Page 26 - Sonoma County Gazette 6-20

Mitch Greenhill’s
Raised by Musical Mavericks
Home Entertainment By Lisa Hugwith Acorn Woodpeckers
The year 2020 will always be remembered in history as the “pandemic
year.” Even thought the virus emerged in 2019, it has impacted our lives in 2020. One of the consequences is our lack of mobility. But, if you watch birds, there is plenty of “home entertainment” around. One of the most entertaining birds locally is the Acorn Woodpecker.
Acorn Woodpeckers are easily recognized by their black and white
REVIEW By Lyndi Brown
Former Camp Meeker resident Mitch Greenhill has written a memoir, Raised
by Musical Mavericks. He reveals how a gang of mighty musicians affected his coming of age in the turbulent 1960s. Of particular joy for long-time Sonoma County residents is the musical history in our area in the late 60s and early 70s.
In 1957, Mitch’s father Manny Greenhill had just embarked on a career in the music business that would include managing artists Joan Baez and Doc Watson and presenting people like Bob Dylan.
bodies and their clown-like faces. They have white eyes and red caps. The males have a larger red cap that touches their white forehead. The females have a smaller red cap with a black area between the cap and white forehead. All birds have a yellow wash on a white throat and a dark chest band with some streaking underneath.
From age 13, Mitch found himself under the tutelage of some of the greatest folk and blues musicians of the 20th century, who passed through his family home as houseguests.
Pop music critic, journalist and friend Steve Hochman puts it best:
“Sure, we all went ice skating with Pete Seeger, had guitar lessons from
Rev. Gary Davis and hung out with Lightnin’ Hopkins and Bob Dylan in our youth, right? Okay, we didn’t. But Mitch Greenhill did. And he’s written a book telling the true tales of that and much more in colorful detail...it has been greatly entertaining and full of wow-factor anecdotes. I mean WOW-factor”.
Acorn Woodpeckers live in social groups called colonies. This is unusual among birds, and especially among woodpeckers. Most woodpeckers are solitary throughout most of their lives, choosing to be with a mate only for the breeding season. Bonded pairs build nests and raise young
Pete Seeger and Sonny Terry were the first in a series of houseguests, musical mentors, and marquee names of the 60s folk revival, to be followed by Reverend Gary Davis, Doc Watson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Merle Travis and others.
together. However, Acorn Woodpeckers break tradition and live in extended family groups, and every member participates in the raising of young and food-gathering for the entire colony.
Mitch learned guitar licks and life lessons from the houseguests in the Greenhill home in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. He grew up haunting clubs and coffee houses in
the Boston and New York areas, while soaking up music and how to operate in the world.
There are many chores to do in an Acorn Woodpecker colony. One of the most important chores is gathering and storing acorns for the winter. They collect acorns in the fall and store them in holes in dead trees called granaries. A granary can have
Mitch Greenhill with daughter Tej Greenhill (owner of Artisana Functional Art, Sebastopol)
Anyone who loves folk and blues, the dynamic culture changes of the 60s and 70s, or was around Sonoma County in the early 70s should run right out to get this book!
as many as 50,000 storage holes. The woodpeckers pluck acorns individually from a tree, and place them in a hole with a perfect fit. Each of these holes
has been drilled previously, either by a present-generation woodpecker, or an ancestor. As these acorns shrink, they need to be moved to smaller holes for a snugger fit. So, the acorns are constantly being checked. They also need to be defended from other acorn-eaters, such as jays, chipmunks and squirrels. This is a lot of work.
The book is beautifully organized by Mitch’s age transitions, the impact each musician had on him, and includes a 75-song YouTube playlist link (itself a
treasure). Illustrations include items from the author’s personal collection as well as previously unpublished playbills, posters and photos. The author includes letters he might have written to his mentors, a literary device that rounds out the narrative.
The social structure in these colonies is very complex. There are usually 3 to
5 breeding males and 1 to 3 breeding females in the group. In addition, there are usually several non-breeding “helper” birds in the colony. Interestingly, all of the male breeders are related to each other, and all of the females are related to each other. But males are not related to females and vice versa... The females lay all of the eggs in one nest hole. All of the breeding females and males take turns incubating the eggs. Once the eggs hatch, every member of the colony contributes to gathering food and feeding the young. When the helpers are not busy feeding youngsters or caching acorns, they wander off to other colonies in search of breeder openings. In order to become a breeder themselves, they have to find a different colony that has lost a member and needs a replacement. This can cause a lot of commotion when a non-breeder arrives in a foreign colony.
Mitch Greenhill lived in Camp Meeker from 1968 to sometime around
1974 or so. It was a rich time for music, as bands formed, morphed and came through the Inn of the Beginning, Uncle Sam’s and other long gone venues such as the Marshall Tavern and Brother’s. Greenhill formed The Frontier
and Frontier Constabulary, performed with Ace Atkins and the Country Boys (playing at the Trail Inn in Santa Rosa and other local dives), and was involved with the Camp Meeker Players (onstage and in the pit).
As an adult, Mitch inherited his father’s music business (Folklore Productions), plays guitar, records albums and composes for theater. His company website and bio is at: fliartists.com
With all of this activity going on within and between colonies, some kind of communication is necessary. Indeed, Acorn Woodpeckers actually have their own language. Scientists have figured out what a lot of their vocalizations mean. For instance, the frequently heard “waka” or “waka, waka, waka” can be a greeting (one waka) or a territorial dispute (several wakas). “Karrit-cut” is a predator warning. Juvenile birds give a continual rasping begging call. Birds may also tap on trees or “drum” to communicate territoriality.
Mitch’s two children grew up in Sonoma County. His son Matt Greenhill lived in Camp Meeker and Occidental, and is now the third family member to run the business. Daughter Tej Greenhill was born in Camp Meeker, and owns Artisana Functional Art on Main St., Sebastopol.
Although the book isn’t in local bookstores the softcover, 192-page memoir, ISBN: 978-0-578-64445-5, is available through Amazon, ($26.50 or Kindle version $8.99), or download from Apple books, or order directly from Mitch at mitchg@fliartists.com ($29 via PayPal or Venmo).
I encourage you to find your nearest Acorn Woodpecker colony and find the granary tree, identify the males and females (by the amount of red on the head) and watch their complex interactions. I guarantee you it is one of the best home entertainments there
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