SAN DIEGO ROUBADOURfull circle April 2004 • San Diego Troubadour 4 by Bart Mendoza “I’ve had...

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

ROUBADOURSAN DIEGO

April 2004 Vol. 3, No. 7

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Welcome Mat………3Mission StatementContributorsMessage from AABALetter from the Editor

Full Circle. …………4Tomcat CourtneyLou Curtiss

Front Porch... ………6Fred Gerlach

Center Stage..………7Adams Ave. Roots Festival

Performing Artists... 8Musician ProfilesPerformance TimesStagesMap Information

Highway’s Song... …14Chuck BrodskyWild Jammin’ Women

Of Note.……………15Hot Club of San DiegoMexican Roots TrioJimmie SkinnerRoy Ruiz ClaytonThe Shelleys

Ramblin’...…………16Bluegrass CornerZen of RecordingJosé SinatraRadio Daze

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

The Local Seen……19Photo Page

what’sinside

OFFICIAL ROOTS FESTIVAL PROGRAM

MEXICAN ROOTS TRIO

CLYDE DAVENPORT

BALKAN CAFE ORCHESTRA

PAUL GEREMIA

LES CAMPAGNARDS

LOU & PETER BERRYMAN

KENNY HALL

HAWKS AND EAGLES

GGG

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e

e★

★★★

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May 1 v2, 2004Saturday & Sunday

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Yourself Presents is broadcast Fridays at 8pm,Cox Channel 23 (Channel 18 in North County) and Thursdays at 10pm,Time Warner Channel 19.

WANNA BE ON T.V.?Local artists with original songs that are ready

to perform should contact Howard at:

YOURSELF PRESENTS619/284-3605

[email protected]

SSS

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welcome matwelcome mat

San Diego Troubadour • April 2004

SAN DIEGO TROUBADOUR, thelocal source for alternative country, Americana, roots, folk,gospel, and bluegrass musicnews, is published monthly and isfree of charge. Letters to the editormust be signed and may be editedfor content. It is not, however,guaranteed that they will appear.

All opinions expressed in SANDIEGO TROUBADOUR, unless otherwise stated, are solely theopinion of the writer and do notrepresent the opinions of the staffor management. All rightsreserved.

©2004 San Diego Troubadour.

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OUR MISSIONTo promote, encourage, and provide an alternative voice forthe great local music that is generally overlooked by the massmedia; namely the genres of folk,country, roots, Americana, gospel,and bluegrass. To entertain, educate, and bring together players, writers, and lovers ofthese forms; to explore their foundations; and to expand theaudience for these types of music.

To receive advertising rates andinformation, call 619/298-8488 ore-mail [email protected].

San Diego TroubadourP.O. Box 164La Jolla, CA 92038E-mail: [email protected]

WRITE TO US!We’d love to hear from you!Send your comments, feedback, and suggestions by email to: [email protected] or by snail mail to: San DiegoTroubadour, P.O. Box 164, LaJolla, CA 92038-0164.

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

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the AdamsAvenue Business Association, I want to welcomeyou to the 33rd annual Adams Avenue RootsFestival. While you’re here, we invite you to visit

the antique stores, bookshops, coffee shops, restaurants, and many other businesses locatedalong Adams Avenue.

The “Avenue” features a wide array of distinguished services and goods. We provide a sensi-ble, neighborly alternative to shopping at the malls and big box stores. We hope you’ll come backoften to sample our one-of-a-kind bistros, courteous car services, rare books, delectable pastries,distinctive fabrics, and trendy taverns.

We also want to highlight a few of our successes on Adams Avenue. With the help of our CityCouncilmember Toni Atkins, the San Diego City Council, the guidance of our Board of Directors, andthe cooperation of business and property owners, the AABA has completed several key publicimprovement projects on the Avenue. Some of these include:• Storefront Improvement Projects: Living Art building (Ohio and Adams), Ogden building

(Oregon and Adams), Timeless Collectibles (Hamilton and Adams), Adams Plaza (betweenMansfield St. and Hawley Blvd.).

• Sidewalk Repairs: These were completed along the south side of the 3200 block of AdamsAvenue. The AABA also received a $705,000 Community Development Block Grant throughCouncilmember Atkins to complete sidewalk repairs west of 33rd St. along Adams Ave. Thiswork should begin in the spring.

• Maintenance Assessment District: The AABA won the vote of area property owners to assessthemselves a small yearly fee to pay for the maintenance of trees and lights in underservedareas of Adams Ave. The AABA will install shade trees and antique lights in the near futurefrom 33rd St. to Texas St. along Adams Ave. and on 30th St. from Adams Ave. to El CajonBlvd. The AABA has saved funds for several years to buy the trees and lights and pay for theirinstallation.

BRANDING ADAMS AVENUEThe AABA also markets Adams Avenue to our neighborhood, greater San Diego, and the region

with special events and projects designed to gain and retain customers by “branding” AdamsAvenue. These events include the Adams Avenue Roots Festival, Taste of Adams Avenue, SanDiego-Adams Avenue Antique Street Faire, Holiday on the Avenue, and the Adams Avenue StreetFair. We also publish the Community Business Directory and the Adams Avenue Antiques Directory.

The Adams Avenue Business Association wants to recognize the following individuals whopassed away recently, but played an important part in advancing the mission of the AABA.• Ellen Duplessie, co-founder of the San Diego Troubadour, which doubles as the event program

for the Roots Festival and the Adams Avenue Street Fair. Ellen also served on the Street FairMusic Committee for the last two years, helping to select the music acts that made the StreetFair a destination for music lovers.

• Brian Rangeley, poet, writer, and editor of On the Avenue, our special events program prior to the San Diego Troubadour. Though wheelchair bound, his energy was boundless and professional.

• Charles “Chuck” Rucker, artist and business owner of Charles Rucker Gallery on AdamsAvenue as well as an innovative artist and mentor.

Marco AnguianoExecutive DirectorAdams Avenue Business Association

WelcomeCONTRIBUTORSFOUNDERSLyle Duplessie (Publisher Emeritus)Ellen DuplessieLiz AbbottKent Johnson

PUBLISHERSKent JohnsonLiz Abbott

EDITORIAL/GRAPHICSLiz Abbott

ADVERTISING/DISTRIBUTIONKent Johnson

PHOTOGRAPHYMillie Moreno

WRITERSAnnie BethancourtLou CurtissPhil HarmonicPaul HormickFrederick LeonardJim McInnesBart MendozaSven-Erik SeaholmJosé SinatraD. Dwight WordenJohn Philip Wyllie

ROOTS FESTIVALMUSIC CURATORLou Curtiss

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORMarco Anguiano

VENDOR COORDINATORJudy Moore

TALENT BUYERKent Johnson

ILLUSTRATIONRoy Ruiz Clayton

GRAPHICSLiz Abbott

NORMAL HEIGHTS KIDSRobert Bodle

he idea of creating a newspaper dedicated to the local music scene originated inthe mind of one person.That person was Ellen Duplessie. Once she completed theinitial groundwork, her husband, Lyle and the two of us collaborated to make her

dream a reality. Although it took the combined efforts of the four of us to get the firstissue out, it was Ellen’s boundless energy in making connections in the community and herdevotion to music and her musical family that made it happen. On February 24, the SanDiego Troubadour lost Ellen to cancer. She had been living with the disease for many years,yet she was always up-beat, positive, and fearless.Words cannot express how much we willmiss her. Her spirit will always remain at the core of this publication.

We wish to thank all of you who showed your love and support by writing letters, makingdonations to breast cancer research in Ellen’s name, and by coming to her memorial.Thehundreds of people who paid their respect that day is further testimony to how this inddomitable spirit touched and enriched the lives of so many.

Thanks also to City Beat and Taylor Guitar’s Wood & Steel publication for the articles theyran.The San Diego Troubadour is planning a tribute issue to Ellen Duplessie in the nearfuture.

Liz Abbott and Kent JohnsonPublishers, San Diego Troubadour

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The San Diego Troubadouris dedicated to the memoryof Ellen Duplessie whosevision inspired the creation of this newspaper.

ADAMS AVE. BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PresidentMike Magers, Smitty’s Service

Vice PresidentRuss Vuich, Western Commercial

R.E. Brokers

SecretaryDave McPheeters, Zac’s Attic

TreasurerMarlene Goldstein, Pet Me, Please!

Lou Curtiss, Folk Arts Rare Records

Phil Linssen, Kensington Veterinary

Doug Generoli, Pi Financial

Sundi Sage, Timeless Collectibles

Meredith Morgenroth, Road Rebel Entertainment

Dick Van Ransom Magana, Mariposa Ice Cream

Michael Rammelsberg, Rosie O’Grady’s

Raymond Cintron, Hummingbird Confections

Robert Rael, Mojo Designs

Karen Cobb, Spill the Beans

Marco Anguiano, Executive Director

San Diego Troubadour

M E S S A G E F R O M T H E A D A M S A V E N U E B U S I N E S S A S S O C I A T I O NP R O D U C E R S O F T H E A D A M S A V E N U E R O O T S F E S T I V A L

full circle

April 2004 • San Diego Troubadour

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full circle

by Bart Mendoza

“I’ve had my ups and downs andarounds,” says revered San Diego blues-man Tomcat Courtney. He pauses for achuckle before adding, “mostly downs.”Speaking with Courtney from his SpringValley home, one is struck by the musicalhistory this man has experienced as wellas a razor sharp wit, likely honed bydecades of stage banter. Long consid-ered the patriarch of the local bluesscene, Courtney has indeed lived a lifeworthy of a movie, with enough rollercoaster turns to make it a series.

Courtney was born in Waco, Texas onJanuary 23, 1929, still during the days ofplantations and hard living, but the youngCourtney found a joy in music.Interestingly, although he’s known for hisguitar work, it wasn’t his first or evensecond instrument. “When I was a kid, Istarted out with the harmonica, and Iplayed the coronet a little bit,” he says.“My dad used to play piano, so I playedthe piano a bit. We had an old beat uppiano in the house that my grandfatherbought for my aunt when they were kids.They must have kept that thing for years.My daddy used to play out but he playedpiano on what they already had in the lit-tle joints.” He humorously confides witha laugh, “To tell you the truth, I never didlike the piano.’’

Tragedy soon set Courtney on a pathtoward entertainment although, onceagain, not where one might expect.“What happened is that when I was akid, my parents died,” he explains. “Andso I joined the circus. It was in the ‘40sand I was tap dancing. You see, that’swhen they had minstrel shows. AfterWWII started on December 7, by ‘43 and‘44 they were drafting everyone into thearmy, so they had called the bestdancers into the service.” This gave theyoung Courtney an opportunity to joinwhat would just a little later become theRingling Brothers and Barnum & BaileyCircus. “They found out I could tapdance, so that’s how I got on that. Idanced with them from 1945 until the warended.”

It was during this time he began toplay the six string. “I was fooling aroundwith a guitar during that time, well a littlebefore then, but I never had nothing real-ly good to learn on. It was really junkwith just a string or two. I pulled awayfrom it when I joined the circus, becausethey just wanted me to dance. Well, Istarted singing too. And that got me backinto the guitar.”

“I kept messing around with the gui-tar, and I got good enough to play out alittle. I was working all the time and play-ing little places. You know, at that timepeople were still picking cotton. So wewould go out to these little towns andplay on Friday and Saturday nights. I was17 or 18 years old and I got married. Sothat’s going to slow you down,” he stateswith a hearty laugh. “I didn’t know that atthe time. But I got with a kid who was a

very good piano player out of Lubbock,Texas, and that’s what started me towardreally playing.”

Asked for an early influence on hisguitar technique, Courtney quickly men-tions Lightnin’ Hopkins.

“Oh yes, it was inspired very muchlike Lightnin’ Hopkins,” he remarks. “Iliked his music because of the sound ofit. See, when I was a kid Lightnin’Hopkins would come and play those littlefarm towns. What inspired me aboutLightnin’ Hopkins a lot was that heplayed by himself. Most everybody had abox they’d pat their feet on. Well, he car-ried a rhythm that people could dance to— by himself. I liked the way he could dothat. Most people played good, but theydidn’t have that Lightnin’ bass line, thatopen string. He did that more at thesetypes of places. It kept the audiencedancing.”

He notes that he didn’t tour much atthe time. “I was working, and I had acouple of kids,” he states. “I went on theroad trying those little tour things. Thenthere wasn’t a lot of money,” he says,perhaps a bit glum at the memory. “Imoved out and after I left there, I wasmoving around, first to Denver and thento Albuquerque.”

An opportunity soon arose thatCourtney couldn’t turn down. “Bobby‘Blue’ Bland came through, and I talkedto someone in his band there. I had metBobby Bland in Texas, and this guy tellsme Bobby Bland is going to need a guitarplayer. His guitar player’s sick and we’regoing to L.A. to play at the Five FourClub.” It was a chance Courtney wasn’tabout to pass up. “Bobby Bland wasmuch bigger than I was,” he says. “Theywere able to live off what they weredoing. So I said yeah. He said thereprobably aren’t any tours for you, but Ican get you there.”

The show at which Courtney filled inturned out to be a major event. The lastnight of the Five Four Club, all the era’sstars turned out to hit the stage one lasttime. “That sucker turned out so big, theycouldn’t sell any more tickets. They hadJimmy McCracklin, Bobby Bland, T-BoneWalker, Jimmy Reed, and more. It was ashow!”

Courtney appreciated the Californiaclimate almost more than the music thatnight. “I said, ‘I ain’t going back toArizona.’ I even left a few clothes there,”he jokes. “I got to talking to a guy, andwe started playing after the show. Atthat time, music was good there. Theyhad so many little clubs. For a while, Iwas playing three and four nights aweek. That was around 1967 or 1968.”

It wasn’t long before Courtney foundSan Diego. “I came here with a band,Saxophone Slim, and we played at theTwilight Zone on Imperial. I got here in1971, and I liked the weather better,” herecalls. “After I was here awhile, I foundout the music scene was a little tough,and I thought I might have to leave here.But I just love the weather in San Diego.The smog and stuff wasn’t as bad as it is

in L.A., and when you’ve been in allthose cold places that I have…”

“I started playing in Ocean Beacharound ‘72,” he continues. That’s actuallyquite an understatement. He would go onto set what is likely the all-time localrecord after playing at the TexasTeahouse for 22 years. Taking an offnight, he quickly built it into a packedhouse event. “I started playing there onSundays, and the place filled up. I justkept playing. I wasn’t looking for any-where else. I had some other little gigshere and around, but I wasn’t going todrop that. Then I started getting a bunchof little parties and all kinds of gigs, butthat particular place, they were just lin-ing up to come in there. I’m making goodtips and a little bit off the bar and thenhere comes everybody wanting to playwith me.” He’s clearly amused by thememories.

To help ends meet, he took a job as acook with Handlery Hotels in MissionValley, a move that necessitated movinghis show from Sundays to Thursdays, butthe crowds stayed constant throughouthis run at the club.

