short version americana gazette format julyaugsept 2013[1]
Post on 29-Mar-2016
221 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Stories on:
Duane Allman
Wendy Burch Steel
Rick Recalls
Paul Filipowicz
Runaway Home
July/August/September 2013
PETER COOPER
& ERIC BRACE
Check them out at:
redbeetrecords.com
2
PUBLISHER
Joyce Ziehli-jziehli@advisorymgt.com
SENIOR EDITOR
Andy Ziehli—aziehli@advisorymgt.com
STAFF WRITERS
Travis Cooper
Litt Dubay
Frye Gaillard
Rick Harris
David Mathias Heuss
Robert Hoffman
Steve Morley
Jim Smith
Anne Gravel Sullivan
www.americanagazette.net
ADVERTISING RATES
BUSINESS CARD AD $ 30.00 per year )
1/4 PAGE AD (5” x 4”) $ 50.00 PER ISSUE
1/3 PAGE AD VERTICAL (3” x 10”) $ 75.00
1/2 PAGE AD (“8 x 5.5”) $ 100.00
FULL PAGE AD (8” x 11”) $ 200.00
FULL PAGE BACK COVER AD (8” x 11”)
$ 275.00 PER ISSUE
*All ads must be in pdf form and will be in color. We
are an online publication only and may be viewed at
www.americanagazette.net. We currently have
around 30,000 readers online all over the world.
Thank you for your business.
Name:________________________________
Email:________________________________
Address:_______________________________
_______________________________________
Phone No.#____________________
Ad size: ___________
Paid/Charge _________
Signature______________________________
AMERICANA GAZETTE
% Andy & Joyce Ziehli
P.O. BOX 208 • Belleville, WI. 53508
OFFICE: 608-424-6300
Andy Cell: 608-558-8131
Joyce Cell: 608-558-8132
101 6th Avenue • New Glarus, WI 53574
608-527-4300
Hours: Monday-Saturday 9:30—5:00
Sunday 10:30—5:00
3
DUANE ALLMAN
Short Ride, Eternal Slide: The Recorded Legacy of Duane Allman
The first time Duane Allman’s name ever appeared on a nationally released album,
the occasion was the 1967 Liberty Records debut by Hour Glass, a band featuring both
Duane and younger brother Gregg Allman—names that meant little then, but ones
which would rise to the ranks of rock’s best-known within a mere few years. And,
speaking of a mere few years . . . in retrospect, there’s something almost eerily prophet-
ic about the band’s name. Duane Allman’s brief and brilliant career can be likened to
that of a sand-filled timepiece, impassively ticking off a small and finite number of
minutes. Indeed, the release of Hour Glass’s less-than-auspicious debut album in Octo-
ber of 1967 marked the beginning of Duane’s final four years. Within that brief period,
he would become a blues guitar hero, The Allman Brothers Band would emerge under
his leadership to record a small but essential body of work (including one of rock’s fin-
est live albums), and he would lose his life in a motorcycle accident, just short of his
25th birthday, in the Allmans’ adopted hometown of Macon, Georgia.
Of course, Duane lives on through his work—his reputation is, in fact, bigger than
life. An entire new generation of Allman Brothers fans has come of age since then,
many of whom have heard only a fraction of Duane’s sprawling musical legacy. Serious
students of the guitarist—and they are legion—are aware of his role in dozens of late
’60s/early ’70s recordings made predominantly in Muscle Shoals, Ala., but a broad
overview of his session work has never been made available in one package until now.
(Photo by John Gellman)
Rounder Records’ Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective is a seven-disc set with extensive liner notes detailing the legendary guitarist’s fast-rising
fame amid his dwindling days. Numerous tracks contained here were previously made available on a pair of Duane Allman anthologies and the Allman Broth-
ers’ box set, Dreams; some of the cuts on which Duane appeared—by such notables as Boz Scaggs, Wilson Pickett, Ronnie Hawkins and Delaney & Bonnie
Bramlett—are still in print. The box does, however, comprise an impressive one-stop, and it contains hard-to-find and previously unreleased tracks. Among
them are the very first known recordings from Duane and Gregg in their fledgling band, The Escorts, plus demos from transitional band The Allman Joys that,
until now, have remained unheard by most.
These formative recordings, while they lack finesse and polish, illustrate the brothers’ raw talent as well as the range of musical influences that would
soon coalesce in the proto-Southern-rock sound of the Allman Brothers. In addition to the more obvious blues and R&B workouts are garage- and psych-styled
numbers including the early Gregg Allman composition “Gotta Get Away” and a version of “Spoonful.” The Allman Joys’ tautly performed take on the Willie
Dixon-penned blues standard, notably produced at Nashville’s Bradley’s Barn studio by music-biz legend John D. Loudermilk, is more attuned to the style of,
say, The Blues Magoos than the moody, amped-up “Spoonful” served by Cream, whose version had not yet been released at the time of this session.
The straight-ahead covers of songs by seminal English blues-rockers The Yardbirds indicate that Duane was still several steps away from transforming
his influences into a more original and personal style. The oldest tracks, riddled with signs of audio decay, are important mainly as historical documents, fea-
turing performances that rarely, if ever, accomplish the remarkable. What is remarkable, though, is how quickly these early efforts morphed into muscular,
though still somewhat derivative, examples of late ’60s American rock and soul.
While the brothers Allman were prevented from exploring their desired, still-unfolding blues-rock fusion on their Hour Glass albums, it is on these
sessions that they began seriously honing their studio chops, and they play like they mean business in spite of the imposed stylistic restraints. Their medley of
4
B.B. King numbers—which remained unreleased for many years—demonstrates how fully Duane had absorbed the blues vocabulary into his lead guitar work,
which rings with authenticity and zeal on this track, a heartfelt tribute to a key musical inspiration. Had the brothers intended to head in a commercial soul-pop
direction—a credible enough choice in light of their love for R&B and Duane’s later association with the Muscle Shoals and Memphis studio scenes—they couldn’t
have done much better than the propulsive stomper “Power of Love,” sung by Gregg with gritty gusto and written by the storied Southern songwriting duo of Dan
Penn and Spooner Oldham (perhaps best-known for The Box Tops’ “Cry Like a Baby”). If they had wanted to be remembered as laughable psychedelic pseudo-
jazzers, though, they couldn’t have hit the bull’s-eye any more perfectly than they did on their sitar-stained instrumental cover of The Beatles’ “Norwegian
Wood”—an abomination that one can only imagine was the imaginary brainstorm of some cigar-puffing record company man. Such is the dues-paying flux that
the brothers underwent while laying groundwork for The Allman Brothers Band.
