Alternative country, Americana, roots,folk, gospel, and bluegrass music news

ROUBADOURSAN DIEGO

July 2004 Vol. 3, No. 10

TFREE

Welcome Mat………3Mission StatementContributorsLyle Duplessie

Full Circle.. …………4Rose Maddox, Part 3Recordially, Lou Curtiss

Front Porch…………6Stellita and Dave LindgrenRay CharlesRobert EdwardsClassic BowsMeghan La Roque

Parlor Showcase...…8Mark O’Connor

Ramblin’...…………10Bluegrass CornerZen of RecordingHosing DownRadio Daze

Highway’s Song... …12Postcard from NashvilleOlaf Wieghorst Western

Heritage Days

Of Note.……………13Steve CollinsChristopher DaleGipsyMencoRobert EdwardsBerkley Hart

‘Round About .......…14July Music Calendar

The Local Seen……15Photo Page

what’sinside MARK

O’CONNORTHE MAN CAN PLAY

for Lyle Duplessie

San Diego Troubadour • July 2004

welcome matwelcome mat

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FOUNDERSEllen and Lyle DuplessieLiz AbbottKent Johnson

PUBLISHERSKent JohnsonLiz Abbott

EDITORIAL/GRAPHICSLiz Abbott

ADVERTISING/DISTRIBUTIONKent Johnson

PHOTOGRAPHYMillie Moreno

WRITERSSandra CastilloLou CurtissEmily DavidsonLyle DuplessiePhil HarmonicPaul HormickMark JacksonFrederick LeonardJim McInnesSven-Erik SeaholmJosé SinatraD. Dwight WordenJohn Philip Wyllie

Cover photography: Erica Horn

CONTRIBUTORSMISSIONTo promote, encourage, and provide an alternative voice for thegreat local music that is generallyoverlooked by the mass media; namelythe genres of folk, country, roots,Americana, gospel, and bluegrass. Toentertain, educate, and bring togetherplayers, writers, and lovers of theseforms; to explore their foundations; andto expand the audience for these typesof music.

For advertising rates, call 619/298-8488 or e-mail lizabbott@cox.net.

San Diego TroubadourP.O. Box 164La Jolla, CA 92038E-mail: sdtroubadour@yahoo.com.

Alternative country, Americana, roots,folk, gospel, and bluegrass music newsTROUBADOURSAN DIEGO

SAN DIEGO TROUBADOUR, the localsource for alternative country,Americana, roots, folk, gospel, andbluegrass music news, is publishedmonthly and is free of charge. Lettersto the editor must be signed and maybe edited for content. It is not, howev-er, guaranteed that they will appear.

All opinions expressed in SAN DIEGOTROUBADOUR, unless otherwise stated,are solely the opinion of the writer and donot represent the opinions of the staff or management. All rights reserved.

©2004 San Diego Troubadour.

WRITE TO US!We’d love to hear from you! Send yourcomments, feedback, and suggestions byemail to: sdtroubadour@yahoo.com or by snail mail to: San DiegoTroubadour, P.O. Box 164, La Jolla, CA 92038-0164.

When Ellen Duplessie present-ed the idea of starting anewspaper to her husband in

the summer of 2001, a publicationthat would be devoted to local music,she expected Lyle to resist in a devil’sadvocate kind of way. Instead, hethought it was a great idea and almostinstantly began writing the missionstatement for what was to become theSan Diego Troubadour. This statementlives in the masthead of every issue.

On June 17, the San DiegoTroubadour family received tragic newsthat Lyle Duplessie, while enjoying aday at the beach with his children,suffered a heart attack and died.Nobody could have prepared forsomething so shocking, so terrible,especially so soon after losing his wife,Ellen, just four months earlier. Therewas no warning. Lyle was here onemoment, gone the next. There is nowhy.

To envision a future without Ellenand Lyle seems almost unbearable. Sogenuine and loving, Lyle’s strength wasin his reserve. He was a quiet manwho had a lot to say. He did not wastewords, but chose them carefully. Lylewas a man of questions, not answers.A true warrior — God’s warrior per-haps — he was fair and kind in everyway: in kind words, which inspiredconfidence; in kind thinking, whichinspired love; and in kind giving,which inspired charity. A loyal hus-

band, a caring father, and a brother tohis co-disciples, he was a man of char-acter and integrity. They say the meas-ure of a man’s real character is bywhat he would do if he knew hewould never be found out. LyleDuplessie was a man with conviction,a man who would always choose todo the right thing. His sensitivity andinterest in others nurtured strength,courage, and a finer quality of life inboth himself and in others. Mostimportant, however, he was a bestfriend.

We love you, Ellen and Lyle. Andwe’ll meet again.

Liz Abbott and Kent JohnsonPublishers, San Diego Troubadour

SERVICES FOR LYLE DUPLESSIEA memorial will be held on Sunday,July 11, 3 p.m., at Hospitality Pointon Mission Bay, located at the end ofQuivira Way. You are welcome andencouraged to bring your acousticinstruments (no electricity there) toplay music following the service. Inlieu of flowers, please make donationsto: Derek Duplessie Scholarship Fundc/o Mount Soledad PresbyterianChurch, 6551 Soledad Mountain Rd.,La Jolla, CA 92037. For further infor-mation, email sdtroubadour@yahoo.comor write to San Diego Troubadour,P.O. Box 164, La Jolla, CA 92038.

q I n M e m o r i u m rLyle Duplessie: Keeper of the Vision

The San Diego Troubadour is dedicated to the memory of Ellen Duplessie,whose vision inspired the creation of this newspaper.

Happy times: Kent Johnson, Liz Abbott, andLyle Duplessie at son Derek’s eighth gradegraduation ceremony last year.

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Lyle Duplessie, 1953-2004

July 2004 • San Diego Troubadour

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by Lyle Duplessie

part 3

y the early ‘70s the complexion oflife had rapidly changed for Rose.Brother Cal had died from a heartattack and her mother Lula soon

followed. She was divorced from JimmyBrogdon. Now in her mid 40s, Rose hadto modernize her image to look morefemale country vogue. It became neces-sary to reinvent herself since populartastes in country music had changed.The image of the hillbilly swing queenwas long gone. Out went the flashy AnnieOakley cowgirl outfits, replaced by mini-skirts and slinky gowns. Rose evenchanged her short, dark tresses to ahighly coiffed platinum blonde. Outwardchanges came, but her inward soul andgrit still remained.

By this time country music wasincreasingly controlled by marketingagents, lawyers, and corporation execs,most of whom had little interest in coun-try music as a form of American expres-sion. The days when artists dealt directlywith colorful cigar-chomping talent brokersand regional scene boss-es were over. Though nolonger a headliner, Rosecontinued to get plenty ofwork in small lounges andhonky tonks up and downthe West Coast. From thispoint on Rose would con-tinue to record, but onlyfor a succession of smallindependent labels likeStarday, Cathay, Takoma,and Arhoolie.

Though the opportuni-ty for renewed stardomhad eluded her, Rose stillput her all into every per-formance. She had alegacy that reached backdecades and legions offans still showed up whenshe performed, and thesefolks she couldn’t disap-point. Increasingly, shealso became more activeon the folk festival circuitas an Americana pioneer.

The San DiegoTroubadour’s own LouCurtiss was the first tointroduce Rose to the folkfestival format in 1976.From that date until 1996, she would per-form at many of Lou’s legendary folk fes-tivals, first at SDSU and later on AdamsAvenue. About the same time, ChrisStrachwitz of Arhoolie Records, who wasinterested in reissuing all the old MaddoxBrothers and Rose recordings,approached her. Rose became an invalu-able source in identifying and compilingthese now antique and timeless record-ings.

As the late ‘70s and early ‘80sapproached, Rose spent more and moretime at her home in Ashland, Oregon thanon the road. Her son Donnie had quittouring with her several years earlierwhen he had taken a bride and startedraising a family, but he was back to hischores behind the wheel and behind thebass when Rose again received someunexpected recognition. First, the movieUrban Cowboy sparked renewed interestin country music and the cowboylifestyle. It is noteworthy to mention thatthis trend took hold in gay communitiesup and down the West Coast. Soon Roseand Donnie found steady, well-payingwork in gay bars sporting new country-western décor. She also hit a nerve in theneo-rockabilly sect of the fresh punkrock movement. These rough-edgedyouths were trying to rediscover theirroots-rock past, and they soon found that

few were as rootsy as Rose.Rose’s career was in the midstof a revival, though well out ofthe mainstream, as it took onunderground cult status.Rose’s born again vitalityresulted in more compilationsbeing reissued by Bear Familyand even Columbia.

During this renaissance aseries of disasters struck.Though not yet 40, Donnie suf-fered a heart attack, whichrequired open-heart surgery;additional by-pass operationswould follow. Then inDecember, 1981, Rose suffered

two heart attacks, the second of whichalmost killed her. Somehow she managedto recover by the spring of ‘82, but withDonnie’s health still in doubt, she begantouring with the Vern Williams Band, abluegrass outfit from northern California.In late July, while at home just prior toleaving for a rodeo gig in Reno, Rose gota call from Donnie’s wife telling her thathe had suffered a massive stroke. Rosewas at her son’s hospital bedside whenhe passed away on August 1.

Rose was devastated by the loss ofher son, but rather than packing it in, shedealt with the pain by putting forth anincredible spurt of energy. With the VernWilliams Band backing her up, Roserecorded A Beautiful Bouquet, an albumof gospel songs. She then recorded thealbum Queen of the West with none otherthan Roy Nichols, Emmylou Harris, andMerle Haggard and his famous band theStrangers. Both albums were dedicatedto Donnie. In the late ‘80s I caught a RoseMaddox show at the Belly Up Tavern. Soas to perpetuate this bond with her son,Rose had none other than Donnie, hergrandson, playing bass in her new group,the Foggy Notion Band.

In 1984 a video documentary by SanFrancisco folklorist Gail Waldron wasreleased, chronicling the incrediblecareer of the Maddox Brothers and Rose.

Rose and brother Fred reunited in sup-port of the video, performing around theBay Area. They then began doing a hostof gigs throughout the San JoaquinValley. The duo were also guests onshows by Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson,Waylon Jennings, and Loretta Lynn. Fredand Rose were well received and wellremembered despite not having per-formed together in almost 30 years. AEuropean tour was even booked, butFred had to pull out due to poor health.Rose went, however, and for two weekswas greeted by sell-out crowds of fanat-ic teenagers. This flurry of activity culmi-nated in 1987 when the two survivingmembers of the Maddox Brothers andRose were honored at a fiftieth anniver-sary tribute by the California WesternSwing Society.

In 1988 Rose recorded an LP with allthe members of the Desert Rose Bandsans Chris Hillman. The album consistedof some new material and some remakesof her Capital hits. Despite the quality ofthe finished product, inexplicably no labelissued it until 1996 when the LP, titled TheMoon Is Rising, was finally released bythe tiny Country Town label. In June 1989,while driving to a gig in Bakersfield, Rosesuffered a major heart attack. Somehowshe managed to drive into town andcheck herself into a hospital. Rose’sheart condition worsened and she

slipped into a coma,remaining unconscious forthe next three months.When word leaked outabout her condition and thefact that she had no healthinsurance, the countrymusic community inCalifornia and elsewherebegan holding benefits onher behalf as a means to

defraythe med-icalcosts.Doctorsgave heronly a tenpercentchanceof sur-vival, but intypical Maddoxfamily style, she defied the odds andeventually recovered, albeit slowly.

Rose was released from the hospitalin September1989 with evidence of thephysical ravages of the ordeal, but men-tally she was ready to storm the stagesonce again. Understandably, gigsbecame few and far between, but Rosewas not about to retire. Nor was she for-gotten by those who revered her andwho stood in the shadow of her immeas-urable legacy. She was invited to appearin 1990 on a Nashville Now TV show withEmmylou Harris and the Desert RoseBand’s John Jorgenson. She made a fol-low-up appearance with grandsonDonnie. Then in 1991 she and Fredshowed up as major figures in a PBS-TVdocumentary called Bakersfield Country.Also on the show were old friends BuckOwens, Merle Haggard, Red Simpson,

and Roy Nichols. She tried her hand inBranson, Missouri, which was a verypopular spot for recycled hillbilly stars atthe time. Once there, however, she foundthat the only ones who made any moneywere the club owners. In a furtherattempt to make ends meet, she sold offall her Nathan Turk cowboy outfits, alongwith those of brothers Henry and Cal, tohillbilly hotshot Marty Stuart.

In October 1992, brother Fred suc-cumbed to heart failure. Now Rose wasall that remained of the family band.Though she loved Fred, as she did all herfamily, she had learned long before toreach for the future and not hide in thepast. In short, she pushed ahead —that’s all she knew how to do. Again sheteamed up with former Desert Rose Bandmembers and fiddler extraordinaireByron Berline to record her 1994 CD $35and a Dream. This autobiography, set to

music, was nomi-nated for a Grammyin the BestTraditionalBluegrass Albumcategory.

On April 15, 1998,Rose Maddoxpassed away at theage of 72 inAshland, Oregon.Though awarded asquare in theCountry Music Hallof Fame’s Walkwayof Stars, she hasyet to be enshrinedas a Country MusicHall of Fame mem-ber and probablynever will be.Certainly this honorhas eluded her forseveral reasons, allof which can betraced to her ownfeisty independ-ence. Her musicwas pure California

country, owing little ornothing to Nashville’s

music industry. In fact, Rosecould be downright irreverenttoward Nashville’s star-mak-ing process. She could out-sing , outperform, and flat outoutlast any Nashville groomedperformer, and indeed herincredible career proves it.Her sense of timing, show-manship, and delivery, if notinstinctual, were at least selftaught. She understood thatit’s all about winning thehearts of a loyal audience forthe long haul, which did notcome through gimmicks orcatering to pop trends but bymaking honest, uncompro-mised music. She could be

bold, brassy, and brazen, qualitiesthat endeared her to roughnecks andrednecks, but that made the Nashvilleelite ill at ease. In short, Nashville is notabout to bestow glory on someone theydidn’t create. Ironically, the qualities thatendeared Rose Maddox to the massesare the same ones that Nashville can’tabide. Despite all of this, Rose Maddoxwill remain immortal as an American iconand folk heroine. With those accolades,who needs a hall of fame anyway?

