Americana Gazette April/May 2009

MERICANA GAZETT E A April • May 2009

Feature Story: Tom T. and Ms. Dixie Hall Francois Family Band Scott Hare Randy Green - part 2 Kieran Kane Rick Harris Paul Broucek

AMERICANA GAZETTE Greetings: Spring is on its way.

Somehow it always seems to show up eventually. Happy Spring and Easter to all of you!!!!!

Our last issue was published right upon Andy’s and my return from a Nashville trip. So let me tell you a little bit about our visit there. Upon our arrival we ventured over to East Nashville to have an interview with Kieran Kane. (Check out the article in this issue). While at Kieran’s house, we also had the pleasure of meeting Fats Kaplin. What a couple of great guys and we were able to catch their live show on Friday night at the Basement Bar. After the interview we stopped by Todd and Melita Snider’s house to drop off some good old Wisconsin Cheese and New Glarus Beer. Other East Nashville stops were to Peter and Charlotte Cooper’s house and Eric and Mary Ann Brace’s home with more Wisconsin goodies.

Friday morning we set out early for breakfast with our friend Randy Blevin’s, then off to the home of Tom T. and Dixie Hall for a wonderful interview. They indeed are the walking encyclopedia of knowledge in the Bluegrass business. Please be sure and read my article on them in this issue. We, Andy and I were honored to be their guests and look forward to getting together with them again upon our next Nashville trip. Later on this day we stopped by to say hello to Cowboy Jack Clements at his studio. (He always seems happy to have us stop by. I think he likes that Spotted Cow beer from New Glarus.)

Saturday we spent some time driving around Hendersonville and Goodlettsville and checking things out. We had not been around these areas in the past. Andy was hoping to stop at some music stores and to catch me at a weak moment so he could buy a guitar. Warner Hodges from Jason and the Scorchers had given Andy a name of a music store to check out as well. Trust me – that weak moment didn’t happen. Saturday night we again enjoyed the company of Tom T. and Ms. Dixie Hall as they sat with us during Peter Cooper and Eric Brace’s new CD release party at the Station Inn. Our whole trip was great and I wished we had more time to spend there. We must be looking like regulars as a couple of times people stopped us on the street and asked us questions about stuff in Nashville. (Little did they know we were tourists just like them.)

We headed out early on Sunday morning, running into some snow in the middle of Illinois. That got a little hairy for awhile, especially since I was driving. Andy was taking a short nap and happened to wake up during a “white out”. I can’t print what he actually said at that moment. Anyway, we made it home, a great

2

time had by both of us. Andy and “the guys” are heading South again in March, this time no women allowed and yes, they are going to a guitar show in Franklin!!!!!

(Gals I hope you held onto the charge cards during this time.)

Please be sure to check out our website on www.americanagazette.net, all the past issues are on this site in case you missed any of them. Just think with our June issue, we will have been doing this for one year already!! Thanks to all of you, our readers, especially our employees, the establishments that let us leave our magazines, the people who are gracious enough to grant us interviews, our printing company, our marketing man, our subscribers all over the US, our guest writers THANKS A MILLION!!!!

Keep on reading.

Joyce M. Ziehli Publisher

PUBLISHER Joyce Ziehli jziehli@advisorymgt.com SENIOR EDITOR Andy Ziehli aziehli@advisorymgt.com STAFF WRITERS/PHOTOS Rob Kosmeder Bobbyk321@hotmail.com Lynn Nimsomboon Something_witty_and_clever@hotmail.com Litt Dubay FEATURE WRITERS Robert Hoffman Jim Smith Rosemary Ziehli Aaron Williams Mark Gruenenfelder

Americana Gazette Advertising Rates Business Card Ad $25.00 a year Classified b/w 3.25” w x 2” h $5.00 an issue Small b/w 3.25” w x 4.25” h $35.00 an issue $30.00 an issue for 3 issues $25.00 an issue for 6 issues Large b/w 3.25” w x 8.25” h $65.00 an issue $60.00 an issue for 3 issues $55.00 an issue for 6 issues 1/6 Page vertical, b/w 3.25w x 6.5”h $100.00 an issue $95.00 an issue for 3 issues $90.00 an issue for 6 issues 1/3 Page vertical, b/w 3.25” w x 12.75” h $150.00 an issue $142.00 an issue for 3 issues $134.00 an issue for 6 issues 2/3 Page vertical, b/w, 6.75” w x 12.75” h $180.00 an issue $170.00 an issue for 3 issues $160.00 an issue for 6 issues 1/3 Page horizontal, b/w, 10.25” w x 4” h $150.00 an issue $142.00 an issue for 3 issues $134.00 an issue for 6 issues ½ Page horizontal, b/w, 10.25” w x 6.5” h $220.00 an issue $210.00 an issue for 3 issues $200.00 an issue for 6 issues Full Page b/w, 10.75”w x 12.75” h $300.00 an issue $285.00 an issue for 3 issues $270.00 an issue for 6 issues

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ric Genthe rgenthe@charter.net

Inside front or back cover b/w 10.75” w x 12.75” H $375.00 an issue $360.00 an issue for 3 issues $345.00 an issue for 6 issues

AMERICANA GAZETTE % ANDY & JOYCE ZIEHLI P.O. BOX 208 BELLEVILLE, WI. 53508

Back Cover color 10.75”w x 12.75” h $400.00 an issue $385.00 an issue for 3 issues $370.00 an issue for 6 issues

OFFICE: 608-424-6300 Andy Cell: 608-558-8131 Joyce Cell: 608-558-8132

Sponsorship Artist/Band Page Border Ad $400.00 an issue for 3 issues $385.00 an issue for 6 issues

w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

Welcome to

Americana Gazette TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE STORY 16 Tom T. and Ms. Dixie Hall WHERE TO LOOK: 3

1/2 Notes

4

Litt DuBay’s Slant

5

Tri-County Food Jam

6

Scott Hare

8

Randy Green - Part 2

10 3 for 1 11 Donkey Wisdom 12 A Pet Note 13 Aaron’s Anecdotes 14 Women In The Round 15 Francois Family Band 16 Tom T. and Ms. Dixie 18 Americana Wins 18 Dance for the Cure 20 Area Theatre 21 Seeds of Greatness 22 Kieran Kane 24 Kane Welch Kaplin 25 Songwriting 26 Rick Harris

schedule for this summer. The shows are each two hours in length from 11:00 a.m until 1:00 p.m. Musicians and Songwriters interested in playing and performing can contact Andy at 608- 558 -8131 to sign up. This year the concerts will be filmed and streamed onto the web. These concerts are brought to you byThe Fat Cat Coffee Works and the Americana Gazette.

1/2 Notes

New Glarus Community Fest is scheduled for the weekend of May 22nd through May 25th 2009.

This is a fun filled weekend for the whole family.

There is live music, food, events, and good times.

You can find out more about this event and the bands schedule by checking out the New Glarus Chamber of Commerce website ate www.swisstown.com

The MAMA’s final round of voting takes place until through April 28th with the awards show in May 9, 2009 at Barrymore Theater in Madison Wisconsin.

You can log on to vote at themamas.org. This is a great organization that puts instruments in to kid’s hands that cannot afford them on their own. It is the future of music in southern Wisconsin. Please take the time to join the MAMA’s and vote for your favorite local artist’s. We here at the Americana Gazette and at Sugar River Productions support the MAMA’s and their mission whole heartily. You should too!

Belleville is holding its Bastille Day celebration on July 18, 2009. It will be a day packed with events including: Fishing Contest, Bike Race, Quilt Show, Talent Contest,Wine/Cheese Tasting and live music concert in the park featuring Jug Prairie,The Francois Family Band, and Eric Brace & Peter Cooper from Nashville Tn.! We will have more on this event in the next issue.

