Just a few months back to the surprise of many God Street Wine fans, the band announced that they would be reuniting to do two shows at New York’s Gramercy Theater to benefit the National MS Society. Long time friend and former road crew member Michael Weiss was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis back in 2004 and has answered his call to be proactive in the fight against MS. His good friends God Street Wine came together to perform two benefit shows and I couldn’t wait to talk to not just God Street Wine but also Michael himself about how this came to happen.
I did interviews with God Street Wine singer/guitarist (and Brainfart fan) Lo Faber and Michael Weiss as well. They were both really eager to discuss the reunion, the benefit and all else in between. Both fellas are extremely busy with life and the upcoming shows so that they took the time to do these interviews was just awesome. I hope you’ll enjoy this one as much as I did!
Micheal Weiss – Long time friend and former God Street Wine
How did you come to know the God Street Wine guys?
I was introduced to GSW in 1989 by Ed Looram. I met Ed at Wesley College in Dover, De, and Ed had grown up in Ridgewood, NJ; same home town as Aaron. Anyway, Ed invited me up to see this band, God Street Wine, that was going to be playing a summer party in the backyard of his home in Ridgewood. Ed was GSW’s everything guy prior to me starting to work for them.
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What did you do for them and for how long did you work for them?
I did just about everything for them at one point or another. I think I booked a few shows before they signed with their first booking agent, collected money at the door of the Rhinecliff Hotel, tour managed them, worked as their stage manager, tech, played around as their lighting director for a while (if a guitar string broke, I would set the lights and run to the stage to change the string), lived with them in Ossining, NY when we were off the road, and played poker with them. I worked for them from some point in 1992 through 1996ish…with a small break somewhere in the middle.
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You were diagnosed with MS in 2004. How has this affected you and your family?
Yes, I was diagnosed about 5 weeks after our daughter was born. Having a new born and a toddler in the house, the MS diagnosis was quite a shock, and sent me for a pretty emotional ride. It took me a while to come to grips with it, but with the support of my family, and some amazing information I was able to get from the National MS Society, I was able to begin to move forward with my MS. As for how it has affected us, we really try to live life in the moment now. Also, I was worried about how it would impact my kids, but since they only know me with MS, it has given them a compassion for others that is really nice to see. They help me with my daily injection of MS medication (Copaxone), and that at least lets them see that I am doing something to make sure I am well for as long as possible, and I think that’s somewhat reassuring for them.
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God Street Wine decided to reunite for three shows benefiting the National MS Society. Have you started to see a raised interest in the subject of MS since the shows were announced and if so, how?
I have certainly seen more awareness since the shows were announced. I think the most noticeable way has been the messages I’ve gotten from people, and the willingness of people to join in and help raise awareness themselves. It goes back to the grass roots way that GSW started out, and it is just being used to raise awareness for MS. Another way I’ve seen the raised interest is through th generous donations that have been sent my way. I have received a number of donations through my Walk MS efforts at www.myMSteam.com and I’ve asked people for items that I can auction leading up to, and at the shows. Many of these items can be found on eBay under my user name, 31mweiss . So far the response has been amazing!
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You are such a positive and uplifting person, you have found ways to get out and bring awareness of MS to many people via the God Street Wine family. How does it feel to be able to reach out to so many people through the music of a band we love?
It’s amazing! It’s been really exciting to see how stoked people are for these shows, and how willing people have been to help out with the cause. Just like everyone else, I’ve been limited to GSW tapes and CDs for quite some time. So, being able to see them play again, while raising money and awareness for a cause that is so close to me, is just about as good as it gets in terms of a fundraising event!
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These benefit shows are going to be huge. Are all the proceeds going to MS?
As billed, 100% of the bands profits from the Gramercy Shows will be donated to the NMSS. The band will also be donating a portion of the proceeds to the NMSS from the Irving Shows, although that amount has yet to be determined. I can’t even begin to descibed how grateful I am for the generosity of the band, and their willingness to have these shows benefit the NMSS. They are an amazing bunch, and just like it was a no brainer for them to get together and play a memorial for Paul Ducharme, friend, taper and fan of the band that passed away last year, they also dove in head first when the idea of a fundraiser for the NMSS came up.
