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

ROUBADOURSAN DIEGO

May 2004 Vol. 3, No. 8

TFREE

Welcome Mat………3Mission StatementContributorsMail Box

Full Circle.. …………4Rose MaddoxRecordially, Lou Curtiss

Front Porch…………6Jen KnightCatherine BeeksDanielle LoPresti

Parlor Showcase...…8Sue Palmer

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

Highway’s Song... …12Troubadours of Divine Bliss

Of Note.……………13Catherine BeeksAmy ObenskiTroubadours of Divine BlissAnnie Dru

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

The Local Seen……15Photo Page

what’sinside

THE WOMEN’S ISSUEGirls! Girls! Girls!

Sue PalmerHeavenly Beats from

a Jazz Angel

“Let me say ...

that the true

revolutionary is

guided by a

great feeling of

love.” — Che Guevara

Phil“Cinco de Mayo” Harmonic Sez

San Diego Troubadour • May 2004

welcome matwelcome mat

3

FOUNDERSLyle Duplessie (Publisher Emeritus)Ellen Duplessie Liz AbbottKent Johnson

PUBLISHERSKent JohnsonLiz Abbott

EDITORIAL/GRAPHICSLiz Abbott

ADVERTISING/DISTRIBUTIONKent Johnson

PHOTOGRAPHYMillie MorenoPaul Grupp

WRITERSCathryn BeeksLou CurtissLyle DuplessieBen FruminPhil HarmonicPaul HormickFrederick LeonardJim McInnesLaura PrebleSven-Erik SeaholmChuck SchieleJosé SinatraD. Dwight Worden

Cover photography: Paul Grupp

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

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

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

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

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

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

©2004 San Diego Troubadour.

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

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

)MAILBOX_

Dear San DiegoTroubadour,

Thank you somuch for yourgreat article inthe San DiegoTroubadour on our new “WildJammin’ Women” music camp.I loved your lead-in and thepoints you made aboutempowering women throughmusic — not making it abouthow well anyone can play aninstrument or sing but insteadgetting women together toshare their love of music, sup-port and learn from each other,and make music through theexperience of being together!”

You really got our essence!We appreciate it tremendously!

With many good wishes andappreciation,

Masa GoetzWild Jammin’ Women

I N M E M O R I U M

MERRITT HERRING

It’s always hard to hear

when one of your favorite

old-time songsters passes

away. Merritt Herring, who

played at Adams Avenue

Roots Festivals as far back

as the second one in 1968

and as recently as two years

ago, was always a treat to

see and hear and a delight

to so many fans. We will

miss him. I always used to ask Merritt to play the old Carter fami-

ly song “Give Me Roses While I’m Living.” I hope he got a few of

those roses from his San Diego fans.

— Lou Curtiss

San Diego Troubadour

TTHHEE SS ..DD.. TTRROOUUBBAADDOOUURR NNEEEEDDSS WWRRIITTEERRSS!!

II ff yyoouu tt hh ii nnkk yyoouu hhaavvee aa ff ll aa ii rrffoo rr wwrr ii tt ii nngg aanndd wwoouu lldd ll ii kk ee ttoobbee oonn oouu rr tt eeaamm,, sseenndd aassaammpp ll ee oo ff yyoouu rr wwrr ii tt ii nngg ttoossdd tt rroouubbaaddoouu rr@@yyaahhoooo .. ccoommoorr PP..OO.. BBooxx 116644 ,, LLaa JJoo ll ll aa ,,CCAA 9922003388 ..

TTHHEE SS ..DD.. TTRROOUUBBAADDOOUURR NNEEEEDDSS WWRRIITTEERRSS!!

May 2004 • San Diego Troubadour

full circlefull circle

4

by Lyle Duplessie

he first time I heard of Rose Maddoxwas about ‘71 or ‘72. I was working atan ice cream shop and employees

took turns picking radio stations. When myturn rolled around I tuned in to KSON, theonly country station in town back then. Inthose ancient days it was customary tohear classic country and classic artistsmixed into the station’s top 30 play format. Idon’t exactly remember which RoseMaddox song played, but it hit a musicalnerve somewhere in my soul, and I knewshe was the real deal.

My parents, being transplanted WestCoast honky-tonkers, were very familiarwith her music back in the day when shewas part of the seminal California hillbillyband, the Maddox Brothers and Rose. Theylost track of her a decade or so earlierwhen the band broke up and Rose venturedout on her own. But as Gene Clark oncesang, “It’s funny how a circle turnsaround.” My folks were a bit surprisedwhen I mentioned that old familiar name,but, indeed, great music has a knack ofgoing full circle, touching one generationafter another. In her own way, Rose helpedto connect the generation gap at theDuplessie residence, if only by a little bit.

Rose was born Roselea ArbanaMaddox on August 15, 1925, near Boaz,Alabama, to impoverished sharecroppers,Charlie and Lula Maddox. In 1933 the familyfollowed Lula’s dream, conceived via dimestore novels, of moving to California. Theysold all they had, except for the clothes ontheir backs and one or two other essentialbelongings, for $35. With five of their sevenkids in tow, the family made their way tothe California promised land. An older son,Cliff, and daughter, Alta, stayed behind forthe time being and joined the family lateron. Like something right out of Steinbeck,they hitched rides from friendly truckers asfar as Meridian, Mississippi. From therethey rode freight trains heading for thecoast. With the help of kindly brakemen,who fed the family with leftovers from thecaboose and shielded them from the dread-ed railroad bulls along the way, the Maddoxfamily finally arrived in Los Angeles. Rosewas seven at the time.

Soon finding their way to Oakland, theMaddox family lived in a makeshiftHooverville community called Pipe City,named for its huge cement storm drainpipes yet to be laid underground, whichprovided shelter for its residents. The fami-ly earned some notoriety when theOakland Tribune printed a picture of thehaggard-looking family with a captiondescribing their flight, plight, and hope ofmaking a new life for themselves inCalifornia. While in Oakland, the family wasreduced to seeking handouts and standingin bread lines. But Lula, ever the iron-willedmatriarch and family visionary, wasn’tabout to give up on her California dreamin’.Seemingly unable to differentiate legendfrom reality, Lula ordained that the familywould pan for California gold. Catching anorth-bound freight for Toulumne, theMaddoxes were in the foothills of theSierra Nevada. With no gold in them tharhills, the family was at the end of the line.

California was turning out to be asmean as everywhere else the family hadrambled. In desperation Lula and Charliedecided to give Rose up for adoption. Rosehad become fast friends with the Toulumnepostmaster’s little daughter. This was a timewhen children were commonly “adopted”by outsiders for their “betterment” with nomore than a simple handshake. Rose livedwith the postmaster’s family for about amonth. So homesick for her family andstung by what seemed to be the cruelestrejection, she simply erupted. In a 1997interview, Rose shared the following aboutthis bitter experience.

“They gave me to a postmaster to be acompanion to his little girl. She was my

friend until then. I hated it. All I wanted todo was get back to my family. I was seven.I was a bitch. I was a mean little kid.”

Her strategy worked, and Rose wasquickly “unadopted” and back with herparents and siblings.

While living in Toulumne, Charlie andbrother Cal finally landed steady work inModesto picking fruit. Lula and the rest ofher scruffy brood soon joined them and thefamily found themselves living the gypsylifestyle of itinerant “fruit tramps,” followingthe crop cycles up and down the SanJoaquin Valley and as far south as theImperial Valley and Yuma.

Despite living in the filth and squalor ofmigrant camps, the family no longer had toworry about where the next meal wouldcome from. Charlie and Lula were evenable to squirrel away enough money to buya secondhand Model A Ford. There wouldbe no more hopping freights for theMaddox family! One day, while the familywas working out in a Chowchilla cottonfield, brother Fred announced a new, get-rich-quick plan. Fred, though only 18 at thetime, was a silver-tongued hustler with the

soul of a carnivalbarker. He hadrecently seen aband play a rodeoin Modesto.Finding out thatthe band was get-ting paid theunimaginable sumof $100, he was allbut ready toassume this newline of work. ToFred it didn’t mat-ter that onlybrothers Cal andCliff had any ideaabout how to playguitar. It lookedfun and could belucrative, even atmid’30s depres-sion rates. Thefamily had takenmore than theirfair share ofchances, had

come close to starving and freezing todeath, risked the perils of riding the rails,and tried every other angle of work, frompanhandling to migrant labor. What did theyhave to lose?

Once back in Modesto, Fred quicklysecured a gig for the newly conceived fam-ily band, a 6:30-7:30 morning radio slot onstation KTRB. As the story goes, he wentinto Rice’s Furniture Store looking for aprospective sponsor. The owner, Jim Rice,was willing to give the band a chance, butonly if they had a girl singer and if Fred didall the ads. Fast-talking Fred assured himthat they had the best girl singer around,while withholding the fact that this girlsinger was none other than 11-year-old sis-ter Rose, whose only prior singing experi-ence had been garnered around migrantcamp fires and singing along with RoyRogers and the Sons of the Pioneers atSaturday afternoon matinees. Not one toquit while ahead, Fred made a deal to pur-chase a new bass fiddle from Mr. Rice at$10 down and $10 a month that very samemorning. Apparently it didn’t seem odd toMr. Rice that at least one of the band mem-bers didn’t own his own instrument. Thuswas birthed the Maddox Brothers and Rosethat same day, with Fred on bass fiddle,brother Cal on guitar and harmonica, andgirl singer Rose. Occasionally brother Cliffwould join the family combo on guitar.

Inexplicably, these novices proved tobe an immediate hit. Their reputation grew,and a lot of furniture was sold too.Needless to say, Jim Rice was verypleased. A morning show would includesongs by Elton Britt, Patsy Montana, Sonsof the Pioneers, and traditional folk andgospel songs. The band was getting plentyof exposure — but more important, theywere gaining valuable experience as liveperformers and musicians and began tocreate a unique style all their own.

Since Jim Rice didn’t have topay them a cent, none of them quittheir jobs as fruit pickers and Roseremained in school, at least for thetime being. They did find a way tomake money with their music nonethe-less. With Lula in firm control, theycommenced to follow the rodeos, fairs,and frontier day celebrations fromBakersfield to Susanville. Lula wouldfinagle a barkeep into letting the bandplay for tips. Their music and perform-ance were always well received, andthey would return home with muchmore than what they left with. Roserecalled eating a whole lot better as aresult. Often they drove all night withbrother Cal at the wheel in order to

make it back to Modesto in time for theirmorning radio show.

By 1938 the Maddox Brothers andRose were netting some modest regionalsuccess but beginning to carry themselvesas the hottest hillbilly band in the state.They certainly dressed the part anyway.Lula made sure that the family’s entireearnings, from both the playing and non-playing members alike, were pooled for thebenefit of the band. Their flashy cowboyoutfits, automobile upkeep, instruments,etc. were paid for by the labor of all thefamily members. It was Fred who got theband going, but it was Lula, again, who wasthe grand visionary. She wanted the bandto be more than just a way to supplementtheir wages as fruit tramps. She saw musicas a vehicle for escaping a life of povertyand one that could take the family to theheights of fame and fortune. All they need-ed was to stick together and galvanize theirresources toward that goal.

Soon the band was doing broadcastson other radio stations with the affable hay-seed, Fred, always putting in a plug forupcoming live shows. Besides all the freepublicity that the radio provided, the bandalso gained access to station music vaults.

Continued on next page.