There is a new bookstore open in Mineral Point Wisconsin. Set in Stone is Mineral Point’s newest gathering place. Located in a former gas station at 210 Commerce Street, the establishment is primarily a bookstore, but a variety of other products are also available. From fiction to children’s literature, the store offers a wide selection of newly published works. If your book preference is not on the shelf, it can be ordered with no shipping or handling charges. Choice wines, organic and gourmet delicacies from Michigan and Wisconsin,greeting cards, local art, coffee, lattes, and espressos are also available. Several magazines are purchasable, and on Sundays, customers can buy major newspapers.

Comfortable seating by a warm fire or around a game table is the perfect place to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee while perusing books or conversing with friends. In warm weather, patrons can also relax outside and enjoy the perennial garden.They are also planning on having live music. Please check it out when you are in Mineral Point.

The Americana Gazette is planning our one year anniversary party for Friday July 17, 2009 at Schwoegler’s Sugar River Lanes in Bellville. It will be an evening of great music with the Raindogs and Erica Brace & Peter Cooper. More information will be in the next issue.

The Party on the Patio concert series that is held on Sunday’s from June 7th through September 6th 2009 at the Fat Cat Coffee Works is setting up the

Backwater Gin is entering the studio to cut a three song demo in April. They also plan to record a full length CD later this spring.

Broadjam has launched a publishing company to help local songwriters and bands get their music published and “shopped” around to major industry people. Music licensing is now for independent musicians, too! Broadjam members - find licensing opportunities and music placement possibilities in TV and Film. Check out our latest licensing opportunities and see what music supervisors are looking for. Check out broadjam.com. If you are not a member you need to be. This is a fantastic local source to help you get your music noticed.

Good n Loud music of Madison WI is offering a wonderful music lesson program available in three tiers. Go to goodmusic.com and check out which level works best for you. These folks are pros in teaching and music instruction. It’s a great place to start to learn to play an instrument.

AMERICANA GAZETTE SUBSCRIPTION The Americana Gazette is a free bimonthly publication and may be picked up at area locations.

However if you would like a copy mailed to you, please fill out the following information and submit a check for $15.00 to:Americana Gazette, P.O. Box 208, Belleville,Wi. 53508

28 Both of Them

______________________________________________________________________ First Name Last Name

29 Paul Broucek

______________________________________________________________________ Address

30 CD Reviews

______________________________________________________________________ City State Zip Code 1 Year Subscription - $15.00

w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

Date:______________________________________ 3

Litt DuBay’s

Rant!

To all of you out there who write and talk like this, here is a piece of advice. Be quiet, and learn to be a team player. I would rather play with someone who is a decent person and tries than an egomaniac who feels the world owes them a living as a musician. No one cares if you can shred, bend, or scream better than anyone around here. We have all seen and heard it before and will hear and see it in the future. The world is full of pompous butt holes like you still playing in their bedrooms in their parents houses basements at age 25 wondering why they can’t get into a band. Take a look in the mirror. See that person starring back at you.

Their a dink! Grow up. Act like an adult. Become a professional. Then you’ll get work.

by Litt DuBay

Hello everyone!!!

I love Craig’s List. I check Craig’s List Madison everyday on the musicians and musical instrument pages. I have been doing this for about 5 months.

A couple of things have really caught my attention over these past few months. The first being that most people who advertise musical instruments for sale either think that everyone who reads their posts is stupid and does not know the value of the instruments being offered for sale, or has such a high regard for their products being sold that they are out of touch with reality. Thus their pricing shows this. Just because something was made in the 50’s-70’s does not make it vintage or rare. Like my old friend Ray Kentner used to say,“There are a lot of old Fender Strats, but not a lot of good old Fender Strats”. Buyers today are pretty savvy and they know what gear is worth. If you have been advertising a piece of gear for over a month and it has not sold, you are priced too high. Good gear priced reasonably will sell. Overpriced gear at an inflated price will not.

The other thing I have noticed on the Madison site is the arrogance in people looking to start bands or add members. Hey if you were half as good as you think you are you would have no problem finding people to play with. Now if you are new to the area don’t brag about how you were a star in another music town. Saying you played in Nashville or Austin will get you nowhere here. Ninety percent of the musicians in these towns play better than most musicians here. So if you are insinuating that you were a “big” thing there and now you are blessing us here with your talent, it won’t fly. Face it you could not make it there, you won’t make it here.

This brings me to my next point. Don’t tell us what we are missing by not having you in our bands. I saw a recent post and it said: Don’t make the same mistake five other bands made by not hiring me.

Okay let’s take a look at that. Five bands did not hire you and they made the mistake. Right! You my friend are an arrogant butt hole and will never play in a band. Check your ego at the door. If you are that good somebody would hire you to play in their band. The next great quote was “I don’t want to sound like a dick, but”. Guess what, you do sound like a dick and you won’t play in a band either!

4

Which brings me to a tale of a friend of mine. He too wonders why no one who is a peer of his ever wants to have him join their bands or projects. He is a decent player and is easy to get a long with. He has good equipment and has a great work ethic.

The trouble is that he is always the 3rd or 4th call someone makes to have him fill in when they need someone. He is never asked to join when a new project or band is put together. Actually sometimes they avoid him like the plague. When he asks his peers to join him they always have an excuse not to. This does not seem to discourage him though.

He continues to try to put something together or at least get asked to join. I call it the Rudolf Syndrome.

No one lets him play their band games. When he puts together a project on his own, others always try to“steal”his“people”. My friend isn’t very smart when it comes to the music business. That is why he just can’t seem to get anything going, although he puts an extreme amount of work and heart into it. He should realize that there is something about him or his agenda that makes everyone avoid him and his work. Maybe it’s his personality, or his skill level on his instrument, or maybe it’s his stage presence. Heck it could be all three.

The point of this column is that if you are having a hard time finding people to make music with maybe you should take a good hard look at yourself before you blame others for your lack of musical endeavors. There are enough musicians out there for everyone to be able to get together and make music. Learn a different style or another instrument to make you more valuable as a player.

Don’t “hog” the stage or microphone. Be a team player. If you crave the spotlight and need to have all the attention of the crowd on you, and you alone, at every show and every night you probably should not be in a band. If you can’t get along with anyone, than that same thing holds true. Take a look at the person in the mirror and ask yourself would I want to work with this person? If the answer is no, then why would anyone else? You need to rebuild the mirror guy into someone who you would want to work with. When that happens others will too.

Wanted: Fiddle Player for Americana Band.

We are all members of other bands doing this as a side playing and recording project. We play original songs and cover songs by Son Volt, Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch, Jayhawks, Emmylou Harris, etc. We plan to record a CD and release it in the fall of 2009. We would like to play out at least once a month. There are 6 of us in this project. If this sounds interesting to you please get a hold of us through the Americana Gazette at Box 208, Belleville, WI 53508 or at hollanbell@prodigy.net. We are located in Green County,WI.

We are a regional advocacy, technical assistance and networking program for all types of creative entrepreneurs – including visual artists, composers, musicians, writers, actors, dancers, and choreographers. We connect artists and arts leaders throughout southwest Wisconsin. :H DGYRFDWH IRU WKH DUWV :H GHOLYHU ZRUNVKRSV DQG HGXFDWLRQDO offerings on entrepreneurial skill topics :H IRVWHU FRPPXQLFDWLRQ DPRQJ artists and arts groups via email updates containing information about grants, workshops, and opportunities.

Adios.

2XU RQ OLQH GLUHFWRU\ RI DUWLVWV KHOSV creative entrepreneurs increase their visibility.

