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

ROUBADOURSAN DIEGO

April 2003 Vol. 2, No. 7

TFREE

Welcome Mat………3Mission StatementContributorsMessage from AABAMail Box

Front Porch. ………4Lou Curtiss

Center Stage..………5Roots Festival Headliners

Performing Artists... 6Musician ProfilesPerformance TimesStagesMap Information

Of Note.……………15Connie Allen/Bill DempseyDerek Duplessie and the

Desert Poets

Ramblin’...…………16Recordially YoursBluegrass CornerJosé SinatraPaul Abbott

‘Round About .......…18April Music Calendar

The Local Seen……19Photo Page

lots o’ good stuff

inside

OFFICIAL ROOTS FESTIVAL PROGRAM

by the ROOTS…Lou Curtiss

30TH ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE TO THE MAN WHO STARTED IT ALL

Lou Curtissgrabs San Diego

PHIL HARMONIC SEZ:

While at the Roots Festival, be sure to stop by our booth and purchase a

TROUBADOUR tee shirt and

a CD from one of the many local

artists whose original music today is the

roots music of tomorrow.

a specia l Fr iday evening per formance at the charming and int imate Car lsbad Vi l lage Theater

P R E S E N T S

3

welcome matwelcome mat

San Diego Troubadour • April 2003

CONTRIBUTORSPUBLISHERLyle Duplessie

EDITOREllen Duplessie

GRAPHIC DESIGNLiz AbbottJayna McLeod

PHOTOGRAPHYBill RichardsonMildred MorenoEllen Duplessie

DISTRIBUTIONKent JohnsonEllen DuplessieLyle Duplessie

ADVERTISINGKent JohnsonEllen Duplessie

WRITERSPaul AbbottLou CurtissLyle DuplessiePhil HarmonicBill RichardsonJosé SinatraD. Dwight Worden

ROOTS FESTIVALVENDOR COORDINATORJudy Moore

MUSIC CURATORLou Curtiss

TALENT BUYERKent Johnson

ILLUSTRATIONRoy Ruiz Clayton

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTChristina Kish

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORMarco Anguiano

NORMALHEIGHTS KIDSEllen SeiterRick Smith

SAN DIEGO TROUBADOUR, thelocal source for alternativecountry, Americana, roots, folk,gospel, and bluegrass musicnews, is published monthly andis free of charge. Letters to theeditor must be signed and maybe edited for content. It is not,however, guaranteed that theywill appear.

All opinions expressed in SANDIEGO TROUBADOUR, unlessotherwise stated, are solely theopinion of the writer and do notrepresent the opinions of thestaff or management. All rightsreserved.

©2003 San Diego Troubadour.

E

OUR MISSIONTo promote, encourage, and provide an alternative voice forthe great local music that isgenerally overlooked by themass media; namely the gen-res of folk, country, roots,Americana, gospel, and blue-grass. To entertain, educate,and bring together players,writers, and lovers of theseforms; to explore their founda-tions; and to expand the audi-ence for these types of music.

To receive advertising ratesand information, call 619/298-8488 or e-mail [email protected].

San Diego TroubadourP.O. Box 164La Jolla, CA 92038E-mail: [email protected]

WRITE TO US!We’d love to hear fromyou! Send your comments, feedback, and suggestionsby email to: [email protected] or by snail mail to: SanDiego Troubadour, P.O. Box 164, La Jolla, CA92038-0164.

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

to the 30th edition of the Adams Avenue Roots Festival. This year’s festival will mark the tenth year that it’s held on Adams Avenue

after a long residence at San Diego State University. Then known as the San Diego Folk Festival, it was founded by San Diego music archivist and promoter Lou Curtiss,who is currently a member on the Board of Directors of the Adams Avenue BusinessAssociation, producers of the festival.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Adams Avenue Business Association(AABA), I want to express our appreciation to residents and visitors to Normal Heightsfor supporting the festival.

I also want to thank the good people at the San Diego Troubadour for their heart-feltand hard-working collaboration on this issue of the publication, which is serving as theprogram for the Roots Festival. In particular I want to thank Kent Johnson, Liz Abbott,and Lyle and Ellen Duplessie for making this effort a success.

Kudos also go to Lou Curtiss, proprietor of Folk Arts Rare Records, who selects allthe performers for the festival. Long before the recent revival and interest in traditionalmusic, Lou was steadfastly promoting “roots music” and educating San Diegans about it.

The Adams Avenue Business Association wants to express its gratitude to our SanDiego City Council Representative Toni Atkins for her vigorous support of the smallbusiness community, and for the AABA and the Roots Festival in particular. She and herstaff, which includes Kim Craig, Steve Russell, George Biagi, and Cheli Mohammed,have been central to the success of the AABA’s community revitalization efforts.

The Roots Festival is also made possible thanks to the support of our sponsors.These include KPRI radio, Samuel Adams beer, the City of San Diego Commission forArts and Culture, Jazz 88, Inn Suites hotel, the County of San Diego, and the San DiegoTroubadour.

A heaping helping of gratitude goes to the Board of Directors of the Adams AvenueBusiness Association, which heartily endorses and actively supports the Roots Festivaland the Street Fair in September.

A central goal of the Adams Avenue Roots Festival is to provide visitors and residents with a standout cultural event that all San Diegans can all be proud of. We sincerely hope you enjoy yourselves and we look forward to your return to walk, shop,and dine on Adams Avenue.

The Adams Avenue Business Association also wants to let you about new businessesin the commercial district: These include:

• Country Kabob, 3375 Adams Ave. (563-6300) Greek and Middle-Eastern food

• Fine Living, 3938 Adams Ave. (528-8138) Flourishes and design for home and garden

• Hummingbird Confections, 3311A Adams Ave. (569-6500) Pastries, desserts, and catering

• Kadan, 4696 30th St. (640-2500) Classy neighborhood pub • KYK, 3311 B Adams Ave.(255-5314) Martial arts studio • Spill the Beans, 4677 30th St. (283-2326) Gourmet coffees,

sandwiches, and a patio • Radiant Custom Lighting, 3463 Adams Ave. (542-0607)

Marco AnguianoExecutive DirectorAdams Avenue Business Association

ADAMS AVE. BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONBOARD OF DIRECTORS

PresidentMike Magers, Smitty’s Service

Vice PresidentRuss Vuich, Western Commercial

R.E. Brokers

SecretaryBrian Lucas, Adams Ave. Book Store

TreasurerMarlene Goldstein, Pet Me, Please!

Lou Curtiss, Folk Arts Rare Records

Phil Linssen, Kensington Veterinary

Dave McPheeters, Zac’s Attic

Doug Generoli, Pi Financial

Sundi Sage, Timeless Collectibles

Harold McNeil, Attorney

Meredith Morgenroth, Road Rebel Entertainment

Dick Van Ransom Magana, Mariposa Ice Cream

Michael Rammelsberg, Rosie O’Grady’s

Marco Anguiano, Executive Director, AABA

q MAIL BOX rDear Troubadour,

First, let me tell you howmuch I enjoy your newspaper!!!The articles and information youpresent are priceless — a breathof fresh air! Your newspaper issomething I look forward toeach month. ... I was hopingyou might have a couple of pastissues I missed. I was out oftown last summer and just

recently found several pieces ofthe Sept.-Oct. issue while I wasmoving. I’d sure like to read theChris Hillman articles. Anychance? If so, please send andI’ll reimburse you for thepostage. Again, thanks for thegreat work and please keep upthe great job! God Bless.

Sincerely,Robert Hale

Welcome

front porch


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front porch

by Bill Richardson

“Is it true that this 30thRoots Festival is going to be thelast, and that beginning nextyear it’ll be showcasing hip-hopand rap music?”

It was a question that I feltsimply demanded to be asked.Now, as the kind, honest eyes ofthe festival’s founding father sus-piciously met my own anxiousorbs, I steadied myself for theauthoritative, final answer.

What I didn’t expect was forLou Curtiss to answer me with aquestion of his own. His voicewas smooth and gentle, withperhaps a vague hint of surprise.“Where did you hear that?” Hewas smiling.

“I made it up,” I confessed.“Just a stupid joke,” I added,stupidly.

“Oh, okay.” His grinwidened. “For a moment, I won-dered if you’d gone crazy.”

What he doesn’t knowwon’t hurt him.

What he does know is sub-stantial. Combine his knowledgeof music with an almost evangel-ical passion, and the result is theclosest thing San Diego mighthave to a sort of cultural saint.

In the glorious spring of1967, with a budget that today

would scarcely feed a family offour for a week, Lou Curtissbegan a program that has beennourishing thousands of souls fordecades. What started as the SanDiego Folk Festival at SDSU’sPeterson Gym has become thejoyously anticipated RootsFestival, still blessing our cityfrom its current comfortable neston Adams Avenue. At 30 yearsof age, it has assumed a quietdignity, a lovely polish on itsbeauty, its allure, its sense of fun.Along with another Curtiss-ledfestival (September’s AdamsAvenue Street Fair), it unques-tionably offers its thousands ofattendees the biggest bang fortheir buck: it’s free.

Each year the festival hasbeen a memorable one, as is evi-dent by Curtiss’ computer-likerecall of dates and performersand stages. The proud father’sreminiscences of his genderlesschild can probably only be fullyappreciated by a handful of “rel-atives” — nannies and uncleslike Scott Kessler and MarcoAnguiano and Curt Boutersewho’ve force-fed it vitamins andlove and diapered it if things gotmessy . . . which was indeedrare, though its behavior hasoccasionally seemed eccentric.

In 1983 the festival ran from

Tuesday through Sunday — along musical dream. The follow-ing year became a bittersweetnightmare, having been sched-uled, oddly enough, on the veryweekend the Padres decided toearn a spot in the World Series.Bittersweet? No, nothing reallysweet about it upon reflection.That year it was held at the OldGlobe theater. Imagine the won-derful acoustics at the outdoorLowell Davies Festival Stage inBalboa Park — the rich tones ofthe musicians enhanced by theincessant, agonized cries of thecaged monkeys nearby, obvious-ly driven to madness by theirinability to join the rest of SanDiego down at the stadium.

Over the years cultural chal-lenges have had to be met.Following the 16th festival atSDSU (Lou having had to dealwith essentially a different cam-pus committee each year), apreening new kid in town, therock ‘n’ roll-friendly Open AirAmphitheater pretty muchgrabbed the festival by its roots,squeezed, and pulled it away.Another head banger head-butted the fest out to partsunknown from a new venue thefollowing year.

