Over the last few months I have been occasionally attending Sunday services at Amazing Graze Spiritual Center with friends. I don't go every weekend (maybe once a month-ish), but this week I did, and I received quite the surprise. The guest musician was a guy named Larry Murante. He's not a household name, and I don't expect anyone to know who he is, but I saw him playing in a restaurant in Port Townsend 20 years ago.
In 1994 I graduated High School, and that summer, me and a buddy travelled around the scenic Olympic Peninsula as a short road trip. While stopped in the beautiful maritime village of Port Townsend, we ate at a restaurant called the Public House. When we walked in there was a guy on a stage (or something stage-like... if I remember right) singing and playing the guitar. He had tapes for sale, and so I bought one. I've listened to that tape in my car probably once or twice every couple of years since the day I bought it. And yes I still have a tape player in my car, and yes on occasion I still pop on his album (though it's been awhile now since the last time).
The moment I saw Larry Murante on stage at Amazing Grace, I wanted to jump out of my seat and go grab that tape. As soon as the service was over I told my friends about my story, and they said I should tell him. I wasn't 100% certain that the tape was still in my car, so I wanted to double check, before I went back to talk to him. I ran to my car and rifled through my very small pile of tapes in the back seat, and found his. I walked the tape back inside to tell him my story of the first time I saw him. When I was done he chuckled appreciatively, and said he thinks he still has a few of those tapes somewhere.
On the way home I popped in his tape, and listened to it for the rest of the drive. I was almost compelled to just keep driving and listen to the whole album, but I was meeting another friend for a movie, so I couldn't. Sometimes I feel like the universe has a memory, and it never forgets a thing. I'm thoroughly convinced that that is true.
Larry Murante Discography:
- Kiss Me One More Time (1994)
- Water's Edge (2000)
- Point of Entry (2009)