While already building an audience intown, it was a meeting with musicarchivist Lou Curtiss that brought hissound to the area’s larger stages. “Iwalked into Folk Arts one day, and I hadmy guitar. I met Lou and I told him I wasa blues singer. He said, ‘Well, I’d like tohear you. We’re doing some blues showsat the college, at a place called theBackdoor.’ So I played him a couple ofsongs, and he said, ‘you’re on.’” It’s clearfrom the conversation the respectCourtney has for Curtiss. “Lou started upthe Roots Festival and all that stuff,” henotes. “Actually, Lou scraped to startthat out; he worked hard to get thatgoing, and he helped me a lot, and Ihelped him a lot.” It was at one of thesefestivals that one of Courtney’s fewreleased recordings, a compilation l.p.,San Diego Blues Jam, was taped.Originally released by Los AngelesAdvent Records in the early ‘70s, therecord is currently available on CD onlyfrom HighTone Records. On a tour ofEurope in the ‘90s, Courtney was sur-

prised to find that the fans there werewell acquainted with the album.

The past decade has kept Courtneybusier than ever, with millions of musicfans getting an opportunity to hear theblues giant, though not in the way youmight expect. Recently Courtney, along-side guitarist Buddy Blue, taped musicfor a Mercedes commercial. Blue hadmet Courtney in 1979 and spent timebacking him. “They were looking for ablues voice, and so Buddy Blue and I cuta track, with him on guitar.”

While Courtney is proud of theaccomplishment, he’s much more excit-ed about his own musical projects. “I’vegot two CD’s out, recorded in 1992 and1999 (Twelve O’Clock at Midnight andLive at the Texas Teahouse), and I’ve gota new one just about to come out,” hesays. While he’s not 100 percent sure ofthe album’s title, he has an idea he’sleaning toward. “Like all my albums, thisis all original music,” he states. “And Ihave a song on the album named“Sundown in San Diego” that I think fitsthe bill.”

As Tomcat Courtney approaches theage of 75, he remains as busy as ever.“Well, as busy as I want to be at my

age,” he jokes. “Right now I play atChateau Orleans every Thursday night,and I play at the Radisson Inn in La Jollaon Fridays. And I play at O’Connells andother places a couple times a month aswell,” all of which gives his fans an easyopportunity to take in a performancefrom one of San Diego’s most underratedand most talented performers. Whetheryou take in a set of solo acoustic bluesor one with his group, the Bluesbusters,you’ll never have less than a rollickinggood time. Long since given the title ofunofficial godfather of the local bluesscene, it’s clear that Courtney is a localtreasure who deserves a much largerspotlight.

Tomcat Courtney will perform at thisyear’s Roots Festival. See pages 10-11for days and times.

Tomcat Courtney:Patriarch of SanDiego’s Blues Scene

PHIL HARMONIC SEZ:

“This world is not conclusion, a

sequel stands beyond, invisible,

as music, but positive, as sound.”

— Emily Dickinson

Tomcat Courtney

Kent Johnson, Robert Johnson’s bastard son.

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full circlefull circle


Oh Brother, Here We Are ...Been Here All Along, atLeast for Now

Well, as I’m sitting here todayand writing this column, the verdictis still out on my future. I’ve ownedthe Folk Arts Rare Records businessfor 37 years and for the past 27, it’sbeen located at 3611 Adams Ave.,where I also make my home with mywife Virginia and my son Ben.

Folk Arts Rare Records began as ahome place for the yearly folk festi-vals I’ve put together since 1967 andhas remained that way to this day.(The roots festivals grew out of theold folk festivals, which were held atSDSU from 1967-1987.) Folk Arts isa venue for those who like and loveand collect old-time music, whetherit’s country and bluegrass, blues,jazz, traditional folk, Cajun, Irish,rhythm and blues, or old rock androll. If it’s rare and old, I very possi-bly have it, or know about it, or canget it. Along with selling old records(mostly LPs, 45s, and 78s), I also sellvintage music on tape and CD frommy 90,000-hour personal collection.I host a weekly radio show calledJazz Roots on KSDS (88.3 FM), writeliner notes for CDs on the England-based Country Routes label, and Iput together customized music tapesfrom personal histories. Mostly, I putpeople in touch with their roots inone way or another.

My landlord has put the Folk ArtsRare Records property up for sale, somy home and business at 3611Adams Ave. may have to move. Ireally don’t want to. In fact, I don’t

think I can. With rents as they are, Ican’t afford two different places formy home and business, and it’sunlikely that I’ll find a location forboth that’s affordable to me. Peopletell me there ought to be someoneout there who will let me stay whereI am. You’d think so, but so far noone has come forward. The people Inotice eyeing the property lookmore like tear-down-and-build-some-thing-new types. I hope I’m wrongand a buyer shows up who will allowme to keep doing what I’m doing.

Another problem with moving ismy involvement with the AdamsAve. Roots Festival and the Adams

Ave. Street Fair. If I no longer have abusiness on Adams Ave., my involve-ment with these two events wouldmost likely be curbed. So, folks, I’min a fix. I’m a little scared and feel alittle bit picked on. I’ve been a goodtenant for 27 years at this location.I’ve put a wife and son through col-lege and graduate school (thoughmuch of that was their own doing ...they’re both just so darn smart), andI guess I know more about the kindsof music and related topics I’m inter-ested in than most people have timeto be. I care about San Diego andthe individuals who have made theirway playing just about every kind of

music here. I hope I can continue tohelp preserve these kinds of thingsfor a long time to come. I do care,but it’s kind of depressing to thinkabout moving my collection and theFolk Arts stock to any old place thathas room. You’d think that after thenice piece in the Union-Tribune andLarry Himmel’s Channel 8 spot cov-ering my plight, someone wouldcome up with an idea to keep mehere, but no one has. Oh, a lot ofpeople tell me they saw the article inthe newspaper or on TV and theywanted to come in before I close.That makes me feel real good. I’mtrying not to be bitter and I can’t letdepression set in before there’s areason, but I can’t just sit still and donothing except think about the fixI’m in. So I’m doing one of thethings I can do right now. I’m writ-ing about it and sharing it withsome of you who have known me

awhile and maybe with some of youwho haven’t. What can you do, youask yourselves? You can call the city,call the Adams Ave. BusinessAssociation and ask about the rootsfestival; you can call somebody whohas the clout to make Folk Arts a his-toric landmark. Or, even better, youcan buy the property and let mestay. That’s what I would do if Icould afford it.

Recordially,Lou Curtiss

Recordially, Lou Curtiss

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Lou Curtiss

front porch


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front porch

Fred Gerlach: Oh, I got lots ofstories. As a matter of fact, itwould make a book. I started

playing in 1951, and the reason Iremember that date is ‘cause that’s theyear I left my wife. I was a draftsmanliving up on New York City’s West side,in Washington Heights. After a day’swork, I would come home and, beingan avid artist, paint with pastels, oils,and whatnot. I had a six-string guitar,and I used playing the guitar as abreak from the art. I was sure I wouldmake a great artist, as we all do whenwe first start (I was a big Van Goghfan; he was my idol), but the art gotto be too much, especially after spend-ing the day drafting. Somehow theguitar playing seemed to overwhelmthe art. Then I got a 78 recording ofLeadbelly playing that walking bass,which, up to that time I’d only heardon a piano, on a guitar, only thesound was totally different from a six-string. That sank in.

Coincidentally I met Queen OllieLove at that time, who was Leadbelly’sniece (everybody knew her as Tiny). Ifigured first hearing Leadbelly, thenmeeting his niece was a sign. The firstblues tune I learned was Leadbelly’s“Good Morning Blues.” I had nothingbut a six-string Martin and that wasn’tadequate for playing that stuff, so Istarted searching for a 12-string. I

found one in a pawn shop on ThirdAve. downtown. It was a Regal andcost me 35 dollars. I pulled it downand I tuned it up and it soundedawful—it was absolutely horrible—so Ileft it there. But I went back and tunedit again and found that it takes aboutthree stages to first tune a 12-string.So I bought that Regal and I playedthe hell out of that. Then I found anItalian guitar in a shop down inGreenwich Village that I bought from aguy named Peter Carboni. It was alarge box six-string, and he convertedit for me into a 12. It sounded greatexcept that it wasn’t meant to carry 12strings, so in a year it was gone. I wentthrough several other Italian guitarswith big boxes and had them convert-ed but ran into the same problem overand over again. Good durable 12-string guitars just didn’t exist in theearly ‘50s.

During this time I was living withTiny and playing lots of music with thelikes of Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Terry,Woody Guthrie, and Rev. Gary Davis.Big Bill took me to Moe Asch atFolkways (who had recordedLeadbelly) and I did some recordingsfor him and got 50 bucks for what Idid. Much to my surprise, I got a writeup in the New York Times when therecord came out. At that time the folkworld was very small. The big com-mercial success was Josh White. He

was playing at a place called The BlueAngel; Odetta also played there some.I did an audition for a couple whobooked people in clubs like that. Iplayed them a couple of tunes andthey told me, “Well, that’s terrific if weshave his head and paint him red, andtell everyone that he’s an Indian, wemight get away with it.” At that timewhite people like me didn’t play blues.In fact, they had to be downrightcommercial like Burl Ives or RichardDyer Bennett to even be successfulsinging folk songs.

I never considered myself a realtraditional folk artist. I wasn’t raised ona farm, I didn’t do any hollers or sukeyjumps, but I did have stuff that wasmine and original with me. I look backon that period now, almost 50 years

ago, and realize the extent and the cir-cle of people who frequented Tiny’shouse after Leadbelly died. It was aunique time. Upstairs, one flight up,lived Martha, who was Huddie’s wife,and every Saturday and Sundaythere’d be parties. Dancing parties andblues parties. Sometimes there was livemusic, sometimes records, but over athree-year period I saw most of thewell-known musicians of that time. BigBill Broonzy was often there (Uncle Bill,they called him) and I learned a lotwatching him.

Rev. Gary Davis played there alot. I later recorded about three hoursof him, and when I went to England afew years later, I sold the tapes toDobells, who put them out. I got $125for them, which was my ticket homeon the liner. They were recorded on aMagnachord tape recorder that I hadbought on the advice of Pete Seeger,who was also at Tiny’s parties. I washoping to record all of these people:Brownie and Sonny, Big Bill, and thelot even though I knew there was nomoney in it. I tried to pay Gary Davis$50 each time I recorded him. Tiny,the one who was his friend, told him,“Yes, record for Fred, and he’ll put itout on tape and we’ll see if we canmake you some money.” At that time$50 was a lot of money for Gary, whomostly worked as a street musician,but at four different sessions I paid himabout $200.

Later, somehow, the word gotout that I had secretly recorded himand sold the tapes for a huge amount.I don’t know how it could be a secret,since Tiny was sitting there during thefour hours we spent with the taperecorder. Somehow the tapes I sold toDobells later got back here and into

the hands of Manny Greenshill, whowas later Gary’s manager and theywere issued again [giving Fred nocredit for having recorded some of thebest recordings of Rev. Davis’ career.It’s sad what an untrue rumor canbring — Lou Curtiss]. . . but back tothe parties.

Every Saturday and Sunday atTiny and Martha’s, there were all kindsof things going on. Woody Guthriewas there. He had just burned his armand could hardly play the guitar.Woody stayed with me at my houseup in the Bronx with a gal namedAnnika. I lived up on Jerome Ave. inthe Bronx. He and Annika and thebaby popped in and he moved in andthat was it. He’d play guitar all daylong. I had a mattress on the floor andhe’d write verse after verse after verse.I remember about 30 verses about theelevated train going by. He had a gigdowntown at WNYC for Oscar Brandand got an $800 advance, but henever showed up for the recording. Hebought a Martin guitar and gave me$100, which I didn’t need. But heinsisted and bought about 10 bags ofgroceries and started to cook enoughfood to last for three days. Over halfthe food just went bad.

This interview continues with PartTwo in the June issue.

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Fred Gerlach, performing in New York City

An Interview with Fred GerlachFred Gerlach, master of the 12-string guitar, is perhaps best known for his Huddie Ledbetter (Leadbelly)-style of playing. Lou Curtiss sat down with Gerlach not too long ago

to talk about his days in New York City during the folk revival period of the 1950s and early 1960s. Gerlach was scheduled to play at the this year’s Roots Festival but

unfortunately had to cancel due to health reasons. This is part one of a two-part series, which will be published in the June issue.

Fred Gerlach in the 1950s

center stage


center stage

by Paul Hormick

W elcome to the 31stAnnual Adams AvenueRoots Festival, the

annual celebration of our Americanmusical heritage. Sometime duringthe mid-1980s the term “rootsmusic” began to replace “folkmusic” because the connotation of“folk” had narrowed to a picture ofhillbillies on the back porch or ofBob Dylan wannabees – not quiteexiting enough to build an entirefestival around. Roots music encom-passes more. It can mean any formof music that contributed to ourmodern forms of pop, rock, andjazz. It comprises the masala ofsong styles that make up this coun-try’s musical heritage, fromSouthwest conjunto and mariachi,to the hammered dulcimer ensem-bles of the Appalachians. Even someof the more modern music, likerhythm and blues and the songs ofHank Williams and Woody Guthrie,are included on roots programsbecause of their influence on mod-ern popular music.

The deepest roots of Americanmusic go back to Europe. WhenEuropeans began colonizing theNew World during the 1500s, theybrought their jigs, chanties, reels,and other songs to their new home.They also brought their instrumentsand, except for the banjo, whichcomes from Africa, all the instru-ments used to play American rootsmusic are European. As some ethnicgroups settled more heavily in cer-tain areas, they retained more oftheir roots in the music of their newland. For example, theAppalachians were settled by wavesof Scottish and Irish immigrants;the resulting mountain musicretained a great deal of Celtic char-acter. Other waves of immigrants,including Germans, Poles, Slavs,and others, brought folk tunes fromthe Old World and added them tothe American mix. You can hearsuch roots at this year’s festival by adiverse group of musicians perform-ing the music of Greece, Poland,Russia, France, and other countriesof the continent.

The biggest crux around whichmost American roots music augersis the blend of European and Africamusic. Rock, hip-hop, blues, coun-try, jazz, gospel, and almost all themusical styles of this country can

trace their origins to this interac-tion. The two scale systems — thedo re mi — of the two continentsdiffered. Africa has more “natural”pentatonic scales, whereas inEurope, as a result of the develop-ment of keyboard instruments andthe influence of composers likeBach, the natural scales were tam-pered with.

Notesweresharp-ened or flattened, and new oneswere added altogether. When theblack slaves tried to sing the songsof their southern white owners, theybent the unusual European notes tothe African ones. Of all the musicdescended from this interaction, theblues retains this quality the most.You’ll be able to hear in the guitarwork of Robin Henkel and TomcatCourtney the bending and slidingof notes that go back to the antebel-lum South.

This festival also features musicof northern Mexico and theAmerican Southwest, which are alsobased on the music of Europe. LosCalifornios perform characteristi-cally sweet and restrained waltzesand polkas that were heard in thispart of the world before theMexican-American War. TheMexican Roots Trio gives us amusical development of this same

area but a hundred years later. Moreimmigration brought additionalinfluences, and the repertoireexpanded to include schottischesand mazurkas, resulting in a morehigh spirited music.