Landing on Adams Avenue adecade ago as the newly chris-tened Roots Festival, an actualbaptism seemed to occur assome anxious clouds emptiedthemselves in a watery attemptto dampen the spirits of thecrowd. Seeming to realize theimpossibility of the task, theclouds quickly split to find a newvenue themselves. They’vestayed away ever since.

Along with quirky weatherand assorted locations comesthe human factor, of course, andhere the gathering has alwaysembraced a variety of sublimecharacters.

There was Skip James, theMississippi blues singer, who wasbooked and eagerly awaited atthe second festival. After beinglaid over on a flight inCincinnati, Jones suddenly

decided he didn’t like flying thatmuch after all and opted for abus back home.

Jimmy Murphy, an old-timecountry singer from Arkansas,surprised Lou with his suddenrequest for payment in advance,a requirement Curtiss was some-how able to satisfy. On the dayof the festival, Murphy was a no-show, having decided to stayhome and use the money to buya tractor. His cheerful letterexplaining his absence at leastgifted the festival with a veryexpensive autograph.

Then there was the timesinging cowboy/one-time moviestar Dave McHenry showed updetermined to prove that theyears hadn’t tamed him. So hetamed several audience mem-bers and unsuspecting passersbywith his undiminished lassotechniques from the stage,standing tall ‘n’ proud in his

boots, which he’d just gildedwith a can of spray paint. Hecould still sing, too, thankfully.

The older mountain singersand the older African-Americansingers, among the kindestguests Curtiss has ever dealtwith, have occasionally fallenprey to the good intentions ofentirely mismatched local musi-cians. There have been unfortu-nate clashes of style thanks tothese pick-up “enhancements”and more than a few embarrass-ments, but the pros have alwaysweathered the bumps withgrace and are happy to returnyear after year.

Lou Curtiss seems genuinelyhappy himself as he watches his30-year-old baby continue tomature, still making marvelousmusic.

At the festival this year theoccasional “boos” you may thinkyou’re hearing will actually justbe people calling “Lou! Lou!” ashe oversees the weekend merri-ment, always moving about,checking in at each of the stagesevery hour (at least), while hisown shop right up the street —his actual livelihood — is, bynecessity, closed.

That’s really the only nega-tive thing about the wholehappy experience, Curtiss says,his smile camouflaging any pos-sible pain within a man whocontinues to suffer for our art.

Turning 30: Roots StillNourished by Creator

San Diego Folk Festival at SDSU, 1974

San Diego H

istorical Society

Lou and Virginia Curtiss with W.B. Reid, ca. 1974

Lou and Virginia Curtiss with JoeGwaltney, early ‘70s

Turning 30: Roots StillNourished by Creator

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• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Scottsville Squirrel Barkersby Lou Curtiss

I n 1959 I had more or less gotten awayfrom those old country 78s that myDad had collected. Oh, I picked aJohnny Cash tune on the guitar and I wasinto the Town Hall Party rockabilly guys likeGene Vincent and Eddie Cochran. I even lis-tened to some of those striped-shirt groupsthat were becoming popular around that time.My friend Jim decidedthat he was going todrive to the East Coastfor the Newport FolkFestival and he need-ed someone to talk towho could pick little,so I was his chosenvictim. Little did Iknow that my musicallife was about toexperience a drasticchange, thanks to afirst hearing of a bandcalled the New LostCity Ramblers.

I first saw MikeSeeger with JohnCohen and Tom Paley(the first incarnationof the New Lost CityRamblers) at the 1959 Newport Folk Festivaland took an almost immediate liking to oldtimey music. I was particularly struck by theautoharp and came away from that festivalwith a desire to get back out here to SanDiego, get into my Dad’s old 78s, and learnsome of those old timey songs. I got to seeMike again at revisits to Newport, at the AshGrove in L.A., and finally at San Diego’s Signof the Sun bookstore where the NLCRappeared. Mike also did a solo weekend andsome of us got to play with him on stage. Iwent to those great UCLA Folk Festivals in1963, ’64, and ’65, which encouraged me towant to do a festival here in San Diego thatconcentrated on the Roots aspect of themusic. Some other folks had done a festivalhere in 1965 but it didn’t get off the ground.So in 1967 we started the first festival out atSan Diego State and it ran for 20 years. Wetook five years off and in 1994 we startedthem up again as the Adams Avenue Roots

Festivals. This one is number 10. Mike hasbeen part of so many of them both as a soloact and with groups he’s played with. Overthe years he has helped us bring many otherlegendary old timey musicians to town,including Roscoe Holcomb; Cousin Emmy; theBalfa Brothers; Lily Mae Ledford; JohnJackson; Tommy Jarrell; Martin, Bogan, andArmstrong; Olabelle Reed; and ElizabethCotton.

Mike Seeger’sown artistry andknowledge haveencouraged so manyothers to play oldtimey music whetherfor fun or for a careeror, most likely, like me— a little of both. Hehas devoted his life tosinging and playing oldtime music, mostlythat of the rural South,on an array of instru-ments, including banjo,fiddle, jaw harp, har-monica, lap dulcimer,mandolin, guitar, andautoharp. He remainsone of our great musi-cal and cultural

resources and it’s always a treat to have himas part of any festival.

by Lyle Duplessie

O ver the last 40 years, countlessmusical trends and trend settershave come, gone, and long beenforgotten. Not so the Scottsville SquirrelBarkers, San Diego’s first bluegrass band.From its humble origins at the original BlueGuitar location on Midway Drive, it can rea-sonably be argued this band was the spring-board for much of the great SouthernCalifornia-rooted music that would follow.Though onlytogether for acouple of years,roughly 1961 to’63, this localband has left anendearing andindelible legacyin its wake. Thisyear’s Adam’sAvenue RootsFestival will fea-ture the band’slong-awaitedreunion.

Some fortunate souls can still recall see-ing the Squirrel Barkers in their heyday.Others, myself included, only learned aboutthe band some years later. The first time Istumbled onto a reference about theScottsville Squirrel Barkers was about 1970. Iwas a senior in high school and my musicaltastes and identity were taking shape via theByrds. The first generation of Byrds had comeand gone, yet I was still learning from theirmusic and that of the splinter groups, like theFlying Burrito Brothers, CS&N, and Dillard andClark. I learned that before the Byrds and allthat would follow, there were the ScottsvilleSquirrel Barkers. Could it be that this bandwas the musical missing link that wouldevolve into California folk-rock and Californiacountry-rock?

Examining the relationship close up,there certainly appears to be a connection.Chris Hillman, the group’s mandolin player,would later be a founding member of theByrds and lead the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famegroup into country and country-rock. Hillmanalso co-founded the Flying Burrito Brotherswith former Byrd Gram Parsons. From the late

’80s to the early ’90s, Hillman’s Desert RoseBand revived the California country music tra-dition. Hillman remains a creative, viableforce in music. Larry Murray, on dobro, wouldcampaign his folk-country-rock group Heartsand Flowers, a band that added to the coolSouthern California musical climate of thelate ’60s. Banjo picker Kenny Wertz became alatter day Burrito Brother. With legendary fid-dler Byron Berline, Wertz helped to found thered-hot California-based bluegrass band

Country Gazette.When Wertz left

to join the U.S. AirForce, anotherfuture R&R Hall ofFamer, BernieLeadon, was invit-ed to sit in onbanjo. He would goon to greater glo-ries, joining LarryMurray in Heartsand Flowers,

becoming a Dillardand Clark Expedition

member, a Burrito Brother, and finally culmi-nating as an Eagle, the most famous of allCalifornia-based country-rock bands. Indeed,for many of us, Leadon was the essence ofthat band.

Then there’s our Troubadour friend EdDouglas. It was Ed, the Squirrel Barkers’ bassplayer, who picked the name for the band. Itwas Ed who found and secured the old BlueGuitar digs on Midway Drive. It was Ed whowas the driving force behind formation of theSquirrel Barkers. And if we take this logic toits final conclusion, isn’t it reasonable to saythat without Ed’s key moves at key times,nothing that we know today as the Californiasound of folk, rock, or country would haveever come to pass . . . ?

If you missed the Squirrel Barkers 40years ago, you have another chance to seethem LIVE! In addition to playing at this year’sRoots Festival, you can see them perform,along with the great musical duo of ChrisHillman and Herb Pedersen on Friday, April25, at the charming Carlsbad Village Theater.Don’t miss the band that gave rise to somuch of California’s musical heritage.

Mike Seeger

H E A D L I N E R S

The original Scottsville Squirrel Barkers l. to r. Kenny Wertz, Chris Hillman, Larry Murray, Ed Douglas, and Jim Carr

April 2003 • San Diego Troubadour

6

Mary McCaslin L O U R E M E M B E R S

I first saw Marywhen sheopened forLightnin’ Hopkinsat La Mesa’s oldBifrost Bridgecoffee house inthe late ’60s andat the Heritage

Coffee House in Mission Beach notlong after that. She did her first festivalfor me in 1969 at the third annual fes-tival. Mary writes very intimate songsabout people and things you think youknow about. If you know Mary andsome of what her life is about, theyleave you in a slight daze with sparklesof insight. None of that matters, how-ever, because the songs and the wayshe sings them are just so darnedgood. Mary has listened to a lot of oldtime roots music from Appalachian tocowboy ballads. A lot of what she’sheard remains in her music.

Bob Webb L O U R E M E M B E R S

I met Bob sometime in the early’70s when hedid some con-certs at mystore and thenwhen he playedsolo at the SanDiego FolkFestival and also

with a band of fellow L.A. compatriotscalled the True and Trembling StringBand. For a time Bob toured andplayed lead guitar with Tom Waits, whogot his start at the Heritage during thetime Bob was owner.

Bob specializes in songs and seashanties that 19th-century sailors sangon merchant sailing vessels. He is oneof the few musicians anywhere whoperforms on the rare and difficultMacCann-system (duet) concertina. Healso plays claw-hammer banjo and fin-ger-style guitar. Bob is also an interna-tionally recognized presenter of

Appalachian banjo tunes as well assongs of loggers, fishermen, and lum-berjacks of the Pacific Northwest.

Since moving to New England in1981, he has fostered the preservationof traditional maritime music.This isBob’s first trip back to San Diego sincethe late ’70s.