Queen of Hillbilly SwingRose MaddoxB

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Rose, in mod mini-dress, meets the 1970s head-on.

Cover of Rose’s 1967 Starday album.

Jay Dee Maness, Paul Bowman, Don Whaley, Rose ca. 1986

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Rose, “the walking miracle,” back in action nine months after her 3-month coma, 1990.

Rose ca. 1986, Santa Maria, CA

Note: This is the last article Lyle Duplessie wrotefor the San Diego Troubadour, turned in a weekbefore his untimely death on June 17.

Maddox Brothers and Rose on the Adams Avenue RootsFestival poster from 1999, a year after Rose’s death

San Diego Troubadour • July 2004

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T he first time I wrote aset of linernotes for a

record, which was an LP331/2 disc, was for myown festival in 1974. Thedisc was appropriatelytitled San Diego FolkFestival ‘74 and I was onmy way. About that time Imet Frank Scott who ownedAdvent records and turnedhim on to local Texas blues-man Thomas Shaw. The resulting LP,titled Born in Texas (Advent 2801), cameout that same year. Nick Perls, whoowned Yazoo and Blue Goose recordsalso recorded Tom on an LP titled BlindLemon’s Buddy (Blue Goose 2008) as wellas Mississippi bluesman Sam Chatmon(John Fahey and I actually recorded Samand sent the tapes to Nick, which heissued on an LP titled The Mississippi Sheik(Blue Goose LP 2006).

The next year Frank Scott and Irecorded a variety of San Diego areablues artists, including Tom Shaw, Robert“Rock Me” Jeffrey, Sam Chatmon, BonnieJefferson, Tomcat Courtney, Henry FordThompson, and Louis Major on the LPSan Diego Blues Jam (Advent 2804).

About this time or a year or so later, Iran into Mark Wilson, a record collectorand philosophy professor at UCSD, whowas responsible for a good bit of the tra-ditional recordings issued on the Rounderlabel out of Cambridge, Massachusetts.During the years that Mark spent in SanDiego, we collaborated on a number ofLP recordings, including Tioga Jim —Ranch House Songs and Recitations by VanHolyoak, a real working cowboy singerfrom Clay Springs, Arizona (Rounder

0108); Just Something MyUncle Told Me, subtitledBlaggardy Folk Songsfrom the SouthernUnited States, whichwas more or less our

x-rated number

(Rounder 0141);Harry McClintock —Hallelujah, I’m a Bum,reissued from original78s by this cowboy,poet, union organizer,and movie extra whowrote such songs as“Big Rock CandyMountain,” “Fireman, Save My Child,”and “Ain’t We Crazy?” (Rounder 1009);Glenn Ohrlin — The Wild Buckaroo, whichincluded more cowboy songs by thisArkansas entertainer (Rounder 0158);Rich Man, Poor Man: American Countrysongs of Protest, reissued from original78s by Uncle Dave Macon, the MonroeBrothers, Gene Autry, the Dixon Brothers,Blind Alfred Reed, and Wilmer Wattesand the Lonely Eagles (Rounder 1026).

After that, Mark and I producedanother LP with Sam Chatmon, titledSam Chatmon’s Advice (Rounder 2018),and finally I produced two Roy Acuff reis-sues for Rounder: Steamboat Whistle Blues

1936-1939 (Rounder Special Series 55-23), which won an Indie (the independ-ent record label’s version of the Grammy)in 1985 as Best Reissued Record of theYear. We followed that up with a secondAcuff reissue, titled Fly, Birdie, Fly(Rounder Special Series 55-24). And thatabout did it for Rounder except for anoccasional track that has shown up onvarious anthologies. During this period Ihelped Sam Chatmon get recorded forFlying Fish (FF202) and for a label in Italy(Albatross VPA 8408) and one inGermany (L&R Records LR 42.032). I also

helped Thomas Shaw do one inthe Netherlands (Blues Beacon63-1001).

In 1990 I metBruce Bastin in Britain atInterstate Music and have

worked with

him on a varietyof projects for his vari-ous labels, includingCountry Routes,Flyright, Krazy Kat,Harlequin, and Heritage.We’ve dug into the LouCurtiss Sound Library’sextensive collection of vin-tage country music radioshows and over the past 14 years have

put out five LPs and 26 CDs of vintageold-time stuff, starting with Merle Travis,who has always been a favorite of mine.From 1990 to 2003 we issued one LPand five CDs of Merle Travis material,taken from radio, the movies, soundies,and live concerts. My favorite is the radiostuff, because he always sounds the mostrelaxed and easy going. We reissued stufffrom old radio shows like Dinner BellRoundup, Hollywood Barn Dance, andHarmony Homestead from the late 1940s(Country Routes LP:RFD 9001 and CD09, titled Merle Travis 1944-1949 and CD12, titled Merle Travis: Unissued RadioShows 1944-1948). Other Travis CDsinclude Hoedown Shows and Films (CD14), Turn Your Radio On (CD 20), and lastyear’s Boogie Woogie Cowboy (CD 29).This is some hot guitar pickin’, particular-ly those first two.

I’ve provided material or written linernotes for other CDs, including Town HallParty 1958-1961 (Country Routes CD17), Tex Williams: On the Air 1947-1949(Country Routes CD 17), Tex Williams andhis Western Caravan 1946-1951 (CountryRoutes CD 28), Western Swing on the

Radio (Country Routes CD07), Cliffie Stone’s RadioTranscriptions (CountryRoutes CD 08), Rockin’ atTown Hall (Country RoutesCD 06), Spade Cooley andhis Western on TV (Krazy

Kat CD 14), Joe Maphisand

Friends: Live atTown Hall (CountryRoutes RFD 16), Hugh andKarl Farr: Hot and Bluesy1934-1940 (Country RoutesCD 11), Bob Wills TexasPlayboys Live at HarmonyPark Ballroom (on CountryRoutes LP RFD 9004 and onCD 21), Bob Wills: Rare California Airshots1945-1946 (Country Routes CD 24),Hank Thompson: Unissued RadioBroadcasts 1953 (Country Routes CD 19),and a second Hank Thompson CD (samesource, different stuff), which was issuedon Flyright CD 948.

A second Spade Cooley CD wasissued on Country Routes CD 30 withmostly material from Cooley’s 1945-46band. We put out a western swing onL.A. radio compilation from the 1940sand one from the 1950s. The first wascalled Sunshine State Swing (Country

Routes CD 22) and the second, SolidSouth (Country Routes CD 25). The finalCountry Routes item was Harley Hugginsand the Barn Dance Band (Country RoutesCD 27), a Bob Wills farm team bandfrom the Fresno area, featuring lots of exand future Texas Playboys.

One other item on Country Routes,though it probably shouldn’t have been,was a collection of black vocal groupscalled Man, That’s Groovy (CountryRoutes CD 10, featuring the Golden GateQuartet, the Ink Spots, the Spirits ofRhythm, the Charioteers, and othersfrom radio transcriptions). Two live con-cert collections wind up the issued mate-rial. The first is Rev. Gary Davis Live at theSign of the Sun 1962 in San Diego. Thesecond is a final tribute CD of SamChatmon, mostly recorded at Folk ArtsRare Records in the early ‘70s (HeritageCD 03 and Flyright CD 63). And that’swhat’s been issued except for two of theearly Advent LPs, which have been reis-sued with some extra songs on theTestament Label. They are Thomas Shaw:Born in Texas (Testament TCD5027) andSan Diego Blues Jam (Testament TCD5029).

I just finished the notes to The Womenof Town Hall, which I’m told will be out inthe fall on Country Routes. Like all of

them, it’s stuff I like a lotand think is worth pre-serving. I keep findingthis stuff on the edge ofbeing worn out and therevamp on the soundthat Bruce Bastin andthe guys at InterstateMusic do is nothingshort of amazing.You can write for a

catalog c/o InterstateMusic Ltd., 20 Endwell Rd., Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex TN40 IEA, England. Tellthem you heard about it from Lou.

Recordially,

Lou Curtiss

P.S. For those of you who want to seeand hear Town Hall Party, a good exam-ple of what country barn dance showswere all about, I suggest the series ofDVDs that have come out on the BearFamily label. That is, of course, afteryou’ve listened to the Country RoutesTown Hall stuff.

Lou Curtiss

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Recordially, Lou Curtiss

July 2004 • San Diego Troubadour

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by Sandra Castillo

It seemed as though the question ofthe evening, being whispered inexcitable, hushed tones — “Who is

she? Who is this performer?” — createdas much fever and cause for celebrationas the revelry of the event. Dizzy’s, down-town’s treasured venue for live music,played host to a program of San Diego hitmusic last year where some of the city’sfinest troubadours paid homage to JimCroce, Stephen Bishop, the Cascades,and more, with a memorable look back atthe songs they made famous. Musicalguests Stellita Lindgren, San Diego R&Bchanteuse and focus of the audience’scuriosity, and guitarist/husband Daveengaged the crowd with their sweet,timeless renditions of “Operator” and“Save It for a Rainy Day.”

Wrapping her warm, sensual vocalsaround the eloquent stirrings of Dave’sslow-hand sentiments to jazz, it was littlewonder that the pair so beautifullyenticed the audience with their sound.

Relaxing alongside Stellita and Daveat the Gaslamp District’s fashionableCafé Lulu, I was privy to their grand, inti-mate Sunday afternoon, while rousingthe muses of two confidantes on a mis-sion. One voice, two hearts, and achance was born to touch the world withtheir songs. Inhabiting a cool and per-sonalized style as provocative as her bal-lads, Stellita is a phenomenon of sorts inthe spotlight tradition of Sade and AnitaBaker. Both Stellita and Dave hail frommusical backgrounds. She spent manyyears exercising her vocal prowess ingospel choirs and stage performancesthroughout the U.S., while Dave playedguitar in various rock and funk ensem-bles, including the popular groupChocolate Shake. It is no coincidencethey paved individual destinations to

eventually settle in California. Leaving theMidwest proved to be a turning point inboth their careers. It was the West Coastconnection that opened the doors ofopportunity for their talents and, ultimate-ly, the embrace of their lives: a matchmade in serenades and marriage.

In 1997, an ad placed in the SanDiego Reader seeking a female vocalistfor Dave’s band Glassy culminated in thespark and courtship of the two, whoseoriginal business beginnings slowly yield-ed to the fragrance of romance. It wasthe stunning combination of their naturalgifts — Dave’s passion for old-schoolfunk and standard jazz and Stellita’s pen-chant for pop and R&B shimmer — thatgroomed them for alliance and the altar.

Stellita’s first recording with Daveand Glassy heightened their individualambitions to branch out musically. It wasonly after she decided to leave Glassythat the transition abetted the team topursue their initial plans of forming a jazzand R&B ensemble, which had led themto each other in the first place.

And so it was on this blissful after-noon that the couple recalled themoment that Finally, Stellita’s solo debut,

took flight. It was on this project that shebegan working side by side with Daveand some of San Diego’s finest musi-cians and producers to herald 12 tracksof faith and opulence. Her debut is abenevolent departure from the feel-goodchorale of Glassy, in which she sang leadin a spirited mix of unity and party fueledsizzle. On her latest effort, Stellita gracesthe role of diva-in-the-making, sans vani-ty, and waltzes right onto the red carpet.

We talked briefly about the making ofFinally and the loves and perils of work-ing together on a project filled with prom-ise, yet so personal.

SC: Talk a little bit about the songs youboth collaborated on together for Finally.

Stellita: When we first started workingtogether, Dave had me put lyrics to hisown music. We had different styles musically at that time. With thisalbum, it was a little different becausethe songs were ones I had already writ-ten. I was very adament about how Iwanted them to be and to sound.

SC: Dave, what was it like working onFinally?

Dave: A lot of work and hours! It was alot of fun working with Stellita, trying tocome up with music and different ideasand moods to suit her needs.

SC: Stellita, what was it like for you?

Stellita: Frustrating! (Laughter) No, itreally was a lot of fun. I mean, it was funbut at times frustrating. You hear a cer-

tain thing or idea, and it’s not there orworking with different people, dealingwith their personalities.

SC: I think the album is classy. Whatdoes it represent?

Stellita: Accomplishment. Even when youdo the work, you still tear it down andask yourself, “Why did I do this? Why didI do that?” The songs represent love andpassion. I only write songs that are posi-tive and help bring people together.

SC: If you were to describe the music onFinally to someone who has yet to listento it, what does it reflect?

Dave: It’s a pop and R&B album that’svery easy listening. You could sit down bya fire and listen to it with your date andhave some good music behind you asyou enjoy your night.

Stellita: The songs “When I Found You”and “You’re Everything To Me” are aboutloving your man and [being] glad he’s inyour life. It’s about love.

Finally is a splendid ode to the tapes-tries of color and emotion laced from thepastiches of amour. It is eleganceandsensuality by design. Comprised mostlyof love songs such as “You’re Everythingto Me” and “Only You,” Stellita reflectsinward to gently convey heart and soulfor her man. The standout track “When IFound You,” written exclusively for Dave,is universal and dynamic in its everlast-ing message and candor. With a littlehelp from her friends (kudos to producers

Royal Honor and Nairobi Sailcat for theirinvaluable technical expertise), Stellitadelivers the magic, while sharing the stir-rings of her heart.

Besides recording, the duo has per-formed at Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge,the Old Venice Caffe, The Gathering, andTio Leo’s, all favorite in-spots for musiclovers.

