Local guitarist Nick Vigarino talks about wrist injury that sidelined his summer

Published 4:07 pm Monday, July 20, 2015

Washington Blues Society living legend Nick Vigarino was injured in May while helping a friend repair a house near Arlington. The Camano Island guitarist fell. He sprained his right wrist and broke his left wrist so badly (it’s called carpel avulsion) that a tendon pulled off a piece of the bone.

Summer is when Vigarino, 60, makes his money, touring the region and the country to perform at blues festivals and concerts. So the injury, which isn’t going to heal anytime soon, dealt a big blow to Vigarino’s schedule.

A fan set up a Go Fund Me fundraising page at www.gofundme.com/dqqoh0# to raise some support for Vigarino. More information is at gunheadprd.com/northwestentertainment.com/nickvigarino.

Q: You seem like a modest person. Was it hard to accept that your fans want to help you?

A: I have never been in this situation before. I finally just agreed to it and I am grateful. I had been selling stuff on Craigslist. I can’t remember how many benefit concerts I’ve played, so I had to realize it was OK to accept the help. If this had happened in January, it wouldn’t be such a problem.

Q: How many summer gigs have you had to cancel?

A: About 40 so far. I stopped counting. It’s too depressing, though the promoters have been very understanding. I did play harmonica with some friends at a show in La Conner on July 4, but that’s been it. Everything is up in the air.

Q: How’s it going at home?

A: I have broken a bunch of dishes. I haven’t been able to fish or go crabbing for my gumbo freeze that I make to sustain myself in the winter. I am feeling better each day, so I am trying to remain optimistic. My right wrist still hurts, but at least it’s functional now. And I can still sell some CDs.

Q: Have you been told to make sure the break heals properly before you try to play again?

A: Oh, yes. The hardest thing is going to be not jumping back in too fast.

Q: You’ve lived in this region for a long time. Where did you grow up?

A: Youngstown, Ohio, where I once opened for Three Dog Night. I also am the first blues guy to ever play the Burning Man festival.

Q: So how are your fans going to know that you are back in action?

A: I am thinking about putting on a thank-you concert. I’ll let you know.

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.