Faith PetricL O U R E M E M B E R S

Faith was bornin a log cabin inIdaho near theClearwater Riverin 1915. Herfather was aMethodist min-ister, andsinging was partof her life at a

very early age. Somehow that led herto singing old cowboy songs, collegeglee club songs; songs from theSpanish Civil War during the 1930s;and radical, union, and topical songs ofall kinds. When she retired from the 9-5 routine in 1970, she took up folksinging full time and she’s still at ittoday, singing traditional, contempo-rary, topical, labor, radical, and outra-geous songs—anything with a tune orspecial meaning that appeals.

Jon Adams L O U R E M E M B E R S

Another greatCentralCalifornia musi-cian, I first metJon at SweetsMill around1967. Jon is oneof those greatsong leaders

and finger-style guitarists who alwayshas something new to play. He hasn’tplayed a San Diego Festival since 1987(when it was still at SDSU). Thesemusicians move around a lot and I sortof lost track of Jon, but when MarkSpoelstra called, he remarked that hesometimes played music with Jon anddid I want him too, and I certainly did.

The IncandescentString Trio (Peter Feldmann, Richard Green,Mike Nadolson)

L O U R E M E M B E R S

I first met Peter at the Ash Grove inL.A. back in the 1960s and heardRichard Green with Bill Monroe. I alsosaw him with Jim Kweskin’s Jug Bandand I think with the Greenbriar Boys.Peter played many times at RootsFestivals with various groupings anddid backup for Rose Maddox andCharlie Bailey.

This current group specializes inmusic from the Golden Age of CountryMusic (1922-1942). You’ll hear fine andrare fiddle tunes, old time songs, nov-elty songs, and ballads culled from vin-tage 78 recordings of early countrymaster musicians like the LeakeCounty Revelers, Wade Mainer, theCarter Family, and Bill Monroe.

Richard Green, one of the greatbluegrass fiddlers, is known for his col-laboration with Bill Monroe and theBluegrass boys. He has also workedwith Jerry Garcia, Dave Grisman, andhis own bands (Sea Train and the GrassIs Greener). Mike Nadolson, “TheMystery Flatpick Wizard of RiversideCounty,” is a fine lead and rhythm gui-tarist as well as an excellent singer. Heis also founder of Tricopolis Records.Peter Feldmann has been a musicalmainstay in the Santa Barbara area formany years and founded the SantaBarbara Old Time Fiddler’s Conventionand its legendary Bluebird Cafe MusicClub in the 1970s. Interestinglyenough, Peter’s group, the ScraggFamily, played at the first concert I everput on in San Diego before the firstofficial Folk Festival in 1967. It’s alwaysa treat to have him back.

Bayou Seco L O U R E M E M B E R S

Jeanie McLerieand Ken Kepplerhail from SilverCity, NewMexico, wherethey play awhole lot ofmusic that

includes cajun, Norteño, northern NewMexico dance tunes, old time chickenscratch from southern Arizona, andeven some zydeco and pre-Hollywoodcowboy stuff. From the MississippiRiver to the deserts of Arizona, Ken andJeanie have been researching andplaying the music of the Southwest formany years. They present an excitingand informative overview of thesemusics on diatonic accordion, fiddle,guitar, mandolin, banjo, and harmonica.

Jeanie played at the very first SanDiego Folk Festival back in 1967 (aspart of Sandy and Jeanie) and thenagain in the mid-1970s with her Deltasister Frannie Leopold. Bayou Secoplayed the first Adams Ave. RootsFestival (no. 21) back in 1994.

The Delta Sisters L O U R E M E M B E R S

For the past 30years, FrannieLeopold andJeanie McLeriehave beensinging theirspecial mix ofmint-julep vocalsand hot-pep-

pered dance music. Frannie is a musi-cian and midwife in Mendocino, andJeanie is a fiddle teacher for kids inAlbuquerque, New Mexico. Frannieplays music up and down the WestCoast (most notably in San Diego withHank Bradley and Cathie Whitesides inthe Balkan Cafe Orchestra). Jeanieplays mostly in the Southwest withhusband Ken Keppler (in the BayouSeco band) and with local traditionalmusicians.

Despite all the miles between them,

Frannie and Jeanie have continued toplay and sing together. The last timewas at the first Adams Avenue RootsFestival (no. 21) in 1974.

Frannie LeopoldL O U R E M E M B E R S

Frannie played with her Delta SisterJeanie McLerie at the 11th and 21stfestivals here in San Diego. She alsoplayed with the Balkan Café Orchestraat Festivals 21 through 28 and withHank Bradley at Festival no. 20. Anyfestival Frannie is at with one group,she’s likely to be part of two or threeothers. For instance, while she washere with the Balkan Café Orchestra,she also did sets with Mexican song-ster Cynthia Llanos. Making her homein Mendocino, Frannie stays activeplaying a wide range of Latino, cajun,jug band blues, and vintage swingmusic. Expect her to do a set with W.B.Reid as well as with the Delta Sisters.

Kenny Hall and theLong Haul Band L O U R E M E M B E R S

I first saw Kennywith the oldSweets MillMountain Boys(Ron Hughey,Pete Everwine,and Frank Hicks)at a cabaretconcert at the

Berkeley Folk Festival some time in themid 1960s and again shortly after thatat the Sweets Mill Festival (east ofFresno in the Sierras). He brought hisunique old timey tater-bug mandolinand fiddle to the third San Diego FolkFestival (along with Fresno compatriotsJim Ringer and Ron Tinkler) and hasplayed at most of them since. Kenny isa true California musical treasure. Hemust know a couple thousand songs.I’ve seen him so many times, yet hecontinues to surprise and amaze me.As a band musician (with the SweetsMill String Band, his Long Haul Band,or any other combination), his mandolinis always a standout and his great oldtimey vocals a treat.

Larry HanksL O U R E M E M B E R S

Larry Hanks,singer, guitarist,and trumpist(Jew’s harp),sings a widevariety of tradi-tional Americanstyles, includingold time country

and cowboy songs, ballads and blues,and fiddle tunes played on the Jew’sharp, plus children’s songs and topicaland contemporary songs by such well-known writers as Utah Phillips, PeteSeeger, and Woody Guthrie.

Since 1962 Hanks has performedup and down the West Coast andnationally folk clubs, coffeehouses, andfestivals. Hanks sings goofy, orneryhoedown ditties; home-made laments;stark, lonesome ballads; and wry andangry topical songs about life, work,and politics.

performing artists


performing artists

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Tracy Schwarz andGinny Hawker L O U R E M E M B E R S

I first saw Tracywhen hereplaced TomPaley in the NewLost CityRamblers. Iguess the firsttime was in

about 1964 at San Diego’s Sign of theSun bookstore or maybe at the AshGrove (the ’60s were so busy for memusically, it’s hard to put things inorder). Tracy added a great fiddle, agreat sense of humor, and a fabulousmountain tenor voice to the New LostCity Ramblers and just a touch of blue-grass (and, of course, cajun music) thatthey didn’t have before. He met andstarted to perform and tour with GinnyHawker in the late ’80s. Ginny hailsfrom southern Virginia where she grewup in a large musical family. At familygatherings she was exposed to earlybluegrass, gospel songs, and the unac-companied hymns of the primitiveBaptist Church. I guess I first saw themtogether at a San Diego Folk Heritageconcert some time in the early ’90sand was struck with their vocal har-monies on the old time songs. Over theyears Tracy has played at the RootsFestival several times, but this isGinny’s first appearance. A special treatfor all of us.

W.B. Reid andBonnie ZahnowL O U R E M E M B E R S

I’ve known W.B.since he firstplayed a concertfor me at theFolk Arts storeback in August of1973. He played

his first festival in the spring of 1974and has performed at quite a fewsince. The scope of his musical tastesand the kinds of music he plays

encompass ragtime blues, jug bandmusic, vintage swing, Irish music, anda little bit of everything else old timey.Long time San Diego-area resident,W.B. has made his home in the Seattlearea for the past 10 years or so, wherehe makes music with his partnerBonnie. Together they play fine oldtunes and songs from Appalachia,Mexico, and points in between on fid-dles, guitars, and banjos. Watch forthem to join up with Mendocino’sFrannie Leopold for some vintage blackstring band music.

Dan WheetmanSinger-songwriter Dan Wheetman

returns to San Diego as musical direc-tor and cowriter of the upcoming rootsmusical Fire on the Mountain, premier-ing May 3 at the San Diego Rep.Wheetman, who has performed withJohn Denver, Itzach Perlman, and SteveMartin, is an extraordinary multi-instru-mentalist who has composed and/ordirected numerous musical stage pro-ductions. No stranger to San Diegoroots music fans, Wheetman has per-formed at past Roots Festivals withMarley’s Ghost. Joining Wheetman atthis year’s festival will be the Fire onthe Mountain band.

Stu and GloriaJamison L O U R E M E M B E R S

Stu has been apart of SanDiego’s rootsmusic scene offand on since thefirst festival washeld in 1967. Ithink I first sawhim at one of

those Sign of the Sun concerts in theearly ’60s. He was always full of sto-ries about old time banjo man RufusCrisp whom Stu had recorded for theLibrary of Congress in the ’40s. Stutold of his grandfather who carried hisBible and banjo from the CumberlandGap in Tennessee to the Gansu Nan

Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture(“Gannan” for short), where he foundeda mission for the Tibetans, the Han andMoslem Hue Chinese. Stu was born inthe states and only returned after hisfather was driven out by warlords.

In 1939 Stu, encouraged by Margotand Pete Seeger, took up the banjo.Over the years he has concentrated onstyles he learned from such old timebanjo masters as Uncle Dave Macon,Murphy Gribble, Cousin Emmy, RufusCrisp, and Clarence Ashley.

In 1987 and again in 1992 Stu andhis wife, Gloria, were sent to China andTibet by the Durfee Foundation, wherethey gave dozens of concerts andspent weeks gathering more than 100hymns still in the oral tradition.

Mimi Wright L O U R E M E M B E R S

One of our very own song catchershere in San Diego is Mimi Wright, whosings old mountain songs mostly unac-companied, sometimes with autoharp,and always with spirit and a touch ofwonder. It there’s an unusual variant ofan old time song to be found, Mimi willfind it. Always a bright moment at theRoots Festivals are her Rocking ChairConcerts.