It’s About Stellita and Dave . . . “Finally”

by Paul Hormick

Robert Edwards is a big man, andhis hands show the broad devel-opment from years of honest

labor. He’s the fellow that gets calledwhen heavy lifting needs to be done.He’s a real guy’s guy. So it might be a bitsurprising to listen to his first commer-cially released disk, Bittersweet, and heara collection of sweet reflective ballads.

“I was in Ireland. While I was there,I really let myself go,” he says. “Iopened myself up to my feminine sideand a lot of stuff that had gottenburied, and let it happen. That’s whythese songs are soft and poignant.”

It might be said that Bittersweet hasbeen years in the making. Inexplicably,about four years ago, Edwards wasdrawn to spend time in Ireland. “It wascold there. I was wearing socks on myhands to keep them warm,” he says.The island had a certain effect on him,which may have been the cold, but thecharm of Ireland thawed his creativity.The island’s influence reveals itself inthe Celtic character that many of thetunes have.

Edwards had released a disk previ-ously, just handing it out to friends andfamily as gifts. With this new batch ofsongs, however, he felt compelled tomake his first disk for the public. Toengineer the recording, he turned toRandy Bemis of InnerFocusMusic,whom Edwards credits with helping tobring out the natural full sound of thedisk. Edwards says, “I’d play the guitar,and Randy would move the micro-phone to get it just right. All theambiance is from the microphones; wedidn’t add any effects for the sound.”Bemis’ partner at InnerFocusMusic,Steve O’Connor, assured Edwards that

his instinct of “less is more” worked forthe disk. Many of the tunes feature onlyEdwards’ voice and guitar, and theinstrumentals focus on guitar alone.

Edwards was born and spent hisearly boyhood not far from his Celticinspiration in Liverpool and canremember remnants of bombed outbuildings flattened in the Blitz in thenorthern England industrial town.Edwards credits part of his musicaldevelopment and catholic influences tothe BBC. He says, “There were two radiostations, both government controlled,and they played everything. You’d hearJulie Andrews, Elvis, Petula Clarke. Thenyou’d hear some symphonic work, thenThe Goon Show.”

He bought a guitar for about 10pounds from a German immigrant wholived across the street, bought the intro-ductory guitar book, and set about tolearn the songs therein, like “Skip to MyLou” and “Oh My Darling Clementine”.His richly charactered tenor voice got itstraining in the choir of Saint Margaret’sAnfield, an all boys school in a sectionof Liverpool.

Quick with a smile and often a jokeas well, Edwards credits his British senseof humor to his grandfather, an actor,comedian, and old vaudevillian per-former who entertained his fellowLiverpoodlians with traditional Englishpantomime. Edwards’ father worked forCunard Line, and as he was so often outto sea, grandpa served as the youngboys mentor.

Yes, dear reader — since you mayhave been wondering — Edwardsremembers the Beatles when he was aboy in his hometown. “This is beforethey got cleaned up, during theirleather jacket phase,” he says. A friend’ssister, who was old enough to get intothe clubs, had been raving about this

new band, the Beatles. “We were tooyoung to get in, but we went down to aplace called Wooten Hall and hungaround outside to hear them,” Edwardsremembers.

Lured by the promise of prosperity,Edwards’ family moved to the U.S.when he was 13, settling in San Diegobecause an aunt had already movedhere. As every high school band is inneed of a bass player, Edwards switchedover to the bass when he was a studentat San Diego High School. He played inthe House of Usher, a band that fea-tured covers by the Byrds, the Beatles,Bob Dylan, and the Lovin’ Spoonful.Playing the bass brought him into TheEarly Morning Blues Band, a featuredact that opened for Steve Miller, PaulButterfield Blues Band, and the VelvetUnderground at San Diego’s version ofFilmore West, the Hippodrome.

Not one to sit on his laurels,Edwards is already at work on his nextdisk. As Bittersweet is in the folk Celticvein, he anticipates his next effort willbe more world beat in character.Bittersweet, which is reviewed in thisissue on page 13, is available fromCDbaby.com and InnerFocusMusic.com.Edwards will be performing July 18 atthe Music Mart Showcase in Encinitas.

Stellita and Dave Lindgren

Robert Edwards: Irish Inspirationfor a New Disk

Stellita and Dave’s latest effort: Finally

T he honor of remembering a man as great asRay Charles is not one taken lightly by anyself-respecting writer. The task of doing so

in only a few words is even more daunting. Andyet I am at a loss to come up with even one thatcan begin to describe his personal and professionalcontributions to this world.

Certainly his musical offerings are well-docu-mented by scores of recordings he made during hislifetime, including such hits as “I Got a Woman,”“Georgia on My Mind,” “What’d I Say,” “Hit theRoad, Jack,” “Hallelujah, I Love Her So,” “UnchainMy Heart,” and a version of “America the Beautiful”so heartfelt that tears still well up in my eyes uponhearing it, all these hundreds of listens later.

Ray Charles grew up in the segregated South atthe height of the depression. “You hear folks talk-ing about being poor,” he has said. “Even com-pared to other blacks, we were on the bottom ofthe ladder looking up at everyone else. Nothingbelow us except the ground.” He witnessed thedrowning of his brother when he was five, and bythe age of seven he had completely lost his sight.

He attended the St. Augustine School for theDeaf and Blind, where he learned to read and writemusic in Braille and learned how to play trumpet,clarinet, organ, alto sax, and piano. After losing hismother at age 15, he played in a few bandsthroughout Florida for a couple of years beforerelocating to Seattle, where he had “my own apart-ment, a piano, a girlfriend, and a Hi-Fi,” If he washandicapped, he certainly didn’t seem to be awareof it.

Ray Charles was not only gifted enough to besuccessful in music, but he was also a true innova-tor, an inadvertent architect of soul music who alsoshowed the jazz world a thing or two in theprocess.

I was lucky enough to accompany my friendGeorge Varga to an interview with Charles about ayear and half ago. George’s last question to him was“How would you like people to remember you 100years from now?’ Charles was quick to answer.

“Honestly, what I would love for people tosay…is that I was sincere. I was honest with mymusic. I never cheated. I never tried to shortchangethe public. If I was playing to 20,000 or 200 peo-ple, I gave the 200 people all I had.”It is in that spirit that I say for all of us: “ThanksRay, for everything.”

— Sven-Erik Seaholm

I n M e m o r i u m

Ray Charles 1930-2004

Ray has a laugh in Sven’s studio

Phot

o: S

andr

a C

astil

lo

Do not stand at my grave and weep.I am not there.I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,I am the diamond glints on snow,I am the sunlight on ripened grain,I am the gentle autumn’s rain.When you awaken in the morning’s hushI am the swift uplifting rushof quiet birds in circled flight,I am the soft sars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.I am not there.I did not die.

— Anonymous

Phot

o: S

ven-

Erik

Sea

holm

Robert Edwards

San Diego Troubadour • July 2004

front porchfront porch

7

Story and Photography by Dwight Worden

As one enters the workshop, thelook, feel, and smell of Brazilianpernambuco wood blends nice-

ly with the visual richness of white horsetail hair from Russia hanging from a rack.A well-worn workbench, once belongingto a Polish immigrant master bow makerin Chicago, sits prominently at the centerof this old-world work area. The bench isnow occupied by the old immigrant’sone-time apprentice and protege, GregGohde, hard at work at Classic Bows, hisstringed instrument shop.

If you think that skilled craftsman-ship, an eye for detail, and old-style hardwork in the production and repair ofquality musical instruments has all but

disappeared in San Diego, gobbled up bythe Guitar Centers and Chinese imports,stop by Classic Bows and meet GregGohde and Lois Bach at 2721 AdamsAvenue and you will be pleasantly sur-prised.

As a high schooler in Chicago, GregGohde played and taught rock and rollelectric bass and guitar until the fatefulday when he met August, the grumpymaster bow maker who kept his doorlocked, peering suspiciously at customersthrough the glass, often deciding not tolet them in if he didn’t like their looks.Not the best of marketing approaches,but it fit well with the Polish immigrant’sview of the world.

He let young Greg in on that firstoccasion, perhaps because he saw afuture bow maker in this young man,

thus beginning a lifelong friendship thatcontinues today. Greg went on to studymusic and, at his Dad’s urging, account-ing at De Paul University. Through hisgrowing love of violins, violas, and bows,he soon developed an appreciation forclassical string music as well, but he isclear that it was his attraction to theinstruments and bows that led him tothe music.

Greg studied hard with his Chicagobow maker mentor and in college haddeveloped considerable prowess as amusician on the viola and violin. To makemoney he continued in his rock band,taught music, and worked other jobs, allthe while continuing his study of bowmaking and his voracious reading on thehistory of bows, instruments, and theirmakers. Later, he traveled to Englandwhere he spent two years studying withanother master bow maker as he contin-ued to hone his own considerable skills.Upon returning to Chicago, Greg ven-tured out on his own, making bows andsoon earning a reputation for quality andcraftsmanship. He sold his bows aroundthe U.S. and internationally out of hisfirst shop, a small workshop/apartment ina 100-unit artist complex on Chicago’snorth side.

When a friend of his sister lured himto San Diego for a visit, it was there hemet Lois Bach whom he married in 1988.Lois was working in television at the timeas a technical director, a job she held for25 years, but in 1990 they openedClassic Bows on Grape Street, startingwith only two violins and 20 of Greg’sbows.

Over the 14 years since theyopened, the shop has grown dramatical-ly, first relocating to a bigger and betterspace on Beech Street, and last yearmoving to its new and larger location onAdams Avenue. Greg and Lois work inthe shop full time, selling a variety of vio-lins, violas, cellos, and, of course, bows,along with Lois’ musically themed giftitems that she painstaking collects fromaround the world. One entering the shopis greeted by racks and racks of violins,violas, cellos, and bows, and by severalcabinets and display cases of Lois’ uniquegift items. Greg’s workshop is in theback, where there is a practice or “tryout” room for those shopping for bowsor instruments.

The shop is busy Monday throughSaturday, closed on Sunday and Monday.Top players from the San DiegoSymphony and visiting performers canbe seen in the shop and sometimesheard telephoning in a panic becausethey need a quick repair or adjustmenton their performance instrument. Onemight also see Nickel Creek’s Sara

Watkins (who recently bought a violathat can be heard on their latest CD), orother prominent figures from the blue-grass, jazz, country, rock, Celtic, and clas-sical worlds. Greg has done work for theDave Matthews Band, the Celtic groupClannad (who called him from Ireland tomake an appointment!), and for WilliamPreucil, concert master for the MainlyMozart event, for whom Greg oncerecovered a precious stolen violinthrough clever sleuth work.

Just as often and as comfortably,Greg and Lois cater to first timers, oldand young, and to school kids. The shopnot only sells and repairs bows andinstruments but also has connectionswith teachers and sells instructionalmaterials available for those who want tolearn. Greg and Lois call it the “Cheers ofMusic” as the shop has served, and con-tinues to serve, as a hang out and gath-ering place for stringed instrument musi-cians, be they young music students nowplaying as professionals who still drop inor the mariachi bands in full regalia whostop in on Saturday mornings for stringsand chat.

Greg doesn’t have the time to makebows anymore, although he consults onoccasion, notably in the design of thenow famous Coda fiberglass bows. He isbusy now repairing bows and instru-ments, consulting on all matters ofstringed instruments, and in bow re-hair-ing, which explains the beautiful shock ofwhite horse tail hair in the workshop.Asked what he likes most about theshop, he replied, “having a happy cus-tomer come back and share with mehow much they love the instrument Isold them or the repair I did for them.”Greg and Lois have a nice thing going onAdams Avenue, which could only happenthrough their hard work, knowledge, andskill. Musicians will appreciate what agreat resource this store is for those inthe market to buy a new instrument orbow as well as to enjoy a look around tobrowse through their selection of music-related gift items.

Classic Bows: InstrumentalCraftsmanship in San Diego

Greg working in his shop

Classic Bows owners Greg Gohde and Lois Bach

by John Philip Wyllie

Life has not been easy for young, up andcoming singer/songwriter Meghan LaRoque. Having lost her mother at the ten-

der age of nine, adversity has been her frequentcompanion. Fortunately, so has music.

“There is a strong spiritual vein runningthrough my family. My dad was a minister and webelonged to a Christian fellowship church. It waskind of a tambourine hippy church,” according toLa Roque. “My family was driven with an over-whelming sense of good.”

“I sang before I could speak and I started play-ing the guitar when I was about 15. Everyone hastheir own path and mine is through music. It hasalways been in my soul.”

La Roque grew up listening to a wide varietyof styles — everything from Gregorian chant tomodern jazz. She also performed as a youth in sev-eral chamber choirs, vocal ensembles, and on vio-lin. She trained to be a teacher while studying the-ater arts in college, but her music would not wait.Basically very shy, she had to overcome her initialinsecurity to follow her heart’s ambition.

“I’ve infused a lot of different influences. Itend to like deep, passionate music. I’ve alwaysloved folk music (in particular) because it tells astory. Nina Simone is one of my favorite artists. Idon’t sound like her, but she sings from the heartand that is what I am about.” La Roque possesses apowerful voice similar to that of Chrissy Hinde ofthe Pretenders, but her style is uniquely her own.Her percussive style of guitar playing developedout of necessity.

“A while back, I was playing up in L.A. and Inoticed that the people there were talking (over hermusic). So I started punching my guitar andstomping my feet (to get their attention). That hassort of become my trademark without me everwanting it to.”

La Roque doesn’t sound much like any of the

female artists performing on the San Diego circuitand for good reason.

“I take a lot of risks. I don’t sing my songs forsomeone else. If someone appreciates them I amhappy and glad that we can share on the journey,but I am not trying to please anyone.Unfortunately, a lot of artists try to mimic eachother. Most great artists take a lot of risks in thebeginning and are scrutinized at first and celebrat-ed later.”

