what's inside - San Diego Troubadour

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

ROUBADOURSAN DIEGO

August 2008 Vol. 7, No. 11

TFREE

www.sandiegotroubadour.com

what’s inside

Welcome Mat………3MissionContributorsCraig Yerkes

Full Circle..…………4Mundell LoweRecordially, Lou Curtiss

Front Porch... ………8Paul Green School of

Rock MusicFred Benedetti

Parlor Showcase …10Will Edwards

Ramblin’...…………12Bluegrass CornerHosing DownRadio DazeStages

Highway’s Song. …15Mark O’Connor

Of Note.……………17Death Valley PizzaWayne RikerMicky MikesellCarolann AmesWill Edwards

‘Round About .......…18August Music Calendar

The Local Seen……19Photo Page

here are few people as

active in San Diego’s

singer-songwriter scene as Will

Edwards. A member of this com-

munity for over seven years, his

music is just the beginning; from running Thursday night

showcases out of the now-defunct Twiggs Green Room to

setting up and managing Tangled Records (his own label

that actually has other artists on it), organizing and

maintaining the San Diego H.A.T. Awards (which stands

for Honoring Acoustic Talent), his innumerable contri-

butions to this publication in both its print and

online presence, recently opening his own studio

in the College area, self-producing his first

record in five years, and booking a hefty

touring schedule. Also integral to his over-

all process, and a shining example of his

tortoise-not-hare approach, is his com-

mitment to the long-term relationship he

continues to build with his wife Kristin

and – with the arrival of their first child –

the next steps into their growing family.

T

continued on page 10

Will Edwards?who is

3www.sandiegotroubadour.com

AUGUST 2008 SAN DIEGO TROUBADOUR

welcome mat

MISSIONTo promote, encourage, and provide an alternative voice for the great local music thatis generally overlooked by the mass media;namely the genres of alternative country,Americana, roots, folk, blues, gospel, jazz, andbluegrass. To entertain, educate, and bringtogether players, writers, and lovers of theseforms; to explore their foundations; and toexpand the audience for these types of music.

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

SAN DIEGO TROUBADOUR, the local source foralternative country, Americana, roots, folk,blues, gospel, jazz, and bluegrass music news,is published monthly and is free of charge.Letters to the editor must be signed and may beedited for content. It is not, however, guaranteedthat they will appear.

All opinions expressed in SAN DIEGOTROUBADOUR are solely the opinion of thewriter and do not represent the opinions of thestaff or management. All rights reserved.

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SUBMITTING YOUR CD FOR REVIEWIf you have a CD you’d like to be considered forreview, please send two copies to: San DiegoTroubadour, P.O. Box 164, La Jolla, CA 92038.

SUBMITTING A CALENDAR LISTINGEmail your gig date, including location, address,and time to [email protected] bythe 22rd of the month prior to publication.

©2008 San Diego Troubadour.

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

CONTRIBUTORSFOUNDERSEllen and Lyle DuplessieLiz AbbottKent Johnson

PUBLISHERSLiz AbbottKent Johnson

EDITORIAL/GRAPHICSLiz AbbottChuck Schiele

ADVERTISINGKent Johnson

BUSINESS CONSULTANTJoanna Schiele

DISTRIBUTIONKent JohnsonDave SawyerMark JacksonIndian Joe StewartDan LongPeter BollandPaul Cruz

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERSteve Covault

WEB MASTERWill Edwards

WRITERSMichael AlvarezJulia BemissPeter BollandMarcia ClaireLou CurtissPaul HormickJim McInnesBart MendozaTim MuddMatthew PowersChuck SchieleJosé SinatraD. Dwight Worden

Cover photo: Sharisse CoulterCover design: Chuck Schiele

…From the Guy on his Rightby Chuck Schiele

OCEAN METAPHORS. When Craig came into my life around 2001-ish, we were two guysin a very similar place: a place of starting over. Mainly, we were twoguys very interested in finding the “right girl,” and we talked forhours about this topic, along with a lot of spiritual stuff, and theneventually … music.

Craig was always curious about my “ocean” metaphors. He’demail me the next day if he didn’t bring it up during the actual musicsession, wanting me to clarify their meanings. I told him that whenI’m reference the ocean, I am really referencing God. The best way tovisualize God is to look at the ocean (I donot think of a man’s face – I think ofsomething more). It’s out there. It is ouressence. We came from there. Without it,we wouldn’t exist. It’s so deep we reallycan’t, as humans, access much of it. It isvast and we know so little about it. Itrequires an overwhelming desire, humili-ty, and effort to understand the depth ofits mystery, power, motion, and size. And,finally, there is no chance to understandit, really, until you jump in, with or with-out all your clothes on. And I feel theexact same way about music.”

He would say, “Yeah!”I think this is where we connected

and where our real friendship began.And we carried on. Pretty soon I met

his posse, namely Clay Colton. They weregigging in North County and I foundmyself driving up to Oceanside everyThursday for a couple of years. Weplayed, drank some beer, had somelaughs, collected stories. Somewherebetween 2003 and 2005 the three of usguys would all become married men, andwe each had integral roles in our respectiveweddings. This is something of which I am most proud. So is Clayand so was Craig. So were Joanna, Stephanie, and Elise. I’ve oftenwondered why Craig – who could basically pick his gig and playwith anybody – played with us. By now, it’s clear. It’s no coincidencethat his music partners were also among his closest pals.

CHRISTMASTIME.Christmastime always included each other in our holiday plans.Joanna and I would get a call from Craig and Elise in earlyDecember to make the plans. I loved this, truly loved this. It was myfavorite part of our friendship. They would bring his boys. We’recrazy about the boys, and this always sent Joanna into her “cookiemaking and dessert marathon” mode days ahead of the actual dinnertime. Craig – the biggest kid of all when cookies are involved – wasalways salivating upon entry, with the innate ability to hone in onthe cookies the same way a shark can smell its prey a full time zoneaway. We’d actually have to cut him off after a while, sending himoff with the boys to play some hoop down the street so he couldwork the cookies back off. The rest of the day would include sittingat our fireplace playing games with the boys and then pastiming inwhat we refer to as “Joanna’s Kitchen,” chatting the rest of the dayaway until we were too pooped to participate. Another favoritememory was the time we all partied so late after a gig, Craig andElise spent the night with us in Ocean Beach. The following morn-ing we all got up. The girls started making eggs and bacon. (thenight before they were doing their hair and make-up together beforethe show) while Craig and I went out to the studio and monkeyedaround with some of the stuff we’d been working on. It was simple:a beautiful Sunday, gorgeous wives, beautiful music.

Happy as happy can get.

AND, YES, OF COURSE: THE MUSIC THING.Believe or not, we hardly ever had to talk about our music. Withvery few exceptions we just “played it.” For seven years. We had avery natural way of taking our time about working very fast. Wenever looked at anyone else in competitive fashion. For us, includ-ing Craig, it was more like we were skiers, where the nature of thesport exists between “us” (the skiers) and the “music” (the moun-tain itself): Not the other skiers. I sensed this in Craig before I actu-ally realized how incredible his chops were, and this had a lot to dowith why I was drawn to working with him. Ironic. The one guyaround who cleaned your clock is the one who never played“against” you. Rather, he complimented you over a beer in a waythat actually made you feel like a better musician even though it’s agiven that it’s you that is going to stand in his shadow if you’re goingto play next to him. I never had so much fun, laying off my owndamned part, pounding simple quarter note after quarter note, justto witness what happens when you give that guy the freedom to justgo, go, go.

I will always remember distinctly what it feels like to walk out tothe middle microphone – with Elise to my right and Craig to my left– giggling our way through another hurried line check. We’d giveElise a well-intonated “G” while swigging a few last sips of ourMakers, the official Grams gig-toddy.

Remembering Craig Yerkes

Notes from a Loving Sisterby Marcia Claire

Once upon a time, in the spring of 1966 probably, I asked my moth-er for a huge gift. I wanted a little brother. True to her word, shedelivered, literally, my brother on April 6, 1968. My parents namedhim Craig, derived from the Greek word crag for strength.

OUR HOUSE

I was talkative, musically inclined, and bossy. Dad was rowdy, eccen-tric, and goofy. Mom was level-headed, artistic, and cerebral butoccasionally showed us her eclectic/silly side.

Craig was the quiet one. He never rocked the boat and neverspoke out of turn. He always had good things to say about everyone,

even about his sister. He had an affinitytoward dinosaurs, guns, and comparisons.“Mom, if an alligator and a gorilla gotinto a fight, who would win?” he wouldask. My mother, cerebral as she was/is,would reply, “Craig, alligators and gorillaslive on completely different hemispheres.They would never fight because theywould never actually see each other.”“But Mom,” Craig would say, “what ifthey did? What if somehow they met up?Like if one got on a plane and flew tovisit someone far away? Then what? Whowould win?”

I played lots of piano as a child. Craigread about prehistoric beasts and the lat-est model of Red Ryder. That is, until Isold my flute to buy my first guitar. Ithink that’s when Craig was hooked for good.

He started playing guitar when he was12 years old. He was absolutely drivenand dedicated to this, his new love. Hewas that kid that closed the door to hisroom and practiced for hours on end.“Love Me Do,” “Taxman,” and “Light My

Fire” could be heard from the hallways, witha delicate overlay of acoustic guitar playing along that didn’t neces-sarily blend in with the masterful arrangements that we all know likethe back of our hands.

He got good on guitar; real good. He got really good really fast.Believe it or not, once upon a time, I was better than Craig on guitar!I can hardly believe it myself today but it’s true. I was too competi-tive to let my little brother squash me at any given task so it seemedabsolutely obvious that it was time to follow my heart and take upbass. I’d always wanted to and, seriously, I’d never get a guitar gigwith Craig around.

SAYING GOOD-BYE

I need to try to extricatemyself from speaking ofCraig. Honestly, it’s hard. Hewas my lifeblood, my confi-dant, my buddy, my thera-pist. Although he was mylittle brother, he would’vestuck up for me with lessthan a moment’s notice. AndI’ll bet any one of his friendsfelt the same way; he wasthe consummate giver.

I guess this is the hardestpart: how do you say “good-bye” to someone who wassuch a giving soul?

Somebody who always put himself before anyone else? I don’t thinkit matters if you saw Craig every day, once a week, once a month, orless than that; he was always the guy you knew you could dependon. He was the obvious choice of people to call when my daughterChelsea’s dad Lew injured his back and couldn’t attend theFather/Daughter Dance as scheduled. Uncle Craig was right there tofill in for the injured Daddy. By the same token, I asked Craig’s eldestson Brent how he got so lucky in getting the only flying pirate partin the production of “Peter Pan,” which he performed just a monthago, and he said, “Well, my dad was the only one that would comeout and sign the Flying Consent Form on a moment’s notice.”

That’s what Craig was about.He made the difficult seem effortless, both in life and in music.

He took every skill he possessed for granted. I think he felt that ifeveryone applied themselves, they could do exactly what he did. Nottrue. He was an extraordinarily gifted human being, musician, father,husband, brother, and son. Personally, I think my favorite thingabout Craig was that he really never changed that much. The Craig Iknew when we were growing up was the same guy you all knewplaying at ArtWalk, the Handlery, R.J. Sullivan’s, and countless othervenues around town. The best thing about Craig was how easy itwas to get to know him and how genuine he stayed. There was noth-ing real puzzling about Craig – he was just a fun guy looking tomake the world a better place, little by little.

Most of the music community knows by now that it lost one of its best and brightest in an automobile accident on June 28. Craig Yerkes, beloved husband, brother, father, friend, musician, and respected writer for the San Diego Troubadour, is remembered

here by two people who were among those closest to him. He was an incredibly wonderful human being. We will miss him.

continued on page 16. continued on page 16.

Craig Yerkes at age three.

Photo: Dan Chusid

by Bart Mendoza

In the grand scheme of things, mostmusicians’ careers might generateenough activity to fill a small paper-

back. Mundell Lowe, on the other hand,rates an encyclopedia of his own. Primarilyknown as a guitarist, in truth his work hasimpacted stage and radio as well as both thesmall and big screen.

Lowe was born in Laurel, Mississippi, onApril 21, 1922. Taught on the guitar by hisBaptist minister father, Lowe was playing bythe age of six. Heavily influenced by thecountry music he heard in his hometown,he performed with several small combos butsoon began to get restless. In 1935 Lowedropped out of school and ran away fromhome, ending up in Nashville for a briefperiod before his father retrieved him.Determined to play music rather thanattend school and become part of the localfarming community, he soon ran awayagain, this time ending up in New Orleansand playing nightclubs along BourbonStreet.

It’s a testament to his six-string prowessthat in 1939, at age 17, he joined Pee WeeKing’s western swing band. He stayed withKing for a year and a half, gaining valuableexperience as a regular on his Grand OleOpry radio show.

Lowe kept a frantic schedule through1941, however things took a detour withthe advent of WWII when he was draftedinto the army that same year. While servinghis military obligations, he continued toperform whenever possible, including abrief stint with the Jan Savitt Band. His timein the army would prove to be particularlyfortuitous. Stationed at Camp Plauche,Mississippi, Lowe had the good fortune tomeet another soldier stationed there: leg-endary producer John Hammond.Hammond held jam sessions in the enlistedmen’s club, with Lowe quickly becomingone of his favorite players. Soon deployed tothe Pacific theatre, Hammond invited Lowe

to contact him when he got out of the army. Upon his discharge in 1945 he returned

to the South, but all it took was a telegram toHammond to connect Lowe with a newband. In early 1946, after introductions fromHammond, he joined former Glen Millerdrummer Ray McKinley’s big band. He wouldmake his first recordings with McKinley andcontinue to play with his group off and onthrough the early 1950s but by late 1947, hehad relocated to New York.

There he became a regular at all the hipclubs of the day, including Café Society, theVillage Vanguard, and the Embers. Duringthis time frame he worked with CharlesMingus, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, andLester Young, and toured with pianist MaryLou Williams from 1947-1949. During thelate 1940s Lowe found his playing to be inserious demand, in both the live and record-ing arenas. Even at this early date a collec-tor of his work would be overwhelmed. Inthe two-year span of 1947-1948 Lowe couldbe found on recordings by Holiday, Parker,and Humes as well as Benny Goodman,Zoot Sims, Dinah Washington, Jo Jones, andmany more. Lowe worked with Holidaynumerous times, but the highlight was like-ly a ten day stint in April 1948 in the the-atre show called “Holiday on Broadway.”

A sidebar to all this activity is the creditdue Lowe for discovering pianist Bill Evans.The pair met in 1949, with Lowe instru-mental in securing Evans his first deal inthe mid-1950s. Lowe and Evans evenformed a short-lived combo alongsidebassist Red Mitchell in 1950 but onlyplayed a handful of hometown shows and ashort tour of Illinois. Reportedly, the groupfizzled out for reasons that included a book-ing agency that insisted on booking thequiet jazz group into the type of beer jointsthat typically include chicken wire aroundthe stage. Evans would later record “SongFor Debby,” a combined tribute song toLowe’s daughter and Evans own niece. 1950also saw Lowe’s recording debut, with thealbum Guitar Moods.

Notably, by 1950 he began a side careerin television, performing in the band for theNBC-TV’s “A Date in Manhattan” and the“Today” show. From 1950-1954 he could beheard on NBC’s “The Kate Smith Hour” inan incredible combo that also included StanGetz, Kai Winding, and Doc Severinsen.Now part of the NBC Orchestra, Lowe wasswamped with work but continued to playout as often as possible, even joining theSauter-Finegan band during 1952-1953 andalso working with Tony Scott, Gene Bianco,and Carmen McRae as well as additionaldates with Parker. Lowe released five of hisown albums between 1952 and 1959,including highly collectable discs Porgy andBess (1954) and cult favorite TV Action Jazz(1957), which compiles his interpretationsof music from TV crime dramas. He alsorecorded at every opportunity, notching updozens of album appearances during thistime frame. In addition to jazz he alsorecorded countless sessions with pop artists.That’s Lowe on guitar with Johnnie Ray onthe number one 1951 smash “Cry.” Lowe’sguitar work can be heard on numerous hitsof the era from the likes of the EverlyBrothers, King Curtis, Jackie Wilson, andLavern Baker as well as Tony Bennett andanother future San Diegan, Frankie Laine.Among the classic albums Lowe was a partof during that era are Sammy Davis Jr.’sMood to Be Wooed (1957) and The Soul ofBen Webster (1958).

During the 1960s Lowe continued towork with NBC and toured with Peggy Leeearly in the decade. 1961 saw him release apair of discs, Pattern of Evil and The Originalon Charlie Parker’s label. In 1962 he scoredhis first film, the slightly risqué Satan inHigh Heels.

