FREE SAN DIEGO ROUBADOUR Alternative country, Americana, roots, Tfolk, gospel, and bluegrass music news August 2003 Vol. 2, No. 11 what’s inside Welcome Mat………3 Mail Box Mission Statement Contributors Full Circle..…………4 Pete Best & Tony Sheridan Lou Curtiss Front Porch…………6 Bluegrass Brethren Song Remembers When House Concert Venue Dan Connor Los Californios Parlor Showcase...…8 The Gospel Truth: A Celebration of Gospel Music Ramblin’ …………10 Bluegrass Corner Radio Daze José Sinatra Paul Abbott Of Note.……………12 Tim McFarland Scott Williams Kelly Bowlin Band Peter Sprague Kentucky Gospel ‘Round About .......…13 RantHouse August Music Calendar The Local Seen……15 Photo Page SEPTEMBER 14 DARK THIRTY ee f PRODUCTIONS Dave Stamey PRESENTS Named Male Performer of the Year by the Western Music OCTOBER 19 Association and nominated three times for Songwriter of Pat Donahoe the Year, Dave Stamey is rapidly becoming one of the most popular Western entertainers working today. September 14 • 7:30pm • $15 NOVEMBER 9 Eliza Gilkyson Eliza Gilkyson is a third-generation A master guitarist and poet/musician whose uniquely talented singer-songwriter, Pat intimate style has been shaped Donohue's style blends blues by her personal experiences and and folk in a critically the need to stay true to her acclaimed display of guitar muse. Although she avoids artistry. He appears weekly on stylistic categories, Eliza is public radio's "A Prairie Home storyteller with blood ties to folk Companion" where his guitar music blended with a passion for a playing, writing, and singing are large melody and deeply personal lyrics. featured regularly. November 9 • 7:30pm • $15 October 19 • 7:30pm • $15 RESERVATIONS AND INFORMATION: 619/443-9622 WWW.DARKTHIRTY.COM San Diego Troubadour • August 2003 welcomewelcome matmat SAN DIEGO ROUBADOUR Alternative country, Americana, roots, MAILBOX Tfolk, gospel, and bluegrass music news Dear Troubadour, paper while enjoying the Pacific MISSION CONTRIBUTORS Thank you, thank you, thank Beach Block Party where I saw a To promote, encourage, and you for actually covering the local need for the “Instrumentalists” PUBLISHER provide an alternative voice for the music of note. DAMN, you guys stage. I think it is a genre that is Lyle Duplessie great local music that is generally have your fingers FIRMLY planted overlooked in San Diego. I’m overlooked by the mass media; on the pulse of San Diego original going to be contacting the Block EDITOR namely the genres of folk, country, talent’s goings-on. I commend Party about this for next year . Ellen Duplessie roots, Americana, gospel, and you. perhaps there will be a Troubadour Stage. bluegrass. To entertain, educate, GRAPHIC DESIGN Yours Very Truly, Thanks again for doing what former music publisher/writer and bring together players, writers, Liz Abbott Jessica Treat and lovers of these forms; to you’re doing. myslef, I know your pain, agony, PHOTOGRAPHY Velveteen Rabbit AND and labor of love. You are greatly explore their foundations; and to Sincerely, Special Events Coordinator appreciated, and I notice your expand the audience for these Ellen Duplessie Music Mart Scott Williams publication goes fast and the types of music. Paul Grupp Mildred Moreno Dear San Diego Troubadour, Ed. note: Scott Williams’ CD is Readers are stacked up, unused. To receive advertising rates and Greetings! I picked up a copy of reviewed in this issue. See page 12. Tells you what the pickers think. information, call 619/298-8488 or DISTRIBUTION your wonderful publication this e-mail [email protected]. Dear Troubadour, Sincerely yours, Kent Johnson past week and thought I should I pick up each of your issues at Mike Dollins San Diego Troubadour get in contact with you. My name Guitar Center or Moze Guitars and P.O. Box 164 ADVERTISING is Scott Williams and I perform keep up with your latest music La Jolla, CA 92038 Kent Johnson regularly on the hammered dul- publishing every month, as you WRITE TO US! E-mail: [email protected]. cimer in the San Diego metropoli- WRITERS are the gap between the street- tan area. I also accompany myself We want to hear from you! level working musicians and the SAN DIEGO TROUBADOUR, the Paul Abbott with my own recordings of man- Send your comments, big hype you see in all the other local source for alternative coun- Lou Curtiss dolins, guitars, mountain dulcimer, feedback, and suggestions to: music publishing offerings in San try, Americana, roots, folk, gospel, Emily Davidson bass, ethnic drums, and other [email protected] Diego. and bluegrass music news, is pub- Ellen Duplessie instruments. As