Cajun comes from the French-speaking Acadians who settled inLouisiana after their expulsion from

Canada. This style ofmusic developed

around dancehall

fiddle tunes. This dance music wasusually performed by a fiddle duo— one instrument droned doublestops as the other played themelody. The songs were sung in astrong high-pitched manner to beheard above the sound of all thedancers shoes on the floor.

What we think of as the essen-tial Cajun instrument — the buttonaccordion — is a relatively lateaddition to this music. It was incor-porated by German immigrants inthe 1880s who brought their instru-ments with them when they settledin Louisiana. Although a late comer,the accordion was an importantmusical influence. The breath of theinstrument, the time it takes topush or pull the hand bellows, givesCajun music its characteristic feel.

Zydeco is often mistaken orconfused with Cajun music. Thebutton accordion figures prominent-

ly in both styles, and they comefrom from the same area of thecountry, but Zydeco is of Creole ori-gin. It developed after WWII as theCreoles mixed rhythm and blueswith more traditional song styles.Zydeco and Cajun have intermixedand influenced each other, but areseparate music traditions, relatedmore by marriage than blood.

As mentioned above, certainindividuals, because

of their virtuosityor strength oftheir personali-ty, have had aprofound effecton a musical

genre or cre-ated an

entire

genre of their own. DjangoReinhardt probably didn’t know thathe was creating an entirely new typeof jazz when he started listening tothe records of Louis Armstrong andother American performers that hitshores of France in the 1930s.Reinhardt was a gypsy who hadgrown up playing the Romanymusic of his ancestors. Once again,the scales upon which this music isbased are different from the onesused by the American jazz players.When Reinhardt tried to play jazz,he couldn’t help but infuse thetunes with a Gypsy flair.

It’s been said that Mozart’smusic can be described as bothhappy and sad at the same time.Reinhardt’s music is the same. Histake on jazz accentuates all the sad-ness and sweetness, joy and sorrowin the music. There are now thou-sands of musicians who carry on his

style and dozens of internationalfestivals that celebrate his musicalcontribution. You’ll hear Reinhardt’slegacy as the Hot Club of SanDiego brings the gypsy jazz to thisyear’s festival.

If the U.S. were a movie, partof the soundtrack would have toinclude the music of the trouba-dours and minstrels who traveledfrom town to town singing theirsongs. These tunes were passeddown through the train yards,cheap hotels, and jails where theminstrels gathered. As this musicwas not written down, verses wereadded or altered, and sometimes thesongs would change completely. It’sthought that the bizarre lyrics to thecountry standard, “Wild WoodFlower,” developed this way.

Woody Guthrie took the tradi-tion of the troubadour and addedhis signature to the songs by mak-

ing them topical. He sang aboutthe masses of Okies seeking the

promised land in California; hissongs criticized McCarthy and theRed Scare; and his repertoire toldstories about hard work and thehardscrabble life of the poor. Hisinfluence is immense. All the folk

singers who graced the GreenwichVillage coffee shops – Bob Dylan,

Phil Ochs, and Tom Rush – owe itall to him. As a matter of fact, songsthat address social issues or are top-ical in any way, no matter what thestyle, can trace some of their inspi-ration back to Guthrie. RossAltman, known as a singer/ song-fighter, embodies this tradition. Andthe quirky observations of Lou andPeter Berryman owe more than anod of the hat to Guthrie, as do theAmerican Folk Singers, GregoryPage and Tom Brosseau.

These are only a few highlightsof this year’s Roots Festival. There ismuch more — country music, blue-grass, Appalachian fiddle tunes —it’s all there. Workshops will also beconducted by performers who willoffer tips on their styles and instru-ments. And don’t forget the vendorsand the beer garden. By supportingthe vendors you support the music.No matter what your favorite musicis — rock and roll, hip-hop, or jazz— have a good time at the festivaland get in touch with your roots.

3 1 S T A N N U A L A D A M S A V E N U E R O O T S F E S T I V A L

A History Lesson You CanTap Your Foot To

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performing artistsperforming artists

8

Jon AdamsL O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

A great CentralCalifornia musi-cian, I first metJon at Sweets Millaround 1967. Jonis one of thosegreat song leadersand finger-styleguitarists whoalways has some-

thing new to play. He hasn’t played a SanDiego Festival since 1987 (when it was stillat SDSU). These musicians move around alot and I sort of lost track of Jon, but whenfellow songster Mark Spoelstra called, heremarked that he sometimes played musicwith Jon and did I want him too, and I cer-tainly did.

Saturday: 6pm, 34th & Adams Stage; 7pmwith Mark Spoelstra, Church Sanctuary/Sunday: 3pm Song Swap, Church Social Hall;5pm, Hawley & Adams Stage

Los Alacranes

Los Alacranes are one San Diego’s mostbeloved group of musicians and the pride ofSan Diego’s Mexican-American community.The music of these “musicos locos” hasbeen described as sort of a cross betweenthe humorous style of Lalo Guerero and thecorridos and old timey norteño songs.“Chunky” Sanchez explains it as Southwest-Chicano-Mexican-Barrio folklore. His songabout a chorizo sandwich is not to bebelieved.

Founded in 1977 by Ramon “Chunky”

Sanchez and his brother Ricardo, LosAlacranes, along with Don “Güero” Knappand Miguel Lopez, have inspired audiencesfor more than two decades. Following thesuccess of their critically acclaimed CD,Rising Souls, released May 1999, LosAlacranes released Picando, originallyrecorded in 1989. This group always puts ona good show.

Sunday: 2pm, Beer Garden; 4pm, DiMilleStage

Ross AltmanL O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

A self-described“singer-songfight-er,” Ross Altmankeeps up with thetimes with topicalsongs that reflectthe great tradi-tions of the genrepopularized by

Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, andTom Paxton. Ross has been a regular at theAdams Avenue Roots Festival as well asother Southern California folk venues formany years.

Saturday: 11am & 1pm, Hawley & AdamsStage

The American FolkSingers

Are you readyto folk? TheAmerican FolkSingers returnfor an encoreperformanceat this year’sRoots Festivalto entertainthe masses

with their offbeat blend of music from thebad old days. Gregory Page and TomBrosseau are a dynamic duo who playsongs from the ‘80s — the 1880s, that is.They are back from their national tour of

senior citizen homes, promoting their newalbum, Folk Music the Way God Intended Itto Be.

Saturday: noon, DiMille Stage; 8pm, Hawley& Adams Stage/Sunday: noon, 34th &Adams Stage

Balkan CafeOrchestraL O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

When we first moved the festival from SDSUto its new home on Adams Avenue, the firstperson I got in touch with was HankBradley. He, along with Frannie Leopold,had played at the last festival at SDSU in1987. In 1994 his wife, Cathie Whitesides,joined them to create the Balkan CafeOrchestra. At least one of these noble threehave performed at every one of the RootsFestivals with their fine music and originalsongs culled from many years and manymiles they’ve covered in their search forgreat acoustic music. The trio offers plenty:Cajun songs, Greek dances, Cape Bretonstrathspeys, North Carolina heat, Bosnianbreakdowns, and much more, tapping intothe galaxy of highly crafted scales, rhythms,and harmonies unavailable in either west-ern classical or rock-related music. Frannie’ssouthern and Cajun vocals and warm gui-tar; Cathie’s dazzling Celtic and Balkan fid-dle; and Hank’s banjo, bouzouki, and south-ern and Balkan fiddle make the Balkan CafeOrchestra a must-see at any Roots Festival.They smile a lot too and have a good time.You will too.

Saturday: 4pm, Troubadour Park Stage; 8pm,Church Sanctuary/Sunday: 2pm, TroubadourPark Stage

Lou & PeterBerrymanL O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

Lou and PeterBerryman aremusical humoristswho write clever,inventive songsthat are rich inwordplay. Drawingfrom influences asdiverse as WoodyGuthrie, Gilbertand Sullivan,

George Burns and Gracie Allen, andJacques Brel, these two are originals whoblend (and mock) midwestern culture withworldly savvy to produce some wickedlyfunny material. Formerly married and long-time friends, they’ve been performingtogether for 20 years at cafes, folk festivals,and clubs, keeping audiences highly enter-tained with their sense of wit, wisdom, andwhimsy. This is their second visit to theAdams Avenue Roots Festival.

Saturday: 3pm, Church Sanctuary; 6pm SongSwap, Church Social Hall/Sunday: 1pm, 34th& Adams Stage; 3pm, Troubadour ParkStage

Ray Bierl L O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

Back in the 1960s,Ray was one ofthose folk/countrysinger-guitaristswho played aboutevery coffeehouseand club. Whenthe Roots Festivalsfirst began, Raywas involved as a

performer/emcee as well as somebody wewent to for ideas. Sometime during the1970s, Ray drifted up to the San FranciscoBay area, making his visits to San Diegofewer and fewer over the years. During hisyears in the Bay Area, he worked withMalvina Reynolds and Mayne Smith andbecame a driving force with the famousHillbillies from Mars. Along with his trustyguitar, he has picked up some expertise onthe fiddle.

This accomplished musician plays guitarand sings in a number of styles, which spanthe range of traditional American music. Formore than 20 years, Ray Bierl has beenplaying the fiddle music of North Americaand the British Isles to appreciative contraand square dancers in the San FranciscoBay area and beyond, most notably as amember of the group Hillbillies from Mars.Cowboy Dancing, his well-received recordingof songs and fiddle tunes, has recently beenre-issued in CD format.

Sunday: noon, Beer Garden; 3pm, 34th &Adams Stage; 5pm, Church Sanctuary

John Bosley L O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

John used to playregularly at theconcert series weheld at the old FolkArts before itmoved to AdamsAvenue in the early’70s. He wrotesongs that sound-ed like old ’30s

pop tunes, with kind of a raggedy guitarbacking. He’d occasionally throw in an oldtime tune, so it always kept us song collec-tors wondering. John was from New Yorkand wrote poetry along with his songs. Asno one has an easy time making any kind ofliving from music, John got a job (outside ofmusic), got married, and had kids, but henever threw away that guitar, and occasion-ally we can talk him into revisiting thoseraggedy old songs and some newer ones

too. It’s always a pleasure to have him atthe Roots Festivals.

Saturday: 11am, DiMille Stage; 5pm, Hawley& Adams Stage; 6pm Song Swap, ChurchSocial Hall/Sunday: 3pm, DiMille Stage

Curt Bouterse L O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

I met Curt in 1963in an African histo-ry class at SanDiego State. Hewas carrying anautoharp case anda shape note hym-nal, and he lookedlike he might beinterested in some

of the kinds of music that I was. Shortlythereafter Curt and I, along with someother folks, founded the SDSU OrganizedFolksingers. Almost right away we talkedabout doing a festival there on campus. In1967 we finally got around to it. Curtplayed at that very first festival and he’splayed at every one we’ve had since. Oldtime Appalachian folksongs with fretlessbanjo, hammered dulcimer, autoharp,plucked dulcimer, and Vietnamese mouthharp (upon which he plays Southern moun-tain dance tunes) are his specialties.

Saturday: noon, Church Social Hall; 8pm,34th & Adams Stage/Sunday: 11am, DiMilleStage; 3pm Song Swap, Church Social Hall

Tom BoyerTom Boyer's con-temporary finger-style approach issoaked in the fluidcountry and jazzidioms mastered byChet Atkins andfinds further inspi-ration in the nim-ble grace of Doyle

Dykes’ arrangements. Tom first picked upthe guitar at 13, seduced initially by thetwangy reverb of the Ventures, Duane Eddy,and later by the electric energy of all thingsrock ‘n’ roll. When he was 17, Tom's brotherturned him on to a Chet Atkins album. “Iwas stunned by what he could do on a gui-tar and became a fan for life,” Boyer recalls.“I bought every album he came out withand drowned myself in his style.”

At 19, Boyer met inventive fingerstylistD.R. Auten, who became his mentor, teach-ing him the rhythmic nuances and licks thatinformed the Chet style. Boyer has creditedAuten as “the greatest teacher I ever had,”and subsequently went on to perform withAuten at various social functions. He con-tinued to pursue fingerstyle guitar passion-ately in the ensuing years, absorbing theinfluences of such standout fretboard styl-ists as Jerry Reed, Charlie Byrd, AntonioCarlos Jobim, Larry Carlton, GeorgeBenson, and anyone who played like Chet.

Saturday: 4pm Song Swap, Church SocialHall; 6pm, Hawley & Adams Stage/Sunday:2pm, DiMille Stage; 4pm, Church Social Hall

The BudapestBrothers L O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

E.Z. Mark andLee Birch havebeen around thescene and playedat various FolkFestivals sincethe very early’70s. ChuckBorsos has also

performed at most of the RootsFestivals. They could just as easily bethe Zagreb Boys or the Warsaw Guys.I’ve heard them do Greek, French, andeven an old timey tune or two. E.Z.plays old jazz and vaudeville noveltysongs and Lee does Mexican and

9



Cajun tunes. What we have here arethree veteran old-time musicians whoknow a lot of good tunes, play a lot ofinstruments, and play them well. Theyare always good for a surprise.Saturday: 1pm, DiMille Stage; 6pm, BeerGarden/Sunday: 4pm, Hawley & AdamsStage

Los CaliforniosFor over adecade, SanDiego-based LosCalifornios hasbeen researchingand interpretingthe music of

Spanish and Mexican California, focusingon the nineteenth century and the dayswhen California was part of Spain and thenMexico. This sweet, melodic music wasplayed for dancing and singing at the fes-tive gatherings hosted by the Spanish andMexican settlers or the Californios, who rancattle on the huge ranchos during their hey-day in the 1830s and 1840s. Working fromprimary sources, including Californio testi-monials, travelers’ accounts, and the earlysound recordings of Spanish-speakingCalifornians made by Charles FletcherLummis almost a century ago, they endeav-or to recreate the sound of serenade andfandango from the days before Californiabecame a state. Los Californios are VykkiMende Gray, Janet Martini, Peter DuBois,and David Swarens.

Saturday: 4pm, Hawley & Adams Stage;8pm, DiMille Stage

Les CampagnardsFounded in 1995by Alan Keith,Barbara Slone,Gary Breitbard,and BruceCulbertson, thisgroup plays themusic of centralFrance, specificallythe ancient

provinces of Berry, Bourbonnais, andAuvergne as well as tunes and songs fromGascogne, Pays Basque, Provence, andAlsaçe, all of which are intended primarilyfor dancing. In addition to the most impor-tant of the forms — the bourrée of centralFrance — the band’s repertoire also includesScottish dances, polkas, mazurkas, waltzes,and rondeaus played on the hurdy-gurdy,bagpipes, accordion, and violin.

Saturday: noon, Hawley & Adams Stage;5pm Song Swap, Church Social Hall; 7pm,Beer Garden/Sunday: 3pm, ChurchSanctuary

Roy Ruiz Clayton L O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

Roy is a potter, anartist (he’s donethe Roots Festivalposter illustrationthe last four or fiveyears), a guitarpicker, a song-writer, and asinger. I first metRoy some 20 years

ago when he wandered in Folk Arts RareRecords to inquire about playing somemusic for us. He’s played a whole lot oftimes for us over the years and is one ofthose guys who writes songs with words youhave to listen to. You won’t be sorry.

Clayton’s CD is reviewed this month. Seepage 15.