In 1965, during a visit to Los Angeles, hemet Jackie Cooper, then president of ScreenGems, who helped him transition into moreTV and film work. Lowe decided to stay onthe West Coast, soon recording some of hisbest-known, if most unsung work. Thatsame year Lowe recorded guitar on the

soundtrack of the TV classic “Wild, WildWest.” Three years later, TV soundtracklightning struck once again when he per-formed guitar duties on the soundtrack to“Hawaii Five-0,” which also included for-mer San Diegan John Guerin on drums. Thesoundtracks have been reissued a combined15 times.

1969 saw Lowe shift his career, joiningthe staff at Los Angeles public television sta-tion KCET. During his time at the station heproduced the acclaimed series “Jazz in theRound” but perhaps more important for popculture fans, he also composed the filmscore for the 1971 cult film Billy Jack. Thefollowing year found Lowe performing thesame duties on Woody Allen’s classic movie,Everything You Always Wanted to KnowAbout Sex.

Lowe left KCET in 1973 and continuedto score films, including that year’s Attackon Terror. 1977 saw no less than five filmswith his work: Deadly Game, The Girl in theEmpty Grave, Sidewinder 1, and Tarantulas:Deadly Cargo. The film work and touringkept him busy – he only released threealbums on his own during the decade,California Guitar (1974), Guitar Player(1976) and The Incomparable (1978). Theend of the 1970s found him teaching filmcomposition at the Grove School of Music, ajob he would hold until 1985.

During the 1980s Lowe headed back tohis first love, performing. Things started outstrong. In 1981 he became director of theMonterey Jazz Festival. Meanwhile, he con-tinued to sporadically compose for television,notably 1980’s short lived “B.A.D. Cats” and a1982 crime drama starring Angie Dickinson,“Cassie and Company.” In 1986, Lowe retiredas director of the MJF but continued a dizzy-ing pace when it came to recording and tour-ing. He moved to San Diego with his wife,singer Betty Bennett, in 1989.

His arrival in the area coincided with theadvent of the digital age and the 1990s sawan explosion of releases that include Lowe’swork. He has continued to work on newmusic, with notable albums including a1992 appearance on the Holly Hoffmanduets album, Duo Personality, and 2007’s

Haunted Heart, teaming him up with JimFerguson. However it’s his early sessionwork that is now being reissued continu-ously, adding literally hundreds of releasesto Lowe’s discography in just the past fiveyears alone. Ranging from vintage hits col-lections of Neil Sedaka, Otis Blackwell, andRay Peterson tunes to previously rarerecordings with Miles Davis, Cal Tjader,Quincy Jones, and Rosemary Clooney, thereis something for just about everybody inLowe’s recorded canon. He also continuedto tour with numerous combos includingthe André Previn Trio, with whom hereleased seven albums during this timeframe and the Great Guitars group, teamingup Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, and Tal Farlow.The latter made a pair of albums for Telarcin 1996.

In 2000 he presented fellow guitar leg-end Barney Kessell with a LifetimeAchievement Award at the San Diego MusicAwards. That same year he recorded a trib-ute album to Charlie Byrd, This One’s forCharlie. 2001 saw the release of When LightsAre Lowe, recorded as a duo with HendrikMeurkens.

Last month, Lowe was feted with a sold-out celebration of his life and music atdowntown nightspot Anthology. Helmed byfellow guitarist Jaime Valle, the partyincluded a wealth of talent including KennyBurrell, Mike Wofford, Holly Hoffman andRussell Malone, with only the night’s timelimit keeping more names from being addedto the show. Now 85 years old, Lowe is notjust an music institution, he’s an integralpart of the past centuries musical landscape.The word “legend” is bandied about all toooften these days, but in the case of an artistlike Lowe, it’s not nearly enough to do jus-tice to a man who has given so much won-derful music to the world. Guitarists comeand go, but it’s unlikely any will ever matchthe achievements of Mundell Lowe.

As we went to press with this issue itwas announced that Mundell Lowe will bethe recipient of the 2008 LifetimeAchievement Award at the annual SDMAceremonies, being held on September 17 atViejas Concerts in the Park.


full circle

4 www.myspace.com/sandiegotroubadour

MUNDELL LOWEA True Guitar Legend for 70 Years

Mundell Lowe



full circle



full circle

Phil Harmonic Sez:

“ I believe in the discipline of silence and couldtalk for hours about it.”

— George Bernard Shaw



full circle

REMINISCING ABOUT OLD-TIMERADIO

Iwas watching election news the otherday, forced to listen to McCain’s spielwhether I wanted to or not, and he came

on with “friends” and I couldn’t help butthink of one of those old border radio pitch-men selling me goat gland operations orgospel songbooks or just introducing an oldcountry song. Of course, he didn’t try to sellme anything like that (well, maybe sort oflike that) and I didn’t get to hear any countrysongs (which I would have preferred) but Idid get to reminiscing about old radio showsthat I listened to as a boy. I grew up in thecountry north of Seattle until I was 12, andthere were two stations in Washington that Ilistened to a lot. KXA played country musicfull time or at least whenever I listened).They had a deejay (did they call them thatthen? I don’t think so.) named Shorty Longwho always seemed to be on whenever Iturned the dial, and it was the kind of stationwhere there were always dedications for eachsong and ads for things like “rose bulbs fromWapahoxie, Texas.” I actually heard them tellfolks to put their hand on the radio and feelthe blessed warmth of the Lord (with tuberadios, what else would you feel?). Thenthey’d sell the song book. The other stationwas a bit more straight laced (it was KVI inTakoma) and late evenings were dominatedby a character named Buck Richey whoseemed to have an ongoing feud with every-one else at his station. If he didn’t like arecord he was playing, he would take it offthe turntable and break it (they played 78rpmrecords in those days and they broke realeasy). Buck would laugh and say, “Well, thatone won’t get in the library.”

Sometimes late at night I’d pick upMexican border stations (even up in Seattle)and I remember hearing the DelmoreBrothers and Wayne Raney, and Cowboy SlimReinhardt. We’d also get some Canadian sta-tions and I’d hear Wilf Carter (aka MontanaSlim) and a guy called Arizona Joe. In 1952we moved to San Diego and I discovered a lotmore about the border stations, particularlythe ones in Baja, California, like XERB andXEMO. I get mixed up about who broadcast-ed on which station but I remember hearingJesse Rodgers (Jimmy’s cousin) who had a hit

with “Hadicol Boogie” in the early ’50s. TheMaddox Brothers and Rose were on XERBand so was Tex Williams, Smokey Rogers,and Don and Earl. I’m sure a lot of what Iheard was on transcription discs (the big 16-inch ones). Stuart Hamblen’s “CoveredWagon Jubilee,” Eddie Kirk, Hank Penny, andOkie Bob all had shows. Sometimes therewould be a mixture of live entertainmentwith the playing of records and transcrip-tions.

There were commercials for all kinds ofcrazy stuff (baby chickens, prayer cloths, andthe Rev. Curtis Springer from Miracle Valley,California, who sold Antediluvian Herb Tea,guaranteed to cure everything from fallenarches to dishpan hands), which would neverget on the radio today. Cancer cures, curesfor “faulty elimination,” cures for the blues(uppers, downers, and in-betweeners), andfire-and-brimstone preachers. If you waitedlong enough, you’d get a song or two. I wasusually willing to wait because the other stuffsort of amused me too. Border radio wasunique, but then laws were passed in Mexicoin the late ’50s and early ’60s, and the era oflaxatives and lullabies came to an end.

SOME UTAH PHILLIPS JOKES I DIDN’T GET IN LAST MONTH

I wrote a pretty serious piece on Utah lasttime around and I’m not sure that he wouldhave liked it if I didn’t get a line or two fromthis man who took life seriously, but not tooserious. Utah told about how he was drivenout of his hometown by a bunch of crazedUnitarians who burnt a question mark on hisfront lawn, he told about his uncle and auntwho were celebrating their 50th year togetherand she suggested that he kill a chicken. Hesaid, “Why blame a chicken for somethingthat happened 5o years ago?” He talkedabout singing patriotic songs like “Yank MyDoodle, It’s a Dandy” and “I Kissed my Girlat the Railroad Station and Went Off in myUniform.” He was unique and always told hisaudiences, “You can groan all you want, butyou’ll be telling them tomorrow.” He wasright and we did.

CONNECTING WITH THE PAST AT FOLKARTS

When the old Heritage Coffee House inMission Beach closed in the early ’70s and Inthe Alley, located in Escondido, closed about

the same time (shortly before that, the CandyCompany on El Cajon Blvd. and BifrostBridge in La Mesa had bitten the dust) andthere was no place for a lot of good musi-cians to work, I decided to start doing con-certs at Folk Arts Rare Records (then on FifthAve. in Hillcrest) until a new coffeehouseopened. Little did I realize that it would benearly five years before the era of the OldTime Cafe and Drowsy Maggies ushered in anew wave of acoustic music.

Those five years were peak years for theSan Diego Folk Festival, and lots of folkswho played those festivals also played at theshop, including Utah Phillips, Hank Bradley,Harmonica Frank Floyd, Ray and InaPatterson, Johnny Walker, Sam Hinton, GuyCarawan, Frankie Armstrong, ArtRosenbaum, Phil Gross, Ray Bierl, SamChatmon, Patty Hall, Rita Weill, and a host ofothers. One of the things we did was to makea point of taping most every show andbecause of that, these tapes are now part ofthe battery of tapes being digitized for inclu-sion in the Library of Congress Lou CurtissCollection. I wonder if there are other tapesout there that were recorded at some of theother coffeehouses (both before and after theFolk Arts series). I also did concerts atOrango’s on Washington St. for a few yearsand have tapes of those, plus some tapes froma House Concert series on Robinson and thefirst series at the Normal Heights UnitedMethodist Church. I can think of performersfrom those days that should be represented inthis library. Claire Hart, Pam Ostergren, Stevevon Lutes, Rick Stanley, Cliff Nimen andHilary, Robb Strandlund, A Vitamin, DougMcKee and Pat Moss are just a few. Youmight be able to remind me of a few others.Do that.

Recordially,

Lou Curtiss

Recordially, Lou Curtiss

Lou Curtiss

Photo: Bill Richardson



front porch

by Mike Alvarez

As I type, the soundtrack to my youthreverberates around the office. Thepopular music of a bygone era was

once referred to as “Oldies,” but vintagetunes from the ’60s and ’70s are accorded abit more dignity by being called “ClassicRock.” To these ears they sound as freshand vital as they did during the days when Ipeeled the shrink wrap from album coversbefore spinning the vinyl on my trustyturntable. Thanks to the Paul Green Schoolof Rock Music, not only are young peoplebeing exposed to this music, they are play-ing it on stages all over the country.Remarkably, they are finding it to be as coolas my generation did when these songswere newly penned.

The moviegoing public knows theSchool of Rock as a 2003 film in which JackBlack played Dewey Finn, a renegade rockmusician who transforms a group of schoolchildren into a rock band. His methods areunorthodox but his enthusiasm carries theday. What many don’t know is that this fic-titious story takes its inspiration from a reallife Dewey Finn named Paul Green. He is alarger-than-life character whose tough-talk-ing exterior only barely manages to concealhis huge heart. The documentary RockSchool shows him tirelessly leading, push-ing, prodding, and cajoling his students intogiving their all – and more – in pursuit oftheir goal of rocking out on a real concertstage. As the school’s manifesto states: “Weproceed from the belief that the best way tolearn something is by doing it. And we feelthis is particularly true when learning toplay music.”

Founded in 1998, the Paul GreenSchool of Rock has achieved great success,spreading to dozens of cities across thecountry. San Diego has its own branch nearthe intersection of 32nd and Market Streets.

Upon entering one is immediately struck bythe décor. The walls are adorned withimages of rock icons culled from concertposters and back issues of Rolling Stonemagazine. General manager Lesley Cooper’soffice door sports a collection of 45 rpmsingles and her walls proudly displayframed posters of past school performances.The lobby even features a selection of con-certs on DVD that waiting parents can view.Rockin’ is definitely their business. Themuted sounds of lessons in progress floatthrough the air as students hone their chopsin the school’s four rehearsal rooms. Thevibe is casual but there is an undercurrentof excitement and enthusiasm. As Coopersays, they are helping to form a tightly knitcommunity. “A lot of the parents are reallyinto it. The fact that it’s music they canrelate to brings the families closer together.”Drum instructor Larry Grano backs her up,saying that the School of Rock Music fostersan atmosphere of sharing that used to existin music stores, where people were onceable to swap techniques and music withothers. He says, “Nowadays they just wantto sell you something, push product. Herewe build a relationship that goes beyondretailer and customer. It’s almost like a Boysand Girls Club. They learn camaraderie,teamwork, and competition. We give thesekids something no one can take away. Self-respect is an earned privilege.”

Tyler Ward, the school’s musical direc-tor, points out that instructors must notonly be excellent musicians. “They shouldalso have lots of life experience in musicand be able to share it. Our instructors areexcited about our program and believe init.” As if to demonstrate this, he gesturestoward a young rocker and beams, “howcan you not be excited when he’s going tosing ‘Dazed and Confused’ better than therecord?” Restating the community aspect ofthe school, Ward emphasizes their wish for

students to “play with people you like, play-ing music that moves you.” While the pri-vate lessons are vital, he points out theimportance of playing with others. “We’reall about camaraderie. It would all be fornothing without the Saturday grouprehearsals!” The curriculum is heavilyweighted toward classic rock with the coreof it coming straight from Paul Green him-self, but they are also able to take the stu-dents’ tastes into consideration. “We intro-duce kids to music that is similar to theartists they already like.” Adds Grano, “Wecan teach them music that they request ifthere’s time.” Instruments are available atthe school but they really need to have theirown. Cooper notes with amusement thatsomeone once said, “this is not a soccergame,” meaning that unlike some otherextracurricular activities, a great deal ofhome practice is necessary. Those whobecome the most proficient with the songswill increase their opportunities to performonstage. She proudly reveals that they havebooked students in prime venues wheresome of the instructors have not yet per-formed.

Students range in age from seventhrough 18, and they can sign up any timeof year. They receive instruction in musictheory, instrumental skills, music apprecia-tion and stage performance. The emphasisis on rock instruments, notably the guitar,drums, bass, keyboards, and vocals. Theschool aims to produce musicians who arewell-rounded, musically literate, and profi-cient at their chosen instruments. Beginnersare very welcome. As Grano says, “Somekids begin from almost nothing and you seetheir talents come to fruition. It’s a beautifulthing. That’s why this happens.” Cooperfound it funny when I expressed my wishthat there had been a place like this “when Iwas a kid,” because it’s a comment she’sheard many times before. It’s a rewarding

and challenging environment that stimu-lates the students’ minds with somethingfun. They learn to play difficult materialonstage at an age when many would findstanding before a live audience to be intimi-dating. In keeping with tradition, the SanDiego school’s first show was Pink Floyd’sThe Wall. The curriculum also includesmusic by such bands as Led Zeppelin, thePolice, the Who, Black Sabbath, and IronMaiden. Recently, students appeared onstageat Anthology with Yes’ lead singer JonAnderson. Currently in the works areBeatles and Queen shows.

So how successful have they been? Theproof, as they say, is in the pudding, andthey had a chance to strut their stuff at arecent fundraiser at downtown’s Hard RockCafé. They treated the packed house toexcerpts from their Led Zeppelin and Whoconcerts. In all honesty it was astonishingto hear the level of skill and confidencethese kids demonstrated. The song selectionwas impressive in that it went deep into theartists’ catalogues. Alongside radio favoriteslike “The Immigrant Song” and “BabaO’Riley” (the highlight of which was anincredible violin solo) were more obscurealbum cuts like “Your Time Is GonnaCome” and “Boris the Spider.” Perhaps themost technically challenging number wasthe Overture from the Who’s Tommy, per-formed in its entirety and interpreted verycredibly. They were all great soloists andensemble players. You could tell they werereally listening to each other. Performerstransitioned on and off the stage smoothlylike real pros. During their time in the spot-light it was obvious they were giving theirall for rock ‘n’ roll and having a great time.It was really heartwarming to observe ayoung person navigating the aisles of theHard Rock, Squier Strat in hand with hishead held high because he knew he rockedthe joint.

In the Rock School documentary, PaulGreen states that he would like for there tobe a renaissance of new artists and bandsmaking significant music, and that theycould be traced back to him. Some of thesekids will undoubtedly take their experienceat his School of Rock Music to the nextlevel, so it should only be a matter of time.

For further information please go towww.schoolofrock.com.

Rock ‘n’ RollThe NexT GeNeRaTioN

Kids have fun performing in the PaulGreen School of Rock



front porch

by Paul Hormick

“That’s not how you play that song!”Those were the words that the junior highschool-aged Fred Benedetti heard as his guitarwas yanked out of his hands. Another studentthat Benedetti didn’t know wielded the instru-ment and began to pluck. Guitarless and flab-bergasted, Benedetti sat back to hear a verybold upstart launch into the tune that he hadjust attempted. He wasn’t sure he liked thisguy but had to admit that the kid was playingthe song better.

