Who’s That New Guitar Player?
The new guy showed up at the gig too late to help load-in or set up the equipment, and he didn’t even have a cowboy hat. But he played and sang two songs and knocked them out of the park. The Mules invited him to join the band but he declined, citing other priorities. Understandable, perhaps, because he is, after all, our Congressman, the Hon. Jared Huffman.
Flash back to December 2019. Mules’ keyboardist Dick Bay was eating lunch at the Marin Country Mart and began hearing what distinctly sounded like live music. After lunch he followed the sounds and found a band playing at the grand opening for the Larkspur Smart Train station. He listened to a few somewhat Mule-like songs and then began to notice that the guitar player closely resembled his Congressman, who he had met briefly at a Mules gig a few years prior. Eventually they introduced the band members and, sure enough, it was him. Then and there Dick began to envision a day when Miracle Mule might join musical forces with the Congressional guitarist.
Flash ahead to February 2021. The Mules had signed up to provide the music for the Marin Democrats’ Ragin’ Cajun Mardi Gras fundraiser, and Jared Huffman was to be the keynote speaker. The musical collaboration might have happened then – except for the intervention of everyone’s favorite pandemic. The event still happened, but via Zoom, which was great for broadcasting the Mules’ performance to the remote attendees, but which did not allow for remote guitar players to sit in. Ditto 2022.
But in February 2023 the stars finally aligned. This year’s event was live and in person and once again Rep. Huffman was the designated keynote speaker. We sent word that the Mules would love to team up for a song or two and the Congressman eventually contacted our fearless leader, Geoff Mack. They settled on two songs, “The Weight” by The Band and “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show. The Mules had played “Wagon Wheel” a handful of times, but “The Weight” was new for us. A hastily arranged rehearsal brought the band and the Congressman together for the first time. They hit it off immediately and had the two songs whipped into shape in no time
On the night of the event, the Mules got things rolling, then gave way to gumbo, shrimp and speeches. Rep. Huffman delivered his keynote address, sharing fun insider stories about Chuck Schumer, Joe Manchin and George Santos. Then he shed his dress shirt, revealing the Miracle Mule t-shirt underneath, picked up his guitar and joined the Mules on stage. Geoff played the opening guitar riff to “The Weight,” the band joined in and the Congressman launched into the first verse. The friendly crowd clapped and sang along and loved every minute of it. By the time “Wagon Wheel” ended, it was clear that Huffman’s two songs were the highlight of the evening.
Before he could leave the stage, Dick called the Congressman over and presented him with a framed certificate officially proclaiming him to be an “Honorary Mule.” He accepted the dubious honor graciously and promised to display the certificate in his office. So he’s not going to actually become the eighth member of Miracle Mule but he does know that he’ll always have a place at the hay trough.