Birdie Carter Parlor Showcase
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FREE SAN DIEGO ROUBADOUR Alternative country, Americana, roots, folk, Tblues, gospel, jazz, and bluegrass music news December 2004 www.sandiegotroubadour.com Vol. 4, No. 3 Gypsies, Django, Genius, and Jazz Story he of what’s T inside DDeellll’’AArrttee Welcome Mat ………3 IInnssttrruummeennttss Mission Statement Contributors Concert Review Full Circle.. …………4 Eugene Vacher Recordially, Lou Curtiss Front Porch …………6 Insuring Your Instrument Birdie Carter Parlor Showcase... …8 Dell’ Arte Instruments Ramblin’... …………10 Bluegrass Corner Zen of Recording Hosing Down Radio Daze Highway’s Song... …12 Alice Stuart Of Note. ……………13 Simeon Flick Chris Stuart & Backcountry Tom Boyer & Friends Jefferson Jay Rob Mehl ‘Round About ....... …14 December Music Calendar The Local Seen ……15 Photo Page Alain Cola (l.) and John Kinnard of Dell’ Arte Instruments San Diego Troubadour • December 2004 welcome mat i was so much younger then, I’m older than that now Folk Pioneers Roger McGuinn and Tom Rush Play SAN DIEGO ROUBADOUR Alternative country, Americana, roots, folk, Tblues, gospel, jazz, and bluegrass music news to a Sold Out House in Poway by Steve Covault string electric as he walked on stage. MISSION CONTRIBUTORS Nice touch, very theatrical. To promote, encourage, and In addition to alternating between FOUNDERS ast month, Roger McGuinn and provide an alternative voice for the electric and 12- and 6-string acoustic Ellen and Lyle Duplessie Tom Rush performed for a full great local music that is generally guitars, McGuinn alternated playing house at the Poway Center for overlooked by the mass media; namely Liz Abbott L Byrds classics, such as “Mr. the Arts. Tambourine Man,” “Turn, Turn, the genres of folk, country, roots, Kent Johnson Opening for McGuinn, Tom Rush Americana, gospel, and bluegrass. To Turn,” and “Mr. Spaceman” with tra - PUBLISHERS played an energetic and entertaining ditional folk songs like “Finnegan's entertain, educate, and bring together solo set full of amusing stories from players, writers, and lovers of these Kent Johnson Wake,” which he explained was a bal - his life. The stage was set simply with lad about an Irishman who liked forms; to explore their foundations; and Liz Abbott several potted trees. to expand the audience for these types whiskey for breakfast. After too much EDITORIAL/GRAPHICS As Rush told the story of his long breakfast one day, he fell and split his of music. folk music career, beginning in Liz Abbott skull. A fight broke out at his funeral Roger McGuinn Boston where he played in local cof - wake, during which a bottle of For advertising rates, call 619/298- Chuck Schiele feehouses during the early 1960s, he whiskey was spilled and Finnegan 8488 or e-mail [email protected]. asked the audience whether anyone ADVERTISING/DISTRIBUTION awoke when it splashed on his face. San Diego Troubadour remembered Club 47. It was in this McGuinn demonstrated his love Kent Johnson legendary coffeehouse that quite a P.O. Box 164 and commitment to real folk music few notable artists began their careers La Jolla, CA 92038 PHOTOGRAPHY and blues by playing a nice version of including Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou E-mail: [email protected]. Steve Covault Leadbelly’s “St. James Infirmary.” Harris, James Taylor,Joan Baez, and At one point McGuinn shared a Richie Havens, to name a few. SAN DIEGO TROUBADOUR, the local WEB MASTER story from the past about Bob Dylan. After leaving Boston, Rush lived While attending a low-budget movie source for alternative country, Will Edwards in Wyoming for several years but is screening in New York, Dylan wrote Americana, roots, folk, blues, gospel, jazz, WRITERS now living in California. Wearing a the lines “The River flows, it flows to bright and colorful Hawaiian shirt, and bluegrass music news, is published Lois Bach the sea” on a cocktail napkin and monthly and is free of charge. Letters to Rush performed Joni Mitchell’s song Steve Covault gave it to Peter Fonda with the the editor must be signed and may be “The Circle Game,” a song she had instructions “Here, give this to Lou Curtiss written for Neil Young. edited for content. It is not, however, McGuinn. He’ll know what to do Tom Rush Patty Hall Following his set, during the with it.” McGuinn used Dylan’s first guaranteed that they will appear. intermission, Rush signed autographs Phil Harmonic verse, completed the lyrics, and All opinions expressed in SAN DIEGO in the lobby for his appreciative fans. “You can download all the MP3s you Paul Hormick turned them into the classic “The TROUBADOUR, unless otherwise stated, If you'd like to see him live in a small, Ballad of Easy Rider.” Dylan later want from my