01/13/2021
We lost a really good man on January 12th. One of the best men I've ever known. Matt McCabe.
You may not have known him personally but he made the world a better place. His spirit was a tiny piece of a bigger world but it raised the level of goodness and fairness in the battle against darkness. We all benefited from his time on earth. It's unalterably true.
Matt was my chosen older brother who listened and talked and shared and counseled and advised and encouraged and supported me. A 27 year long friendship. That's not easy to do. We are sinful and evil people, especially in a business relationship. There was NEVER any of that between us. Never. He was too good of a man to let that happen to us. He taught me so many things about business that served him well.
We were more than business partners in the Capital Region Guitar Show and the CNY Guitar Show. We met at the first Guitar Show I organized in Syracuse in '93. He'd gotten a booth and was just thinking about opening a store. The next year we did our first show in Saratoga Springs and he had a store @ 8 Caroline St. Even though Matt did most of the work on the ground, it was his town musically, we split equally what meager money we could squeeze out of these events. I said to him often that we didn't need to keep doing that based on the unequal work I put into the show before the doors opened. He said many times "This was our deal and it will remain our deal." There was no further discussion offered on the subject each and every time. He was a master promoter and a helluva Singer and Guitarist.
COVID-19 killed him. He had to be in his store not just for financial reasons but to support his community. He knew Saratoga Guitar was a refuge for local musicians and it probably killed him. He got sick before Christmas, got real sick after Christmas but was feeling better. His sons had to go to his house and find him after they couldn't reach him Tuesday morning. Charlie had to call me last night to tell me his Dad was gone.
People who didn't wear a mask, or care if they weren't feeling well and went out in public, and a federal gov't that tried to force herd immunity on it's citizens by not encouraging people to wear masks caused his death. Criminally Negligent Homicide. Plain & simple.
We last spoke on December 22nd for 48' and it was a sweet call. We encouraged each other to get through this pandemic, talked about our families and the mess this country is in. We planned for how and when we'd be holding the next Capital Region Guitar Show in Saratoga Springs. Would there be other Guitar Shows to go to? When? How did we need to change our business models to remain afloat? We'd talk again soon...
This world will be less bright for a quite awhile. Matt had a saying "It's not the Price of the Guitar, it's the Heart of the Player" There was no better example of that than him.
Rest in Peace Brother.
Matt McCabe, longtime owner of Saratoga Guitar and a former city commissioner of finance, died on January 12 at the age of 63.