Tristan Prettyman, San Diego’s criticallyacclaimed rising star, has performed several timeson the same bill as La Roque. So naturally, she isvery familiar with her music.

“Meghan is not like anything I have everseen,” Prettyman said. “Her music makes me wantto float away. She has this sort of ’60s, pure thinggoing on. I don’t know quite how to describe it,but it’s real music. It’s not like pre-washed, pro-duced, pop crap; it’s real and it’s soulful.”

Recently, La Roque has been hard at workrecording a follow-up to her 2003 debut album,Meghan La Roque. That CD shined on cuts such as“Reality Hoes” where she lampooned reality showprogramming and skewered TV’s big, blondebimbo, Anna Nicole Smith. A second song on thatalbum, “Starship 27,” will be reprised on the newone. The project is scheduled for a late summerrelease. Once that happens, she hopes to tour insupport of it with a nationally established act. Shealso hopes to continue playing locally at such clubsas the Belly Up, Twiggs, the Martini Lounge inEncinitas, and at her local favorite, Lestat’s.

“The new CD deals with many of the sametype of subjects [visited on her debut album]. [Likethe first one] it has an edge to it, but it is a littlemore mellow. We have taken our time with thisone and it is more meditative. I think this time Iam a little more at peace with myself.

La Roque’s latest offering will have fullerorchestration and the benefit of the studio expertiseof producer David Ybarra (Modern BakeryProductions). Ybarra not only produces this one,

he also plays every instrument on it except for LaRoque’s guitar.

“‘Starship 27’ is based upon my struggles inthe music industry. When I first started writing[music] it was a real natural thing and a way forme to be in touch with whatever was being provid-ed to me through the source or spirit,” La Roqueexplained. She quickly became aware, however,that image, perception, and glamour play animportant role in the music industry.

“That song was based upon my struggle tokeep in touch with the source while at the sametime being aware of my image. I was living in a lit-tle office space in L.A. at the time and I had holesin my socks, but people on the street were callingme a rock star.”

While many female songwriters tend to writeprimarily about failed relationships and lost love,La Roque is inspired by a broader range of topics.

“I’ve written my fair share of heartbreak songs,but I write more about whatever I am goingthrough. When I write songs, it is usually not bychoice. [The inspiration] just comes to me.Sometimes I’ll be driving on the road and a lyric ormelody will pop into my head. Other times, I’llwake up in the middle of the night and have some-thing.”

A dream she had several years ago has had aprofound impact on her career. “I awoke one nightand felt a surge going through my body,” La Roquerecalled. “A voice that I think was my mother’s toldme that I was going to take her life to the next leveland touch people both nationally and internation-ally. I remember fighting the voice in the dream,but ever since having it, things have happened. If Ihadn’t had that dream, I would have given up. Thatvoice is crystal clear now. I don’t doubt it any-more.”

For more information about Meghan LaRoque, her soon to be released CD, and herupcoming schedule of performances go to:www.meghanlaroque.com.

MeghanLa Roque GetsNoticed

Photo: Heather Elise

Grappelli for a violin duo.

After a brief time performing with the southern country rock jazz

fusion band, the Dixie Dregs, O’Connor set up residence in Nashville, the

capital of country music. The attention and success was almost immedi-

ate. He was soon recording sessions with top country talents like Waylon

Jennings, Reba McEntire, Travis Tritt, and Lyle Lovett.

He appreciated the success, but playing simplistic and unchalleng-

ing music in a grueling schedule of recording sessions began to wear on

him. In 1989 he took an artistic and financial risk and turned his back on

Nashville. He set out on a series of solo concerts, the only accompani-

ment to his fiddle being his loosely tailored suit and fedora. The context

of these concerts, without a band or rhythm section, allowed O’Connor

free reign to improvise, and these off the cuff rhapsodies inspired him to

try composing in a classical fashion. He sought no formal training, instead

studying books on the subject and relying on his accumulated knowledge.

He says, “I developed my composing style over time. Originally, I remem-

ber writing my first caprice. I took something archaic and put my own

sound into the motif.” The result was his finger-stretching and knuckle-

breaking Caprices 1-6.

He premiered his Fiddle Concerto with the Santa Fe Symphony in

1993 and composed his second concerto for the state of Tennessee’s

bicentennial celebrations in 1996. Also in 1996, O’Connor released the

hugely successful (debuting at number one and remaining there for 16

weeks) Appalachian Waltz, his collaboration with concert bassist Edgar

Meyer and the world’s preeminent cellist, Yo-Yo Ma. In 2000, with

Christopher Eschenbach conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra,

O’Connor paired up with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg to premier his

Double Concerto for Two Violins. The follow up to Appalachian Waltz,

Appalachian Journey was released that year as well.

O’Connor knows that with classical music he’s in the realm of

Bruckner and Beethoven, that the emphasis of this music is still based on

its birthplace in Europe. He nonetheless believes that the musical her-

itage of America is rich enough to sustain its own classical tradition.

“There is a lot of deference to European composers in classical music. I

to find my own way, because that’s

what they did. They both had struck

out on their own path. And they

saw that quality in me,” he says. It

bespeaks his ability to find and stay

true to his own identity that he learned what he could from his mentors

but chose not to follow in their footsteps. He is not a Texas fiddler like

his first mentor Thomasson, and he was the protégé of Grappelli, the

king of swing violin, beginning in 1979, yet he did not release a recording

of swing material until 2001.

His life with the violin started at the age of eight when O’Connor

saw the first Johnny Cash television show.

Appearing along with Joni Mitchell and

Bob Dylan was Doug Kershaw, who struck

a chord with the youngster. O’Connor had

been studying classical guitar but begged

for a violin for three years after falling

under the spell of the rambunctious Cajun

fiddler. After his mother finally bought

him a violin, he took lessons from Barbara

Lamb, who later gained some notoriety

with the group Ranch Romance and with

her own solo recordings. And although

her emphasis was on classical, she was

insightful enough to recognize his passion

and suggested that the then 11-year-old

O’Connor attend the Old-Time Fiddlers

Contest that year.

At the contest O’Connor met the man

who was to become one of his two greatest

mentors: Benny Thomasson. O’Connor knew

immediately that he wanted to emulate the

Texas-style fiddler’s ability to create a variation on a theme and brilliant

phrasing. At another fiddle contest a few months later, Thomasson heard

O’Connor and thought the boy talented. He convinced O’Connor’s

mother that it would be worthwhile for her to drive her son the 280

round trip from their home in Seattle to Kalama, Washington, where

Thomasson lived, for periodic lessons.

The young boy was a quick study. The next year O’Connor won the

junior division at the Old-Time Fiddlers Contest. Rounder Records took

note of the young competition winner, releasing the twelve-year-old

O’Connor’s first record, National Junior Fiddling Champion. Two other

record albums, Pickin’ In the Wind and Markology, followed and were

released before O’Connor graduated high school.

O’Connor had continued to play guitar and had even fronted a

fusion rock band in his hometown of Seattle. Keeping up these guitar

chops paid off; after graduation he auditioned and won the guitar slot

that had been freed up when Tony Rice had left the Dave Grisman

Quintet. Grisman’s tour that year included the legendary swing violinist

Stephane Grappelli, and the Frenchman took the younger violinist under

his wing. O’Connor says that Grappelli helped him develop his vibrato

and showed him how to enhance the singing quality of the violin. At the

end of every show on that tour with Grisman, O’Connor would join

pera singers perform Wagner and Verdi, banjo

pickers play bluegrass, and blues guitarists play

the blues. It’s that simple and that’s usually the

way it stays. Suspicion usually follows when per-

formers step outside their area of expertise.

Classical musicians are thought to be pandering and selling out when

they perform popular genres, and it is assumed that popular performers are

trying to gain some greater respectability when they put on the tie and

tails and try their hand at Vivaldi. A few, and a very few at that, will suc-

cessfully perform in a setting outside their known genre. One thinks of

the King of Swing, Benny Goodman, who relearned the clarinet later in

his life to play classical music, and Andre

Previn’s jazz performances throughout his

career.

Even among these rare musicians, vio-

linist Mark O’Connor is noteworthy. He has

performed in not just one or two, but in

many musical settings, from the barnyards of

fiddlin’ contests to jazz venues and classical

concert halls. Keeping this in mind, the

amazing thing — the jaw dropping, astound-

ing thing — about O’Connor, is the degree

to which he has excelled at every genre and

at each stage of his career. If the Olympics

had a decathlon for violin playing, O’Connor

would walk away with the gold medal.

As a teen O’Connor won the National

Old-Time Fiddler’s Contest so often he was

asked to retire from the competition. From

the mid-eighties through the early nineties

he was the fiddler in Nashville, winning

Musician of the Year from the Country Music

Association for two consecutive years and a Grammy for The New

Nashville Cats, an instrumental release of “newgrass” with other country

music heavyweights. More recently, his jazz performances and classical

compositions have earned him worldwide acclaim.

Interestingly, O’Connor does not try to be an Isaac Stern when he’s

playing a concerto, nor is he trying to be another Joe Venuti when he’s

swinging. He’s just plays the violin like Mark O’Connor. “One of the

things that is going to be my trade secret is that I don’t reinvent the

wheel every time I play,” he says. “I don’t flip a switch when I play differ-

ent genres or styles. I have a core sound. If I were to play a country track

with a country band in the background, then record a swing, and then

record one of my classical compositions with an orchestra. If you were to

take those tracks, strip away the backgrounds, you’d hear me play and a

lot of people would not be able to tell what genre I was playing. I’ve cre-

ated an identity. You can learn to play the violin in a manner that lets

you do that. There are ways of controlling the bow, vibrato, and crossing

strings that can lend themselves well to all styles.”

O’Connor developed this belief in himself and his sound early in

his career, crediting his two great teachers for helping him develop his

self-reliance. “I had two main mentors when I came of age: Benny

Thomasson and Stephane Grappelli. What they taught me was that I had

July 2004 • San Diego Troubadour

parlor showcaseparlor showcase

8

MARK O’CONNORTHE MAN CAN PLAY

by Paul Hormick

O

O’Connor with the trophy he won inn 1974

Photo courtesy of Mark O

’Connor A

rchive

Photo: Jim M

cGuire

O’Connor practices his compositions

Phot

o: E

rica

Hor

n

want to set up a

model different

from the European

model. We have

hundreds of years

of musical tradi-

tion, and there is

a wealth in

American forms of

music,” he says.

“What I’m doing

is taking

American music

genres, form, tech-

nique – and

American senti-

ment, which

includes feelings of

space, movement,

Westward expansion, and the issues our country has had over race — and

using them as a basis for my composition. There is so much to hear and

draw from, and all of these are uniquely American.”

For O’Connor, drawing on those American forms starts with the

violin. “It’s from Europe, but I play the violin as though it were a unique-

ly American instrument. That’s part of my signature,” he says. “I remem-

ber a classical violinist chiding me once at Vanderbilt, kind of snickering

and asking me if I liked playing those open strings. I said, ‘Actually, I like

it a lot.’” Although he has received criticism for using some fiddling tech-

niques in his classical performances, like the use of open strings, most in

the classical world recognize his great talent. Edgar Meyer told Strings

magazine, “There has never been a violinist like Mark. He fundamentally

was from outside classical music but played with the same level of accom-

plishment as people in classical music.”

In some respects O’Connor’s evolution into classical music is unsur-

prising. As a child growing up in Seattle, his mother played her collec-

tion of classical music records almost constantly, and his first instrument

was a nylon stringed guitar on which the young Mark took classical les-

sons. After five years of study, he won a classical guitar competition – not

just for his age group but for all categories – when he was just ten years

old. His first violin instructor insisted that O’Connor hold the violin and

bow in the proper classical fashion and stressed other classical fundamen-

tals as well. O’Connor sums up by saying, “I studied and played classical,

then switched into this world of fiddle contests and folk [music] and now

I’ve come full circle.”

Perhaps symbolic of his break with the country hits machine,

O’Connor left Nashville in 1998, settling here in a community outside

San Diego. A busy schedule of recording and performing keeps him on

the road, but he does more than just hang his hat here. He gave a series

of concert/lectures on the different styles of violin and fiddle at the San

Diego Museum of Art in 2001. He showed his support for music educa-

tion in our schools by performing with a middle-school level all-city band

in 2002. And he holds one of his two annual strings conferences here at

Point Loma Nazarene College, the other conference being held in

Tennessee (see related story).

Most of O’Connor’s time now is spent composing and performing

his classical work, but he has returned to other of his roots as well. After

Grappelli’s death in 1997, O’Connor teamed up with bassist Jon Burr and

guitarist Frank Vignola and performed a mix of music inspired by the Hot

San Diego Troubadour • July 2004

parlor showcase

9

parlor showcase

Creativity and Inspiration atMARK O’CONNOR’S STRING CAMP

Imagination is more important than knowledge.— Albert Einstein

During the first week in August, Mark O’Connor will be challeng-ing the attendees of his Strings Conference at Point LomaNazarene College to think outside the box, outside the triangle,

outside the hexagram, or any other geometric figure for that matter.“I try to teach people to be creative,” says O’Connor. “Whatever they

thought before, I want them to think that all things are possible. I wantthem to begin experimenting. It’s at that point that a teacher can show thestudent how to be more cre-ative.”

Such lack of true creativityhad frustrated O’Connor forsome time. He found himselfcontinually working with musi-cians who played one type ofmusic, with little or no ability,let alone interest, in music out-side their specialty. He wanted away to break people out of theirpreconceived notions aboutmusic and their instruments.

