Trey Anastasio interview Part 2
in which Trey names his next record and discovers that he has a MySpace page...

Your new record is on your new label, Rubber Jungle. Is that independent?
We have a distributor, but Rubber Jungle has just two employees: just me and Patrick Jordan. We’re distributed by Red (?garbled?)
When we spoke in 1993, Rift was just out and you were starting your experience working with Elektra. You had already been burned by another record label (Absolute A-Go-Go/Rough Trade). I asked if you thought the relationship with a major was going to work for Phish. Do you think that old model is gone at this point?
I tried it another time. When the Elektra contract ran out we did one record with Columbia. That was a big thrill because Columbia has such a history, Bob Dylan and Duke Ellington, but it was the same kind of problem: basically the fit between myself and the major label system. I think this is pretty much it now. It’s such a relief and sort of a dream to do this. I already have another record that will come out after this one, an instrumental record, no singing. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a 10-piece band with horns where the horns are layered. It’s out there. You know if this was on a major label, I’d have to explain it. Now I don’t have to explain it to anybody except Patrick Jordan my one employee.
Does it have a name?
Patrick Jordan?
No, the record.
The record, right now, is either going to be called The Horseshoe Curve or Cook Drive. I kind of like Cook Drive because most of the times I’ve listened to it I’ve either been cooking or driving. But I don’t know.
Cook/Drive? Or Cook Drive like an address?
Oh, Cook Drive... I like that. You just named it for me. That’s better than The Horseshoe Curve. You like Cook Drive? Thanks for naming it. That’s due to come out in March so it’s already done, mastered. That’s another thing. Major labels aren’t really set up to have something like Shine come out and then a month later having somebody standing in their office saying, ‘Can you put this one out?’ They’re like, ‘I don’t understand.’
Because they want to finish marketing the first one and fear that the second might interfere or whatever...
I think you’ll see more of that sort of thing.
And you have to take into account the state of the music industry in general, with the ongoing transition to the digital era. It seems like everything’s up in the air at this point. At least that’s what I hear.
I’ve been hearing a lot of that. Just this morning I was on the phone talking with someone about the whole song concept.
The song concept?
Well, I guess the album is becoming less important than the song. It’s because kids, like my 6th grade daughter, she’s never been in a record store. She gets all her stuff online. And when you buy online, you pretty much just buy a song, so the idea of an album disappears. I guess there are record deals being cut now where people will sign to do a song or three songs instead of three albums. That’s the wave of the future, so a lot of people are kind of saddened by the fact that you’re not going to get another Dark Side of the Moon that way.
The form will change to meet the new medium. You know when Duke Ellington was writing songs he wrote them to fit on one side of a 78.
Exactly. And I’m thinking, what if you kind of embrace that idea. Now that we have this vehicle, the Internet, where you can put something out very fast, you can be boom, boom, boom, done -- mastered on the Internet, available for download. That means you can maybe inject the time concept. You could put out a song, and then another song would come out on the heels of that song that refers back to the previous song. You know people have bought one song; they’ve heard the lyric and the melody. Now, two weeks late, I’m going to put out another song that follows it.
You know when Dickens was writing Great Expectations he put it out in serial form.
Interesting. Then eventually it would come out as a full book. You could do something like that on the Internet.
Right, after he put it out there one chapter at a time, he published it as a full novel. Similarly, you could release an album one track at a time.
And you could leave it up to people, explain that you mean for these songs to go together. When I put out Bar 17, it came out with this other album Baby Steps. A guy stopped me on the street a couple of days ago and told me he thought that four or five songs on Bar 17 really clearly refer to things on Baby Steps. He took four songs from Bar 17 and three from the other and made his own record with the quieter songs.
With something like iTunes your sequencing of an album can be thrown out the window.
And that’s kind of cool.
What exactly is “Bar 17”? Is it a particular point in that song?
It was that came to me when I was walking down the street one day. I thought if you had a really long intro...
So you have a 16 bar intro, then the real song starts...
Then the story starts...
And I guess that’s where you’re at right now: The intro is done and now it’s time fro the rest of your life...
That’s exactly what I meant. You’re the first person who kind of took it that way. That’s what I was thinking -- and it was a really long intro. (laughs)
Louise the publicist cuts in again: Guys, we need to wrap it up.
Okay, we’re being told we can’t talk any more.
You’re not going to believe this but it’s true. I remember your voice. I think I remember that interview from 1993.
You told me it was a different kind of interview that you were used to. We got into some deeper issues, partly because I don’t always adhere to the normal interview style. We were talking about growing up in Princeton and the Rhombus. Do you ever go back the Rhombus?
I have not been back to the Rhombus in quite some time, but I think it’s still there. I still talk with Tom [Tom Marshall, his childhood friend and songwriting partner].
I went to your MySpace page today...
I don’t have a MySpace page...
Believe me, you have a MySpace page. Posted on it today was a photo of you and Tom on stage playing together. Tom posted it.
On my MySpace? How does that work? I’m so sorry. I don’t have a MySpace page (he laughs).
There’s a page with your name on it. Maybe this person who’s listening in on the phone knows about it. Do you know about it? Are you still there?
Louise: Did someone ask for me?
Yes. Do you take care of Trey’s MySpace page?
Unfortunately I do not.
Does KSA? (the publicity company?)
Louise: No, it’s probably Patrick.
Trey: Yeah, Patrick, my employee in Rubber Jungle probably does it.
You partner in crime, well, not crime exactly.
My partner in putting out new exciting records...
Well, I know you have this set of new toys in the studio and you probably want to go play with.
I do. I’m standing in front of them right now.
I’m looking forward to this show coming up. I hate to admit it, but I haven’t seen you play since 1993.
You’re going to like this. It’s a really killer horn section, a great drummer, great bass player...
From New Orleans right?
Right, Tony Hall. You ever hear that song “The Maker” by Daniel Lanois. That’s him, he’s the money.
I have a couple more questions, but we’ll save them for another day. Good talking with you again after all these years.
Thank you.
Have fun with the new toys. Make some more great music...
Talk to you soon...
Bye.
Louise: Bye. Thank you.

