Those Calzone Guys (& Gals)

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Had an interesting visit to the Calzone Case Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut last week. They had recently made a 'nuclear proof ' flight case for one of my Flying Vs and I just needed a little customizing done to it, having them add some extra heavy duty rubber feet. They were surprised since this was only second trapezoid flight case they'd ever made - the first being for me back in 1975 and later stolen, as Nick De Jong knows (he lent me a temporary replacement) , in Holland some 5 years ago. The thieves thought they were getting a guitar inside it too! If they'd have really thought it through, I was using it on stage at the time - duh.

Anyway, it's been 35 years since I'd first met the brothers Joe (seen here) and Vin. We were one of their very first customers and they reminded me how they had fitted us out with tan coloured flight cases, driving into the wilds of Weston,CT where we had a our basement rehearsal studio at Laurel Edge and which later became the location for the recording of the New England album.

These guys ARE rock & roll (Joe plays drums too) and have gone on to great things, now also owning Anvil Cases on the West Coast and producing flight cases for all the big tours, Madonna, U2 - you name it.

As you can imagine, there were lots of stories to catch up on and they kept shaking their heads when I let them in on some of our 40 year history. Ah..those were different times back then when we were all bright eyed and bushy tailed. But then again some things just don't change, thankfully.

Big thanks to Calzones own lovely Linda, for setting things up and to Big Milt for getting the ball rolling with Parkway Music in NY. Let's see if this case will last for another 35 years! Thank you to the Calzone Brothers!

~ A.P.