On Saturday May 11th, the Community Music Hangout gathered for the 56th edition of the Hang. Although the day dawned sunny and bright, by the time we got started, the marine layer rolled in thick and low. Overall, it was still a pleasant day to make music with friends new and old. Everybody just required an extra layer. I was a little late rolling up to the spot and Gavin and Nick were already there with their guitars, ready to play. Nick thought the sunshine would persist and was only wearing a t-shirt. Nevertheless, he stayed basically the whole day. Impressive! The three of us got started and the good feelings began immediately. There’s just something special about playing music outside in a park setting. Soon, Joel rolled up with his guitar as well and we had a little guitar ensemble. A guitorchestra, if you will (we would...we did). Next up Kyle joined us to fill in the low end with his standup bass. It’s tremendous how much the addition of that instrument improves the sound and makes the whole Hangout look more interesting. Thanks for joining! A little while later, I looked over and Mateo was wheeling up with his wagon and father Glenn in tow. Great to see you guys, as always! Great playing, Mateo. Your intonation is sounding much better. Keep up the good work! We were rolling right along by this point when we saw Ethan. Ethan played a Dracula Musical song from the film Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I love that he went for it and sang in a goofy accent. That kind of effort will always be appreciated at the CMH! Next up, I saw my friend Caesar strolling up to the Hangout. That’s always an exciting development as Caesar has a spectacular way with the mic. It’s not just his singing, which is superlative. The man also knows how to bring everybody into the party. Giving shoutouts to all the players, goading people to sing along, encouraging others to get up to the mic. It’s infectious. Thanks man for adding your energy and talents to the Hangout! And then we made a new friend at the Hangout in Christine. I’m sure we’ll see her again, and I look forward to that. She found us on her walk and also found that it was the right place for her to spend a few hours. It’s so nice when that happens; that’s why we’re out there! A highlight was when she sang Total Eclipse of the Heart, much to the delight of passersby. I remember a cyclist shouting something like, “YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING” as he rolled past. Great stuff! We were starting to wind down when we met Selam and she joined me on the piano bench for a lovely rendition of Hallelujah. Always fun to do that one, always fun to welcome a new singer! Hope to see you again soon. Next up, Anna was put up to singing by her partner, much to her chagrin. But she did great! And then when it came time to find the next singer, she called out her father, visiting from Chicago, and he joined her for a fabulous duet. I love that energy. Closing out the day, we had Elle step up and lend some shaker to the jam. Lovely! And we saw Stan again after, gosh, who knows how long? Nice to see you again, dude! It was after 4:30 by the time I finally pulled away from the piano for the day. What a fabulous day it was! I am so grateful to be able to spend 5 hours this way, creating bonds and bringing people together. I would merely be out there by myself if not for the many folks who come by and add their energy to the scene. Thanks go to all of you! We’ll see you again for CMH #57 on Saturday, May 18th starting at 11:30 and lasting until at least 2:30.