Richard Thompson Arcata 12/1/06

This note came in today from my friend Gus Mozart, a very serious Richard Thompson fan (and a KHSU deejay among other things).
The photo came from concert photographer John Chapman (who sat right behind me at the
show) via CenterArts.

Gus (aka Russ) writes:

> I posted this to the RT discussion list, and thought y'all might like to read it. If you were there, you know of what I speak! If you missed it...... sorry!

> best, russneversleeps
____________________________________________________
"A holiday, a holiday..."

Mr. Thompson has certainly earned one.

His touring schedule for 2006 ended Friday evening with a truly phenomenal performance at the Van Duzer Theater at Humboldt State University. I've seen Richard close to 50 times, beginning in 1985, and this was easily one of the finest solo shows I've seen him do.

Obviously rested from the Hawaii trip, and in prime condition after the 3 night run at Montalvo, he didn't coast for one second of his 2 hour set. He opened and closed the show with new songs, both of them worthy additions to his prodigious songbook. In the last dozen years ago, he has started almost every show I've attended with new material. I've always been struck by the audaciousness of this move - generally, an artist wants to pull the listener in with something "up", and preferably instantly recognizable. Yet Richard doesn't play that game. Whether it's because he is simply being true to himself as an artist, believing as he does in the strength of his work, or just being playfully obstinate, either way, it's ballsy!

I might be disappointed by this habit, except that every time I hear these new tunes, I'm always bowled over. "Poppy Red" was gorgeous, and a perfect way to begin an exquisite evening of song by one of the best singer-songwriters on the face of the earth.

"Crawl Back" was riveting. He did a long guitar solo in the middle, very different than anything I'd heard him do on this song -- It was jagged, prickly, even a little odd, and I loved it. Then, at the end, when he repeats "crawl back", his voice built in intensity until he was roaring. It was an absolutely thrilling moment. A co-worker of mine, who'd never heard a note of Richard's music, was in tears.
"Oh my god, he's incredible!" she said at the end of it. Yep.

The second new one, "'Dad's Gonna Kill Me" was as great as I'd heard. A moving depiction of a soldiers' experience... stuck in a place he doesn't want to be, and can't get out of. This song, along with Tom Waits' recent "Road To Peace", are two examples of a new breed of songs inspired by the conflict in Iraq. Sad that war has to be the source of such inspiration, but perhaps when people hear these tales sung, more hearts and minds will be opened to the futility of this stupid military mess.

And what did he follow that with? A witty ditty like "Hots For The Smarts". I'd heard this once before, and only thought it okay, but RT was on a roll. He delivered verse after verse with comic timing, and the audience was thoroughly charmed. A broken string brought a singalong with "Sam Hall". "Persuasion" was lovely. "Vincent".... He does this virtually EVERY NIGHT, and it's STILL amazing. How he manages to make it sound fresh each time, I don't know. It's a tribute to his excellence as a performer.

I hadn't heard that he'd started doing "Matty Groves" recently, so I was
pretty surprised when he actually did it. Another epic story, expertly presented. Classic Fairport from the man himself, when you thought you'd never, ever hear him play it.

Then, the "1,000 Years portion of the set: "Shenandoah" was sung with such wrenching emotion. Breath taking. "Oops!" absolutely rocked, and he did the Britney-hand-movements around his eyes at it's close, which was hilarious. Pardon me if I don't relay a more detailed accounting of the set, and encores, because I'll run out of superlatives. Suffice to say that everything was superb.

Except I have to mention "Sunset Song". I'd read a few things posted on the discussion list about this song, but I was not prepared for how stunning it was. Wow. A beautiful melody,shifting timbre in unexpected ways. A lilting, heart breaking guitar figure that propels that melody. And lyrics that convey a wistful,longing, sadness, that, while melancholy, leave you with a warmth, and an ache, at the fragile and fleeting beauty of life.

The next album is going to be a real keeper!

Setlist:

> Poppy Red
> Walking On A Wire
> Crawl Back
> Down Where The Drunkards Roll
> 'Dad's Gonna Kill Me
> Hots for the Smarts
> I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
> (broken string) jokes / Sam Hall
> How Will I Ever Be Simple Again?
> Cooksferry Queen
> Persuasion
> Vincent
> Matty Groves
> So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo
> Shenandoah
> Oops!
> I Feel So Good
> Cold Kisses
> Valerie
>
> (encore 1)
> 1 Door Opens
> Dimming of the Day
>
> (encore 2)
> Wall of Death
> Sunset Song
>
> (pre-show soundcheck)
> Goin' Back
> Withered and Died
> Drinking Wine Spodie-Odie
>
best, gm

Peter Walker Live at Synapsis

Guitarist Peter Walker performs a flamenco-influenced tune at Synapsis in Old Town Eureka, Novemember 2006.

a conversation with Trey Anastasio Winter 2006 part 1

Early in 1993, a rock band from Vermont called Phish came to play at Humboldt State while touring college campuses across the country. The band was on its way up, at the forefront of a new scene that was developing. Phish would eventually inherit the mantle of the Grateful Dead to lead the nascent jamband movement. Before the band played here I spoke with Phish’s founder and guitarist Trey Anastasio, the unintentional leader of a growing cult of Phish aficionados for an interview originally published in the now defunct Edge City Magazine.