Close to 40 years later Benedetti enjoysrecalling this unusual moment in his youththat led to a lifelong friendship and fulfillingcareer as a classical musician. The upstart whobested Benedetti was a young Jeff Pekarek,who is now one of San Diego’s finest bassists.Despite the abrupt introduction, the twobecame fast friends and bandmates, andBenedetti credits Pekarek with later influenc-ing his vocation as a classical musician.

It’s almost impossible to live in San Diegoand not know the music of Fred Benedetti. Heis one of this city’s top classical guitarists and aprominent music educator who has taught atlocal colleges for years. He performs locally,including dates with the San Diego Opera, theSan Diego Symphony, and the Starlight Opera.San Diego fans of pop and jazz know hismusic through such efforts as Blurring theEdges, his collaborations with local jazz iconPeter Sprague. And Benedetti has performedall over the world, as a soloist and with musi-cal luminaries such as Luciano Pavarotti andjazz innovator Dave Brubeck.

For the past 11 years Benedetti has per-formed in the lounge at the Four Seasons, thetony resort in Carlsbad. For four hours a nighthe has mixed his classical repertoire with somepop hits and jazz standards. Although he hasbeen in the spotlight, performing in concerthalls all over the world, Benedetti feels right athome playing his guitar in a room of peoplewhere listening to the music is optional. “Idon’t mind in the least. Sometimes it seemsthat no one is listening, and then there areother nights when the whole place is rightthere with you,” Benedetti says. Unlike theconcert stage, the more intimate setting alsoallows for a greater interaction with the audi-ence that Benedetti enjoys. “And at least oncea night someone will come up and say ‘Hey Ireally enjoy your music!’”

Benedetti chooses mostly classical piecesto perform at the Four Seasons but mixes inpopular and jazz tunes. “I keep an eye on themakeup of the crowd to see where I mightwant to take things next. Sometimes I’ll thinkthat the crowd will want to hear somethingpopular, but then it doesn’t seem to go any-where. And then I’ll think that I’m taking achance on a challenging piece and they’ll loveit. You never know.”

Last year the management of the resortasked Benedetti if he worked with any singers.Off the top of his head Benedetti said that hedidn’t regularly work with vocalists but thatboth of his teenaged daughters sang.Management liked the idea and when hetalked to his daughters both girls were pleasedwith the prospect as well. Now Benedetti per-forms two nights a week at the resort with his

daughters – Regina, 20, and Julia, 17 – andone night as a solo performer. He says theirinitial concern was having enough of a reper-toire to fill four hours with music. But thefamily band is constantly working on material.Even the drives up to the resort offer time towork on tunes “The girls will play a song on aCD and I’ll figure out the chords. They alreadyknow the words to these songs, so we’ve justadded another tune to our list,” he says.

Benedetti enjoys this new mix of familytime and gigging. And he sees his daughterslearn what the life of a working musician islike, that four hours of gigging will leave any-one, young or old, tired and hungry. “But it’sworth it,” he says. “At the end of the nightwe’re all in great moods; we all feel great.”Benedetti’s other steady gig, which he alwaysperforms solo, takes place at the Del MarGrande on Sundays, where he plays for theirafternoon tea. It’s the perfect setting for anacoustic guitarist – quiet with great acoustics.

That leaves Friday and Saturday, primetime for a gigging musician, open for Benedettito perform for other occasions. A self-con-fessed workaholic with no intention of abatingthe condition, Benedetti takes advantage ofany and all gigs. He says, “I do all sorts ofthings – casuals, parties, weddings. At wed-dings I used to do the ceremony and thereception, which means putting together aband, but I’ve gotten spoiled. It’s so much easi-er to just perform at another ceremony.”

Amplification, while it is the lifeblood andeverlasting joy to rock and blues guitarists, iswhat classical guitarists consider the bane oftheir existence and a product of the devil,which they occasionally have to compromisewith. Like other serious classical guitarists,Benedetti performs without an amplifier forconcerts and small settings and feels quitestrongly that the instrument should be heardwithout the changes to the tones that comefrom pickups, microphones, and transistors.“If you’re in a good hall you want to hear theguitar, the good tone and all the color of theinstrument,” he says. Nonetheless Benedettiuses an amplifier to help out in settings wherethe acoustics are not the best. He does not usean internal pickup but a microphone for bettersound quality. And even still, the amplifier isstill secondary to the guitar. “I like it whenmost of the sound is still coming from the gui-tar, and the amplifier is just helping me to beheard,” he says.

Benedetti’s father was a guitarist.Untrained and unable to read music, the elderBenedetti relied on his ear to learn Bach andAlbeniz from recordings. “It’s surprising howgood his technique was. He had a really greatthumb on his right hand,” Benedetti says ofhis father as he demonstrates the quickstroking motion that his father employed. Oneof the high points of Benedetti’s musical lifewas the master class that Andres Segoviataught at USD. Although he was performingfor the master, the man who put the guitar onthe musical map, having his father there to lis-ten to his performance was his biggest thrill.“There I was 25 or 26 years old performing forSegovia, and I look out in the audience andthere’s my father,” Benedetti says with a noteof pride in his voice.

At the age of nine, when his family wasliving in Hawaii, Benedetti received his firstguitar. His father’s preference for classicalmusic having little influence on him, theyoungster picked out tunes of the Beatles, theMonkees, and other pop hits of the sixties.And before his teen years he joined a bandcalled the Get Aways.

In high school Benedetti, Pekarek, and thelate James Lyons formed a trio. ReflectingBenedetti’s Asian heritage, the band was calledSan (rhymes with John), which means three inJapanese. Often busking in Balboa Park, theband went beyond the pop charts and playedmusic that was opening up on the FM dial atthe time, such as Fairport Convention.

It was through his work with this bandthat Pekarek influenced Benedetti in the direc-tion of classical music. Benedetti says, “It wasat this point that Jeff started taking lessons. Hestarted using his bow when we played, andthat was very impressive to me. When he was16 Jeff started playing with the San DiegoSymphony.” Inspired, Benedetti started on theclassical route himself, studying with RobertoTorres, the best classical guitarist in San Diegoat the time.

When he was 19 Benedetti performedevery week on Tuesdays and Thursdays at thenow defunct Prophet restaurant with his part-ner Dan Grant. Lee Ryan, chair of guitar at

SDSU, heard Benedetti at the restaurant andasked him to join Orion, a classical guitarquartet whose members were guitar studentsat SDSU. Joining the ensemble, Benedetti wasdetermined to make the quartet work. Hedropped pop and rock and went full bore intothe classics. The quartet had some successwith performances and recording, but theyunfortunately broke up. Nonetheless,Benedetti’s commitment to classical music wassealed.

A similar turn of events led Benedetti intoteaching. In 1985 Ron Sherrod, chair of theguitar department at Grossmont college, askedBenedetti to teach at the school. Benedetti wassurprised and resistant to the proposal. He hadnot completed his college degree and hisemphasis was in performance, not education.But Sherrod was insistent. Benedetti studiedup and passed the exams for his teaching cre-dential. The next thing he knew, he was teach-ing folk guitar classes and guitar ensemble atGrossmont College. He is now a full time pro-fessor of music and chairs the guitar studiesdepartment at Grossmont, which is wellknown for its top-notch guitar program.Benedetti also chairs the guitar department atSDSU, which includes George Svoboda, RobertWetzel, and Celine Romero.

Although he once again felt a bit unpre-pared for the next teaching venture, Sherrodencouraged Benedetti to apply for the full-timedirectorship of the concert band, remindingthe young man that full-time positions don’toften come up. Having played saxophone inhis school’s concert band, Benedetti was famil-iar with the music and arrangements for thenew position. But a roomful of trombones andsaxophones is a whole different animal than ahandful of students with guitars on their laps.Controlling the possible cacophony forced

Benedetti to develop his leadership talents.Benedetti tailors his teaching methods to

each student and also considers the type ofmusic that the guitarist wants to play. “If Ihave a student in one of my folk classes andwhen he grabs a D chord his thumb sticks outa little bit, that’s okay. He’s still grabbing the Dchord. But that’s not what you can have inclassical playing,” he says. He emphasizes theimportance for all musicians, popular as wellas classical performers, to learn to read music,and unlike some classical instructors whoavoid using tablature (a type of musical nota-tion that demonstrates graphically the stringsand frets to be used for plucking and strum-ming), he encourages his students to learn thisnotation as well as traditional written music.

Benedetti says, “Time was when I’d teachat Grossmont from eight to two, at State fromthree to five, then I’d have a change of clothes

so I could go off to a performance that night.”He has slowed down from this frantic pace,but between teaching and performing he isnonetheless quite busy. Besides local perform-ances, he tours with fellow classical guitaristGeorge Svoboda, with whom he has had adecades long partnership. They split theirtouring between Hawaii, where Benedettispent his childhood, and Svoboda’s homeland,the Czech Republic. The two performed sever-al times at this year’s Del Mar Fair.

For the near future, Benedetti’s scheduleincludes dates with Celtic bands and tangoensembles, more touring with Svoboda, and ofcourse his teaching obligations. To find outwhere he’s performing or if you’re interested intaking guitar classes at Grossmont or SDSU, goto http://www.odeumguitarduo.com/solohome-set.html.

Fred Benedetti:A Classical Act

Fred BenedettiPh

oto: Steve Parr



parlor showcase

by Tim Muddphotos by Sharisse Coulter

hen I was askedto write thecover story onWill earlier thisyear, most of theforethought I

devoted to the task was spent scratching my head.It seemed a little silly to write some fluff piece thatattempts to reinvent the wheel on someone manyknow so well. As far as a person as multifaceted asWill goes however, I didn’t want to take anything forgranted, leaving those who only know one or twoaspects of his personality and/or achievements inthe dark.

I spent a lot of time wandering around towntalking to different people who know Will. As I’dfeared (and as Murphy would have it), through theirpersonal interactions, everyone had different experi-ences and a different opinion. When I finally askedWill how he sees himself, my interest becamepiqued at how well his projections from another’spoint of view intersected the main themes I’dalready run into.

In the five years since his concurrent releasesLookout Road and If I Did Anything Right, Willbelieves he has grown in almost every way. He’slearned about loyalty, patience, and creationthrough socializing, touring, providing, and benefit-ing. In his own words, one of the few remainingfacets of his developing character over the last halfdecade is his determination. This all holds true. Healso believes, however, that people perceive him tobe “guarded” and “hard to engage.” Unfortunately,this also held true and – like many other successfulmultifaceted musical talents – would appear to bethe Achilles Heel of every venture Will invests him-self in. Although his pragmatic association sad-dened me, I drew comfort from the knowledge thathe stands in good company.

So, what are the motivators for every successfulmusician? Actually, it’s not a question. The answer isbelief and the answer is talent. Success lies in themerger of the two and the tenacity to maintain.

When Will Edwards started playing music in SanDiego, his experience interfacing with the media togarner support behind his music – be it newspapers,news weeklies, television, or radio – was the samediscouraging rigmarole almost every aspiring artistfaces. Understandably, this frustration was com-pounded by the other “given”’ discovery of howinhospitable this city’s social landscape can be forthe arts in a popular realm. Like many issues, under-standing immediately precedes judgment andEdwards admits to being extremely critical, owinglargely to his commitment to his passion.

Whereas many artists remain hamstrung in thisstate, Will’s uncompromising vision set him on apath of examining each perceived obstacle andapplying a sound cost-benefit analysis to its exis-tence before either surmounting or simply choosingto go around it. Often, he believes he simply recre-ates the obstacle but focuses it in the direction ofthat which he’s aiming to engage. Fame and fortunemay be the furthest associations you could makefrom the results and through the eyes of hisstrongest critics – whose cynicism often sees pricewithout value – these brandless grassroots effortsmay even appear laughable. The very fact that an

attempt is made, however, underlines his core beliefstructure. “I’ve tried to do a lot of things I’ve criti-cized people for not doing, or doing poorly, whetherit was the music awards, taking recording under myown guidance, or touring. Whether I’m successful ornot, the skills I now possess as a result of this expe-rience is the achievement I’m most grateful for as aperson, not as an aspiring musical artist.” Like manyof Edwards’ poignantly air-tight statements regard-ing his personal assets, it’s hard to develop a merit-ed retort.

Aside from Will’s well-respected compassion asa human being, his commitment to aiding his peersstems from his initial criticism. A good example ofthis would be the development of the San DiegoH.A.T. Awards, which he almost single-handedlycoordinated (with only three weeks at his disposal)in October 2006 as a response to growing frustra-tion within the songwriter community that appearedtargeted toward the San Diego Music Awards for notrecognizing an untapped well of local talent.

“I look at a lot of the things people are doingaround me and say to myself, ‘That could be doneso much better,’ or, ‘That person has an opportunityor range of potential that they’re not even engag-ing.’ It frustrates me because I can see how it orthey would serve a need or a purpose. With regardto my judgment, however, I really don’t care aboutfinancial gain or competing in any kind of popularitycontest, so I very rarely judge people out of a desirefor me to benefit in those ways. My judgments aregenerally aimed at eking out some potential that’sgoing to serve a need. Many times that need,because of my role as a musician, lies in the contextof independent musicians. Based on my experience Inow understand the opposing dynamics at play –say between the SDMAs and a group of artists – thatexplain how these two entities fail to connect up.”Herein lies Will Edwards, the altruist.

In addition to the artistic peers he’s prepared tolay faith in, Will Edwards also believes in the peoplethat so many artists are all too ready to discard ascloned artistic philistines; this he considers to behis “secret weapon.”

“Each person fundamentally resonates likeevery other object in nature that possesses its reso-nant frequency. It’s part of our nature to resonatewith different kinds of things, not all things.Marketing is all in the head. ‘If you buy this product,we promise it’ll make you smarter, better looking,and in some way give you an edge to make your lifebetter.’ What I’ve decided to do is forget the idea ofpromising people that life will be better if they fol-low my advice. Rather, [I] create situations that, byexample, give people an opportunity to rememberwhat it’s like to resonate with something. They’restill going to go out and buy the nice car or anexpensive cellphone, but it comes down to the peo-ple I can reach – their interest in music and possiblyeven their outlook on the world or their spirituality.The more people I have the opportunity to providethat resonant frame of mind to, then the more effec-tive I’m going to be because I’m tapping into some-thing that is innately part of people’s nature; mar-keting forces are only tapping into people’s heads.Now, I’m not suggesting a judgment on my behalfthat one way is more powerful than the otherbecause there’s plenty of evidence out there to sug-gest that by engaging people’s minds you can rulethe world – be it on a political, religious, or commer-cial level – but another aspect of what makes that

resonating theory so powerful, in this day and age,is that people are so overloaded and therefore over-whelmed by information. When they have the oppor-tunity to engage with something that doesn’trequire their minds, they experience a release theywill remember as a positive experience on a levelthat will be productive and constructive. The samefundamental theory applies to the H.A.T. Awards,Tangled Records, even the new studio I’m opening inthe College Area – it’s one of openness. Here’s aspace where you can achieve your potential. Noone’s going to achieve it for you and your experienceis likely going to be wildly different from other peo-ples. Over time, I believe that such freedom actuallyprogresses people a lot faster than competition or asense of lacking.”

And so go most conversations with WillEdwards. This would seem to be most people’sexperience with him: Will Edwards, the Philosopher.But it’s not all of him. Sure, he’ll debate any numberof topics, ideas, and philosophies you’d care toindulge over a mocha or three, but what he reallywants to do is reach out to this community and drivethe point home that all of his endeavors are not“Will Edwards’ Projects” per se. Tangled Records,the H.A.T Awards, his new studio, the artist websiteinfrastructure he’s continually developing – even thework he does for the San Diego Troubadour – are allavailable to anyone who’d like to take advantage ofthem. “If the artists I interact with want these thingsto magically appear and solve their problems, theyhave a misunderstanding about what the tools wereconceptually designed to do. But if someday anartist were to say, ‘I wish I had access to those toolsto see if they’ll aid my growth and success,’ thenthey have access. All that artist would need to do isshow up – no strings attached. Because it’s in thatcollaboration and exchange that I’m going to findmeaning and that’s all I’m really after. As I’ve alreadymentioned, money and fame are totally subordinateto simply wanting the time I spend on earth to havemeaning. Just sitting around strumming my guitar

and playing open mics for the gazillionth time does-n’t offer me meaning anymore; I bought that mean-ing, I have it in my pocket. Rather than sittingaround doting on it, my continual goal is to investeach experience and grow it to a new level of under-standing.”

In summary, it would appear that Edwards’ mainobjective within this community is to act as a cata-lyst by encouraging the expansion of independentmusic in San Diego. “With Kristin’s successes on thepath we’re walking together, it looks like I’m goingto be rooted here for quite a while. I invest myself inthese efforts because I want to live in a city wherethere’s a large enough artistic community to wallowin.” We both had a good chuckle at that statement.“But I stress the term community; a place whereanyone from the outside could enter and actuallyfeel the support; a place where people genuinelycare about each other. It shouldn’t appear scary oran exclusive club completely unavailable to out-siders. I’d like to live among those people who holdan open sense of community, but right now I believethere’s an accepted sense that all of that is impossi-ble. ‘What good can this product, service, or philos-ophy be if it doesn’t promise something?’ This iswhere I see my role as problem-solver come intoplay, but it’s very hard to motivate and aid peoplewho won’t even approach me to interact with theirthoughts and ideas.”