Queen of Hillbilly SwingRose Maddox

T

Article from the Oakland Tribune, April 1933, about the Maddox family’s experience traveling from Alabama to California.

Teenage Rose in late 1930s

Above: Ready for the big time. Fred, Rose,Cliff, and Cal in early publicity shot.

Right: KGDM publicity shot, Stockton,California, 1938.

Above: Rose and brothers Cal, Cliff, andFred, downtown Modesto, late ‘30s.

The formidable Lula Maddox

San Diego Troubadour • May 2004

full circlefull circle

5

A Reunion I’d Like to SeeTwice in the early ‘70s we

were able to reunite the old-timecountry duo of Cliff Carlisle andWilbur Ball, who had backed upthe original Jimmie Rodgers inthe early ‘30s, for a performanceat the San Diego Folk (nowAdams Avenue Roots) Festival.Over the years we’ve managedto bring together several otherold-time musicians as wellwho hadn’t played togetherfor some time. I recentlynoticed that Collectors ChoiceMusic has released on CD theonly LP that San Diego’s (actu-ally Vista’s) own Kathy Larischand Carol McComb evermade. The LP has long beenselling on auction lists andeBay for prices nearing $200,so it’s really fortunate for thoseof us who have played our oldLPs out that it’s available again.

Speaking of reunions, thelast time Kathy and Carol sangtogether was in 1970 at thethird festival. Since then, Carolhas been back for a couple ofthem as a solo act but nottogether with Kathy. It seems tome that if Wilbur Ball and CliffCarlisle could get back togetherafter 40 years, Kathy and Carolshould be able to get back

together after 34 years for a festival visit in their hometown.Many San Diegans (includingme) thinkthey wereone ofthemost

unique groups ever to come outof this area. Their two-part har-mony vocals and guitars, auto-harp, and occasional dulcimeraccompaniment, along with theirreverence for vintage ballads andold-timey country songs madethem favorites all over the West.I always thought it a shame thatthey didn’t record more of their

repertoire, which included someoriginal material as well.

Carol has continued to per-form, write songs, and record acouple of solo LPs, while Kathyhas mostly, I hear, pursued acareer in art. It would sure benice to hear them togetheragain. Maybe someone who

keeps in touch withthem can passthis messageon. The AdamsAvenue RootsFestival wouldlove to havethem performnext year. I

think they both live in the SanFrancisco East Bay area. It’s timefor anyone who remembersthem, or is in touch with them,to get crackin’ and see if some-thing can be worked out.

Now, on to something elseand that is the lack of outlets forfolk and roots music on localradio. As popular as folk music

and traditional music are at ven-ues like our Roots Festival andthe Sam Hinton Folk HeritageFestival (coming up May 8 atGrossmont College), as well as atvarious clubs, coffeehouses, andconcert series around town,there is still no regular folk musicshow on the radio and hasn’tbeen for some 15 years. In fact,my own Jazz Roots show Sundaynights on KSDS and WayneRice’s long-running BluegrassSpecial on KSON are about it,unless you count shows fromL.A. and Orange County thatdrift down our way on a goodnight. It’s time we fans of thiskind of music took pen in handand let the folks who run theradio stations know that wewant this kind of music to beplayed. KPBS used to have anightly local folk music program

that ran for many years, butsomehow it drifted off into theether sometime during the ‘80s.Since then, the music is as popu-lar as it’s ever been and radio(except for the short-lived WorldMusic webcast) has ignored it. Itseems to me that America’sFinest City shouldn’t ignoresome of America’s and theworld’s finest music.

Recordially,Lou Curtiss

Continued from page 4.

They could continually add new songs andstyles to their repertoire as a result.Though they learned to play a wide rangeof styles, the one that became their trade-mark was their brand of hillbilly boogie.Eight-beats-to-the-bar boogie lent itselfperfectly to their playing aptitude, with theband getting behind Fred’s slapping bass.The foundation of rockabilly was being laidvia their style, interpretation, and delivery.It was fun to play and fun for the audienceto listen and dance to. Whenever theMaddox Brothers and Rose showed up intown, a memorable event was to be had.The band members soon became expertsat improvisation, replete with bawdy come-dy, risque read-between-the-lines phrases,and outright suggestive songs like “Sally,Let Your Bangs Hang Low.” All this addedto the fun factor of a Maddox Brothers andRose show.

Despite their hell raising and lustysong interpretations, all carnal appetiteswere checked by the ever-watchful eye ofmama Lula. Lula kept a particularly closeeye on Rose, quick to shoo away potentialsuitors. This may have been appropriatewhile Rose was in her teens, but Lularemained the overbearing custodian ofRose well into adulthood.

In 1939 the band was ready for the bigtime. Having been alerted by a fan to a hill-billy band competition at the SacramentoState Fair, their performance of “Sally, LetYour Bangs Hang Low” blew out the other14 entrants to officially make the MaddoxBrothers and Rose California’s best hillbillyband. As first-place winners, the band wona one-year contract on Sacramento radiostation KFBK, one of the many stations

owned by the McClatchy BroadcastNetwork throughout the West. Soon theMaddox Brothers and Rose could be heardover KFWB in Hollywood as well as sta-tions in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, andArizona. The band now had access to ahuge Western audience.

Lula and the band secured new digs inSacramento, while Charlie, sister Alta, Cliff,and his wife, Gordie stayed in Modesto.Lula decided that the band’s sound neededfurther augmenting, so a very reluctantbrother Don was drafted as its new fiddleplayer. A self-taught stumbler in the begin-ning, Don often kept his back to the audi-ence to hide his embarrassment, but hewould become a signature player in theyears ahead. On occasion, Cliff would joinon guitar, but he was a good picker whocould find work with other hillbilly outfitsand preferred to distance himself from hisdomineering mother. Rose took up bassaround this time, which freed up brotherFred for more vocal duties.

By 1941 and the start of World War II,the Maddox Brothers and Rose were anestablished, accomplished, and very popu-lar band. Music had allowed the entirefamily to escape the grinding poverty oftheir recent past. But with the attack onPearl Harbor, things came to an abrupt halt.Fred and Cal found themselves in the army.Don would follow shortly afterward. It wasthe war and the absence of her brothers’support that would force Rose to mature asa star in her own right.

Part Two continues next month in theJune issue, covering Rose Maddox’s lifefrom the war years until her death in 1998.

Lou Curtiss

Phot

o: B

ill R

icha

rdso

n

Recordially, Lou Curtiss

Kathy and Carol

May 2004 • San Diego Troubadour

front porchfront porch

6

by Ben Frumin

Jen Knight took to the sparsestage at Twiggs last month,took a deep breath, closed her

eyes, and sang, pulsating an emotiveenergy through the crowd of captivat-ed coffeehouse connoisseurs.

As Knight wove through an eight-song set, carried by her powerfullypassionate voice and backed bymoody saxophone undercurrents, shetook the audience on a journeythrough love, loss, growth, andchange – themes consistent with themature, self-reflective introspectionthat seems to motivate Knight’s lyrics.

“I know I’m going through a lot ofchange right now,” Knight said. “It’sjust about looking at the positive sideof the process, accepting it andembracing it.“I’m evolving every day,” she added.“As an artist, you learn something newabout yourself every minute.”

Though Knight’s music rangesfrom soul-searching acoustic ballads toprovocative contemporary pop torhythmic scats that border on hiphop, her well of musical influence islargely drawn from the ranks of femalesinger/songwriters like Joni Mitchell,Sarah McLachlan, and Norah Jones.

In line with this tradition, Knight’semotive lyrics seem heartfelt.

“I always sing from my heart andsoul,” Knight said. “That is whatmusic should be about. I like to writemy music on personal experiences

and observations of the world throughmy eyes,” she continued. “When Iperform, I think people feel more ofan emotional connection with mymusic because I’m emotional aboutit.”

Knight, 22, projects a matureunderstanding of her place in themusic world and seems committed tothe personal integrity of herself andher music – drawing authentic interestfrom older demographics.

A life-long Californian who stud-ied songwriting and vocal perform-ance at Boston’s Berklee College ofMusic for four years, Knight now findsherself fine-tuning her sound in thestudio as she prepares to make a runat a record deal.

Spending 10 to 18 hours a day inthe studio has given her an opportuni-ty to develop an genuine and intrigu-ing sound that transfers seamlessly tolive venues, testing different texturesto bring out the best in each of hersongs.

“Every time I play, I’m experi-menting with a new way of approach-ing the song,” she said. “Performingshould always be a fulfilling experi-ence. Enjoying the moment is soimportant.”

Though Knight has found a nichein the San Diego music scene, shecontinues to dream big and believesher dreams of playing the wholeworld are closer than ever.

“I want longevity in my career,”she said. “I really want my music to be

timeless. It’s just a passion I have thatI’m never ever going to give up,”Knight added. “No matter what hap-pens with my career as an artist, I’malways going to be doing what I’mdoing.”

Knowing she still has a tough rowto hoe, Knight exudes a confidentdrive, coupled with an astute assess-ment of the imbalanced demands ofthe industry she seeks to enter.

“I think that the music industry isso image-driven that it’s sometimesfrustrating for females,” she said.

A lyric from one of Knight’s origi-nal songs, “Someday,” which she firstperformed at her high school gradua-

tion ceremony, provides an optimisticprediction that now aptly applies toher sound in the past tense: “I’ll get itright someday.”

You have, Jen.

A Little Knight Music

by Cathryn Beeks

W hen I had cable, TheLearning Channel was myfavorite channel. I was

addicted to “Trading Spaces” and thosemakeover shows. When my friend Lisa toldme that the TLC people had been in herrestaurant scouting locations and stories fora reunion show, I was really excited anddecided I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Lisa and I decided it would be cool tohave Jimmy, a guy I met at my open micnight the year before, flown in from NewYork so the two of us could have ourreunion at Axis, a restaurant in Del Mar. Inan email to the producer I explained thatalthough Jimmy and I had spent very littletime together during his visit to San Diego,we had made an amazing connection. Westayed in touch, but due to his busy sched-ule as a professional musician and my fearof flying, it was impossible for us to visitone another.

I was amazed when Trisha, the produc-er, called shortly thereafter. She explainedthat although the show was about gettinga second chance with someone you onceblew it with, she liked our angle. She inter-viewed us both and submitted the story.She called a few days later to say the showhad been approved and that the reunionwould be in New York. They would filmone day in San Diego, then I would travelwith Lisa, after a session with a therapistabout my fear of flying, to the East Coast.

When the film crew arrived at 9 a.m. afew Saturdays later, I was as prepared aspossible for someone who is not a fan ofbeing photographed. I was pretty uncom-fortable but the crew — Trisha, thesweet/sharp producer; Casey, the hip/hotdirector; and Scott, the calm/cool MissionBeach cameraman hired for the San Diegoportion of the shoot — made it easier.

They followed Lisa and me throughoutour day, including lunch at Axis and myintense session with Dr. Chari in Del Mar.The filming was fun but exhausting. Somescenes needed several camera angles so wehad to repeat certain sequences three, four,sometimes a half dozen times. Our dayended at the Coaster Saloon where we per-formed a few songs for the show. The crewleft after an hour, and my band, the GandhiMethod, finished up the night.

The crew arrived at 9 a.m. the nextmorning. While shooting some brief depar-ture scenes, Lisa accidentally rolled her car,which stopped on top of Casey’s foot.Nothing broken, we headed for the airport.It was a beautiful San Diego morning, andLisa and I felt like royalty with the camerasfollowing us around. The captain of ourJetBlue flight actually came out to greet us

and gave me a quick run down of his cre-dentials. He then escorted us across thetarmac and up the stairs to the waiting air-liner. I felt too cool to be nervous.