Thirteen years later Trey is coming back to Humboldt for a show at the Eureka Muni Dec. 6.

Last week I talked with him again.

P.R. Person: Trey?

Trey: Hey.

P.R. Person: Bob?

Bob: Trey?

Hey Bob, how are you doing?

I’m good and you?

Great thank you.

And where are you?

I’m in my new studio, which I just opened yesterday in New York City.

That sounds exciting.

It’s really exciting. I’m pacing around looking at everything.

All the new toys?

Yes. And a lot of old toys. I’ve been moving in. I’ve had a series of five or six little home studios in my life and I still have pieces of gear from the first one, which is where all the original Phish music was written back in New Jersey. A lot of the stuff went up to The Barn in Vermont. And now I’m doing this one in New York. Each time there’s new gear, plus all the old stuff.

Is The Barn turning into something else?

The Barn is changing. If you look inside the Bar 17 album [released in October] it says something about the Seven Below Fund. That has now started running. What we’re doing is, with help from my sister, we’re taking all the money raised on my last tour for philanthropy, and the money from the record, to go to a patron of the arts program.

For now The Barn has been divided into work spaces and we’re going to get three artists to come live and work there through the winter. The idea is that they work side by side and kind of vibe off each other, then they interface with this existing program in Burlington, a community of visual artists, metal workers glassworkers, etc. They’re in the city and the others are in the mountains at The Barn. And while the artists in residence are living in The Barn they’ll teach classes for Vermont school kids. So, the big [music] gear that’s in the Barn has been covered up as the space goes into its second life as an artist’s space.

The Barn is like a big piece of art in itself. It took five years to do. I didn’t do all the work myself of course, there were two brothers I worked with, but everything is made out of salvage. It’s really cool. Lots of local artists have put things in over the years, ramp ways, strange little elevators that go up into the cupola, crazy doors, so it’s very arty. I just needed a change after making seven albums in a row there. So there people will paint or sculpt or whatever, maybe put some piece of sculpture in the middle of the woods.

While you work in New York in what I assume is a very different sort of building..

The contrast is intense. I don’t even have any windows. I’m in a little hole in the middle of the city with a black ceiling. But it’s cool. I needed a change as I said.

I have to tell you a little story. I‘m calling from Humboldt County Calif. When you were going to play here last time, 13 years ago...

I went to the Co-op and saw Humboldt Bud. You know Bud?

I do. Bud Culbertson. He still works at the Co-op. He’s also a radio deejay. You stole his girlfriend away, well not exactly, not personally, but she went to work for you...

(Trey is laughing almost uncontrollably.) It was his wife by the way, not his girlfriend.

Shelly was with Phishnet, then she went to work for you guys in Vermont, didn’t she?

She did. I don’t know where she is now, she left a while ago.

I think she’s doing white water rafting or something like that.

Tell Bud I said Hi. He’s a very nice guy.

So, when I interviewed you, I didn’t know that much about Phish, but I was working at this restaurant, and our dishwasher was a big fan early on. With his help I did some research. When we talked on the phone we ended up yaking for something like 80 minutes.

We did?

I put the interview in a local music mag (Edge City) and someone from Phishnet transcribed it and posted it on the web. My dishwasher was so thrilled that I had talked with you and asked for a copy of the tape. I gave it to him. Not much after, he quit his job to follow Phish on tour.

Fast forward to a couple of months ago. I heard you were coming to play at the Eureka Muni in Dec. (on Wednesday, Dec. 6) and I wanted to send to interview to Matt, the guy who booked the show locally, another person who once worked for you. I did a Google search to find it and not only did I come up with the Phishnet interview transcription, I found the actual interview recording is being traded as a SHN file or as a BitTorrent download.

Really? Wow. I had no idea that was going on.

It made me wonder, what is it about Phish that inspired that level of unlimited devotion? What do you think?

I don’t know. There’s something about it. I’m probably the last person who could answer that question. But when things were sort of getting to be too much and then I guess I sort of pulled the plug. They certainly got mad. (He laughs again.)

So I hear.

I always thought that all the decisions made for the band were made from the heart. I think that’s why people liked us. I just try to do my best to do the right thing at the right time, then roll with the changes. I always thought that was what was cool about Phish. And I think when that change came it wasn’t what people wanted, but it came from the same place all those other decisions came from. When you go against an honest decision based on the heart it’s like trying to skip a stone across the Pacific Ocean. You know what I mean?