Written by: Litt Dubay

$UWV%XLOG LV FRPSOHWHO\ IUHH WR MRLQ

Carol Spelic 608.342.1314 spelicc@uwplatt.edu

w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

WHAT A PLEUTHERA OF MUSICAL TALENT!!!

The Francois Boys were up next, with “The Frenchtown –Francois Family Band”. Jerry Francois must have been smiling down from heaven to hear his boys and grandson perform the way they did. 3 cheers for you guys!! Performing in this band were Jerry’s sons, Mark,Tim and Gary Francois, Grandson Danny Francois, and adopted sons, Jim “Teela”Francois and Andy“Ziehli”Francois.

At this point, I had to take off but here to share the rest of the day, are words from the super organizer himself, Mark Gruenenfelder.

Take it away Mark………….

TRI-COUNTY FOOD “JAM” FEBRUARY 22, 2009 at COUNTRYSIDE LANES IN HOLLANDALE A HUGE SUCCESS……

Our friend, Mark Gruenenfelder of Blanchardville organized the Second Harvest Food Pantry Musical Jam which was held on a cold snowy day on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at the Countryside Lanes in Hollandale. I, as well as the community offer a huge thank you to Mark Gruenenfelder for organizing this event and special thanks to all the musicians and bands that donated their time for this event and all the people who donated food items for the pantries.

Andy and I ventured out to Hollandale, my old stomping ground, (actually Andy played in a couple of bands,) to show our support for this wonderful event. Unfortunately, we had to leave earlier than planned so I am asking my dear friend Mark to help me out with this article.

When Andy and I arrived, tables were overflowing with canned goods and people were dropping money in the slotted box.

What an overwhelming feeling of support from the area communities. The dance floor was already filled as Ron Kittleson, Roger Kittleson and Rosalie Huntington played a number of old time favorites for the crowd. Wow, can Rosalie play that accordion.

It was a hard act to follow, but next up came “The Jug Prairie Band”, consisting of Jim Teela, Doug Sies, John Fahey, Sara Rupnow, Rob Kosmeder and Andy Ziehli. A little different type of music for some of the older folks there,but it didn’t take long and they were back on the dance floor. Sara belted out a number of tunes, including some great Linda Ronstadt covers. Who can resist dancing close to their loved one while John Fahey sings one of those old time romantic songs? w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

Next up were some individual performers. Dick White sang a few songs, Von Taylor from Ontario, WI sang and played guitar, and Buddy Lee sang and played drums. (Buddy Lee is the Toys for Tots organizer).

Following was The Eric Nofsinger Band. Members of the band are Eric Nofsinger from La Farge on fiddle, guitar and vocals, Mike Hericks from Sparta on lead guitar and vocals, Kyle Scott from Reedsburg on steel guitar, Wally Barger from Blue Mounds on drums and Mark Gruenenfelder from Blanchardville on vocals and bass.

Next up was The Greenfield Brothers Band playing country and 50’s classics. Members of the band are Al Mell from Stoughton on lead guitar, fiddle, banjo, piano, harmonica, mandolin, and vocals, Danny Hinz from Edgerton on drums and vocals, Paul,Al, Gary and Mark Gruenenfelder on vocals. Al G.on guitar and Mark on bass.

The Invaders were next, playing classic hits from the 60’s and British Invasion music. Members of the band are John Orth on guitar and vocals,Jim Brown on guitar,keys and vocals, John Remy on drums and vocals, and Mark Gruenenfelder on bass and vocals.

Mark’s friends from Freeport, IL played a set. The band is called Cross Cut and play country-rock tunes. Members are Dale Diddens on drums and vocals, Rob Hendrickson on guitar and vocals, Dave Diddens on lead guitar and vocals, and Mike Dixon on bass and vocals.

Next up was Dave Cassidy and his son James. Dave plays bass and sings, and James plays guitar and sings. They played country-rock tunes and a few Creedence songs. A few other jammers filled in on drums and guitars. A fellow from Dodgeville named Maynard (called himself Maynard Skynyrd?) played some harp along with the guys.

Following them was a band from the Belleville area called Summer Haze. SH plays classic rock hits from the 70’s & 80’s. Members are Doug Sies on

guitar and vocals, Dewey Sies on lead guitar and vocals, Dale Freidig on bass and vocals, and Franz Jaggi on keys and vocals. Wally Barger filled in on drums.

Finishing off the night was a band called Remuda.

They played some rock and country tunes. Dennis Whitney on drums and vocals,Todd Kittleson on lead guitar and vocals,Tim Francois on guitar and vocals,and Mark Gruenenfelder on bass and vocals.

Also, Doug Sies ran the sound board for most of the day and recorded the entire session.

The 1st Annual Tri-County Food Jam took in about 1200 lbs. of food and about $1200 of cash donations. These items were divided evenly 3 ways for the Green, Lafayette and Iowa County Food Pantries. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this kind of turnout! It was overwhelming! **With a single $1, Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin can provide 7 meals to people in need. With just the cash donations taken in,TriCounty Food Jam provided close to 9000 meals to be divided between 3 counties. If anyone still wants to donate (tax deduction!), you can send a check to Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, Madison. And you can designate which of the 16 counties included that you would like it to go to. www.SecondHarvestMadison.org Again, I would like to thank all of the musicians, my friends, Kelly and my family, and all the people who donated to a great cause! All of you made it a SUCCESS!

I will be putting on a‘Tri-County Food Jam’every year on the last Sunday of February.

Written by: Mark Gruenenfelder & Joyce Ziehli Photos by Joyce Ziehli

5

A Recipe for Success

- Scott Hare

N

ot many people can claim to be a success in more than one area in their lives like Scott Hare.

A wonderfully talented guitar prodigy and vocalist who has been playing since he was approximately seven years old (now much older), and a very successful entrepreneur starting and operating two food orientated businesses;Wild Hare Foods (wildharefoods.com) a jerky and meat snack food development and marketing organization, and Local Choice Distributing (local choice distributing.com) a local food distribution company . Scott now plays in Electric Blue, which plays classic rock & roll and blues rock ala J. Giles Band style. They’re currently playing in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois.

I talked with Hare in length about his long musical career and his passion for meat snack foods and locally grown and produced foods. How a hobby of making jerky for his friends has turned into a new career taking him from his scientific instruments background in to wholesale foods.

playing was about five or six chords, but he could get people to dance and have a good time. He knew how to work a crowd. That’s why people always wanted him in their bands. As far as technique and style went I just gravitated to the sounds I liked and learn to play the songs I liked. Style comes with time and age. I like to think that I’m an okay guitar player. I’d like to be better than I am. I try to practice at least an hour everyday on something to keep my chops up and be open to learn new things.

AG: So how old were you when you first stepped on the stage?

Hare: I grew up in a musical family. My Dad, Ozzie Hare played guitar in a polka band for years. I was more heavily influenced by the guitar than the polka music. Growing up in Belleville was also a big influence because of all the great musicians that lived and played here. Dale Ward was a huge influence on me. Watching the Red Barons, Revolutionaries, and Summer Haze made you want to be part of it.

It was always exciting to see those guys play and how the people reacted to them.

Hare: I got my first guitar when I was eight years old. I got on stage the first time to play when I was about ten years old. The first gig I ever played was at the old DaytonTown Hall which isn’t even standing anymore. It was Bill Rupp on drums, Rick François on Bass and me on guitar. We knew probably about six songs and we just kept playing them over and over for about a three hour gig. I was plying a Holiday guitar at the time. We even played a few originals. I don’t play originals now but when I was ten years old I had no fear! We did a song back then called 1-2-3 I LoveYou So Don’t Give me No Backtalk. It was straight ahead three chords and we just kept repeating that line. We also played Wipe Out and Inda Gada Da Vida too.