While the Allmans’ history has been laid out on previous collections, the band’s gestation and vital first phase are thoroughly revisited here, and the plentiful
sampling of Duane’s session recordings ups the ante considerably. However, it narrows the appeal of the exhaustive and pricey ($140) package to those listeners
who have more than a casual interest in the soulful and rootsy Southern sounds with which Skydog is stuffed. Those with a collector’s bent will revel in the ob-
scure oddities scattered throughout, though it must be said that occasional selections will tax even fans who are most fascinated by the era.
Consider, if you will, the slickly produced pop concoctions of The Bleus. A regional rival of Hour Glass who once bested them in a Tuscaloosa battle of the
bands, the capable but commercially slanted group sounds profoundly detached from the R&B, country and jazz roots of their soon-to-be-famed Southern peers—
and thus, particularly misplaced in this set. Of the fare represented, The Bleus’ songs range from twice-chewed bubblegum-pop copycatting to a weepy teen-death
sapfest (“Julianna’s Gone”) in which Duane’s crying slide guitar strives nobly but is all but buried in orchestral treacle.
The most obvious audience for this almost obsessively comprehensive package, then, is a no-brainer: guitar players. Initially, the Skydog box set is being pro-
duced in a run of 10,000 numbered copies, and if no one were allowed to buy it except card-carrying six-string slingers, there’d be no problem moving the inven-
tory. There are few musicians, living or dead, who can claim to have influenced as many guitarists as Duane Allman has done, most of them post-mortem. Two
musicians who have felt Duane’s tug agreed to share their thoughts about the great bluesman with the Americana Gazette: Nashville native Pat Murphy and Scott
Rath, who landed in Music City via Boston and L.A.
The fact that neither one’s name is probably familiar merely testifies to the wealth of under-
sung musical talent in and around Nashville. Both men are accomplished players; Rath, in fact,
worked with power-trio royalty Tim Bogert (Beck, Bogert & Appice; Cactus) and Cream co-
founder Ginger Baker, and also served a brief stint in the band of Warren Zevon. Murphy, a
tasteful player who by choice maintains a some- what low profile, has nonetheless made his pres-
ence known within the Nashville blues commu- nity as well as on the Internet, where one of his
well-realized homemade tracks was spotted and subsequently included in the ongoing “Editor
Boy’s Big Eight” feature in Guitar Player maga- zine. His YouTube channel (youtube.com/
murff625) has had more than 100,000 hits, and his fans span the globe.
Murphy’s forte is in his deeply felt, restrained style, while Rath is more prone to engaging in full
-on, careening slideplay in the upper reaches of the fretboard. What the two musicians do have in
common are a remnant of Duane Allman’s blues- man mojo as well a vital relationship with their
instruments. Rath and Murphy, as was Allman, are committed players who aren’t likely to stray
far from a guitar for more than a modest dura- tion. Both are longtime admirers of The Allman
Brothers Band who heard them soon after the release of their self-titled 1969 debut (included in
its entirety on Skydog). Rath still waxes rhapsod- ic about the day he was forever Allmanized by a
friend’s brother who owned the record. “We put it on and my life changed at that point. The in-
strumental that starts it—‘Don't Want You No More’—leads into possibly one of the greatest
blues guitar licks of all time, at the beginning of ‘It’s Not My Cross to Bear,’ and then Gregg’s voice
comes in,” recalls Rath. “I was slayed, and still am every time I hear that song.”
Murphy relates a story about being a young- ster who had begun hearing about “the blues” but
didn’t understand what they were. “I was just a kid, just past The Beatles and The Monkees. [I
thought], ‘I must know what this “blues” is about.’” Soon thereafter, he happened to hear two
consecutive tracks sizzle through a small radio: Derek and the Dominos’ “Have You Ever Loved a
Woman,” featuring Duane on slide, and “Mean Town Blues” by Johnny Winter, the other prem-
ier slide player at the time. “I knew this was the blues, without anyone saying that it was,” re-
members Murphy. “Duane spoke the language.”
(Photo by Sidney Smith)
Separated by well over a thousand miles, both witnessed Duane onstage in late 1970. Murphy vividly recalls attending an Allman Brothers show at Vander-
bilt University on Oct. 30. “I remember Duane, I remember the slide . . . it was mesmerizing,” he says. Just over a month later, on Dec. 2, Rath was fortunate
enough to be in Syracuse, N.Y., for one of the only two shows at which Duane joined Eric Clapton’s Derek and the Dominoes, reprising the invaluable role he
played on the sessions for the still-classic Layla album.
Perhaps only a guitarist who’s a dedicated Duane devotee can articulate the qualities that made him so exceptional, and Rath is just such a disciple. “Duane
had the phrasing and soul of the best blues players from Chicago, but with the inventiveness of guys like Jeff Beck,” he explains, “so he basically grew up under-
standing the nuances of the blues and how a single note or phrase can tell a story or let you feel the blues. Listen to ‘I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of
Town’ [included on Skydog, drawn from Live at Ludlow Garage:1970] or the B.B. King medley by the Hour Glass, and you will hear blues guitar at its finest.”
Rath also notes Allman’s “melodic sense,” which he shared with bandmate Dickey Betts, but which, in Allman’s hands, took sometimes astounding, some-
times reckless liberties. “[Duane] was known to listen to [progressive jazz masters] Charles Mingus and John Coltrane, and his sense of abandon shows—but with
melody.” Murphy points out that Duane’s tonal vocabulary hovered near the simple handful of notes in the pentatonic scale—basically, a blues mode—and that his
playing could at times lack precision, be that due to unchecked passion or intoxication, but he enthusiastically agrees with Rath’s assessment of Allman’s knack
for invention. “He might put himself out on a limb, but he went for it,” says Murphy. “Dickey Betts might have been the better technician, but he played it kind of
safe—he’s not going ‘out there.’ Duane did go for it, every single time.”
(continued on page 13)
5
WENDY
BURCH
STEEL
OPEN WINGS OPEN WINGS
Wendy Burch Steel grew up in upstate New York and learned to sing harmony from her father and her four brothers and sisters. She performed in bands in the
1980s, published two books of poetry in the 90s, and circled back to music in the Bay Area, seeking out Laurie Lewis for songwriting and vocal coaching. Laurie
liked what she heard and decided to produce Wendy’s album. I recently had the honor of listening to this young lady’s CD and thought everyone needs to know a
little bit more about her and her music, so Wendy and I had a chat! Here is what I found out and want to pass onto you!
