Guitarzilla sets Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Guitar Band in the world…

How to turn music into food and a really good time? On June 29 2003, we had an idea we had cooked up at Artichoke Music and with aligned efforts for a year with Tom May, the Sisters of the Road Café, we created “Guitarzilla” for the diverse guitar-centric population in the city of Portland. They all came together in the heart of Portland”s Pioneer Courthouse Square on this one hot day to sign up and play to be members of The World’s Largest Guitar Band. “This Land Is Your Land” was the anthem and this city music happening would bring folks together to raise money for Sisters of the Road Café with a song.

Hundreds of every kind of Portlander showed up, from mohawks to suits, they shared the universal appeal to play guitar and be in a band, even just for a day. Especially for a good cause we can all relate to. They came by train, car, bus and on foot to take part in setting the record for Guinness records with The World’s Largest Guitar Band. 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 guitar-tuning table that had 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, hitting 90’s. 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 Steve Einhorn, Kate Power, Tom May, Debbie Fox from Sisters on drums and friends. The center microphone to take a turn and lead a verse. Familiar verses or made up, We were the backup house band. Allwere welcome.

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 hands of the Big Ben clock that overlooked the south side of the square,

The last verse was sung by a Hare Krishna devotee in saffron cloth and sandals who sang “Hare Krishna, hare krishna” around and around, over and over through the perfect melody of the verse. We all sang along and did one more chorus. It was a good amen. In the end, we each raised our guitars upside down by their necks, all together up in the air!

We raised $10,000 that afternoon to nourish our neighbors with music, a great day in Portland to be a guitar player. The goodwill of that day is still felt by those who were there and smile to remember. It took a village - and the villagers showed up with bells on.

Arlo Guthrie told us years later that he had heard about us singing his dad’s song for the Sisters benefit and grinned about how much he enjoyed hearing about it. Small world. Big day. One band. Guitarzilla. One song. One heart.