a graybeard, silverback blues or to San Diego Troubadour, lished monthly and is free of Lyle Duplessie I have recently left my corporate charge. Letters to the editor must guitar player in San Diego, I’ve got P.O. Box 164, La Jolla, CA Paul Hormick day job to fully pursue my home be signed and may be edited for a lot of highway on my tires and 92038-0164. Frederick Leonard business, which is recording, play- I’ve seen it all come and go in San content. It is not, however, guaran- ing, teaching, and promoting the Jim McInnes Diego. You have been the first teed that they will appear. hammered dulcimer. I will be writ- Bart Mendoza spark of music realism since the All opinions expressed in SAN ing a mission statement soon for José Sinatra Reader came on the scene in the DIEGO TROUBADOUR, unless my business, and it will most likely Rock Solidad ‘70s. They lost their way when otherwise stated, are solely the opin- be very parallel to yours. Thank they went from newsprint to ion of the writer and do not Jeniffer Thompson you for publishing such a great slicked-up Rolling Stone mag look represent the opinions of the staff or Gus Williker newspaper and for promoting this alike and now are struggling for management. All rights reserved. D. Dwight Worden kind of music. I discovered your John Philip Wyllie identity. You hang in there. As a ©2003 San Diego Troubadour. d an present and Derek Duplessie the Desert Poets hosted by KPRI’s Madison CD Release PARTY! ( ( ( Stereo ) ) ) Friday • August 15 • 8pm W I T H S P E C I A L G U E S T S • Atom Orr • Bart Mendoza • Dylan Martinez • José Sinatra • Phil Harmonic • Lisa Sanders • Peter Bolland • Zach Hitchcock THE FIREHOUSE, 7877 HERSCHEL AVE., LA JOLLA $7 cover includes hors d’oeuvres and drinks. All ages welcome. Call 858/459-1640 for more info. www.derekduplessie.com Listen to KPRI 102.1FM the week of August 11 to hear Derek live in the studio 3 August 2003 • San Diego Troubadour fullfull circlecircle by Bart Mendoza Both Best and Sheridan are happy to play the occasional Beatles t’s a credit to the Beatles’ popular- fan gathering but incorporate them ity that not only do most people into their busy touring schedules I know a bit about the Fab Four, rather than make them the focus. t “Playing for Beatles fans all over the but they also know something of the he other place? Sure, anytime,” Sheridan group’s peripheral players. That said, of all the supposed “fifth Beatles,” only replies, noting that conventions or not, Collection, which features Best on ten that it should.” He’s also a realist about a very few can claim to have taken the he can still pack them in. “It’s going tracks, he had at last become a star recording. “I don’t think any of the stage as part of the band. Sadly, origi- very, very successfully at the moment. attraction, with royalties to match. lads are too bothered about making it nal bassist Stu Sutcliffe passed away in Just before I came to San Diego, I did Sheridan on the other hand, was into the charts or anything like that 1962, from a suspected brain a gig, where they expected 300-400 already a star in England, having been simply because of the fact that we’re aneurysm, as detailed in the 1994 film people outdoors in an old medieval a part of the legendary rock and roll getting a little bit older now and we’re Backbeat. However drummer Pete Best castle. Over 600 people turned up!” TV show Oh Boy!, and was signed to not starry-eyed youngsters. We know and singer/guitarist Tony Sheridan, he says, rightly proud. “It rained, but Polydor Records. He was really just a what the business is about, but then both mainstays of the band’s black- they wouldn’t let me off the stage! I close friend of the band who often who knows? In this business, I could leather Hamburg era, are still wowing finished up doing maybe three hours shared the stage with them in be sitting here and tomorrow I’ll be in crowds around the globe. instead of a one set thing.” As for Best, Hamburg, but crucially, in 1961 he the charts. It’s just one of those Recently, both Best and Sheridan he notes, “We do conventions but a lot chose the band to back him on what things.” were in town to perform at Beatlefair, of the time it can’t be worked into the would be their first big-time record- Sheridan is also working on a a fan convention put together by the schedule, so sometimes I do them by ings. We all know the classic rendition recording project with producer Chris the local Beatles Fan Club, Come myself and just meet the fans. But I of “My Bonnie” — that’s Tony on Houston, a member of the early ’60’s Together.