He came up with his fiddlecamp, designing a curriculumthat would force violinists intosettings outside their particulargenre. He says, “The strings con-ference lasts for five days. The first twoare spent doing the fiddler’s shuffle, in which, once students are placedinto groups according to ability, they participate in classes of all genres.The last three days the students can set their own schedule, choosing threeteachers each day for two-hour sessions. Special classes are set up forbeginners.”

About 200 violinists and 30 violists, cellists, and bassists from all overthe country will be coming to San Diego to participate in this shuffle thatgets bluegrass fiddlers to ponder Bach and Beethoven; classical violiniststappin’ their toes to some Texas fiddling; and everybody finding that thereis more that can be done with their instrument than they previouslythought.

San Diego Troubadour writer Dwight Worden, who has been to severalconferences, says of the shuffle, “In those two days you’re exposed to alldifferent styles. It frees you up to get out of your box. It’s exciting. Youthink, ‘Wow! There is so much to learn.’” Babette Goodman, who firstattended a conference in 1996 and who now works as an instructor at theconferences, says, “I’ve learned how to learn, and that there is more thanone way to learn,” A classical performer, she credits the camps with rein-vigorating her work in a symphonic orchestra.

Everything about the conference is meant to break down barriers. Themaster class format, in which an instructor works one on one with a stu-dent in front of a passive class, is abandoned. At O’Connor’s StringConference all students are encouraged to participate and try out whatthey’ve learned as the classes progress. The typical barriers between stu-dents and instructors and amateurs and professionals are abandoned aswell. Everyone eats in the same dining hall; even O’Connor pushes his traythrough the cafeteria line with everybody else.

The first of these gatherings took place 11 years ago at Tennessee’sMontgomery Bell State Park. Due to the increasing popularity of the pro-gram, O’Connor added a second conference here in 2001. Originally calledfiddle camp, these gatherings are now called Strings Conferences becausethe program currently includes instruction for viola, cello, and double bass.O’Connor says, “I saw a need there. Once I had recorded with Yo-Yo Ma Iwas getting requests from cellists for transcriptions and music for cello.And once I formed my Appalachian Waltz group with Natalie [Hass] andCarol [Cook], violists and cellists were downloading things from my web-

site as much as the violinists were. I’d be neglectful if I did not address thisneed.” O’Connor goes on to say that the other strings “add a really excit-ing dimension to the conference.”

Besides the mind bending, rigorous schedule, the stellar faculty isinstrumental in attracting students to the conference. World-renownedCape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster, award winning classical virtuosoCatherine Cho, and jazz legend Johnny Frigo are among the 30 plusinstructors at this year’s conference. Carol Cook and Natalie Hass, the vio-list and cellist in O’Connor’s Appalachian Waltz trio, as well as Jon Burr,

who plays the string bass in O’Connor’sHot Swing Trio, will be on facultyas well.

During the conferencemembers of the faculty perform ina nightly concert. And if thatmuch music weren’t enough,impromptu jam sessions continuewell into the wee hours.Goodman says, “The eveningentertainment is spectacular. It’snot one night, but a full week ofit. And with all the jams, there’snot much sleep.”

It might be a bit much toask a group of string players toattend class all day, jam into thenight, and then be back up early

the next morning for more of thesame for five days, but O’Connor

came up with the formula from his experience. “I developed the structure11 years ago,” he says. “I got the structure from going to the NationalFiddle Contests in Weezer, Idaho. It lasted five days. It was the perfectamount of time to pace myself, to learn, and to have fun. When theychanged it to six days, it changed. People started to not come. It was toolong, one day too many. You wouldn’t want to stay up all night knowingthat there was all that much more to get through.”

O’Connor intends these jams to be part of the learning and creativeprocesses. Kellen Zakula, a high school student who plans on being a musicmajor and who has attended four conferences, three of them in San Diego,says, “There is a core group of attendees who are always there. Every nightwe get together and jam. These people are incredibly talented and inspir-ing to me.”

Concerts, classes, shuffling, or jamming, it’s all part of O’Connor’s wayof inspiring people to do new things with their instruments. He says, “Thewhole idea is that someone can walk in on the conference and be hit bysomething that week. It might be in a class, a jam session, or just in a niceconversation, or even just experience the overall atmosphere. Some of theconferees have sent us letters and describe those moments when they havehad a breakthrough when a bigger world opened up musically.”

Club of France, Grappelli’s seminal Gypsy jazz ensemble that he co-led

with guitar legend Django Reinhardt. O’Connor’s trio released a live disk,

Hot Swing!, in 2001 and In Full Swing, which featured Winton Marsalis

and Jane Monheit, in 2003.

This year O’Connor marks his thirtieth anniversary since his record-

ing debut, and he celebrates this milestone with the release of a two-CD

set compilation of his work. Most of the 19 selections are his folk and

“newgrass” material, but there are a few classical and jazz numbers as well.

A listen gives the impression of the variety and, at the same time, the

consistency of O’Connor’s violin. The classical caprice has a bit of fid-

dling, the jazz might hint of a little Texas inflection, and all the rest holds

the fire and delight of Mark O’Connor. O’Connor sums up as he looks

back on a career that has spanned the gamut, from cornfields to concertos.

“It’s been a journey,” he says, “but a journey that has produced fruit.”

O’Connor with Hot Swing Trio members Jon Burr and Frank Vignola

O’Connor with Yo-yo Ma and Edgar Meyer

Faculty performance at Fiddle Camp

Students performing at last year’s String Conference

Phot

o: E

rica

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n

July 2004 • San Diego Troubadour

ramblin’ramblin’

10

BluegrassCORNER

by Dwight Worden

Get ready for SanDiego’s greatSummergrassBluegrass Festival,coming to Vista’sAntique Gas andSteam EngineMuseum on August20, 21, and 22. Theband lineup looks

outstanding withheadliners Chris Hillman, Bluegrass Etc.,Fragment (from the Czeck and SlovakRepublics no less!), the Laurel CanyonRamblers, Tim Flannery and Friends, theWitcher Brothers, Bearfoot, Ron Spearsand Within Tradition, and Silverado.

Rounding out the program are some ofSan Diego’s finest local bluegrass bands,including Lighthouse, Gone Tomorrow,and the 7th Day Buskers. The festivalstarts on Friday at 2 p.m. and goes untilSunday at 6 p.m., with camping, food,vendors, and lots of activities. Visit theSummergrass web site for photos and avideo clip from last year’s event as wellas info on tickets and everything else youneed to know: www.summergrass.net.Look for more info on Summergrass innext month’s San Diego Troubadour too!

Summergrass Music Camp for KidsNew this year atSummergrass is amusic camp for kidstaught by Bearfoot.The camp beginswith a two-hourclass session onFriday and thenthree-hour classsessions on

Saturday and Sunday, culminating in achance for the kids to play on stage withBearfoot. Kids, ages six to 16, are wel-come, from beginners to experts, andenrollees will receive instruction on allthe bluegrass instruments and on bandplay. Bearfoot has taught this camparound the country to great accolades.For more information and to sign up, goto www.summergrass.net and click onBluegrass Camp for Kids.

OTHER NEWS

Godfather’s Pizza. The San DiegoBluegrass Society has opened a newvenue. Starting Tuesday, June 24, the tra-ditional fourth Tuesday event will be heldevery fourth Tuesday at Godfather’sPizza, from 6-9 p.m., at 5583 ClairemontMesa Blvd., just west of the 805, insteadof at Shirley’s Kitchen in La Mesa. Theowner of Shirleys decided to close the

restaurant, so this event has relocated. Ichecked out the new spot and it looksgood: good acoustics, places to jam,good seating and viewing, and a nicepizza and salad buffet as well as tableservice. Everyone is welcome to come byand check it out. Don’t forget to bringyour instrument for jamming.

Seaport Village. Virtual Strangers andFull Deck, twoof our fine localbluegrassbands, playedrecently atSeaport Villageto appreciative

audiences. The Strangers played in May,and Full Deck performed in June. Look formore Seaport Village bluegrass in the fall.

Bluegrass Day at the Fair was heldSunday, June 11,at the San DiegoCounty Fair withan exciting bandscramble, blue-grass karaoke,and great per-formances byLighthouse, one

of our top San Diego bands and theBurnett Family, who traveled fromFlagstaff, Arizona. Wrong Journey Home,comprising James Rust on tenor guitar,Mark Foxworthy on banjo, Becky Green

on bass, GregBurroughs onguitar, and DonHickox on fid-dle, won theBand Scramblecompetition.Top honors inthe BluegrassKaraoke compe-tition went to

Gary “Rhonda V” Kennedy with his pres-entation of “Worried Man Blues.”Congratulations to all the winners!

Huck Finn. The Huck Finn Jubilee inVictorville took place June 18-20 with astellar lineup of many of the greats ofbluegrass music. Lots of good jamming,too. If you haven’t been to Huck Finn,mark your calendar for next year.

Del McCoury Band. The Del McCouryBand, perhaps the top bluegrass bandtoday and winner of essentially everyaward to be won, gave a great show inEscondido on June 29. These boys canflat out play and sing. Whew! It doesn’tget any better than that!

Talk to you next month.

by Sven-Erik Seaholm

ANATOMY OF A GANDHI RECORD,PART TWO, OR HOW I LOST MY

MIND IN JUST 15 WORKING DAYS

Last month, we began a sort of “flyon the wall” analysis of how ChuckSchiele, Cathryn Beeks, and myself

(collectively known as The Gandhi Method)went about recording our debut release. Thetwo-phase project was to begin as anacoustic demo and later fleshed out into afull-scale production…

At the risk of immodesty, I’ll tell youthat I’ve recorded a lot of projects. Severalhundred of them in fact. Some have evenwon or been nominated for awards…blah,blah, blah. My point is that I have a greatdeal of experience in helping artists delivertheir art and ideas to their audiences. I alsodispense a lot of advise and knowledge whileserving my client as well as through this col-umn. Much of this wisdom (for lack of a bet-ter word) comes directly from what I’velearned from my clients and our mutual stu-dio adventures. Additionally, I’m an artist inmy own right, so it figures that I would havea certain insight and perspective beyondthat of my role as producer.

Most of the projects I work on areaccomplished within a concentrated periodof time. A typical album takes approximatelyfour to six weeks on average. I handle thetechnical and logistical aspects, freeing theartist to concentrate solely on their perform-ance. Because I am quite often asked myopinion in a variety of situations, I also tryto cultivate and maintain a certain objectivi-ty, even while investing myself fully intoeach project as if it were my own.

Previous to the Gandhi Method ses-sions, I had never been able to devote a con-tiguous block of time to my own work. It’salways been a catch-as-catch can affair, a fewhours here, a couple of days there, then backto work for someone else. It’s a rhythm I’vegrown accustomed to over the years and Ifeel like it works well enough, but as alludedto in last month’s column, I was eager tofinally sit in the artist chair for a while.

As detailed in last month’s column, we

spent the first of our 15 days getting sounds,setting up the recording space, and finishingup a late arriving song. Chuck and Cathrynarrived the next morning and after listeningthrough the previous days results, we madea couple of subtle eq and level adjustments.Cathryn (wo)manned the PC, and Chuckand I played until we had a recorded per-formance (both of us playing simultaneouslyto a click) we felt good about.

It was suggested we finish out the songso that we could hear something in its com-pleted form and get a feel for what the even-tual sound of our demo would be. Well, I’mvery anal retentive when it comes to myvocals (surprised?), and I was singing lead onthis one. Additionally, we have been per-forming all the slated songs live for months,except this one. Bottom line is that the restof our six-hour work day was spent record-ing several vocal takes and editing them andthe guitars onto a track that we were all sat-isfied with. As a producer, I like to think Imake things easier. As an artist, it turns out,I’m a total pain in the ass.

Much of the process went pretty muchaccording to plan, but there were manyunforeseen circumstances that complicatedthings: Chuck and I encountered business-related complications that took us out of thestudio for a couple of days. Cathryn was suf-fering from a debilitating pinched nerve inher upper back and was subsequently absentfor a few days. I started off our second weekwith a sort of pep talk to try and get us topick up the pace a bit, but it backfired unin-tentionally. Somehow I got myself workedup beyond the level of increased productivi-ty and went straight into a grumpy funkthat rendered all my efforts unusable. Thisonly pissed me off more, so I eventuallychanged seats with Cathryn and spent therest of the day apologetically recording andediting their vocals.

Easily the most intense and physicalsong we do is “Justice.” It’s played hard andfast, and its flamenco-like flourishes requirea high degree of precision to pull off. It’salso groove intensive, so locking to the clickand each other is crucial. Although Chuckand I have performed all the songs simulta-neously to this point, we quickly decidedthis one would be better served by playingmy guitar first, then his. It took me about anhour and a half to work up to the right levelof power, passion, and concentration, but I

finally nailed it and we all hi-fived oneanother until I realized that there was anunrecoverable mistake in the way the trackswere recorded. We had no choice but to startover. Of course now that I had the addedburdens of disappointment and knowing Ialready had it and lost it made what washard to do become nearly impossible toredo. Three hours later, I finally got an evenbetter performance, but my arm is still hurt-ing three weeks later. On top of it all, I hadarranged to finance all of my Gandhi studiotime by working through every weekend,which means that I didn’t schedule a singleday of rest for myself.

Still, we had a great time just hangingwith each other and chasing down the inspi-rations that visited us during the sessions(resulting in five additional pieces ofmusic!), and we did eventually meet ourgoal of capturing our live sound and greatperformances on the other songs. We man-aged to accomplish all of this by not onlyremaining focused but also by providing thelove and support necessary to create a nur-turing environment for one another. Chuckand Cathryn deserve huge shout-outs fortheir artistry and commitment, as well astheir ability to hit it out of the park everysingle time they stepped up to the mic.

Me? I’m still learning.

Sven-Erik Seaholm is an award-winningrecording artist and producer who alsowrites and performs with The Wild Truthwhen he isn’t working with other artiststhrough his company, Kitsch & SyncProduction (www.kaspro.com).

