If you ever find yourself walking down Tinker Street looking to discover why Woodstock is known as “America’s most famous small town,” the Woodstock Rock Tour might be for you.
The journey begins where it all began, at Café Espresso. Opened by Bernard and Mary Lou Paturel in 1960, the Espresso would possibly have remained a local French bistro, yet anything attractive down the street.
“Albert Grossman had moved to Bearsville,” says excursion consultant Larry Germack, referring to Bob Dylan’s larger-than-life manager. “Dylan followed Grossman, and everyone followed Dylan. “
Germack takes you down the back stairs of the Espresso to the “clean room. “This is where Dylan, who had befriended the Paturels, wrote classics like “It Ain’t Me Babe,” among others. The room features a reconstruction of Dylan’s Office, with an ashtray full of cigarette butts, a big touch.
Between the Greenwich Village people circulating on the Espresso and the bigger bands signing with Grossman along the way, this small northern town found itself on the musical map of the world in a very vital way.
As the tour continues along Tinker Street, the stories aren’t necessarily site-specific, however, since the town looks a lot like it was fifty years ago, the stories of Hendrix, Van Morrison, Janice Joplin and others who walked its streets fall into place.
Matching images of Germack’s shoulder bag are produced, depicting moments like when the entire city showed up on the Green to welcome Muddy Waters.
Germack, who calls himself “Pittsburgh Larry” even though he left Steel City decades ago, is a talented storyteller. Some stories come from other people he met, others can be discovered in books like Small Town Talk by Barney Hoskyns, a must. Read for those interested in the history of Woodstock music.
The tour brings local history into context, i. e. how bohemian festival culture at Woodstock dates back to the 1920s in Maverick Colony.
Woodstock Cemetery, where Levon Helm and Rick Danko are buried, is, of course, a springboard for many stories about The Band, photographer Elliot Landy, etc.
A short drive (in your own car) then extends the stop to the Bearsville Center, created by Albert Grossman and recently renovated by Lizzie Vann. , Juan Sebastián and others.
The photography in the theater fits perfectly with the tour, as do the exhibitions at the Espresso, which Lizzie has recently revived.
“I think Larry and I are on the same page,” Lizzie says. “We take percentage notes on the new discoveries we make. Woodstock is a glorious repository of art and music history, and we love it with passion.
The tour includes the theater’s green room, which has been completely redesigned as a kind of Buddhist bath, celebrating the non-secular aspect of Woodstock.
From Patti Smith to REM to the Rolling Stones, the list of artists who have recorded in Bearsville is impressive. When you upload that to other artists like Bowie and the B-52s they recorded at Woodstock, it’s almost amazing.
When a woman on an excursion asks how all those outstanding musicians weren’t beaten up by fans, Larry explains that the locals were pretty much reserved for the most part.
“When the stars came here to play, it was a complement to the genuine action behind closed doors,” he says. “When the going got tough in the city, they’d get in their cars, hit a railing and drive home. “
(Note: Drunk driving is no more unusual at Woodstock then than texting while driving today. )
While it may be appealing to some of those hidden spots, it’s a logistical challenge that this tour doesn’t attempt to tackle. To do this, you will need to use your mind’s eye with the handy map of the Hoskyns ebook.
At the end of the tour, all the other people who took it seem quite satisfied. Some came from as far away as Ireland, and most enjoyed other similar attractions during their time here.
“I’m in town for Midnight Ramble at Levon Helm Studios,” says Zac Casperson, an instructor from Ohio who also ate at Bear Cantina and shopped on Tinker Street.
For locals who have been here since the beginning of the day, a two-and-a-half-hour tour wouldn’t live up to their private memories of Woodstock’s rock heyday, but many others will find plenty to enjoy. When you’re visiting, whether you’re visiting or living nearby.
Things like the Rock Tour and a revived Espresso Café are great tactics to remind other people that it’s not just the call of the festival, but what happened here that makes Woodstock the most famous small town in America.
The Woodstock Rock Tour runs from April to October, Saturdays at 2 p. m. M. Y on Sundays at 11 a. m. Tickets are $44 and can be booked at rockjunket. com/activities/woodstock-music-tour.
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