Corner of Alcatraz and Adeline, Berkeley 7:00PM Get a pizza and eat it during the show...

If Paul Geremia can call Steve Mann up on stage for a few numbers at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley (surprise! June 8th, 2005) why can’t Don Villa do the same thing at his gig at the Berkeley Pizzeria Spuds on Saturday, July 2?
In fact, that's just what he did.

If Will Scarlett is back in town he might be persuaded to stand in with harmonica for a number or two, and if the pizza is really as good as rumored, we might even all sit down and have another slice while Don plays for us himself, on his massive twelve string.
tickets about $7.00 donation

(Don's photo is in the photosection on this site at the French Hotel scene)

This is going to be a wonderful show. Frank has been trying to get out here since last summer, just to sit with Steve and play music. Finally it's going to happen and we can hardly wait. we booked them a spot at Epic Arts studios to do their jamming, and let's see what happens.. Possible pot luck party at Bella Roma Music the day after. We'll see how the heros survive, and if we need to do something on Sunday.as well.

It was a blast! The space at Epic Arts was filled up and jumpin'. The sound was good, especially with Frank Fotusky to help set it up using their mixer, our mike stands and amp, and Steve's just-acquired Shenandoah Martin guitar with the built in pick-up . Finally we had some good voice microphones on the singers and could hear the great guitar work of both Steve and Frank. Fotusky.

Will Scarlett contributed his bluesy harmonica at the end of the second set, and the audience helped snap some photos with our single-use camera, passed along in the front row for lack of space between audience and performers. It was snug, folks, but real big fun. Both Frank and Steve sold lots of CD's, signed them and listened to glowing remarks from audience members who had travelled some distances to come hear them play.

Andrea Fregola, writer for Il Buscadero magazine in Italy, actually bought fourteen of Steve's CD's and had to have them signed and addressed to fourteen different people, including Paolo Caru, publisher of Il Buscadero.

Thanks to all who showed up, listened so attentively, clapped so hard, and made a point of saying hello to Steve during the intermission at the show.

Tired but happy, the next day we held a pot luck barbecue at Bella Roma and just kept on going. We even got Boogie Bruce back to the train station in time to hear him do one more rendition of "Milk Cow Blues" before the train arrived for Santa Cruz.

One of the first public performances for Steve last year was in the nice acoustic space of the quaker meeting Hall on Walnut St at Vine. it was a first of this kind for production Miriam Berg, and this year it will happen again. Steve will be up there doing a few tunes with Janet and some solo, and since Will Scarlett is also in the show, they will most likely be wailing some blues numbers together as well. Several other local folks will also get up to play, Hootenanny style, starting at 7:00 PM (so we don't run too late). They need help with selling the home-baked goods by Friends meeting members, during the intermission.

10-29-05

With Steve Mann, Will Scarlett, Dale Miller and others joining in, a great evening was hostessed by songstress/guitarest Jean White at Berkeley's newest local venue on the corner of Alcatraz and Adeline Streets. Last-minute sound set-up by Bella Roma Music (using Jean's own equipment) with Will Scarlett himself at the board, soloing direct on track four as needed. Snapshots still to come in from the audience. (We're still waiting to see how Will plugs his electric harmonica(?) into the mixer...)

Jean has a lovely mellow voice and knows tons of good tunes, including blues, so when Steve was up there backing her up, the combination was great. He is a great accompanist/arranger, as we've heard on the Joplin tracks on his CD "Steve Mann: Alive and Pickin'."

Front row seats at the show began to scoot forward as more and more people were announced from the tiny stage. What looked like a bass dumbek drum added wonderful depth for a few tunes, Dale had his resonater guitar in an open tuning, playing electric, and took some solos. The songs were nicely presented, and Jean has a great stage presence, choosing a good variety of material.

Double ending with the bluegrass gospel song "Angel Band" followed by "Good-Night Irene," a whole bunch of mellowed out folk music survivers from the 60's sang their hearts out, Steve included. And we managed to get out of there in time for the crew to clean up our pizza platters.

Rumor has it Melissa wants another show with Steve Mann and Friends at Spuds. Stay tuned for details. This could be a good thing...

THE GREAT IMAGINATIONAL ANTHEM SATELLITE WEST COAST CONCERT AT STARRY PLOUGH IN BERKELEY

CONTACT: Howard Wuelfing / Howlin Wuelf Media
(215) 428-9119
howlingwuelf@aol.com


TOMPKINS SQUARE GOES WEST!
New York Label Celebrates Its Debut CD
Imaginational Anthem
November 17 At The Starry Plough In Berkeley, CA
Sean Smith, Gyan Riley, Steve Mann & Janet Smith —
On Stage And On The Acclaimed Acoustic Guitar Anthology

NEW YORK—The New York-based independent label Tompkins Square will hit the West Coast on Thursday, November 17th to celebrate its debut CD, the “groundbreaking” (MOJO) acoustic guitar anthology, Imaginational Anthem.

For one night only, beginning at 9:00pm, Tompkins Square will present a very special evening at The Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley CA (phone 510/841-2082) with live sets by Imaginational Anthem artists Sean Smith, Gyan Riley, Steve Mann, and Janet Smith.

ABOUT THE ALBUM

Arriving in stores October 25th, Imaginational Anthem is a unique compilation of new and vintage record-ings by an eclectic cast of acoustic guitarists, including both veterans of the Sixties folk boom and the new breed of six- and twelve-string composer/instrumentalists. Imaginational Anthem is the debut release from the Tompkins Square label, which is distributed by Fontana, the indie distribution arm of Universal Music.

In his four-star MOJO review of Imaginational Anthem, Jon Savage says: “Fans of John Fahey and Robbie Basho will be glad to know that there’s much more of the hypnotic folk-drone-blues they pio-neered in the Sixties…Fed up with the monotony of faux rock and mundane pop? Then dive deep into the eternity of the cosmic keynote.”

ABOUT THE ARTISTS (LIVE AT THE STARRY PLOUGH)

JANET SMITH is a musician in the tradition of Memphis Minnie and Elizabeth Cotton. She released The Unicorn on Takoma records in 1968 and was featured on a 1978 compilation, Women’s Guitar Workshop. Smith lives in Berkeley and is a student of ancient Sumerian lyre music.

STEVE MANN performs “Daemon Lover Variations” with Janet Smith on Imaginational Anthem and also contributes the solo track “My Thoughts Began To Crystallize.” A fixture on the Sixties San Francisco rock scene, Mann played with Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, and members of the Grateful Dead. Between 1967-75, he recorded three albums and is remembered to this day (by a small but fervent circle) as one of the finest guitarists of the era.

GYAN RILEY is the son of Terry Riley, one of the most innovative composers of the 20th century. He began playing violin at age six and was weaned on equal parts punk rock, Jimi Hendrix and serious classical study. Gyan and Terry Riley contribute the track “La Cigale” to Imaginational Anthem.

SEAN SMITH is a 24 year-old resident of Berkeley, CA who issued his self-titled debut album on the Isota label in 2005. Sean will be featured on Imaginational Anthem Volume II, due out in Spring 2006; he also is producing an album for Tompkins Square documenting the fertile present-day Berkeley guitar scene.