AG: Did you learn a lot from Ozzie as far as technique and style?

AG: After this Steve Berg joined you guys. What was that band called?

Hare: My Dad was a great entertainer. His guitar

Hare: We had a lot of assistance naming the band

AG: What got you interested in playing music?

6

between family and friends. We were practicing above the State Bank because Steve’s mom worked there so we could use the upstairs as a practice hall.

Steve was kind of new in town so one way to get into a band was to have equipment and a place to practice and Steve had both. That’s not to discredit Steve’s ability as a musician, it just was an added plus for us. Back to the name we were trying to decide between Sweet Lemon Consolidated and The Stone Foundation and we selected The Stone Foundation.

When we first started playing we had very little equipment of our own so we borrowed it from other bands and guys so we could play gigs. We made light boxes but had no flood lights to put into them. So we had this enterprising friend who told us about the flood lights at the dam in town. So when we had a gig he and the band members would climb up the light pole at the dam and “borrow” the floodlights for our show. Then they would put them back the next day. Well one time we got caught sliding down that pole. When the police showed up we took off running and one of guys lost his Penny Loafer. He knew he could not go back home without his shoe so he turned himself into the police and that ended our lightshow. w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

AG: Back when you were starting out playing Teen Dances and the dances at the Catholic Church,how much did you guys make a job?

Hare: Boy I have to think back to then. I know it was under $100.00. That would have been a real good night to make that. By the time we were playing High School dances the band had gotten bigger with the addition of Paul Cate on guitar and Kenny Butts on keyboards so we had a six-piece band. So dividing $100.00 between six people you ended up with about $15.00 a piece. Huge money!

I remember playing High School dances at the Catholic Church when I was in 7th grade. The Catholic Church and Father Weiski were great supporters of youth and music back in the late 60’s early 70’s here in Belleville. They let us rehearse in the church hall and have dances there. The dances were extremely well attended. The parking lot was full and it looked just like Sunday Mass! So if we got $50.00—to $75.00 we were doing well!

Just a little later than that we started playing the Town Pump in Verona and our parents had to come with us so we could play. A couple of the guys had their driver’s licenses but the rest of us were very young. More than six songs over and over and no originals by then!

AG: When you got out of High School did you continue to play music?

Hare: When I first got out of High School I took a sabbatical for a period of time and sold all my equipment and bought an acoustic guitar. I wanted to go into a different direction and play Acoustic music and Bluegrass. It was just a matter of time probably about six months and I was back buying electric gear and pursuing that again. It was just not as exciting as I thought it would be to play acoustically, or as a soloist. I bought a Strat from Denny Stoltz and some gear from Ray Ketner and started playing again. I never really knew names of performers but I liked certain tones and sounds they got from their equipment. I had gone to see Wishbone Ash at the Coliseum and they were using Orange Amps so I went out and bought one of them. I loved the sound of my Strat through the Orange.

It was going great until the amp dies and I could not get it fixed anywhere.

AG: Do you remember that old Silvertone piggyback amp you used to have that I bought from you?

Hare: Yea that was a great amp. The head fit into the bottom so it was easier to carry.

AG: Well I gave you $35.00 for that amp and I sold it for $35.00. Now they are worth about $2000.00!

Hare: I wonder where that amp ended up? We should go look for it. I sure wish I had all that old stuff back again. I could retire. There has got to be a bunch of that old Silvertone and Harmony stuff in people’s basements. Fender and Gibson get all the headlines for being worth so much so people w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

probably don’t even think that the Silvertone, Kay, Harmony,Alamo, etc stuff is worth anything at all.

AG: After you got back into playing did you still play rock & roll?

great. The guys are easy to get along with and there is no pressure. My “day” job keeps me traveling all over so a couple of times a month is enough right now.

AG: So let’s talk about your “day” job a little.

Hare: One of the best bands I was ever in was called Cactus Jack. We played 4 nights a week throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. We were heavily influenced by the Stoker Brothers out of Monroe. That was when the Country Rock thing was just taking off around here. We played Outlaws, Marshall Tucker, Allman Brothers material. After a couple of years we picked up a female singer and guitar player named Joette Rocco the band and changed even more and we became Me & the Boys. We went to a more Bonnie Raight/NRBQ type of material.

Those guys in these bands are scattered all over the U.S. from Memphis to Arizona.

AG: You know that our age group is the last musicians playing in this area. There does not seem to be any younger guys picking up the guitar and hitting the stage like we did. What do you think of that?

Hare: When we were young we wanted to play, we were part of a local music scene in Belleville like no other small town. Not only were the musicians but there was support for us. Parents let us rehearse in basement and attics, drove us to gigs, schools and churches hired us and paid us! We did not have the distractions kids have today.

I think we also had better music to listen to than is available for young kids today to learn.

As a musician one of the things you get over as you get older is not disliking someone or being intimidated by them because they can play better than you. You start respecting them and what they can do. You realize what your skills are and you look for players with the same skill level and you make music and its good music if you play within your own boundaries.

Hare: Well I really have two major components to what I do. My wife Lisa and I own and operate Wildhare Foods.Inc.where we develop and sell top quality jerky, snack sticks, and summer sausage throughout the United States. We have just redesigned our logo and release new flavors (Cajun,Teriyaki, Maple) and have picked up some new distributors so that will help get our product to more people. Our dissatisfaction with the current Jerky and Snack Sticks products available drove us to seek out an experienced sausage maker to help us create products that exceeded our expectations and tastes for meat snack products.

After taking a trip to Michigan we decided to expand our business and partner with Bartlett Durand owner of Black Earth Meats and Local Choice Marketing to setup and create Local Choice Distributing which is a organization that markets “Best of class” farmers, producers, and processors of agricultural food products and distributes them to local restaurants,grocery stores,schools,institutions,and other food service entities.Our success will be built on excellent customer services, quality products, and our strong commitment to support local growers and economy. Our company will be able to grow through additional products and the satisfaction and support for the “buy local” concept.

Being located in the heart of the dairy and gardening production area of the state is a great benefit for us. The finest sausage and cheese makers operate here, along with a wide network of organic gardeners, farmers, and orchards.

AG: Is business good?

Hare: It is growing.We would like it to grow faster but the economy has affected it just like it has affected everything else. We have plans to be more aggressive in our sales and keep moving forward.

It’s a very interesting industry to be in. The food distribution industry is kind of archaic and does not want to change very quickly. All in all things are good.

We would always go watch the Revolutionaries practice. I would beg and bother Dale Ward to teach me stuff. I’m sure he thought I was a pest, but he always took the time to teach me what I wanted to learn.

AG: Well thanks Scott for your time and I have to say I love the products Wildhare produces We send them all over the U.S. to all out musician friends.

Good Luck with all that you do.

AG: So what is the future for Scott Hare in Music?

Hare: Thanks so much.

Hare: I’m going to keep playing as long as I can and learning new material. We are playing out one or two times a month with Electric Blue and it’s going

Written by:Andy Ziehli Photos supplied

7

Randy Green Part 2

Randy Green Capturing Music in Real Time This is the second half of a wonderful interview with Randy Green. If you missed the first half you can find it online at americanagazette.net and click on the americanagazette.net tab.

This final part of the interview focuses on Randy Green the musician and his thoughts on the music business and artists in Southern Wisconsin.

AG: So let’s talk about Randy the musician. How did that start?

much of a singer.

AG: So what kind of bands did you play in?

Green: My mom wanted me to be Benny Goodman.