Sven-Erik Seaholm

Bearfoot

Chris Hillman

Full Deck at Seaport Village

Gary wins at karaoke

Winners of Band Scramble competition, Wrong Way Home

San Diego Troubadour • July 2004

ramblin’ramblin’

11

by Jim McInnes

Haute Couture,non?

The old saying goes, “Theclothes make the man.” Ifthat's a fact, the author of that

cliché obviously never worked in radio!(Granted, the quote may predate theinvention of radio, but that’s irrele-vant.) Those of you who know meknow that I am anything but a “clotheshorse.” And that goes for almost everyrock and roll radio personality.

“Jeepers, Jim, Why is that? “One of the cool things about being

in front of a microphone is thatnobody but your fellow employees can

see you while you work. Radio hasbeen called the “theater of the mind.”Listeners are forced to form their ownmental images of those who they canonly hear. That’s why the vast majorityof radio personalities (except for me,‘cuz I’m a seven out of 10 on the web-site Am I Hot or Not?) are fat and ugly.That’s why you often hear it said, “He’sgot a face made for radio! “That’s whywe can all dress any friggin’ way wewant — usually in a tee-shirt, jeans,boots, a baseball cap, and a jacket (forwhen we get chilly...like when the stu-dio’s air conditioning is set to “iceage”!)

Radio jocks receive a lifetime supplyof clothes. Every few years we’ll get anew pair of boots or athletic shoesgiven to us by a sponsor who thinks it’scool that these radio “stars” (whom

nobody sees) wear their products. Ya want baseball caps? We get

them from everywhere — from AidsWalk, The Gulls, Heineken beer, andthe TV show Everybody Loves Raymond.I only have a few dozen of them left,because I had to throw out the other500 to make room for my tee-shirts!

We get tee-shirts from our radiostations (note to 103.7 The Planetpromotions: no more white ones, Ilook fat in white!!!), from every spon-sor who’s smart enough to make them,from every movie that comes to a the-ater near you, from every record labeland band on earth, and from (and for)every major sporting event. I also get‘em from my wife, who works at a tele-vision station. If I never see anothertee-shirt, it’ll be too soon!

When the weather is cool, radiodeejays cover their free tee-shirts withone of their free satin, nylon, or leatherjackets. Every year the Ford MotorCompany flies radio deejays fromaround the country in or limo’ed outto the desert to test-drive new vehicles.In return for damaging scores of newFord products, we are rewarded withnice watches, bags, fedoras, andleather bomber jackets. Although Ionce had three, I now have only onebomber jacket, which I never wear. It’sjust cool to have one. When I need awindbreaker, I just put on the blackWB nylon jacket, often over mySopranos bowling shirt...both of whichI got from my wife, Sandi (she works inTV, remember?).

Unfortunately, deejays never seemto get free pants. I have all of threepairs of pants — two pairs of bluedenim jeans and one pair of sorta niceslacks, which I wear when I’m on TV orplaying with Modern Rhythm atHumphrey’s Backstage Lounge.

Well, it’s getting late. It’s time forme to take off my Pinky and the Brainunderwear and crawl into bed, whereSandi is snoozing in her SharonOsbourne Show pajamas.

Bonne nuit, mes amis!

Radio Daze

Jim McInnes

by José Sinatra

My lovely friend Nodique Deneen recent-ly, briefly turned my thoughts away fromJune’s Gloomy Death Tour and back to theWonders of the Wealthy. You really weren’taware, she asked me, that cops have beenturning blind, shaded eyes away from an ille-gal activity that has been poking up more andmore on the sands and in the surf aroundHotel Del Coronado?

Tourists from all over the world love theexpensive resort, of course. And we want tomake their visits truly enjoyable, ensuringmany future returns. The tourist bureaus andour very economy require that visitors haveeasy, unlimited access to the unique aspectsof our often-nifty town while enjoying, at thevery least, all the proverbial comforts ofhome.

CORONADO INVADED BY TOPLESS BATHERS!I’m glad the word hasn’t yet reached the

uncounted voyeuristic perverts of our virginalcity. And I’m pretty sure that none of themreads the San Diego Troubadour, so if you,dear reader, didn’t know about this already,let’s keep it to ourselves, okay?

Back to Miss Deneen’s revelation to me.She said that females who either enjoy goingtopless or demand equality (or both) havebeen frolicking in the occasional rays acrossthe bridge dressed in their one-piece fashionstatements, which, like those of their malecounterparts, cover only areas of the mid-body. As always, the apparel differs slightlyfrom the male versions by requiring about athird as much material for their manufacture.The bottom line, still, is a notable one: femalenipples have been enjoying emancipationaround the Hotel Del.

Now, just a second, Hose. Just what doesall this have to do with show biz or music,which this column has pledged to expose inall their beauty and deviance?

Aw, c’mon. With due respect and nointended offense, even Stevie Wonder wouldbe able to see the connection. But I’ll drop inan occasional subtle hint if you insist.

Stevie Wonder has nipples.So do Michael and LaToya Jackson

(except Michael’s are green, I bet). Whenthey were very little, Mikey and his older sis-ter could both moonwalk shirtless alongHollywood Boulevard any time they felt like it.Today, only Michael can legally do that andcan continue to do it any time he wants tounless he commits some kind of crime thatlands him in jail. But he can moonwalk toplessin there too, and I’d bet people would fall inlove with him all over again.

Jewel has nipples.Assuming the liberation of the wealthy

female nipples in Coronado is a fact and thatMiss Deneen wasn’t pulling my own with herstory, I find myself very happy about the liber-ty aspect but incensed that the reasonbehind it was entirely capitalistic (we wantthem tourist bucks, darnit) and devoid ofintellectual concerns. As I’ve always seen it,America’s cultural/legal take on nudity issuch that we’re the laughing stock of muchof the world, the other countries chucklingsecretly at our insanity so as not to offendthe self-styled Rulers of the Planet.

Fleetwood Mac has nipples. Lots of them.During a brief rest period at half time in

an otherwise energetic game of Doctor witha well-known female physician in LosAngeles, she flattered me with a remark ofsuch candor and surprise that I feel I shouldnow milk it for all of its worth. She wasastonished, she said, that my own left nippleappeared to be an exact twin, visually, of theright nipple of a famous female pop star. Toprotect the singer’s identity (at least until thedoctor’s lab verification is accomplished), I’llcall the teen idol Yentirb Sraeps. When thedoctor’s theory is confirmed as expected, myname will once again be linked with that ofMs. Sraeps in news items month after monthjust like two or three years ago, and onceagain the focus switches from my voice tomy body (this time just my chest?!) and thatbecomes annoying real quick.

Donny and Marie have nipples.I can fight back and make a political

statement at the same time. Since I’d like allbeaches to be like those of Coronado andFrance and Spain and Iceland, I’ve decidedto act. Until all female nipples in Americahave stopped being treated like social agita-tors, I, in an act of solidarity with the nipplesof my sisters, will wear circles of black tapeover my own henceforth in my public per-formances.

Yes, even José Sinatra has nipples.Superbly designed, secretive and compas-sionate, perhaps one day they shall feed theworld . . .

In America, once a female begins todevelop breasts and her chest area physical-ly loses resemblance to that of a male, ourculture (in an edict of supernatural, illogicalidiocy) declares her nipples dangerous. Notthe beauteous deviation of the expandingmammary glands, oh no. Just the nipples. Ineffect, it is the nipples of the female, nearlyidentical to their male counterparts, thatrequire the licensing, concern, and regula-tion. Their appearance in public or in maga-zines or on network television can actuallybecome criminal acts — acts that must becarefully controlled lest our lunatic nationhead directly to Hell.

Hey, has anyone checked the destinationlisted on our current ticket?

I’d like to thank you for spending a fewmoments of your valuable life reading thiscolumn, and I especially thank the publisherfor having the nipples to print it.

The debonair Mr. Sinatra

Phot

o: T

oots

von

Wes

ton

Hosing Down

nm@POKc

“A man’s dying

is more the

survivors’

affair than

his own.

— Thomas Mann

Phil Harmonic sez:

July 2004 • San Diego Troubadour

the highway’s songthe highway’s song

12

by Emily Davidson

San Diego was in flames when I head-ed home to Nashville last year. It wasa strange ending to an even stranger

phase of life. There was no logical reasonfor my moving nor much of a reason tostay. I had lost my job and spent sixmonths wandering, trying to figure outwhat to do next. After an intense battlewith my ego, I wound up back where I

started. Since then, things have calmeddown quite a bit. I am happily self-employed and live in an apartment onMusic Row. I’ve met new people. And,finally, I’m writing again. I recently satdown with some local singer songwritersto gather their thoughts on the Nashvillemusic scene.

Joe Nolan came to Nashville for a visitand never left. Originally from Detroit, hefound the South to be very different. Hesays, “Everybody seemed nice and the

waitresses called me honey. It was a reallynice place. It was someplace to go and geton with my life. I came here to playmusic. It seemed that if I was really goingto pursue a career in music I had to gosomewhere where there was a viable com-mercial community.”

After recording a four-track to takearound town to record labels and publish-ers, Joe wound up meeting people whoknew other people who might be interest-ed, and that eventually landed him a dealwith Black and White Publishing.According to Joe, “That’s pretty normalhere. They’re very open to songwritersand musicians here in Nashville, especial-ly if they’ve heard your stuff and they likeit. You’re their bread and butter andthey’re happy to give you access to them.That’s one of the great things aboutNashville. The bad thing forme is that now most ofthem are looking for,like anyone in thebusiness, big money.And, in Nashville,big money nowmeans somethingthat Kenny Chesneycan break at num-ber one tomorrow.And if it isn’t that,then they don’tknow what to dowith it.”

Edwina Hayes,a native ofYorkshire, England,came to the U.S.on holiday for across-country tour. Sherolled into Nashville on a Greyhound bus,hoping to reenact what she had seen inthe movie A Thing Called Love. Edwinamissed the set at the Bluebird Café thatnight but decided to stick around anotherweek to fulfill her dream of playing at the

legendary music venue. “And in that weekI met all these really amazing people here.I came for two nights and stayed for sixweeks,” she says.

It took some time but Edwina eventu-ally moved to Nashville in

March of last year.Ironically, she landed a

publishing deal withWarner Chappell inLondon right beforethe move, whichturned out to be agreat experience forher. Says Edwina,“I’ve met a lot ofknown songwritersthrough WarnerChappell, but Ialso write a lotwith my friends.There are quite afew songwriters

in the buildingwhere I live and we’ll

go over to each others’ apart-ments and drink coffee and write, and Ireally like that. They are usually peopleI’ve met through word of mouth and peo-ple I’ve gone up to after watching themplay. I’ve written with some of the hit

makers too, but it’s a bit like writing bynumbers. But I enjoy it because I learnfrom it.”

Lemmie Stone is working on his firstalbum, which is due out later this year.Lemmie, who hails from the small Kansascommunity of Crestline, says that he was“blown away by the songwriting and howthe audience respected the songs on hisfirst trip to Nashville years ago.” Throughfriends of friends, Lemmie was introducedto his current producer, Roger Moutenot,who has mixed and/or produced albumswith the likes of Lou Reed, Elvis Costello,Gillian Welch, Shawn Colvin, RoseanneCash, and others. Lemmie credits persist-ence and “not burning bridges” as the keyto making connections and getting whereyou want to be.

By the time this article is published,Edwina Hayes will have left Nashville forEngland where she has just signed arecord deal with Warner Brothers London.For more information on Edwina and theLondon acoustic scene visit www.edwina-hayes.com. Joe Nolan’s music can beheard on 88 radio stations worldwide,from Tunisia to Los Angeles. Visit Joe’swebsite at www.joenolan.com. To hearLemmie Stone, go towww.lemmiestone.com.

A Postcard from Nashville

A Taste of the Old West

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by Mark C. Jackson

Ilove Old West gunfights! I love the sud-den blast of a pistol going off andsomebody yelling, “Get off the street,

the Hole in the Wall Gang’s in town andthey’re looking for trouble with theWinchester widows!” Before you know it,guns are blazing. When the smoke clears, theonly one standing is a poor old skinny cowboywith his pants down around his ankles. Now, Iknow that in real Western times, it didn’t hap-pen like that. In fact, there were very fewactual gunfights. But on the weekend of June19-20, the legends and mythology of the OldWest came alive in El Cajon.

The Wieghorst Western Heritage Daysbegan last year as a one-day event to cele-brate our country’s great westward movementduring the nineteenth century. The festival isheld on Rea Street, site of the WieghorstWestern Heritage Museum, which is dedicat-ed to Olaf Wieghorst, an internationally knownartist whose drawings and paintings capturedthe spirit of triumph and hardship of thismigration with grace and grandeur. Growingup in Oklahoma City, I had seen Wieghorst’spaintings at the National Cowboy Hall of Famemany times and at the Gilcrease Gallery inTulsa. The first time I visited the WieghorstMuseum, I felt right at home. I becameinvolved with the event last year when myband performed for the dance and the barbe-cue. This year, I was hired to book the music.

The event featured music, cowboy poetry,Native American dancing, Old West gunfights,and lectures about the lives of the MountainMen and Buffalo Soldiers. There was also anIndian village with tepees and Indian artistsfrom all over Southern California. A smallWestern town was set up next to the IndianVillage, complete with staged shootouts. Aslong as someone posted bail, you could haveone of your friends or family arrested and putin jail. A Mountain Man Camp could be foundbehind the main stage and what a camp itwas! Along with displays of original antiquesfrom the 1800s and axe throwing contests,these guys used only authentic materials,utensils, and dress dating back to 1840 orthereabouts.