We arrived in New York City that evening and checked into the DorothyParker Suite of the Algonquin Hotel. It wasfabulous. The next day, while the film crewput Jimmy through the same rigors I hadendured, Lisa and I skipped around the city,stopping in pubs and thrift stores until wecould drink and shop no more. New Yorkis an incredibly beautiful place, full of life.

The next morning was reunion time andI was extremely nervous (and a bit hungover). Thankfully, the dark lobby of ourhotel was the site of the big scene. Threenew camera crew members had joined us,and one of them positioned me in a largewingback chair. I waited for what seemedlike an hour until they paraded Jimmy out.It was really nerve racking, but cool.

He looked great and said the sameabout me. After the initial embarrassmentwore off we became more comfortable andset off walking down the streets of NewYork City, cameras surrounding us. Startingwith tattoos at Fun City Tattoo, we hadlunch at Villa Masconi afterward, whichincluded some mushy scenes of us profess-ing our feelings, “... if we didn’t live so farfrom one another, blah, blah, blah.” It gotkind of heavy; I even got a little misty-eyed,all captured on film. After lunch wejammed on one of my songs in the OakRoom, which was amazing. Later thatnight we wrapped up the filming and allheaded out for our last night in NYC.

The flight home the next morning wasa bit depressing. No cameras and no cap-tain to greet us on the plane. I was wishingI’d had more time in the city, because Ialready missed Trisha and Casey. I was pro-cessing all these feelings about Jimmy andmy life and — what’s it all about, any-way??!! My flight phobia was in full force,but we made it home safe and sound. I wasas happy as a hobbit to get there.

The folks from TLC were great. It wasan amazing experience and they hooked usup big-time the entire trip, includingspending cash for Lisa and me. Trisha andCasey from the production company, GRB,were two of the coolest people I’ve evermet. Life in front of a camera was veryodd, but I can see how one could get usedto it. They shot over 50 hours of film, all ofwhich will be edited down to one half hour.I’m totally freaked out that I won’t get topre-screen before I tell my friends to watch.

What was it like participating in a realityshow? I’d say it was great, but maybe a lit-tle more real than I had anticipated.

See Cathryn and Jimmy’s story on“Second Chance,” airing May 14 at 1 p.m.on the TLC Network. www.cathrynbeeks.com

Cathryn, Mabeline, and Lisa at the 9th StreetPub in Hell’s Kitchen

Lisa, Cathryn, and Trisha

My 15 Minutes of Fame or Princess for a Day

Photos: Joel Siegfried

San Diego Troubadour • May 2004

front porchfront porch

7

by Chuck SchielePhotos by Paul Grupp

anielle LoPresti is a busygirl. She has her first love,the Masses, a group thatfeatures her original mate-

rial. She’s a professional jingle singer.She works jazzy casuals. She’s anactress. She runs her own record com-pany, Say It Records. She’s coordinatedtwo year’s worth of local showcasescalled Indie By Design, which raisemoney for charitable organizations. Sheovertly co-ops her music with art, the-ater, and dance organizations (whichcontributes to a very forceful perform-ance). She’s constantly driving betweenSan Diego and Los Angeles, which givesher the resting time she needs — stuckin I-5 traffic — to brainstorm and coordi-nate an indie music festival targeted forNovember.

It took us a couple tries to meet forthis story, but she’s here. She’s tired butenergetic enough to make this gig. It’ssunset at my little ocean cliff, so we headdown to an indie coffee shop that sportsa great view of the sun going downbehind the pier. Tonight the surfers havethe slopes pretty much to their localselves. Imagine the perfect San Diegosunset postcard and that’s where thisstory begins.

We’re munching on hummus anddrinking coffee and tea. She has the tea.We always talk easily because we’refriends. Backstage buddies. But the factthat we have to formally meet for theconcrete expectation of this article waskinda weird. I keep thinking, “How doesone tell Danielle’s story without screwingit up?” After all, one can’t accuratelydescribe her as simply being a musician.You have to view her as a full-on, multi-capacity-with-options energy.

Ah..... and suddenly, its clear to methat the wisdom here is to let her “sayit,” herself. I take a big swig of my strongcoffee and start poking.

“What is your favorite color?” I smirkin Cheshire fashion. She knows I’mmessing with her, but that the article isunderway. We’re on now, so she’sbecome instantly acute about themoment. She thinks about it and deliversan answer pretty much in line with ananswer I’d give. My eyebrow raises,slightly surprised, but not really.

She sez.... “Hmm. The colors ofocean life under water, which is to say,the color of all colors moving around, liv-ing, creating, doing life together:Beautiful.”

I cut to the chase, now that the ice isbroken. “What inspires you to write?”

She’s heard this question before.“Life. People. Their stories. Our stories.My loud heart. It is so noisy and perme-able in here, it pulls at me constantly...mostly over things like life, people, andall our stories.”

So I go for the heart and start shov-ing a little. “Are you happy? Are you sat-isfied with the music world? Your place init? What its all about?”

“Sometimes Yes, sometimes no. The

status of how the major record labelsand corporate radio do business doesnot make me happy at all; rather, I’mpretty repulsed by it. But I have to thankthem, and I do [the title track of self-released CD Number One is a thank younote, after all] because it led me to creat-ing and running Say It Records and IndieBy Design, and this whole web of indielife that is so deliciously genuine andclear and so much about the music, vs.life at the corporate level, which is aboutthe image and the profit margin.”

We collectively think about thatanswer for a moment, silently nibbling onour pita. A skateboarder zips by our win-dow as cool as he can possibly be, snap-ping me into my next thought. Logically,along the same rationale, I ask her then:“What is the mission of your art/music?”

“I know it may sound formal, but it’svery real for me, so I’m going to refer-ence my mission statement for Say ItRecords and answer thus: Say It Recordsbelieves in using music as a mirror, apowerful means of reflecting back to usour current condition and our potentialfor positive change. We endeavor to sup-port the honest examination and expres-sion of the human experience as ameans of demonstrating how we connectto one another regardless of our differ-ences and in doing so, inspiring a collec-tive respect of and cooperation with oneanother.”

“In less formal speech I will say that Ilove my music to inspire folks, to feelgood, empowered, to speak up, to statetheir truth, to love themselves! And torespect and love each other, to embracetheir perfection as is, to turn it up loud, orto cry oceans over whatever it is that’sgoing on for them.”

“And what do you have to give up tolive this life and mission?” I keep poking,‘cause she’s on a roll.

“Chucky, this is a question that couldonly come from one who knows what it’slike to be a working musician. I foregosleep.... respect....”

And with that, she illustrates with astory. “I was recently at the dentist’soffice, answering his well-intentionedquestion about how the music thing wasgoing. I told him about the new CD, hethen said, ‘Well, do I get a copy?’ I said,‘Well, of course, if you’d like to buy one,there are a few in my car.’ He looked atme incredulously. ‘Buy one?????’ I wasexpected to pay my hard earned $100 forhis hard-earned skills that day, but wasexpected to give him a copy of my CD, forfree. A CD that cost over $7,000 to pro-duce and release after all was said anddone, not to mention the non-monetarycosts. I don’t ask my mechanic, hair-dresser, Katrina the tomato lady at thefarmer’s market to give me their work forfree. So why is it that we are constantlyasked to give away ours?”

And I think to myself we should getDanielle to interview the music-lovingpopulation.

“I forgo the right to say to band lead-ers: Why does it matter what I look like?I am a musician, not a model. I foregobenefits [i.e., healthcare, retirement]. I

forego the social life, missing a lot of din-ners, parties, brunches. Here’s what itlooks like: I’m asked to a dinner, but Ican’t go because I have a to-do list thesize of California that is beginning towrap itself around my neck. I forego thefree time — there is so much work to bedone that it pretty much consumes themajority of my time, which most businessfolks will attest to.”

Empathetically, I acknowledge, andthen flip the coin of the questioning. “Sothen, what do you gain from living thislife?”

She straightens up and her eyesbrighten. “Joy, people, love, music! And Ilove to make it, give it, receive it, share it,move in it. A euphoria wiggles its wayinto my body when a new song is taking

shape and I can feel it moving me. Whenit grabs me and tugs on my soul andgives me that uh! feeling, there’s nothinglike it.”

We complain for a bit, wonderingwhy in the world the ratio of hummus topita is never in a satisfying proportion.And I charge, “Tell me about your music.Your act is about more than just music.Tell me how theater (and anything else)factors into your gig.”

“My songs are stories. Every singleone of them. My degree is in theater; Iwas trained in how to inhabit and tell astory with absolute personal truth, sothat’s pretty intrinsic in my music and mypresentation of it.”

“You do good things aside from yourown personal art. Tell us about Indie By

Design in terms of its mission,” I ask.This is among her favorite territories.

“Indie By Design is an ongoing show-case of several independent-mindedmusicians who are making music on theirown terms.”

“Kelly [Bowen] and I created IBD asa means of doing two major things:Turning folks onto great indie music andfostering a powerful sense of teamworkwithin the indie music community.Several other goals have manifested inthe almost two years that we’ve beenproducing the shows, one of which is toeducate people about what “indie”means, as many folks really don’t know.”

Continued on page 13.

DDanielle LoPresti with her band, the Masses

The “Say It” Girl Does It All En Masse

Danielle LoPresti

Last year she [Kane] got me to go to the Ascona Jazz

Festival, a traditional jazz festival in Switzerland. We had

a private party in Guam at the French embassy one night.

This year I’m doing a couple weeks with her in Prague

and Germany.”

Not surprisingly, Palmer’s brand of vintage jazz is

more appreciated in Europe than here in the U.S., where

it was born. While in towns the size of San Diego, music

clubs used to spring up like mushrooms. Today they’ve

been replaced with the more popular (and cheaper to run)

venues touting house music and deejays.

“It’s pretty much like that everywhere,” she says.

“Everybody takes local people for granted. San Diego has

fantastic musicians here — world-class people like

Charles McPherson, James Moody, the Cheathams,

Candye Kane.” While overseas these acts draw huge

crowds of adoring fans, here, “people take them for

granted.”

“American producers aren’t willing to invest,” Palmer

says, “because they only want what is already a proven

formula for instant success. I don’t know what the record

companies think. People don’t just get good all of a sud-

den. You have to play in places where you can make mis-

tronic, you can’t just spontaneously start doing it.”

Palmer has honed her skill over many years, and she

recognizes the value of that long apprenticeship, some-

thing lacking in the Britney Spears’

world of instant fame and fortune,

which depends more on a flat

stomach than on a sharp tech-

nique. And this is one reason

she’s shied away from established

record companies, choosing

instead to produce and market her

own CDs and concerts.

“I’m not sure a record deal is

the way to go for me. I’m trying to

work the Internet and sell through

catalogs. It seems that with self-

produced I can make more money. I probably could get a

record deal somewhere, but they expect you to tour six

months of the year. It’s a hard life; it’s difficult to have

children and friends,” she says.

Instead, Palmer picks and chooses her tour dates,

often with blues diva Candye Kane. She says, “I usually

go on one cool tour a year, somewhere I’ve never been.

ue Palmer, San Diego’s Queen of the

Boogie Woogie piano, is perched above

the crowd at a local café in what she

calls “the go-go cage.” Like a trio of

hot-jazz angels, she and her band hover

above the coffee-sipping crowd and

send down heavenly beats and blues,

tinged with just enough of the devil in them to make a lis-

tener want to testify.