Again what I thought was so cool about Phish was that everything was so improvised and unplanned. It’s funny that the beginning of this conversation was about The Barn, because The Barn was made with no plans. That’s my space. I don’t have a MySpace, I have a barn. I did that as a pet project while Phish was going and it was all with salvage. At one point there was this school being torn down and we took the blackboards out. All of a sudden we had all this slate, so we used it to make a shower with a slate bottom because that’s what we had. The were no plans whatsoever. And there were no plans to start Phish or to have that happen, and there were no plans to stop it. I just knew it was the right thing to do at the time. And now, today, I’m standing alone in this studio in New York and I don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s the philosophy by which I’ve run my life, despite the reactions. If people are going to throw beers at you, there’s nothing you can do about it.

Getting back to the unlimited devotion question, I have my own theory, that Phish devotees and Deadheads use the band as something like a substitute for religion.

We filled in something that was missing in some people’s lives. Have you ever heard of “Dissolution of the Order of the Star” by Krishnamurti? Krishnamurti was going to be the second coming of Christ or whatever. In the ’20s he was trained in spiritual matters, raised to be the leader of this giant organization called the Order of the Star. The day they handed him this position, he went in front of all these people and said ‘Stop. What do you expect me to do? You had me read all this about spiritual matters. Well, I’m dissolving this organization. Spirituality comes from within, from your own heart. Stop following me around. Follow yourself. Listen to yourself.’ You have to read this speech, you can find it on the Internet. That speech has become a famous piece of spiritual writing. It’s an amazing thing.

When we talked years ago you described the growth of the band as a word of mouth cult thing.And with that cult comes a framework. You know I just got this disc, a new release from Phish, The History of Colorado 1988. It’s a live recording from 1988. It was interesting because I’d never heard the show. It sounded like so much fun. And there are about four people in the audience. What happened was we got more and more popular and more and more popular and suddenly we had 80 employees. We had to tour so many nights per year. Everything became regimented.

Now, talking to you today. I’m in this different place. I’m in this teeny hole-in-the-wall studio and I’ve given my barn to some artists and I have my own record label. It’s so exciting and I very happy because it’s all so unknown. Eureka is going to be the first night of this new nine-piece band I’ve put together. I’m bringing this horn section and a couple of guys from a previous band and Jeff Stipe on drums. It’s a brand new band playing the first night ever. To me that’s exciting. People were all excited to see Phish 150 times and I suppose it was exciting. And I have to say, being in Phish was the greatest experience of my life, but now here I am coming to Eureka to play the first night ever with a brand new band. I don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s real excitement.

P.R. person intrudes: Guys, time to wrap it up...

We continue out talk and move on to discussion of Trey’s upcoming album, the meaning of Bar 17 and more... Check back when I return from vacation. Right now it’s time to pack...

9 Questions for Richard Gilewitz

Those who enjoy the sound of fingerstyle guitar will want to check out Richard Gilewitz, who plays at Jambalaya Wednesday, Oct. 18.“It’s an unplanned night, no set list,” said Gilewitz calling from Florida before taking off on tour. “The music I play can be anything from ‘Embryonic Journey’ to a prelude by Bach to a John Fahey tune or something I’ve written. I play a little bit of everything in the fingerstyle guitar realm and in between I tell tales of life on the road, talk about origins of tunes or maybe about how I once mailed a fingernail to Leo Kottke.” Gilewitz is currently working on a book for Mel Bay called Nylon to Steel. He wrote another called Fingerstyle Acoustic Guitar Workshop. “It’s basically everything I know, even a chapter on how to deal with the sound man. That’s some of the stuff I’ll do in the workshop.” The workshop he refers to is the following night, Thursday, Oct. 19, from 6-7:30 p.m. at Arcata Music in Sunnybrae. “It will be a combination of me playing, and a Q&A session afterwards; all levels of players are invited,“ said Gilewitz.

We had our own Q&A session via e-mail...

Who are you?

My name is Richard Gilewitz and I have been playing acoustic fingerstyle guitar for 34 years. I have been fortunate to have performed in concert as well as the conducting of seminars in 48 states and 8 countries. I have also released 6 recordings and Fingerstyle Guitar Workshop Books and DVD's for Mel Bay Publications with worldwide distribution. I mention 'fingerstyle' guitar which is another way of saying I DON'T play flatpick style guitar. The pick kept falling in the hole.

Where are from?

I was born in San Diego, CA, grew up in my formative years (I made up the 'grew up' part) in New Jersey, attended high school and college in Alabama and have been a Florida resident since the late 1980's.

What do you do?

I continue to compose for the acoustic 6 and 12 string guitars along with a few other 'toys', record, tour in concert, conduct acoustic guitar camps, conduct music industry sponsored guitar 'music dealer' store events, teach privately, write for the national music publication Singer and Musician magazine, and still dig out music I couldn't play in college to take a fresh 'crack at it'.

Why do you do what you do?

For many years my pat answer was to say "I didn't want a real job". In reality I have begun to realize the absolute absolute! necessity to stay on one's toes, work extremely hard, be creative, and more than anything fight like mad to maintain something along the lines of that passion that made (probably most of us) start playing in the first place.

What are you working on?

I recently compiled my entire repertoire in every tuning for every guitar to determine with the much feared 'metronome' exactly where my tunes 'live'. In other words, having the groove is one thing but having the 'click' is another. This became apparent in recent years as I have had the fortune of playing with tremendous players and the need for them to 'tap in' is crucial for them to be able to become absorbed in the music, have no doubt, release and add the most possible. Additionally I am playing a few old tunes that accidentally got shoved into the attic and working on a few new pieces. Some by J.S. Bach, a couple of refinements of my teacher David Walberts pieces, and conjuring up a new tune or two.