Joyce: Hello Wendy. Let’s start out by you telling us a little about yourself. Where you grew up and how you became involved in your music career?
Wendy: I grew up in Upstate New York, born into a family of 5 children, with a father who sang like an angel whose ranges seemed endless, and we were singing
all the time, in the car, at home, you name it....we lost him when he was just 45.
My earliest memories of Dad were him and his ukulele. He'd come upstairs to our rooms, and would start out with "army stories" at our request as we called
them, and then would close out with songs I still remember today, and we would sing along with him and his uke. We sang while we were driving. We sang when-
ever anything felt good enough to do that. My dad taught me songs and harmonies at the Laundromat, wherever and whenever he could teach me. Dad taught all
5 kids harmonies, so you can imagine how pretty that sounded with his voice singing leads. It was kind of a barbershop quartet style of harmonizing, which is
probably why I really love to sing tight a Capella gospel and other styles of music.
My Mother always reminds me that as a small girl, I used to put on dancing and singing shows for my favorite Grandfather, by popping out from behind a tree
while he sat on the front porch, and literally gave him a singing and dancing show, and he clapped as loud as he could. He was a great audience, about 1000 peo-
ple if he could have been that for me.
I taught myself to play guitar at 11 and pretty much played it that way, with my own picking style, no guitar pick, like Maybelle Carter used to play, for the rest
of my career. I learned to use a pick, but still like strumming and picking with my fingers and thumb. I wrote my first real song while carrying my first and only
child, in the 70s, but she passed away right before birth, and that song is on my debut CD, Open Wings. It's called Leah's Lullaby.
I left New York State pretty soon after that to live in New Mexico, and after a year or so of finding my way, I started playing clubs and restaurants there, with
just me and my guitar and my songs, sometimes table to table, for tips and a nice meal. It was fun. There was one place called Toby's in Albuquerque where I
played quite a bit on their stage, a nice little coffee house community of singers. Jams were afterwards with sometimes 30 people, guitars, other instruments, and
voices, all in one house. I met a great guitar player and singer, and we took our music and our lives to California, settled in Santa Cruz and did what everybody
else was doing at the time on the Mall, open your guitar case for tips and start playing! Pretty soon we were playing gigs up and down the coast. Sometimes we
got paid, sometimes just a meal and tips. It was all fun. We worked on our music all day and played all night pretty much, and lived in a big white step van..... ha,
those were the days! We lived up in the Santa Cruz mountains for a while, and out in the country of course.
After I tired of the scene there, we moved out to Colorado where my partner's folks lived, and the music kind of stopped at that point for a while. Somewhat
isolated out on the prairie, I started writing, a lot; poetry, stories, and songs. I produced a few concerts and we played at some festivals, but before you knew it we
had "real" jobs in Denver, and that old lifestyle just kind of slipped away, although we continued to live out in the country. I finally left CO and that life, and
moved on alone to be reunited with my high school sweetheart who then lived in St. Louis, a musician and composer of course, and from that point on, we were
inseparable, and finally moved back to CA. While living in SF right on the ocean, I got my master’s degree at SFSU in creative writing, and my poetry was pub-
lished quite a bit in a few countries, and I published and illustrated two books.
But the music in me won out.... after my dear husband passed away from a brain tumor, I joined a Celtic band and sang leads and harmonies and worked some
percussion, and stuck with them for 5 years, but wanted to spread my wings and do my own stuff and other styles of music, writing, and singing. As fate would
have it I met Laurie Lewis through various connections, like my friend Nell Robinson, and initially took coaching from Laurie to hone the bluegrass style of sing-
ing and playing. Laurie eventually became not only my mentor but my producer and friend for what was my dream come true, --my first real CD. We found 11 of
the best musicians in the area, and we took off! "Open Wings" was going to take flight! It turned out not to be strictly Bluegrass, ---but 6 of my original folk,
bluesy, Americana songs and singing, as well as some favorite covers, such as Sea of Heartbreak, Hadn't Been For Love, etc.
Joyce: Do you write your own songs? If so, what inspires you?
Wendy: Yes, I do write my own songs.... and what inspires me is a feeling, memory or experience, a word or sentence from someone or something, something
that touches me in some personal way. From the Stories in my life. Songs are always popping into my head, and especially the words. Sometimes I'll just hear
someone singing a song in a dream or daydream, and start, much the same way I write poems. Sometimes they come with their own melody, a melody that
wouldn't work with any song but that one..... I pull out my guitar and start strumming and singing, write down the words, and there's a song there. Sometimes I
Joyce: Who musically were your inspirations growing up?
6
end up just tossing it or putting it aside. And then there are times when I just know, "this is a pretty darn good song!" and it sticks with me. I hear it over and
over again till it's the way I know it should sound.
Nature and the country inspires me, love inspires me, pain and loss inspire me, humorous times inspire me, and other writers and players inspire me to do
better and better..... to sing it better, to get the right instruments on board. Sometimes it's just two instruments, maybe a banjo and fiddle for an Old-Timey
sounding tune, and sometimes it's all the instruments in a group of players for a good rousing bluegrass or folk song. Sometimes it's no instruments, just beau-
tiful gospelly harmonies, love those!
Joyce: Wendy, what instruments do you play?
Wendy: I play guitar. It's an old 60’s Gibson, and I'm learning new styles with it all the time. But I have so many players that are so great around me I often
just sing. I plan to do more guitar playing on certain songs in the future with my band..... I also play harmonica, bodhran (Celtic flat drum), recorder, but not
seriously. I like it all. But right now just focusing on writing, singing and playing for texture once in a while.....
Joyce: You just released your CD, let’s talk about that a little bit. How are you promoting, out touring, where the songs came from, etc.
Wendy: Recording my CD with Laurie Lewis was wonderful. She is a great mentor; and I will never forget the time I was blessed to spend with her while re-
cording the CD. I completely trust her and her judgment musically, so she did a lot of helping to arrange songs I thought I already had finished, and covers,
and all of it. And she played and sang on many of the songs. Laurie has always been completely honest with me and that is why I trust her implicitly. When a
line I was singing didn't sound "authentic" as she was always going for, she had me talk it, and then sing it again. The way you sing a line, the way you say a
word -- if it doesn't sound like you're talking it, it's not authentic. I feel she found and encouraged the authentic Wendy in me. At first I just wanted to learn
more of a bluegrass style from her. Turns out she showed me the road to being oneself and doing it.... So many things happened while we were recording the
CD, it took almost a year to complete; I broke two vertebrae in my back, for instance. Ha.... but we kept on going!