The HanganBrothers (Clabe Hangan, Rick Smith, Jim Shirey)

L O U R E M E M B E R S

The Hangan brothers, Clabe Hangan,Rick Smith, and Jim Shirey are threeSouthern California-based musicianswho have been around the scene sincethe ’60s. Clabe Hangan is fromArkansas and grew up with the barrel-house blues of his father, the gospel

influence of his mother, and influenceslike Leadbelly and Big Bill Broonzy.Clabe has been called “possibly thebest unheralded blues singer of thisgeneration.” A former teacher and pro-bation officer, Clabe has made a careerof teaching the multicultural history ofAmerica through music. Harpist RickSmith is from New York but has beenliving in California for nearly 30 years.He is equally at home with acousticand hard-driving electric blues.Originally from Texas, Jim Shirey stud-ied violin and piano from the age ofseven, moving on to bass and guitar.

I first saw Clabe back in the ’60seither at a Claremont Folk Festival or atthe Golden Ring coffee house there.Later in the ’70s, he played at theHeritage in Mission Beach and, stilllater during the ’80s, at a folk musicclass Sam Hinton was teaching atScripps. About that time he did a soloshot at the Folk Festival. If you haven’theard these guys, you’re in for a treat.

John Bosley L O U R E M E M B E R S

John used toplay regularly atthe concertseries we held atthe old Folk Artsbefore moving toAdams Avenue inthe early ’70s.He wrote songs

that sounded like old ’30s pop tunes,with kind of a raggy guitar backing.He’d occasionally throw in an old timetune, so it always kept us song collec-tors wondering. John was from NewYork and wrote poetry along with hissongs. As no one has an easy timemaking any kind of living from music,John got a job (outside of music), gotmarried, and had kids, but he neverthrew away that guitar and occasional-ly we can talk him into revisiting thoseraggy old songs and some newer onestoo. It’s always a pleasure to have himat the Roots Festivals.

The StairwellSisters(Lisa Berman, Sue Sandlin,Martha hawthorne, StephaniePrausnitz, Evie Ladin)

The Stairwell Sisters bring togethertheir love of old time country songsand rowdy fiddle tunes from the hotbedof traditional music, the hills of SanFrancisco. Energetic musicianship andtight vocal arrangements make for akicking quintet that’s wonderful forboth listening and dancing. Influencedby such favorites as Hazel Dickens andAlice Gerrard, the Stanley Brothers, andTommy Jarrell. The Stairwell Sisters,featuring Lisa Berman on dobro,Martha Hawthorne on bass, Evie Ladinon banjo, Stephanie Prausnitz on fiddle,and Sue Sandlin on guitar, bring bothfamiliar and obscure songs to life.

Curt Bouterse L O U R E M E M B E R S

I met Curt in1963 in anAfrican historyclass at SanDiego State. Hewas carrying anautoharp caseand a shape notehymnal and

looked like he might be interested insome of the kinds of music that I was.Shortly thereafter Curt and I, along withsome other folks, founded the SDSUOrganized Folksingers. Almost rightaway we talked about doing a festivalthere on campus. In 1967 we finallygot around to it. Curt played at thatvery first festival and he’s played atevery one we’ve had since then. Oldtime Appalachian folksongs with fret-less banjo, hammered dulcimer, auto-harp, plucked dulcimer, andVietnamese mouth harp (upon whichhe plays Southern mountain dancetunes) are his specialty.

performing artistsperforming artists


8

9



Mark Spoelstra L O U R E M E M B E R S

I first saw Markat a Broadsidemagazine hoot-enanny on one ofmy Newport FolkFestival tripssometime in theearly 1960s(maybe it was1965). He was

an important part of the New York Citysinger-songwriter scene. A confirmedpacifist and a conscientious objector tomilitary service, his songs often reflect-ed such themes. His debut, Five AndTwenty Questions, featured 12 originalsongs and introduced his quiet, unas-suming style. Later I met Mark a cou-ple of times at the Sweets Mill Festivalin the Sierras east of Fresno. Mark wasdoing alternate service and living in theFresno area then. He came and playedat the San Diego Folk Festival in theearly ’70s with a band called theFrontier Constabulary and then more orless dropped out of the music scene orat least the music scene I was awareof. This year my friend Patty Hall toldme about his new CD (Mark’s firstrecording in 20 years) and a renewedinterest in performing at festivals. Sohere he is with 12-string guitar, a lot ofnew tunes and quite a few old ones,some duets with old Sweets Mill buddyJon Adams, and a new outlook on play-ing music.

Bryan PickeringCanadian born,Bryan was raisedon a small farmin Maple Ridgejust east ofVancouver,where he hadcalves for pets.As a child he

often traveled during the summerthrough the blue Canadian Rockies tohis dad’s family farm in Alberta. It’s nowonder he’s a country boy.

He first picked up a guitar at age 11

and has been playing ever since. Fromthe Yukon to Nashville, Bryan has beenentertaining audiences for over 30years. One of the highlights of hiscareer was winning a Canada-wide tal-ent search that brought him toNashville to play at the Grand Ole Opryand to meet some of the great oldstars like Roy Acuff.

When Bryan strolls on stage, foldsup his white cane, sticks it in his backpocket, and straps on his guitar, you’rein for a real treat.

The BudapestBrothers (E.Z. Mark, Lee Birch, Chuck Borsos) L O U R E M E M B E R S

E.Z. and Leehave beenaround the sceneat various FolkFestivals sincethe very early’70s and Chuck’sbeen around formost of the

Roots Festivals. They could just as eas-ily be the Zagreb Boys or the WarsawGuys. I’ve heard them do Greek,French, and even an old timey tune ortwo. E.Z. plays old jazz and vaudevillenovelty songs and Lee does Mexicanand Cajun tunes. What we have here isthree veteran old time music musicianswho know a lot of good tunes, play alot of instruments, and play them well.They are always good for a surprise.

The Page FamilyDavid Page Sr., model for this year’s

Roots Festival poster, formed theSiamsa Gael Ceili Band in Ireland withTom Page in the ’30s and brought themusic with him to San Diego in the’70s. Before the elder Page passedaway in 1987, he passed down the uil-leann pipes to John Tuohy who cur-rently performs with the Siamsa GaelCeili Band. Music in the Page familyruns deep. This year Page’s legacy willbe celebrated with music performed by

members of the Page family in a spe-cial festival appearance. Page familymembers include Maire Page on flute,David Page Jr. on percussion anddrums, and Gregory Page on guitar andvocals. In addition, a segment from themythological play Aisling, written byPatricia Page, will be performed.

The New LostMelody Boys (John Wright, Paul Johnson,Dave Allen)L O U R E M E M B E R S

I’ve known allthese guys for alot of years andfor most of thepast 10 yearsthey’ve been partof the RootsFestivals. JohnWright did old

time banjo workshops for me back inthe early ’80s. Dave Allen’s fiddle andPaul Johnson’s mandolin were part ofother earlier bands, too. Banging andsawing, from backwoods songs to fid-dle breakdowns, the Boys play in thegrand tradition of such legendary oldtime groups as the Skillet Lickers, theFruit Jar Drinkers, and the DelmoreBrothers. As the New Lost MelodyBoys, they are perhaps San Diego’spremier vintage old timey string band.

Tanya Rose L O U R E M E M B E R S

I’ve known Tanya and her musicsince some time in the mid ’60s whenwe actually played in a group togetherfor a short time. Like so many musi-cians I know, Tanya continued to listenand to learn new songs and occasion-ally play in public. Her mixture of tradi-tional Mexican folk and old time coun-try songs has always been a treat. Shehas been at the Roots Festival the pastfew years as part of the WayneBrandon-Clark Powell band and alsorecently did some solo stuff for us.

Roy Ruiz Clayton L O U R E M E M B E R S

Roy is a potter,an artist (he’sdone the RootsFestival posterdrawing the lastfour or fiveyears), a guitarpicker, a song-writer, and a

singer. I first met Roy some 20 yearsago when he wandered in Folk ArtsRare Records to inquire about playingsome music for us. He’s played awhole lot of times for us over the yearsand is one of those guys who writessongs with words you have to listen to.You won’t be sorry.

Connie Allen andBill Dempsey L O U R E M E M B E R S

Right here in ourown area it’sstill possible tobe taken withcertain musi-cians whosound old timeybut still refresh-ing and new. For

the past 21 years, Connie and Bill havefound a common voice in traditionalmusic. Connie’s banjomer, a hybrid ofan Appalachian dulcimer and banjo,adds a melodic accent to Bill’s Carter-style flat picking. Connie writes songswith traditional roots that weave storiesof the past with a fresh, witty perspec-tive. Bill Dempsey began his career asa trombonist but became interested infolk music during the early ’60s. Itsoon became clear to him that singingand playing guitar was what he wantedto do. Over the years Bill has continuedto learn new instruments and newkinds of music while staying close tothe folk and traditional music he loves.This is Bill and Connie’s first appear-ance, and their dulcimer and guitar,plus old time banjo, on a wide range oforiginal and traditional songs is a treat.

New SmokeyMountain Boys (Wayne Brandon, Clark Powell,Bryan Pickering, Doug McKee, Ed Douglas)L O U R E M E M B E R S

I guess I met ClarkPowell first, as hewas one of the founding members ofthe San Diego State OrganizedFolksingers back around 1963. Clarkand I even played music togethersome. Clark plays dobro, guitar, andfive-string banjo. He knew Wayne, whois the western world’s biggest RoyAcuff fan and sings Acuff songs aboutas well as anyone except for Roy him-self. For a few years in the ’60s, wemade what we thought was some pret-ty good music and then ended upgoing our separate ways. Clark becamea lead guitarist in a variety of countrymusic bands, and Wayne became anelementary school principal. It was onlywhen we started doing the RootsFestivals in the mid-’90s that we gotback together somehow. For the pastthree or four years, other old friendsfrom those ’60s bands have come onboard, but it’s Wayne’s Roy Acuff-sounding vocals and Clark’s BashfulBrother Oswald-sounding dobro steelguitar that give this band its unique fla-vor. If you like the sound of Roy Acuff’sband of the ’30s and ’40s, these guysare worth a listen.