What’s next?

I have an interesting instrument called a Banjitar which is a 6 string Banjo type instrument tuned and played like a guitar. Along with experimentation with that I am seeking out workable tunes with a Breedlove synthesiser guitar to see 'what my work'.

When will you be here?

Solo shows: Oct. 18th - 9pm Jambalaya - concert 707-822-4766

Oct. 19th - 6 pm Arcata Music - guitar seminar 707-822-3531

Website?

www.richardgilewitz.com

Chinese zodiac sign: The Boar

Anything else you want to add?

Many years ago I recall working for an agency and I was helping them to book dates for one of my guitar heroes as a youngster, John Fahey. I recall booking him in Eureka/Arcata area somewhere and I remember him thanking me and telling me how much he specifically enjoyed your area. I have always wanted to play there myself and with all the touring I have done for many years this apparently seems to be my first opportunity. Ya never know how the wind blows.

Lou Reed tours ahead of 'Berlin' premiere
including a stop in Arcata...

Bob Asks - the Uke Man Speaks


Who are you?

I’m “the Ukulele Man,” a tag hung on me 15 years ago by the owner/promoter of Stach’s (now Little Brother’s) *1 (*relates to links at bottom), a revered night club in Columbus, Ohio.

I’m a crusty old bard (61 yrs.) seasoned by Joe McCarthy, the 60’s, and the education wars (31 years in an 8th Grade English class – the last 18 years as local union president too). I write songs and sing them, write poems and speak them, see what’s going down in our country and the world and resist it.

I’m an Ex-Boy Scout, an Ex-Catholic, an Ex-Good Boy – but I’m NOT a “Grumpy Old Man.” “Grumpy” is a constant state. I’m generally a “Sweetie.” It is true, though, that I have no patience with stupid, conniving grown-ups who, for example, still swear Saddam was behind the NYC and Pentagram attacks. I’m an active activist (I’m told that Humboldt County understands that term). And, finally, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it any more!”


Where are you from? (originally/now)

My Mom was from a small town, Chillicothe, Ohio – the first state capital. My Dad was from Kendallville – a small agricultural town in the northern Indiana. I was born and grew up in Columbus – the present capital and hotbed of right-wing/business clap-trap. Twenty-eight years ago, I moved to Circleville (“Home of the Pumpkin Show” ta-daaaa!!! *2) – located south of Columbus and north of Chillicothe – another small town and – it turns out - more politically backward than Columbus – you know: the kind of place where if you ever get to the point where you no longer know what you’re doing, lots of folks can tell you.

Looks like I haven’t gotten too far; but I HAVE traveled – East and West coasts, from New Orleans to Minneapolis-St. Paul, and to Europe twice. Now I’m traveling to California again.


What do you do?

I write songs and sing them, accompanied by my Uke or by my Band, “Ukulele Man & his Prodigal Sons” *3. I write and perform poetry, and sometimes “act.”

I “play out” regularly with the band or solo. All seven of us toured New York *4 and Boston *5; three of us did Santa Cruz *6. We play Festivals*7, clubs, and bars in Central Ohio, and have done our share of benefits. Periodically I get to NYC for the Ukulele Cabaret*8 and for the public-access TV Show “Midnight Ukulele Disco.”*9

I’ve appeared in two films: the short Auraprint *10 playing a gay-porn producer and in the full-length Man of Faith playing Rev. Leroy Jenkins’ degenerate neighbor. I recently performed in a stage production, Dr. Danga Grimaldi’s Exhibition Fantastique, part of the month-long Columbus Fringe Festival.

I’m a member of NION (Not In Our Name), an activist group dedicated to opposing the Bush agenda*11. Besides attending/marching-in various protests in New York City these last six years, I initiated the organization of “Ukuleles for Sanity,”*12 a group who marched together first in the “No RNC” (“No Republican National Convention”) protest (we marched along near the Green Dragon that someone set on fire soon after passing Madison Square Garden and Foxxx News). During that time we also organized and performed “Dubya’s Ukulele Farewell Party”*13. It didn’t work, but we’re still trying.

Having given up on effectively haranguing the local news-rags via “letters,” I’ve started a blog*14 (http://www.ukuleleman.net/blog.html) and have developed a growing number of readers. Check it out!!


Why do you do what you do?

Because it’s there (to do)? Because I must? There’s some truth in that.

Also, I was a little naïve as a “young person” – remember the “Boy Scout / Good Boy” reference above? Emotionally, I was with the revolution of the 60’s, but didn’t have a clue about how to get involved physically. I’m trying to make up for that.

At the same time, what I “see” (I’d like to say “as an artist”) makes me pretty “far out” in the context of this Midwestern, Red State, Conservative, Republican, Bible-thumping “oasis in a world of sin” that is Ohio.

A fellah has to do SOMETHING to stay sane living in a nuthouse.


What are you working on?

Well, we’re still trying to get rid of Bush, and will be joining with World Can’t Wait and others on October 5 (it’s nationwide) to “Drive Out the Bush Regime.” The point is to organize people around the knowledge that the only way real change will happen is if the People themselves demand it.

Musically, I’ve got most of my tracks laid down for my third CD (all original stuff, as with the first two*15 ). We’re starting to lay down band tracks now.