Saturday: 1pm Song Swap; 2pm, 34th &Adams Stage; 6pm, DiMille Stage/Sunday:5pm, DiMille Stage

Tomcat Courtney L O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

I was doing a bluesconcert series atFolk Arts RareRecords back inthe very early ’70swhen Tomcatwalked into theshop and asked ifhe could get upand do a song or

two. He did, and we’ve been good friendsever since. Tom hails from Waco, Texas, andbroke into the blues biz as a tap dancer in aT-Bone Walker show back in the ’40s. Hefirst played with his old partner, Henry FordThompson, at the fifth San Diego FolkFestival in 1971 and at most of them since.Tom has been responsible for giving manyyoung San Diego musicians a chance toplay in his bands. And his style of Texasblues, with influences ranging from Lightnin’Hopkins to Muddy Waters and B.B. King tohis original mentor T-Bone, continues tobring down the house.

Saturday: 3pm, 34th & Adams Stage/Sunday: 11am, Beer Garden; 1pm, Hawley &Adams Stage

Clyde Davenport A native oftheCumberlandGap plateauon theKentucky-Tennesseeborder, ClydeDavenportbrings his fid-dle and banjoto this year’s

Adams Avenue Roots Festival. Kentucky isthe birthplace of bluegrass music, butDavenport performs the older styles of theAppalachians. He plays banjo in theclawhammer manner and the influence Irishand Scottish reels and jigs are more appar-ent in the tunes and dronings of his fiddlethan what you hear in a bluegrass ensem-ble. It has been said that “no living musi-cian sustains more of the 19th century solofiddling traidition than Davenport. His play-ing preserves rare tunes . . . that had all butvanished by the time he was born.” Theblues touch some of Davenport’s fiddling aswell; he slides around on some notes andtunes. His low-key attitude about his fiddlingand his reluctance to seek recognition are instark contrast to the way old-time musicfans have received his playing. Since his fid-dling debut on records, the world has beat-en a path to his door, hailing his uniqueand interesting style and repertoire. Youngmusicians all over have made the trek to hishome hoping to learn from the master.

Coming from a fiddling family,Davenport’s father and three of his fivebrothers played the instrument, while he

made his first fiddle at the age of nine anda banjo when he was 16. As a teenager,Davenport played at dances in his hometown area with his brothers and, since theywere all fiddlers, he decided to pick up thebanjo.

At one point in his life, he stopped play-ing music for a period of 17 years. Althoughhe admits that this hiatus may have hurt hisplaying, Davenport believes, on the otherhand, that it may have been a good thing.Had he been playing during this time, hemight have become a bluegrass fiddler andabandoned his original repertoire

Clyde Davenport is the epitome of a folkmusician. Although he has always beenaware of his talents, he has never made hisliving as a professional musician. He lovesto work and has always had a day job. Hebrags that he has never been fired or laidoff from any position.

Saturday: 3pm & 6pm, Troubadour ParkStage/Sunday: 4pm, Troubadour Park Stage

Paul GeremiaSince the mid-’60s,Paul Geremia hasbuilt a reputationas a first-ratebluesman, song-writer, scholar ofearly jazz and

blues, and one of the best country blues fin-gerpickers ever. With the help of his six- and12-string guitars, harmonica, piano, and ahusky soulful voice — plus an innate senseof the humor and drama of the music —Geremia keeps traditional blues fresh andalive with his performances. Combining hisinterpretations of Blind Lemon Jefferson,Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell,Scrapper Blackwell, and Blind Blake, with hisoriginal compositions, he has created astyle very much his own. This is his secondappearance at the Adams Avenue RootsFestival.

Saturday: 2pm, Hawley & Adams Stage; 4pmSong Swap, Church Social Hall; 8pm,Troubadour Park Stage/Sunday: 4pm, 34th &Adams Stage

Gone Tomorrow

San Diego-based Gone Tomorrow plays awide variety of bluegrass, old-time, andearly country music, from Bill Monroe, theStanley Brothers, and Hank Snow to contem-porary bluegrass and fiddle tunes. Thisentertaining band features Richard Burketton guitar, Lisa Burns on upright bass, SteveDame on banjo, John Highkin on mandolin,and Beth Mosko on fiddle. They are appear-ing for the first time this year at the RootsFestival and are also on the roster for theSummergrass bluegrass festival in August.

Saturday: 11am, Beer Garden; 3pm, Hawley& Adams Stage/Sunday: 5pm, TroubadourPark Stage

Kenny HallL O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

I first saw Kennywith the oldSweets MillMountain Boys(Ron Hughey, PeteEverwine, andFrank Hicks) at acabaret concert atthe Berkeley FolkFestival some timein the mid-1960s

and again shortly after that at the SweetsMill Festival (east of Fresno in the Sierras).He brought his unique old timey tater-bugmandolin and fiddle to the third San DiegoFolk Festival, along with Fresno compatriotsJim Ringer and Ron Tinkler, and has playedat most of them since. Kenny is a trueCalifornia musical treasure. He must knowa couple thousand songs. I’ve seen him somany times, yet he continues to surpriseand amaze me. As a band musician (with

the Sweets Mill String Band, his Long HaulBand, or any other combination) his man-dolin is always a standout and his great oldtimey vocals a treat. Kenny was unable tobe at the festival last year, so we’re glad tohave him back.

Saturday: 1pm, Troubadour Park Stage; 3pmSong Swap, Church Social Hall; 6pm, ChurchSanctuary/Sunday: 4pm, Beer Garden

Patty HallL O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

Patty Hall beganher musical careeras a teenager inthe San FranciscoBay Area. Alreadya diligent plunkeron her Dad’sukulele, she wontickets to the 1963Berkeley FolkFestival from radio

station KPFA. That experience changedeverything, prompting Hall to teach herselfto play the banjo, guitar, and autoharp.With a growing interest in folk music, shebegan writing and performing her ownsongs and eventually enrolled in the folkloregraduate program at UCLA. After earningher master’s degree, she moved to Nashvilleto work at the Country Music Hall of Fame,where she taught banjo workshops, hostedwomen’s songwriting seminars, producedhistorical country music recordings, andcontinued writing and performing.

Merging her musical interests with herscholarly pursuits, Patty’s music blends it alltogether in a fusion of old-timey tunes, funkygirl blues, upbeat kids’ songs, and topicalballads, spiked with a little folkloric com-mentary and lots of good humor.

Saturday: noon, Beer Garden; 3pm SongSwap, Church Social Hall/Sunday: noon,Hawley & Adams Stage; 5pm, 34th & AdamsStage

continued on page 12


10

full circle


Saturday May 1 Saturday May 1

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TroubadourPARK STAGE

CHURCH SANCTUARY

CHURCHSOCIAL HALL

BEER GARDEN

34TH &ADAMS

HAWLEY &ADAMS

DIMILLE’SPARKING

11-11:45 am Mary McCaslin

Kenny Hall

New SmokeyMountain Boys

Mark Spoelstra

Balkan CafeOrchestra

Mexican RootsTrio

Clyde Davenport

noon-12:45 pm

5-5:45 pm

4-4:45 pm

3-3:45 pm

2-2:45 pm

1-1:45 pm

Hawks & Eagles

Mark Spoelstra

Lou & PeterBerryman

Song SwapNew Lost Melody BoysBob LabeauRoy Ruiz Clayton

Mimi Wright

Song SwapPaul GeremiaMark SpoelstraTom Boyer

Song SwapPatty HallKenny HallNew Smokey Mtn. Boys

Gone Tommorrow

San Diego CajunPlayboys

Patty Hall

High, Wide &Handsome

Siamsa Gael Ceili



7th Day Buskers

Mary McCaslin

Robin Henkel

Roy Ruiz Clayton

Bob Labeau

Holdstock &MacLeod

Tomcat Courtney

Ross Altman

Ross Altman

Les Campagnards

Paul Geremia

Los Californios New Smokey Mtn.Boys

Gone Tommorrow

John Bosley

Budapest Brothers

American FolkSingers

Happy Herman &his Uke w/ guestsThe Shelleys

John Bosley New Lost MelodyBoys

Mexican Roots Trio

8-8:45 pm

7-7:45 pm

6-6:45 pm

Hawks & Eagles Curt Bouterse

Holdstock &MacLeod

Siamsa GaelCeili

Clyde Davenport Kenny HallSong SwapMary McCaslinJohn BosleyLou & PeterBerryman

BudapestBrothers

Jon Adams Tom Boyer Roy RuizClayton

New LostMelody Boys

Los CaliforniosBalkan CafeOrchestra


Curt BouterseNew SmokeyMtn. Boys

Paul Geremia

Bob LabeauLarry HanksLesCampagnards

Jon Adams &Mark Spoelstra


Song SwapLarry HanksMimi WrightLes Campagnards

Old TimeyDance with HotString BandMusic

T I M E S

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11

LOST CHILDRENcan be taken to the nearest

stage. Announcements will

be made between songs.

L E G E N D

PORT-A-POTTIES

ä FOOD

x FIRST AID

X DISABLEDRESTROOM

Sunday May 2 Sunday May 2Troubadour

PARK STAGECHURCH

SANCTUARYCHURCH

SOCIAL HALLBEER

GARDEN34TH &ADAMS

HAWLEY &ADAMS

DIMILLE’SPARKING

11-11:45 am

noon-12:45 pm

5-5:45 pm

4-4:45 pm

3-3:45 pm

2-2:45 pm

1-1:45 pm

Hawks & Eagles

Hot Club of SanDiego

Mexican RootsTrio

Balkan CafeOrchestra

Clyde Davenport

Gone Tomorrow

Lou & PeterBerryman

Mary McCaslin

Ray Bierl

Les Campagnards

Hawks & Eagles

Mimi Wright

Tom Boyer

Robin Henkel

Song SwapHoldstock & MacLeodCurt BouterseJon Adams

Tomcat Courtney


Ray Bierl

Los Alacranes

Kenny Hall

New Lost MelodyBoys


Los Californios

Lou & PeterBerryman


Larry Hanks

Paul Geremia

Patty Hall

Ray Bierl

Bob Labeau

Tomcat Courtney

Patty Hall

Robin Henkel

BudapestBrothers

Los Alacranes

7th Day Buskers

Curt Bouterse

Holdstock &MacLeod

Larry Hanks

Tom Boyer

Jon Adams Roy Ruiz Clayton

John Bosley

T I M E S

TroubadourBooth

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While at theRoots Festival,don’t forget to

stop by theTroubadour

Booth, adjacent to the

Park Stage.s

12

performing artists


performing artists

Larry HanksL O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

Larry Hanks,singer, guitarist,and trumpist(Jew’s harp), singsa wide variety oftraditionalAmerican styles,including old-timecountry and cow-boy songs, bal-

lads, blues, fiddle tunes played on the Jew’sharp, children’s songs, and topical and con-temporary songs by such well-known writersas Utah Phillips, Pete Seeger, and WoodyGuthrie.

Since 1962 Hanks has performed up anddown the West Coast at folk clubs, coffee-houses, and festivals. Hanks sings goofy,ornery hoedown ditties; home-madelaments; stark, lonesome ballads; and wryand angry topical songs about life, work,and politics.

Saturday: 5pm Song Swap, Church SocialHall; 7pm, 34th & Adams Stage/Sunday:noon, DiMille Stage; 2pm, 34th & AdamsStage

Happy HermanYou won’t want tomiss the HappyHerman show atthis year’s RootsFestival, his firstshow ever in pub-lic. His uniquesound, reminis-

cent of a broken radio from the roaring‘20s, is performed on a ukulele and akazoo. His music is falling forward into thepast fast and is a delight for the whole fam-ily as well as for the lonely person who hasno one. Special guest appearance by theShelleys.

Saturday: 2pm, DiMille Stage

Hawks & EaglesL O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

Jimmy andNancyBorsdorf, bet-ter known asHawks andEagles, havebeen perform-ing traditionalCalifornia

music for more than 25 years, spinning sto-

ries from the past as they weave intricatetapestries of melody on a journey throughtime. Violins dance to the rhythm of Spanishconquest. Guitars serenade the western sun-sets. Mandolins filled with old-world charmpluck at the heartstrings of the not-so-dis-tant past. These modern minstrels knowhundreds of songs and play just abouteverything American: Cowboy songs, Gypsytangos, Bolivian melodies, Irish schottisches,swingin’ stomps, Cajun two-steps, blues,bluegrass, mountain music, Hungarian caféserenades, French bourees, and so on. It’sbeen awhile since they played in San Diego— at the 1987 Roots Festival — so we’rehappy to have them with us this year.

Saturday: noon, Church Sanctuary; 4pm,Church Sanctuary/Sunday: 11am,Troubadour Park Stage; 1pm, Church SocialHall

Robin HenkelRobin Henkel’smusic ranges fromprimitive,Mississippi Deltablues and theurban Chicagosound to Texas-style western swingand beyond. An

amazing blues slide guitarist, Robin hasbeen playing music since the ’60s, both asa solo act and as a contributing band mem-ber. With the Robin Henkel Band he uses avariety of back-up musicians whom he cus-tom picks to fit each gig. He has opened forsuch top acts as Dizzie Gillespie, BonnieRaitt, Arlo Guthrie, and Dave Mason.Henkel has also performed with BuddyMiles, John Hammond, Sha Na Na, and BigJay McNeal.

A seasoned veteran and winner ofBest Blues Album at the 2000 San DiegoMusic Awards, he has participated innumerous blues festivals. He is also a guitarteacher at the legendary Blue Guitar, wherehe has been giving lessons to students whoare eager to learn from the legend himself.

Saturday: noon, 34th & Adams Stage/Sunday: 2pm, Hawley & Adams Stage; 5pm,Church Social Hall


Tommy Presley, Kenny Wertz, Ed Douglas,Dennis Toler, Clarke Powell, Ricky Araiza,and Larry Murray are all local San Dieganswho have played music together on and offfor 40 years, ever since the legendary BlueGuitar opened its doors. Their combinedresume is impressive — some of the bandmembers have played with such well-knownbands as the Flying Burrito Brothers,Country Gazette, Hearts and Flowers, andthe New Christie Minstrels at one time oranother. A few of them got their first tasteof performing with the infamous ScottsvilleSquirrel Barkers, and all of the membershave been in at least a hundred unknownbands with long forgotten names.Describing their music as “cowbilly,” theband plays a medley of bluegrass, ’50sR&B, country and western music, blues,rockabilly, cowboy songs, Beatles, folkmusic, and songs sung by Merle, Marty,Buck, and Hank. Whatever you call it, you’rein for a real good time.

Saturday: 2pm, Beer Garden; 7pm,Troubadour Park Stage/Sunday: 1pm, BeerGarden

Holdstock &MacLeod

Dick Holdstock,originally fromSittingbourne, Kentin the south ofEngland, and AllanMacLeod, fromArmadale, West

Lothian, Scotland, specialize in traditionalBritish folk music, which includes music ofthe sea as well as nineteenth centuryScottish and English ballads. Still perform-ing enthusiastically after 24 years,Holdstock and MacLeod trade off on man-dolin and guitar accompaniments on someof their songs and frequently use a cappellaarrangements for their material. They havemastered the art of traditional harmonies,

which are often described as descants. Theirstrong melodic tones resonate with all whohear them sing.

