Tuk and Pik both sent me to Tiger Kingdom in Town, part of the larger Tiger Kingdom franchise.
"You will find the Phrae boys there, " Tuk said.
The "Phrae boys"--from Phrae province--are some of the guys I used to play with in the Banjoman Band during the early 1990s.
Sure enough, I found A, another one of my oldest friends here, leading a group of much younger players which included a fantastic young female singer who sang with such energy and enthusiasm, I was completely mesmerized.
A didn't recognize me at first, but when he did it was all hugs and laughter.
A started out as a founding member of the old Chiangmai Beatles cover band at the Riverside and he became a much sought after bassist. Much more than a bassist, however, he can play just about any stringed instrument on the map. Over the years he followed his heart through many musical incarnations and traveled widely in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.
More recently he returned to Chiangmai to teach and help develop new local talent.
I was so impressed with his group, called Ba-leng Phlaeng, that I felt he's done much more than mentor the next generation. He's actually developing the music itself, bringing the Chiamngmai restaurant/pub music scene to a newer and exciting level.
Lek "Mandolin" was also nearby last night. Another crucial player in the Banjoman group, he's a thoughtful, quiet man who has facial features similar to the Native American. Like A, he was very surprised to see me. We talked about some of our mutual friends including Sakhorn "Mr Action" ("Wait a little bit, he'll be here soon," said Lek), Moo "Bass" (retired from his public school teaching job and now building and repairing guitars), Prasat (leader of Banjoman--still living in Phrae with his wife and now teenage son), and others.
Perhaps the most joyful encounter for me was with Sakhorn--Mr Action himself--whose jaw seemingly dropped to floor when he saw me there. Hugs! In Thailand! Where they really don't do that sort of thing!
He and I had a chance to chat for about half an hour. He was the oldest player in Banjoman (about eight years older than me), and he really looked great and seemed to be doing well. His job last night was to play and sing solo the last set of the night before curfew.
Everywhere in Chiangmai I've been so far owners/proprietors are complaining about the slow, low season and the bad effect of the military's curfew on business.
But Tiger Kingdom was nearly full of customers enjoying fine food and drink and exciting new music, and I was happy to be part of that crowd.
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