Homegrown Music... and musical Instrument

By Marc Bristol

Even homesteaders need to relax and enjoy themselves from time to time, right? And almost everybody these days wants to cut his or her cost of living. So how about a little doit-yourself entertainment?

And that's what this column is all about. Down-home music that you can make . . . and the instruments (which, in some cases, you can also make!) to play that music on.

The important thing is that this is your column. If you like it, write to me and let me know. If you have some ideas for this feature, let me know that. I'm open to any suggestions or information you care to contribute. I'll even try to answer your questions about down-home music . . . but—both for the benefit of all MOTHER's readers and to ease my correspondence load—I'll deal with those questions, whenever possible, here in this column . . . rather than in personal letters.

Address your correspondence — for this column and this column only — to Marc Bristol, 18520 312th Ave. N.E., Duvall, Wash. 98019.

Although this column is usually devoted to topics that relate to "make it and play it yourself" music, I occasionally like to pass on information of interest to the hummers and toetappers in MOM's family who enjoy just listening to homegrown music. Generally, such columns take the form of record reviews, and focus on the releases of one or more small companies offering recorded bluegrass, folk, blues, or ethnic tunes. My hope, in presenting such roundups, is that after folks clamp their ears onto some actual good-time, down-home music, they'll feel the rhythm building up inside until they have to let it out themselves. And a whole new crop of homegrown musicians will be "sprouted"!

This time around, I'd like to tell you about Kicking Mule Records . . . a California enterprise that was started—almost a decade ago—by Stefan Grossman and Ed Denson. Stefan (a former student of Rev. Gary Davis, the legendary ragtime bluesman) had already published a couple of books on guitar fingerpicking styles at that time, and was planning to start a publishing firm that would produce music books with accompanying records. Ed, on the other hand, had experience in the business end of the music scene, through his work with groups like Country Joe and the Fish. After the pair began to work together, Stefan's original idea more or less reversed itself . . . and now he and Ed run a record enterprise that produces disks with accompanying instruction books!

Through its unusual record-and-book combination packages, Kicking Mule manages to satisfy both the "I'm just an audience" types and the "how do you play that?" enthusiasts. And while the KMR label originally emphasized guitar music and instruction, the list of offerings has since expanded to include both vocal and instrumental recordings backed by banjo and piano . . . as well as a whole series of dulcimer albums.

A FEW "TASTY" DISKS

The blues — which are an integral part of Grossman's own musical background — provide the focal point of Kicking Mule's catalog . . . and that section is highlighted by two albums of George Gritzbach, who just happens to be another Gary Davis protege. George, who resides out on Cape Cod and makes his living playing blues in that area, has produced two records of lively party music, as well as some soulful songs penned by the artist himself. (And, I might add, his original tunes stand right proud next to the classics by Gary Davis, Robert Johnson, Jelly Roll Morton, and Papa John Miller!)

The first album—entitled Had Your Gritz Today?—is an intimate work, with most cuts featuring just the singer and his guitar in the country blues idiom. Gritzbach's second effort, called Sweep er, builds on the first with some fuller arrangements and more of the fast goodtime blues that seem to be George's strongest suit. Guitar tablature songbooks are available for both of these albums, and I highly recommend them to all fans of country blues.

I first met Bob Brozman at the 1980 Festival of the Saws in Santa Cruz, California, where he was playing Hawaiian lap-style guitar in a jam session featuring his group (the Cheap Suit Serenaders) and Jerry and the Lei Makers, an island folk ensemble. In the course of that encounter, I heard three players on National Triolian tri-cone resonator guitars . . . one on dobro . . . another on tub bass . . . one on washboard . . . a couple of ukulele players . . . and, of course, a few sawyers. As a result of that memorable experience, I waited eagerly to hear Bob's first solo album, and it's now out on the Kicking Mule label.

BlueHula Stomp (as it's called) includes a number of traditional Hawaiian tunes, some old-time ditties, and a lot of native-flavored blues . . . all performed in a style formerly found only on obscure 7-RPM records. The album focuses on Bob's slide—guitar work . . . and several cuts (thanks to the magic of modern multitrack recording equipment) feature him as his own accompanist on rhythm and duet guitars, ukulele, saxophone, and vocals. If you've never heard the early style of Hawaiian slide guitar—a precursor both to the musical saw in dance bands of the 1920's and to the electric steel guitar found in more modern music—you ought to check this one out.

THE PICK OF THE PICKINGS

Folks whose musical tastes run more toward Mississippi Delta-style slide guitar or ragtime blues will also find a lot to like in the Kicking Mule lineup. In particular, the recently released Sparkling Ragtimeand Hardbitten Blues might be right up your alley. This albuma collection of guitar instrumentals and vocal numbers from a variety of traditional molds—features guitarists Nick Katzman and Ray Goldstein, as well as vocalist Ruby Green. (This same trio produced an earlier KMR disk—offered with an instruction book—called How to Play Delta Blues Guitar. ) A tablature book for the new release is on the way, too.

Of course, many down-home music fans prefer flatpicked guitar above all other styles . . . and those individuals should give a listen to Flatpicking Guitar, an album featuring Dan Crary, Dick Fegy, Eric Thompson, Barry Solomon, and Steve Kaufman. Performing both in solo arrangements and as backup for each other, the musicians cover almost all the bases in this genre, from a Woody Guthrie song to jigs and reels, fiddle tunes, and a little swing. There's also a tab book to accompany the album, in case you're inspired to try a bit of flatpicking on your own.