Because many minds operating on a level ofsuch kinetic cognizance experience a lack of buy-infrom those they’re actually hoping to reach out to,the level that generally precedes being written-offas a raving loon is “hard to engage.” To any talentsipping from the mainstream Kool-Aid fountain, thepractice that Edwards preaches bears no exceptionand likely appears intimidating, a stalemate that isdetrimental to the goal in the achievement he seeks(somewhere out there Joseph Heller is raising aglass in commiseration).

Were you to actually approach Will and attemptto flush out any grandiose ideas you’ve been pon-

W Will Edwards?Will Edwards?


parlor showcase


dering, you’d likely be pleasantly surprised. Onceyou’ve interacted on such an open mental landscapeand maybe for just one moment discovered yourown clarity through his unwaveringly balancedvision, you’ll always walk away from a conversationwith Will Edwards feeling better – refreshed even –but you may not necessarily know why. More thanlikely, this is where Will Edwards would be happiestfor you. You can talk and dream all you’d like, butit’s the experience that will bring the greatest under-standing. He’s got a few tools you may find useful inyour implementation, but even if you do nothing, atleast he got you thinking.

The principle of there being a message that isso clear in the moment but upon reflection becomesmore vague is the key to how Edwards believes hehas grown over the past five years and provides theframework of experience for the songs that make uphis second full-length solo record Contradiction,which is to be released later this month (reviewedon page 17).

“One of the most valuable pieces of advice Ireceived over the last half decade is to always movetoward things rather than away from them. In thisI’ve found that – as far as my personal growth isconcerned – decisions are best evaluated in motionrather than from an impotent position of risk analy-sis. Contradiction is about following your heart andnot thinking that your decisions today are the be-alland end-all. The mainstream world is incredibly dis-tracting in this endeavor, which you have to bewareof while evaluating your strategy in life.”

Having spent a little time spinning a rough refer-ence copy of Contradiction during the research forthis story, I would conclude that his forthcomingrelease underlines each of his core beliefs we tookthe time to discuss. The only question I foundmyself left with was whether the record will act as aperiod to his last five years or an ellipsis to the next.I suppose if I learned anything from my interactionswith Will, only time will tell … depending on what

Will Edwards chooses to make of it. Will Edwards will be releasing his third full-

length album, Contradiction, on Saturday,September 6, in downtown San Diego at Y1, 1150 7thAvenue (between B and C Streets). Phone: (619)294-7461. Doors open at 8pm and the event startsat 8:30pm sharp. Seating is limited. For more infor-mation about Contradiction or the CD release event,go to http://www.willedwards.net

AUTHOR’S NOTE

While some may question the sharpness of purelymusical focus of an artistic nature in this piece, Ifind that (as I’m sure he himself would agree) musicis but one implement of the toolbox Will Edwardscarries around with him. The music is yours to dis-cover at your leisure; far more interesting is the manbehind it and the simpatico endeavors he investshimself in.

Having spent over two months of last year trav-eling in a car with Will – mostly alone, up and downthe West Coast, performing shows together as farnorth as British Columbia, I gained incredibly fromhis insights, learned a new level of frustrationthanks to his calculated skills in debate (which isapparently his father’s fault), and discovered enor-mous appreciation for the face value of an experi-ence,as opposed to the long-term glory any short-term effort may glean. He’d call it “the Moment”; I’dcall him a “vague hippy” for naming it so concisely.

I came to find that such subconscious mentalintimacy with another put me at a huge disadvan-tage when it came to writing this piece, not to men-tion the extreme personal bias from which it couldbe perceived. What I know that cannot be discount-ed however is just how important travel, social inter-action, and altruistic thought is to Will Edwards andthe music that follows him. I felt it far more appro-priate to highlight these assets than beat the lifeout of a song or two he wrote along the way – T.M.

Will Edwards’ birthplace is now known as Harare,Zimbabwe. While 1976 preceded the country’s inde-pendence, the city was called Salisbury at that time,and the country was known as Rhodesia. In 1978 hisparents came to the United States, the first of twotimes, thanks to his aunt who married an American andsponsored the family’s citizenship. With his older broth-er and sister, the family piled into an old Toyota stationwagon and drove around the U.S., from Bandon Beach,Oregon, down to Disneyland, then across the country toWashington D.C.

In 1980 the family moved back to Zimbabwe, fol-lowing the country’s independence, in the hopes thatthe life they’d left would improve. After visiting America,however, it was clear that life in the new Zimbabweoffered fewer opportunities overall. In 1981 the Edwardsfamily moved back to the United States for good.

Will’s father went ahead of the rest of the familyand looked for work in Seattle. Being a tough economicclimate in the early ’80s, however, he didn’t find whathe was looking for in the Northwest.

As his father recalls, they’d left lives behind thatincluded great jobs and a beautiful home, whose mort-gage cost less than 10 percent of their monthly income…and with only three crates shipped by sea fromZimbabwe, the family entered a new life in a rentedapartment in Northern Virginia. After they’d paid theirfirst month’s rent, they had $700, no jobs, and threechildren. With other family members living in Lancaster,Pennsylvania, Edwards remembers living briefly inPrinceton, New Jersey, and Wayne, Pennsylvania, justoutside of Philadelphia.

Having already taken an interest in the instrument,Will’s mother bought him his first electric guitar andamplifier while he was in seventh grade. Having “fid-dled around for the next eight years or so without muchtheory,” Edwards formed his first band, Jesus Clip, dur-ing his freshman year at the University of NewHampshire with his best friend Chris Scarpino. Will alsomet Kristin Volkert during freshman orientation withwhom he was placed in adjacent dormitories on campusduring their first semester. The couple dated for about amonth before separating for over two years. Jesus Clipplayed campus shows and duplicated 25 cassettes of ahomemade recording, one of which made its way intothe hands of Coloradoan indie-pop outfit (and Jesus Clipfavorite), the Samples, during their tour stop in NewHampshire, opening for George Clinton.

In the summer of 1995 Chris Scarpino was killed ina car accident. Although Jesus Clip didn’t continue, theydid organize and perform a remembrance concert, whichmarked the first time Edwards sang and played guitar atthe same time in public.

“Chris was the single individual who introduced meto the idea that I could write my own songs rather thanjust play guitar. He was an influence musically, but hewas the reason I started writing. He wrote some fantas-tic songs and that has always stayed with me.” Edwardsnever followed another musical outlet during college.During the summer of 1995 he worked as agroundskeeper for the Horticulture Department at theUniversity of Florida. Although hot and lonely, he sayshe enjoyed the time to himself.

Back in New Hampshire during the fall semester,Edwards was evicted from the campus dorms along withhis neighbor and fellow Jesus Clip member SteveKnecht. The pair had had what the campus authoritiestermed “an alcohol gathering” for which they confessedand were penalized for in December, two weeks beforethe end of the semester. Edwards slept in his truck fortwo weeks ... in New Hampshire ... in December.

“Although I was guilty of the crime, the infractionwas hardly damaging and my experience with the cam-pus judicial department forever ruined my faith inbureaucracy. I wrote a truly insightful explanation of mycrime and recommended my own punishment, but I washanded my hat and told that cooperating with thebureaucracy wouldn’t ‘win me any brownie points.’ I nolonger invest in organizations. The fact that they don’talways work, to me means that they don’t work.”

During the summer of 1996 Edwards traveledthrough Europe, from Amsterdam to Athens, with hisbrother, his girlfriend at the time, and a gaggle offriends they made along the way. The group attendedPhish concerts in London and Amsterdam and caught aNeil Young performance in Paris.

Having revived their relationship during the spring,Will and Kristen drove across the country during thesummer of 1997; for the first time since he was threeyears old, Edwards traveled west of the Blue Ridge

Mountains. The couple saw it all – Vegas, the PacificOcean, the Golden Gate Bridge, Haight-Ashbury,Hollywood Boulevard, the Carlsbad Caverns, and theRocky Mountains. They saw the HORDE tour with NeilYoung in Denver*, caught a hometown performancefrom a new line-up of the Samples in Boulder**, andfinally enjoyed British Shoegazer stars, James, inVirginia Beach***.

A year later the couple continued their voyage bytraveling to the United Kingdom to attend Will’scousin’s wedding. In addition to the family celebration,the couple also visited York, Oxford, Stratford, London,Bath, and Salisbury. They drove to Scotland with hismom and brother and pilgrimaged to the part ofGlasgow his maternal Grandfather had grown up in.They also visited the castles of Kilmartin andCarnassarie, the latter of which they hoped to be mar-ried in and from whose ruins they apparently now haverocks in their infant son’s special water fountain.****Following their British excursion, Will and Kristin spentsix weeks working on an archeological dig in theancient Mayan territories of Belize, where Edwardscites sleeping under the stars and swimming in thesprings as a fantastically inspiring experience.

Will took one final class in the fall of 1998 beforegraduating UNH with a bachelor’s degree in anthropol-ogy, combined with a minor in religious studies andEastern religious mysticism. He lived in Newmarket,New Hampshire, for almost eight months before presi-dential hopeful Al Gore spoke at his graduation in 1999on the eve of “losing” the election to George Bush.

Will and Kristin’s westbound move to California iswell documented on the title track of his 2003 bandouting, If I Did Anything Right. After landing and spend-ing some time in Santa Barbara during the summer of1999, they continued to Goleta, California, and a 400-square-foot apartment. It was during this time thatKristin discovered Montessori teaching methods.

In 2000 they moved to Crown Point in PacificBeach, where Kristin attended the Montessori Instituteof San Diego. Will sought and gained employment at aweb design firm in 2001 and played his first open micat Twiggs Green Room on the recommendation of acoworker who moonlighted as a dancer. Twiggs’ ownJohn Ciccolella added Will to his Thursday calendar forshows hosted by Jason Turtle and Jane Lui who were, atthat time, performing together as Jason and Jane.

“My first show was a turning point. People likedmy songs and my voice. I’ve spent the last seven yearsmaking sense of that discovery and trying to live mylife in accordance with its promises.”

Will and Kristin were married on July 6, 2002.Kristin dreamed, designed, built, and acts as principalof her own state-of-the-art Montessori School inCarmel Valley, which began accepting students inAugust 2007. In addition to providing an incredibleexample of how two people can work together as ateam to make any dream a large reality, Will and KristinEdwards welcomed their first-born son, Oliver VolkertEdwards, into the world on November 9, 2007.

* Having spent the preceding year in Colorado myself, Ialso happened to attend this show; funny how theworld works.

** I was backstage at that one…

*** That, I’m jealous of.

**** I’ve notified the appropriate authorities.

Will Edwards?Will Edwards?

Before the Moment or for Those in the Dark

Will with baby Oliver

Pho

to: L

iz Abb

ott

Sven-Erik Seaholm will return next month with another installment of theZen of Recording

Sven-Erik Seaholm is an award-winning producer, performer, and recording artist. Visit him online atkaspro.com, svensongs.com and myspace.com/svenseaholm



ramblin’

BluegrassCORNERby Dwight Worden

Sven-Erik Seaholm

SUMMERGRASS The biggest annual weekend for bluegrassmusic in San Diego finally arrives this month:Summergrass! Held Friday afternoonthrough Sunday, August 22-24, in Vista at theAntique Gas and Steam Engine Museum, thisis one fine festival, and this year’s line up ofbands and activities looks to be outstanding.Here’s what to look for.

HEADLINERSDon Rigsby and Midnight CallFriday, 9pm, and Saturday, 8pm

Making their first West Coast appearance isDon Rigsby and Midnight Call. Best knownfor his tenor singing with the Lonesome RiverBand, Rigsby plays mandolin and sings lead,with Patrick McAvinue on fiddle, RobertMaynard on bass, Dale Vanderpool on banjo,and Clyde Marshall on guitar. Together theyform an outstanding blend of vocal har-monies and wonderful instrumentals. Theband has a brand new gospel CD with spe-cial guest Rory Block titled The Voice of God,due out this month on Rebel Records.

The Infamous StringdustersSaturday, 9pm, and Sunday, 3pm

Returning to the Summergrass stage by pop-ular demand the Infamous Stringdusters rep-resent a new generation of bluegrass musi-cians. With Andy Hall on resonator guitar,Travis Book on bass, Chris Pandolfi on banjo,Jesse Cobb on mandolin, Jeremy Garrett onfiddle, and Andy Falco on guitar, the bandpulls together skill and experience wellbeyond their years. The InfamousStringdusters won three IBMA awards,including Album of the Year, Song of theYear, and Emerging Artist of the year, at the2007 IBMA Awards Ceremony at the GrandOle Opry in Nashville. This band’s latest CD,titled The Infamous Stringdusters, wasreleased on June 10 and will be available forpurchase at Summergrass.

Bluegrass Etc.Saturday, 3pm, and Sunday, 2pm

Returning to Summergrass after threesmashing performances here within the pastfive years is Bluegrass Etc. This very populartrio of Superpickers never fails to dazzleSummergrass audiences. Music critics world-wide have praised John Moore on mandolinand guitar, Dennis Caplinger on fiddle andbanjo, and Bill Bryson on bass. “...some ofthe cleanest, smoothest, most exquisite gui-

tar licks in the country” reports BluegrassNow magazine.

In addition to these great headliners youwill enjoy two other top national acts:Sawmill Road, just selected to be a show-case band at the IBMA convention this fall,and Chris Stuart and Backcountry, featuringSan Diego’s own Chris Stuart on guitar andvocals, Janet Beazley (banjo and vocals),Christian Ward (fiddle), Austin Ward (bass),and Eric Uglum on mandolin.

Rounding out the entertainment is astrong representation from local bands,including Lighthouse, the Burnett Family, theVirtual Strangers, Highway 76, Super Strings,and Pacific Ocean Bluegrass. And, a Martinguitar, a Deering banjo, and other greatinstruments will be up for raffle in theSummergrass raffle. For the stage scheduleand other Summergrass details visitwww.summergrass.net.

Summergrass also returns this year withits acclaimed Kids Camp, providing a specialeducational experience for kids six to 16,hosted by Chris Stuart and Backcountry as aprimary instructor. For details or to sign up,visit: www.summergrass.net and click on“Bluegrass Camp For Kids.”

Camping, vendors, free kids activities,and the interesting grounds of the AntiqueGas and Steam Engine Museum make for afun family outing to Summergrass even forthose who are not crazy about bluegrassmusic. Visit the old school house, blacksmithshop, and other period pieces and marvel atthe collection of tractors and steam engineson site.

Hope to see you there!

Note: The San Diego Bluegrass Society hassuspended its third Tuesday of the monthjam sessions at the Fuddruckers in ChulaVista during July, August, and Septemberdue to conflict with the Chula Vista car showand its rock bands. SDBS will restart theevent on the third Tuesday in October. Duringthe suspended months George Noble, Jr. willhost informal karaoke at the Fuddruckers at340 3rd Avenue in Chula Vista on those thirdTuesdays. He says everyone is welcome –bluegrass of course, but also any style ofmusic.

Note: Mike Tatar, Sr. (banjo) and Kit Birkett(guitar) of the Virtual Strangers just finisheda series of performances as part of the“Senior Follies” at the El CajonPerforming Arts Center. They were part of arousing performance of American music forseniors in which Mike and Kit performed“Dueling Banjos,” and Mike performed hisown solo arrangement of America on banjo.Among other highlights, Mike and Kitbrought the average age in attendance downby at least a decade!



ramblin’

by Jim McInnes

I Want My Own TV!

When I was a disc jockey andgot home before 7pm everynight, I used to be able to

watch manly television fare – stuff likedrag racing, baseball games, and sciencedocumentaries. ESPN, PBS, the HistoryChannel, Discovery, and the ScienceChannel were my pals.

But since becoming the evening newsanchor for Talk Radio 760 KFMB 18months ago, my wife has control of ourHDTV well before I get home. I can’teven say the word “science” without get-ting the look!

So hello, “Dancing with the Stars,”“So You Think You Can Dance,”“America’s Next Top Model,” and “ShearGenius.” Welcome, “America’s GotTalent,” “Ellen,” “Project Runway,”“Moment of Truth,” “Biggest Loser,” and“The Bachelor/Bachelorette.” Must see“American Idol,” “The Mole,” “Beautyand the Geek,” and “Amazing Race”!“Reality” shows, every one of them.These shows cost almost nothing to pro-duce and are full of product placementfrom sponsors. The only reality is thatproducers don’t have to pay actualactors.

Absolute rubbish. All of them.But, I must admit, I actually like them

all! Who stole my cojones?I reckon it’s because every day on the

air I have to talk about all the evil, vile,and disgusting things we humans do toourselves, to each other, and to our plan-et. After several hours of telling whokilled whom, it’s nice to lie on my couchand watch the hot little blonde chicks onone of the dancing shows, evaluate thesingers on “American Idol” or howl atthe idiocy of “Beauty and the Geek.”