But Palmer doesn’t consider herself above the

crowd, an elite jazz snob. Although she’s obviously gifted

as a pianist and entertainer, her message about music is

a simple one, devoid of ego and pretense: music heals,

musicians are healers, and everybody could use a little of

that medicine.

“I grew up in a real musical fami-

ly,” Palmer says. “It wasn’t perfect, but

everybody played music and it always

lifted everyone’s spirits.”

This mission of carrying music for-

ward and passing it on to future gener-

ations resonates in Palmer’s choice of

work: she’s a woman of the twenty-first

century playing boogie-woogie piano

tunes that were written by, for the

most part, old black men and women

from an era when live music was entertainment, not win-

dow dressing or background on a movie set.

At North Park’s Caffé Calabria, home of the

go-go cage (actually a second story loft above the main

room), Palmer treats the java drinkers each week to a trip

backward in time when music was an integral part of

socializing, dining, and just being. On a recent night, the

homey feel of velvet throw pillows, a crackling fireplace,

and the scent of fresh-roasted coffee mingled with the

soul-soothing tunes dished out by Palmer and her fellow

missionaries — vocalist Deejha Marie and bassist

Sharon Shufelt. But this wasn’t a hushed, reverent con-

cert performance for a bunch of well-heeled intellectuals;

the audience was as varied as the coffee menu and the

tunes. A gaggle of excited kids perched in a booth for a

birthday party (and shared the cake with everybody in the

place); a man with a slobbery dog sat outside chatting

with a friend; a mom and her eight-year-old daughter ate

a sandwich together; couples chatted and sampled each

other’s desserts. It was like an old-time family living

room, where all the generations gathered after dinner

around the piano, sang a tune or two, celebrated mile-

stones, and made the day better by sharing the company.

Palmer is a serious musician, but part of her charm

is her approachability. When you hear her play, it feels as

if she’s playing for you. And this, perhaps, is part of her

mission: to get people to appreciate the human connec-

tion of live music, and to pass that appreciation on to the

future audience.

“It isn’t just like turning a knob,” she says. “A lot of

people don’t play music in their homes. If they [children]

don’t see you doing it or appreciating it, they won’t have

that mentality. A lot of the music that kids like is so elec-

May 2004 • San Diego Troubadour

parlor showcaseparlor showcase

8

S

Story by Laura PreblePhotography by Paul Grupp

Sue PalmerHeavenly Beats

from a Jazz Angel

“I grew up in a real

musical family. ... It

wasn’t perfect, but

everybody played

music and it always

lifted everyone’s spirits.”

Sue with her band Tobacco Road, which she fronted from 1986-1994. Left to right: Eric Hybertsen, Sharon Shufelt, Preston Coleman, April West, Phil Shopoff, Sue Palmer

Despite the obstacles, Sue Palmer isn’t one to com-

plain. In fact, on any given Wednesday, you can find her

perched in her go-go cage at the Caffé Calabria, rattling

the roof with a taste of music served up the way it used

to be. With a joy and passion missing in so many pop

artists, watching the Queen of Boogie Woogie do her

thing is worth its weight in Missy Elliott’s bling-bling. So

grab a kid, get a sandwich, and start helping recruit the

next generation of live music afficionados while people

like Sue Palmer are still around to testify.

For complete scheduling information, check out Sue

Palmer’s website: www.suepalmer.com and also the cal-

endar on page 14.

takes. They don’t invest any time in the artists. The

record business is really not friendly to grooming talent.

It’s corporate and money oriented.”

Perhaps that corporate focus on the bottom line is

one reason Palmer has doggedly stuck to her principles

when it comes to music. In the era of Clear Channel

monopolization of radio airplay, Palmer notes that people

“only get one point of view and whole genres get

dropped.” And because her mission depends on bringing

the music to audiences in a real, tangible way, she has

steered clear of the factory-produced American Idol brand

of insipid pop. But there is hope.

“The whole record business is changing right now.

We’re in the middle of that. All these things are happen-

ing on the Internet. The style of music I play isn’t real top

40ish. Never has been. Getting a record and pro-

ducing it and getting distribution is

also becoming passé. You can’t

tour as easily. There aren’t that

many venues to book yourself in

across the country,” she says.

So, reaching fans through the

Internet is one way to break

those barriers and find a whole

new generation of fans. Taking a

trip through Palmer’s website is

like stepping into a retro time

machine that is history revisited:

a photo of the Motel Swing

maven in a ’30s style hat and

dress coexist with a mini-trailer

for a new animated feature,

Attack of the Killer Tikis from

Outer Space, for which Palmer

wrote the soundtrack and on

which she performs with her

Motel Swing Orchestra. As usual,

Palmer manages to take the past, tweak it slightly, and

turn it into something hip, as she did with her Soundtrack

to a B Movie album and the more recent Live at Dizzy’s.

In checking out the site, fans also find out that Palmer’s

first album, Boogie Woogie and Motel Swing, was nomi-

nated for both Best Blues Album and Best Jazz Album at

the 2000 San Diego Music Awards. Soundtrack to a B

Movie was nominated for Best Blues Album in 2001 and

Live at Dizzy’s was named Best Blues Album in 2003.

Not exactly a fringe artist, Palmer is still looking for

a way to attract a fan base worthy of her talent, especial-

ly in San Diego. “People don’t drink as much, so they

don’t want to go out,” she states simply. “That’s how

they [clubs] paid for a lot of that entertainment. People

used to go out and support that sort of thing. Maybe

that’s when I was younger and people went out more,

and now I’m over 50, people who might be following me

don’t because they have to stay home and make their

kids do their homework. It’s difficult to draw. You have to

keep finding new audiences.”

Palmer also remembers a time when playing what

musicians call a steady gig was a regular occurrence.

“Things have really changed since I first started. Some of

my friends I met at that time were professional musicians

with engagements playing five nights a week for months.

Now, unless you’re at another level — like playing

Caesar’s Palace — that doesn’t happen. It’s hard to get

even a once-a-week gig now.”

San Diego Troubadour • May 2004

parlor showcase

9

parlor showcase

Sue Palmer and Preston Coleman

Sue in a beehive hairdo and Candy Kane

Woo

dcut

Illu

stra

tion:

Jul

ie W

arre

n

May 2004 • San Diego Troubadour

ramblin’ramblin’

10

BluegrassCORNER

by Dwight Worden

WHAT IS BLUEGRASS? Let’s review a little of the history of blue-grass music to see if we can find out.First, it must be acknowledged that defin-ing “bluegrass” is difficult, since there isno agreement on a universal definition.There does, however, appear to be ageneral consensus on several keyaspects that characterize bluegrassmusic. The music is played on acousticinstruments (with the exception of anelectric bass), including banjo, guitar,mandolin, fiddle, dobro, and vocals (har-monica and accordions are sometimesinjected but are not mainstream blue-grass). Singing is typified by “high lone-some” two- and three-part harmonies asan accompaniment to usually high ener-gy music with breaks or solos passedaround the band during a song. A typicalbluegrass program also includes at leastone or two gospel tunes, which aresometimes sung a capella.

The passing of breaks in bluegrassbands was a clear departure from theearlier string band and mountain music inwhich the instruments typically played inunison. Bluegrass music also introducedthe rhythmic “chopping” by the instru-ments behind a singer or behind one ofthe instrument solos. This “chopping” or“chunking” gives the music a character-istic drive while helping to showcaseeither the singing or the soloing of oneinstrument.

BILL MONROE AND HIS BLUEGRASSBOYS

One can’t talkabout bluegrassmusic withoutbringing up itsoriginator.Bluegrassmusic wasnamed after itsfounder, BillMonroe and his

Bluegrass Boys.Bill (William Smith) Monroe was born onthe family farm near Rosine, Kentucky onSeptember 13, 1911. He became the fami-ly mandolinist at a young age and, likemany musicians who preceded him,learned to sing and harmonize throughchurch music. Bill was often quick tocredit his Uncle Pendleton Vandever asthe person from whom he learned toplay. His famous tune “Uncle Pen” was atribute to the uncle he adored.

When Bill Monroe first played in pub-lic in the early ‘30s with his brotherCharlie, it wasn’t bluegrass music that heplayed but old-time music. During thisperiod the Monroe Brothers — Charlie,Birch, and Bill — played in Chicago andthroughout the Midwest. Bill’s distinctivemandolin style began to take shape dur-ing this period, ultimately taking theinstrument to new heights. This innova-tive new mandolin style was character-ized by strong rhythmic chopping andblistering single-note and double-stopsolos and fills. In 1934 Bill and CharlieMonroe became full-time musicians withradio station KFNF in Shenandoah, Iowa.Later, joined by Byron Parker, they madetheir first recording in 1936 with VictorRecords. In 1937 Byron left the band, fol-lowed by Bill and Charlie going their sep-arate ways in 1938.

BILL MONROE AND THE GRAND OLEOPRYAfter the brothers split, Bill hired CleoDavis, who played guitar, and the two

played as aduo forawhile. Uponthe addition ofArt Wootenon fiddle andcomedianTommyMillard, whoplayed spoonsand jug, thename BillMonroe and

his Bluegrass Boys was born. Later, bassplayer Amos Garen took Tommy Millard’splace and the group performed as theBluegrass Quartet until 1939 when Billdecided he wanted to audition for theGrand Old Opry, which he took by stormalong with hisBluegrass boys. Infact, Bill was toldby Opry repre-sentativesJudge Hay andDavid Stone, “Ifyou ever leave theOpry, it’ll be becauseyou’ve fired yourself.” The first song theyplayed at their Opry audition, which sub-sequently became a popular signaturepiece for the band, was “Mule SkinnerBlues.” Many would agree that the styleand drive Bill added to the song becamehis hallmark, setting the standard for hissubsequent songs and for bluegrassmusic in general. You will note in thistune, and in much of Bill Monroe’s otherearly bluegrass music, a heavy bluesinfluence characterized by the well-sea-soned use of blue notes (flatted thirds,fifths, and sevenths) and by much notesliding, particularly in the fiddle playingof Chubby Wise. Their early music isundoubtedly among the first successfulefforts to marry old time and mountainmusic with African-American-inspiredDelta and Piedmont blues to create adriving, yet haunting new sound.

If you listen to some of the record-ings from this period, you’ll also hear thatBill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys alsoplayed in the then non-standard keys ofB, B flat, and E. The use of these keysadded to the band’s special sound andsuited Bill’s high lonesome voice. Muchof current bluegrass music is played inthese keys as a result. As a player,though, it must be noted that these aredifficult keys to play in, especially fornon-capo instruments. Anyone who hastried serious bluegrass playing can attestthat, while the music is often thought ofas simple and down home, it is actuallyquite complex and often very difficult toplay correctly.

Bill Monroe, ever the innovator, alsohad his Bluegrass Boys tune their instru-ments a half note above standard, andthey used that tuning for many years.This is a technique that was later usedby Flatt and Scruggs in many of theirrecordings as well. If you are a playerand have ever tried to play along withsome of these recordings and can’t fig-ure out why it is so hard, the likelyanswer is that they are playing in a keylike A sharp!