Saturday morning came and I was excitedand anxious! To open the festival, internation-ally known Native American dancer EricRunningpath cleansed his dancers with sagesmoke and asked for blessings from the GreatSpirit. Then the U.S. Postal Service presentedthe museum with a commemorative replica ofthe new John Wayne stamp. For many years,Wieghorst and Wayne were good friends. Themusic began on the main stage with my oldfriend Peter Bolland and the Coyote Problemwhose three-piece band really got the festivalgoing with their unique brand of westerncountry rock. On the small stage, TimChandler soothed the crowd with his peacefulIndian flute. When he was finished, he spent

the rest of the day performing in the museum.After Alyssa Jane shared her wonderful cow-girl poetry, Mountain Echo took the stage toperform some great cowboy songs. Thencame the sad part.

I had booked the Big Rigs, a fine honky-tonk country band fronted by Lyle Duplessieon bass and his son Derek on pedal steel gui-tar. (Lyle was also the co-founder of this publi-cation.) On Thursday, June 17, Lyle died sud-denly of a heart attack. Peter Bolland and Ifirst met Lyle eight years ago when we invitedhim to play bass in the Jackson-Bolland andhad maintained strong, musical friendshipsever since. The saturday of the festival DannyCress, Lyle’s long time friend and drummer,was scheduled to play with the CoyoteProblem, the Big Rigs, and the Mark JacksonBand! Under the circumstances, my band andI decided to play a few songs that Lyle usedto perform. Then, with Kent Johnston and LizAbbott helping on vocals and Peter on guitar,we performed “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.”We all left the stage in tears.

Up next was Roadhouse with FrankWilliamson, a band with great songs and agreat sound, which took the edge off a bit.The Mark Jackson Band took the stage to fin-ish the night with good dancing and even bet-ter barbecue!

Sunday was filled with more gunfights,Indian dancing, axe throwing, tall tales frommountain men, and a flag presentation by theBuffalo Soldiers. The bands Bow Willow,Mountain Echo, and High Strung played finecowboy songs throughout the day in keepingwith the the spirit of the West. As worn out as

I was on Sundayevening, I was

already planningfor next year.So, bless you

Olaf, wherev-er you are.

Thanks forthe great

paint-ings anda finefestival.

San Diego Troubadour • July 2004

of noteof note

13

Berkley HartTwelveby Phil Harmonic

Calman Hart and Jeff Berkley,two of San Diego’s most respect-ed and distinguished songwrit-ers, are two individual talentswho have combined to form theduo, Berkley Hart. Not once dothese veterans ever “take away.”They only add and enhance. Inthis case, the whole is greaterthan the sum of its parts in thiscase. Their latest CD Twelve con-tains 14 songs that are eitherdeep and moving, fun andbouncy, or incredibly clever as inthe title song, “Twelve.” Thechorus counts to 12 usingrhyming words: WONder, TUne,REAson, beFORE, I’VE, SICK,HAVIN’, LATE, I Never, TENded,LIVE IN, HELL. Pure genius, I’dsay.

Not only do their two well-defined vocal styles mesh to cre-ate a distinctive sound, but alsotheir virtuosity in arrangement,instrumentation, and harmoniesset their songs apart. If you likedtheir first CD, Wreck and Sow,then this one is right up youralley.

Calman Hart and Jeff Berkleyeither wrote or co-wrote sevensongs each, one together. “BFD”was written by Don Henry andCraig Carothers, who is one ofmy favorite songwriters from thePortland, Oregon area.

I truly believe that Berkley Hartwill have their day. Whether youhear them live or just listen totheir CD — if you can tell thedifference — their music bringspure pleasure to your audiosenses. Berkley Hart, as perform-ers and their overall signaturesound, have definitely maturedinto one class act. They are pro-lific and have worked very hardto create something that hasturned out to be very special.

RobertEdwardsBittersweetby Paul Hormick

Delivered with a rich, strongvoice and relaxed, beautifulphrasing, Bittersweet is an aptlytitled, reflective compilation ofballads and love songs fromEnglish born San Diegan RobertEdwards.

This disk is not the musings ofan aging rocker like Bob Seeger,whose ‘70’s hits such as “NightMoves” and “Against the Wind”show us a man who is left want-ing as he looks back on theenergies and appetites that nowdiminish within him. Edwards’years have counted for morethan a few more gray hairs. Theunhurried pacing of the firstsong, “On the Wire,” sets thetone for the whole disk with therefrain “I’m letting go.” Nolonger a slave to his passions,here is a man who knows theliberation of accepting andenjoying his maturity.

The title track, “Bittersweet,”contemplates the preciousnessof life, intermixing the apprecia-tion of simple joys and the natu-ral world with the love foranother. And “Darlin’” is one ofthe shortest love songs possiblealthough complete and fullnonetheless. Edwards knows thathe so successfully conveys thejoy and playfulness of the tunethat additional verses or choruswould only diminish its poignan-cy. He uses this “less is more”approach throughout the entiredisk. Interspersed among theballads are short instrumentals –some Irish in flavor, othersbluesy – giving pause and lettingthe lyrics of the previous songsettle in the listener’s conscious-ness.

Appropriately, after revealinghimself so openly, Edwardsthanks and bids farewell to hislisteners with a traditional Irishblessing set to music. Thestraightforward sentiment closesBittersweet with a benediction ofhope and love.

ChristopherDalePick Me Up by Frederick Leonard

Christopher Dale opens a newseason on his own self by ditch-ing the “Scorch” persona muchin the same way Bowie wasalways leaving his old self stand-ing around after every record.Reinvented, Mr. Dale has recruit-ed a new army of local musicianssuch as Jeff Berkley (who pro-duced the effort and plays gui-tar), Brian “Nucci” Cantrell(drums), David J. Carpenter(bass), The Gandhi Method(backing vocals), Ben Moore(keys), and Peter Bolland (gui-tars) among others.

The 11-song CD begins with ahot little number called “High,”which draws the innuendo-paral-lels of falling in love vs. the blissand affection of California’sfavorite illegal veggie. It’s a trip-py rock solid opener that oughtahave everyone on their feetscreaming in the spirit of thatgood loving buzz. It’s by far theheaviest punch thrown on theCD. But you’ll still find the goodsin worthy gems such as “DoubleTime,” Too Easy,” and “Everytime We Say Goodbye.”

Gritty guitars on top of anacoustic foundation is prettymuch the sound here. It’s famil-iar sounding, done so in a waythat is grounding. But it also hasenough sonic surprises pepperedthroughout to keep the listeneralert by way of its variety ofmaterial, a snappy sit-in roster,and the overall attitude for pro-duction and technique.

Pick Me Up is definitely worthinvestigating, and you can do soat www.ChristopherDaleMusic.com.

GipsyMencoPerfectionby Frederick Leonard

It takes balls to call yourdebut release Perfection, especial-ly when you enter the bullring ofFlamenco and Spanish guitarstyles.

Led by NovaMenco rhythmguitarist defector Sal Hanna,who steps out as the lead for thefirst time, GipsyMenco is a mixof Flamenco, jazz, and Arabicinfluences. Open the lid on thisclay pot and you will find per-cussive guitars, romanticmelodies, and upbeat and exoticrhythms that have a way of trig-gering all the good stuff insideyou.

On one hand, I can hear thismusic played loud in a tech clubon its danceability alone. On theother, I routinely play it overweekend morning coffees and anewspaper, softly in the back-ground. I like the way it bringsmeaning to the filtered sunshineblowing through my morningwindows. And, poetically speak-ing, it makes a perfect sound-track for a romantic cocktailcruise ‘round the WesternMediterranean.

Now, I’m not perfect, sotherefore, I’m not qualified toattest to what perfection is. I amcomfortable, however, with thenotions of what exceptional andstellar are. This record is excep-tional. It has juevos. The playingand the arrangements are acute-ly pristine. Every bar is an enjoy-able experience. With the aid ofdrum machines and digitalsequencing, the sheen is modernunderneath, lending a certainfreedom in the old-world atti-tude of all the guitars, melodies,and other exotic goodies sailingover the top. With an eloquentgrip, Hanna peels off one lovelymelody after another with atouch that’s like pulling petalsfrom a “love me/love’s me not”daisy.

Guitar players ought to likethis record: GipsyMenco is “allman” about their guitar playing.The ladies will love it. It’s a very,very sexy record supported withsuch titles as “French Kiss,”Coqueta,” “Estoria De Amor,”“Night in Tarifa,” and “LoveBite.” Ooh. It’s records like thesethat make people who detestinsipid corporate radio turn thatradio off. It kicks butt and turnsyou on at the same time. Getthis CD.

Steve CollinsAlien Holidayby Frederick Leonard

This five-cut CD from SteveCollins begins with a covershowing a screaming baby wear-ing Photoshopped shades inspace. Hmmm. As I open the CDI found three panels with pic-tures of Steve, two panels con-taining lyrics to the title track,and a web address that doesn’twork. The only credits I couldfind were for the photographer.So I’ll assume Steve playedeverything, except camera.

It’s a pretty decent recordingwith pretty decent songs.Nothing too scary or unconven-tional. While it remains a goodjob, I would say it has an equaldosage of very good chops to anequal dosage of anemia. Hesings well, hits his notes, andplays guitar in tune and on time.The tunes are good, and cover avariety of common styles, rang-ing from the opening 4/4 rocker“Idowanna” (as in “I Don’t WantTo”) to the rolling acoustic shortballad in 6/8, “Sing Me YourSong.” The arrangements areappropriate, contemporary, andsolid but not necessarily inven-tive.

Actually, this is kinda drivingme nuts, because A. he rocks.And I like it . . . wanna like itmore. But B. it sounds a lot likeDave Matthews at times. LotsaDave moves here. It’s one thingto bear reference, but it’s dis-tracting if the references areglowing on the sleeve. When hesteers away from the Dave thingnow and then, it lands on thecorporate KPRI-John Mayer-what-the-marketing-department-thinks-cookie-cutter sound. Thelyrics are okay but would be “onthe money” if he would renderthe trick of poetic irony via com-municating “higher ground”messages through pop cultureimagery with just a little moreoomph.

July 2004 • San Diego Troubadour

‘round about‘round about

14

thursday • 1Rachael Sage/Beezeley/AM/MichaelTiernan, Twiggs, 8:30pm.The Temptations, Humphrey’s, ShelterIsland, 8pm.Rip Carson, Tio Leo’s, 9pm.Carol Ames/Truckee Brothers, Java Joe’sPub, 6344 El Cajon Blvd., 9pm.Gully/Bartender’s Bible, Casbah, 9pm.Pete Thurston, Lestat’s, 9pm.

friday • 2Terry Evans, Magee Park, Carlsbad, 6pm. Sue Palmer, Bookworks, Flower Hill Mall,Del Mar, 8pm. Two of Us, Metaphor Cafe, Escondido,8pm.Rachael Sage/Kerrie Caldwell/AshleyMatte/Toria/Quincy, Twiggs, 8:30pm.Band in Black, Showcase Stage, DelMar Fairgrounds, 9pm.Steve Poltz, Lestat’s, 9pm.

saturday • 3Steve White, Flower Show Stage, DelMar Fairgrounds, 5pm.Simeon Flick/Matthew Stewart/AlphaRay, 824 Avenida Taxco, Vista, 7pm. Info:760/295-7402.Burnt Earlies, Metaphor Cafe, Escondido,8pm.Rachael Sage/Sacha Sacket/FreeDominguez/Collin Elliott, Twiggs, 8:30pm.José Sinatra & Troy Dante Inferno,Lestat’s, 9pm.

sunday • 4Steve White, Finish Line Stage, Del MarFairgrounds, 4:30pm.Rev. Horton Heat/Detroit Cobras/FortyFives, Belly Up Tavern, Solana Beach,9pm.

monday • 5Celtic Open Mic, Rosie & Joe’s, 7986Armour St., 7:30pm. 858/573-6721.

wednesday • 7Lucinda Williams/Lisa Sanders,Humphrey’s, Shelter Island, 7pm.High Society Jazz Band, Tio Leo’s, 7pm.Gipsy Kings, Embarcadero Marina ParkSouth, 8pm.

thursday • 8Carol Ames/Dave Howard/PeggyWatson, Humphrey’s, Shelter Island, 8pm.Midwest Dilemma/Brett Wagner/UntilThen, Twiggs, 8:30pm.Lucy’s Falling, Lestat’s, 9pm.

friday • 9Sue Palmer, Magee Park, Carlsbad, 6pm. Boogiemen, Trolley Barn Park, AdamsAve. & Florida St., 6pm.Harvey & 52nd St. Jive, Mission HillsPark, 6pm.Steve Anderson, Tabloid Coffee, 9225Carlton Hills Blvd., Santee, 7pm.Jamie Laval Trio, Acoustic Music SD,4650 Mansfield St., 7:30pm. 619/303-8176.Lite the Night, Metaphor Cafe,Escondido, 8pm.Amy Obenski/Curtis Peoples/TimMudd/Dave’s Son, Twiggs, 8:30pm.Blazers, Tio Leo’s, 9pm.Robin Henkel, Lestat’s, 9pm.

saturday • 10Benny & Swampgators, Balboa Park

Recital Hall, 6:30pm.Skelpin, Templar’s Hall, Old Poway Park,7pm. Info: 858/566-4040.With Intent, Metaphor Cafe, Escondido,8pm.Jim Bianco/Jack the Original/MickOverman/Chris Hobson, Twiggs, 8:30pm.Blue Rockit & Guest, Tio Leo’s, 9pm.

sunday • 11Pat Bianchi w/ Jacques Lesure/ChuckMcPherson/Daniel Jackson, Dizzy’s,7pm.Butch O’Sullivan, Dark ThirtyProductions, Lakeside, 7:30pm. Info:619/443-9612.Indigo Girls, Humphrey’s, Shelter Island,8pm.Sue Palmer, Hop in the Hood, 7th &Pennsylvania Ave, Hillcrest, 10pm.

monday • 12Sarah McLachlan, Sports Arena, 8pm.