My Dad played music. He was one of those guys who always said “God I wished I would have done that when I was younger.” So they made my brother, sister and I take piano lessons. My brother got to be a very good classical piano player. I was the second generation player. I had already heard all that stuff my brother had played so I got to play by ear, especially Pop music because there was no sheet music for it. Pop Music was hot when I was growing up in the 50’s and 60’s. It could become your way of life. So I went for it. I immediately joined a band in Madison when I got here to go to college and stayed busy through 1986 on the road.

Then after doing music on the road it begins to take a toll on you physically and mentally. When you are 40 you can no longer live and operate like you can in your 20’s. It just gets harder and harder to continue. So I got off the road and played locally and started what became Randy’s Recording.

Green: I played pretty much everything I could play. Country, Rock, Soul, Fifties, whatever I could find. Back then it was cool to play whatever you wanted. You could move around and make music with everyone. It was not as specific as it is today.

I like to say that it is “tight assed” today. People are too hung up on what style you play. It used to be more on just the fact that you were making good music, not on what flavor you are.

Let’s take Nashville for example. I feel that they made a huge mistake about 10 years ago just chucking Traditional Country Music for the “New Country” they are putting out now. When people talk about the “New Country” I tell them that it’s great rock & roll. Just take the accent out of it and sing it like it sounds, rock & roll, so we can have rock & roll again. Its great rock & roll. It’s just not Country. I think new country is phony and old country wasn’t.

AG: So what instruments do you play?

Green: My main instruments are the piano and the Hammond organ. I play guitar pretty well and I also play bass. I can sing a little too. My wife says I’m a little like Johnny Cash vocally. You would not say that he could not sing but there are others out there who are much better (laughs). I was never

8

AG: You’ve been around Madison for a long time.

How do you see the Madison Music scene?

Green: I‘ve only got one thing to say about the Madison Music Scene. When I started recording, not playing around here but recording I pretty much knew everybody. When I first got started 20

years ago the people who recorded here were all people I knew. Now it’s mostly new people. I cannot get over the amount of musicians in this area!

There is an endless stream of good musicians here.

I don’t know where they are all coming from, but they just keep coming. It’s amazing to me how year after year they keep coming. It’s like they are boiling up out of the earth.

AG: Do you think that Madison can ever have a music scene like Austin,Atlanta, or Nashville?

Green: I think it will always be hard for Madison and Southern Wisconsin to have that kind of a “music scene”because Madison Musicians don’t really talk to each other and or communicate with everyone like they do in those scenes. They never have, nor will they because they have no need to.

There are a lot of little communities here, so the need for a large community just does not exist.

The MAMA”S are a good start and Rick Tvedt has a huge heart. That’s why I support him and the MAMA’s. What the MAMA's need to be careful about is that the competition for those awards does not get nasty or overshadow the great and important work that Rick and the MAMA’s do. That’s the biggest challenge I see that they face. Creating the community here is very important, but creating competition above the friendly stage will be hard to maintain. The bigger the process and levels added the more competitive it will become. The communal part needs to be reemphasized continually or the competition part will take over. The fact that it is a charity to raise money needs to always be at the forefront, and the awards are just a very small part of it. The trophies are nice, but people need to be reminded that the mission is the most important part. I wish Rick all the luck in the world with this. It is a great cause!

AG: Can the studio make you sound better than you are?

Green: First the studio will only capture how you are at that point in time. The reason other groups or singers sound better than you when they record is because they are better than you. The people who are professionals are that good. You can tweak a lot of things in a studio but you cannot make someone better than they are. I have seen a lot of groups and singers over the years and the ones on the top are there because they are “that” good!

What is interesting is that most people cannot believe that someone can sound that good without a lot of help from a studio. They feel that it had to be constructed. I tell them no, this group or singer is that good. That’s what good is all about. It’s a humility thing. You have to see for yourself that there are truly people that are that good.

AG: Is there complacity in Madison Music? Is one of the problems of getting a scene going here the fact that bad bands get paid as well as good bands?

Green: Yes I’d say so. My motto used to be“stop in on your way out of town!” I say this because the people that were great musicians would leave town to find better opportunities. It would really help the music scene here if you could get a really great band to play locally so that everyone could hear and see how a truly professional band operates and sounds. I’m not saying that there are not great bands here, I’m just saying that when they get to w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

that point they leave and don’t come back, so the level of musicianship suffers because there is no one to look up to or try to emulate because everyone is basically in the same position.

In other areas of the country it’s much harder to get playing jobs let alone good playing and paying jobs. Here in Southern Wisconsin there are levels based on drawing crowds not based on skill and musicianship. Bad bands can make a good living playing here. Everyone kind of gets paid the same.

So back to your complicity comment, yes there is complacity and it will continue until good bands stay here and raise the bar for others to reach.

AG: Is there a difference in playing original versus cover tunes?

Green: When I started out there was no “original” music. All there was,was the record. Take the Beatles. You did not think that you could write anything better than that. The record was an honest true thing you could believe in. The only two things that came to your mind when you heard that was first, how do I play that and how can I become that good. Not better, just that good.

As time went on and music splintered into a hundred different genres playing someone else’s music became known as “covering.” It was not a dirty word back then. Now being in a cover band is perceived as being wrong. I would ask original bands that only play their own music “do you honestly think that the songs you write are better than all the songs written by everyone else, and do you think I would want to hear that more than I would want to hear something that is actually better than what you do? Because I don’t!” I feel that you should earn the right to write. You should prove that you can master other’s works first before you can create your own. There is a learning curve involved in playing music. Like in nature you have to copy something first. That’s how birds learn to sing and other animals learn to hunt. Once they have learned this skill then they adapt and create new ways to either sing or hunt. It is the same in songwriting. It is all based on a foundation that someone else has created first. Study the masters and then try it on your own. Make your songs louder, faster, more creative and then show me them.When your stuff is as good as the people you are covering then you have arrived. Until then play and record both.

AG: Why do you stay involved in music?

Green: I’m a very rare individual when it comes to that. I really don’t care what kind of music is created or played as long as it is good music. It needs to “burn” somehow and strike a chord with someone. Most people don’t look at it that way. They go style first, and that defines everything after that.

That’s cool, that’s how it works in a record store. I love music and always have. It’s in my blood. I just want people to be as creative as they can be and keep playing music.

Written by: Andy Ziehli Photos supplied by: Randy Green

w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

9

3 for 1 Duane “Dewey” Sies

licks make the renditions of classic Beatles songs a joy to hear. His hard driving Lynyrd Skynyrd solos and twangy Buck Owens/Don Rich helps to elevate Sies to head of the class when it comes to lead guitar players. What really sets Sies apart from most other guitar players is his no ego easy going nature.

Always willing to share the spotlight and stage with anyone, Sies graciously shares solos with all others on the stage.

Having been making music in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois for the past 45 plus years Dewey has easily made his mark. One of his favorite “pickers and entertainers” is former neighbor Arnie Alme. “You could learn so much from watching Arnie play and entertain”said Sies. “Arnie was the guy we all wanted to be”. Today Sies is the guy we all want to be, Picker, Entertainer, and Gentleman.

Written by: Andy Ziehli Photo by: Andy Ziehli

Tony DiPofi

Russ Bethke and Dale Freidig to see what treasures they can amass on Saturday runs to Saint Vinnies and other second hand stores.

An avid songwriter DiPofi has written many songs that he carries in his ever present black binder. He says,“one never knows when a song idea will show up”. Many of these songs are played live in the bands he plays in. He is interested in cutting some of them with full bands in the future. Always ready with a joke or a story DiPofi usually has a large group of listeners hanging on to his every word waiting for the punch line and his trademark laugh.

