Wednesday November 15th, 2023
The Atlin Whisper “Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world.” Margaret Mead
FUNK II The Egress by Paul Lucas This particular night I was part of the audience. We were waiting for the headliner, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot as I recall, to hit the stage, and we were sitting at one of the long tables about half way back. Our drinks had just arrived. There was some sort of ruckus in the aisle, and suddenly a large man with curly red hair and matching beard came barreling down the table top on his belly … fast … sweeping everything in his path off and into the air. Evidently the roll of welded quarters in the fist (one of the tricks every bouncer knows) worked because the glazed look in his eyes suggested this troublemaker was on his way down. Drinks flew willy nilly, and lit cigarettes arc-ed like so many roman candles into the blackness. Everybody within twenty feet of the table got a little something on ’em. We raised our glasses just in time as that Chattanooga Choo Choo of a man slid by, then we slapped them back down and simply continued the conversation. So began another evening at the Egress. — There have been many clubs in Vancouver that featured the Blues, Folk, and Rhythm and Blues, but I suspect the Egress was one of the few designed specifically for that purpose. It was the brainchild of my old pal from the days of my first band John Bottomley, (nicknamed ‘Rackout’ because of his propensity for passing out before the party was over). He was a dreamer and with the Egress he dreamed up a whopper. By the time John hatched his bold plan, all concerned were thoroughly washed in the blood of Blues, R + B and Jazz, so commitment wasn’t a problem. Finding backing, location and connections however, was a different kettle o’ fish. He needed to learn more about the business, so he headed down to San Francisco and L.A. to check out the current blues/folk scene. It was here he met his future partner, Buzz Wright. Buzz was orphaned at an early age and worked on the carnival circuit ending up with Barnum and Bailey. He then worked nightclubs, including both the Boarding House and the Troubadour. He had the connections and had been around the block. If you want to know what’s happening on the ground, pair up with a carnie. Buzzy came north and the two partnered up.