Guinness World Record setting Guitarzilla, Largest Guitar Band play This Land is Your Land for longest time ever in the world…

How to turn music into food and a really good time? On June 23 2003, the aligned efforts between fhs idea we cooked up at Artichoke Music, Tom May, the Sisters of the Road Café, and the diverse guitar-centric population in the city of Portland, all came together to create a memorable happening in the heart of Portland”s Pioneer Courthouse Square,

Every kind of person showed up, from mohawks to suits, there was a universal appeal to play guitar and be a band, even just for a day. They came by train,, car, bus and on foot to take part in The World’s Largest Guitar Band and set the Guiness Book Record. We would all sing and play one song sustained non-stop for the longest consecutive time. This Land is Your Land. The idea was fun and inclusive. The excitement grew and there were a lot of smiling faces in all directions. Portland police lined the square and detoured downtown traffic a block west to make room for the event. Permits were in order. Everybody seemed to like this wonderful, weird idea. Even the cops were smiling,

We registered every incoming band member for $20 and got their Guitarzilla button to wear. Next they tuned up their strings at the tuning table that held dozens of Korg guitar tuners and helpers. Then each guitarist went on to find their spot in the circles of brick seating that surrounded the center plaza. It was unusually hot that day. A canopy in the middle was set up for us to lead the band. House backup band to the World’s Largest Guitar Band was Kate Power, Steve Einhorn, Tom May, Debbie Fox from Sisters on drums and the center microphone for any and all band members to take a turn to sing a verse of their own.

Choosing “this Land is Your Land” for the song met the criteria to be familiar to all kinds of people, and that it is inclusive to all, and especially marginalized people. A labor of music for social justice. Woody Guthrie’s song was a perfect choice.

We sang in earnest and innumerable verses were added one after another in the rising heat. The old verses, some made up on the spot, all sung by people in the 500+ band we were in that moment. We sang the song for 65 minutes. I remember because I had a direct view of the Big Ben that overlooked the square,

The last verse was sung by a Hare Krishna devotee in saffron and sandals who sang “Hare Krishna, hare krishna” around and around, over and over through the melody of the verse.. It was a good amen. At the end, we raised our guitars by their necks upside down all together up in the air. We also raised $10,000 to nourish our neighbors. That was a very good day to be a guitar player in our town and the goodwill of that day is still felt in the memory of it.

Arlo Guthrie told us that he had heard about us singing his dad’s song for this and he seemed to like the idea.The Associated Press posted the story (some with amusement) and it was in the media all around the world.