Radio News

I will be sitting in for Chris Springer ashost of “Latin Grooves,” one of myfavorite shows on KSDS Jazz 88.3, threetimes this month. Join me from 1pm til 3pm every Saturday from August 2through August 16.

Call me! I play requests, amigos!Hasta luego.

Radio

Daze

Jim McInnes

Hosing Downby José Sinatra

AFRICAN VACATION

Chronologically, the third (and, to menow, the most mysterious) of my childhoodplaytime personae was Tarzan. Zorro andDracula weren’t getting boring or anything;I had merely decided to enlarge the family-in-my-head after seeing Tarzan and HisMate on television, and they both told menot only that they wouldn’t mind but alsothat I had excellent taste for a ten-year-old.

The fact that I was blond and skinnyagain didn’t matter. The fact that I couldprecisely imitate Johnny Weissmuller’sMGM-era yell (different and more difficult,mind you, than that generic one in the RKOfilms and thereafter) validated my rights tothe character. And the fact that I could dothat yell better than even Carol Burnett(and she was serious about it back in theearly sixties) made me even more of anear-legendary freak in my neighborhood.

The amused curiosity of the grown-upsnext door and along the block who occa-sionally noticed me climbing in their treesor struggling briefly with some invisibleenemy in their backyard pools began tochange into nascent fear, and soon I wasforced to wear a rubber knife and returnmy others to the kitchen.

That knife, I discovered, made a wickeddrumstick to use on the big plastic “canni-bal drum” that came with the jungle play-set my parents bought me. That knife’shandle seemed to achieve something withthe drum that no hand or stick or bat orbaby’s head could do – acoustically repli-cate the sound made by the drums of themost ingenious, feared, sexy native tribein the Tarzan film series: the Gabonies!That mesmerizing, terrible throb was thebeat in my head and the beat of my pulse– the different drum I marched to in theregimen of my fantasies. Imperceptably, itwould fade over the decades, perhapssmartly leaving at least a germ some-where in a poorer soul.

From the WorldBeat Cultural Center inBalboa Park recently came a sound thatstirred the germ and made my soul smilerichly. A new friend of mine, Maruti, hadmentioned that he was involving himselfin “music and performance” on weekendsand suggested I come and check thingsout. I don’t recall really what I had beenexpecting, but as usual I feared having dif-ficulty understanding the lyrics to anysongs I’d hear . . .

The rhythms of many authentic Africandrums and percussive instruments beingplayed by a near-supernaturally unifiedgroup of artists became louder as Ientered the building and I sighed withadmiration when I saw the artists at work,sweating as their hands and arms flailedaway in unison, in syncopation, in a chorusof wordless lyrics that clearly shouted tome, “Welcome back, Hose. How do youdig it live after so damn long?”

And in front of the players, a group ofladies (and a couple of gentlemen) weredancing two abreast, approaching themusicians, then retreating, then repeating.This was mesmerizing African folk dancing.

I was experiencing one of life’s sweet-est pleasures: a giddy, natural intoxicationas my eyes and ears drank deeply of beau-ty, culture, and dedication that came on

like some sort of unexpected gift to aneedful recipient who didn’t really deserveit. Eventually the dance became faster, thedrumming louder and faster, all those par-ticipating becoming connected, obviously,on some sort of mystical level that I maynever understand and will never, everdeny. The crescendo ends at once, and Ifirst become aware that my hands and mylegs have been moving to the rhythmwhile I’ve been sitting over at a cornertable. A split second of silence is followedby scattered applause and cries of joy anddelight throughout the hall.

A rear door, I notice, is open to the lushflora embracing a canyon. The drums arestill playing in my head, almost as if they’dnever stopped. As I walk toward that opendoor and the inviting jungle it displays, Irealize that my steps are being made tothe beat of those drums that only I hear. Iturn back for one more glance before exit-ing and see the various dancers randomlyapproach the players, bowing to each inturn in a graceful, humble kind of honor.Yep, these ladies know who’s boss.Forgive, me, I didn’t mean that; couldn’thelp myself.

I was jungle-bound.Now, imagine a middle-aged man out

in back of the Center, drums still beatinglife in his veins as he strips at the edge ofthe canyon and with a famous cry, makesa brief running leap toward a low-hangingbranch of a mammoth tree at the canyon’sedge. Missing the branch by inches, heplummets to the dried leaves, rocks, andbushes on the ground, breaking his arm aswell as a foot and ending up on the fiveand eleven o’clock news. Whatever dropsof dignity remain are soothed by the kind-ness of the station’s optical censor.

Didn’t happen. My suggesting that youimagine it was simply ‘cause you wouldhave anyway. No, I made it up the treeeasily, thanks to the drums, thanks to thevisions of the dancers. I have finallybecome a Gabonie with an attitude adjust-ment. And I may stay up in the trees ‘til Isee the inside of the Center again thiscoming weekend. That is why my heartstill soars and that is why I’ve submittedthis to our publisher on pieces of bark thatI peeled myself this morning.

Ungawa. I could really use a knife rightabout now.

Traditional West African Drum and Dancetakes place Saturdays, 1:30-3pm, andSundays, 2-3:30pm, at the WorldBeatCultural Center. For info, call Makeda at619/255-8639.

by Peter Bolland

15 THINGS YOU HAVE TO DO THISSUMMER

Feel like summer passed you by? It’snot too late. There are still plenty ofprime time summer days stretched

out ahead of you. But you’re going to haveto make the first move. Here are 15 thingsguaranteed to jump start your summer.

1. GO BAREFOOT

We all love our many shoes and flip-flops,but once in a while leave them behind andfeel the curve of the earth beneath yourfeet. Cool grass, white sidewalks, wet sand,smooth pebbles, that brown dirt path downto the lake – don’t let your shoes get in theway of these things.

2. DRINK WATER FROM A GARDEN HOSE

Some well-meaning health departmentwonk probably warned you not to, but“health” has many meanings. What aboutsoul-health? We lost a little of our moxiewhen we put down the hose and picked upthe pomegranate flavored vitamin water.Next time you’re thirsty, step outside, grabthat hose, and crank it up. I don’t knowwhy, but it’s liberating. And free.

3. GO SWIMMING IN THE OCEAN, IN A LAKE, INA RIVER, AND IN A SWIMMING POOL. REPEAT.

Let your body slip under the water andremember, if not consciously then at least atthe cellular level, the first nine months oflife when you floated blissfully in embryon-ic fluid. Drift downstream and feel what it’slike to fly. Oceans, lakes, rivers, and poolsall have their different flavors, literally andfiguratively. Make sure you hit them all. Dowhatever it takes. Make it happen. If youonly do one of the things on this list, makethis the one.

4. FALL ASLEEP IN THE SHADE UNDER A TREE

The blue sky light speckles beyond theleaves. Shapes without names. A thousandshades of green. The simple Being of a tree.Rootedness. The way it lives its whole lifein one place, satisfied, purposeful, full ofgrace. If you let go of your incessant think-ing and do this right, you will feel the earthturning beneath you in space as you slipinto unconsciousness.

5. HIKE THE BACKCOUNTRY

Head for the hills and move under yourown power over fields and streams, the waywe moved for hundreds of thousands ofyears before we invented those confoundedbicycles and automobiles. Feel the machina-tions of your routinized life dissolve andreconfigure into more natural shapes. Getreacquainted with your mother earth.

6. MAKE SANDWICHES AND SHOW UP AT A

GOOD FRIEND’S WORKPLACE AND KIDNAP THEM

FOR LUNCH

Chance meetings and surprises are thesweet spots of life. As far as I know, there’sno rule against orchestrating these chancemeetings just a little. Show up at yourfriend’s work with a picnic and whisk themaway on an urban adventure. (Spouses,lovers, and exes are also prime targets). Anegg salad sandwich, potato chips, and acrisp pickle on a bench overlooking the SanDiego River can do wonders for a mid-weekslump.

7. WANDER AROUND ON FOOT DOWNTOWN

WITH NO AGENDA FOR FOUR HOURS

Get out of that glass and steel bubble calledyour car and see the city at eye level atthree miles an hour. Stumble onto book-stores and cafes and Greek restaurants youdidn’t know about. Get a little lost. Lookup. Make friends with architecture. Marvelat what busy humans have accomplished.Feel vicariously proud.

8. RENT A KAYAK AND PADDLE AROUND

Summer is the time when even novices arewelcome, even expected, on the water. Takea sailing lesson, rent a row boat on a lake,or paddle a kayak out through the surf atLa Jolla Shores and explore the sea caves at

the base of the cliffs. The sound of waterlapping on a hull needs to be fresh in yourmind if you know what’s good for you. You’llkick yourself for not doing this sooner.

9. GO TO A LIBRARY AND READ POETRY

Sure, newspapers and websites and maga-zines and novels are all important, of coursethey are, but don’t forget where it all begins.Nothing celebrates the power of languagelike poetry. Language is our best attempt toget a handle on the wild and winsome ener-gies of the universe, and poetry is languagedistilled down to its most potent essentials.Good poets are magicians who wring thecosmos like a rain-soaked bandana andpaint the page with its mercurial drops.Rapt in their shamanic spell we see withnew eyes the transcendent, blessed ordinar-iness of our own lives. Then come thecleansing tears.

10. PICK UP AN INSTRUMENT YOU DON’T KNOW

HOW TO PLAY AND TRY TO MAKE MUSIC WITH IT

Caught in a rut of tedious proficiency?Tired of being so damned good at every-thing? Return to what Zen Buddhism calls“the beginner’s mind.” Make god-awfulmusic on an instrument you know nothingabout. Drop your ego, stop assessing every-thing, and let your childlike fumblingswrest something new from the uncarvedblock, the field of pure potentiality thatpracticed artifice obscures.

11. WRITE A NINE PAGE LETTER TO AN OLD

FRIEND

Don’t think too much about what you’regoing to write. Just start. Around page fouryou’ll start getting to the good stuff. Youknow what I mean. You might not evenhave to send it.

12. VISIT A SACRED PLACE

I know, every place is sacred. But someplaces are more sacred than others. Find anashram, a meditation garden, a labyrinth, amonastery, a church, a temple, a mosque –but go there when it’s empty. Emerson said,“I like the silent church before the servicebegins better than any preaching.” Sit still awhile. Get out of your head. Slip into thespace between thoughts, between words.Let the wooly-eared theologians wrangledoctrine out in the parking lot.

13. WALK IN THE DESERT AT NIGHT

Don’t fall off a cliff or stumble into a bed ofcholla, but there’s nothing quite as cleans-ing as hot desert wind in the dark. Bloodwarm gusts swirl out of the sky like thebreath of God, thick with the smell of stoneand moonlight. Stars hang like sparks in theindigo between the mountains. Wonderfulthings begin happening to your skin andyour muscle tissue and your troubled mind– a deep, profound stillness seeps into youlike a drop of ink in water and your heartbegins to beat in time with the rhythm ofthe earth’s deepest dream.

14. GO TO A FARMERS MARKET AND BUY SOME

SUMMER FRUIT

Buy some ugly little organic white peachesthat flood your mouth with the fragrant fla-vor of river-fed orchards and blue summerskies and dew on the sage and poppies andlavender and bright Monarch wings and themorning star all distilled down into a fuzzylittle ball that fits in the palm of your hand.Miracles come in small packages. Buy somefor your neighbors and leave them on theirporch. Refuse to take credit.

15. GET OUT OF TOWN FOR THREE DAYS

Drive at least two hours (preferably more)in any direction and stay there a while. Hitthe hotel pool. Get some sun. Read thelocal paper with an anthropologist’s eye.Watch the worst local TV news you canfind. Make fun of the weatherman’s hair.Read maps and learn the names of newplaces. Make frothy drinks in the blender.Eat tacos. Watch old movies. It doesn’t takemuch to see that all our problems don’tamount to a hill of beans in this crazyworld. Catch up on your sleep. Feel your

Philosophy, Art, Culture, & Music

S T A G E SPhilosophy, Art, Culture, & Music

S T A G E S

José Sinatra

so-called real life slip back into due propor-tion. Feel the swelling of your self-impor-tance recede. Let summer unwind you andleave you calm and collected, held by sensi-ble boundaries, home at last in right-sizeddreams. We do good work. We do impor-tant things. People are counting on us. Butfor now, let summer take you over. Liveyour life as if it were precious and brief andincomparably sweet. It is.

Peter Bolland is a professor of philosophy andhumanities at Southwestern College and singer-songwriter-guitarist of the Coyote Problem. Youcan complain to him about what you read hereat [email protected]. www.thecoyoteprob-lem.com is the ethereal home of the CoyoteProblem.continued adjacent

Stages, continued

The Hose crashes Maruti (left) and Makeda’s set.



highway’s song



highway’s song

by Paul Hormick

People have tried to mark distinctlines between popular music and thewhite tie and tails of the concert

halls. But American classical music has bor-rowed and intermixed with this country’sfolk, jazz, and popular music for genera-tions. Aaron Copeland relied on fiddle tunesand simple hymns for his Americana pieces,such as Rodeo and Appalachian Spring.Gershwin based his serious compositions,

Rhapsody in Blue, Porgy and Bess, on bluesand jazz. And his popular tunes bear a clas-sical influence and musical sophisticationthat outstrips much of the other Tin PanAlley material of his contemporaries. Youcan also include Leonard Bernstein and theCzech composer Antonin Dvorak, whoincorporated Negro Spirituals into his musicwhile he spent time in this country.

Add to this list Mark O’Connor. Once aNashville country fiddler, O’Connor nowspends much of his time composing and

performing classical concerts. And in someways, O’Connor has the experience to meldclassical and American folk as few othersmay have. O’Connor’s mother played hercollection of classical music records almostconstantly while he was growing up, andhis first instrument, at the age of five, was anylon-stringed guitar on which he tookclassical lessons. He won a classical guitarcompetition – not just for his age group, butfor all categories – when he was just tenyears old. When he started playing violin,his first violin instructor continued a classi-cal regimen.

His beginnings may have been Mozartand Mendelssohn, but his inspiration camefrom the Piedmont, bayou, and backwoods.While watching Johnny Cash’s televisionshow, the young O’Connor fell under thespell of the Cajun dynamo Doug Kershaw.He then begged his mother to buy him afiddle.

Passion and talent then carried him intocountry fiddling at an amazing and preco-cious speed. At the age of 11 he began hisstudy of the violin and attended his firstOld Time Fiddlers Contest. He took to theinstrument so well that the next year, whenhe was just 12 years old, he won the juniordivision of the contest. The 12-year-old alsoreleased his first recording on Rounderrecords, National Junior Fiddling Champion.Thereafter he won the competition so oftenthat he was barred from participating. Healso released two other records before grad-uating high school, Markology and Pickin’ inthe Wind.

O’Connor began composing and per-forming his own classical pieces in 1989. Atthe top of his game in Nashville – the ses-sion fiddler – he left the songs of rain, jail,getting drunk, and lost love behind for afinancially risky venture: performing aseries of solo concerts. On stage it was onlyO’Connor, dressed in a loosely tailored suitand fedora that became something of a

trademark of his at the time, and his violin.This was complete musical liberation forhim. Without a band or any accompani-ment, O’Connor was free to go anywhere hewanted musically.

These off-the-cuff rhapsodies inspiredhim to try composing in a classical fashion.After a period of study in composition, heproduced his first classical pieces, a series ofcaprices. In 2004 he told the San DiegoTroubadour, “I developed my composingstyle over time. Originally, I remember writ-ing my first caprice. I took something archa-ic and put my own sound into the motif.”O’Connor recently dusted off the capricesfor a performance in New York City earlierthis year.

Once O’Connor launched into the clas-sics with the caprices, other compositionssoon followed. He premiered his FiddleConcerto with the Santa Fe Symphony in1993, and he composed his second concertofor the state of Tennessee’s bicentennial cel-ebrations in 1996. Last year O’Connor’s firstsymphony debuted at the Cabrillo Festivalof Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz. Inpraise of the music, the Sacramento Beewrote, “Its impassioned writing is triggeredby the evocative and rich melody ofO’Connor’s excellent fiddle work,Appalachia Waltz.” This summer O’Connorhas been busy working as festival directorfor the Seattle Symphony’s Summerfest.Among the highlights of the event was aperformance of O’Connor’s double concertofor violin and cello and some jazz fiddlingwith his Hot Swing Trio, an ensemble basedon the music of O’Connor’s great mentor,jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli.