A poetry book has been in the planning stages – on and off – for a while now too.

And I’m working like crazy going over my set lists for the California trip - and practicing (old guys think they have to do that).


What’s next?

A few days after I get back to Ohio we play the Pumpkin Show – it should be interesting – it’s the centennial year for it. But I guess the next Big thing will be planning a trip to the UK to see some friends and play some music, particularly in Glasgow while visiting Alistair Hulett*16 and the Centre for Political Song.*17


When will you be here? With who?

I’ll be in the area from October 7 through the 10th. I’m playing Six Rivers Brewery October 10, and I’m bringing two Ukuleles with me.


Who's that?

Tentatively it’s a new Ovation “Applause” soprano uke and an old-reliable tenor “Fluke.”


Website? Links?

Please check out my Blog (# 14 below) and any other sites that seem interesting!

1. Little Brothers: http://www.littlebrothers.com/ 2. Pumpkin Show: http://www.pumpkinshow.com/
3. Band My Space: http://www.myspace.com/ukulelemanandhisprodigalsons 4. NYC – Bowery Poetry Club: http://www.bowerypoetry.com/ 5.Boston Sky Bar: http://www.skybar.us/ 6. Santa Cruz – Uke Fest West: http://www.ukefestwest.com/perf.html 7.COMFEST (Community Festival): http://www.comfest.com/schedule.htm and Columbus Arts Fest: http://www.gcac.org/fest/ 8. Ukulele Cabaret: http://www.ukulelecabaret.com/ 9. Midnight Ukulele Disco: http://www.ukuleledisco.com/ (may be under renovation)
10. Auraprint: http://www.alienstevens.com/vid_aud_pix/artflixx_m/auraprint.mov 11. NION: http://www.notinourname.net/index.html 12. Ukuleles for Sanity: http://www.ukesanity.org/ 13. Dubya’s Ukulele Farewell Party: http://ukesanity.org/concert.htm 14. My Blog: http://www.ukuleleman.net/blog.html 15. CD’s, “SumoNinjaLele” and “Crazy Old World.”: http://cdbaby.com/found?artist=Ukulele+Man&soundlike=&album=&style= 16. Alistair Hulett: http://www.alistairhulett.com/ and http://www.folkicons.co.uk/alistair.htm 17. Centre for Political Song: http://www.caledonian.ac.uk/politicalsong/


Anything else you want to add?

Well, I think I’ve said enough, except for:

I hope everybody comes out to the Six Rivers Brewery on October 10. That’s my one chance to see everyone!!! I understand it’s not a real late evening; so stop by. The Uke and I will be goin’ at it from early to closin’.

Yours - Ukulele Man

p.s. Here’s a short list of my “roots” & “influences”:

Dad, Big Billy Goat Gruff, Mom, Horton, "Hippity Hop Bunny," Captain Video, Howdy Doody, Pinky Lee, Captain Kangaroo, Scrooge McDuck, Sister Ann Mary, Alfred E. Newman, Mark Twain, Li’l Abner, Tarzan, Uncle Vern, Turok Son of Stone, Aunt Sis, Laurel & Hardy, Hank, Sally Flowers, Soupy Sales, The Kingston Trio, The Mouseketeers, Pete Seeger, Little Richard, Ed Sullivan, Elvis, Sherlock Holmes, Chuck Berry, the Plymouth, Honorable Ball Peen Man, Woody Guthrie, Edgar Rice Burroughs, the Beatles, Edgar Allen Poe, Dylan, "Brown Eyed Girl," Inherit The Wind, Herman’s Hermits, Herman Melville, the DeSoto, the Temple of Psychic Prophecy, The Monkees, the "Jones-Lawrence Memorial Award," Don Quixote, Indian Ike, Twilight Zone, MLK, "The Conqueror Worm," Star Trek, Malcolm X, Robert Frost, Dr. Strangelove, Venice, The Rolling Stones, Fellini, "Ozymandias," Don McLean, Edvard Munch, Animal Farm, Al Crapp, the TR3, Emily Dickinson, Kung Fu, T.S. Elliot, The Crucible, e.e. cummings, Leaves of Grass, Jung, Steven Crane, the Bug, Joe Cocker, Brave New World, Carlos Castenada, "Eldorado," Bob & George, New Orleans, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, Kenny Sparky Mona and Ray, John Lennon, Café Du Monde, San Francisco, "The X-Files," Waiting for Godot, Oscar Wilde, the Redwoods, The Simpsons, Manhattan, the Eldorado.



thanks, Bob

WE are Coming For Your Gold!!!

Who are you?
Jollyship the Whiz-Bang

Where are from?
Band members originate from all over the country, from Anchorage Alaska to Austin Texas. our current home is Brooklyn, New York

What do you do?
A multimedia puppet rock opera about pirates.

Why do you do what you do?
to combine all the best elements of pop, rock, theater and performance art. To be more than a band and less than a theater troupe
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.bold.gif

What are you working on?
currently we are recording a new album of songs from our last show and writing a script for our next show.

What’s next?
a show about a pirate battle of the bands, an east coast tour, and plans to abduct more slaves for our Groupie Galley.

When will you be here? With who?
September 7th at the Six Rivers Brewery with the Rubberneckers

Who's that?
your favorite local cowpunk band!

