uncomfortably silent vehicle heading back to Jason's abode.

That was the longest car ride ever! 

And yes, we are still friends!