A true entertainer both on stage and hanging with his friends Tony DiPofi is a gem that we are all blessed to know and love.

Don’t miss the chance to see DiPofi live with one of his bands or hanging out in New Glarus. Wherever he is, his huge smile and majestic laugh will surely make your day. There are not many people in this world that can make you feel better just by walking in the room, but Toni DiPofi is one, and we are glad to have him here in Southern Wisconsin.

Written by: Andy Ziehli Photo by: Joyce Ziehli

Erin Blumer

Duane “Dewey” Sies is the benchmark of which all guitar players around Belleville and Southern Wisconsin are measured against. His fluent style and ability to play anything and everything makes him the number one go to guy when people are looking for a sub or replacement for their bands. At home on a Fender Telecaster, Stratocaster, or Gibson Les Paul, Sies blazes the strings to find the perfect tone and balance in whatever style he is playing.

Sies grew up in Dayton Wisconsin in a large household. His older brother Doug and he took up the guitar at an early age. They along with Doug’s classmate Dale Freidig and neighbor Rick Raught started a rock & roll band, the Red Barons, playing top 40 hits of the day. Inspired by the Beatles the two Sies brothers and Freidig have stayed together through many incarnations to continue to play music. He was a founding member in Homer Bedlow the very first Country/Rock band in Southern Wisconsin in the middle 1970’s.

Sies can be seen playing with his “old” band Summer Haze at annual reunions and special event shows throughout Southern Wisconsin. He also plays in Electric Blue and the Dixie Earthmovers.

He also plays occasionally with The Eric Nofsinger Band, Jug Prairie, Dave Cassidy and the Cassidy Boys, Open Sights and many other bands. He still gets together and plays with the Country 4 + 1 whenever they get together. He has recorded CD’s with Bob King, Steve Ringelstetter, and others.

The ability to play so many styles with accuracy and feeling is what sets Sies apart from many of his contemporaries. His carbon copy George Harrison

10

Tony DiPofi grew up in Chicago and moved to Wisconsin 30 years ago. A superb vocalist and harmonica player DiPofi looks the part of a Blues musician. With his ever present hat pulled low and his growling voice DiPofi commands attention when he plays or sings with the Resonators, Raindogs, and Electric Blue or is filling in with Joel Pingitore and the Playground of Sound. DiPofi played with Southern Wisconsin R&B and Rhythm and Bruise out of Baraboo until he met Marc Barnaby at a job, an earlier incarnation of the Rain Dogs was playing. When the band took a break he asked if he could sit in for a song and play harp. He has been with them ever since.

DiPofi is self taught on the harps. His dad was a guitarist who played swing and jazz standards. As a youth DiPofi read a book on Harp legend Tony “Little Son” Glover and was hooked. His favorite harp player is Magic Dick from the J. Giels Band. DiPofi uses Special 20 Harmonicas and Golden Melodies.

He stated that Lee Oscars are the best made, but they are a little pricey for a small town blues man.

DiPofi besides being a fantastic musician is an avid toy train collector. He attends as many model railroad shows as his busy schedule allows him to. He also goes to estate and yard sales to find his “Iron Horse”treasures. He also loves to go“junking”with

Erin Blumer is a recent graduate of Edgewood College with a degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Music. She comes from a very musical family where her Grandfather Hank Blumer was an accordion player and was the leader of the band Hank and the Polka Boys, a very popular band in Southern Wisconsin. Her father Bob played drums in the band along with her Uncle Ken who was a trumpet player. Blumer's Aunt Julie is a singer too.

Blumer is also the Media Coordinator for the Americana Gazette and Sugar River Productions. She started out as an intern working for us and continues to work part-time creating,setting up,and monitoring our websites, MySpace, Facebook, and Broadjam pages, along with hosting our first podcast series “The Audition”. The Audition can be found at americanagazette.net. Just click on the radio show tab.

Blumer grew up listening to Oldies like the Beach Boys and Polka music. Today she listens to Country, Boston, Mama’s and the Papa’s. She really likes w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

music with lots of harmonies and detailed vocal parts. She plays piano, guitar, and trumpet. She sings solo material in her church and at weddings and funerals. Blumer has been singing in choirs since the eighth grade and continued to do so in College at Edgewood. She took private study and voice lessons throughout High School and College.

Her future goals are to work in the music industry as both a singer and behind the scenes. She is considering getting her Master’s Degree in Arts Administration. She would like to get some time on the stage performing either with a band or in a musical.

She plans on learning to play the accordion like her Grandfather. Music has always been a huge part of her life and plans to have it continue to be so.

TheWisdomofaDonkey T

The following is a story that I wrote for my four adult children in 1996. My reasoning for writing them such a story was to pass on to them some thoughts on how to succeed in whatever you do. I did not want them to feel that I was preaching to them, so I wrote it in the form of a children’s story. I called it “The Wisdom of a Donkey.’’

Written and photo by: Andy Ziehli

One of the First Signs of Spring in New Glarus!

In a country far away in the mountains lived a little donkey. He was happy just being a donkey.

He loved grazing in the pasture and playing with his friends. One day his owner said he had a job for the donkey. He must learn to pull a cart. The little donkey was very excited. It did not look so difficult pulling a cart. The man who owned the donkey got the harness and cart together, put them on the donkey, and gave the order to go. The little donkey could not go. The cart was too heavy for him to pull. The men watching grew impatient with the donkey, and called him names saying he was “lazy and stubborn and that he didn’t want to pull the cart.” The donkey felt very bad inside. He wanted to please the man, but the cart just too heavy for him to pull. “We will try again another day” said the man.

The next day they tried again, and still the donkey could not move the cart. The other men that worked there laughed and scoffed at the donkey saying,“Maybe he needed a whipping.” The owner said “No.” He knew the donkey had to believe in himself before he could attempt to pull the cart. “I have a better way”said the man. He put a carrot on the end of a stick and dangled it in front of the donkey’s nose. The donkey tried and tried because he really wanted the carrot and soon the cart began to move. “Why”, said the donkey “there must be magic in the carrot because before I saw it I could not make the cart go.” Day by day the man and the donkey followed the carrot on the stick until the donkey was very good at pulling the cart.

Soon it was Fall and Fiesta time. Farmers from the outlying area brought their goods to town to sell. There was music and dancing everywhere.

The big event was the donkey cart pull to the top of the hill. At the very top was a basket of carrots

for the donkey and a gold medallion for the owner.

All the donkeys did well and made their owners’ proud. It was time for the little donkey to perform.

The man hitched the donkey to a cart that was larger than the one he was accustomed to,and then gave the command to go. The little donkey did not know what to do. There was no stick with a carrot tied to the end in front of him. The crowd was jeering and calling him names. They said he was stupid and stubborn. The little donkey was sad. Where was the magical carrot? He looked up to the big hill far away and saw the basket of carrots waiting for him. “If I can get to that he thought I will have all the magic in the world.” Slowly he began putting one foot in front of the other and started to pull the cart up the hill.“I will do the best I can and maybe all the magic will be mine” said the Little Donkey. Soon the crowd was cheering him on and saying “what a strong little donkey he was.” When he nearly reached the top he slid back a few steps.

The crowd gasped. He put all his determination and energy into the climb. Then he began again step by step, one foot in front of the other, one step at a time. He was at the top and the basket of carrots was his.

That night as the donkey lay in his pen, the sweet smell of hay all around him and the stars above. He had a feeling of contentment he had never felt before. He had learned a lot that day. He made his owner proud, conquered the steep climb, reached the top, and claimed his reward. Truly this was the magical feeling.

The donkey knew that the magic was not in the basket of carrots. The magic was always there inside him. He would always have it. It didn’t matter about how big he was, or how smart he was. He realized that if you want to do something different with your life it doesn’t matter what people think.