Whenever they performed, Bill andhis Bluegrass Boys expressed an air ofdignity in both dress and action, whichitself was a departure from much of theearlier hillbilly music, often played inoveralls or work clothes. Bill didn’t wanthimself or his Bluegrass Boys to look like

by Sven-Erik Seaholm

Ready, Set, Go!

As both columnist and record pro-ducer, I’m occasionally asked thequestion, “What’s the most difficult

phase of a recording project?” Maybe Ishould begin qualifying that questionwith its own query, like “Do you meanafter starting it?”

At first it may seem like a smartassresponse (especially coming from me), butthink about all the musically and non-musically related projects you’re currentlyplanning: The gate on the side of thehouse has a broken hinge. The bandneeds demos of their new songs, so theycan work out their parts. Whatever theyare, have you started? If not, that’s at leasthalf the reason they’re not done.

There’s an old carpenter’s adage thatgoes, “Measure twice, cut once.” I’veknown several musicians and potentialproducers over the years who haveexpressed a very keen interest in record-ing either themselves, other artists, orboth. They usually had some sort ofgrand game plan that was almost ready tobe implemented, but it always seemedthat one last thing was holding them up.Like, they needed some $2,000 micthey’ve read an amazing review of, or thestudio they’ve been building in the garagefor the last four years of weekends isn’texactly right. I’ve eventually (after muchsolicitation on their part) dispensed thefollowing counsel to those friends: “Dude,that’s not a carrot you’re chasing, it’s yourtail.” The measuring/cutting conceptoffers some very sound advice, but it alsoimplies that once some solid planning hastaken place, the work will actually thencommence. Meanwhile, some of us neverget the hang of putting down the rulerand picking up the saw.

Nothing ever gets done without thedoing part eventually coming into play,which sometimes means soldiering on

without the aid of our weapons of choice.Can’t afford that $2,000 mic? Me neither,but since my landlords wouldn’t under-stand that I can’t pay the rent because Ispent it on a mic, or couldn’t work with-out it, I’ve made do with what I have, notwhat I desire. The results of these effortsare ultimately evaluated based upon howthey sound and feel, rather than what wasused to make them.

Another common hindrance to start-ing off on the right foot is overcomplicat-ing the creative process. This is usuallydue to being unfamiliar with one’s ownsetup. You get all ready to lay down thosegreat musical ideas bouncing around inyour noodle only to have to stop andsearch through the manual to figure outhow to accomplish a seemingly simpletask that probably should be secondnature to you. By the time you’ve figuredit out ( if you actually do), the inspirationhas dissipated and you’re out on the sideof the house, fixing that gate hinge.

To further illustrate, think of the dif-ference between playing a single note ona piano, versus its midi keyboard counter-part. With a “real” piano, you just takeyour finger and press down on one of thekeys. Done. With a midi setup, however,it’s a bit more complicated. First, youhave to be sure you have the proper midichannel selected to transmit the midiinfo. Then, you set your midi interface toreceive that midi info stream from yourkeyboard. Your midi interface then relaysthat info to your computer software,which must be set to receive on the corre-sponding midi channel, and your soft-ware needs to send a patch number toyour keyboard, selecting the actual pianosound you’d like to use. Then, you justtake your finger and press down on oneof the keys. Easy, right?

Such is the fate of the individual whobuys a whole bunch of stuff right at theoutset, because they know what theywant to do and the gear they’ll need todo it with. They’ve got their bitchin’ com-puter, the latest software, and all the cooltoys connected to all the right ins and

outs. A total turnkey solution, right?Surprise! Not a clue as to how work withhalf of it. In this case, a large part of thepreparation and planning process is justbeing familiar with your equipment. Thisis exemplified by the fact that eBay is cur-rently bursting at the seams with discard-ed “like new” items that were purchasedwith the noblest of intentions yet rarely,if ever, used.

So what is the solution, then? Well,familiarize yourself with the notion thatcomplexity is merely simplicity multi-plied. Start simple. Do one thing at atime, and do it right. Then move on tothe next thing, and the next. Your knowl-edge will have a cumulative effect and,before long, you’ll be surprised at howmuch you’ve learned.

Here’s another tip: If you read yourmanuals all the way through before youeven touch your new purchase, you’ll besurprised at how quickly things begin tomake sense to you.

All an artist truly needs is a pencil, soremember that we are music makers, notprofessional gear collectors. Say it withme: “It’s not the plow, it’s the farmer.”Amen.

or be calledhillbillies.Dress clothes,courtesy, andprofessional-ism weredemanded byBill of theentire band.There aremany welldocumentedstories con-firming thatwithin theband Bill

Monroe had a very definite vision for hismusic and could be a hard taskmaster forhis band members.

Bill formed a new band with ClydeMoody on guitar, Tommy Magness on fid-dle, and Willie Westbrooks on bass. In1940 the band made its first recording forVictor on the Bluebird label. As you mightexpect, “Mule Skinner Blues” was at thetop of the song list. In 1945 Lester Flattjoined the band, with a style (using athumb and finger pick) that was some-what similar to Charlie Monroe or ClydeMoody, except Lester used more bassruns. Most every picker knows the“Lester Flatt G run” that he used at theend of every vocal. Later that year Bill

hired Earl Scruggs to replace interim per-former “Stringbean,” which Lester wasn’tvery enthused about, but after hearingScruggs, he wanted him at any cost. Earlplayed like no other banjoist. Althoughothers had used the three-finger style,Earl took it to unheard-of heights andbecame a star practically overnight.

By this time band members includedBill, Lester, Earl, Cedric Rainwater, andfiddler Chubby Wise. The band fell apartin 1948, Chubby Wise leaving first. Lesterand Earl then left to make it on their own.Whatever their reason for leaving, itcaused Bill animosity for many yearstoward them. The recordings made byBill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys,when Lester Flatt, Chubby Wise, EarlScruggs, and Cedric Rainwater played inthe band, are considered the gold stan-dard of bluegrass music. As an interest-ing side note, Bill Monroe and hisBluegrass Boys also had a baseball teamand would often travel to a town, play aconcert, then have a go against the localteam on the baseball field!

In a future column we will explore thehistory of bluegrass following the end ofthis golden period of the Bluegrass Boys.

Note: Thanks to many web pages,which were consulted as sources, espe-cially to J. Pendergrass and to RichardSmith’s biography of Bill Monroe titled

Can’t You Hear Me Callin’.

JAMMING OPPORTUNITIESBe sure to get out and play!First Tuesday of the month at

Roundtable Pizza in Escondido, corner ofWashington and Ash, sponsored by theNorth San Diego County Bluegrass andFolk Club, 7-10 pm. Featured band, openmic, and jamming. Contact SandyBeesley at: mzbeez@cox.net

Second Tuesday of the month atFuddruckers in La Mesa, GrossmontShopping Center, 5500 Grossmont CenterDrive, north side of I-8, just west of 125,7-10 pm. Open mic, bluegrass karaoke,and a featured band in concert, with lotsof jamming. Contact Gary Kennedy atbanjofiddle@cox.net or 619/296-0455.

Third Tuesday of the month atFuddruckers in Chula Vista on Third at FStreet, 7-10 pm. Open mic, jamming, andslots for bands. Contact Les Preston atlouann.preston@coldwellbanker.com or619/267-2020.

Fourth Tuesday of the month atShirley’s Kitchen, La Mesa at 7868 ElCajon Blvd, 6-9pm. Open mic, band slots,and jamming. Contact Les Preston atlouann.preston@coldwellbanker.com or619/267-2020.

I hope to see you out pickin’!

Bill Monroe

Earl Scruggs gets a star onHollywood’s Walk of Fame

Judge Hay of Grand Ole Opry

Sven-Erik Seaholm

San Diego Troubadour • May 2004

ramblin’ramblin’

11

by Jim McInnes

Forn Langage

In 1989, I was asked to emcee aseries of concerts at the La JollaMuseum of Contemporary Art,

featuring Russian rock superstar,Vladimir Kuzmin. I had studied theRussian language for several yearswhen I was in high school and col-lege but had pretty much forgotteneverything except the alphabet and afew rudimentary “survival” phrases.Meeting Kuzmin and his band wasexciting and represented an opportu-nity to do my part for detente.Although my new Russian friendspreferred speaking English, I wantedto polish my conversational Russian,which annoyed them immensely. Ibought a Russian-English dictionaryand began trying to learn more than,“My name is Jim,, “I live in SanDiego,” and “where is the vodka?”.After a few weeks of practice, theReds began to shun me complete-ly...”Uh-oh, comrades, here comesthe thing that won’t shut up!Quick...close the door!”

Luckily, I found another way topractice my Russian language skills.

Later that year, my wife and I gotto go on a press junket to Chicago tosee the Moscow Circus. Let medefine press junket: a couple dozenradio, TV, and newspaper employees

climb aboard a chartered “partyplane,” fly to Chicago, stay in a nicehotel, get to see the Moscow Circusbefore it hits the West Coast, and areplied with endless amounts ofStolichnaya vodka in order to takethe experience home and prime SanDiego for the greatest thing that’sever happened anywhere! I had seenCirque du Soleil before going to

Chicago and thought it was amaz-ing. I’d never been a circus fan...did-n’t care for eight midgets stuffed intoa VW or watching horses crap whilegalloping in circles, but Cirque duSoleil was art. So was the MoscowCircus, with a live band, extraordi-nary acrobatics, and illusions I’d

never thought possible. Then Iremembered that, in the SovietUnion, the government subsidizedboth the arts and sports. One didn’trun away and join the circus inRussia, one was raised and trained bythe state to be the greatest. That’swhy they won so many Olympics—their amateurs were really profession-als. When we came home I raved forweeks on my radio show about whatI’d seen in Chicago and urged every-one to go see the Moscow Circus atthe Sports Arena. To my astonish-ment, I was tapped to step onto thearena floor and introduce the show(both in English and in Russian) to anopening night crowd of 11,000. Ihad a script written in Russian andEnglish. No sweat. After the perform-ance we attended a party.

The middle of the room wasdominated by a giant ice sculpturestudded with ice-cold bottles ofRussian vodka. I was ready to chatwith the Moscow Circus performersin their native language becausemost of them spoke no English. I hadpracticed what I thought were theright things to say — complimentsand a few general questions aboutcoming to America.

Upon meeting the ringmaster, Itold him (this is phonetic Russian),“Oo vass ochen horoshii chirk!” Ithought I had said, “You guys have agreat circus,” when I had actuallysaid, “You have a great chirp!” Henodded and turned to talk to some-one else. I asked the next person Ichatted with (phonetic Russian),“Kak vwee nravitsya eta tsitron?”which I believed meant, “How doyou like this city?” Actually I hadasked how he liked citrus. He turnedto talk to someone else. Then I sawthe main trapeze dude (whateverhe’s called) and said “Hello.” He saidhello. So far, so good. Next Iimplored him (phonetic Russianagain), “Govoritsy medlenno, pozhal-sta, ya nyet plamnaya,” thinking I’dasked him to speak slowly because Iwasn’t fluent. What he heard was,“Please speak slowly, I’m not onfire!” He nodded and walked away,no doubt telling his comrades, “Stayaway from that guy, he’s the thingthat won’t shut up!”

It doesn’t really bother mebecause my Spanish is even worse.

Radio Daze

Jim McInnes

by José Sinatra

Polls have shown that 99% ofhistorians base their findings onpreviously existing data. As anartist of depth, beauty, and vari-able lucidity, I scoff at polls. So,when I dabble in cultural history, Ifind my sources within two unde-niably existing concepts: conjec-ture and revisionism.

