The one quote about death that always sticks in my mind - and I don't remember who said it - was something about most people either dying too late or too soon. In the case of my late friend Craig Roche, it was way too soon.
He was a true original, an elf, a self-made man who refused to take anything too seriously. He loved music. Craig's talent extended from acoustic to electric, from the traditions of jug band blues to the spectrum of rock and roll, playing in both musical worlds throughout his life. It was a privilege to help hold up the rthymn section in the Led Balloon Jug Band with Craig, observing first hand his amazing agility to coax and occasionally beat sound out of an inverted washtub, a pole and a string. He was equally adept on washboard, kazoo, vocals and - of course - guitar.
Our friendship had solidified at two class reunions in the recent past, since, for those of you reading this who wouldn't know, school was where Craig and I first got to know each other. I would always show up and immediately want to leave, but then he would calm me down with his infectious humor. As a matter of fact, Craig Roche's laugh is immortalized on one track of the original Led Balloon Jug Band Album, punctuating my teen aged coughing fit.
One of our functions besides struggling to maintain the "foundation " of the band's sound, was to provide humor, in terms of spoken asides , shout-outs (Craig's specialty) and general patter that fluctuated between a dismal Vegas lounge act and what passed for vaguely hip in the Sixties but now sounds like a rehearsal for the assisted living center talent show. I would always pull back in the middle of an idea, but Craig would push the envelope, carrying the thought to the most insane extreme, fearlessly jabbing our funny bones - I haven't seen too many people in my life that were capable of getting away with that lind of controlled insanity.
A few weeks back I wrote about Jim Kweskin and Geoff Muldaur in this space, and thoughtlessly implied that perhaps jug band music had somehow disappeared. At 12:57 PM on November 9,2008, there was a comment from Craig "The Bassman" Roche who wrote: "Good God, man, jug band music never left - so how can it come back? It still sounds so sweet, it certainly is a treat to me." Nine days later, Craig died at the age of 59.
Funny - I have a quiz to write, two exams to compose, plus go buy food and a radio show in a couple of hours, but I had to drop everything to get this done. He wouldn't want this to be too serious, so I'll just close by echoing the same sentiments - hanging out and playing music with Craig Roche certainly was a treat to me.