Swing, country, the classics – you mightthink that mastering all these styles wouldbe too daunting for one musician, butO’Connor keeps his approach consistent for

all of his music. “One of the things that isgoing to be my trade secret is that I don’treinvent the wheel every time I play,” hesays. “I don’t flip a switch when I play dif-ferent genres or styles. I have a core sound.If I were to play a country track with acountry band in the background, thenrecord a swing, and then record one of myclassical compositions with an orchestra. Ifyou were to take those tracks, strip awaythe backgrounds, you’d hear me play and alot of people would not be able to tell whatgenre I was playing. I’ve created an identity.You can learn to play the violin in a mannerthat lets you do that. There are ways of con-trolling the bow, vibrato, crossing stringsthat can lend themselves well to all styles.”

Back in 1996 O’Connor teamed up withcellist Yo Yo Ma and bassist Edgar Meyer forthe CD Appalachian Waltz. Basing theircompositions on the Anglo-Celtic folk tunesof the Appalachians, the CD was exception-ally listenable. It was also very successful,debuting at number one on the classicalcharts and remaining there for 16 weeks. Asecond CD was released by the trio in 2000.

The trio disbanded, but O’Connor stillhad a plethora of material he had writtenfor a string trio. He changed the format abit. Instead of violin, cello, bass, the lineupis now violin, viola, cello, which is more inkeeping with the traditional personnel of astring trio. Violist Carol Cook and cellistNatalie Haas joined O’Connor for a series ofconcerts, and in 2004 this newer lineupreleased the CD Crossing Bridges.

Mark O’Connor’s Appalachia Waltz Triowill perform on Saturday, August 2, 7:30pm atthe Birth North Park Theatre, 2891 UniversityAve. in North Park. For info, visit www.birch-northparktheatre.com.

Mark O’ Connorviolin virtuoso does the Appalachia waltz

Mark O’Connor

Photo: Erica H

orn



highway’s song

I’d turn and say, “Ready?” Elise would say something like, “I guess

so.” (which means “yeah, man.”)Craig would be shaking his head yes,

smiling smiling smiling, “Yeah, dude, let’s go!”

We all had the same feeling you getright at that moment when a roller coasteris hitching up and over the first (and high-est) slope – somewhere between “oh shit”and a sense of pure might. We’d count tofour and just hang on from there. Asidefrom the smile and the sweat on his head, Iwill also always remember the look on hisface when it came to his turn to “talk” i.e.,“solo time.” I was right there for every note.It was a look of excruciating joy and verydifferent from the face of other musicians.Actually, that look on his face is the verything that’s waking me up too early in themorning every day since his passing. I thinkabout that face. It’s a good face. Craig’s sol-ace was in the music.

WE LAID THE TRACKS. HE WAS THE TRAIN. Craig always cued us by shooting a smileand a wink as he entered solo time. Or, ifwe were standing close enough, he’d crack arather dry remark about something goingon in the room that would floor the rest ofus with laughter. And, bam! He was off, seton “stun.” He had the incredible ability togo far, far away when he closed his eyes andleaned into the groove. I think this was hisfreedom. I think this is where he did muchof his soul work. Obviously, one cannotplay the way he did without spending enor-mous investments of time practicing thecraft. There are plenty of players who cando that. But what made Craig so special wasthat when he picked that guitar up, it was

THE BOTTOM LINE

I could go on forever about my brotherCraig. Craig and I used to joke about howwe never had to worry about using clichésregarding our relationship. We never evertook a moment for granted. We laughedabout being best friends, knowing it inadvance, and therefore never taking amoment together for granted.

Well, here’s what I’ve learned aboutdenying clichés. Even acknowledging howmuch we meant to each other, it still isn’tenough. There are no regrets about feelingsleft unsaid. But even with all of that, it’s justnever enough. I cherish the silly things: theprivate jokes, the secret language gags, themoments reminiscing about the family’smistakes and madness. That’s what bindsyou in the end. The formality of the holidayget-togethers, important as they are,become less of what brings you together. Itbecomes about the stuff that made youlaugh in secret and giggle like only siblingswho grew up together can.

Like all of you, I had fun with Craig,start to finish. I remember him with love.Remember your own siblings in this way.It’s all so fleeting … and it’s all so muchfun. I’m going to throw my list of giggle-stuff in here.

• Toddler Craig always pinching women’slegs when we’d be out and about.

• Playing army men in the dirt in ourbackyard in Rancho Bernardo.

• Riding around our neighborhood therein RB on our golf cart, back in the dayswhere lawsuits weren’t an issue and we’dhave 10 kids hanging off the cart whilemy dad drove us around.

• Putting our most bizarre James Brownand Jim Stafford 45s on 78 speed, takinga big drink of water and seeing whocould hold it in their mouth the longestbefore laughing and spitting the waterout at the fast-speed music.

• Hooking my friend’s dog up to a leash,putting our roller skates on, gettingsomebody on the other end of the streetto call the dog, then flying down thestreet courtesy of pooch power.

• Playing marathon games of Monopolythat lasted up to a week.

• Waking up with Craig before the suncame up on Election Day to “help” myparents run the voting precinct in our

garage.

• “Borrowing” my mom’s Super-8 moviecamera and making what we believed tobe the greatest films ever made, com-plete with special effects (earthquakes,disappearing cast members, and stupid-risky stunts).

• Clothes-pinning a playing card to ourbike spokes so our bikes would soundlike motorcycles.

• Beating up the fourth grade boys whowere picking on my little brother at thebus stop (and getting into huge troublefor it by my mom.)

• After-school soccer games with ourfriends in Leucadia.

• All-night scary movie marathons.

• Subjecting Craig to unending tickling(we called it “tickle torture”).

• BB gun fights (yes, real guns and realBBs).

• Building less-than-structurally soundskateboard ramps.

• Hiding his Bachman Turner Overdriveand Wild Cherry 8-Tracks because Ithought those were the worst bands inthe world.

• Going to Carlsbad Skatepark whereCraig always rode better than I did.

• Playing PONG and Atari until the weehours of the night.

• Resetting Craig’s alarm clock so that itwould go off at 4am, playing theMexican station at full blast.

• Catamaraning on our Logan Earth SkiSkateboards down the biggest hills in LaCosta. Not safe.

• Tricking Craig into agreeing to ride theCollosus at Magic Mountain by tellinghim it wasn’t scary … then telling him itwas the scariest ride ever as we startedgoing up that first big hill.

• Never understanding why Craig wouldchoose to lock himself away in his room,practicing scales and runs on his guitarrather than have a social life.

• Enjoying how Craig could work theRandy Rhodes “Crazy Train” solo intoany (and I do mean any) song we playedin our dorky “old people music sets” inMain Street Magic.

• The never-ending list of girls who werecrazy about him.

• Getting the latest Led Zeppelin or Heartsongbook and asking our mom (anincredible sight-reader of music) to sight-read “Barracuda” or “Misty MountainHop” on piano. Oh, she’d get so mad at

us when she realized we were making her play “rock music” on her fancy piano.

• Trying to figure out how, out of all theMain St. Magic kids, Craig was the onlyone to actually get blacklisted from amotel chain. (I’m pretty sure he took thefall for one of the other guys.)

• The time one of the band members did-n’t close the door to his room/practiceroom and he ended up with a rattlesnakein his bedroom.

• The day Craig didn’t secure his FenderTwin after band practice and it wentthrough the window of my mom’s stationwagon as we went around a turn. Not agood day.

• The constant music trivia challengeswe’d send back and forth via email.

• Watching Looney Tunes as kids, “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” in our 20s, and“SpongeBob SquarePants” in our 40s.

• Brian Staub vs. Craig Yerkes in arm-wrestling challenges. To my recollection, Brian never did actuallybeat his Uncle Craig.

• Receiving the token “basaca-basaca-basaca-balanee” phone call at least once a year.

• Middle of the night phone calls fromNew York when he and Elise were backvisiting the family, asking me to speakhorse Latin over the speakerphone tomake everyone (mainly him) laugh.

• My last gig with my brother: January 6,2008, playing at Sven-Erik Seaholm’sbirthday party with Craig and all of mykids, all on the same stage together.

fun – but it was also a serious personal mat-ter. And what he discussed and shared“emotionally” in the trillion-gazillion notesspewing from the fretboard was way moreimportant than just the notes he played. Toplay notes is one thing. To tell a story withthem is talent. To share the story he toldwas magical. Craig reached us all unani-mously in this way. And he took us all on alittle ride with him every time.

THE NEW DAY.With all this, I/we know that it is our jobnow to somehow become grateful and feelblessed. We’re supposed to move on. . . .and maybe learn a little bit more about our-selves and become more graceful.

Oh, how my heart aches for a friend.But, it’s with a deep exhale, a stiff upper lip(wiping my face) that I stand, salute mybro, and state, “I am grateful that I got toplay music with you, Craig Yerkes and EliseOhki. Joanna and I are beyond blessed tohave such friends as you. You are loved andalways in our hearts.”

In light of all this one of the few beautifulthings has been the overwhelming show ofsupport from the people of San Diego and our friends in the music scene. We want you to know you are loved and appreciated. Thank you.

OUR WORK, HOWEVER, IS NOT DONE.With Craig’s passing, formidable expenseshave been incurred, falling on Craig’s sur-viving wife, Elise. In the interest of helpingour best friends…Elise, Clay Colton (alsoCraig’s bandmate), and myself (The Grams)are planning a benefit show on Friday,September 5 in Craig’s honor. See boxedinfo on this page.

Marcia Claire remembers Craig Yerkes,continued from page 3.

Chuck Schiele remembers Craig Yerkes,continued from page 3.

Happy times: Joanna and Chuck Schiele,Sweet Elise, and Yerkes at the Schiele’swedding in 2005.

Marcia Claire with her brother at Craigand Elise’s wedding in 2004.

REMEMBERING CRAIGA Benefit Concert in Honor of CraigYerkesAll proceeds to cover expensesincurred with Craig’s passing.

September 5, 9:30pmANTHOLOGY, 1337 India Street$15, includes free CD upon entry

This was Craig’s favorite venue,hands down. He flipped over thisvenue, because it was A) classy, and B)sonically wonderful – a joy to play.The show will include performancesfrom members of the Grams, the ClayColton Band, Craig’s sister MarciaClaire, and a variety of area musicianfriends. Also jumping into the showwill be Paul Gilbert (guitarist for Mr.Big) to whom Craig reportedly gave alesson or two back in guitar school.Craig was very proud that his buddyhit the big BIG time. There will be araffle with great prizes. We’ll showspecial footage on the really big widescreen and we’ll show the debut of theGrams’ Love music video (produced byJosh Dragotta). Photographers areinvited to showcase their tremendousphotos of Craig both in a widesreenvisual media show as well as in gallerydisplay fashion (contact us, please).Further, we will also offer a “raritiesand outtakes” CD of Craig live and inthe studio along with a number ofother special keepsakes. This is theonly time these items will be available.

Tickets: www.AnthologySD.comInformation: www.CraigYerkes.com;www.TheGrams.net;www.ClayColton.com

Clay and Stephanie Colton (with theirtwo kids and friend) with Craig and Elise

The Grams at their triumphant CD release of Love Factory at Anthology earlier this year.

Photo: Bengt Nym

an



of note

Will Edwardscontradictionby Mike Alvarez

The music scene is full of acousticsinger-songwriters, so anyone consider-ing a career in the genre needs to bereasonably confident they can deliversomething distinctive. Their lyrics needto be particularly clever and insightful.Their melodies should be pleasing andinnovative. The songs should remaininteresting if performed only by thesinger and an acoustic guitar.

For the most part, Will Edwardsproves himself worthy of the challengeon his latest CD titled Contradiction. Thiscollection of all-original songs has an airof comfortable familiarity as he has suc-cessfully synthesized his influences into avery appealing sound. If you can imagineJim Croce singing songs that might be athome on an early Elton John album,you’d have some idea of what I’m talkingabout. “Angel on My Back” is an Eagles-esque tune in the vein of “Take It Easy”or “Peaceful Easy Feeling.” “Delaware” isa slow country ballad that Willie Nelsonshould cover. “You Want My Buy In”could be a long-lost Simon andGarfunkel gem. But regardless of theirroots, these songs are performed with anindividual voice and style.

The sound is largely acoustic but it isbroadened with subtle synthesizeraccents and textures. Tasteful drummingand hand percussion provide the perfectbackbeat without overpowering thesongs. Conversational snippets andsound effects also serve to keep thingsinteresting. His singing voice is pleasantand unaffected. It fits in perfectly withthe generally laid-back midtempo vibe ofthe music. The lyrics are stories andintrospective musings about everyday lifethat are delivered with a warm andunforced voice.

In addition to writing, producing,and arranging duties, Edwards playsmany of the instruments himself. Hecalled in some of San Diego’s finest tal-ent to add their special ingredients to themix. Notable among these are vocalistSaba and pianist John Ciccolella (formerlyhost of the venerable acoustic musicvenue Twiggs, now Across the Street atMueller College). It all comes togethermarvelously.

The arrangements are smart anduncluttered with each part precisely tai-lored to drive the songs forward. Thesound is crisp and balanced and thesongs are artfully sequenced to create apleasing ebb and flow of moods. Thequietly pensive “Street Lights” closes thealbum, leaving the listener with a yearn-ing yet satisfied feeling. This is athoughtfully conceived and beautifullyexecuted recording. Fans of JacksonBrowne, James Taylor, and Jim Croce willlove it!

MickeyMikesellCows on the Beachby Julia Bemiss

“It’s five o’clock somewhere!” is agood excuse to start the weekend early,unless you’re listening to MickeyMikesell’s zanily titled album Cows on theBeach, in which case the party startedlong before you took your first listen. InMikesell’s musical world, it’s always fiveo’clock.

Unexpectedly, a lonesome moanbetween acoustic and pedal steel guitarsbegins the album as Mikesell makes ahaunting lyric reference to the NewYear’s Day deaths of Townes Van Zandtand Hank Williams – until the banjo kicksin and you realize he’s actually referenc-ing the death of his “damned old dog.”It’s a song about the loved ones aroundus who have died or left as we contem-plate the turning of another “new” yearand confront the aching nostalgia forour younger selves and the memories weaim to keep: “What I aim to do withthese things I miss/is lock them in somevast abyss/in an ivory chest sealed with akiss/I miss my damned old things,” apoignant song you can dance to.

Mikesell doesn’t really “sing” hissongs so much as he says them, whichmight be why a song like “Damned OldThings” sounds a bit like the CharlieDaniels Band’s “Devil Went Down toGeorgia.” You get the idea that Mikeselland his band members (the Uglymen)aren’t intentionally trying to emulateCharlie Daniels; they simply know howto craft old-fashioned southern rocksongs that show off blazing picking skillsand fiddle playing but with a sense ofhumor usually reserved for upstart stand-up comics.

“The Big Hit Blues” is a bluesy tunewith its electric guitar, harmonica, andlyrics that dream the big dream of rockstardom despite the unabashed fantasyand impossibility of it all. Even if a BigHit hits, there’s still Big Hit #2 looming.

The party continues with “Girls’ NightOut,” which isn’t about ladies’ night atthe local bar so much as it’s about thedads left behind to mind the kids, takecare of the house, and the chaos thatensues. The unexpected addition of sax-ophone whips it all into a crazed frenzy.

“The Ode to Imperial Beach” cleverlyturns Descartes’ “I Think, Therefore IAm” on its tipsy, one-too-many-tequila-shots side. Somehow it seamlessly blendsa reggae backbeat, banjo, and a bluesytwanging guitar into an intriguing inter-lude. “The Cigarette Smokes” is themost fun anti-tobacco song you mayever come upon and “Romeo and JulietII” is a modern day, virtual version of ill-fated love, country ballad style with ahint of a Hawaiian luau thrown in.

Though many of the album’s lyricshave a somewhat juvenile tone, they arelovably so. “Oh, Kentucky” and“Louisiana, Louisiann” are the most seri-ous and traditional sounding tracks,appearing toward the end of the album,just in time for the last track “Bluegrass,”at which point the party starts all over again.

Death ValleyPizzaFrom the OriginalMotion PictureSoundtrackby Matthew Powers

Contrary to what you might think,imaginary soundtracks can open the cre-ative gates. Rather than restricting themusician to a particular story, an imagi-nary soundtrack can serve as a catalystfor artistic innovation. By inventing a fic-tional narrative, artists can transgressmusical boundaries they would otherwisebe inhibited to explore as “themselves.”This has been reinforced throughout rockhistory. Arguably the Flaming Lips’ bestalbum is a faux-soundtrack. The hallmarkof U2’s experimental era was OriginalSoundtracks 1. That album’s producer,Brian Eno, got into the act years earlierwith his Music for Films series, a touch-stone of his ambient work. But theirfuturistic, grandiose textures are morecinematic in tone rather than theme.

With Death Valley Pizza’s From theOriginal Motion Picture Soundtrack it feelslike theme is more important. They do agood job with it too. Themes of despera-tion and loneliness blanket Soundtrack,while buttressing the overarching narra-tive of a western. The music is distinct,meanwhile, and the instruments carrytheir own personality. The cry of the vio-lin could be the anxieties of an unfaithfulspouse. The light pedal steel guitar couldbe the unfulfilled dreams of a prospector.