“Body Language,” the latestsong from Queen (Where’ve theybeen all these years?), is simply acontinuation of an idea originallydeveloped by Olivia Newton-Johnin her album Physical severaldecades ago. The phrase “Let mehear your body talk” was at firstquite controversial, being wronglyinterpreted as the deliciousAussie fig’s own kinky fetish forburps (and worse) until she pla-cated parents and upset pervertsby admitting she cribbed the ideafrom the ancient chestnut“actions speak louder thanwords.”

Soulless? Perhaps. But I lovedNewton-John for far more thanher soul.

Both “Physical” and ”BodyLanguage” can trace their pater-nity back to Helen Keller, inventorof what many called “sign lan-guage,” in which messages wereactually painted on signs, plac-ards, and billboards. Miss Kellersimply couldn’t see what her ideawould become. Along with roadsigns, the modern world is repletewith ugly, spray-painted “tags” oninnocent buildings, making HelenKeller, in a way, our country’s firsttrue gangsta grrrrl.

The Paint Famine of the 1920swas the crisis that PresidentStrother Martin famously calledthe “failure to communicate.”That failure seemed solved whenFrench architect/escargot MarcelMarceau (Louvre, Statue ofLiberty) created meaning-in-movement-exhibition, or “mime.”

And that is why so many of ushate the French to this day.

Thirty years ago, mimes andtheir contagion were all over theplace, from public parks to privateparties. They were annoying ashell and had absolutely nothing tosay for themselves.

My very world nearly collapsedin nausea when I beheld thebeautiful Kate Bush perform herhaunting “Wuthering Heights,”using that generic two-handedmime movement everytime shesang the word “window.” She,too, had been tragically infectedby the vile French plague.

Every reasonable persondetests mimes. And every personexcept me and three others to thisday, when casually explainingsome instance of a telephoneconversation, will invariably dothe gawd-awful telephone receiv-er mime: thumb to ear, pinky tochin, the other three fingerscurled palmward as if in shame.And they hate mimes?

It’s called “duplicity” and is abehavioral trait inherent in ournational character. So get over it.

I won’t.Not when mime has stealthily

managed to corrupt the perform-ances of so many of today’s popu-lar singers. Keep an eye out, folks.Retain the other and witness:

To illustrate determined passionor anguish, the diva’s fist clench-es, palm toward shoulder.

Whenever the word “see,” asin “I see,” is sung, she’ll point toher damned eyes, as if to preventus from mistakenly thinking of theocean or the third letter of thealphabet. Are we that stupid?(Don’t answer that.)

Singing the word “heart”requires at least one hand to fly tothe breast. Someone needs to tellher that secondary sex character-istics are not the same material asa life-giving force (unless you’reJanet Jackson’s career).

As for myself, ladies and gents,I will never dumb-down my per-formances. It’s simply mathemati-cally impossible. As always, onstage my movement, my body lan-guage, is performed in Aramaic,an increasingly “in” thing, whichitself is a positive sign. I continueto incorporate subtle gesturesinspired by my delight in the phys-icality of Olivia Newton-John, withwhom I continue to envision aworld-class pas-de-deux.

The debonair Mr. Sinatra

Phot

o: T

oots

von

Wes

ton

Hosing Down

? ? ?

May 2004 • San Diego Troubadour

the highway’s songthe highway’s song

12

by Chuck Schiele

T ake two sweeties and stick ‘em in acar for eight years and what you doget? Well, maybe I can’t tell you

what you get, but I can tell you what I got.I got to witness, up-close, the real-dealdream in action.

You know what I’m talkin’ about. I’mtalking about the totally glamorous andglorious lifestyle that goes into living themusic dream. You’ve heard about it: Limos,cameras, interviews, fans, respect and ado-ration, fine dining, private luxury jets,paparazzi, the finest hotels, big dough, fastcars, posh VIP parties, agents, all thosesecret temptations you so desire, power, astaff to whom you refer as “my people,”famous friends, and getaway mansions inCapri.

After all, that’s what it’s all about,right? Right.

Meet Aim Me Smiley and ReneeAnanda. They hail from Kentucky. And they recently rolled through San Diegofor about a week and a half as the last stopin their recent tour. Aim Me sings and playsguitar. Renee sings and plays accordion.Neither are virtuosos at their particularinstrument, but they do their jobs well andcast a magical spell over their audiences.Although neither of them are concernedwith seeking fame, they have a seriousmovie star quality about them in the mostcharming and unassuming way. They don’teven seek riches, preferring the wealth theydiscover in the people they meet. Theydon’t have a jet but rather a small beater ofa car into which they squeeze themselvesand their entire tour. There’s nobodynamed “J.B.” doing the wheelin’ anddealin.’ No record contract. No masterplan.

Just the dream.While every musician I ever meet

strives for this dream, I really can’t say I’veever met anyone so immersed, confident,and satisfied with the whole idea about liv-ing completely in the faith (and fate) oftheir own music and its destiny. In a worldof obsession for celebrity, meeting two peo-ple whose real consideration is to be realpeople who care about real music from thesoul, I find the Troubadours of Divine Blissto be exactly what their name says theyare. The two ladies shift the concern of self

to the concern of the audience. “It isn’tabout us. Its about the people we’re play-ing to.” And in my 20 years of music busi-ness, this feels like a long overdue oasis.Somebody gets it. Over the course of theirweek in San Diego, I watched them showup, smile a lot, read their audience, andselect their material accordingly. Forinstance they were rockin’-and-a-rollin’ at aFriday night dive bar gig on the beach, andthe very nextmorning theywere cooinglove songs oversunny brunchmimosas, get-ting the seniorsworked up forwhat wouldprobably be along overdueepisode of after-noon delight.

Absolutleycharming.

So, eightyears ago theyhooked up their music, packed their bagsand axes, jumped into a car, and starteddriving to exotic destinations such asYourtown, Anytown, USA. With no morepreparation than a few phone calls, a fewemails, gasoline, and gusto, theTroubadours of Divine Bliss hit the road andfreed their dream. And they’ve been on theroad for all of those eight years, passingthrough their hometown long enough tocheck the mail,retune, andgrab a newuntattered roadmap.

I happenedto meet them ata gig through amutual friend. Twogorgeous KentuckyGypsies. There theyare: Renee, a hippiechick with an accor-dion and a purplefuzzy hat that bears the essence of a latesixties San Francisco-Haight hippie chick,and Aim Me, who’s decked out in a gunny-sack and a sun hat, much like that of aplantation southern belle. She’s rockin’ outlike a tilted meter. She’s on fire, bouncing

around with a physicality that makes methink of Pete Townshend.

Without disrupting their rapport withthe audience, I watched them sing theirsongs to each other. One after another afteranother. Know what? What a profoundeffect! Their singing makes you feel the waya pancake must feel as it’s being drenchedin warm buttered raspberry syrup.Sensuously. Downright sexy and —most

important — Ithink I believedevery word theysang. An interest-ing thing abouttheir singing wasthe instinctualnessof it. I had thesense that it was-n’t so muchrehearsed as it’swhat they natural-ly do anyway, forthe heck of it, allthe time — proba-bly as a means to

pass the time in thecar on their way to Winslow. And before Iknew it, in no time at all, they’d turned abuncha tipsy rock and roll show partiersinto a very “smitten” situation altogether.And everyone was feeling Divine.

The Divine repertoire includes old lostsongs from the lost memory of publicdomain. They also write their ownmaterial,

inspired by Rumi,the poet. And they cowrite with some of

the people they encounter in their travels.Their sound incorpoarates Americana,bayou, country, vaudeville, and even somepost-Normandy Parisian evocations. Mostimportant, however, is their intuition.They’re listening, tuning into the vibe at alltimes and reaching out to you. I’d also saythey have an odd and ironic knack forexpressing what is most sweet about life.

It’s amazing that they aren’t rock starsof the highest magnitude. They don’twanna be. They just want to play music.

By the fifth night, I’m hangin’ out withAim Me and Renee in a cozy little booth,drinking red wine as we take in anotherband. We’ve become serious pals by now. Alittle candle is flickering on our table. Reneeis going on and on about her thrift storefetish. “Here, try this throat lozenge! Theywere only 99 cents!” She’s impressed withthe killing she made. Nice people visit inter-mittently to say hello. We’re having a ball,giggling away about nonsense. In the din

of the barroom chaos our chit chattingturns to our music adventures, war stories,some of the characters we’ve met along theway, and music itself, namely the under-rated healing power of it. And the subjectof “making it in the biz” comes up.

“We’re not trying to befamous. We

already are,” they saywith a laugh and a wry smile as a way of

lending insight to their attitude, humor,and acceptance of their own modesty.They’re simply having fun, without any pre-tentions of the whole notion that any ofthis has to do with celebrity. (I think certainpeople would be willing to run out intotraffic and get hit by a car if it got them inthe news.) Actually, it seems the mission ofthe Troubadours of Divine Bliss is only that:a mission.

The two of them blissfully offer bumperstickers that charge: “Free Your Dream.”

“Do you know what our dream is?”Aimee offers, another evening later, whilewe’re slow dancing to the music of theother musicians who are playing at a birth-day party for a friend who’s also in the biz.Ten minutes prior, we had played“Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”together by way of impromptu sit-in. Shewas on fire, rocking out like my bruthas oneminute and just about the smoothest,classiest thing you’ve ever seen a fewmoments later, while engaged in conversa-tion in a simple, slow waltz.

“Our dream is to get in a car, drivearound from town to town, playing musicthat makes people feel better. We spreadthe good news, the good vibe. We spreadthe love. That’s what it’s all about. That’s

what we have to show for our-selves. It’s not about us. It’sabout the [giving] vibe. This iswhat we’ve been doing foreight years, and it works forus. We do everything on ourown terms with no limita-tions from the almightyrecord companies. Wemake enough to keep ourlives in order and don’treally need much. I dontneed to see my picture in

a magazine. I don’t need tobe a household name. What good doesthat do? Sometimes people are kindenough to put us up or make us dinner.Sometimes we stay in weird motels.Sometimes we have to deal with the unex-pected discomforts of road life. Everyonehas to deal with something, so big deal.Our success is that we do what we love. Welive our dream, everyday, doing what wewant. And we couldn’t be happier. After all,we’ve made it. Our life is music.”

Until San Diego encourages TheTroubadours of Divine Bliss to come backthis way later this year, you can find a littlebliss of your own by visiting www.trouba-doursofdivinebliss.com.

Free Your DreamAn Unexpected and Brief Encounter with

the Troubadours of Divine Bliss

“Their singing

makes you feel the way a

pancake must feel as it’s

being drenched in warm

buttered raspberry syrup.”

The author with Renee and Aim Me

San Diego Troubadour • May 2004

of noteof note

13

Annie DruUndone Dayby Frederick Leonard

Local singer-songwriter AnnieDru puts forth this nine-songeffort with all the girl-next-doorjoie de vivre there could possiblybe. She sure is cute. So are hersongs.

She sings about her ironicpreference for motherhood,baby teeth, dust bunnies, cleandishes, and changing diapers vs.the fortune and fame of stardom(“bein’ gramma’s more fun!”) onthe title track. She manages toequate “pancakes on the grid-dle” with a feeling of assuranceand comfort on “StepdadPancakes.” The bouncy opener“Take Me Home” is her weddingvow. It’s a promise. She’s happy.By the sound of her happypledge, her husband must betoo.