MySpace?
myspace.com/jollyshipthewhizbang

Webpage?
www.thewhizbang.org

Anything else you want to add?
this is our first west coast tour and we are incredibly excited about it. if you like quirky rock songs, high energy performances and absurdity-laced narratives then you will most likely enjoy our show.

thanks, Raja

The band MAYSTAR


Who are you?

The band MAYSTAR.
I know all bands say this, but we're really serious: we don't really
fit into any genre. It's really frustrating not being about to
identify with any certain kind of sound. It makes describing our
music a chore and booking shows with similar sounding bands
impossible. It's not like we are *that* different, but in a way we
are. We're like shoegaze with out all the instruments, indie rockers
without the rock, gothic without all the black, alternative, but we
just don't sound like Alanis Morrisette. Although a few confused souls
did compare us to Nirvanna.
Others say our sound is kind of like a spine-tingling stripped-down
Pinback and old Black Heart Procession meets Blonde Redhead, Denali,
Deerhoof, and Siouxie. That stripped down part is definitley the thing
that makes our sound hard to categorize.

I am May Jacob
and Abe DeLeon is the other half of the band. He's currently making
out with his guitar somewhere.

Where are from?

From. That's a hard question. I've moved over 40 times in my life,
first because of my mother's restlessness, and then because of living
in foster homes. I've lived many places in California, including Morro
Bay (in San Luis Obispo), Nevada, and a couple places in Alaska. I
currently live in San Diego.

Abe is has lived in San Diego his whole life.

What do you do?

I write lyrics, melodies, and sing. But I guess it's not just singing,
our show is a little bit like going to see a play. I have my degree in
Theatre and I think the years of theatre classes come out when I sing.
Like laying down on stage for parts of songs, and kind of acting the
songs out, in an almost gothic way, kind of. I also design the dresses
I wear for our shows. And I do drawings and graphic design for our
CDs, shirts, flyers, and the web-design for our site and myspace. I'm
secretly a MAC nerd, but shhh, don't tell anyone! ; ) One step in
the other direction and I may have found myself a computer programmer.

Abe plays guitar, keyboards, and drum beats. He kind of does a little
bit of everything. We have all these things we do for our live show,
and he played construction worker for them to come into existence. Abe
used to play drums for Soul Junk. He also played guitar and other
instruments in San Diego's Jupiter Crash and The Verso. He mostly
wrote all the parts for both bands. He's really an amazing guitarist,
he comes up with these guitar parts that no one else around here can
even play.

Why do you do what you do?

I have no idea. I've been writing songs and poems ever since I was put
into foster homes at the age of 11. They were always just written
songs, but as soon as I turned 18 and got away from the foster homes,
I started putting them to music.

Abe plays guitar because he loves it and it's his way of expressing
his feelings. Abe's reason for living is music. Really.

What are you working on?

Right now we're supposed to be working on recording new songs, but I'm
really sick and so Abe is recording what he can by himself. Yeah, the
sick person gets to do the interviews I guess.

What's next?

Next we're thinking about touring some more, and writing some more
songs. We also have a lot of filmmaker friends and keep talking about
making a music video, but so far there hasn't been any time for that.
We always get all sorts of ideas for all these things we want to do,
and there are just so many that we are just all over the place without
any specific direction. We do what we feel. Logic and creativity
always get all mixed up together with this band. Whether that's a bad
or good thing, I don't know yet.

When will you be here? With who?

We'll be playing at the Alibi on Sunday, September 17th.
I've had at least five of my friends tell me to say hi to Ian for
them when we're there, so I take it this must be a good place with
good people.
Apparently we get 5 free pitches of Olympia. If you want free beer,
you should come talk to me. Seriously.
The other band we're playing with is Meru.

Who's that?

I was told that they are from Portland, but their website says
Olympia, Washington. Olympia, like the free beer!


Website? MySpace?

Our website is Maystardesigns.com
I boycotted myspace for at least a year, but finally put up a profile
in late 2004. Abe boycotted myspace until just a few months ago.
We've just now begun to really use it: Myspace.com/Maystar

Anything else you want to add?

I really like carrot juice. Hint, hint.(haha)
Let me know if there is anything else you need from me!xoxo
May*

James Brown - Please, Please, Please

incendiary snip from the T.A.M.I Show (try to ignore the indecipherable banner, it goes away)