For when you are failing they sometimes poke fun of you. When you are successful they want to be a part of it. He know now that the best thing anyone can do is to set your goals, put one foot in front of the other, taking one step at a time, do the best you can, and you will always come out on top.

Written by: Rosemary Ziehli

Nanci Griffith Barrymore Theatre April 24, 2009 9:00 pm

w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

11

A PET NOTE

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF. . . . . .

RUSSELL G. RETRIEVER The story of a golden-haired, strikingly handsome golden retriever as interpreted by his owners, John and Karen Stremikis.

H

i, my name is Russell G. Retriever. My friends and coworkers call me Rusty for short.The ladies like to call me “Rustman”. (But you can all call me“R.G.”as long as you’re holding a dog treat.)

My birthday is January 15th and I just turned 10 years old.You might say I have reached my “golden years”. My parents are theatre folks. I was born along with 9 siblings on the East side of Madison, where I met and then came to live with my new human parents, John and Karen Stremikis of Belleville. My dog parents, Spencer and Sequoia split for awhile, with Mom moving to New York to be part of the off-Broadway scene. Now Mom and Dad are back together again and currently living in Fremont, Michigan. I had not heard from them for awhile,but did receive an“e-bark-o-gram”right after the first of the year,which included belated holiday greetings, digital photos and birthday wishes.

Many people in Belleville who know me ask me about having my “own pad”, but in reality it is an independent living unit on the lower level of the Stremikis household, complete with a stackable washer and dryer, lots of sofas for naps, and a collection of my favorite toys. I do have a paw-top computer and actively surf the Internet. I do have my own email address, at russellgretriever@gmail.com. For awhile I did have a blog.

As far as my education goes, I have Tech School certification in Obedience-I and Obedience–II. There’s also a master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Phoenix online. (I don’t think they knew I was a dog.) I am actively pursuing my PhD, also online. In the past I have been the Sec-

12

retary General for IACEGR, (International Association of Continuing Education for Golden Retrievers.) which advocates lifelong learning among the Golden population.

Bog, Gypsy, Sawyer, Rookie, Winston, Bailey and Duncan. We bark a lot and run in big circles, and then we nap on my many sofas in my independent living unit. What a fun time!!!!!

Presently I am the producer and director of Yellow Dog Publications. A major goal is to set up a Workshop to help mentor Andy Ziehli with his Advisory Management business, and to help him get his audio and video channels operational. I do hold other paws-on workshops for Golden Retriever training if you know any retrievers interested?

Some of my hobbies include motorcycle riding, which Mother Karen made me give up. (Now I have to drive a Toyota like her.) John talks frequently about the Fat Cat Coffee Works in New Glarus and how wonderful the people and the coffee are, but do you think he would ever take me along? I‘d love to ride shotgun up there with Andy Ziehli in that big honkin red pickup truck when him and John go for coffee!!! When Karen is out, I sometimes sneak outside to enjoy a cigar and my favorite brew from the Flying Dog Brewery out of Denver. I put on my favorite CD; the American band called The Golden Retrievers based out of Sranhatten,Pennsylvania,and kick back all four and relax!!! Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/thegoldenretrieversus. I usually start dreaming about meeting Mary Chapin Carpenter’s dogs or Emmylou Harris’s dogs. What a dog’s life that would be…………………..

Leisure time finds me napping on the sofa, walking out to Neighbor Dan’s where I typically like to take a swim in his pond and check out the wildlife. Making snow “dog” angels is a favorite wintertime activity as well as barking mindlessly on the back porch. Meal time is very important at my house.

If John and Karen aren’t Johnny on the spot with feeding me,I simply have to throw my food dish up in the air until it attracts their attention, and then they are right on it. My favorite entrée of all time is a plain old loaf of bread, garnished with some fresh broccoli, raw potatoes and carrots. Dessert comes in some form of pumpkin, which I have developed quite a liking for and helps maintain my manly physique.

Christmas is my favorite holiday as I get into all the lights, tinsel, and have little golden retriever decorations on my tree. The best of all is the huge rawhide bone Santa brings each year. Karen has to sew all four of my stockings together just to hold it.

I usually host a post holiday party, dressing up in my tangerine Speedo, (just to get my pals thinking about summer and out of the stir crazy winter blues) and inviting all my neighborhood friends;

Anyway, I have to cut this interview short as I have a client coming. A dainty labradoodle is having some issues at her office and wants to talk about setting up a“diversity workshop”to make everyone more sensitive. Thanks for reading this and be sure to check out my movies and follow me on uStream tv! http://www.ustream.tv/channel/rustman Written by: Joyce Ziehli Photos supplies by: John and Karen Stremikis

w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

A s m ’ n o u r sin Aa

s e g Anecdot

Aaron Williams is the guitarist and lead singer of the band, Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo. They are based in Madison, WI. Aaron can be reached at: www.aaronwilliamsandthehoodoo.com or by email at aaronwilliamsandthehoodoo@yahoo.com

T

he relativity of success is a beautiful thing. No, it’s not quite the same as that thing Einstein wrote about, this is much more important.Throughout my years in the music business my life has probably been very similar to many others trying to make it.We start out at the ripe old age of adolescent, dreaming big,thinking big.The world is at our finger tips,we know that if we can only learn that Jimi Hendrix riff or sing just like Ryan Adams all the girls will want us. I mean how could they not? If you’ve been caught by the artistic bug there is no doubt you spent many hours a day dreaming, giving fake interviews, or meeting your idols when you should have been studying for Algebra.Our whole life was planned out.We’d find our musical voice; we find our musical brothers or sisters and start a band.That was all we needed, a band to make some loud noise with. Once we had that band it was a matter of time before a record label would pick us up and make us famous. In a matter of years we would be traveling the country, meeting Carlson Daly or Ryan Seacrest to talk about “the beginning” or “our break.” If we were really lucky at the end of our careers we’d have a VH1 special“Behind the Music”done about our life as a band.

After all, this is rock and roll and it just happens.We’ve all had this dream after the first time we picked up a guitar or sang our first song. Music equals dreams.

What actually happens in reality is, we get an idea for a group, we write a bunch of songs and place an ad looking for other like minded musicians. We know that what we’ve written is the cats meow.“My music can’t be labeled; its Dave Matthews meets Taylor Swift meets the Love Drugs.”You go through a series of PAINFUL tryouts our “jam sessions” with some of the weirdest people you’ll ever meet.You’re wondering “where do these people crawl out of? Am I the weird one for not being weird? What’s that smell? Did that guy have his eyeball pierced?” 60% of bands never even get out of this phase and see the light of stage. If you’re one of the lucky ones you’ve found a few people you can stand for the time being, you’re thinking,“he’ll do for now” or “I can find some one better once I’m established.”

Your new band has been rehearsing for the past few months and you’ve just recorded a demo on an 8 track recorder using one mic.You had the bass player’s girlfriend do the CD artwork and you’re thinking the dot matrix printer really makes it look vintage and hip.We tell our friends “it’s just a crappy recording and it still needs a lot of work.” But when it comes time to book with it, we’re telling the venue talent buyer“it’s awesome and we’ve been selling a lot of them at our shows!”Despite the actual suckyness of the recording you’ve been able to talk a friend with a band into letting you open for them.At that very moment you booked your first show chances are one of your band members just quit. Lucky for you it’s usually the last person that joined your band and was the most difficult part of the band to fill. Fear not, that guy with the pierced eyeball, he’s available and at this point you have no choice.