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Does MS have any kind of signs? How does one know if he/she has MS?
MS is different for everyone, and some of the symptoms can mimic other things…I think that’s why it took me so long to get diagnosed. The symptoms can range from numbing and tingling, to loss of vision and paralysis. My diagnosis came after a series of MRIs showed lesions on my brain and spine. This, coupled with my medical history, was what was used to diagnose my MS.
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Are there any preventative steps to take to avoid getting MS or is it something that can’t be avoided?
Since the cause of MS isn’t known, there are no real preventative steps. There’s been a great deal of talk recently and there are some interesting theories…but it’s all still very unknown.
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What are your top 5 God Street Wine songs?
Ooh. That’s a tough one. In no perticular order:
1. Light my Candles
2. 6:15
3. Call it Love
4. Lady Fingers
5. April Rain
This is so hard to limit to 5, and the 5 I have listed can change the next time I listen to a show.
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What was it like being on the road with the GSW? I bet you have a great story to share. C’mon, just one!
Being on the road with GSW was great. Life on the road can take its toll on you, but being on the road with the band, and guys like Dean Mullin, Brian Duffy and Eddie Ryan, were some of the best times of my life. Rather than a specific story, the thing that always jumps out at me about life with GSW was the end of week poker games in Ossining. For the majority of the time I worked for the band, I also lived with them in Ossining when we were off the road. We didn’t make a ton of money back in the day, and if there was anything left after paying the bills and the cost of touring, we would all get $100 a week. Yes…$100. You would think that we would all budget this money out, and make sure we had enough to eat for the next 7 days….but no…the majority of times we would break out the green felt table and try to turn that hundred into as much as possible. Or, try to avoid it turning into nothing. There were many nights that ended with someone running up to their room to get a jar full of change, and calling a bet that they really had no business calling. Those moments either turned into a trip to Rocky’s Deli for a bacon, egg and cheese on a roll, or another week of Peanut Butter. As you can imagine, these games got a little intense.
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What kind of advice can you offer to those that have been diagnosed with MS?
For someone who has just been diagnosed, I always suggest a phone call to their local chapter of the National MS Society. This was one of the first calls I made after my diagnosis, and it really put me on the right track in dealing with my MS. The MS Society gave me the resources and information I needed to start to build the team I use to manage my MS. My doctor, the medication I take (Copaxone), and support groups I’ve visited…it can all be traced back to information I got from my call to the MS Society. They can also help to guide you through some of the initial shock and fear through their programs and services. Most importantly, though, this is not a death sentence. It took me a while, but I finally realized that I needed to take ownership of my MS, be proactive, and do something every day to put myself in a position to be successful with my MS.
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Lo Faber of God Street Wine
Lo, last time we talked you were planning to move to New Orleans. How is ol’ N’awlins treating you now that you’re there?
Great, great place for music, history, and food, all things I love! And nice weather too. And Mardi Gras. And the Saints. You can’t beat it.
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What’s the best place to get seafood where you’re at?
Big Fisherman, at Magazine St. and Toledano St. for crawfish; Casamiento’s for oysters; but right now everyone is very worried about the tragic effects of the BP oil spill on Gulf seafood.
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Good friend, fan and crew member Michael Weiss was diagnosed with MS back in 2004. How did the topic and idea of a God Street Wine reunion/benefit come up?
Well, we did reunite last year for the memorial for Paul Ducharme in Ridgewood, NJ. That happened very suddenly without any advance planning – and no rehearsal. When you lose someone, particularly someone who was as intense and influential a character as Paul, people want to come together. We were all devastated by the unexpected loss of Paul and without any discussion or debate we all felt the only thing to do was to play together for our, and Paul’s, mutual friends. And so we reconnected, not only with our past as a band, but in particular I think with the early years of that past, before record companies and tour burnout began to change it into something different than it was early on.