Saturday: 1pm, Church Sanctuary; 5pm, 34th& Adams Stage/Sunday: 1pm, DiMille Stage;3pm Song Swap, Church Social Hall


A hit withDjangoReinhardt fans,the Hot Club ofSan Diego com-bines the mem-orable stylingsof the mastergypsy guitaristwith some of

their own compositions. Membersinclude Patrick Berrogain on lead gui-tar; Alain Cola, head of San Diego-based Dell’Arte Guitars, on rhythm gui-tar, and Kevin Hennessy on bass, whichall adds up to a delightful performanceof gypsy jazz.

See page 15 for a review of their CD.

Sunday: 1pm, Troubadour Park Stage; 3pm,Beer Garden

Bob LabeauL O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

Bob came out to San Diego from a placecalled Farmington, Minnesota sometime inthe early ’60s. With his original songs andhumor, he quickly became part of the SanDiego folk music scene and a regular at theHeritage, Mission Beach’s late, lamentedcoffeehouse. During the late ’70s and early’80s he owned and operated his own BobLabeau Music store in Point Loma. A fewyears later he moved up to San Jose andstarted his own business. Bob played anumber of the early festivals — the last one,I think, in 1987 — and also came down toan Adams Avenue Street Fair a few yearsago.

It’s always important when a part ofour city’s musical history makes a returnvisit, particularly when it’s an artist whoenjoys making and sharing his music somuch.

Saturday: 1pm Song Swap, Church SocialHall; 4pm, 34th & Adams Stage; 7pm,Hawley & Adams Stage/Sunday: 11am,Hawley & Adams Stage

Mexican Roots Trio“What a band —two guys and onefoot,” says bandmember JoelGuzman as hedescribes the oldcanjunto recordsthat inspire himand the MexicanRoots Trio. “[T]heyhad one mic, and

you can hear the guy’s foot on the woodfloor. That’s the bass drum. The bajo playeris playing the bass, rhythm, and solos. Theaccordion player is like the lead guitar play-er. And they’re both singing.”

Conjunto embodies an amalgamation ofEuropean styles that flowed into northernMexico and the southwestern United Statesaround the turn of the twentieth century.The Mexican Roots Trio recreates thesewaltzes, mazurkas, polkas, and schottischesfrom that time before the introduction ofbass, drums, and horn.

Relative youngsters to be playing rootsmusic, the three members — Joel Guzmanon button accordion, wife Sarah Fox onvocals, and Max Baca on bajo, 12-string gui-tar, and vocals — nonetheless have plenty ofexperience with conjunto. Guzman’s fatherwas a prominent bajo player, and Guzmanwas a prodigy on the accordion, releasinghis first record at the age of eight. For partof their research, they recorded Fox’s moth-er as she sang the old Mexican-Americansongs she remembered from the ’20s and’30s. Songs from their repertoire, such as“Adelita” and “Mal Hombre,” are performedthe same way as they were decades ago.

See page 15 for a review of their CD.

Saturday: 3pm, DiMille Stage; 5pm,Troubadour Park Stage/Sunday: noon,Troubadour Park Stage

Mary McCaslin L O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

I first saw Marywhen she openedfor Lightnin’Hopkins at LaMesa’s old BifrostBridge coffeehouse in the late’60s and, not longafter that, at theHeritage coffee-

house in Mission Beach. She performed atthe third annual festival in 1969. Marywrites very intimate songs about people andthings you think you know about. If youknow Mary and some of what her life isabout, her songs leave you in a slight dazewith sparkles of insight. The songs and theway she sings them are just so darnedgood. Mary has listened to a lot of old-timeroots music from Appalachian to cowboyballads. A lot of what she’s heard remainsin her music.

Saturday: 11am, Troubadour Park Stage;1pm, 34th & Adams Stage; 6pm Song Swap,Church Social Hall/Sunday: 4pm, ChurchSanctuary

The New LostMelody Boys L O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

I’ve known allthese guys for alot of years andfor most of thepast 10 yearsthey’ve been partof the RootsFestivals. JohnWright did oldtime banjo work-

shops for me back in the early ’80s. DaveAllen’s fiddle and Paul Johnson’s mandolinwere part of other earlier bands, too.Banging and sawing, from backwoods songsto fiddle breakdowns, the Boys play in thegrand tradition of such legendary old time

full circlefull circle

13



groups as the Skillet Lickers, the Fruit JarDrinkers, and the Delmore Brothers. As theNew Lost Melody Boys, they are perhapsSan Diego’s premier vintage old timeystring band.

Saturday: 1pm Song Swap, Church SocialHall; 5pm & 7pm, DiMille Stage/Sunday:5pm, Beer Garden

New SmokeyMountain Boys L O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

I guess I met Clark Powell first, as hewas one of the founding members of theSan Diego State Organized Folksingers backaround 1963. Clark and I even played musictogether some. Clark plays dobro, guitar,and five-string banjo. He knew WayneBrandon, who is the western world’s biggestRoy Acuff fan and sings Acuff songs aboutas well as anyone except for Roy himself.For a few years in the ’60s, we made whatwe thought was some pretty good musicand then ended up going our separateways. Clark became a lead guitarist in avariety of country music bands, and Waynebecame an elementary school principal. Itwas only when we started doing the RootsFestivals in the mid-’90s that we got backtogether somehow. For the past three orfour years, other old friends from those ’60sbands have come on board, but it’sWayne’s Roy Acuff-sounding vocals andClark’s Bashful Brother Oswald-soundingdobro steel guitar that give this band itsunique flavor. If you like the sound of RoyAcuff’s band of the ’30s and ’40s, theseguys are worth a listen.

Saturday: noon, Troubadour Park Stage; 3pmSong Swap, Church Social Hall; 4pm, DiMilleStage; 8pm, Beer Garden


The San Diego Cajun Playboys have beenkeeping Cajun French music going strong inSouthern California with a full repertoire oftraditional Cajun language music.

Along with original members JonGrant (accordion, fiddle) and Bill Riddell(guitar), the group features SouthLouisiana-born Joel Breaux (accordion, fid-dle) from Loreauville (pop. 860), and GregRasberry (triangle) from Iota and Crowley,Louisiana.

Saturday: 1pm, 3pm, & 5pm, Beer Garden

Siamsa Gael CeiliBand

The Siamsa Gael Ceili Band (pronouncedSheem-sha Gale Kay-lee) presents the tradi-tional melodies of Ireland played in the “oldstyle.”

The band’s existence and main sourceof inspiration can be attributed to a Dublinman named Dave Page. An accomplishedIrish piper, he played in the original Siamsa

Gael Ceili Band during the early 1930s. Hemoved to San Diego in the mid-1970s wherehe met current band members John Tuohy(uilleann pipes), Ian Law (flute), and JudyLipnick (fiddle), teaching them his music andeventually passing his pipes on to John.Dave Page’s influence can be clearly heardin the band’s repertoire and style.

Saturday: 2pm, Church Sanctuary; 4pm, BeerGarden

7th Day Buskers

The 7th Day Buskers are a five-pieceacoustic roots band who have been seen bymuch of San Diego every Sunday morningat the Hillcrest Farmers Market. It was herethat the band formed one by one afterShawn P. Rohlf opened up his banjo caseand started busking (an old European wordfor performing on the street) several yearsago. Their huge repertoire of original andtraditional material covers a wide range ofstyles, including bluegrass, folk, country,Irish, and blues. Members of the Buskersinclude Robin Henkel on Dobro, StevePeevey on mandolin and guitar, Don Hickoxon fiddle, Ken Dow on bass, and Rohlf onbanjo, guitar, harmonica, and vocals. Withthe release of two CDs, Long Live theCaboose and Born to Pick, the Buskers canbe seen performing in many venues fromSan Diego to Seattle.

Saturday: 11am, 34th & Adams Stage/Sunday: 3pm, Hawley & Adams Stage

Mark Spoelstra L O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

I first saw Mark ata Broadside maga-zine hootenanny onone of my NewportFolk Festival tripssometime in theearly 1960s(maybe it was1965). He was animportant part ofthe New York City

singer-songwriter scene. A confirmed paci-fist and a conscientious objector to militaryservice, his songs often reflected suchthemes. His debut, Five And TwentyQuestions, featured 12 original songs andintroduced his quiet, unassuming style.Later I met Mark a couple of times at theSweets Mill Festival in the Sierras east ofFresno. Mark was doing alternate serviceand living in the Fresno area then. He cameand played at the San Diego Folk Festival inthe early ’70s with a band called theFrontier Constabulary and then more or lessdropped out of the music scene — or atleast the music scene I was aware of. Thisyear my friend Patty Hall told me about hisnew CD (Mark’s first recording in 20 years)and a renewed interest in performing at fes-tivals. So here he is with 12-string guitar, alot of new tunes and quite a few old ones,some duets with old Sweets Mill buddy JonAdams, and a new outlook on playingmusic.

Saturday: 2pm, Troubadour Park Stage; 4pmSong Swap, Church Social Hall; 5pm, ChurchSanctuary; 7pm with Jon Adams, ChurchSanctuary

Mimi Wright L O U C U R T I S S R E M E M B E R S

One of our very own song catchers here inSan Diego is Mimi Wright, who sings oldmountain songs — mostly unaccompanied,sometimes with autoharp, and always withspirit and a touch of wonder. If there’s anunusual variant of an old time song to befound, Mimi will find it. Always brightmoments at the Roots Festivals are herRocking Chair Concerts.

Saturday: 2pm, Church Social Hall; 5pmSong Swap, Church Social Hall/Sunday:2pm, Church Social Hall

full circle

14


by John Wyllie

A s I pulled up to the beautiful

Rancho Peñasquitos home of

Scharlyn Shaddinger in

February, I couldn’t help but feel like the

boy in the Willie Wonka movie, the one

who had just discovered the last golden

ticket. Having attended Chuck Brodsky’s

last San Diego house concert two years

ago, there was no way I was going to

miss his only 2004 San Diego house

concert appearance, even if it was on a

Sunday night and three quarters of an

hour’s drive away. I knew the benefits of

his savory musical treats would far out-

weigh the sleep-deprived exhaustion I

would feel the next day at work.

Donning a Bush (George)-Orwell

2004 mock campaign shirt for the occa-

sion, Brodsky arrived, armed with his

trademark rapier wit and his travel-worn

guitar. For the next several hours, this

master storyteller delighted the intimate

gathering of about 30 with songs from

his current five-CD collection as well as

selections from his soon-to-be-released

sixth.

Perhaps best known for his brilliant

2002 Baseball Ballads compilation,

Brodsky, a long-time social critic,

demonstrated that he has a lot more

than baseball on his mind. We spoke

prior to the show.

“I just finished recording a new

project four days ago in New Breton,

Nova Scotia,” Brodsky said. “I hope to

have that out by early to mid-April. I’m

right in the middle of putting the graph-

ics together, so it is always an exciting

time when you are finishing a new

album.”

As he did on his other five CDs,

Brodsky will again introduce us to his

everyday characters and weave his

intriguing stories around them.

“There are a number of true story

songs on this album,” he said. “They

tend to be about characters that used to

live in the same Appalachian Mountain

region where I live now. If there are

[recurring] themes on this album, one

would be looking back at the things that

have been lost from earlier times. The

world has sped up, our population has

grown, and people have moved.

Development has come to areas [like his

own in Asheville, North Carolina] that

used to be more rural. There are certain

values that are being lost in the process

and I think those values are really

important. It also points out some of the

troubles with over development and all

of the issues that it brings.”

While long-time San Diego residents

will have no trouble relating to Brodsky’s

songs about unbridled growth, baseball

fans anticipating the opening of the long

awaited Petco Park will be equally

enthusiastic about Brodsky’s Baseball

Ballads.

With an ability to unearth interest-

ing facets about otherwise little-known

baseball players, Brodsky’s Baseball

Ballads soars like a towering fly ball over

the left-field wall.

“With the opening of a new baseball

season, there is always a peaked interest

in baseball. That will be especially true

here in San Diego,” Brodsky said. “The

shelf life of my Baseball Ballads CD is

going to be pretty long. It is timeless in a

way and I always enjoy talking about it.”

A dyed-in-the-wool Philadelphia

Phillies fan, Brodsky sings about, among

other things, the mistreatment that

Richie Allen endured during the 1960s

at the hands of the often racist fans who

used to jeer him in Connie Mack

Stadium. His touching song “Letters in

the Dirt” doubles as a song in which a

father and son connect through their

common love of baseball.

“The Ballad of Eddie Klepp” chroni-

cles the little-known true story of how

Klepp, a white man, played in the Negro

leagues at about the same time that

Jackie Robinson was breaking the color

barrier in the National League.

“Moe Berg” brings to light an other-

wise ordinary player who doubled as an

international spy in the days leading up

to World War II. Every song on the

album is interesting and each one is

meticulously researched.

“I learned the hard way how impor-

tant it is to do thorough research,”

Brodsky admitted. “In the process, I

learned that doing it can also be a lot of

fun.”

Whether he is singing about

America’s national pastime or just

singing about times past, Brodsky uses

the same research-driven technique to

create songs that are both musically

appealing and intellectually stimulating.

His CDs are available through his web-

site: www.chuckbrodsky.com.

the highway’s songthe highway’s song

Brodsky’s Ballads DelightBaseball Fans and Music Lovers Ph

oto:

Joh

n W

yllie

by Annie Bethancourt

Imagine if Britney and Christina couldstop arguing about who had the bet-ter hair dye job, skimpier leather

bustier, or steamier MTV smooch withMadonna and just get along and makegood music. Wouldn’t the world be ahappier place? Women would beempowered, music could blossom, andexpression and art might just replacepublicity and scandal!

Unfortunately, I think the chances arevery slim that these two pop stars willbond together for the sake of sisterhoodand the greater good of music. Lucky forus, we have Judy Fjell. At a small SanDiego venue late last December,Montana native and musical tour-de-force Fjell led a power-packed group offemale musicians (including popular localmusician Lisa Sanders) in a spontaneouson-stage improvisation of a song titled“Wild Jammin’ Woman.” At timessinging in unison, at times breaking offinto layered harmonies, the musicallydiverse group of women joyfully rockedthrough the impromptu tune, which wasinspired by the musical empowermentretreat with the same name that Fjell willbe running in Big Bear at the end of thismonth (April 23-25).

Fjell (pronounced fYELL) is no strangerto this sort of music-based bonding. Infact, she’s made it her life’s work. Raisedin Montana, Fjell was first introduced tomusic as a young girl by way of popularhootenanny-style radio shows that show-

cased American folk music and the worksof singer/songwriters. Her love for livemusic grew when she worked at a localdude ranch one summer, listening to herboss play Joan Baez songson the guitar. Eager toparticipate in music as aform of expression, Fjellbought a guitar at a yardsale and an instruction book-let at a dime store, then soonbegan to play at the localshops and stores in her hometown. Eleven albums, threeundergraduate degrees, 100songs, and countless perform-ances later, Fjell’s has had a richand thriving life, thanks to herparticipation in music — and shewants other people to have thesame experience too!