But what about singer Ian Zalewski.What character is he? Maybe he’s a hard-scrabble oilman or a misread, small-townpariah. Beneath his stoic vocals lies aresigned alienation that sounds prettyauthentic. One can only guess, however,because his lyrics are generally incoher-ent. Often vocals can be powerfully usedas nothing more than an instrument. Butin a concept album the narrative is hugeand the lyrics are crucial. The better partof Zalewski’s vocals are suspended deepin his esophagus and come out in a col-orless, muffled rasp.

There are some problems with themusic, too. The straightforward folktunes are a little bland and a couple ofthe most conventional songs like “LastLaugh” approach John Mellencamp-stylegenerica. But even these are alwayssaved by an inspiring guitar or mandolinlick out of nowhere, which not only savethe songs, but they’re also a testamentto the band’s sheer musical skill. Fromthe ringing harmonicas of “Yodi” to theslow-burn psychedelia of “I’m a Nut,”Death Valley Pizza demonstrates thatthey can alternate genres seamlessly.

Predictably the CD’s best momentsare on tunes that sound like they’re frommovies. The big-band weirdness of“I*T*Y*L*Y” has a mythical edge to it andthe ethereal instrumental “If Wishes WereHorses” works well as an interlude.

The best song is “Drama,” whichsounds like a cue straight out of a filmscore. Its sweeping, symphonic melody isdensely elegant, gently drifting like alonely gust of wind over the band’sDesert Valley milieu. None of the albumis as transcendentally emotional as thispiece. But despite the inconsistencies to

CaroleannAmesSo Long Abileneby Julia Bemiss

From the opening drum solo thatkick-starts Carolann Ames’ new album SoLong Abilene, it’s no surprise to learn thatshe won the Grand Prize in 2004’s JohnLennon Songwriting Contest for “WestVirginia,” a song she wrote despite hav-ing never visited the Mountain State.Since then she’s claimed a number ofHonorable Mentions from heavy hitterslike Billboard magazine, AmericanSongwriter magazine, and SongOfThe-Year.com. Her voice and musicianshipare assured, solidly consistent, and polished.

Ames hails from Texas, which finds itsway into a few of her songs, as doesTennessee, Ohio, Carolina, Georgia, andof course, California. These are travelingsongs, road songs about running awayfrom or running toward love or a newlife, and chasing dreams, some of whichare yet to be realized, others that havealready dissolved.

“Broken Down Dream,” for example,is a road song about staying out of theway of love to continue chasing one’sdream, if only in vain. It expressesthoughtful lyrics with a wry humor suchas “Might save myself, might settledown/Might forget you in each newtown.” This track particularly highlightsMelissa Harley’s keen fiddle playing,which rises and lowers in volume in timewith Ames’ voice. Several tracks featurethe fiddle but it never sounds overusedor overpowering because Harley is soattuned to tailoring its sound to eachsong, whether she’s playing over piano,banjo, vocals, or solo.

Bass, fiddle, and organ help to set thefreewheeling tempo of “7th Avenue”and its accompanying imagistic lyrics:“Two towers shadow the StardustHotel/Broadway pawn hotwires Pay-Per-View.” Many of the lyrics are poetic intheir use of imagery to create mood andambience and include references totequila shared from a paper cup, firefliesat dusk, sunsets against lavender skies,darkness falling like rain through a bro-ken sky, and snowflaked cheeks.

Though many of the songs have acountry-pop sheen, there are a fewsongs with sparse instrumentation, suchas the title track, that delicately balanceacoustic guitar, banjo, and a hint ofpiano. The sad and haunting “I Remain”finds Ames dealing with grief over thedeath of her father, for whom the albumis dedicated. Ames is somewhat knownfor her unusual time signature changesand one of them comes at the end of “IRemain.” It’s an unexpected change-upbut after a few listens, it seems appropri-ate because it aurally evokes the pain ofloss as well as hope for the lost lovedone’s renewal and contentment in theafterlife.

Ames and her band, Silverlake, have asound that’s hard to pin down. It’s beendescribed as roots music, Americana,and country, and in the case of the track“Bridgewater Creek,” bluegrass. Theyeven throw in a cover of an Elton Johnsong, “Where to Now St. Peter?” Withthat kind of variety in the mix, there’s nouse in trying to describe it any further.Their considerable talent, skill, and pas-sion let the music speak for itself.

Wayne RikerFretfullby Paul Hormick

Fretfull is the name of Wayne Riker’snew CD and I admit that I was fretfulwhen I put the disk in the player. I’malways suspicious of guitar recordings.Guitarists can fall in love with the tricks oftheir trade, such as pull-offs and ham-mer-ons, blazing us down with a shotgunburst of notes that don’t go anywhere.So I was fully expecting to hear vertigi-nous riffs of God over and over and overand over again in a cavalcade of D major or E minor when I pressed the play button.

My fears were assuaged, however.Riker’s disk is a collection of his composi-tions, all of which are musical, with goodchord changes and some mighty finepicking. Riker recognizes what a lot ofstring players don’t understand but hornplayers and singers know from the physi-cal nature of their instruments – that thehuman voice is one of the bedrocks ofmusic. All of Riker’s compositions havemoments when the music breathes; thereis time for a pause, a thought. This is oneof the best things about the CD.

It’s asking a lot of a listener to staywith you during an entire disk of sologuitar, but the variety of tunes andapproaches on Fretfull keeps things fresh.Riker uses standard guitar tuning as wellas open tunings on some compositions.The use of different guitars for differenttimbres adds to the variety as well. Ienjoyed this disk so much that I hate tovoice a criticism, but there is one thingthat really bothered me. The sound ofthe guitars is muffled, with lots of lowend and very little high end. Once Iturned the bass way down and the trebleway up, it sounded a lot better.

The syncopation of ragtime requiresindependence of the left and right handof the piano player, befuddling all ofthem. This rhythmic play, however, lendsitself to the guitar. It’s almost as if theform was made for the instrument. Riker’s“8 p.m. Rag” is a modern execution ofthis musical form, using chords thatJoplin may not have considered andstraying somewhat from the heavy one-three feel of the bass. Ragtime’s naturallightness, humor, and irony nonethelesscome across well.

On the third cut of the disk,“Emancipation,” Riker incorporates someinfluence of French Impressionism. This isdicey territory, as any effort in this areathat is not well conceived will sound likeso much New Age noodling. But Rikerkeeps the inspiration true to the formsused by Ravel and Debussy, and it makesfor a very pretty tune. Clocking in at2:40, “Devil’s Dance” is one of the disk’sshortest tunes and one of the best. Theraw approach contrasts with the fingerpicking finery of the rest of the CD. Itwakes up the listener, and it’s fun. In“Blues From A2Z.” Ryker has a differenttake on the form, from jazz to downhome Piedmont, every 12 bars. It is obvi-ous that Riker has performed each ofthese styles for years. He handles all ofthem like a pro.

their debut, Death Valley Pizza have to beapplauded for their courage. From old-time hootenanny to space travel instru-mentals, Soundtracks proves to be a thor-oughly interesting, if uneven, affair.continued adjacent

Deth Valley Pizza, continued

friday • 1Adrienne Nims & Spirit Wind, Bahia Resort,988 W. Mission Bay Dr., 6pm.Nitro Express, Trolley Barn Park, Adams Ave. &Florida St., 6pm.Sue Palmer & the Hayriders, PrescottPromenade, El Cajon, 6pm.Robin Henkel, Chateau Orleans, 926 TurquoiseSt., P.B., 6:30pm.Johnny Polanco CD Release, Anthology, 1337India St., 7:30pm.Berkley Hart/Josh Damigo/Trevor Davis/RobDeez, Marquee Theater, 835 25th St., 7:30pm.Dolly Parton, Humphrey’s, 2241 Shelter IslandDr., 8pm.Cotton Fever, Lestat’s, 3343 Adams Ave., 9pm. Chet & the Committee, The Harp, 4935 NewportAve., O.B., 9pm.

saturday • 2Gato Papacitos, Bird Park, 28th & Thorn Sts.,5:30pm.The Blokes, Penny Lane Pub & Grill, 1001 W.San Marcos Blvd., 6pm.Adrienne Nims, Robbie’s, 530 N. Coast Hwy.101, Leucadia, 6:30pm.North by North Park Music Fest, 100 musicacts in 14 venues, 7pm-1:30am. http://sandiego-musicfoundation.org/nxnp/Mark O’Connor’s Appalachia Waltz Trio, BirchNorth Park Theater, 2891 University Ave.,7:30pm.Mike Lopez, San Dieguito United MethodistChurch, 170 Calle Magdalena, Encinitas, 7:30pm.Riders of the Purple Sage, Mission Theater, 231N. Main, Fallbrook, 7:30pm.Missing Persons w/ Dale Bozio, Anthology,1337 India St., 7:30 & 9:30pm.Barbara Nesbitt/Scott Wilson, Claire de Lune,2906 University Ave., 8:30pm.Gato Papacitos/Heidi Hughes, Across theStreet @ Mueller College, 4603 Park Blvd.,8:30pm.Leather & Grace, Bella Roma, 6830 La JollaBlvd., 9pm.

sunday • 3The Corvettes, Scripps Park, La Jolla Cove, 2pm.Adrienne Nims & Spirit Wind, Torrey Hills Ctr.,4639 Carmel Mountain Rd., 4:30pm.Eve Selis Band, Sage Canyon Park, 5290Harvest Run Dr., Carmel Valley, 5pm.Gilbert Castellanos Latin Jazz Quintet, QuailBotanical Gardens, 230 Quail Gardens Dr.,Encinitas, 5pm.Will Faeber Band, Standley Park, 3585Governor Dr., 5pm.Barbara Nesbitt, Rock Valley House Concert,University City, 7pm. [email protected] Blokes, Hensley’s Flying Elephant Pub, 850Tamarack Ave., Carlsbad, 7pm.Pat Benetar & Neil Giraldo, Humphrey’s, 2241Shelter Island Dr., 7:30pm.Carrie Rodriguez, Anthology, 1337 India St.,7:30pm.The Temptations/Four Tops, Valley ViewCasino, Valley Center, 8pm.Applebrown Jazz Ensemble, Lestat’s, 3343Adams Ave., 9pm.

monday • 4Anna Troy, OB People’s Food Store, 4765Voltaire St., 5:30pm.Huey Lewis & the News, Humphrey’s, 2241Shelter Island Dr., 7:30pm.Blue Monday Pro Jam, Humphrey’s BackstageLounge, 2241 Shelter Island Dr., 9:30pm.

tuesday • 5Lyle Lovett, Humphrey’s, 2241 Shelter IslandDr., 7:30pm.Adrienne Nims & Spirit Wind, Calypso Cafe,576 N. Coast Hwy. 101, Leucadia, 7:30pm.Michele Lundeen, Humphrey’s BackstageLounge, 2241 Shelter Island Dr., 9:30pm.Barbara Nesbitt, Hennessey’s, 708 4th Ave.,9:30pm.

wednesday • 6Adrienne Nims & Spirit Wind w/ Jim Lair &Warren Bryant, Lakeside Library, 9839 Vine St.,6pm.Bluegrass Jam, Old Time Music, 2852University Ave., 7pm.Box Scaggs, Humphrey’s, 2241 Shelter IslandDr., 7:30pm.Daby Toure, Anthology, 1337 India St., 7:30pm.The Soul Persuaders, Humphrey’s BackstageLounge, 2241 Shelter Island Dr., 9:30pm.

thursday • 7Gregory Page, Fletcher Cove Park, SolanaBeach, 6pm.Barbara Nesbitt, Indulge, 4550 La Jolla VillageDr., 6pm.Old Time Fiddlers Jam, Old Time Music, 2852University Ave., 7pm.Adrienne Nims & Spirit Wind w/ JimmyPatton, Capri Blu’s Imperial Martini Lounge,10436 Craftsman Way, Rancho Bernardo, 7pm.Bill Watrous w/ Dave Scott & the MesaCollege Big Band, Dizzy’s @ SD Wine &Culinary Ctr., 200 Harbor Dr., 8pm.Eric Brendo, Lestat’s, 3343 Adams Ave., 9pm.Sue Palmer & the Blue Four, Patrick’s II, 428 FSt., 9pm.

friday • 8Sue Palmer & her Motel Swing Orchestra, TrolleyBarn Park, Adams Ave. & Florida St., 6pm.The Corvettes, Prescott Promenade, El Cajon,6pm.Adrienne Nims & Spirit Wind, Bahia Resort,988 W. Mission Bay Dr., 6pm.Anthony Smith & Friends, Dizzy’s @ SD Wine &Culinary Ctr., 200 Harbor Dr., 7:30pm.Bushwalla/Michael Tiernan/Kenny Eng/ABeautiful Noise, Marquee Theater, 835 25th St.,7:30pm.Peter & Gordon/Gerry & the Pacemakers/Gary& the Playboys, Humphrey’s, 2241 ShelterIsland Dr., 7:30pm.Larry Carlton, Anthology, 1337 India St., 7:30 &9:30pm.Casey Frazier, Across the Street @ MuellerCollege, 4603 Park Blvd., 8:30pm.Five Times August/Josh Damigo, Lestat’s, 3343Adams Ave., 9pm.The Blokes, O’Sullivan’s, 640 Grand Ave.,Carlsbad, 9pm.

saturday • 9Peter Sprague Trio, Julian Library, 1850 Hwy.78, 4pm.Adrienne Nims & Spirit Wind, Bahia Resort,988 W. Mission Bay Dr., 6pm.Jim Kweskin, Acoustic Music SD, 4650Mansfield St., 7:30pm.Eve Selis Band, John & Patty’s House Concert,Encinitas, 7:30pm. 760/479-0255Kenny Eng, Across the Street @ MuellerCollege, 4603 Park Blvd., 8:30pm.Lisa Sanders/Sue Palmer Quintet, Lestat’s,3343 Adams Ave., 9pm.Steve Poltz & the Cynics/Sara Petite, Belly Up,143 S. Cedros, Solana Beach, 9pm.Earl Thomas, Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge,2241 Shelter Island Dr., 9:30pm.

sunday • 10Sue Palmer & her Motel Swing Orchestra,CityFest, 5th & Robinson, Hillcrest, 12:30pm.Anna Troy, CityFest, 5th & Robinson, Hillcrest,1:30pm.Peter Sprague Trio, Vista Library, 700Eucalyptus Ave., 1:30pm.S.D. Folk Song Society, Old Time Music, 2852University Ave., 2pm.Frank Marocco & Lou Fanucchi, Bailey Hall,Mt. Miguel Covenant Village, 325 KemptonAve., Spring Valley, 2pm.Robin Henkel Band, Mission Bay Deli, 1548Quivera Way, 2pm.Chet & the Committee, Standley Park, 3585Governor Dr., 5pm.Allison Adams Tucker CD Release, Dizzy’s @SD Wine & Culinary Ctr., 200 Harbor Dr., 6pm.Acoustic Alliance w/ Derek Duplessie/straKelly/JAC/Jasmine Commerce/Adam Roth/Rachel Bellinski/Virginia Plain/Leldon/EJP/Brandon Rice/Lindsay White/RandyChiurazzi/The Flower Thief, Brick by Brick,1130 Benos Ave., 7pm.UB40, Humphrey’s, 2241 Shelter Island Dr., 8pm.Chet & the Committee, Patrick’s II, 428 F St., 8pm.

monday • 11Pete Huttlinger Guitar Workshop, Old TimeMusic, 2852 University Ave., 7pm.The Blokes, Hensley’s Flying Elephant Pub, 850Tamarack Ave., Carlsbad, 7pm.Dayna Stephens Quartet, Dizzy’s @ SD Wine &Culinary Ctr., 200 Harbor Dr., 7:30pm.David Sanborn/Lee Ritenour, Humphrey’s, 2241Shelter Island Dr., 7:30pm.

tuesday • 12Fabulous Thunderbirds, Anthology, 1337 IndiaSt., 7:30pm.

wednesday • 13Michael McDonald, Humphrey’s, 2241 ShelterIsland Dr., 7:30pm.Fabulous Thunderbirds, Anthology, 1337 IndiaSt., 7:30pm.Sue Palmer Quintet, Croce’s, 802 5th Ave., 8pm.Laura Roppé & Rob Carona Dual CD Release/Clay Colton Band, Belly Up, 143 S. Cedros,Solana Beach, 8pm.

thursday • 14Bayou Brothers, Rancho Del Oro Park, MesaDr. & College Blvd., Oceanside, 5:30pm.Robin Henkel, Terra, 3900 block of Vermont St.,Hillcrest, 6pm.Billy Watson, Fletcher Cove Park, SolanaBeach, 6pm.Joe Rathburn/John Foltz, Milano’s, 8685 RioSan Diego Dr., 7pm.Fran Hartshorn & Friends, Dizzy’s @ SD Wine &Culinary Ctr., 200 Harbor Dr., 7:30pm.Gipsy Kings, Valley View Casino, Valley Center,7:30pm.Joe Cocker, Humphrey’s, 2241 Shelter IslandDr., 7:30pm.Amy Kuney/MiGGs, Lestat’s, 3343 Adams Ave.,9pm.The Soul Persuaders, Humphrey’s BackstageLounge, 2241 Shelter Island Dr., 9:30pm.

friday • 15Anna Troy, Indigo Cafe, 1435 6th Ave., 5:30pm.Adrienne Nims & Spirit Wind, Bahia Resort,988 W. Mission Bay Dr., 6pm.Bill Magee Blues Band, Prescott Promenade,El Cajon, 6pm.Robin Henkel, Chateau Orleans, 926 TurquoiseSt., P.B., 6:30pm.