Now as far as Mike goes, we had discussed a God Street benefit for MS on and off over the years. We assumed Dan, Aaron and Jon would probably be willing to do it, but the big question was Tomo who was living in Ireland, as well as playing a full touring schedule with a different band.
The Ducharme reunion really brought everyone together and made everyone perhaps a bit hungry for more. And to those two factors – Mike and the MS benefit, and the Ducharme factor – I would also add the surprising success of the Bring Back GSW page on facebook, which answered one vital question: if we got together, would people actually show up?
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Both shows sold out at the Gramercy Theater in NYC in about 30 minutes. Did this blow your mind or what?
It really, really did. We hoped the shows would sell out eventually, but probably not in advance and definitely not in half an hour! Clearly folks were ready to buy tickets.
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Has the response and demand for a God Street Wine reunion been overwhelming to you or is it something you kind of figured would happen eventually?
We had no idea what to expect. We were getting the idea from the facebook page activity that there was a bit more interest out there than we’d been assuming. But there’s nothing like ticket sales to get a concrete measurement! The GSW fans always were and apparently still are very devoted, and we’re very grateful.
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Why did you guys choose the Gramercy Theater to stage the reunion/benefit?
It was recommended by Tomo, who has played there with Lisa Hannigan and thought it’d be great for GSW.
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Will there be a support act or will you guys be playing two sets?
We will definitely play two sets. There will be no opening acts. We figured we might as well make it an all GSW night since it has been a decade, after all.
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Any plans to audio/video the show for upcoming use?
The audio we’ll get up on archive.org as soon as we can after the show, in keeping with our policy of free and full access to our recorded live shows. Video is still under discussion, stay tuned. Photography and video from the audience will be permitted, so bring those cameras.
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How are rehearsals going and if they haven’t started, when, where and how are you getting together?
Since we’re separated by a continent and an ocean, there have been no rehearsals, but there’s been a lot of communication about song selection, arrangements, and so on. The week before the shows we’ll do a fair bit of playing together, hopefully enough to reach a comfort zone, but not so much we waste all our good jams in the rehearsal room!
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With the success of these reunion shows, are there any plans for a tour?
It’s kind of nice to be doing 4 shows in our home town with people coming from across the country to see us. That’s my idea of a perfect tour!
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Allgood from here in Georgia are reuniting this summer as well for a festival in Macon and maybe a few other shows. I’ve been having this pipe dream of a HORDE reunion God Street Wine, Allgood, Spin Doctors and Blues Traveler. What can I do to get this ball rolling?
You never know!
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You guys have since added two shows at one of your old homes away from, the Irving Plaza for the following weekend. Can the audience expect some special surprise guests? Will you guys be performing two sets each night?
Definitely yes on the 2 sets each night. I don’t know about the surprise guests. It’s been so long since the 5 of us did this, that I think four evenings with the original 5 band members is special enough. If we do more shows, maybe we’ll think about guests, expanded band, all that fun stuff, but for now I think keeping it just the 5 of us makes it nice and simple.
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Will you guys do “6:15” for me? I mean, since I can’t be there and all?
Yes.
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With a catalog of songs as extensive as God Street Wine’s, what is the set list making process going to be for these shows?
It’s democratic and involves a lot of discussion back and forth and tries to take into account our own personal favorites as well as the views of Winos as expressed in various online locations. People are going to hear plenty of greatest hits, but they are also going to get quite a few interesting surprises. Not everyone will get everything they want but I think all will come away happy.
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Lo, congrats on the comeback and kudos to you guys for doing it right and for such a great cause. I hope we’ll see more of God Street Wine in the future!
Thanks Don. Thanks for your support. And thanks to everyone whose ticket money for these shows is going to a very good cause, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. And finally let’s have a big hot sweaty GSW party in New York this July!
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