We did the CD release show at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, CA in January and I am still gleefully resonating from that. We had 13 musicians in ad-
dition to me, all wonderful. (Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum, Melody Walker, Richard Brandenburg, Nell Robinson, the T Sisters, Evan Morgan, Markie Sanders,
Larry Chung, John Schott). It was a fabulous night. It was really well attended, and well received by everyone. I was standing there during the break signing
my CD, and I just couldn't believe it, I couldn't even get out to the lobby, there were so many people around me, wanting the CD autographed. People were say-
ing things like, "You sing like an angel and I'm so grateful to meet you" and I was saying, "Really? Thank you!" (I also had a great publicist, Tanya Pinkerton,
resulting in a lot of air play and radio interviews, as well as great reviews in prominent publications, which continue to come in, lucky for me!)
Joyce: Who musically were your inspirations growing up?
Wendy: You might be surprised. Early in my life? My father and mother, Bob Dylan, Woodie Guthrie, Peter Paul and Mary (my first concert ever other than
classical), Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, the Beatles, Credence Clearwater, Taj Mahal, the Grateful Dead, Cat Stevens, James Taylor, and the English musicians
who were doing Old English rock, and Celtic music, Bob Marley too....
Later on, with singing, I drew from folk, bluegrass, country, South African harmonies, Old Time, Gospel, the Stanley brothers, Laurie Lewis, Hazel Dickens,
Bill Monroe, Emmy Lou Harris, and studied the deep listening philosophies of Pauline Oliveros. Nowadays there's of course, Laurie Lewis, Kathy Kallick,
Kacey Chambers, Nell Robinson, Frank Solivan, Uncle Earl, Joe Newberry, Bill Monroe, Belle Monroe, Hank Williams, the Dillards, Paul Hampton and Hal
Daird, Michael James Henderson, Dale Bradley, and on and on.....
Joyce: Wow, that is quite a list. What are some future goals for you?
Wendy: Yeah, it is quite a list, and there were others! Future goals: I have a band in the works, Wendy Burch Steel and Friends. We’re doing a show at the
Freight and Salvage which Laurie Lewis hosts, with two other bands for that evening, on May 30th. The band for this show includes players from my CD and
CD Release show, among other great pickers, including Chuck Ervin on bass, Larry Chung on fiddle and dobro, Glenn Dauphin on guitar and vocals, and Harry
Yaglijian on mando and vocals. Glenn and I are also putting together a wonderful duo, which I think is going to be magical. I’d like to tour the west coast first,
Continued on Page 13
7
RICKRECALLS
This is number six in my paydirt series. I have a variety of offerings for all
you musically obsessed individuals today, so…………..let’s get started. Oh ya,
if you find something here that really sparks your interest, please dig deeper
on your own. There are endless worlds to explore in music. Sometimes it just
takes a little work. So fire up the old youtube and begin.
BOBBY CHARLES (Small Town Talk) single version.
Written by Bobby Charles and ( Rick Danko of The
Band). This tune has a simple country feel wrapped in a
warm R&B groove. It’s a charmer for sure. Listen to the
layering on the piano, organ, and horns. Bobby Charles
was a much over looked singer/songwriter in the later
50’s through the 60’s. He also wrote: Later Alligator and
Walkin’ to New Orleans. As far as I’m concerned, this is
country soul at its best.
BLIND BLAKE (Diddie Wa Diddie). Blake is considered
a master of ragtime guitar and this song, recorded in
1929, was a huge hit for him. Ragtime guitar is not easy.
I’ve spent untold hours trying to unravel and absorb his
playing. I’ve hardly scratched the surface.
ERIC VON SCHMIDT (Envy the Thief). Folk/blues/
singer/songwriter Eric Von Schmidt was at the heart of
the 60’s east coast folk scene. I love this song and I think
it’s one of his best. The tension in his voice cuts like a
razor. Schmidt was also a successful artist and did,
among other things, a number of fine album covers and
music posters.
ZOOT MONEY (Zoot’s Suit). This is a great recording
from British organist Zoot Money. He switched from pi-
ano to Hammond organ in the early 60’s and has worked
with most of England’s top musicians. I know I just keep
saying this but, I can’t get enough of these cool instru-
mentals. The organ rips across the horn section, the
whole thing driven by an amazing drum performance.
And listen to the way those drums were recorded. They
sound so live.
KORLA PANDIT (Kumar). In the late 50’s when I was a
cute, brilliant, and incredibly charming little boy, I re-
member my mom watching Korla Pandit on television.
She absolutely loved this guy. To this day I find him fas-
cinating, and he still pops up now and then, and puts a
smile on my face. His show was only 15 minutes long and
consisted of him sitting at the organ, playing by him-self,
often looking directly at, or should I say into, the camera.
He was always impeccably dressed and wore a turban.
PAY DIRT
He never spoke. He just played as he gazed into the camera with a slightly de-
tached but amused look. This often had a somewhat hypnotic effect on the view-
er. He would also do this cool percussive thing on the keyboard with his hands.
Sometimes there would be clouds or flying dinosaurs projected on a screen be-
hind him. He was a true T.V. pioneer. Years ago I stumbled onto two books at the
library called: Incredibly Strange Music Volumes 1&2. That’s right, you guessed it.
He was in there. If you want to have fun, dig into this guy’s history. His story is
very entertaining and strange too.
JEFF BECK GROUP (Blues De Luxe). To me this song is
the essence of British blues. It’s from the 1968 JEFF
BECK TRUTH album. The group line-up was: Rod Stew-
ard, Ronnie Wood, Nicky Hopkins, Micky Waller and
Jeff Beck. Not a bad little combo. Jeff beck has always
been one of my favorite blues guitarists and gives his
all on this amazing tune. His playing is rude, shrewd,
with maximum attitude. He throws everything in here
but the kitchen sink, and his high speed phrasing can’t be touched by any other
blues guitarist I know.
JOHNNY BURNETTE (Train Kept A Rollin’). Some of you
might still remember when rock & roll was supposed
to sound dangerous. Well, here’s one for all you aspir-
ing, juvenile offenders out there. This thing chugs like a
locomotive. Johnny’s vocal phrasing is perfect and you
could shave with the edge and attitude in his voice.