Chet & the Committee, Park Stage, Camplandon the Bay, 2211 Pacific Beach Dr., 7pm.Jacques Loussier Trio, Birch North ParkTheater, 2891 University Ave., 7:30pm.Wrong Trousers/Caleb Jude Green/Astra Kelly/Gayle Skidmore, Marquee Theater, 835 25thSt., 7:30pm.Peter Sprague & Kevyn Lettau CD Release,Dizzy’s @ SD Wine & Culinary Ctr., 200 HarborDr., 8pm.Tower of Power, Humphrey’s, 2241 ShelterIsland Dr., 8pm.EJP/Rob Deez, Across the Street @ MuellerCollege, 4603 Park Blvd., 8:30pm.Courtney Bowden, Lestat’s, 3343 Adams Ave.,9pm.JimBo Trout, Rosie O’Grady’s Irish Pub, 3402Adams Ave., 10pm.

saturday • 16Charlie Imes CD Release, Barefoot Bar & Grill,1404 Vacation Rd., 1pm.Sue Palmer & the Hayriders, Bird Park, 28th &Thorn Sts., 5:30pm.The Blokes, Penny Lane Pub & Grill, 1001 W.San Marcos Blvd., 6pm.Adrienne Nims, Robbie’s, 530 N. Coast Hwy.101, Leucadia, 6:30pm.Shady Side Players, It’s a Grind, 204 N. ElCamino Real, Encinitas, 7pm.High Hills, Templar’s Hall, Old Poway Park,14134 Midland Rd., 7pm.Michael Ward, Anthology, 1337 India St., 7:30 &9:30pm.Berkley Hart, CanyonFolk House Concert,Harbison Canyon, 8pm. [email protected] Selis & Marc Twang, Frogstop HouseConcert, San Marcos, 8pm. 760/295-0222Powerhouse Quintet, Dizzy’s @ SD Wine &Culinary Ctr., 200 Harbor Dr., 8pm.Ivan Cheong/Fabianne, Across the Street @Mueller College, 4603 Park Blvd., 8:30pm.Gregory Page, Lestat’s, 3343 Adams Ave., 9pm.

sunday • 17Shady Side Players, Rebecca’s Coffeehouse,3015 Juniper St., 10am.Benny Hollman’s Big Band Explosion, ScrippsPark, La Jolla Cove, 2pm.Adrienne Nims & Raggle-Taggle, QuailBotanical Gardens, 230 Quail Gardens Dr.,Encinitas, 6:30pm.The Blokes, St. John’s Fiesta Del Flores, 1001Encinitas Blvd., 7pm.Robin Henkel Band w/ Horns, Lestat’s, 3343Adams Ave., 8pm.

monday • 18The Jazz Ensemble CD Release, Dizzy’s @ SDWine & Culinary Ctr., 200 Harbor Dr., 7pm.The Blokes, Hensley’s Flying Elephant Pub, 850Tamarack Ave., Carlsbad, 7pm.Gipsy Kings, Humphrey’s, 2241 Shelter IslandDr., 8pm.

tuesday • 19Edwin McCain, House of Blues, 1055 5th Ave.,7pm.Steve Winwood, Humphrey’s, 2241 ShelterIsland Dr., 7:30pm.Bridget’s Music Garden w/ Bridget Brigitte/Cynthia Hammond/Steven Ybarra/LindseyYung/Candice Graham, Anthology, 1337 IndiaSt., 7:30pm.Ruby & the Red Hots, Humphrey’s BackstageLounge, 2241 Shelter Island Dr., 9:30pm.Barbara Nesbitt, Hennessey’s, 708 4th Ave.,9:30pm.

wednesday • 20Shawn Mullins, Birch Aquarium, 2300Expedition Way, La Jolla, 6pm.Steve Tyrell, Anthology, 1337 India St., 7:30 &9:30pm.Robin Henkel Band, Humphrey’s BackstageLounge, 2241 Shelter Island Dr., 8pm.Sue Palmer & the Blue Four, Patrick’s II, 428 FSt., 9pm.

thursday • 21Michael Tiernan, Fletcher Cove Park, SolanaBeach, 6pm.Joe Rathburn/Shawn Rohlf, Milano’s, 8685 RioSan Diego Dr., 7pm.Old Time Fiddlers Jam, Old Time Music, 2852University Ave., 7pm.Sheryl Crow w/ James Blunt, Valley ViewCasino, Valley Center, 7pm.Adrienne Nims & Spirit Wind w/ Jim Lair,Capri Blu’s Imperial Martini Lounge, 10436Craftsman Way, Rancho Bernardo, 7pm.Steve Tyrell, Anthology, 1337 India St., 7:30 &9:30pm.Buick Wilson Band, Humphrey’s BackstageLounge, 2241 Shelter Island Dr., 8pm.Kirsten Price, Lestat’s, 3343 Adams Ave., 9pm.

friday • 22Summergrass, Antique Gas & Steam EngineMuseum, 2040 N. Santa Fe Ave., Vista, 3pm.Skelpin, Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge, 2241Shelter Island Dr., 6pm.The Coolrays, Prescott Promenade, El Cajon, 6pm.Robin Henkel, Chateau Orleans, 926 TurquoiseSt., P.B., 6:30pm.Sondre Lerche, House of Blues, 1055 5th Ave.,7pm.Fiffin Market/Pullman Standard/AaronBowen/Alex Esther, Marquee Theater, 835 25thSt., 7:30pm.Steve Tyrell, Anthology, 1337 India St., 7:30 &9:30pm.Barbara Nesbitt, Handlery Hotel, 950 HotelCircle N., 8pm.Katy Wong/Bryan Bangerter/Worthy Gubbins,Across the Street @ Mueller College, 4603 ParkBlvd., 8:30pm.



’round about

AUGUST CALENDARevery sunday

Shawn Rohlf & Friends, Farmers Market,DMV parking lot, Hillcrest, 10am.Bluegrass Brunch, Urban Solace, 3823 30thSt., 10:30am.Daniel Jackson, Croce’s, 802 5th Ave., 11am.Celtic Ensemble, Twiggs, 4590 Park Blvd.,4pm.Traditional Irish Session, The Field, 544 5thAve., 7pm.Open Mic, Hot Java Cafe, 11738 Carmel Mtn.Rd., 7:30pm.Jazz Roots w/ Lou Curtiss, 8-10pm, KSDS(88.3 FM).José Sinatra’s OB-oke, Winston’s, 1921Bacon St., 9:30pm.The Bluegrass Special w/ Wayne Rice,10pm-midnight, KSON (97.3 FM).

every mondayOpen Mic, Lestat’s, 3343 Adams Ave., 7:30pm. Pro-Invitational Blues Jam, O’Connell’s Pub,1310 Morena Blvd., 8pm.

every tuesdayTraditional Irish Session, The Ould Sod, 3373Adams Ave., 7pm.Open Mic, Cosmos Coffee Cafe, 8278 LaMesa Blvd., La Mesa, 7pm.All Pro Blues Jam, The Harp, 4935 NewportAve., 7pm.Jack Tempchin & Friends, Calypso Cafe, 576N. Coast Hwy. 101, Encinitas, 7:30pm.Open Mic, E Street Cafe, 125 W. E St.,Encinitas, 7:30pm.Open Mic, Channel Twelve25, 172 E. Main St.,7:30pm.Patrick Berrogain’s Hot Club Combo, PradoRestaurant, Balboa Park, 8pm.Shep Meyers, Croce’s, 802 5th Ave., 8pm.Open Mic, Portugalia, 4839 Newport Ave.,O.B., 9pm.

every wednesdayMusic at Ocean Beach Farmer’s Market,Newport Ave., 4-7pm.Christopher Dale & Friends, Handlery Hotel,950 Hotel Circle N., 5pm.Adrienne Nims & Raggle-Taggle,

Hennessey’s, 4650 Mission Blvd., 7:30pm.Folk Arts Rare Records Singers’ Circle,Kadan, 4696 30th St., 6pm.Tomcat Courtney, Turquoise Cafe Bar Europa,873 Turquoise St., 7pm.Open Mic, Thornton’s Irish Pub, 1221Broadway, El Cajon, 7pm.Open Mic, Across the Street @ MuellerCollege, 4605 Park Blvd., 8pm.Open Mic, Joe & Andy’s, 8344 La M esa Blvd.,8pm.Open Mic, Dublin Square, 544 4th Ave., 9pm.

every thursdayOpen Blues Jam, Downtown Cafe, 182 E.Main, El Cajon, 6pm.Joe Rathburn’s Folkey Monkey, MilanoCoffee Co., 8685 Rio San Diego Dr., 7pm. Open Mic, Turquoise Coffee, 841 TurquoiseSt., P.B., 7pm.Moonlight Serenade Orchestra, Lucky StarRestaurant, 3893 54th St., 7pm.Traditional Irish Session, Thornton’s IrishPub, 1221 Broadway, El Cajon, 8pm.Open Mic/Family Jam, Rebecca’s, 3015Juniper St., 8pm.Open Mic, Skybox Bar & Grill, 4809Clairemont Dr., 9pm.Jazz Jam, South Park Bar & Grill, 1946 FernSt., 9:30pm.

every fridayCalifornia Rangers, McCabe’s, Oceanside,4:30-9pm.West of Memphis, House of Blues, 1055 5thAve., 6pm.Daniele Spadavecchia, Zia’s Bistro, 1845India St., 7pm.Tomcat Courtney/Jazzilla, Turquoise Cafe BarEuropa, 873 Turquoise St., 7pm.Jazz Night, Rebecca’s, 3015 Juniper St., 7pm.Open Mic, Egyptian Tea Room & SmokingParlour, 4644 College Ave., 9pm.

every saturdayOpen Mic, Surfdog’s Java Hut, 1126 S. CoastHwy. 101, Encinitas, 4pm.Daniele Spadavecchia, Zia’s Bistro, 1845India St., 7pm.

W E E K L Y

Brett Bixby/Larson Sisters, Lestat’s, 3343Adams Ave., 9pm.

saturday • 23Summergrass, Antique Gas & Steam EngineMuseum, 2040 N. Santa Fe Ave., Vista, 10am.Sue Palmer Trio, OB People’s Food Store, 4765Voltaire St., 11am.North County Cowboys, Barrett Junction Cafe,1020 Barrett Lake Rd., Dulzura, noon.Adrienne Nims & Spirit Wind, Coronado FerryLanding, Coronado, 2pm.Patty Zlaket, Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge,2241 Shelter Island Dr., 6pm.Adrienne Nims & Spirit Wind, Bahia Resort,988 W. Mission Bay Dr., 6pm.Steve Tyrell, Anthology, 1337 India St., 7:30 &9:30pm.Evening of James Taylor Music w/ BerkleyHart & Friends, Seaside Church, 1613 LakeAve., Encinitas, 8pm.Gilbert Castellanos New Latin Jazz Quartet,Dizzy’s @ SD Wine & Culinary Ctr., 200 HarborDr., 8pm.AHIMSA, WorldBeat Cultural Center, 2100 ParkBlvd., 8pm.Chuck Richards, Across the Street @ MuellerCollege, 4603 Park Blvd., 8:30pm.Turtle Project CD Release/Saba, Lestat’s, 3343Adams Ave., 9pm.Dennis Jones, Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge,2241 Shelter Island Dr., 9:30pm.

sunday • 24Summergrass, Antique Gas & Steam EngineMuseum, 2040 N. Santa Fe Ave., Vista, 9am.Yavaz, Scripps Park, La Jolla Cove, 2pm.The Blokes, Hensley’s Flying Elephant Pub, 850Tamarack Ave., Carlsbad, 7pm.Steve Forbert, Anthology, 1337 India St., 7:30pm.Rob Drabkin, Lestat’s, 3343 Adams Ave., 9pm.

monday • 25Hootie & the Blowfish, Humphrey’s, 2241Shelter Island Dr., 7:30pm.Matthew Sweet, Belly Up, 143 S. Cedros,Solana Beach, 8pm.

tuesday • 26Lucinda Williams, Humphrey’s, 2241 ShelterIsland Dr., 7:30pm.John Cruz, Anthology, 1337 India St., 7:30pm.Citizen Band, Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge,2241 Shelter Island Dr., 9:30pm.

wednesday • 27Toad the Wet Sprocket, House of Blues, 10555th Ave., 6:30pm.Joe Purdy/Melko/Jay Nash/Chris Seefried,Anthology, 1337 India St., 7:30pm.Desert Rose Band/The Slidewinders, Belly Up,143 S. Cedros, Solana Beach, 8pm.Robin Henkel, Nathan James, Anna Troy &Friends, Lestat’s, 3343 Adams Ave., 9pm.

thursday • 28Robin Henkel, Terra, 3900 block of Vermont St.,Hillcrest, 6pm.Shawn Rohlf, Fletcher Cove Park, SolanaBeach, 6pm.Joe Rathburn/Alan James, Milano’s, 8685 RioSan Diego Dr., 7pm.Sight & Sound, Kava Lounge, 2812 KettnerBlvd., 7:30pm.Laurie Morvan, Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge,2241 Shelter Island Dr., 8pm.Patty Griffin/Langhorne Slim, Belly Up, 143 S.Cedros, Solana Beach, 9pm.Boomsnake/Brian Warren/The Paddle Boat,Lestat’s, 3343 Adams Ave., 9pm.

friday • 29Anna Troy, Indigo Cafe, 1435 6th Ave., 5:30pm.Adrienne Nims & Spirit Wind, Bahia Resort,988 W. Mission Bay Dr., 6pm.The Variations, Prescott Promenade, El Cajon,6pm.Jackie Greene, Anthology, 1337 India St.,7:30pm.Heidi Hughes, Across the Street @ MuellerCollege, 4603 Park Blvd., 8:30pm.Alex Depue/Miguel De Hoyas, Lestat’s, 3343Adams Ave., 9pm.The Blokes, O’Sullivan’s, 640 Grand Ave.,Carlsbad, 9pm.

saturday • 30Adrienne Nims & Raggle-Taggle, CoronadoFerry Landing, Coronado, 2pm.Antonio Pontarelli, Museum of Making Music,5790 Armada Dr., Carlsbad, 5pm.Sara Petite, Wynola Pizza Express, 4355 Hwy.78, Julian, 6pm.Adrienne Nims & Spirit Wind, Bahia Resort,988 W. Mission Bay Dr., 6pm.Labor Day Blues Fest, Humphrey’s BackstageLounge, 2241 Shelter Island Dr., 6pm.Skelpin/Delancey/Rob Deez, Cosmos Cafe,8278 La Mesa Blvd., 7pm.Caji & Salome, San Dieguito United MethodistChurch, 170 Calle Magdalena, Encinitas, 7:30pm.Dave Mason, Anthology, 1337 India St., 7:30 &9:30pm.Davida, Across the Street @ Mueller College,4603 Park Blvd., 8:30pm.

sunday • 31Labor Day Jazz Celebration, Humphrey’sBackstage Lounge, 2241 Shelter Island Dr.,9:30pm.The Satoko Fujii Quartet , Dizzy’s @ SD Wine &Culinary Ctr., 200 Harbor Dr., 7pm.Tim Mudd B-Day Show, Lestat’s, 3343 AdamsAve., 9pm.

OB STREET FAIR &

CHILI COOK-OFF

The Museum of Making Musicpresents

Electric Violinist ANTONIO PONTARELLI Saturday, August 30, 5pm

Tickets: $15 general admission; $12 members; $7 students

www.museumofmakingmusic.org

Podunk Nowhere

Dave Humphries @ Humphrey’s

Abigail Washburn @ Belly Up

Phil Bensimon of the Tornado Magnets

19


the local seen

Chelsea Flor

Liz Abbott & Kent Johnson Dave Sawyer

Alex Depue & Miguel De La Hoya @ Lestat’s

Chad & Jeremy @ Acoustic Music San Diego

OB STREET FAIR &

CHILI COOK-OFF

Bela Fleck w/ Abigail Washburn @ Belly Up

Cheap Trick @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre

www.sandiegotroubadour.com

Chris Leyva

Jefferson Jay

Journey @ Cricket Wireless

Sax Player

Jason Ott

Tornado Magnet’s Miff Laracy Billy Brazier R.I.P.all photos by Steve Covault

AROUND TOWN

what's inside - San Diego Troubadour

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