My musical taste was not really formed in 1965. I was entering high school and had gone from being a Cali-surf rock fan (and dressing in Madras shirts) to discovery of The Rolling Stones, who I saw as somehow cooler than The Beatles and other British invasion bands. I knew a little bit about Motown from listening to Top-40 on my little AM radio, but for the most part black music was still a mystery to me.
A movie came to play at the El Rey Theater in my hometown that summer, something called The T.A.M.I Show with the initials standing for Teenage Music International. It was aimed right at me. Jan and Dean were the hosts. The Beach Boys were one of the featured acts along with a duck-walking Chuck Berry, Smokey Robinson, The Supremes and Marvin Gaye (inexplicably backed by the uncredited Crystals). A few other acts played at the concert videotaped at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, a couple of forgettable Brit bands and proto-garage rockers The Barbarians, who I recall had a drummer who’d lost his hand and replaced it with a drum stick.
Waiting for the Stones to close the show something earth-shattering happened. James Brown came on -- and blew my mind. He did two or three songs, but it was “Please, Please, Please” that stopped the show. An appeal to a lover who’s going to leave him, it ends with James begging “baby please don’t go; please, please, please.” He becomes a man possessed, he can’t let go, not just of the woman who wronged him, but of the audience, and the song itself. He grabs the mic and falls to his knees — hard. His handlers put a cape around him and start to walk him offstage. He stops, throws the cape off and stumbles back to the microphone to resume his plea. He falls again, they return with the cape, he throws it off, tears off his houndstooth check coat, cries out, leaves once again and returns, singing, “please, please, please…” He the word chants 37 times hitting every beat until he is spent.
I know now that the song was almost 10 years old at that point, and that the cape business was a routine part of his act, but he had me hook, line and sinker. I went out and bought his then-current hits, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and “I Got You (I Feel Good)” and I felt good. I picked up Live at the Apollo Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 and eventually a couple of dozen other albums by Mr. Brown, many of which have since been appropriated by my son who knows timeless funk when he hears it. Sure, he’s a lot older now (73 to be exact) and even crazier. He demands odd things like ice cubes frozen from Mountain Dew, and he probably lets his band carry most of the show, but I’ll bet he can still dance 1,000 time better than I ever did, and I’m guessing he can still milk an audience for all it’s worth. So I’ll be there dancing in the aisles of the Van Duzer Monday night when he opens the new CenterArts season with a sold out performance. And I know when he’s done I’ll feel good.

RIP Arthur Lee

I bought the first Love album when it came out in the Sixties, saw the band as doing something like what was going on in the San Francisco Bay Area at the time. In retrospect I see that what Arthur Lee was up to was quite different, and way ahead of the times.

14 Questions for The Bottom Dwellers

Subject: Re: Bottom Dwellers

Hey Bob,

Below are our answers to your questions...

Ivan Sohrakoff

Bottom Dwellers

www.bottomdwellersmusic.com

Who are you?

Four young boys who live on I-5 that sing about trucks, drinking and George-fucking-Bush.

Where are from? (originally/now)

Mark is a native Woodland American, and remains so.

Adam is a native San Somethingerotherian, but escaped the city bustle for a twangier country lifestyle.

Chris is a native South Bay boy who jogged all the way to Woodland and stayed there.

Ivan is a native Humboldt-Countian (Fortunan) who left for school and never came back.

We all live within a 4 or 5 block radius of each other in Woodland, California. It's better coverage than the WPD and WFD are able to provide combined. We personally take pride in the level of service, and quality of swampy tonk we are able to provide to our town, even if they don't know they want it yet.

What do you do?

We bring honky tonk to where honky tonk is needed. We live, breath and eat pickin', strummin' and stickin'. We drink lots of high quality beer.

Why do you do what you do?

We love to play music, and probably because of our varied musical backgrounds, landed on the "twang" genre, with some swamp thrown in. However, most contemporary "country music" doesn't sound very good, probably because of commercialism, confusion and bad taste. We're trying to do our part to take country music back from its ugly mainstream state.

What are you working on?

We are working on a new album, mostly writing and working out songs at this point. We made our first album by making songs while recording for the record, but this next one will be just about the opposite. We already perform many of the songs which will appear on the next record, so they'll be seasoned a bit.

What’s next?

LA, Seattle, Winters, the usual. We're opening for the Derailers at the Palms Playhouse in Winters, California to kick off our tour de Humboldt. After Humboldt, we're going to focus on our new recording and get that completed. We've done the Indian Casino circuit, the dive bar circuit, and we're planning on doing some festivals next summer.

When will you be here? With who?

We'll be in McKinleyville on Friday, August 25th at Six Rivers Brewery and on Saturday, August 26th at Blue Lake Casino. We'll be cramming as much blistering twang into the sets as we can muster. Be ready to dance, and wear your shit-kickers. We'll be the only band both nights.

Who's that?

Where? Did you see someone? It's just you and me, right?

MySpace? Website?

http://www.myspace.com/thebottomdwellers

http://www.bottomdwellersmusic.com

Bonus question round:

What's up with all that twang?

We feel that most modern "country" music is lacking twang, and that is a bad thang, mang.

Did your Humboldt upbringing have any influence on the Bottom Dwellers?

Maybe. I (Ivan) really detested country music while growing up in Fortuna, and in fact, was a bit infamous for my opinions on the subject. I wrote articles for the Fortuna High paper voicing my opinion on the awful commercial country music played during on-campus lunch. I later discovered that country music doesn't have to sound bad. Thanks to musicians such as Wayne Hancock, Neil Young, Junior Brown, Buck Owens & Willie Nelson, I gained an appreciation for twang.

How's the propane-fueled van working out?

The propane part is fabulous. It takes a little more effort, but it feels good to make sacrifices for the environment. Other things like the broken door, rear air conditioner, and wonky seat belts are just like any other band has to put up with.

Car Talk?

It's a fact. A song from our debut album called "Company Truck" was featured on an episode of Car Talk. We submitted it, and they played it. I guess people who like cars like the Bottom Dwellers.

Anything else you want to add?

Thanks for the interview. We appreciate the support. We'll be selling our debut CD "Twang Americana" at our shows, and we'll be featuring a great pedal steel player (Dave Zirbel) those nights as well. Dave is from Sebastopol and regularly plays with Johnny Dilks, The Mother Truckers, and just finished recording some steel tracks on (believe it or not) Sammy Hagar's new record. We decided we needed some star power to take on HumCo.