In 1986 Fjell became the foundingdirector of what she calls MusicEmpowerment Camps, retreats that aredesigned to encourage and cultivate theuse of music as a tangible, life-enrichingforce. Later, in 1991, Fjell began to focuson women and music empowerment byfounding her first Women Making MusicRetreat.

Now, more than ten years later, theretreats are still offered as havens as wellas thriving outlets for women to growtogether and enjoy the benefits of musiccreation. Fjell’s latest creation is her firstfemale music retreat in SouthernCalifornia, a similar female musicempowerment camp called WildJammin’ Women. The camps are open to

approxi-mately 35 womenand are designedto foster femalebonding, creativeexpression, andmusical growth.As Fjellexplained,“The empow-

erment camps arenot about how well you can play an

instrument or sing. The retreats areabout women getting together to sharetheir love of music, to support eachother and learn from each other, and tomake music through the experience ofbeing together.”

For more information on WildJammin’ Women and other MusicEmpowerment Retreats, visit www.judyf-jell.com

“Wild Jammin’ Women” to Gatherat April Music Camp

Judy Fjell

Chuck Brodsky

15

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Jimmie SkinnerDoin’ My Timeby Lou Curtiss

Doin’ My Time is a labor of loveCD set from the amazing BearFamily label. Jimmie Skinner wasone of the real country stylists ofthe post-war period — a superiorsongwriter and an influential per-sonality through the Cincinnati-based record shop that bore hisname. He made records forCapitol, Decca, and Mercury, buthis finest sides were cut for theCincinnati-based Radio Artist labelin 1949-1950.

With a simple down-home styleof back up that features the funkyelectric mandolin of his long-timeassociate Ray Lunsford, these sidesare gems of the early honky-tonkcountry style. Tunes like “Will YouBe Satisfied That Way,” “You Don’tKnow My Mind,” “On the WrongSide of the Track,” plus songsSkinner wrote like “Doin’ MyTime,” “Don’t Give Your Heart toa Rambler,” and the fine “Let’s SayGoodbye Like We Said Hello.” In1961 he cut a Jimmie Rodgerstribute album in his distinctive lowvoice, which was often comparedto Ernest Tubb, and that’s includedas well. The six-CD set includes a92-page hard-cover book withloads of color pictures and a fasci-nating discography. This is a fabu-lous box for anyone who lovespure country music from the earlypost-war years.

Memories ofRenfro Valley

This special CD, for those withan interest in this famous barndance show from Kentucky, is acollection of assorted songs andtunes by such personalities as Karland Harty, Red Foley, Linda Parker(the Sunbonnet Girl), DocHopkins, and Lily Mae Ledford andthe Coon Creek Girls.

MexicanRoots Trioby Paul Hormick

Joel Guzman, Sarah Fox, andMax Baca play conjunto, a down-home style of norteña, in this lim-ited-edition CD. Staying true tothis music, the trio pairs the but-ton accordion with the 12-stringguitar, eschewing any additions ofbass, drums, or other instrumen-tation.

All the magic of the mazurkaand the polka fill this disk. Youhear bits of Germany, thenPoland, and a bit of Slovakia inMax Baca’s button accordion.There’s even a bit of Celtic influ-ence on one of the tunes.

From the mid-nineteenth cen-tury through the beginning of thetwentieth century, the U.S.attempted to “Americanize” thewaves of Eastern European immi-grants who flowed to theseshores. South of the border theCzechs, Poles, and Slavs playedtheir music and danced theirdances. In this country, thesewonderful cultures, with theirwonderful music, were watereddown to such a degree that allwe had left were Lawrence Welkand Frankie Yankovic. On theother hand, our neighbors southof the border took the folk songsof their new neighbors, playedaround with them a little, andgave us all the music of norteña.

By adhering to a firmly estab-lished aesthetic, musicians whodedicate themselves to perform-ing an established roots musiccan often stifle their own spon-taneity and creativity. They apethe lines and riffs, but their play-ing lacks the verve that originallygot their music off the ground.These musicians don’t fall intothat trap. Rather, they throwthemselves into these numbers asthough they were fresh discover-ies, remembering to recreate thelife and not just the sounds oftheir predecessors.

Heartache, love, passion, andjoy are all in these songs, whichwere recorded live in concert inSan Antonio. Joel Guzman’s but-ton accordion laughs and dancesand Max Baca holds everythingtogether on the 12-string. Theirplayful interaction backs SarahFox, whose vocals have a wonder-ful combination of strength andclarity.

See them at the Roots Festival,May 1 and 2. See pages 10-11 forperformance times.

Roy RuizClaytonArmy of RaggedAngelsby Phil Harmonic

If you have seen any of theRoots Festival posters or ads overthe last five years, then you havebeen treated to the vibrant, dis-tinctive illustrations of Roy RuizClayton. This local renaissanceman (singer, songwriter, musi-cian, poet, painter, illustrator, pot-ter) has finally put together hisfirst CD titled Army of RaggedAngels. He synthesizes his poetryinto song lyrics and, in turn, intomusic with feeling and tone, thus“painting” a song. The colors arethe instrumentation and voices,provided by Rob Gironda onHammond organ, Floyd Froniuson violin, Theresa Rochelle-Rosson vocals, Gregory Page on vocalsand bass, and David Page ondrums. Clayton’s voice and guitarset the tone. Like his illustrations,his songs combine complex lyricswith a sparse melodic feel to cre-ate an expressive result.

Roy Ruiz Clayton’s vocal style ishighly Dylanesque but the moreyou listen, you hear that thenuance and distinctions are clear-ly his own style. We are blessedwith the contributions in art andmusic and poetry by such a finetalent. Don’t miss Roy RuizClayton at the Adams AvenueRoots Festival, May 1 and 2. Seepages 10-11 for performancetimes.

The Shelleysby Phil Harmonic

Local singer/songwriters TomBrosseau and Angela Correa havejoined together to form a coun-try folk duo, calling themselvesThe Shelleys. When you noticethe names of the songwriters ontheir eight-song CD — BobDylan, Elizabeth Cotton, WoodyGuthrie, John Prine, Blind WillieJohnson, Leadbelly, and the NewLost City Ramblers — you mightthink that the Shelleys are seniorcitizens or middle-aged babyboomers. No way. These young-sters, who haven’t even hit the30-year-old mark yet, adaptedand arranged these obscure clas-sic songs into high-quality rendi-tions that remain true to theirtraditional music styles. It issooooooo refreshing to heartheir pure, delicate vocal har-monies, which can be describedwith one word: SWEET, especiallyon Bob Dylan’s “Billy” andLeadbelly’s “Bring a Little Water,Sylvie.” The instrumentation con-sists of one acoustic guitar. Thisis a case of “less is more.” It mayappear basic and simple, since itisn’t filled with fast-picking riffs,but it’s solid and, combined withthe subtle playing style, becomeshighly effective and a perfectmatch for the vocals. There’sBlind Willie Johnson’s “In MyTime of Dying,” John Prine’s“John Garfield Blues,” andWoody Guthrie’s “Pastures ofPlenty.”

You can hear them live at thisyear’s Adams Avenue RootsFestival on Saturday, May 1 at 2p.m. on the DiMille Stage withHappy Herman and his ukulele.

Hot Club ofSan DiegoWest Swingby Frederick Leonard

I’ve been snappin’ my fingersall day listening to — and underthe influence of — Hot Club ofSan Diego’s CD, West Swing.Patrick Berrogain on lead guitardelivers a set of compositionsand arrangements well worththe callouses I am sure to devel-op by this time tomorrow. Withthe killer chops and backing sup-port of Alain Cola, who playsrhythm guitar and also copro-duced the CD; Trip Sprague,who was responsible for record-ing and mastering; KevinHennessey on bass; John Stubbson violin; Lou Fanucchi onaccordion; and Bob Goldsandand Monette Marino on percus-sion, this is indeed a very finework.

It is also a beautifully pro-duced CD — it’s clean, with ano-nonsense approach thatallows the music to simply bewhat it is: good. It also occurs tome that, considering the collec-tive talent of this outfit, it avoidsbeing another egotistical “chopfest” where everybody playseverything because they can.(Why is that?) In this case, asmall bunch of very adept musi-cians deploy the art of reserve.Knowing what not to play hap-pens as instinctually as doeswhat they do choose to play (atleast to me, based on how goodthe vibe feels).

The compositions are beauti-fully written and arranged, run-ning the gamut from upbeatswings to slow Parisian-Sunday-afternoon-picnic-by-the-Seine-sounding strolls. The instrumen-tation, while very acoustic inattitude, offers a variety ofsoundscapes in much the sameway a good waiter offers a spec-trum of wines to taste. If you likered wine, you’ll probably lovethis CD. I will verify that thisnotion holds true a little laterthis evening. But for now, expectto hear a few jazz moves andFrench influences, among oth-ers, in the get-up of this WestSwing thing.

You can see them live at theRoots Festival, May 1 and 2. Seepages 10-11 for performancetimes.


full circle

by D. Dwight Worden

There’s a lot of bluegrass happening inSan Diego, so read on, get out, getinvolved, and have some fun!

COMING: RALPH STANLEYRalph Stanley, one of the few still

performing living legends of bluegrass,will be at the East County PerformingArts Center April 13, beginning at 7:30pm. Tickets and information are availableon line: http://www.ecpac.com/eventcal-endar.html or by phone: 619/440-0395.ECPAC is a beautiful performance venuewith plenty of great seating and anexcellent sound system. It is one of thefinest places in San Diego to hear goodmusic. You can purchase tickets for $22-$32 for a chance to see a true bluegrasslegend. The show will be preceded by afree two-hour concert outside the the-ater, presented by the San DiegoBluegrass Society from 5:30-7:30pm, fea-turing such top local bluegrass bands asVirtual Strangers, Bigger Fish, The FullDeck, and the Les and Lou Ann Band.This outdoor pre-event is free and will behosted by the mayor of El Cajon.

Often described as one of the mostimportant country musicians in the worldtoday, Ralph Stanley’s voice captures adark, painful side of life rooted in the cul-tural amber of remote Appalachia. RalphStanley’s voice, simply put, is not of thiscentury. Nor of the last one, for that mat-ter. Its stark emotional urgency harkensback to a time when pain was the com-mon coin of life and the world offeredsinful humanity no hope of refuge.Singing and playing what he calls“mountain music” or “so-called blue-grass” to distinguish himself from con-temporary bluegrass founder BillMonroe, Ralph Stanley made an indeliblemark on our music with his brotherCarter Stanley and the Stanley Brothersbefore Carter Stanley’s death. Since thattime Ralph has continued on with hisClinch Mountain Boys and, in recentyears, finally begun receiving some ofthe national recognition he deserveswith his singing role in the film DownFrom the Mountain and as one of thestars of the Down From the Mountaintour, which traveled nationally followingthe film’s release, including a perform-ance at the Coors arena.

MARCH GRAND OLE OPRY STYLEEVENT A SUCCESS

Last month, the San Diego BluegrassSociety produced a Grand Ole Opry styleevent at St. Mark’s United MethodistChurch in Clairmont. The event, whichwas a great success, featured most ofSan Diego’s top bluegrass bands, includ-ing Full Deck, Virtual Strangers,Lighthouse, Tanya Rose and Her Buds,The Les and Lou Ann Band, Bigger Fish,The Gospel According to John, andmore. KSON’s Wayne Rice, host of theBluegrass Special (Sundays, 10pm-mid-night, 97.3 FM) was master of cere-monies, introducing each group for athree-song set. SDBS’s Gary Kennedyalso took a turn at the mic to introduceWayne and his band Lighthouse, makingit an especially exciting evening,

Wayne broadcast the entire event onhis radio show to celebrate its twenty-eighth anniversary, making it the longestrunning radio show in San Diego history.If you missed this first-of-its-kind event,you not only missed an evening of great

music, but you also missed give-awayCDs and shirts, courtesy of the radio

station, a great KSON birthday cake, andhospitality provided by St. Mark’s. Youalso missed seeing Wayne Rice in a trueNudie Cohen sequined shirt, which hewore when his band Brush Arbor playedat the real Grand Ole Opry!

GONE TOMORROW AT THE BIGKITCHEN

On Friday, April 23, San Diego’s hotnew bluegrass band Gone Tomorrow willpresent a show of traditional and blue-grass music at the famed Big Kitchen inNorth Park from 7:30-9:30pm. Band mem-

bers include Richard Burkett on guitar,Lisa Burns on bass, Steve Dame onbanjo, John Highkin on mandolin, andBeth Mosko on fiddle. Gone Tomorrow isproducing the show along with the BigKitchen’s Judy Forman, better known asJudy the Beauty on Duty. So, come onout to this landmark North Park dinerand enjoy a great show and outstandingmusic. Admission is $5.

CALLING ALL MUSIC TEACHERSThe California Bluegrass Association

is creating a free listing for all bluegrassmusic teachers in California, which willalso include teachers who provideinstruction on an instrument or who offervocal training. The free listing will alsoinclude instruments taught, store loca-tion or other teaching location, and otherinformation. If you teach, or know some-one who does, look into this free service.Go to www.cbaontheweb.org.

NORTH COUNTY BLUEGRASS ANDFOLK CLUB SPRING CAMP OUT

The NCBFC hosts its annual springCamp Out on the weekend of April 23-25.Located at Chula Vista’s KOA camp-ground at 111 North Second Avenue,these camp outs are great fun and anexcellent way to meet people, play yourinstrument, and relax. In addition, thisone is so close to home that if you’re nota camper, you can come down for theday, stay for the evening pot luck andjamming, and go home to your own bed!For information or to sign up, call PhilLevy of the NCBFC at 619/440-7028. I’llsee you there!

MID-STATE BLUEGRASS FESTIVALApril 30-May 2 is the date of the

Mid-State Bluegrass Festival in PasoRobles at the Mid-State Fairgrounds.Although the event is not exactly local,it’s a pretty five-hour drive to the north.

Great music will be provided by theJames King Band, Cache Valley Drifters,Lost Highway, Sidesaddle and Co., RonSpears and Within Tradition, and more.So, if you’re the travelin’ sort, you shouldgive this consideration.

LOCAL JAMSRemember to stop by one or more of

our local jam sessions, which are opento the public. Regular SDBS jams meetevery second Tuesday of the month atFuddruckers in Grossmont Center.Starting at 7pm, there’s open mic andbluegrass karaoke, where you can getup and play or sing a tune of your choicewith back-up by the SDBS band FullDeck. From 8-9pm a featured band per-forms (Dennis Roger Reed will be therein April) followed by more open mic from9-10pm. There’s also jamming outside

that’s open to everyone. If you want toplay the open mic or karaoke, call GaryKennedy at 619/296-0455 to sign up or,space permitting, sign up at the event.

Every Third Tuesday the SDBS meetsat the Chula Vista Fuddruckers, withopen mic, bluegrass karaoke, and signup slots for bands. Contact Les Prestonat 619/267-2020 to sign up or, space per-mitting, sign up at the event.

And don’t forget to come to Shirley’sKitchen at 7868 El Cajon Blvd. in La Mesaon every fourth Tuesday for more SDBS-sponsored jamming, open mic, band per-formances, and Shirley’s great food atgreat prices. You’ll like the music and theatmosphere at this family restaurant.