Tomcat Courtney L O U R E M E M B E R S

I was doing ablues concertseries at FolkArts RareRecords back inthe very early’70s whenTomcat walkedinto the shop and

asked if he could get up and do a songor two. He did, and we’ve been goodfriends ever since. Tom hails fromWaco, Texas, and broke into the bluesbiz as part of a T-Bone Walker show

The Lou Curtiss Sound Library Presents a 30th Anniversary Special

Roots Music Video ShowcaseRare Country Music • Blues • Jazz • Cajun & Zydeco •

Latin • Roots • Rare Music on Film

Featured this month are video compilations from all previous Roots and Folk Festivals

april 18 • 7-10 p.m.LeStats Coffee house • 3343 Adams Avenue

The Lou Curtiss Sound Library at Folk Arts Rare Records3611 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116-2213 • Phone: 619/282-7833

10

performing artists


performing artists

Saturday, April 26 Saturday, April 26 PARK STAGE CHURCH

SANCTUARYCHURCH

SOCIAL HALLBEER

GARDEN34TH &ADAMS

HAWLEY &ADAMS

DIMILLE’SPARKING

11-11:45 am Chris Stuart andBackCountry

Ginny Hawker andTracy Schwarz

“Fire on theMountain” cast fromSan Diego Rep

Scottsville SquirrelBarkers

IncandescentString Trio

Mike Seeger

W.B. Reid andBonnie Zahnow

Stairwell Sisters

noon-12:45 pm

5-5:45 pm

4-4:45 pm

3-3:45 pm

2-2:45 pm

1-1:45 pm

6-6:45 pm

7-7:45 pm

8-8:45 pmScottsville SquirrelBarkers

Larry Hanks

Faith Petric

Los Californios

Siamsa Gael CeiliBand

Kenny Hall and theLong Haul Band

Bob Webb

Mary McCaslin



Mike Seeger

Bayou Seco

Mimi Wright

Stu and GloriaJamison

American FolkSingers

Curt Bouterse

Stairwell Sisters(clog dancing)

Connie Allen andBill Dempsey

Page Family

Faith Petric

Jim Earp

7th Day Buskers

Steve White

Robin Henkel

Chris Stuart andBackCountry

Mary McCaslin

San Diego CajunPlayboys

Tomcat Courtney



Tom Brosseau

Larry Hanks

Curt Bouterse

Los Californios

Bryan Pickering

Steve White

Delta Sisters

Jon Adams


Mark Spoelstra

John Bosley

Jon Adams

Stairwell Sisters

Mark Spoelstra

7th Day Buskers

Roy Ruiz Clayton

Bob Webb

Hangan Brothers

Budapest Brothers


New Lost MelodyBoys

Wayne Brandon, ClarkPowell, Bryan Pickering,Doug McKee, Ed Douglas,Tanya Rose

Tanya Rose

Tomcat Courtney

John Bosley

Bayou Seco

New Lost MelodyBoys



Los Californios

LOST CHILDRENcan be taken to

the nearest stage.Announcements will bemade between songs.

11



Sunday, April 27 Sunday, April 27

FIRST AIDPOLICE

SECURITYare available at

the 7-11 parking lot,located at Adams Ave.

and Hawley Blvd.

L E G E N D

PARK STAGE CHURCH SANCTUARY

CHURCHSOCIAL HALL

BEER GARDEN

34TH &ADAMS

HAWLEY &ADAMS

DIMILLE’SPARKING

11-11:45 am New Lost MelodyBoys

Frannie Leopoldwith W.B. Reid andBonnie Zahnow

Mary McCaslin

Bayou Seco

“Fire on theMountain” cast fromSan Diego Rep

Mike Seeger

Delta Sisters

noon-12:45 pm

5-5:45 pm

4-4:45 pm

3-3:45 pm

2-2:45 pm

1-1:45 pm


Larry Hanks


Mimi Wright

Stu and GloriaJamison

Mimi Wright

Page Family

Steve White

Sage Gentle-Wing

Hangan Brothers

Robin Henkel

Budapest Brothers

Sage Gentle-Wing

Los Alacranes

Los Alacranes

Tom Brosseau


American FolkSingers

Faith Petric

Robin Henkel

Mark Spoelstra

7th Day Buskers

Curt Bouterse

John Bosley

Los Alacranes


Jon Adams


Bob Webb


Bryan Pickering

Tanya Rose

Roy Ruiz Clayton


Jim Earp


PORT-A-POTTIES

ä FOODx FIRST AIDX DISABLEDFACILITIES

µ 40-YARDDUMPSTERS

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back in the ’40s (he was a tap dancer).He first played with his old partner(Henry Ford Thompson) at the fifth SanDiego Folk Festival in 1971 and atmost of them since. Tom has beenresponsible for giving many young SanDiego musicians a chance to play inhis bands, and his style of Texas blues,with influences ranging from Lightnin’Hopkins to Muddy Waters and B.B.King to his original mentor T-Bone,continues to bring down the house.

Tom BrosseauThe first thingyou notice aboutTom Brosseau isthat incrediblevoice, whichharks back tothe classic bal-ladeers of the’30s and ’40s.

Matched with his wistful guitar playing,it’s an unbeatable combination.

Born on the day of America’s bicen-tennial in Grand Forks, North Dakota,Brosseau began writing and singing ata very early age. His Grandmother, whowas involved with several bluegrassassociations, would take him to churchbasements and retirement homes andold dance halls to listen. One guywould stand up and yodel and anotherwould play his jew’s harp. The audi-ence would clap.

Shortly thereafter, Brosseau beganmixing the mediums and singing. Helearned how to play a few chords onthe guitar, then learned the harmonica.He knew at that age that he’d be doingwhat he’s doing now.

Los Californios(Vykki Mende Gray, Janet Martini,Peter DuBois, David Swarens)

For over adecade, SanDiego-basedLos Californioshas beenresearching and

interpreting the music of Spanish andMexican California, focusing on thenineteenth century and from the dayswhen the state was part of Spain andthen Mexico. This sweet, melodicmusic was played for dancing andsinging at the festive fandangos givenby the Spanish and Mexican settlers orthe Californios, who ran cattle on thehuge ranchos during their heyday inthe 1830s and 1840s. Working fromprimary sources, including Californiotestimonials, travelers’ accounts, andthe early sound recordings of Spanish-speaking Californians made by CharlesFletcher Lummis almost a century ago,as well a secondary sources such asBancroft’s histories, they endeavor torecreate the sound of serenade andfandango from the days beforeCalifornia statehood.

Jim EarpFinger-style gui-tarist Jim Earp isa long time NorthPark resident.When Jim playsthe guitar hemakes it look socomfortable andeasy because his

talent exceeds beyond all expectations.Jim can be found playing anywherefrom Mama’s Pies in Julian on LaborDay to playing hymns in his church.Playing his guitar in the style of folk,classical, jazz, Celtic, and New Age, thisguy is really good at what he does andit shows. Jim’s second CD was a win-ner in Acoustic Guitar magazines’Homegrown CD Awards 2000, and hisCeltic and New Age-flavored soloinstrumental guitar music has beenfeatured in songbooks and CD compila-tions with such notable artists as ex-Wings guitarist Laurence Juber, EltonJohn band guitarist Davy Johnstone,and National Finger-style ChampionMuriel Anderson. This is Jim’s firstappearance at the Roots festival.

Steve WhiteDescribed as aone-man bluesband, SteveWhite can do itall. Highlyacclaimed musiccritic John

D’Agostino perhaps said it best:“Snapping twang, sliding bottleneckgrease, and wringing beef-jerky riffsfrom his Taylor, singing with grit,groove, and grace. Chuffing on abraced harmonica and pounding timeon a barbeque boom box with clog-clad feet. I recommend him to anyonewho loves good music.” MichaelKinsman in a Union-Tribune reviewsaid, “This local musician brandisheshis guitar like a hoe as he digs into fer-tile Delta music with a classic bluesintensity.”

An amazing guitarist, he has alsoplayed the neck harp since his earlydays of music. Add to that a stereo-miked percussion instruments, consist-ing of tambourine and cowbell, con-tained in a mahogany wooden box,which he may soon be marketing asthe “White Stone Box.” White plays thisbox with his feet, wearing his trade-mark wooden clogs to achieve the bestsound. All together, this rhythm-infusedblues guitarist sings and blows hisharp to create a sound that is uniquelySteve White.

Robin HenkelRobin Henkel’smusic rangesfrom primitive,Mississippi Deltablues and theurban Chicagosound to Texas-style western

swing and beyond. An amazing bluesslide guitarist, Robin has been playingmusic since the ’60s both as a solo actand as a contributing band member.With the Robin Henkel Band he uses avariety of back-up musicians whom hecustom picks to fit each gig. He hasopened for such top acts as DizzieGillespie, Bonnie Raitt, Arlo Guthrie, andDave Mason. Henkel has also per-formed with Buddy Miles, JohnHammond, Sha Na Na, and Big JayMcNeal.

A seasoned veteran and winner ofBest Blues Album at the 2000 SanDiego Music Awards, he has participat-ed in numerous blues festivals. He is

also a guitar teacher at the legendaryBlue Guitar, where he has been givinglessons to students who are eager tolearn from the legend himself.


The Siamsa Gael Ceili Band (pro-nounced Sheem-sha Gale Kay-lee)presents the traditional melodies ofIreland played in the “old style.”

The band’s existence and mainsource of inspiration can be attributedto a Dublin man named Dave Page. Anaccomplished Irish piper, he played inthe original Siamsa Gael Ceili Bandduring the early 1930s. He moved toSan Diego in the mid-1970s where hemet current band members John Tuohy(uilleann pipes), Ian Law (flute), andJudy Lipnick (fiddle), teaching them hismusic and eventually passing his pipeson to John. Dave Page’s influence canbe clearly heard in the band’s reper-toire and style.

Sage Gentle-WingSage Gentle-Wing is one ofthose rare multi-faceted artistswho brings tothe stage a sub-tle, yet powerful,presence ofauthenticity. He

will captivate you with his unique useof altered acoustic guitar tunings tocreate a large, full band sound. Thedeep resonance of the down-tunedbass often approximates the register of

13



an actual bass guitar. His songs reflecta timeless, masterful song craft thatemploys compelling themes, impecca-bly rendered by a truly originalAmerican artist. With his vast catalog ofgreat original songs, the listener istreated to a broad palette of colors,including folk, jazz, blues, country,country-blues, folk-rock, pop, Celtic,and even tango.

The 7th DayBuskers

The 7th Day Buskers are a five-pieceacoustic roots band who have beenseen by much of San Diego everySunday morning at the HillcrestFarmers Market. It was here that theband formed one by one after Shawn P.Rohlf opened up his banjo case andstarted busking (an old European wordfor performing on the street) severalyears ago. Their huge repertoire oforiginal and traditional material coversa wide range of styles, including blue-grass, folk, country, Irish, and blues.Members of the Buskers include RobinHenkel on Dobro, Steve Peavey onmandolin and guitar, Don Hickox on fid-dle, Ken Dow on bass, and Rohlf onbanjo, guitar, harmonica, and vocals.

