THE definition of 'family' may vary person to person. Friends can be referred to as being 'like family.' Cats and dogs get included in family photos. So it should be no big stretch to learn that nearly all the musicians who were hired by Mike Porco were treated like family at Folk City.
In turn, many of the folks that Mike encountered during his lifetime also considered him as part of their extended family.
My grandfather has been described in several books as 'Bob Dylan's surrogate father' and even His Bobness himself called Mike 'the Sicilian father (he) never had.' Porco was from Calabria, not Sicily, but Dylan got his point across. All is forgiven.
Blood is thicker than the mud. I've undertaken the exciting task to tell the wonderful tale of this Italian immigrant's unlikely inclusion into the annals of Folk music history. He owned New York City's first Folk music cabaret and was the father to a thousand musicians and wayfaring strangers who sought refuge in the friendly confines of Gerde's Folk City.
His good karma has made its way into the modern day over two decades after his death. Because of his selfless effort, my task of making the definitive documentary film on Gerde's and Mike has been made a lot easier. Several fabulous personalities from the past have been gracious with their time and memories for my film.
Eric Andersen was the latest celebrity to pour it out about Mike and Gerde's. Others are still slated to be included. Only room enough left for the closest of Mike's friends. It will astound even the most staunch Revival historian. Folk City was, after all, THE Center of Folk Music in NYC.
What I need is YOU to make your closest friends and family aware of me and my project. I don't want to entertain tire kickers. I need professionals to put serious backing behind this film to bring it to audiences around the world. It's not just about Gerde's and Mike. There's more to it than that. It's about one family and their commitment to the 'scene' and the advancement of their art.
This crowd source site is not about giving out t-shirts to a thousand people. It only takes one person to turn the key. In the meantime, the making of this Folkumentary rages on. Be a part of it. Pass it on.
~Bob
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