And listen to Paul Bulison’s lead guitar work. That oc-
tive thing on the central riff just nearly pushes this
whole tune right off the cliff. It’s another tune I’m tak-
ing to the island with me when I go. I’m starting to think I might need a bigger
island!
Written by: Rick Harris
8
As Time Goes By – Herman Hupfeld
When I Fall In Love – Victor Young, Edward Heyman
You Belong To Me – Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart, Chilton Price
Stormy Weather – Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
Blue Moon – Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me – Harry Noble
Your Cheatin’ Heart – Hank Williams Sr.
Why Don’t You Believe Me? – Lou Douglas, King Laney, Roy Rodde
Th e Song From Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart?)
– Jacques Larue, Georges Abel Louis Auric, William Engvick
Little Things Mean a Lot – Edith Lindeman, Carl Stutz
Teach Me Tonight – Sammy Cahn, Gene De Paul
Ebb Tide – Robert Maxwell, Carl Sigman
THE KRAUSE FAMILY BAND
JUST A FEW
INDEPENDENT RELEASE EP No one would ever accuse me of being unbiased when it comes to the
Krause Family Band. The simple truth is that I love this group and consider
my-self lucky to be a friend. But hey, good is good, and their new EP is
great. Six original tunes, with beautiful vocals, fine instrumental work, and
the gorgeous harmony that has become their trademark. Call it folk, blue-
grass, gospel, or country. It really doesn’t matter ‘cause it’s all in the mix.
The songwriting is absolutely first rate. Visit their website or go to CDBABY
or AMAZON.COM to purchase their new EP, JUST A FEW. The Krause
Family Band has a traditional feel with a surprisingly fresh view. I love ‘em.
So will you!
Review by: Rick Harris
KATIE BURNS
YOU’LL FIND YOUR WAY
INDEPENDENT RELEASE
Singer/songwriter Katie Burns has just released
her first cd titled (You’ll Find Your Way), and in
my opinion, she has certainly found hers. Thirteen
beautifully written songs, each one a jewel, with
first rate musicianship, production values, and
Katie’ wonderful vocal performances. Even the
packaging looks great. For those of you who have
already heard Katie Burns live, this cd may hold a
few surprises. For those of you who haven’t heard
her yet, this is a perfect introduction. Katie Burns’
new cd is………..well………..it’s just like Katie,
and that’s about as good as it gets. Highly recom-
mended. To buy her new cd go to: katieburnsmu-
sic.com or itunes.
Review by: Rick Harris
9
PAUL FILIPOWICZ
Story by:
David Mathias
Photos courtesy of the author
Giving
Audiences
That Feeling!
Everyone has had one of those moments, you know, when you’re just a bit shy about expressing your opinion for the fear of being laughed at. One of those mo-
ments for me was when I was talking with a fellow guitarist about Paul Filipowicz. I awkwardly proclaimed that some of his guitar playing reminded me of Jimi
Hendrix. To my surprise, my friend said; ‘Yeah, especially that song Paul plays called; “Switchyard.” It’s not everyday that you hear a blues guitarist compared
with Hendrix and when my friend reacted in this way I was no longer feeling bashful about the comparison. Someone else made this comment about Filipowicz:
‘One of the reasons Paul is great at what he does is because he doesn’t do it for the money. Paul plays and sings the blues out of pure love.’
Paul Filipowicz grew up in the cornfields of Lockport, Illinois, back in the sixties. He was raised musically on a steady diet of Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Wil-
liamson, Sonny Terry, Howlin’ Wolf and a multitude of blues musicians who could be heard on the old crystal radio that Paul and his older brother listened to
late at night after all the lights in the house were out. Paul’s brother stretched an antenna wire from the radio to the cast iron grill that capped off the heating
vent pipe that took the chill off of those cold Midwestern nights. On Sundays, WLS out of Chicago would play blues all afternoon.
One night while cruising the dial, Filipowicz pulled in a radio station out of Tulsa, OK. They played Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy, and Muddy Waters back to back.
That was his first exposure to the blues. He first witnessed live blues in ’64 or ’65, while waiting outside a club on Chicago’s South Side. “It was boiling hot,
about 2 in the afternoon and these people were all dressed up and going into this air-conditioned club. Otis Rush and his band were tearing it up right there in
broad daylight. Electric guitar was it! Learning by ear was about the only way to go about a blues education in those days. I was playing without a pick and the
first time I heard Magic Sam, it clicked, and I was playing his phrasing.”
Over the 40 plus years of fronting his own band, Filipowicz has played venues from here in the Midwest to Denver to stints in Texas and Mississippi. A few
years ago, Filipowicz had the opportunity to play in Mongolia. “It took all afternoon for someone to find a standard cable with quarter-inch plugs!”
Some of his fondest memories are the shows with Hound-Dog Taylor and Mighty Joe Young back in the 70’s. “That’s where I met Ken Saydak, he was with Joe
then. I never thought we’d be working together someday.” Ken appears with Paul on “Chinatown.”
10
Luther Allison was a great friend. He once told me; “I know you’re a
Bluesman and you know you’re a Bluesman, but every time you take the
stage you got to prove it!” “That knowledge has always stayed with me. It
seems like yesterday, I am truly blessed,” Paul said.
“We always had a few old beaters lying around the house,” Paul said of
the elderly Kay, Harmony and Sears guitars that gave him his first callus-
es. “But I started off playing harmonica. There weren’t too many cats
playing blues harp back in those days and it was easy to find an oppor-
tunity to get on stage.” One of those opportunities came in 1972 when
Paul was invited on stage to play blues harp with Hound Dog Taylor.
Paul played guitar and harmonica for various bands in the early 70’s, but
the passion to truly excel came in 1974 when Paul formed his first band.
“It was a four-piece band with two guitars, drums and bass. We were a
cover band, playing blues songs by just about everyone. We’d sneak in a
few originals every night – the ones you hang on to. Eventually we played
all of our own songs.”
To date, Paul has released six CD’s with the last one being; “Chickenwire”
a live album released in 2007, but that will soon change with his new CD
available March 19th. “The last few years I’ve just been keeping my nose
clean, staying out of trouble, playing gigs weekly and monthly, writing
songs, and I work on my guitar playing every day whether I have a show
or not. I try to develop new licks for myself through my playing – just to
keep my music vocabulary fresh. That’s something I continue to do. If I
can come up with one new lick per year, or approach on something, that’s
good. I’ve never been out to copy anyone – at least not on purpose.”
