Erik's Web Portfolio
A view into my life through creative writing
I first met Geno, and thus the NailDrivers, in 1996 while working at a hippie bar called Terrapin Station in Ocean City, Maryland. Music wafted back to the grill I was cooking over. I came out of the kitchen to hear this band play such enjoyable music. As I emerged from the kitchen, I shook my head in disbelief. The sound I assumed came from a 3-piece band was actually this individual. I introduced myself during a break and learned he would be back on a regular basis to play “The Station.” Over the next few weeks I got to know him a bit more so when a chance came to experience this man’s music myself, I jump when offered a position with his band. I learned more about the man than about the music. Or should I say I learned the more about why the man made his music.
To this day he goes by “Barefoot Geno.” The name makes perfect sense for obvious reasons to anyone who witnessed him in person. While during breaks you may happen to see him walking around wearing sandals, but while present on stage, his footwear remains absent. Before you go thinking the name and lack of shoes a silly gimmick, it serves a real purpose. When he is shoeless, it means he will be playing his “foot base” as I call it. It is a system of pedals which allows him to play the bass portion of a song with his feet. This enables him to play guitar, sing, and occasionally play the harmonica whenever it was required. As cool as the ability appeared, his real talent laid in his music, inside his head, fingers and soul. Definitely one of the most under-rated musicians one would be lucky to hear. I happened to be even luckier to know and live with him. It gave me a chance to truly understand the man and his music.
If you find yourself in Marco Island, Florida, not too far south of Naples, and asked just about any random resident of the community, you would be hard pressed to find someone who does not know of him or heard his music. He and his entire family, originally from New Jersey and New Mexico, are local legends and have been preforming or working in the business for many decades back. His brother Joe Rey, one of the six Ortiz family members that perform on the Island, can be heard singing the harmony on Don McLean’s “American Pie.”
Geno’s family members were not the only ones to sit atop the music echelon. You could assume right away that he was destined for musical greatness and you would have not made an “ass out of u and me.” His first on-stage moments happened when he was as not even a teenager as he performed with the family band from about five years old and on for about four or so more years. One of his brothers, Steven, was battling cancer and as he got worse, Geno ceased activity with the family band. Within two years, he had passed and Geno never rejoined the family act.
Even though he had been forced to learn the piano at the age of 4, which he admittedly states he did not enjoy at all, music was in his blood and almost seem like a natural environment for him. So at the age of 12, he purchased his first guitar, an acoustic, and started up a classic rock band. They played mostly 60’s, 70’s and 80’s where he played guitar, keyboards, and sang. They played together up to and throughout high school but come graduation and the summer that followed, Barefoot Geno shunned the life of a musician. After high school he stopped music completely, starting that rebellious phase we all can relate to as we grew up and became adults. He pushed himself further and further from his family but that was not the answer. He did not like it and eventually, avoiding music and his family became more of a chore. He saw the success of his big brother Joe Rey and the enjoyment he experienced and thought, “I can do that.” So he moved down to Florida where some family resided and began playing music again and it felt good. “It’s a lot of fun on stage. And for me, music is very good therapy as well. I can walk out on the stage after a horrible day, and when I’m done I am so much happier.” Through my own experiences with him, I have witnessed first-hand just how this works for him. There are times I can recall in which his mood, prior to a show, would be considered “sour.” Yet upon stepping off the stage, he appears more “sweet.”
Over the years he performed with many well-known musicians. In his time he has shared the stage with Otiel Burbridge from Col. Bruce Hampton & The Aquarium Rescue Unit and his brother Kofi Burbridge. He has played with members from the Grateful Dead and jammed with members of the Allman Brothers Band and Jimmy Herring. He even spent some time with Widespread Panic and the Derek Trucks Band. Geno had a storied history indeed.
One day he was approached by a small band originally from CU Boulder. Their pitch was simple. “Hey, do you want to play electric guitar and be our lead?” Up to that point, he had never owned an electric guitar nor played a “lead guitar” role. So he purchased an electric, joined up with the “NailDrivers,” and set out on the next adventure.
I remember times sitting on the couch, watching this heavy-set, very talented musician play a tune or listening to a story or two from the time before I joined up. He spoke often of a time in Indianapolis, or just outside of Indy, on tour in The Big Black Winnebago. A 30 foot Southwinds RV, painted flat black. They had stopped to see some friends they made from a time they lived in the area. Upon arrival, they disembarked from the RV and headed upstairs to say hi. Shortly after walking in the front door of the building there was a scream of “Oh Shit!” and a sudden crash. He told me of how they rushed outside to see the Winnebago was no longer where they left it. Apparently the parking break had slipped and the transmission’s gear did not hold. Being parked on top of a high sloop meant only one thing could have happened. The Big Black “Run-Away” Winnebago was sitting at the bottom of the hill. After drifting backwards, the RV came to rest alongside a car that was unfortunately parked down the slope that day. We never asked more because we were always too busy laughing at the sights our minds saw upon hearing this tale. I would come to experience many of these kinds of tales with Geno during my time with them.
Come the turn of the century, The NailDrivers went their separate ways, peacefully. Everyone simply grew up. The bass player, Chet Harrison, married a doctor and now lives in Minnesota I think. The drummer, Scot Parsons, also married his long-time girlfriend about a year after Chet’s wedding and still lives in Dover, Delaware. Geno went between New Jersey and Florida, finally re-settling back in Marco and got married as well. He still lives there now, playing the local bars like Reflections. Places he played before and found himself wanting to play again. He no longer plays a solo gig now and his library of songs, from covers to originals, has grown immensely. On stage he is joined by Yonrico Scott, the Grammy-award winning drummer with The Derek Trucks Band. You can see him along and with Yonrico on YouTube. Just do a search for “Barefoot Geno.” The song is called “42nd Street.” Yet as talented as he is, he is still humbled by the fact that “the guy in the video wanted to play with HIM.” Hearing this just made me realize how lucky I was to have spent time watching this musician and learning from him.
I spoke with Geno the other day for the first time in about two years, not counting messages on Facebook, and found that he really has not changed that much. Inside that is. On the outside, he looks completely different. He has lost a lot of weight and is a lot healthier than when I last saw him. He has kids and a woman he loves and values both more than his he does his music. Geno carries fond memories of what he has done and people with whom he did it. However I got the feeling from talking to him recently that he is far from done with this “tour.” He just better get me backstage.
A tale from 42nd street