website and I promise intimate venue, he plays regularly at not to sue you!” are solely the opinion of the writer and do Jim McInnes insisted that his name be removed McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Autographed copies of his recent - not represent the opinions of the staff Tom Paine from the song’s credits —perhaps Monica (www.mccabes.com) and has Bill Richardson because he disagreed with the film’s ly self-released album Limited Edition or management. All rights reserved. concerts scheduled for January 6, 7, 8, were for sale in the lobby during the Sven-Erik Seaholm downbeat ending. ©2004 San Diego Troubadour. and 21. Hurry, though. This place is McGuinn also encouraged his show. The new CD, which opens with Chuck Schiele tiny and his shows sell out fast. fans to visit his web site the George Harrison song “If I José Sinatra After intermission McGuinn (www.McGuinn.com) where there are Needed Someone” is also available at WRITE TO US! D. Dwight Worden entered from stage right, wearing a hundreds of MP3s available for www.McGuinn.com. black hat and strumming “My Back download in his “Folk Den.” He said, We’d love to hear from you! Send Pages” on his blond Rickenbacker 12- your comments, feedback, and suggestions by email to: sdtrouba - Cover photography: Bill Richardson [email protected] or by snail mail to: San Diego Troubadour, P.O. Box 164, La Jolla, CA 92038-0164. The San Diego Troubadour is dedicated to the memory of Ellen and Lyle Duplessie , To the whose vision inspired the San Diego Troubadour creation of this newspaper. www.sandiegotroubadour.com 3 December 2004 • San Diego Troubadour ffuullll cciirrccllee Eugene Vacher’s Living Legacy: 85 Years of Music and Still Playing by Lois Bach in the orchard together, so the boy nat - year with the Symphony was in 1935, urally became fluent in both languages the year of the California-Pacific at an early age. International Exposition where Gene PART ONE On weekends the family would had the opportunity to play in the hen Eugene Vacher celebrat - hitch up a pair of horses to their car - Exposition band. Folks traveled from ed his 95th birthday recent - riage and visit Grandfather Asher all over the world to attend the fair. W ly, he was surrounded by (Gene’s mother’s father). He owned 40 While studying music at San Diego members of his City Guard Band and acres he called Castle Rock Ranch, State University, Gene assembled a the San Diego Mandolin Orchestra located at the western end of where small orchestra made up of fellow Eugene Vacher today at 95 years old whom he referred to as his family. Parkway Plaza now stands. The Asher members of the San Diego Symphony. Although they were not related by Family Band, consisting of Gene’s After graduating he followed in his “I had a daily half hour news pro - spent time exploring the region together blood, many in attendance have father and mother’s foot - gram and following that, an hour of and visiting French chateaux and muse - known Gene for decades and all of uncles, steps and classical music. They installed a fine ums. It became quickly clear to Gene them have shared the same love for would play received his studio just for us and I had the chance that he’d found the love of his life. music that Gene has since he was a their teaching creden - to see, every week, an outstanding jazz “The better part of the next three youngster. Regarded as a true pioneer favorite tials. In 1931 band from the West Coast.” and a half years was one glorious hon - of San Diego music, Gene was the sub - tunes. Before Gene began a When the studio closed in 1949 eymoon,” Gene fondly reminisces. ject of a booklet published by the El Gene was career he loved: Gene was transferred to Port During his time as Bandmaster in Cajon Historical Society in 1995 called old enough teaching junior Townsend, Washington. There he France, Gene’s band played at the dedi - The Boy Who Loved Music . Today, many to handle an high students at played French horn in the concert cation of six World War II cemeteries years later, Gene is still arranging, con - instrument, the Cajon Valley band when he wasn’t conducting. Two in addition to many other celebrations ducting, and performing the music he learned Union School, years later he received orders to go to and parades, including a Joan of Arc that he loves. how to con - where the prin - Korea. He was with the second infantry parade where he played La Marseillaise, Schubert-Liszt Little Symphony Orchestra, 1929, duct the cipal had been a working alongside a French battalion, the French national anthem, for the Born into a musical family, music Vacher standing on left has played an important part in Gene’s band. That college friend of which gave him a much-desired oppor - first time.