“New licks – I keep them in my bag and can pull them out anytime, and
then they launch me in a whole other direction. And another thing that
I’ve learned long ago; everyone seems to hit a plateau, hit the wall once
in awhile – you know, when you can’t come up with anything. When that
happens, I take everything fresh that I’ve developed and play it backwards
note-for-note. Because I finger-pick, I’m pulling up on the strings instead
of picking down – so in a way that’s also a bit like playing backwards. It
gives me a different approach toward phrasing.
Otis Rush was left-handed, but he didn’t string it backwards – Albert
King also. When I first started, I wanted to play left-handed, but my older
sister, bless her soul, brought home a guitar book and told me; ‘You’ve got
to hold the guitar this way!’ I learned how to hold a guitar and a pick
from a book and that was about it. I know some guys who are left-
handed, but they just try to learn to play what the right-handed guys play.
(Laughing) What’s with that?”
“Right now in my band I have Brian ‘Tito’ Howard playing drums. I was
introduced to Brian by Dave Faas (Soup – Appleton, WI) and I have Dave
Remitz on bass. He played with me back in the 70’s, and then he moved
down to Texas, he worked out of Austin with the Fabulous Thunderbirds,
Jimmy Vaughn and all those guys down there.
As far as the make-up of the band, I’d consider adding an organ – I like a
B3 sound, are you kidding? The new album has some bonus tracks from
1982 with guys like Fat Richard on sax – he used to play with Luther
(Allison), Smoky Logg playing rhythm guitar, Chuck Solberg on piano
(Jimmy Solberg’s older brother) – I did a whole album back in the 80’s
with Randy Joe Fullerton on bass – you can see him on the 1970 version
of Howlin’ Wolf’s Highway 49. When they’d come in off the road back in
the 70’s, they’d just give me a call and say; ‘we’re going to play those gigs
with you – we know you’ve got work lined up.’ They were all my friends
and so we did a lot of gigs together. Luther was my friend, my mentor
and all that.”
Gear Talk:
“I use a 1966 Fender Bassman head; the wires were switched around to
give it 45 watts. I use number four 6L6 ‘Groove Tubes’ in it. I have a re-
issue 1964 Fender Reverb tank that I use. With that Bassman head, I only
push one blue-label 12 inch Fender speaker. Otherwise it’s just too much
power for club action. For these small clubs it’s just right because you
have to turn the amp up to four or five to get some tone. My main guitar
is my ’73 Fender Strat (CBS era) and I have Rio Grande ‘Dirty Harry’
pickups in it. Theoretically, they’re supposed to give you a Les Paul
sound, but that doesn’t happen. Then I have a ’73 Telecaster Custom
Deluxe. I keep those two on stage at all times. The Telecaster has some
tones on it that I like on certain songs. The only pedal I use is a tuning
pedal. If I want a different tone, I switch guitars. That’s my ‘semi-purist’
approach on that. I use a tremolo pedal on some of the new songs, but
more often just switch guitars. The Tele has a coil tap too – so I get quite
a range of tones, and I do use one of my old road guitars, a ’63 Fender
Jaguar at times and I can get a lot of different sounds out of that one as
well.
I asked Paul what he thought of some of the younger blues guitarists who
have made a name for themselves in the last ten years:
“Some of these new blues guys are just hype. Some of these guys have an
‘antiseptic’ sound. It’s their take on the blues and that’s alright, but they
just haven’t been exposed to the things that I have or a lot of the other
guys who’ve been doing this their whole lives. Don’t get me wrong,
there’re some new guys out there that are pretty good. Check out Junior
Boy Jones out of Texas. But with Bonamassa, he’s an internet guy. If you
live on the internet, that’s where you think it’s at. If you live in Chicago –
that’s something else…and there are still plenty of guys in Mississippi
laying it down. It’s about authenticity. At the Chicago Blues Festival a
couple years back there was a family of kids playing the blues. They were
really laying it down – stuff like John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf. They
were good because they were hearing this music since they were young
kids, and they were great. There’s plenty of real stuff out there, but in
this media-frenzy world, you get a lot of guys who are just about hype.”
“What I’ve been trying to do all along, my whole career playing, what I’ve
been trying to bring to people who come to see my show…I try to bring
what I was exposed to when I was young, Howlin’ Wolf, Mighty Joe
Young, Hound Dog Taylor, Luther Allison and all those guys that I got to
go see live. You’d walk into these clubs and get this feeling from what
you were hearing. I try to communicate that feeling to my audience. I
saw Muddy Waters when he was in his fifties and he wasn’t some old cat
sitting on a chair (makes whining sounds here) and that’s what a lot of
people think the blues is – no way, that cat slung his guitar around – he
could level your head playing slide guitar and make everybody dance.
His album; “Hard Again” (Blue Sky Records – 1987) that he did with
Johnny Winter and James Cotton, that kind of says it.”
(Laughs) Oh come on man…okay, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and
Sonny Boy Williamson – all those guys. When I was young, in my twen-
CContinued on Page 12
11
A PET NOTE
By: Joyce Ziehli
PAX VISITS HOTEL ZIEHLI
Now you folks that know Andy and me, know that we have always had “big
dogs” at our house. Not because that is always what I wanted, it just
happened that way. I personally have thought about getting a small lap
dog many times. Well the opportunity arose for Andy and I to watch a friend of ours, little dog. What a joy this was!!!!!
My friend and co-worker had to go away for an overnight meeting, and at the last minute her dog sitter plans fell through so she asked us to watch Pax. After I
informed Sara (and checked with Andy) that we would watch Pax, Sara mentioned “By the way, I need to tell you about a few idiosyncrasies that Pax has.” I
laughed, “Do I need a full sheet of paper?” All kidding aside, Pax was a wonderful house guest and is welcome anytime.
The scoop on Pax. . . . .
Pax is a 2 year old Yorkie who lives with Sara Patterson and her daughter Mia. Pax weighs approximately 8 pounds and is quite a handsome fellow, with his shag-
gy doo! Upon entering our house for the first time, Sara, Mia and Pax were greeted by our two ginormous Springer Spaniels, Duncan and Wylie and our leopard
sized cat, Mulder. As Pax feared for his life, and Sara’s eyes grew bigger, I promised her all would be fine once they got acquainted, and as you can see from the
photo, all was fine! One big happy family.
