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.