Old-time jazz, arranged for finger Picked guitar, is popular with many people, too . . . and that's the specialty of Duck Baker, on his Kicking Mule releases. The King of Bongo Bong is an especially delightful album on which swing is definitely king! Some tunes offer the violin of Mike Piggott, while a couple of others include Stefan Grossman on lead guitar. Two of Duck's earlier KMR albums— Something for Everyone and When You Wore a Tulip -are sold with tab books for those who'd like to practice this fingering style.

BANJO MUSIC OLD AND NEW

Banjo aficionados, whether they prefer bluegrass or the old-timey clawhammer and mountain techniques, will also find several titles of interest in the Kicking Mule catalog. As such folks already know, the banjo held a very prominent position in American music before the invention of the electric guitar. In fact, classic-style banjo flourished in both the U.S. and Britain between the Civil War and World War 1. (Some cities could even boast — as Seattle still does — entire orchestras made up of banjos! )

I haven't yet found a source for albums of that vintage music . . . but Kicking Mule does have the distinction of offering one disk consisting of new versions of classic fivestring banjo pieces. The record—entitled Banjo Gems —features solos, duets, and trios by Clark Buehling, Steve Moore, and Henry Sapoznik. (Sapoznik also appears on KMR's Melodic Clawhammer Banjo and Rivers of Babylon to the Land of Jazz.) The music on Banjo Gems is real escapist material: It tends to propel the listener back to a simpler era . . . before the hurried age of automobiles and electricity.

Although banjo music may have enjoyed its heyday over 50 years ago, I'd like to mention that I think the instrument still offers new frontiers to be explored. For instance, I'm hoping that someone (perhaps the folks at Kicking Mule) can convince Billy Faier—a true pioneer of the five-string musicmakerto record another album. In any case, Ed and Stefan are doing a good job of documenting the musical ground that's al ready been covered . . . and if titles like the upcoming Bluegrass Banjo Inventions are any indication, they plan to move into experimental trends in banjo music as well.

SWEET NEWS FOR DULCIMER LISTENERS

Whenever I discuss dulcimers in this column (which I did in MOTHER NO. 67 and again in issue 70), I make a point of mentioning a couple of fine Kicking Mule productions . . . and now the outfit has expanded its line to include a whole series of dulcimer albums! Besides the original two disks by the authors of In Seareh of the Wild Dulcimer, KMR has added works by Mark Nelson ( Fiddle Tunes for Dulcimer).

Neal Hellman (Appalachian Dulcimer Duets), B onnie Carol (Fingerdances for Dulcimer), and Michael Rugg (Ruggs; Celtic Collection for Dulcimer). Neal Hellman's album is organized around the concept of a living room duet: It pairs off the Appalachian dulcimer with several other traditional instruments such as the banjo, jaw harp, harmonica, fiddle, autoharp, mandolin, musical saw, and hammered dulcimer. In addition to showing off the mountain instrument's versatility, Neal's record makes for just plain good listening . . . and the same goes for Bonnie Carol's disk, a collection of pleasing tunes from an expert dulcimer maker, player, and teacher.

One of the most popular recent trends in folk circles has been the growing interest in the music of the British Isles . . . so it's not surprising that someone has put out an album of Celtic tunes featuring the dulcimer. Michael Rugg's nicely crafted' record features a variety of somewhat unusual accompanying instruments (including harp, mandola, tin whistle, psaltery, hurdy-gurdy, hammered dulcimer, and bodhran), as well as the sparing use of guitar and fiddle, all of which sound extremely agreeable to my ear.

As I write this, tablature books for the dulcimer albums I've mentioned aren't yet available, but the folks at Kicking Mule are working on them and tell me the volumes might well be ready by the time this column appears in print. You can write directly to ask about the tab books, and be sure to request a free catalog while you're at it. The address is Kicking Mule Records, Inc., Dept. TMEN, P.O. Box 158, Alderpoint, California 95411. All the KMC albums sell for $5.95 apiece (or $30 for six) . . . plus shipping charges of $1.00 for the first item. and 25¢ for each additional purchase (if you'd prefer first class mail delivery, make that $2.50, plus 500 per additional item). Shipment by UPS can also be arranged.

ANOTHER GOOD NAME

You know, with the "replace it every two years" philosophy that's come to dominate consumer spending habits in this country, it's pretty danged difficult to maintain any continuity in our musical traditions . . . since cultural trends tend to come and go as quickly as car models. Perhaps that helps explain why rock-and-roll, with its strong roots in the blues and country genres, is already being considered "traditional" by many folks, in spite of its being a relative newcomer on the American music scene.

At any rate, I was pleased—recently—to find an independent music company producing records of original, pure rock . . . or "rockabilly", as it's often called. Rollin' Rock Records is devoted to early rock-and-roll (before the era of fuzz-tone devices and outsized amplifiers), with its fresh, raw energy and sense of joy. One particularly good release from these folks is Rockabilly Fools by the Magnetics, a disk of good, clean, irresistible dancing music. And that's not all! Rollin' Rock has over 50 singles and some 32 albums in its catalog. . . which you can receive by writing to Rollin' Rock, Dept. TMEN, 6918 Peach Avenue, Van Nuys, California 91406.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL HOMEGROWN RECORD DEALER

Small record companies — of which both Kicking Mule and Rollin' Rock are examplesare often forced to sell primarily by mail, because the large-scale distributors aren't generally willing to take any risks on what they consider to be "unvarnished" music with limited appeal. For that very reason, it's important that we — the traditional music fans — support those "little guys" to improve their chances of survival in the cutthroat business of recording.

And you can help by looking for ads placed by small, homegrown record companies (or reading about some of the outfits in my columns in MOTHER NOS 54, 60, and 66), writing for their catalogs, and ordering some of their one-of-a-kind albums. Even if you're just a listener, there's a lot of good music to be experienced in the world of homegrown recordings!