Track four, “We Two AreThrough,” pitches the curve ballof subject matter with a verymatter-o’-fact accounting of howthings ain’t exactly workin’ out,and this CD — one that speaksto suburban motherhood —takes on a new layer on thetheme.

“Steve’s Song” opens up like apuffy plume of incense smoke.This is my favorite song. It’s richand texturally very interesting,with a layered guitarscape andslides over bass, kick, and tam-bourine. The lyrics take on a lesscute attitude and suddenlyreveal a different ‘tude altogeth-er in her bank of emotional blissand harmony.

The rest of the CD stays in thesame happy backyard. However,in that backyard she’s playingwith kids like Steve Peavey, KenDow, Denise Ford, and RobinHenkel — who contribute to aclean, sparsely beautiful set ofarrangements and productiondecorated with mandolins, slideguitars, backing vocals, a synthe-sizer, upright basses, and simplepercussion.

The overall effect is just a littletoo happy for my listeningcuriosity, (I still like it) but maybethat’s the reason why I’m stillwishing I were as happy as thisrecord is.

Troubadoursof Divine BlissDying, Laughing by Frederick Leonard

This is one of those recordsthat starts impressively and thengrows on you.

There are 13 tracks on thislucky find. While the materialtranscends traditional and folkstyles from several genres —American and European — itpossesses at all times a hypnotic,gypsyesque sensuality. Equalparts traditional inspiration and aknack for thinking out of thebox, Aim Me Smiley and ReneeAnanda conjure up their sound-scapes and ditties like they werecasting spells with mysteriouslove potions.

Their unusually gorgeousvocals are trance-like and travellike two leaves blowing in thewind in an improvised andinstinctive unison. Swirling.Renee sings low road and playsthe accordion. Aim Me singshigh road and plays guitar. Overthe course of the playlist theyinclude subtle doses of fiddle,guitars and slide guitars, piano,humor, some pretty fun girl talk,and even a little techno-babblein the mix. It’s hip, but the quali-ty is such that I find myself wish-ing I could hear the effect of thismusic being played on an oldVictrola 78 just for kicks. There isa certain haunting nostalgicromance to this work that wouldbe exploited by this medium.

Nonetheless, it remains gor-geous. Now and then these tra-ditional approaches take veryunconventional and delighfullyinventive and rule-breakng leftturns. Sometimes they are sub-tle, but thats what’s fun about it.It makes you feel like you’re “inon something.” Whether they’rescrewing around with electroniczaniness on the tongue-and-cheek vaudeville track “DressingRoom for Eternity,” or the hillbil-ly sunshine harmonies of “SecretAdmirer,” or making overt refer-ences (in their poetry) to Rumion “Trapdoor” and “Rumi at theInn,” this is a great little musicalride worth many listens. “Rumiat the Inn,” by the way, despitethe evocation of its title, soundsmore like the drunken maple leafrag you’d hear while makingyour way through BourbonStreet on a wee-hour stagger.

There are lots of goodies inthis Kentucky gypsy gumbo.

CathrynBeeksFor the Girlsby Phil Harmonic

Cathryn Beeks made a specialCD for friends, which she’s titledFor the Girls, an appropriate onefor this issue devoted to our bet-ter halves. Of the assortment ofcontributing musicians, the twonames that pop out are Sven-ErikSeaholm and Chuck Schiele,which also happen to be herbandmates in the GandhiMethod.

The nine songs on this CD areculled from various live record-ings and studio sessions. Overallthe production is polished andnuanced. The two cover songs,“Wiser Time” by Robinson andRobinson of the Black Crowesand John Prine’s “Angel fromMontgomery,” are excellentselections. Beeks either wrote orco-wrote the other seven. Thereare some good songs here. “TwoDates” and “Think of Me” byBeeks stand out, along with“Shameful Thing,” co-writtenwith Schiele. Beeks’ vocals arestrong and powerful, especiallyon “Candles,” and she’s capableof changing styles for musicaldiversity, as demonstrated on“Bring Him.” With the various“live”recordings, you get to hearan array of top quality musicianswho, I believe, are mostly local.

Beeks has also recentlyreleased a 12-song CD titledSongs for Sale, which mayinclude some of the songs fromFor the Girls. It is currently on“sale,” so look for it at localrecord stores.

Danielle LoPresti continued from page 6.

powerful sense of teamwork within theindie music community. Several othergoals have manifested in the almost twoyears that we’ve been producing theshows, one of which is to educate peopleabout what “indie” means, as many folksreally don’t know.”

“IBD has been so rewarding, it’s likea dream come true. There’s just thiswarm, reverent thread that runs throughthese shows with the artists as well asthe audiences and the venue owners,and it’s so damn cool. The audiences feelthat they are a part of something impor-tant. They are making it possible for us asartists to exist. The artists will often tellme how welcoming they felt the vibewas; they meet each other and areencouraged to connect. And I feel reallygood about spreading this truth that wedon’t diminish our chances for successwhen we share resources with our fellowartists, we enhance them. For example, Ioften share that a great deal of my workcomes from referrals from other femaleartists; the so-called “competition” is notcompetition at all but an invaluableresource.

“The IBD compilation CDs are just onemore way to get a lot of great indie musicout there. Anyone who buys any indie CDat an IBD show gets one for free, andboom! they have 9-13 new artists sere-nading them in their car or house. I’m sothrilled about the compilation CDs.”

“You’re always looking forward,” Iquip. “What do you see in the future ofmusic itself and also your role in musicand the arts?”

“I’m excited to see where the indus-try goes and thrilled to be a small part ofthe indie explosion taking shape here inSan Diego and in LA. I think corporateradio and labels are going to do all theycan to emulate the coolness of the indievibe, to appeal to young people who theysee are definitely into thinking for them-selves as opposed to being used as buy-ing machines for the limitless stuffthey’re constantly being sold. I hope thisdoesn’t confuse people and that the indiemusic scene continues to grow like wild-fire. I also see the future of women inmusic being a bright one. When Ireleased Dear Mr. Penis Head, I wasridiculed for being angry, while Eminemwas at the top of the charts for a songthat’s about killing his wife and throwingher off the pier while he explains his rea-sons to his infant daughter. This kind ofsexism will slowly diminish, becausewomen who use their bodies to make apoint beyond sex are simply not goingaway. We will continue to make musicand kick serious ass while doing it untilwe defy all those tired, worn-out moldsthat have never fit us anyway.”

That was enough for us to down therest of our tea and coffee, but we left theun-hummus-able pita in the basket.

I ask, “Anything new going on?What’s next on your plate?”

“Yes. A new Danielle LoPresti and theMasses CD, more IBD shows, and a littleproject due in November of this year.We’re in the process of producing SanDiego’s first Indie Music Fest. But there’swork to do, so I’ll have to tell you aboutthat later, Chucky.”

After a short walk, we say goodnight, say thank you, exchange hugs, andshe jumps in her car and heads off to herrehearsal. And as she drives away, Ithink once more, “Now there’s a girlwho’s not going away.”

Amy ObenskiWhat We Tellby Phil Harmonic

How much of ourselves dowe reveal to others? We may tellall we think we know, but wemay have to look deeper andlonger to know more about our-selves to reveal. On AmyObenski’s 11-song CD, What WeTell, she conveys a good dealabout her past experiences andrelationships, and her messageof love rings loud and clear. Adifferent approach in thearrangements and diversity ofmusical styles add color to helpdefine that message. Topicalsongs such as “Arabian-American,” which advises peopleof Arabic descent to be strongand to hold on through thesetimes of adversity and anti-Semitism, remind me of NatalieMerchant and 10,000 Maniacswith her unusual writing styleand treatment of controversialsubjects. You acquire a taste asthe music and lyrics mesh intoone and grow on you.

On “My Baby,” the vocal,aided by pennywhistle-soundingflute, helps create a visual ofminstrels and troubadours withits traditional old English, Irish,and Celtic melody. “In the Air” isa metaphor for how it feels to bein a state of ambiguity, searchingfor middle ground while tryingto discover yourself in a code-pendent relationship and to findsomething positive in this nega-tive world. The aptly titled“Being Free” picks you up withits bouncy, Latin-flavored jazzyrhythm. The message here issomewhat paradoxical, illuminat-ed by a Taoist understanding inits attempt to perceive the truth.On “Sandstorm,” highlighted bylush vocal harmonies, and on“Waves of Moments,” accompa-nied by a hypnotic ostinato gui-tar riff, the message is aboutbeing in the moment. We arereminded that always lookingforward makes it difficult toattempt to catch “waves ofmoments”; we may have toaccept the fact that the sweet-ness and satisfaction of lifecomes through memories.

On the last cut, “No Way toKnow,” the haunting pianomelody with a Carole King feel,tells us to stop analyzing life. Letit go and give yourself up tolove in order to feel the “hopewithin your heart.”

The CD is available throughhttp://amy.obenski.net.

May 2004 • San Diego Troubadour

‘round about‘round about

14

saturday • 1Art of Guitar Making Exhibit, GeiselLibrary, UCSD, thru June. 858/534-8074.

World Music Folk Festival, San DieguitoChurch, Solana Beach, 12:15pm.

Bryan Bowers, San Dieguito UnitedMethodist Church, 7:30pm. 858/566-4040.

Avocado Moon, Metaphor Cafe,Escondido, 8pm.

Aaron Bowen/Will Edwards/KevinTinkle/Annie Dru/Jen Knight Band,Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Gregory Page & Tom Brosseau, noon-4pm, Illusion 33/Renata Youngblood/Biddy Bums, 9pm, Lestat’s.

Baja Blues Boys, Patricks, Poway, 9pm.

sunday • 2Gregory Page & Tom Brosseau, noon-4pm, Split Infinity/Illusion 33, 9pm,Lestat’s.

Anna Troy, Galley at the Marina, ChulaVista, 7:30pm.

Michael Tiernan, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

tuesday • 4Texas Tornados/Los Alacranes, 4th & B,9pm.

wednesday • 5Los Lonely Boys, Belly Up Tavern, SolanaBeach, 8pm.

Anya Marina, Casbah, 9pm.

thursday • 6Carol Ames, Coyote Bar & Grill, 300Carlsbad Village Dr., Carlsbad, 6pm.

Peddling to Strangers/Beezeley/Lucy’sFalling/Aaron Strout, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Pete Thurston, Lestat’s, 9pm.

friday • 7“Jus Jer” Gontang, Tabloid Coffee,Santee, 7pm.

With Intent, Metaphor Cafe, Escondido,8pm.

Jamie Crawford/Saba/Ashley Matte/Terra Naomi/Dave’s Son, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Dave Howard/Coyote Problem/Crystal

Yoakum, Lestat’s, 9pm.

Carol Ames, Coaster Saloon, MissionBeach, 9pm.

Fenians/Skelpin, Belly Up Tavern, SolanaBeach, 9pm.

21 Grams/Carol Ames, Coaster Saloon,Mission Beach, 9pm.

saturday • 8Pacific Beach Block Party, Garnet Ave.,Pacific Beach, 9am-5pm.

Sam Hinton Folk Heritage Festival,Grossmont College campus, El Cajon,9:30am-11pm. Info: 858/566-4040.

Valley Center Arts & Music Festival,Lilac Rd., 11am-6pm.

Gandhi Method, Acoustic Stage, PBBlock Party, 1:30pm.

Carrickethan Ceili, St. Michael’s CatholicChurch, Poway, 6:30pm.