tuesday • 13Youssou N’Dour/Lila Downs, Humphrey’s,Shelter Island, 7pm.

wednesday • 14High Society Jazz Band, Tio Leo’s, 7pm.

thursday • 15Modulations, documentary film aboutelectronic music, Museum of MakingMusic, Carlsbad, 7pm.Thomas Lee/Chris Seals/Gayle, Twiggs,8:30pm.Acoustic Underground w/ Lisa Sanders/Peggy Watson/Ryan Hicks/Jocelyn Yard,Lestat’s, 9pm.

friday • 16Gatos Papacitos, Trolley Barn Park,Adams Ave. & Florida St., 6pm.Yavaz, Magee Park, Carlsbad, 6pm. Patty Hall, Tabloid Coffee, 9225 CarltonHills Blvd., Santee, 7pm.John Bosley, Golden Goose, 10001 MaineSt., Lakeside, 7:30pm.Etta James/Earl Thomas, Humphrey’s,Shelter Island, 8pm.Martin Storrow/Mark Jackson, Twiggs,8:30pm.Big Sandy & Flyrite Boys, Casbah, 9pm.Fremonts, Tio Leo’s, 9pm.Anya Marina/Emerson Band, Lestat’s,9pm.

saturday • 17Allison Lonsdale (6pm)/Berkley Hart(9pm), Lestat’s.Cactus, Cafe Elysa, Carlsbad, 7:30pm.American Blues Revue w/ NathanJames/Ben Hernandez, Dizzy’s, 8pm.Band in Black, Parrot Eyes Cafe,Oceanside Harbor, 8pm.Rebeca Randle/Jane/Jim Bianco,Twiggs, 8:30pm.Bastards of Glory/Todd Stedman &Fattones/Trayler, Tio Leo’s, 9pm.

sunday • 18Mark Jackson, Hooley’s Irish Pub, 2955Jamacha Rd., Rancho San Diego, 6pm.John Mayer, Coors Amphitheater, ChulaVista, 7pm.Linda Ronstadt, Humphrey’s, ShelterIsland, 8pm.Michael Miller/Tim & Josh, Lestat’s,9pm.Robert Edwards, Music Mart, SolanaBeach. Call for info.

monday • 19LECTURE: Rhythm Sections of the BigBand Era, Museum of Making Music,Carlsbad, 1pm.Celtic Open Mic, Rosie & Joe’s, 7986Armour St., 7:30pm. 858/573-6721.

tuesday • 20Boz Scaggs, Humphrey’s, Shelter Island,7:30pm.

wednesday • 21High Society Jazz Band, Tio Leo’s, 7pm.

thursday • 22Fiona Wong, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

friday • 23Cat-illacs, Trolley Barn Park, Adams Ave.& Florida St., 6pm.Fattburger, Poinsettia Park, Hidden ValleyRd., Carlsbad, 6pm.Poco/America, Humphrey’s, ShelterIsland, 7pm.Peppertree, Tabloid Coffee, 9225 CarltonHills Blvd., Santee, 7pm.GrooveLily, Acoustic Music San Diego,4650 Mansfield St., 7:30pm.Peter Sprague & Friends, Dizzy’s, 8pm.The Coyote Problem/Tristan Prettyman/Late Night Waiting/Sweet James,Twiggs, 8:30pm.The Joey Show, Tio Leo’s, 9pm.Abbie Huxley, Lestat’s, 9pm.

saturday • 24All Day Sacred Harp Sing, Porter House,Old Poway Park, 10am. Info: 858/566-4040.Hank Show, Pine Hills Lodge, Julian,6:30pm (dinner)/8pm (showtime).Hoot at the Park w/ S.D. Folk SongSociety, Templar’s Hall, Old Poway Park,7pm. Info: 858/566-4040.GrooveLily, Acoustic Music SD, 4650Mansfield St., 7:30pm. 619/303-8176.Cameron Ash/Jen Knight/TerraNaomi/Will Edwards, Twiggs, 8:30pm.Horace Silver Tribute w/ GilbertCastellanos, EmbFlying Putos, Tio Leo’s, 9pm.Baja Blues Boys, Patrick’s, Poway, 9pm.Dehra Dun, Lestat’s, 9pm.

sunday • 25Cindi Lauper, Humphrey’s, Shelter Island,7:30pm.The Weepies/Carlos Olmeda, Dizzy’s,8pm.Don Henley, Embarcadero Marina ParkSouth, 8pm.

Go-Gos/Jon Heintz/Tristan Prettyman, 4th& B, 8pm.The Nervous/Little World, Lestat’s, 9pm.

monday • 26Ani DiFranco/Andrew Bird, Open AirTheatre, SDSU, 8pm.

tuesday • 27John Fogerty, Embarcadero Marina ParkSouth, 8pm.

wednesday • 28High Society Jazz Band, Tio Leo’s, 7pm.Tristan Prettyman & Friends, Belly UpTavern, Solana Beach, 8:30pm.

thursday • 29Judy Collins/Rita Coolidge/SuzanneVega, Humphrey’s, Shelter Island, 7pm.

friday • 30Sue Palmer Trolley Barn Park, AdamsAve. & Florida St., 6pm.Apecial EFX, Poinsettia Park, HiddenValley Rd., Carlsbad, 6pm.Greg Campbell/Leigh Taylor, TabloidCoffee, 9225 Carlton Hills Blvd., Santee,7pm.Al Green/Average White Band, ViejasCasino, 7:30pm.Ashley Matte/Shane Mack, Twiggs,8:30pm.Big Daddy Orchestra, Tio Leo’s, 9pm.José Sinatra & Troy Dante Inferno,Winston’s, 9pm.Deirde Flint, Lestat’s, 9pm.

saturday • 31Sue Palmer, Gay Pride, Balboa Park,3:15pm. Harvey & 52nd St. Jive, Chula VistaCommunity Park, 5:30pm.Mark Jackson, Summer Spirit Jam forChildren’s Museum Benefit, East CountyPerforming Arts Center, El Cajon, 6:30pm.Lowen & Navarro, Acoustic Music SD,4650 Mansfield St., 7:30pm. 619/303-8176.Opossums of Truth CD Release, GarfieldTheater, Lawrence Family JCC, 4126Executive Dr., La Jolla, 8pm.Rheanna Downey/Krister Axel/Dave’sSon/Shining Thru, Twiggs, 8:30pm.Barefoot Hockie Goalie, Tio Leo’s, 9pm.Split Infinity, Lestat’s, 9pm.

WEEKLYevery sunday

7th Day Buskers (11th, 25th)/Gully, FarmersMarket, DMV parking lot, Hillcrest, 9am. Connie Allen, Old Town Trolley Stage, TwiggSt. & San Diego Ave., noon-5pm.Traditional Irish Music, Tom Giblin’s Pub,640 Grand Ave., Carlsbad, 3pm.Irish Dance, Dublin Square, 554 Fifth Ave.,3pm.Celtic Ensemble, Twiggs, 4pm.Highland Way, R. O’Sullivan’s, Grand Ave.,Escondido, 4pm.Traditional Irish Music & Dance w/Cobblestone, 5-6:30pm/Boxty Band, 6:30-10pm., The Field, 544 Fifth Ave.Joe Rathburn, The Galley, 550 Marina Pkwy,Chula Vista, 5-9pm.Miff’s Jam Night, Java Joe’s, 6344 El CajonBlvd., 6-9pm.Jazz Roots w/ Lou Curtiss, 9-10:30pm, KSDS(88.3 FM).The Bluegrass Special w/ Wayne Rice, 10-midnight, KSON (97.3 FM).

every mondayConnie Allen, Old Town Trolley Stage, TwiggSt. & San Diego Ave., noon-5pm.Open Mic Night, Rosie O’Grady’s, NormalHeights, 7pm.Open Mic Night, Lestat’s, 7:30pm. Summer Organ Festival, Organ Pavillion,Balboa Park, 7:30pm.

every tuesdayConnie Allen, Old Town Trolley Stage, TwiggSt. & San Diego Ave., noon-5pm.Open Mic Night, Casa Picante, 10757Woodside Ave., Santee, 7:30-9:30pm.Traditional Irish Music, The Ould Sod, 7pm.Traditional Irish Music, Blarney Stone,Clairemont, 8:30pm.Open Mic Night w/ Sage Gentle-Wing,Beachcomber, Mission Beach, 8:30pm.

every wednesdayPride of Erin Ceili Dancers, Rm. 204, Casadel Prado, Balboa Park, 7pm.Sue Palmer Supper Club w/ Deejha Marie& Sharon Shufelt, Caffe Calabria, 3933 30thSt., 6-8pm.Open Mic Night, Metaphor Cafe,Escondido, 8pm. Open Mic Night, The Packing House, 125 S.Main St., Fallbrook, 8pm. Highland Way, R. O’Sullivan’s, Grand Ave.,Escondido, 8pm.Open Mic Night, Twiggs, 8:30pm.Highland Way, Tom Giblin’s Pub, 640 GrandAve., Carlsbad, 8:30pm.Hatchet Brothers, The Ould Sod, 9pm.Live Taping of “San Diego’s Finest” TVshow, Lestat’s, 9pm.

every thursdayOpen Mic Night, Just Java Cafe, 285 ThirdAve., Chula Vista, 7-10pm.Tony Cummings, Blarney Stone, Clairemont,8:30pm. (also Fri. & Sat.)Rockabilly Thursdays w/ Hot Rod Lincoln,Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., 9pm.Brehon Law, Tom Giblin’s Pub, 640 GrandAve., Carlsbad, 9pm (also Fri. & Sat.).

every fridayConnie Allen, Old Town Trolley Stage, TwiggSt. & San Diego Ave., noon-5pm.California Rangers, McCabe’s, Oceanside,4:30-9pm.Aliah Selah & Friends, Exotic Bamboo, 1475University Ave., 8pm.Irish Folk Music, The Ould Sod, 9pm.Open Mic Night, Egyptian Tea Room &Smoking Parlour, 4644 College Ave., 9pm.

every saturdayConnie Allen, Old Town Trolley Stage, TwiggSt. & San Diego Ave., noon-5pm.Open Mic Night, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf,9015 Mira Mesa Blvd., 8pm.Talent Showcase w/ Larry Robinson & theTrain Wreck Band, The Packing House, 125S. Main St., Fallbrook, 8pm.Christian/Gospel Open Mic, El Cajon. Info:J.D., 619/246-7060.

JULY CALENDAR

Chuck Perrin at BobFest

Photo: Rick Saxton

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Robin Henkel & Anna Troy at BobFest

Photo: Rick Saxton

San Diego Troubadour • July 2004

the local seenthe local seen

15

Stick Figure at ECPAC

Photo: Millie M

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Jim Mudcat Grant at ECPAC

Photo: Millie M

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Rick at Hot Monkey Love Cafe

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Phil Harmonic at BobFest

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Jeffrey Barnes of Brave Combo

Kelly Folk at Avalon Art Gallery

Photo: Millie M

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Sharon White at ECPAC

Photo: Millie M

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Mountain Echo at Wieghorst Western HeritageDays

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Dennis Caplinger at ECPAC

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Bubba Hernandez of Brave Combo

Eve Selis at ECPAC

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Matt of Northstar Session at Avalon Art Gallery

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Tab Benoit at Humphreys

Photo: Millie M

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Black Jack McDowell at ECPAC

Photo: Millie M

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Louisa & Jimmy Patton at Sage Gentle-Wing Benefit

Photo: Liz Abbott

Lyle & Derek Duplessie perform at Gentle-Wing benefit

Photo: Liz Abbott

Photo: Millie M

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Stanze of Happy Endings at Ken Club

Mark Jackson Band at Wieghorst Western Heritage Days

Tim Flannery at ECPAC

Photo: Millie M

oreno

NEW THIS YEAR:Three-Day Kids Music Camp!!Onsite Music Workshops (included in your admission)!Raffle Prizes (including new instruments from Taylor

Guitars, Deering Banjo, Gibson and much more)! Lots of Jamming! Food & Craft Vendors! Plenty of onsite parking

and Dry Camping!

Summergrass San Diego 2004 Ticket Order Form

Camping Information: On-site dry camping spaces are available at $40 each for the period (or anyportion) from Wed., 8/18 at 3 P.M. through Mon., 8/23 at noon. Optional electric power for Thursdayevening through 6 P.M. Sunday is available by reservation at $75 additional per campsite. If you are order-ing camping, please provide information below. Campsite limit is one passenger vehicle, one RV, one tentwith three adults and children. If you wish to camp near a friend, we will attempt to accommodate (butdo not guarantee) only if all requests are received at the same time. Please indicate if you require medicalor handicapped consideration. Include specific disability information that will allow best placement.

Required for camping:Vehicle license(s): State and Number.

Recreational vehicle: State______Number__________Passenger vehicle: State______Number___________

If tent camping, check here:_______or for recreational vehicles, provide information below.

RV Type (pop-up, tag-along trailer, motor home, fifth wheel):_______________________________________

RV Length:______feet, RV Width:______feet with pop-out(s) or slide-out(s) extended

Mail this form, your check payable to “Summergrass” and include a business-size S.A.S.E. to:Summergrass San Diego 2004 Tickets ATTN: Judy Hass, 9930 Dichondra Court, San Diego, CA 92131-1806

Questions? Visit our website at www.summergrass.net or call (858) 679-4854.

The 40-acre Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum is located at 2040 North Santa Fe in San Diego County,Vista, California. It is north of Route 78 between I-5 in Oceanside and I-15 in Escondido.

Driving directions will be provided with tickets.Sorry, no pets in Festival Area! (But okay on leash in campground.

Please clean up droppings promptly.)

Name ____________________________________________________

Street Address _____________________________________________

City __________________ State _____ Zip ______ Email__________

Day Phone _______________ Evening Phone ___________________( ) ( )