Pax spent most of his daytime hours with Andy up at Action Guitars. He made himself right at home and let Andy know whenever anyone entered the shop. He
would run back to the work shop area every once in a while and see what Andrew Pulver was working on. Some of the “regulars” that usually stop by once a day,
stopped in 3 or 4 times during the day just to play with him. I stopped down at lunch time and shared a little of my ham sandwich with him and took him for a
stroll in the park across the street where we encountered a box turtle in the grass. Pax wanted nothing to do with the turtle and vice versa. The turtle, nor Pax
were looking for any long lasting friendship.
On Thursday morning Andy usually meets the guys for coffee at the Fat Cat in New Glarus. Since Andy and Pax were bonding so well, Pax went along for the ride
and a cup of “whatever, I don’t know what Andy got him.” Pax also spent some time out in the studio , listening to some tunes with Doug Sies, Jim Smith and
Andy. Not sure on what his musical tastes are yet? At least he wasn’t howling, so he must of enjoyed what he heard!
Evening came and Pax was pretty tired out. Time for a little supper and then he kept giving me the “look”. You other dog owners know the look, sit down, hold
me. . . . . that look! The cat tried to get him to play, but Pax didn’t seem too interested in this task at the time. Around 9:00 PM the little fellow got in his spot,
cuddled up right next to me like a second skin and I never heard a peep out of him all night. Oh wait, I did hear him snore a couple of times. Between Andy on
his C-Pap machine, and Wylie and Pax, they had a pretty good beat going on!
One thing I know Pax didn’t like during his stay was going out in the rain. It was a cold rain and the wet grass was tickling his tummy. Believe me he really, real-
ly got into the cuddling and covering up with a blanket after coming in from that. Too bad those darn doggie duties had to be done outside!
Just when everyone is getting along and things are running smooth, Pax had to leave to go back home. Upon Sara’s return, we are one less creature in the house
and Action Guitars has one less 4 legged employee at work. All is well in the world. Pax survived his two night stay at Hotel Ziehli!!!
Photos by: Joyce Ziehli
12
Paul Filipowicz continued from page 10
If you could play with anybody live or dead, who would be in the line-up?
(Laughs) Oh come on man…okay, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Son-
ny Boy Williamson – all those guys. When I was young, in my twenties, I
always thought in the back of my head; ‘well, I can always get a job play-
ing guitar for Muddy Waters if I can’t make it on my own, but then he
died (laughs). I never thought about this before, but you know what, I’d
like to play behind Annie Lennox – I love her stuff. I’d love to play on her
stuff – there’s lots of room to put some licks in there (sings some of
‘Would I Lie to You’), and don’t forget Aretha.”
Tell us a bit more about the new CD.
“There are nine new songs and they’re my take on blues – I’m just telling
my story and that’s the way blues is supposed to be. I’m not trying to
change the world, I’m just telling my story and the blues is a feeling and
so when I play a gig, when people come to a club I try to give them that
feeling that I got
when I’d go see some-
one like Willie Dixon,
Otis Rush or those. It’s
more than a show;
I try to give them a
feeling. Not neces-
sarily getting on
my knees or doing the
splits – unless I feel
like it, but I try to
convey that feeling
that I got. On this new
album, “Saints and
Sinners,” there are a
couple of songs that do
just that – at least one
or two that came
out like I hoped they
would. Sometimes
you never know what
your music sounds like until you hear it. That’s how you learn what
you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong and then you leave that
stuff out. Some of the songs really do a good job of giving that essence of
that blues sound. Otis Rush was a guitar genius, not just a guitarist – not
just a genius, but a guitar genius. So was Fenton Robinson. I got to sit
right in front and watch them play, but I didn’t go to try to learn because
that’s when you lose the feeling of what they’re playing. You can’t really
enjoy the moment if you’re trying to focus on what and how they’re play-
ing.”
At the moment, Paul Filipowicz is getting ready to release his newest al-
bum, “Saints and Sinners’ due out on March 19th.
The album was engineered by Steve Hamilton and digitally recorded at
“Making Sausage Music” in Milwaukee. The CD release party is being
planned for sometime in March.
As one friend put it; “A lot of guys play the blues – Paul is the blues!” I’m
fortunate to have known Paul for the last twenty years of his career and
I’ve seen him with fingers battered from roofing somebody’s barn just
hours before he plays a gig. He’ll play until his fingers are raw if you’ll let
him and frankly, I don’t see anyone trying to stop him.
Hello awesome folks at Americana Gazette!
Stone After Stone Records is proud to announce the release of The
Mascot Theory's debut album "Under The Borrowed Moon". The music of
Mascot Theory has been called "a full-fat, high-energy dose of
Americana-tinged, folk-country rock" with lyrics and melodies laced
with "passion, depth, reflection and accusation working across a
spread of influences." Specifically, The Mascot Theory's sound is
influenced by classic rockers The Beatles, Dire Straits, and like the
country songs of The Rolling Stones, as well as modern bands such as
Mumford and Sons, Dawes, Ryan Adams, The Lumineers, and The Gaslight
Anthem.
Or feel free to visit http://www.reverbnations.com/themascottheory to
stream a few of the songs off the album.
Erik Kjelland
13
(Duane Allman continued from page 4)
Numerous examples of these spirited improvisations can be heard on
the Skydog set, though the majority are found on the Allmans tracks—
particularly the live ones—and culled from select studio dates on which
Duane was given ample room to stretch out. Numbering among these are the
landmark Layla sessions and the memorable Boz Scaggs track “Loan Me a
Dime,” a recording that helped to further cement Duane’s legend as a blues
master. After a couple of rounds of impassioned solos earlier in the song, the
guitarist revs up the energy in tandem with Muscle Shoals session drummer
Roger Hawkins and is only beginning to peak at the 13-minute mark, where
the track fades—despite audible evidence that the band was clearly not done
playing.
No such premature endings to contend with on At Fillmore East, the
unbeatable double live set that contains several performances clocking in at
double digits (producer Tom Dowd, in fact, was forced to edit certain tracks,
so lengthy were some of the band’s live forays). At Fillmore East stands as
testament to the fact that The Allman Brothers were entirely in their element
on the stage, that they could find ways to keep extended performances excit-
ing, and that there was something seemingly magical about their Fillmore
shows in particular. The recording, which commonly resides on best-album
lists, inspired many a musician, Scott Rath among them.
“In 1970 I was playing slide guitar and had learned most of the songs on
the Fillmore album the best I could,” says Rath, who routinely uses the same
kind of Coricidin glass medicine bottles with which Duane first played slide
due to the initial lack of a “real” one—serendipitously defining his smooth-
fretting sound in the process. “From beginning to end, with the long jams
included, [At Fillmore East] has been the inspiration for almost every guitar
player I know,” he concludes. “Possibly the greatest live album ever.”