If you live in the North County, try theNorth San Diego County Bluegrass andFolk Club’s jam at Roundtable Pizza onWashington St. in Escondido every firstTuesday. April’s featured band is BiggerFish. In addition to a featured band and avariety of other performances, there’slots of jamming outside. For those incoastal North County, stop by Banjo BobCox’s jam every Thursday from 6-9pm atNew York Pizza on Santa Fe in Encinitasfor great group playing and lots of fun.

There’s lots to do and see. Getinvolved — I’ll look for you!

ramblin’ramblin’

16

The

Bluegrass CORNER

by Sven-Erik Seaholm

Raising the Game

Ilike golf. It’s not just the fresh air, littleelectric carts, bizarre dress code, andability to smoke cigars and drink beer

while doing it either. Part of the attractionis that every time you go to swing the club,a laundry list of all you’ve ever learned andpracticed comes into play. How your feetset up. Where your shoulders are. How youtime your backswing. The speed and angleof the downswing. How you followthrough. It takes most folks decades toapproach what they feel is their best game,and there are no guarantees, although con-sidering the price of playing the sport, per-haps there should be. Until we’re all teeingup in virtual simulators at the mall, golfwill remain the province of those withenough time and money to chase a littlewhite ball while dressed like somebody’sGranddad. Having little of either, I prettymuch just watch little televised snatches ofit and marvel at guys like Tiger Woods.

Now there’s a guy I can really respect. Thehighly coveted slots on the PGA tour are ahotly contested and precious few, andbringing one’s game even near that levelrequires an overwhelming amount of talentand a lifetime of commitment. Tiger didn’tjust meet that challenge, though. He beatthe hell out of everybody for a couple ofyears straight. He exceeded the mark bysuch a large margin that his competitorshad to completely rethink their approach.They had to become physically stronger.Their focus and intensity levels needed tobe even further honed to an atom-splittingsharpness. In a phrase, the entire tour hadto raise its game.

By Tiger pushing himself and his col-leagues to new heights of excellence, thevery sport itself is what has ultimately ben-efited most. Anything that is worth all ofyour time, all of your resources, and yourtotal dedication should be treated with thesame sort of passion and respect exempli-fied by Mr. Woods’ approach to golf.Songwriting, performing, and recording areall noble crafts. They’re also a lot of fun,and it’s easy enough for scores of people todo them, but if you’ve decided this is whatyou want to do with your life, shouldn’tyou bring the full force of you talents andpassion to the proverbial table every time?

In the past few years, the cost of micro-phones and preamps has come down drasti-cally, while the quality of such items hasincreased by an almost equal proportion.Increased competition for a growing con-sumer-oriented market, paired with itsthirst for higher quality results has, inessence, forced manufacturers to raise theirgame as well. PreSonus has been well with-in the fairways of affordable, high qualityaudio for almost 10 years now, and withthe introduction of their Eureka singlechannel preamplifier compressor and equal-

izer ($699.95 retail, $499 street), it lookslike their competitors will be scurrying backto the practice tees in large numbers.

At first blush, the Eureka would appear tobe a smaller cousin to the popular butpricey Avalon 737sp. You’ve got that juicyoval VU meter, cool color illuminated but-tons, and a similar basic layout. But theAvalon is a tube-based unit, while theEureka is solid state. Both use discrete ClassA components, which for the sake of brevi-ty I’ll simply define as the really, reallygood top shelf stuff put together in the bestpossible way.

I recently had the opportunity to useEureka with a really great microphone, theTelefunken Elam 251, a vintage tube micro-phone from 1959 that sells for upwards of$25,000. I also tried it with a much moremodestly priced Shure SM57. After an ini-tial bit of trial and error, I started to getsome really great results in a short amountof time. Later, I used the SM57 dynamic onan electric guitar amp and for someacoustic guitars, and I mic’d a bass drumwith an AKG D112 through it. The Eureka’ssilky bottom and ultra-sparkling clean topend were hallmarks of all these tests, and itdefinitely displayed a chameleon-like quali-ty in being able to tackle all these choreseasily. This thing sounds like stuff that costsfour times as much!

I like the variable microphone impedancefeature, as well as the Saturation Control,which adds a bit of tube emulation sweet-ening to an already impressive trick bag.The compressor even has soft or hard kneecompression, and three fully parametricbands of eq. The only quibble I had was theinconvenient location of the power buttonon the rear of the unit, and instead of uti-lizing that beautiful VU meter for inputlevel metering, they relegated that task to athree-segment LED meter.

Still, this thing does an awesome job ofbringing really great sounding gear into theaffordable price range for folks like us, and Irecommend you take a close look at thispiece the next time you’re considering rais-ing your studio’s game.

Sven-Erik Seaholm is an award-winning record-ing artist and producer who writes and per-forms with The Gandhi Method and The WildTruth when he isn’t working with other artiststhrough his company, Kitsch & Sync Production(www.kaspro.com).

Wayne Rice wearing his Nudie shirt

KSON anniversary cake

Sven-Erik Seaholm

17

ramblin’ramblin’


by Jim McInnes

OccupationalHazards

This afternoon my wife sent me aninstant message while I was on the airat KPLN (103.7 The Planet). In the

message she wrote, “Hi, handsome. Play‘Misty’ for me.” In an instant I was hearingangelic harp glissandos and experiencing aspinning vortex-like visual effect, sending meback in time...to late 1972.

Clint Eastwood’s film Play Misty For Me,about a radio deejay and a delusional femalelistener, had come out a year before. Probablyevery radio personality in the country had hadsomeone call and say, “Play ‘Misty’ for me,” atleast once during the ensuing year. The jokewore very thin very fast. The story I am aboutto tell has nothing to do (on the surface, any-way) with “Misty,” but...

Back then I was a radio rookie at WIBA-FM (Radio Free Madison) in Wisconsin. Myairshift was on Friday and Saturday nights,from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m. Think about it — aneight-hour show with few commercials andNO format and no rules!

I’d usually start the show with a few hoursof “now” music, featuring the Beatles, Stones,Grateful Dead, Zeppelin, Stooges, CaptainBeyond, John Renbourne, Grand Funk, NickDrake, Attila (a heavy-metal keyboard triowith Billy Joel), The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,Curved Air, Fifty Foot Hose, John Cale,TerryRiley, Lothar and the Hand People, all theusual suspects. (I actually dropped all thosenames to raise my “hipness” quotient,although I did, indeed, play ‘em all at onetime or another...so I really AM a “hepcat!”)By the fifth hour I’d be into longer selections— entire album sides by the Allman Brothersor “Dark Star” from Live Dead. By 2 a.m. I wasusually...er... in an altered state of conscious-ness, listening to tape hiss or roll-off grooves

on albums (after all, they’re metronomicallyrhythmic just like hip-hop).

One Saturday morning at about 2:30, therequest line in the studio lit up. Knowing thatcallers at that hour had usually been in need ofacid rescue, I dreaded answering the phone.“Radio Free Madison,” I mumbled. “Hi, sexy,”a soft, seductive voice whispered.Straightening up, I replied, “Hey! Who’s this?”“My name is Anna (ahh-na). What are youdoing when you get off the air?” Being thestraight man, I replied, “I dunno. Whatcha gotin mind?” “Wanna come over to my place? I’dlove to meet you in person!” I said, “Oh yeah?If you’re for real, what’s your address?” Whenshe gave me her address and phone number Istood up and tried to follow my imaginationas it ran away. She called back three minutesafter the first call ended and asked that I bringher a pack of cigarettes. I recalled the old maleadage “If she smokes, she pokes!” I exclaimed,“I’ll be right over!”

I picked up a sixer of Bud along with hersmokes. Maybe we needed to get loose.

I knocked on Ahh-na’s door. When sheopened the door I was expecting a night-mare, but she was good looking: 5’ 5”, niceface, and slim...except for those “EthelMerman” arms. She had probably lost a lot ofweight in a short time. I was glad that only Iwas fat! (It’s alright for the ‘star’ to be over-weight.)

We knocked back a few beers and passedaround el roacho until we did the mysterydance. It was more than I could have hopedfor! Whips and chains! Mayonnaise! Oil andice! Naughty and nice! I thought, “How coolis this? I didn’t have to play the game! Radiois a wonderful gig!”

Ahh-na and I got together often after thatwild night. After a few weeks, she told me asecret. “I’m a witch!” she whispered. “Oh?”“But I’m a good witch. I practice whitemagic.” “Whew! If you were a black witch I’dhave asked for a demonstration. Who knowswhere I’d have ended up?” (Hearty laughteron both sides.)

She began to lean on the mystical witch-craft bit. “I can read minds,” she told me. “Iknow what Jimmy wants right now.”

Mmmmmmmmmfffffffm....Then she started calling and ordering me

to be at her place after work. I wonderedwhether she could make my head explode if Ididn’t comply. I was beginning to have reser-vations about this relationship.

One day Ahh-na took me for a ride. Wedrove through a nice Madison neighborhood,admiring the houses, when she stopped infront of a home with a “For Rent” sign in thefront yard. “Here’s where we are going to live,Jimmy!” I said, “Wait a minute! Who’s we?You and me?” “Of course.” “Um, nobodyasked me about it.” “C’mon Jimmy, you knowyou want to live with me.”

“NO!”I got out of the car and thumbed my way

home. That was the end of that.A few months later I saw her at my

favorite watering hole. She was with a newguy. He had a kind of dazed look about himand probably didn’t notice when Ahh-na andI locked eyes and she gave me the stare ofdeath! I thought, “Wow! Bad vibes, boys andgirls!” That was the last time I saw Ahh-na. Iwas free again.

Thank God I never fell under her spell. I’m just trying to figure out how I heard

her voice say “Jimmmm” in my ear while Iwas reading a Zap comic book months later.

Radio Daze

Jim McInnes

by José Sinatra

Sometimes it’s not enough to let“sleeping dogs” lie. Something assimple as a foul mood or as complexas Male Menopausal Menstruationcan make you want to immediatelythrow the car into reverse andrepeatedly drive over its straycanine head until the best part of acity block is slick and slippery withdoggy dura, creating an invisibledanger to any members of thesatanic cult of skateboarders whoattempt to sweep in and scoop thefurry carcass away for their ownsecret and perverted rites. If onlythis dumbed-down, zombified worldknew the suffering you’ve beengoing through.

But that’s not nice at all, is it? Sowhat? “Real” life can certainly be acruel one, and perhaps the fasterthe frothing masses are reminded ofthat truth, the faster you can relaxand stop talking to yourself so darnmuch.

For veritable skull-crushinganguish, I doubt that any musicalcareer could match that which waslived, breathed, and perpetrated byperhaps the second finest singer ofmodern (post-Petomane) times: theone, the only, the original, thethey’re-paying-me-by-the-word-so-bear-with-me-in-this-endeavor iconknown as Sammy Davis Jr.

Yes, Sammy, who with three anda half strikes against him still swungthat bat and became who he was ...who he still is.

A corpse.Oh, dear Heavens, Hose, you

can’t be writing this. Yes, I can. Sammy says so.Right now it’s sometime in March

and whatever I’m writing is sched-uled to hit the stands on the first ofApril. That’s April Fool’s Day, soonce again, I’ve seriously jumpedthe gun, which always has conse-quences. Like a very rare state ofseriousness.

Grotesque horror (I now confess)is one of my limited arsenal ofweapons I pull from concealmentwhen I can’t deal with reality. Or atleast deal with it in a proper way. If Iactually understand what “proper”means in the first place. Or I cared.

I especially find it difficult to dealwith the death of any one breathingbeing who would never hurt a fly orharm a dog or an evil skateboarder.

And when I think of one recentpassing in particular, I feel ashamedof myself and far poorer than I wasbefore she left.

Still, I truly have it easy. Becausetoday, there is a gentleman’s gentle-man named Lyle who has beendeprived of the physical reality of abeloved wife. And his superbly tal-ented son who (regardless of hispolitical views), regardless of thepain he has been dealt, will remain agrowing source of light in the foggyhalls of our world’s music cathedral.

The three of them have helpedme more than I’ve realized; that isdefinitely no April Fool and I’m nevergoing to joke about these three, whohave and will continue to serve theirfellow men and women with thesame grace and care and love withwhich all three continue to servetheir Lord.

Nearly two weeks ago, I sawhundreds of their extended familyverify their worth in their sad smilesand tears and miraculous ability toconjure up a breathing beingthrough Love on a Saturday thatseemed itself borne of Love. And Ilove it because it became easy toBelieve.

Thus humbled, I remain a Foolthis April, but more aware, I think, ofseeking opportunities to beautify thegrotesque or notice profundity in themundane, while my own fortuneswill most likely remain as always:less than desired, more thandeserved.

Get up with your bad selves.Keep driving on.

The debonair Mr. Sinatra

Phot

o: T

oots

von

Wes

ton

Hosing Down

18


APRIL MUSIC CALENDAR

‘round about‘round about

thursday • 1The Art of Guitar Making, Geisel Library,UCSD, through June 11. 858/534-8074.Martin Storrow/Beezeley/Trevor Davis/Marit Weitnauer, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

friday • 2John Bosley, Tabloid Coffee, Santee,7pm.John Wesley Harding, Acoustic MusicSan Diego, 4650 Mansfield St., 7:30pm.619/303-8176Wright & Hess, Metaphor Cafe, 8pm.Alicia Champion/Chris Hobson/LaurenDeRose/Until John/Kevin Wood, Twiggs,8:30pm.Dehra Dun/LMH, Lestats, 9pm.Tubby, Coaster Saloon, Mission Beach,9pm.Photo Charity Event w/ Candye Kane, TioLeos, 5302 Napa St., 9pm.Matt Curreri/Goodbye Blue Monday/ThisHoliday Life, Java Joes Pub, 6344 ElCajon Blvd., 9pm.

saturday • 3Trophy Wife, M-Theory, 3pm.Band in Black (Johnny Cash tribute),Pine Hills Lodge, Julian, 6pm. 760/765-1100.Steve Gillette/Cindy Mangsen, OldPoway Park, 7pm.David Wilcox, Acoustic Music SanDiego, 4650 Mansfield St., 7:30pm.619/303-8176.Randy Phillips/John Katchur/Joe Payne,Dizzys, 7:30pm.See Spot Run, Metaphor Cafe, 8pm.Jamie Crawford/Jefferson Jay/AnnieDru/Renata Youngblood/Steve Peavey,Twiggs, 8:30pm.Soothsayers & Friends, Lestats, 9pm.21 Grams, Coaster Saloon, MissionBeach, 9pm.Ghost Town Deputies/Fat Tones/RoxyMonoxide, Tio Leos, 5302 Napa St., 9pm.Tristan Prettyman, Java Joes Pub, 6344El Cajon Blvd., 9pm.

sunday • 4Joe Marillo pays tribute to FrankSinatra, Dizzys, 7pm.Lighthouse, North County BaptistChurch, 221 W. 7th, Escondido, 7pm.Annie Dru & Friends, Lestats, 9pm.

monday • 5Bridget’s Music Mondays, HumphreysBackstage Lounge, Shelter Island, 6:30pm.Modest Mouse, Whistlestop Bar, 9pm.

tuesday • 6Bigger Fish, Round Table Pizza, 1161E.Washington St., Escondido, 7pm.

wednesday • 721 Grams/Carol Ames, OB FarmersMarket, 4-7pm.Sue Palmer Supper Club, Caffe Calabria,3933 30th St., 6-8pm.Ryan Blue/Angela Patula/JamieCrawford, Lestats, 9pm.Billy Shaddox/Tom Brosseau/PeteThurston, Belly Up Tavern, 9pm.

thursday • 8Nickel Creek, RIMAC Arena, UCSD.John Hiatt, Sycuan Casino, 8pm.