With the release of two CDs, Long Livethe Caboose and Born to Pick, theBuskers can be seen performing inmany venues from San Diego toSeattle.


Chris Stuartplays originalmusic rooted inbluegrass tradi-tions but ratherthan categorizehis music, herefers to it as“just good

music.” An admired songwriter, hissongs have been recorded by ClaireLynch, Suzanne Thomas, Sally Jones,the Schankman Twins, and Tine Adair.Among his other accomplishments,Chris was awarded first place in boththe bluegrass and gospel categories atthe renowned Chris Austin SongwritingContest at Merlefest. Recently Stuart

and his band BackCountry releasedtheir first CD, titled Angels of MineralSprings, which has been praised byDJs around the country. Mike Fleischerat WDCB-FM in Glen Ellyn, Illinois callsthe CD “…clearly the work of a talent-ed, mature, and highly professionalsinger-songwriter-musician. The albumitself is beautifully produced, wellrecorded, and well mastered.”

Rick Smith, who is from New York,is a harmonica player with both coun-try and big city roots.

Los Alacranes

Los Alacranes are one San Diego’smost beloved group of musicians and

the pride of San Diego’s Mexican-American community. The music ofthese “musicos locos” has beendescribed as sort of a cross betweenthe humorous style of Lalo Guerero andthe corridos and old timey norteñosongs. “Chunky” Sanchez explains it asSouthwest-Chicano-Mexican-Barriofolklore. His song about a chorizosandwich is not to be believed.

Founded in 1977 by Ramon“Chunky” Sanchez and his brotherRicardo, Los Alacranes along with Don“Güero” Knapp and Miguel Lopez haveinspired audiences for more than twodecades. Following the success of theircritically acclaimed CD, Rising Souls,released May 1999, Los Alacranesreleased Picando, originally recorded in1989. This group always puts on agood show.


The San Diego Cajun Playboys havebeen keeping Cajun French music

going strong in Southern California witha full repertoire of traditional Cajun lan-guage music.

Along with original members JonGrant (accordion, fiddle) and Bill Riddell(guitar), the group features SouthLouisiana-born Joel Breaux (accordion,fiddle) from Loreauville (pop. 860), andGreg Rasberry (triangle) from Iota andCrowley, Louisiana.

The American FolkSingers

Gregory Page and Tom Brosseau paytribute to traditional American musicwith songs, ranging from WoodyGuthrie to various kinds of countrymusic and original tunes.

14

Ray Bonneville calls his music “a gumbo ofAmerican roots stylings,” which involves laying down a

surprisingly complex guitar groove, rock-solid foot-

board percussion, intricate but understated harmoni-

ca licks, and weathered vocals that are always cool

but never aloof. He often streamlines his touring act,

accompanying himself on guitar, rack harmonica,

and footboard. This same spare quality applies to the

evocative songwriting that won Bonneville a1999 Juno Award, the Canadian equivalent of a

Grammy, for his third album, Gust of Wind (Stony

Plain/Warner).

Bonneville has been in demand as a live

performer for three decades, playing not only clubs

and concert halls, but also such prestigious festivals as

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage, Montreal Jazz,

Kerrville, Toronto Harbourfront, Ottawa Folk,

Strawberry, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.

Dark Thirty Productions is proud to host anevening with Ray Bonneville in May, where you can

hear his music and see him play within the comfort

of Jimmy Duke’s intimate house concertvenue.

May 18 • 7:30pm • $15April 13 • 7:30pm • $15

Juno Award Winner

Ray Bonneville

Critics have called him a national treasure, an icono-

clast, and a master folk musician. Great grandson of

Icelands’ Poet Laureate Stefan G. Stefansson,

Bill Bourne grew up in rural Alberta listening tohis parents play old time music. During the 1980s,he did a three-year stint with Scotland’s Tannahill

Weavers. Out of that grew his relationship with Alan

Macleod that lead to the release of the

ground-breaking album Dance andCelebrate, followed by Moonlight Dancers.

Bourne’s endless drive to write and

perform soon saw his return to familiar, and for him,

fertile ground of musicical autonomy. Always a

fiercely independent artist, he continued to carve his

own distinctive musical niche. His skills as awriter and a seemingly tireless touring performer

caught the attention of Ragged Pup records, and the

label and the artist seemed to fit. In early 1998 he

joined the label’s already strong roster of performing

songwriters.

Juno Award Winner

Bill Bourne

CanadianSongwriters

Invade San Diego

DARK THIRTY PRODUCTIONSwwwdarkthirty.com • Reservations: (619) 443-9622


15

of note


of note

Derek Duplessieand the Desert PoetsStereoby Phil Harmonic

Derek Duplessie and theDesert Poets’ new CD titledStereo is refreshing and pure insubstance compared to much ofthe over-produced material thatsurfaces today. This veteransongwriter, who hasn’t evenexperienced high school yet, haswritten five original songs herethat are as worthy as the otherfive by Steve Earle, Tom Petty,Neil Young, John Hiatt, and theByrds’ Gene Clark. Need I saymore? The raw sound ofDuplessie’s harmonica againstthe well-knit sound of his top-notch band, the Desert Poetscontrast to create a sound that isreminiscent of early Dylan.Duplessie, who is an excellentpedal steel player himself, hashis teacher, Kevin Ryan on thatinstrument, showing off histasteful licks and illustrating hownuance transforms a feel into themood of the song. The rhythmsection of Danny Cress on drumsand Lyle Duplessie, Derek’s Dad,on bass are as solid as theycome. Derek’s acoustic guitarwork is a driving force, and hissolid strumming heart beatbecomes the life blood thatflows through the songs.Background vocals by the elderDuplessie on the originals, and

Peter Bolland on the others, helpto produce the full-texturedsound.

In this self-produced CD,young Duplessie kept the takesthat allowed the essence to seepout, rendering an honest andauthentic sound. My favoritesong, “L.A. Standard Time,” hashit song written all over it, andhas all the ingredients deservingof radio play. A gifted songwriterand multi-instrumentalist,Duplessie also adds a 12-stringRicky electric guitar and a B-3organ to round out his all-around talent. His time is not faroff and when you experience alive performance, you’ll see aseasoned, comfortable singer-songwriter with a highly likeablepersonality, along with a folksywit and charisma to boot. Mymind starts to see Derek as ayoung song-writing, instead of astory-telling, Will Rogers, whosegenuine confidence is so realthat you’d think this young pro-fessional must have some kind ofhotline to the truth.

The Desert Poets play at Dizzy’s onSunday, April 13, 7:30pm.

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Connie Allen andBill DempseyThe Waves WeLeft Behindby Phil Harmonic

Performing at this year’s RootsFestival, Connie Allen and BillDempsey will sing songs fromtheir new CD, The Waves We LeftBehind, with a traditional folksound and song selections thatare quite fitting for the festival. Ofthe 14-song, plus a bonus song,CD, four are originals written byAllen and the remainder are tradi-tional, spanning over 100 years ofroots and popular music. Theoriginal songs are well-written sto-ries done in that familiar style

heard around camp fires through-out the United States, usually atsing-a-longs where one personplays an old beat-up guitar,pumpin’ out the chord changes.Both Allen and Dempsey sing wellwith ingratiating harmonies, butto me the most effective or mov-ing pieces are the dulcimer andguitar instrumentals. Close youreyes and the pure roots soundcreated by the instrumentals proj-

ect images of much slower timeswith no cell phones, cars, or TVs.Times we’ll never see again.

The opening song, “Midnighton the Water,” written in 1976 byBenny Thomasson and JohnCroizat, says in words what theinstruments imply about thosedays past, with Dempsey showingoff his deep, full, and rich-tonedvoice. On “Oh, California,” themelody of Stephen Foster’s “Oh,Susannah” is used. Foster influ-enced the popular music scenemore than traditional musicalthough some of his songs stillfall into the traditional category.Connie plays the eight-string dul-cimer, banjomer, bass, and kazoo.Bill plays a Guild D40 guitar,banjo, and kazoo, and adds con-certina and trombone on “SailorJack.” From the 1909 “Indiana” toBill Monroe’s 1957 “CowboyWaltz/Sitting Alone in theMidnight” to the bonus track’s liveversion of Jesse Fuller’s “SanFrancisco Bay Blues,” Allen andDempsey take you back to thosedays when, compared to today,time stood still. And unlike today,there and only there would theirinstrumental version of Weiss andTheile’s “What a WonderfulWorld,” ring true.

full circle

by D. Dwight Worden

T his year’s Adam’s AvenueRoots Festival offers upfirst-class bluegrass overits two day span, covering theweekend of April 26-27. Be sureto catch the following bluegrassperformers, and don’t overlookthe other great musical perform-ances that include folk, Irish,blues, Appalachian, cowboytunes, and other great acousticfare. And it’s all free!! Schedulescan be found on pages 10-11.

The Long-AwaitedReunion of the ScottsvilleSquirrel Barkers

This is going to be a greatreunion show! This historicallyimportant bluegrass band — alsoknown as the KentuckyMountain Boys — was formed in1958 by patrons of a San Diegoclub, the Blue Guitar. Its propri-etor, Ed Douglas, played bass inthe founding line-up, alongsideLarry Murray (guitar and vocals),Kenny Wertz (guitar and banjo),Gary Carr (guitar), and ChrisHillman (mandolin and vocals).The Barkers were featured onBluegrass Favorites, which wasdistributed solely in local super-markets. The quintet broke upsoon after its release. Hillmanteamed with Rex and VernGosdin in the Hillmen** beforerejoining Murray in the GreenGrass Group. He later became afounding member of the Byrds,while Murray and Leadon werereunited in Hearts and Flowers.Wertz, meanwhile, resurfaced inCountry Gazette and mostrecently in San Diego’s award-winning bluegrass band Downthe Road. This legendary groupwill be reunited at the RootsFestival this year and play a pre-festival show on Friday, April 25,at the Carlsbad Village Theater.

See page 2 for details.