Pat Murphy echoes Rath’s sentiment almost verbatim, not even using
the word “possibly” to qualify the claim. “The greatest live album ever rec-
orded,” Murphy simply states, referring to the album as the one upon which
he modeled his no-nonsense approach to playing music. “There was zero
showbiz and almost no stage talk—the music was an entire piece.”
Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective, with its overarching view of
its subject, can’t boast the cohesiveness of a live Allmans document. The sto-
ry it tells may be a more detailed and fragmented one than the typical All-
man Brothers fan needs to hear, but it’s one that unquestionably deserves to
be told. Given Duane Allman’s musical and historical significance, the 129
tracks on Skydog are simply too important—and most of the time, too good—
to let slide.
Story by: Steve Morley
Dedicated to the memory of Bobby Rance, another guitarist who
left us too soon—and who, had it been possible, would certainly
have been quoted here.
(Wendy Burch Steel continued from page 6)
do more festivals (I did the CBA Father's Festival on Vern's Stage last
summer), play more gigs, and do my next CD with the group. To keep
writing and keep playing!
Joyce: Any words of wisdom for other young females trying to break
into the music business?
Wendy: I would say, don't get distracted
or discouraged; just keep going, study with
the best, and put all of your love into every
song. Be humble because there are so
many others out there better or worse than
you, make no judgments, but be confident,
bold and creative and know that no one
has your unique voice or sound; it is yours,
a gift, go for it. Never let anyone tell you
that you should not do what you're doing
because it won't make money or is imprac-
tical. And listen to your mentors who you
are sure know much more than you. You
will possibly be a mentor one day. And do
it as soon as you can, don't wait. Be supportive of your fellow musicians
on the same path as you. There is no real competition, just musical pals
on the road we all love and walk, together.
Joyce: Wendy, when you’re not doing music, what do you do for fun,
relaxation, hobbies?
Wendy: I hang out with my family in my beautiful little home and cabin
near the Redwoods, with my husband, Jon, my dogs, bird, and cat, and
my wonderful friends. I meditate when I can, do Tai Chi whenever I can,
and walk for miles in nature with my dogs. I love to garden and to cook. I
look at the stars and planets with my husband who is an amateur astrono-
mer. I go to music festivals and hang out at the ocean or in the woods
when I am blessed with time to do that. I write poetry and songs, and
sketch. I also run a business!
Joyce: Another CD in the works?
Wendy: Yes, there is another CD in the works because I am constantly
writing new songs. I already have almost all the songs for it. It will most
likely be with my band, Wendy Burch Steel and Friends, and will include a
lot of original songs, covers, and maybe a gospel song or two. I am really
looking forward to the next CD.... but I just got this one out, Open Wings,
and am still reeling from that.... it's nice. You can buy this cd at my web-
site, CD Baby and Amazon. www.WendyBurchSteel.com
Joyce: Anything you want your fans to know about you?
Wendy: That all of my songs are from my heart and soul. And from my
innate humor. That they are all stories I want to tell. I love stories, and
love when songs are stories of people and the times. I guess that's why I
like Dylan so much; he really did that, told stories and wrote so well.
Joyce: Any question you wish a writer would ask you but never has? I’m
open for whatever else you want to discuss.
Wendy: Hmm.... maybe this, do I believe in destiny and fate, for musi-
cians, that some folks are just meant to do it and be good at it? Examples
are Laurie Lewis and the others I mentioned. They just heard the distant
drummer, followed it their whole life, and it was their destiny. Yeah, I do
believe in some folk’s destiny to play the music they hear.
Please check out Wendy Burch Steel at www.wendyburchsteel.com - you
won’t be sorry!!!!!
Story by: Joyce Ziehli
Photos supplied by Wendy, her website and Mike Melnyk.
14
15
RUNAWAY HOME The Troubadour, The Guitar-Slinger & The Mountain Songbird
Runaway Home, is a “homecoming” of sorts. It was founded by three powerhouse performers looking for a road back to the music they grew up on and
loved! They met by pure happenstance at a small town venue and over the next night around the kitchen table, they discovered the sound they had been
searching for. That sound is strong three part harmony over lyrics that matter, all wrapped-up in an acoustic style reminiscent of ‘70’s era radio. You might
call them Retro-Commercial –Americana, but Runaway Home is original. To listen to them is to know them! Their sound is comfortable, engaging and easily
recognizable by those hungry for music with meaning.
Mark Elliott is the troubadour of the group. He has logged countless miles as a solo folk and bluegrass artist. The Oklahoma native was a protégé of the leg-
endary artist Tom Paxton. After opening for him in 1988, Mark found himself relocating to Nashville and signing as a writer with Cherry Lane Music - the
first of many Publishing houses. As a commercial country songwriter for Bluewater Music, Maypop Music and Sony ATV Publishing, Mark found Top 40 suc-
cess with artists such as Chris LeDoux and Neal McCoy. Mark also released 7 albums on his own and continues to write prolifically for his own projects as
well as artists.
Gary Culley is the guitar slinger of the group. Initially, he cut his teeth on guitar and songwriting as a student at the acclaimed Berklee College of Music. The
Chicago native moved to Nashville in 1991 finding success as a staff writer for Sony-Edisto Music, recorded his own CD and became an integral part of the
Country Music Hall of Fame’s Words & Music Program. Gary and Mark connected early on in Nashville and were considered musically to be “twin sons from
different mothers.” That kinship led to a successful album and touring career, playing clubs and festivals from coast to coast. The duo went on to win the
coveted Kerrville New Folk Award along with many other awards.
Lisa McCarter is the mountain Songbird of the group. She was born and raised in the heart of the Smokey Mountains. As one-third of the Warner Bros.
group, The McCarter Sisters, she released two albums and had seven hits, including three top ten singles. Lisa grew up on a tour bus, travelling the world with
acts such as Randy Travis, Brooks & Dunn and Dolly Parton. She and her sisters were frequent guests on the Grand Ole Opry and the hit television show Hee-
Haw.
Runaway Home is currently rounded out by three great musicians, drummer/percussionist Chip Chipoletti, bassist Ron De La Vega and Scottish fiddler,
Laura McGhee.
Endorsed by Elixir Strings & Taylor Guitars
www.runawayhomemusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/RunawayHome
Information taken from their website. Story to follow in an upcoming issue.
top related