Bach/Handel Choral Concert, UnitarianChurch, 4190 Front St., 7:30pm.

Dos Dudes, Metaphor Cafe, Escondido,8pm.

Northstar Session/Jack the Original/JimBianco/Ted Ehr, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Hollis Gentry, Dizzy’s, 8:30pm.

Sven-Erik Seaholm & Wild Truth/butterFace, Coaster Saloon, MissionBeach, 9pm.

Anya Marina/The Remotor, Lestat’s, 9pm.

sunday • 9Sweet James/Bushwalla, Twiggs,8:30pm.

Zora, Lestat’s, 9pm.

monday • 10Eve Selis, Calypso Cafe, Leucadia, 8pm.

wednesday • 12The Shelleys/Lauren DRose, M-TheoryMusic, South Park, 8pm.

thursday • 13Graham Parker & Twang Three, Belly UpTavern, Solana Beach, 7:30pm.

Tim Mudd/Josh Hall, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Mary Dolan, Lestat’s, 9pm.

Music for Life Benefit w/ TerrenTrousset/Bridget Brigitte/Mermaid’sJourney/Ki’s Guys/Dora Hall/SimplyComplex/Alpha Ray/Gandhi Method,Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge, ShelterIsland, 6pm.

friday • 14Duke Windsor/Glasshouse, TabloidCoffee, Santee, 7pm.

21 Grams, Mocha Marketplace,Restaurant Row, San Marcos, 7:30pm.

Open Road, 4650 Mansfield St., 7:30pm.Info: 619/303-8176.

Cubanismo!, Ca. Ctr. for the Arts,Escondido, 8pm.

The Two of Us, Metaphor Cafe,Escondido, 8pm.

Collin Elliott/The Coyote Problem/PeteThurston/Curtis Peoples/Lauren DeRose,Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Robin Henkel, Lestat’s, 9pm.

Greyboy Allstars, 4th & B, 9pm.

saturday • 15MayFest 2004, Dance Festival, BalboaPark Club, noon-5pm.

Allison Londsdale, 6-8pm, Peggy Watson,9pm, Lestat’s.

Eric Schwartz aka Smooth-E/HughGaskins/Late Night Waiting/CameronAsh/The Inside, Twiggs, 7:30pm.

Kris Delmhorst, 4650 Mansfield St.,7:30pm. Info: 619/303-8176.

The Quimbys, Metaphor Cafe, Escondido,8pm.

sunday • 16MayFest 2004, Dance Festival, BalboaPark Club, noon-5pm.

Chuck Schiele/Joe Rathburn/DaveBeldock, Galley at the Marina, 550Marina Parkway, Chula Vista, 5-9pm.

Skott Freedman, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Angela Correa/Tom Brosseau, Lestat’s,9pm.

tuesday • 182nd Ave. Dan-Toby Ahrens Jazz Quartet,Twiggs, 8:30pm.

wednesday • 19Lighthouse, Golden Goose, Lakeside, 7pm.

Johnny Winter, Belly Up Tavern, SolanaBeach, 8pm.

thursday • 20Kingston Trio, Sycuan Casino, 2 & 7pm.

21 Grams/Sage Gentle-Wing/TruckeeBrothers/Carol Ames, Humphrey’sBackstage Lounge, Shelter Island, 8pm.

Shane Alexander/Anna Troy, Twiggs,8:30pm.

Ivan Cliffs/Sandman, Lestat’s, 9pm.

friday • 21Christopher Dean, Cuyamaca WaterConservation Gardens Summer ConcertSeries, 12122 Cuyamaca College Dr.West, Rancho San Diego, 7pm.

Blind Boys of Alabama/CharlieMusselwhite, Belly Up Tavern, SolanaBeach, 8pm.

Sue Palmer Trio, Bookworks, Flower HillMall, Del Mar, 8pm.

With Intent, Metaphor Cafe, Escondido,8pm.

Meghan LaRoque/Robert Spencer/KerrieCaldwell/Antonio Sol, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Tristan Prettyman/Bushwalla, Lestat’s,9pm.

saturday • 22Berkley Hart, House Concert, RanchoPeñasquitos. Info: greenmtnglass@aol.com.

Dan Crary, San Dieguito UnitedMethodist Church, 7:30pm. 858/566-4040.

Antonio Sole, Metaphor Cafe, Escondido,8pm.

Rebeca Randle/Rheanna Downey/Emerson Band, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Kev, Lestat’s, 9pm.

Sue Palmer & her Motel SwingOrchestra, Croce’s Top Hat, 9:30pm.

sunday • 23Dave Humphries CD Release, Claire deLune, 2906 University Ave., 4pm.

Chuck Pyle, 4650 Mansfield St., 7:30pm.Info: 619/303-8176.

Trio of the West (classical music), DarkThirty Productions, Lakeside, 7:30pm.619/443-9622.

Creedence Clearwater Revisited,Palomar Starlight Theater, Pala CasinoResort, 8pm.

Alix Olson, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Itai CD release/Jane Lui/Angela Correa/Anna Troy, Lestat’s, 9pm.

monday • 24Bobfest Bob Dylan’s B-Day Tribute w/Steve White/Dave Howard/Anna Troy/Peter Bolland/Louis MacKenzie/ChuckPerrin & more, Dizzy’s, 8pm.

tuesday • 25Miles Davis’ B-Day Celebration, Dizzy’s,8pm.

thursday • 27AM/Sage Gentle-Wing, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Jane Lui/Kevin Tinkle, Lestat’s, 9pm.

friday • 28Carol Ames, Galley at the Marina, ChulaVista, 6pm.

Anderson Sisters & Friends, TabloidCoffee, Santee, 7pm.

Leigh Taylor Band, Metaphor Cafe,Escondido, 8pm.

Tristan Prettyman/Stewart Lewis/Dave’sSon/Trevor Davis, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Gregory Page CD release, Lestat’s, 9pm.

Teeny-Tiny Pit Orchestra for Silent Films,Che Cafe, UCSD campus, 10 & 11pm.

saturday • 29Healing Waters Art & Music Festival,Jacumba, all day. www.jacumba.org.

Lite the Nite, Metaphor Cafe, Escondido,8pm.

Broken Shadow/Sara Bancroft/JenKnight/Martin Storrow/Kristoffer CarterShow, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Jack the Original/Josh Hall, Lestat’s,9pm.

Anna Troy, Hot Monkey Love Cafe, 5960El Cajon Blvd., 9pm.

sunday • 30Healing Waters Art & Music Festival,Jacumba, all day. www.jacumba.org.

Zora/Exfriends/Four Eyes, Lestat’s, 9pm.

WEEKLYevery sunday

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

Connie Allen, Old Town Trolley Stage,Twigg St. & San Diego Ave., noon-5pm.

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

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

Celtic Ensemble, Twiggs, 4pm.

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

Joe Rathburn, The Galley, 550 MarinaPkwy, Chula Vista, 5-9pm.

Miff’s Jam Night, Java Joe’s, 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 mondayConnie Allen, Old Town Trolley Stage,Twigg St. & San Diego Ave., noon-5pm.

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

Open Mic Night, Lestat’s, 7:30pm.

every tuesdayConnie Allen, Old Town Trolley Stage,Twigg St. & San Diego Ave., noon-5pm.

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

Traditional Irish Music, The Ould Sod,Normal Heights, 7pm.

Comedy Night, Lestat’s, 7:30pm.

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

Open Mic Night w/ Sage Gentle-Wing,Beachcomber, Mission Beach, 8:30pm.

every wednesdayPride of Erin Ceili Dancers, Rm. 204,Casa del Prado, Balboa Park, 7-9pm.

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

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

Open Mic Night, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Highland Way, Tom Giblin’s Pub, 640Grand Ave., Carlsbad, 8:30pm.

Live Taping of San Diego’s Finest TVShow, Lestat’s, 9pm.

Hatchet Brothers, The Ould Sod, 9pm.

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

Tony Cummings, Blarney Stone,Clairemont, 8:30pm. (also Fri. & Sat.)

Rockabilly Thursdays w/ Hot RodLincoln, Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., 9pm.

Brehon Law, Tom Giblin’s Pub, 640 GrandAve., Carlsbad, 9pm (also Fri. & Sat.).

every fridayConnie Allen, Old Town Trolley Stage,Twigg St. & San Diego Ave., noon-5pm.

California Rangers, McCabe’s,Oceanside, 4:30-9pm.

Songwriter Showcase, Tabloid Coffee,9225-27 Carlton Hills Blvd., Santee, 7pm.

Irish Folk Music, The Ould Sod, 9pm.

every saturdayConnie Allen, Old Town Trolley Stage,Twigg St. & San Diego Ave., noon-5pm.

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.

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

MAY CALENDAR

San Diego Troubadour • May 2004

the local seenthe local seen

15

Francisco Aviles at Twiggs

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Alicia Champion at Twiggs

Photo: Joel Siegfried

Aspasia and Tim Mudd

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Billy Watson at Harmonica Festival

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Eddie Baltrip at “Glorious Gospel”

Photo: Millie M

oreno

Tim Flannery joins Berkley Hart

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Chet Cannon at Harmonica Festival

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Cindy Alexander at the Belly Up

John Bosley at Tabloid Coffee

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Lauren DeRose at Twiggs

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League of Crafty Guitars at Dizzy’s

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Fulfillment at Gospel Fest

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Jason Mraz and Bushwalla at Lestat’s

Photo: Millie M

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Mishey at Honey Bee Hive

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Homeboy Jason Mraz pops up at Lestat’s

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Sound guys at Harmonica Festival

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oPete Thurston at Twiggs

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Tristan Prettyman at Twiggs

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An Evening of

q Program r

Schubert Piano Trio in B Flat

Shostakovich Piano Trio No. 1 in C Minor, Opus 8

Ravel Piano Trio in A Minor

D A R K T H I R T Y P R O D U C T I O N S P R E S E N T S

Sunday, May 237:30 p.m. $20

Thomas Macfarlane, pianoRaymond Kobler, violinDaniel Rothmuller, cello

featuring

RESERVATIONS AND INFORMATION

(619) 443-9622www.darkthirty.com

Classical Music

Thomas

Macfarlane is a

much sought-after

concert pianist,

music director, vocal

coach, arranger, and

recording artist.

Based in Orange

County, he performs extensively with

many leading musicians and in concerts

co-produced by him and his wife,

mezzo-soprano Marianna Giordano,

through their production company,

proVoce productions.

Raymond Kobler,

violinist, has appeared as

soloist on numerous occa-

sions with orchestras

worldwide, collaborating

with such conductors as

Andre Previn, Lorin

Maazel, Sir Neville Marriner, Leonard Slatkin,

Christopher Eschenbach, Neemi Jarvi, and

Herbert Blomstedt. He served as former associ-

ate concertmaster for the Cleveland Orchestra,

1974-1980, and concertmaster of the San

Francisco Symphony, 1980-1998. In addition, he

was appointed concertmaster of the Pacific

Symphony Orchestra in 1999 and presented

with the Outstanding Individual Artist Award by

Arts Orange County in 2002.

Daniel Rothmuller,

on cello, joined the

Los Angeles

Philharmonic during

the 1970-71 season

and was appointed

associate principal

cellist in 1975. He is an original member of

the Los Angeles Philharmonic Chamber

Music Society and the Philharmonic New

Music Group. He is also a member of the

ensembles An die Musik, the Jordan Piano

Trio,Trio of the West, and teaches at the USC

Thornton School of Music.