The Seventh Day BuskersThe Buskers are one of San

Diego’s favorite home-grownacoustic bands, dripping withtalent and excitement, perform-ing straight up bluegrass andmore. Led by singer-songwriterShawn Rohlf on guitar, vocals,and banjo, the group featuresRobin Henkel on dobro andvocals; Steve Peavey on man-dolin, guitar, and vocals; KenDow on upright bass and vocals;and Don Hickox on lead fiddleand vocals, with Dwight Wordenproviding twin fiddle accompa-niment on some tunes. TheBuskers play every Sunday at theHillcrest Farmers Market wherethey have developed a loyal fol-lowing, and they regularly per-form at other venues throughoutSan Diego. The Buskers havereleased two CDs, both of whichwere very well received. Youwon’t want to miss their high-energy shows


Great vocals and instrumenta-tion highlight this band, withoutstanding songwriting fromfounder and leader Chris Stuart.Originally from Jacksonville,Florida, Chris now lives in SanDiego. In 1993 Chris won firstplace in both bluegrass andgospel at the Merlefest ChrisAustin songwriting contest. Hissongs have been recorded by anumber of top performers,including Claire Lynch (“Pauland Peter Walked,” “God SpokeHis Name,” “Thibodeau”),Suzanne Thomas (“Dear Friends”and “Gentle Hearts”), Sally Jones(“Saro”), the Schankman Twins(“Thibodeau”), and Tina Adair(“These Tears”). The band alsofeatures Janet Beazley on banjo

and vocals, Dean Knight onvocals and bass, and Jeff Harveyon mandolin.

OTHER BLUEGRASS NEWS ANDTIDBITS

The Dowden Sisters of Ashville,North Carolina, graced SanDiego with two concerts lastmonth, the first sponsored bythe San Diego Bluegrass Societyand the second by the NorthCounty Bluegrass and Folk Club.Their gospel harmonies andcharming shows were very wellreceived.

Chris Stuart and BackCountrywowed the full-house monthlyFuddruckers-La Mesa event,sponsored by the SDBS, appear-ing as the featured band. If youdon’t have a copy of their newCD Angels of Mineral Springs, I highly recommend it.

Summergrass Festival. Markyour calendars for August 22-24.The first annual SummergrassSan Diego Pickin’ in ParadiseBluegrass Festival will be the first“real” bluegrass festival in SanDiego, complete with camping,vendors, and tons of great blue-grass music. It will be held at thebeautiful Steam Engine Museumand Park in Vista. Stay tuned formore details as the festival dateapproaches!

Need Info? Want to stay up todate on happenings in the localBluegrass World? Read the SanDiego Troubadour! Join the SanDiego Bluegrass Society. For only$15 per year, you receive flyersof all SDBS local jams, concerts,and events, and you get regularcopies of InTune magazine bymail to keep you informed of allbluegrass events in the SouthernCalifornia area. Call (858) 679-1225 or surf tohttp://members.aol.com/intune-news/subsdbc.html to join SDBSor for more information.

**NOTE: The Hillmen were originally known as the GoldenState Boys on Cal’s Corral, a television show hosted by localcar salesman Cal Worthington. It was only on the LP that theywere called the Hillmen. (Lou Curtiss)

ramblin’ramblin’


16

The

Bluegrass CORNER

Lou’s Anniversary Rant

T his is a rant. On the 30thanniversary of my putting thisfestival together, I deserve arant. This is the most unique musicalevent regularly held in this city. I’m notsaying that because I put it together.I’m saying it because it’s true. Over theyears this festival has brought somany performers to San Diego whomight (probably would) never havehad the opportunity to come out thisway. Artists such as Bill Monroe;Cousin Emmy; Frankie Armstrong; theBoys of the Lough; Sam and KirkMcGee; Sam Chatmon; Cliff Carlisle;the Hoosier Hot Shots; Hank Penny;Rose Maddox; Stan Hugill; the BalfaBrothers; Marin, Bogan, andArmstrong; Hank Thompson; BennyThomasson; Silly Wizard; Robert PeteWilliams; Santiago Jimenez; PatsyMontana; D.L. Menard and hisLouisiana Aces; Lydia Mendoza; Rayand Ina Petterson; Joe and Rose LeeMaphis; Julia Mainer; and severalhundred more.

We got a little money from anNEA grant once in the mid-1970s topay some artists and to do someresearch on finding artists. Since thenit’s been a volunteer effort. Now I’mnot griping because I don’t get paid.Thirty festivals full of great music is alegacy I’m proud of and fortunate tohave experienced. However it isdepressing that we’ve applied for somany grants and we’re always turneddown. Other festivals with not nearlythe track record we have get fundingin other cities. Is it because this is SanDiego? I’ve never quite figured it out.The city of San Diego is even talkingabout cutting off our TOT funding,which is going to make it even harderto continue to bring you the kind offestival we have in the past. Those ofyou who want to help might drop aline to our Adams Avenue-area coun-cil person, Toni Atkins, or to the mayor.Tell these people what this festivalmeans and has meant to you over theyears. I know that it means somethingbecause so many of you have told meover the years. Roots music, it seems,is always the least likely to be noticedin the grantsmanship business. Atleast for us it is. We must have writtenten reams of grant applications and it’salways the same two or three sen-tences, turning us down if they evenbother to reply. It’s depressing.

Walter Cronkite said at one of theKennedy Center award ceremoniesthat “the arts outlive governments andsocieties that create them.” So Iguess this roots music will get bywhether our Adams Avenue RootsFestival is large or small. However, itsure would be nice to put together onethat has a decent budget, so we couldbring everyone we wanted to.

Over the years this festival hasbrought you Roscoe Holcomb, JeanRitchie, Sam Hinton, John Jackson,Wilbur Ball, Tommy Jarrell, Lily MaeLedford, Doye O’Dell, the StrangeCreek Singers, Jean Redpath,Harmonica Frank Floyd, Model T. Slim,Johnny Bond, Glenn Ohrlin, CharlieBailey, Olabelle Reed, U Utah Phillips,the England Brothers, the ComoMississippi Fife and Drum Band, theGolden Eagles (New Orleans Indians),and so many more but . . . we didn’tget, although we tried, E.C. and OrnaBall, Ray Whitley, Wilma Lee andStony Cooper, Don Reno and RedSmiley, the Blue Sky Boys, BuddyThomas, Seamus Ennis, Furry Lewis,Almeda Riddle, and more than I havespace for here. The point is that wecould have had many of these peoplehad it not been for lack of funding and,like so many roots artists, most ofthem are no longer with us.

There are, however, still peopleout there whom we’d like to bring andshould bring to San Diego. Rootsmusic needs to be researched, col-lected, and heard. A festival like theAdams Avenue Roots Festival isessential to our city. We need yourencouragement and support. We needeach of you to tell someone else aboutus and bring them along next time.

All you politicians and grantingagencies, remember that as old PappyMacMichen said, “There’s ten pair ofoveralls sold for each tuxedo suit.”That’s why I stick to roots music.Recordially, Lou Curtiss

Recordially Yours

Lou Curtiss

17

ramblin’ramblin’


by Paul Abbott

I’ve been playing guitar since Iwas nine years old, and by the timeI was 14 it had become my mainactivity in life. This fact remaineduntil I was 33. And in all the timebetween, there was hardly a daythat went by when I didn’t pick upthe instrument and consider how Icould express myself through it. Iwas, if nothing else, persistent. Thatchanged fairly abruptly about 18months ago when I decided to jumpfull-bore into my mastering businessand–almost simultaneously–commitmyself to a serious yoga practice.

Anyone who has ever started abusiness knows that it can consumeyou. Even ones that have a fairlysimple design (such as a masteringstudio) are fraught with details:business plans, budgets, equipmentpurchasing (and its subsequentlearning/maintaining), marketing,customer service, bills, and dead-lines. Serious students of yoga, simi-larly, will tell you that it is an all-consuming path that can changeyour life. So, between those tworather seismic events, my focus onguitar got a bit blurry. I still prac-ticed on a regular basis, but at timesI felt I was maintaining a routine.Eventually, the combination ofeverything inched out guitar.

Recently, though, a guitar-relatedevent was offered to me, so I dustedoff my instrument and startedplucking/ hammering/strumming. Isoon realized something interesting:not only had my acumen remained,

but I felt much more objective andfocused. Prior to my hiatus, eventhough I was an accomplishedinstrumentalist, my perspective lim-ited my approach to the instrument.And while consistent practice keptraising the bar for me as a player, Iwas unknowingly re-enforcing anumber of less-than-stellar habitsthat I had convinced myself werepart of my “style.” Some of thesewere minor, such as finger and hand position. Others were moreextreme, like associating myself firstand foremost as a guitarist.

Over the past 18 months Igained an insight about music Idoubt I would have realized if Ihadn’t taken a step back from theguitar to pursue other areas of life.When I consider the rush withwhich I always wanted to accom-plish goals on the guitar, it makesme smile. And the more I under-stand, the more valuable my timeaway from the instrument hasbecome.

Un-Do

Paul Abbott

Hosing Downby José Sinatra

“Do you know who I am?”It is perhaps the most

pompous phrase in a celebri-ty’s vocabulary and one of themost insidiously potent. It isone of the most frequentlyused against the star-strucksensibilities of the malleablemasses who continue to prayat the alter of fame. And onewhose very beauty grows fromits own audacity.

Now in its 50th decade,“Do you know who I am?” isjust beginning to wear out itswelcome.

Usually it’s not possible tooffer a negative answer to itwithout a trace of embarrass-ment — a nervously sensitive,silent admission of culturalilliteracy.

The normal, positiveresponse, however, is accom-panied by a form of apology.And a sweet smile, with afool’s heart swelling in joy atthe encounter. Here thecelebrity is immediatelyescorted to the front of theline. And most of the otherspresent are happy to havegiven way to a real live famousperson.

Honey, you won’t believewho I saw at Albertson’stoday. Don friggin’ Johnson!

We saw Tommy Lee goin’in, so we wanted to party withhim. Not too long a wait. It wasworth it. He’s totally cool!

“Do you know who I am?”It is my contention that the

true star need never ask thequestion. The modern demigodshould command recognitionenough to make it unneces-sary.

Admittedly, the questionhas its occasional value. Someyears ago, after torching aneighborhood eyesore, I wasabout to be led away in hand-cuffs. Use of the six-wordquestion set me free; soon Iwas signing autographs andthe panties of several wives ofenforcement officers. Thearson case remains open tothis day, sadly, though I’vebeen able to buy up the adja-cent lot and expand myempire. My neighbors knowwho I am, and they’re notcomplaining.

It’s just better not to haveto ask. It’s wonderful whenthere’s no question as to youridentity, when crowds silentlypart and that table in front issuddenly available for you andthere’s not a trace of blood onthe napkins. A healthy tip tothe doorman here will ensurethat your future visits remainsimilarly smooth and that yourpersonage remain unques-tioned.