Bobby Rock Drum Clinic, Lestats, 8pm.

Sara Bancroft/Tim Mudd/Brian Lee/Francisco Aviles, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Josh Ritter, Casbah, 9pm.Berkley Hart, Dizzys, 10:30pm.

friday • 9Andersons & Friends, Tabloid Coffee,Santee, 7pm.Tribute to Glenn Miller, East CountyPerforming Arts Ctr., El Cajon, 7:30pm.Wright & Hess, Metaphor Cafe, 8pm.Yonder Mountain String Band/Lighthouse, 4th & B, 8pm.Tristan Prettyman/Pete Thurston/Dave’sSon/Gregory Page/The County, Twiggs,8:30pm.Proclaimers/Biddy Bums, Casbah,8:30pm.Joey Show w/ Billy Thompson, Tio Leos,5302 Napa St., 9pm.Big Provider, Coaster Saloon, MissionBeach, 9pm.The Displaced/Bangladeshi Pears/HeatActivated Rhythm, Lestats, 9pm.Robin Henkel, Java Joes Pub, 6344 ElCajon Blvd., 9pm.Highland Way, Patricks Pub, Poway,9pm.

saturday • 10Spring Harmonica Festival, Harry GriffenPark, La Mesa, 11:30am-6pm.San Diego Day of Percussion, Musicbldg., SDSU, 1-6pm. Info: 619/594-7452.Keating & Kimball, Metaphor Cafe, 8pm.Jen Knight/Satish/Jack the Original/TedEhr, Twiggs, 8:30pm.Edie Brickell, Belly Up Tavern, 9pm.Baja Blues Boys, Patricks, Poway, 9pm.Anya Marina, Lestats, 9pm.Gandhi Method/Hudson Rider, CoasterSaloon, Mission Beach, 9pm.Mississippi Mud CD Release, Tio Leos,5302 Napa St., 9pm.Christopher Dale/The Friday Band, JavaJoes Pub, 6344 El Cajon Blvd., 9pm.

sunday • 11J. Turtle/Saba/Pete Thurston, Lestats, 9pm.

tuesday • 13Jonatha Brooke, Belly Up Tavern, SolanaBeach, 7:30pm.Ralph Stanley & Clinch Mountain Boys,East County Performing Arts Ctr., 7:30pm.

wednesday • 14Sue Palmer Supper Club, Caffe Calabria,3933 30th St., 6-8pm.Scarlet Symphony, M-Theory, 8pm.

thursday • 15Mark Erelli, Acoustic Music San Diego,4650 Mansfield St., 7:30pm. 619/303-8176.James Brown, Pala Casino, 8pm.Carol Ames, Humphreys BackstageLounge, Shelter Island, 8pm.Renata Youngblood/Fiona Wong/MickOverman/AM, Twiggs, 8:30pm.Bushwalla/Renata Youngblood/AnnaTroy, Lestats, 9pm.

friday • 16Blind Tamale Review, Tabloid Coffee,Santee, 7pm.The Quimbys, Metaphor Cafe, 8pm.Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Viejas Casino,8pm.Solas/Skelpin, Humphreys BackstageLounge, Shelter Island, 8:30pm.

Holiday & Adventure Pop Collective/Middle Earth Band/ Ashley Matte/ChrisCarpenter, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Robin Henkel, Lestats, 9pm.

Tomorrow’s Son/American Luxury/Buzzkill Romantics/Shrines, CoasterSaloon, Mission Beach, 9pm.Rock Trio, Java Joes Pub, 6344 El CajonBlvd., 9pm.League of Crafty Guitarists, Dizzys, 10pm.

saturday • 17Allison Lonsdale (6-8pm)/Gregory Page,Lestats, 9pm.Glorious Gospel, 1st Unitarian Church,4190 Front St., 7:30pm.Coyote Problem/The Inside/SaraBancroft/Rebeca Randle, Twiggs,8:30pm.Transfer (formerly Ten Pound Brown)/Sweet Tooth/Alpha Ray, Coaster Saloon,Mission Beach, 9pm.Flying Putos, Tio Leos, 5302 Napa St., 9pm.Hot Lunch, Java Joes Pub, 6344 El CajonBlvd., 9pm.

sunday • 18145th Street, Coaster Saloon, MissionBeach, 2-6pm.Sue Palmer & her Motel SwingOrchestra, Dizzys, 7pm.David Massengill, Dark ThirtyProductions, Lakeside, 7:30pm.The Walking/The Enchanted/TheExfriends, Lestats, 9pm.

monday • 19Bridget’s Music Mondays, HumphreysBackstage Lounge, Shelter Island,6:30pm.

tuesday • 20Big Sandy & his Fly-Rite Boys/BR5-49,The Casbah, 8:30pm.

wednesday • 21Sue Palmer Supper Club, Caffe Calabria,3933 30th St., 6-8pm.

thursday • 22Piano Extravaganza, Dizzys, 8pm.Jimmy Patton/Louisa West/LMH/JoeMorgan, Twiggs, 8:30pm.Pete Thurston/Truckee Brothers, Lestats,9pm.Coyote Problem, Dream Street, 9pm

friday • 23Coyote Problem, Lanstorm Cafe, 262 E.Grand Ave., Escondido, 6pm.Modern Rhythm, Humphreys BackstageLounge, Shelter Island, 6-8pm.Billy Gunn/Physical Impulse/TheDarrels, Tabloid Coffee, Santee, 7pm.Gone Tomorrow, Big Kitchen, 3003 GrapeSt., Golden Hill, 7:30pm.Peter Sprague & Pass the Drum , Dizzys,8pm.Meghan La Roque/Mermaid’s Journey/Curtis Peoples/Lauren DeRose/JimmyAtto, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Rock Trio, Tiki Room, 9pm.

See Spot Run, Coaster Saloon, MissionBeach, 9pm.The Emerson Band/Jack the Original,Lestats, 9pm.Jump Jones, Tio Leos, 5302 Napa St., 9pm.

saturday • 24Lite the Night, Metaphor Cafe, 8pm.Kathy Mattea, California Ctr. for the Arts,Escondido, 8pm.Tim Mudd/Cameron Ash/Robert Spencer/Kerrie Caldwell/Jimmy Atto, Twiggs,8:30pm.Baja Blues Boys, Cafe Crema, PacificBeach, 9pm.7th Day Buskers, Lestats, 9pm.The Blazers, Tio Leos, 5302 Napa St., 9pm.Anya Marina/Saba, Java Joes Pub, 6344El Cajon Blvd., 9pm.Celticana, Patricks Pub, Poway, 9pm.

sunday • 25Tom Brosseau/Angela Correa/LisaSanders, Lestats, 9pm.

wednesday • 28Coyote Problem, OB Farmers Market, 5pm.Chris Klich, Lestats, 8:30pm.Tommy Price, Java Joes Pub, 6344 ElCajon Blvd., 9pm.Teeny-Tiny Pit Orchestra for Silent Films,Che Cafe, UCSD. Screenings at 10 & 11pm.

thursday • 29Leonard Patton/Gerard Nolan-TobyAhrens Jazz Quartet, Twiggs, 8:30pm.Tristan Prettyman/Gregory Page/BillyShaddox/Saba, Belly Up Tavern, 8:30pm.Jezebel/Make Out Boys, Lestats, 9pm.

friday • 30Leigh Taylor Band, Metaphor Cafe, 8pm.Tristan Prettyman/Annie Bethancourt/ AlexEsther/Saba/J. Turtle, Twiggs, 8:30pm.Berkley Hart, Lestats, 9pm.Vern’s Burnt Chicken, Tio Leos, 5302Napa St., 9pm.

WEEKLYevery sunday

7th Day Buskers, Farmer’s Market, DMVparking lot, Hillcrest, 9am-1pm.

Traditional Irish Music, Tom Giblin’s Pub,640 Grand Ave., Carlsbad, 3pm.

Irish Dance, Dublin Square, 554 FifthAve., 3pm.

Celtic Ensemble, Twiggs, 4pm.

Cobblestone (Irish Music & Dance), 5-6:30pm, Boxty Band, 6:30-10pm.The Field,544 Fifth Ave.

Miff’s Jam Night, Java Joes, 6344 ElCajon Blvd., 6-9pm.

Jazz Roots w/ Lou Curtiss, 9-10:30pm,KSDS (88.3 FM).

The Bluegrass Special w/ Wayne Rice,10-midnight, KSON (97.3 FM).

every mondayJoe Rathburn, Gallery at the Marina,Chula Visa, 5-9pm.

Open Mic Night, Rosie O’Grady’s, NormalHeights, 7pm.

Open Mic Night, Lestats, 7:30pm.

every tuesdayTraditional Irish Music, The Ould Sod,Normal Heights, 7pm.

Open Mic Night, Casa Picante, 10757Woodside Ave., Santee, 7:30-9:30pm.

Traditional Irish Music, Blarney Stone,Clairemont, 8:30pm.

every wednesdayOpen Mic Night, Twiggs, 6:30pm.

Open Mic Night, Adams Ave. Studio ofthe Arts, 2804 Adams Ave, 8pm.

Open Mic Night, The Packing House, 125S. Main St., Fallbrook, 8pm.

Open Mic Night, Metaphor Cafe,Escondido, 8pm.

Live Taping of San Diego’s Finest TVShow, Lestats, 8:30pm.

Highland Way, Tom Giblin’s Pub, 640Grand Ave., Carlsbad, 9pm.

Hatchet Brothers, The Ould Sod, 9pm.

every thursdayOpen Blues Jam w/ Chet & Committee,Downtown Cafe, 182 E. Main St., ElCajon, 5:30-9:30pm.

Open Mic Night, Just Java Cafe, 285Third Ave., Chula Vista, 7-10pm.

Open Mic Night, Coaster Saloon,Mission Beach, 9pm.

Carrie O’Kee, The Ould Sod, 9pm.

Rockabilly Thursdays w/ Hot RodLincoln, Tio Leos, 5302 Napa St., 9pm.

Talent Showcase, Lestats, 9-11pm.

every fridayCalifornia Rangers, McCabes,Oceanside, 4:30-9pm.Songwriter Showcase, Tabloid Coffee,9225-27 Carlton Hills Blvd., Santee, 7pm.

every saturdayChristian/Gospel Open Mic, El Cajon.Info: J.D., 619/246-7060.

Open Mic Night, Coffee Bean & TeaLeaf, 9015 Mira Mesa Blvd., 8pm.Talent Showcase w/ Larry Robinson &the Train Wreck Band, The PackingHouse, 125 S. Main St., Fallbrook, 8pm.

Carrie O’Kee, The Ould Sod, 9pm.

saturday & sunday

may 1 & 2Adams AvenueRoots Festival

Want to be included inour monthly calendar?

Email the dates, locations, andtimes your band is playing to:[email protected]

Jack Johnson & the Hank Show

the local seen


the local seen

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Jen Knight at Twiggs

Phot

o: J

oel

Sieg

frie

d

Saba at Lestats

Photo: Paul Grupp

Buddy Pastel Jr.

Photo: Louis Brazier

Bradley Trafton at Twiggs

Phot

o: J

oel

Sieg

frie

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Andrew Marham of The Cat Mary

Phot

o: P

aul

Gru

pp

Aaron Bowen

Phot

o: J

oel

Sieg

frie

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Ken Dow of The Cat Mary

Photo: Paul Grupp

Alicia Champion at Indie by Design

Phot

o: P

aul

Gru

pp

Troy Dante & Jose Sinatra at Lestats

Phot

o: L

ouis

Bra

zier

Miff Laracy

Photo: Louis Brazier

Karen Jacobson at Twiggs

Photo: Paul Grupp

Balkan Cafe OrchestraEclectic Folk Music from Around the World

Lou & Peter BerrymanFolkdom’s Favorite Funny Folks

Featuring

Information: www.GoThere.com/AdamsAve • Music produced by Lou Curtiss and Folk Arts Rare Records • Music Info: 619/282-7833/For booth rentals: 619/282-7329

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

T h e A d a m s A v e n u e B u s i n e s s A s s o c i a t i o n P r e s e n t s t h e 3 1 s t A n n u a l

eMusic

e Dance

e Arts

e Crafts

e Food

e Workshops

e Beer Garden

e 7 Stages

w34th to 35th Streets, Adams Avenue and Adams Park in Normal Heights

San Diego, California

Jon AdamsFolk Songster

Los AlacranesMexican Folk Songs

Ross AltmanSinger-Songfighter

American Folk SingersOld Wine in New Bottles

Ray BierlCowboy Songs & Fiddle Tunes

John BosleyBluesy Original Songs

Curt BouterseAppalachian Folk Music

Tom BoyerCountry Guitar

The Budapest BrothersEastern European Folk Music

Los CaliforniosMusic from Colonial California

Les CampagnardsTraditional French Country Music

Roy Ruiz ClaytonFolk Songwriter

Tomcat CourtneyTexas Blues

Gone TomorrowTraditional Bluegrass

Patty HallOriginal & Old-Timey Country Songs

Larry HanksOld-Time Folk Songster

Robin HenkelBlues

High, Wide, & HandsomeCowbilly

Holdstock & MacLeodBritish Folk & Sea Songs

Hot Club of San DiegoGypsy Jazz

Bob LabeauEclectic Singer-Songwriter

Mary McCaslinOriginal Songwriter

The New Lost Melody BoysOld-Timey String Band

The New Smokey Mountain BoysMusic of Roy Acuff

San Diego Cajun PlayboysLouisiana Cajun Music

Siamsa Gael Ceili BandTraditional Irish

7th Day BuskersAmericana

Mark SpoelstraVeteran Folkster on 12-String Guitar

Mimi WrightAppalachian Ballads & Folk Songs

eMusic

e Dance

e Arts

e Crafts

e Food

e Workshops

e Beer Garden

e 7 Stages

Featuring

w

Performers subject to change.

Old-Tim

e Music • Traditional Folk • Appalachian • Bluegra

ss, C

ountry • Celtic • Country Blues • Cowboy Music • Conjunto

Info: www.GoThere.com/AdamsAve

Kenny HallOld-Time Fiddle & Mandolin

Paul GeremiaBluesman & 12-String Wizard

May 1v2, 2004May 1v2, 2004

Mexican Roots TrioGrammy-Winning Conjunto Music

Clyde DavenportCumberland Gap Fiddle & Banjo

Hawks and EaglesConsummate Traveling Minstrels

SAN DIEGO ROUBADOURfull circle April 2004 • San Diego Troubadour 4 by Bart Mendoza “I’ve had...

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Transcript of SAN DIEGO ROUBADOURfull circle April 2004 • San Diego Troubadour 4 by Bart Mendoza “I’ve had...