I’ll not forget an incident inmy pre-fame days. I was tear-ing tickets in the foyer of amovie palace, controlling ananxious line of patrons thatstretched around the block. A

well-known cult figure and hisentourage shuffled in throughthe front door and claimed itwas okay, wasn’t it, that theyjust go on in. I said it wasn’t.The figurehead chuckled andlooked at his ladies beforebeading on my nose.

“Do you know who I am?”I would have traded any-

thing, of course, to have beenhim at this moment in time butbetted instead on my innocenthope of a future.

“I know who you were,” Itold him. “You’ll have to buy aticket. Join the line outside toyour right, please; you’re hold-ing this one up.”

And suddenly I was free,happy that he’d always knowwho I was, especially withoutmy ever having had to ask him.

The inimitable Mr. Sinatra

Local Yokels

Gus Williker is out of town squirrel hunting

this month. Local Yokels will be back in May

18


APRIL MUSIC CALENDAR

‘round about‘round about

tuesday • 1Mike Nadolson & Friends, NorthCounty Bluegrass/Folk Club meeting,Round Table Pizza, Escondido.

Kelly/Rob Carona, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Carolanne Matteson, MetaphorCafe, Escondido, 7-9pm.

wednesday • 2Sue Palmer Trio, Bayou Bar & Grill,329 Market St., 6-8pm.

thursday• 3Sue Palmer/Candye Kane, CalypsoRestaurant, Leucadia, 7:30-9:30pm.

Taylor Street Band, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

friday • 4Mark Jackson Band, Bailey’sBarbecue, Julian, 8-12pm.

Buena Vista Social Club, CA Centerfor the Arts, Escondido, 8pm.

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

saturday • 5Celia Lawley, Exclusive CollectionsGallery, Fashion Valley, 6:30-9pm.

Steven Cox & Across the Room,Cafe Crema, Pacific Beach, 7pm.

Connie Allen/Bill Dempsey, SanDieguito United Methodist Church,170 Calle Magdalena, Encinitas,7:30pm. Call 858/566-4040 for info.

San Diego Songwriters Guild,Lestats, 8:30pm.

Celticana, Patrick’s, 13314 PowayRd., Poway, 8:30pm.

Yonder Mountain String Band, BellyUp Tavern, Solana Beach, 9:15pm.

Candye Kane/Blues Brokers, TioLeo’s, Call for info.

Taylor Street Band, Hot MonkeyLove Cafe. Call for info.

sunday • 6Mark Jackson Band, Cowabunga’s,Imperial Beach Pier, 2-5pm.

tuesday • 8Carolanne Matteson, MetaphorCafe, Escondido, 7-9pm.

Bladerunners, San Diego BluegrassSociety meeting, Fuddrucker’s, LaMesa.

Sue Palmer/Deejha Marie, LyceumTheater pre-show, 6-7pm.

wednesday • 9Sue Palmer Trio, Bayou Bar & Grill,329 Market St., 6-8pm.

Shambles/Rookie Card/DerekDuplessie, M-Theory, South Park.Call for info.

thursday• 10Sue Palmer/Candye Kane, CalypsoRestaurant, Leucadia, 7:30-9:30pm.

friday •11Peter, Paul & Mary, CA Center forthe Arts, Escondido, 8pm.

Peter Bolland, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Taylor Street Band, Cafe Alysa,Carlsbad.

saturday • 12Mark Jackson Band, Golden GooseCoffee House, 10001 Maine St.,Lakeside, 8pm.

Glenn Miller Orchestra, East CountyPerforming Arts Center, El Cajon.

Brother, Coach House, San JuanCapistrano, 8pm. Call 919/496-8930.

Lisa Sanders CD Release, SeasideChurch, 1613 Lake Dr., Encinitas,8pm.

sunday • 13Derek Duplessie & the Desert PoetsCD Release, Dizzy’s, 7:30pm.

Bill Bourne, Dark ThirtyProductions, Lakeside. Call 619/443-9622 for reservations.

tuesday • 15Carolanne Matteson, MetaphorCafe, Escondido, 7-9pm.

wednesday • 16Lighthouse, Golden Goose CoffeeHouse, 100001 Maine St., Lakeside,7pm.

Chris Stuart & BackCountry, OldPoway Park, 9-11am.

friday • 18Chris Stuart & BackCountry,Border’s Books & Music, 668 SixthAve., San Diego, 8pm.

Mark Erelli/Sage Gentle-Wing/KrisDelmhorst, Twiggs, 8:30pm.

Mark Jackson Band, Hooley’s IrishPub, 2955 Jamacha Rd., Rancho SanDiego, 9pm.

saturday • 19Great Big Sea, Belly Up Tavern,Solana Beach, 8pm.

Angela Correa, Twiggs, 8pm.

Steven Cox & Across the Room,Coasters Saloon, Mission Beach,10pm.

thursday • 24Steven Cox & Across the Room,Dream Street, Ocean Beach, 9:30pm.

friday • 25Roots Festival Preview, Lestats, 7-10pm.

SCOTTSVILLE SQUIRREL BARKERSwith CHRIS HILLMAN & HERBPEDERSEN, Carlsbad VillageTheater, 2822 State St., Calrsbad,7:30pm. Email: [email protected].

Chuck Schiele & the MysteriousWays CD Release, Hard Rock Cafe,La Jolla, 10pm.

saturday • 26ADAMS AVE. ROOTS FESTIVAL,Normal Heights, 10am-9pm.

Jenn Lindsay/Taylor Street Band,Twiggs, 8:30pm.

sunday • 27ADAMS AVE. ROOTS FESTIVAL,Normal Heights, 10am-6pm.

The Hank Show Cask & Cleaver,3757 S. Mission Rd. Fallbrook, 6pm.

monday • 28Bayou Brothers, Patricks II, 9pm.

wednesday • 30Sue PalmerTrio, Bayou Bar & Grill,329 Market St., 6-8pm.

Want to be included inour monthly calendar?Email the dates, locations, andtimes your band is playing to:

[email protected]

WEEKLY

every sunday7th Day Buskers, HillcrestFarmer’s Market/DMV parkinglot, 10am-1pm.

Steve White, Elijah’s, La Jolla,11:30am.

Celtic Ensemble, Twiggs, 4pm.

Extreme Country, hosted byMike Vlack, 7-10pm, KSON(97.3 FM).

Jazz Roots, hosted by LouCurtiss, 8-10pm, KSDS (88.3FM).

The Bluegrass Special, hostedby Wayne Rice, 10pm-midnight,KSON (97.3 FM).

every mondaySwing Dancing, Tio Leos, 5302Napa St., 6-8pm.

Tango Dancing, Tio Leos, 5302Napa St., 8pm.

Open Mic Night, Lestats. Call619/282-0437 for info.

every tuesdayZydeco Tuesdays, Tio Leos,5302 Napa St., 6:30pm.

every wednesdayOpen Mic Night, Twiggs. Sign-ups at 6:30pm.

Open Mic Night, MetaphorCafe, Escondido, 8pm.

Hatchet Brothers, The OuldSod, 9pm.

Robin Henkel w/ Big RigDeluxe, California Club, 5522 ElCajon Blvd., 9pm,

Skelpin’, Dublin Square, 554Fifth Ave., San Diego, 8:30pm.

every thursdayRobin Henkel, Sassafras Bar &Grill, 3667 India St., 8pm.

Hot Rod Lincoln, Tio Leos, 5302Napa St., Call for info.

the local seen


the local seen

19

Earl Thomas, Hard Rock Cafe, La Jolla

C.J. Hutchins and Gregory Page at The Field

Photography byMillie Moreno

Mark Jackson at Claire de Lune

Photo: Ellen duplessie

Angela Correa Patrick Dennis and Atom Orr at Twiggs

Peter Bolland at Claire de Lune

Phot

o: E

llen

dup

less

ie

Shawn Colvin at ECPAC

Doug Pettibone at Tim Flannery show, La Costa High School

30TH ANNUAL

Music • Arts • Crafts • Food • Workshops •

Beer Garden • 7 Stages

April 26-27Saturday, 10am-9pm

Sunday, 10am-6pmAdams Ave. & Adams Park

34th to 35th Streets, Normal Heights • San Diego, CA

www.GoThere.com/AdamsAve

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The Adams Ave. Business Association Presents

• Scottsville Squirrel Barkerswith Chris Hillman, Bernie Leadon, Kenny Wertz, Ed Douglas, & Larry Murray

• Mike Seeger

• Mary McCaslin

• Faith Petric

• Bayou Seco with Ken Keppler & Jeanie McClerie

• Bob Webb

• Jon Adams

• Incandescent String Triowith Peter Feldmann, Richard Green, & Mike Nadolson

• Kenny Hall & the Long Haul Band

• Larry Hanks

• The Hangan Brothers

• Stu & Gloria Jamison

• Tracy Schwarz & Ginny Hawker

• The Delta Sisters with Frannie Leopold & Jeanie McClerie)

• Frannie Leopold

• W.B. Reid & Bonnie Zahnow

• Mark Spoelstra

• The Stairwell Sisters

• Bryan Pickering

• John Bosley

• Curt Bouterse

• Connie Allen & Bill Dempsey

• Tomcat Courtney

• Jim Earp

• Siamsa Gael Ceili Band

• The Page Family

• The Budapest Brothers

• Roy Ruiz Clayton

• Robin Henkel

• Tom Brosseau

• Los Californios

• John Wright & the NewLost Melody Boys

• New Smokey Mountain Boyswith Wayne Brandon, Clark Powell, Bryan Pickering, Doug McKee, & Ed Douglas

• The 7th Day Buskers

• Tanya Rose

• The American Folk Singerswith Tom Brosseau & Gregory Page

• Chris Stuart & BackCountry

• Steve White

• Mimi Wright

• Sage Gentle-Wing

• San Diego Cajun Playboys

• Los Alacranes

• Musicians from the SanDiego Rep’s production of“Fire on the Mountain,”

featuring Dan WheetmanTony Marcus, “Mississippi” Charles Bevel, & Mollie Andrews

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featuring music byfeaturing music by

Friday

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April 25, 7-10

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@ Lestats

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The Adams Avenue Business Associationis partially funded by the City of SanDiego’s Small Business EnhancementProgram.

Music produced by Lou Curtiss and Folk Arts Rare Records.MMuussiicc iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn:: 619/282-7833BBooootthh rreennttaallss:: 619/282-7329

2003

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