Despite all the trouble of starting a band, keeping it together, booking, promoting, driving at all hours of the night, the dream still lives on. No matter what. If we didn’t believe in ourselves as artists there is no w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

reason to keep playing and busting our butts for a break.This gets me back to the relativity of success.

As I look back on my short career in the music business I realize I’ve gone through stages. When I started out I was beyond happy and thought I was a complete success because I had started my first band.When that band broke up and I was asked to join my father’s band and go on the road with him, I thought I was a success.When I took the step to front my own band and I saw my name on a marquee for the first time I thought I was a success.As we become use to these accomplishments we drive ourselves to aspire to new levels to feed that dream and hunger.Any band will tell you that momentum is a huge success meter in the music business. Once a band feels as though the wind has been let out of its sail, things tend to go south quite quickly. A great band is never content in what is happening right now, they are always looking for the next thing but grateful for the success they’ve had. Whether your John Smith playing at Renee’s Red Rooster on Hwy 12 or Michael Buble` playing a huge theater, the dream is the same and success is relative. We are the same and we are in this together. Good luck out there my friends and remember, don’t trust anyone named Ted with an eyeball piercing….trust me.

Written and photo by:Aaron Williams continued on page 31

13

EVER GONE THROUGH AN IDENTITY CRISIS????

ME NEITHER…

I

didn’t actually sit down and interview anyone else this time. I actually have a funny little story to share with you about myself. I hope it brings a chuckle to some of you and maybe you can even relate to it.

Hello everyone. My name is Joyce M. Ziehli, not Andy’s wife, or oh you belong to Andy, or Mrs.Andy, Roger’s secretary,Al’s daughter or any of the other names I have been referred to over the years. As I grow older I look back at those times and it brings a smile to my face. But for many years – let’s just say it didn’t!

Andy and I have been married thirty years. Our first couple of years we lived in Cross Plains and then we moved to Belleville,Andy’s home town. Whenever we would go uptown, out to local events, the post office, the store, whatever, people would say hello to Andy and then look at me and either not say anything (because they didn’t know my name)

or say, hello Andy’s wife. Or if I was out and about without Andy, I would occasionally hear, “Oh, you belong to Andy”, like I was a possession. Andy’s family would laugh about it as well. We even talked about all getting Tshirts one Christmas with sayings such as, Andy’s wife, Andy’s dad, Andy’s mom, Andy’s sister, etc. – you get the idea.

A long time ago, in a Sunday Wisconsin State Journal newspaper comic,there was a comic (picture) of a grave marker that said Mrs. David Johnson, with a lady laying in the casket holding up a sign saying “MY NAME WAS HELEN!. You won’t believe how many copies of this comic I ended up receiving in the mail. Apparently all my friends were thinking of me when they read it. Talking about this malady of people not knowing my name was a common topic when we used to get together.

Now I work as the Executive Secretary at the New Glarus Nursing Home. I have been here for 26 years and many people that see me on the street say, “Aren’t you Roger Goepfert’s Secretary?’, or “aren’t you the one that works at the Home?”, and visitors from my old stomping ground, Hollandale/Blanchardville area will stop by the office and say,“aren’t you Al Eastman’s daughter?”

Don’t get me wrong, I think it is funny and was just wondering if stuff like this happens to the rest of you as well? It is kind of cute to be remembered as so many things. At least they aren’t calling me bad names or swearing at me.

Now I have different titles. Currently I am referred to as“The publisher of this magazine”or“aren’t you the lady that teaches Tae Kwon Do?” Go ahead call me what you want, I usually answer to anything now a days!!! What’s an identity crisis? Whatever you call me, I will know exactly who you are talking too…….In fact I look forward to my senior years to see what (I mean whom) I become.

Written by: Joyce Ziehli.

The Audition with Erin Blumer at www.americanagazette.net T

14

TODD SNIDER IN CONCERT SAT., APRIL 11TH, 2009 BARRYMORE THEATRE MADISON, WI.

w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

Family Tradition, Family Legacy Jerry’s Kids the Frenchtown Road Band quiet one of the bunch. Don’t let his passive nature fool you; he is the leader in the Looney Tune reenactments and one hell of a lead guitar player. Mark usually lets his guitar playing do his speaking. Katie is a first-class vocalist, with a wide range and incredible tremolo voice. She can hold her own against her brothers and let’s them know that she is “not” the little sister type. Danny is a fine singer in his own right. He too has that strong baritone voice and uses it to belt out Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings songs. He performs with Copperhead Creek when they get together and plays acoustic rhythm guitar. Danny has plans to put his own band together so he can play the Outlaw Country music he loves.

Keep reading the Americana Gazette and check our website americanagazette.net for an update on the release of the CD and the concert. You won’t be disappointed. Until then watch for the Frenchtown Road Band to play in your area.

Written by: Andy Ziehli Photo by:Joyce Ziehli

T

hey say a legacy is one of the greatest things a man can leave after he has passed on. Webster defines a legacy as “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor.” Jerry Francois left a legacy of being able to sing and play Country Music flawlessly, a trait four of his children and his grandson have inherited and are putting to good use theses days. Tim, Gary, Mark and Katie along with Gary’s son Danny and Gary’s daughter Janelle ‘s boyfriend Ryan are putting on the finishing touches of a CD of Jerry’s favorite songs and a few of their own in Sugar River Studios. I am very fortunate to be playing lead guitar along with Mark Francois on this project. It truly is a labor of love.

After Jerry passed on this past summer a concert was talked about but a direction of how to accomplish it was hard to pin point. So this CD project came about and a concert will be held to showcase it and the talented François Family later in 2009.

Jerry was such a master showman and entertainer, and he sang so many songs it was hard to pick which ones should be recorded. After much thought a list of songs was drawn up that Jerry liked to sing with his family and hear his family perform. This eclectic list runs from Ray Price two steps,Buck Owens Polka’s,Johnny Cash train songs, and the country rock of Linda Ronstandt. When completed the CD is planned to have 20 songs on it. It will be recorded as the Frenchtown Road Band, a band that the boys played in with their Dad in the 90’s.

The recording process has been a blast. Recreating w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

these Country Classics and giving them a new spin is both challenging and exhilarating. The tight family vocals interwoven throughout these songs show the talent and dedication to detail this group has.

Keeping the tradition alive of this great music is a true labor of love. Laughter too is always present as Jerry stories are swapped along with the emotion of all the “kids” favorite Looney Tunes episodes.

The great Nashville Accident incident, as it is known is also brought up on a regular basis which always brings tears of laughter to everyone’s eyes.

This has been a healing process for all involved.

Brothers,Tim, Gary, and Mark are all past members of the Copperhead Creek Band which played throughout Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois during the early and middle 90’s. In the Frenchtown Road Band Gary and Jerry were the lead vocalists in this band with Tim and Mark occasionally taking turns at lead vocals along with their terrific harmony singing. Dale Freidig played drums and I played lead guitar. When Jerry had “had” enough he would sit down and let the “kids” play and Tim would take over bass guitar duties.

Gary’s voice is almost a near match to Jerry’s great baritone voice. He sounds a lot like his dad on the Ray Price and Bob Wills songs. Gary is no clone as he also has a rock & roll side where he belts out Elvis, Jerry Lee, and Conway Twitty classics.Tim is the multi-instrumentalist of the family playing bass, guitar, mandolin, and singing the high harmony parts. Tim has performed in many area Rock & Country bands over the years including Remuda, Backwards Glance,Toby’s Trailblazers, and Copperhead Creek. Mark plays lead and rhythm electric guitar and sings the middle harmony. He is the

15%

DISCOUNT

On your first recording project!

313 East Church Street • Belleville, WI 53508

608-424-6300 15

TOM T. HALL AND MS. DIXIE

“THE STORYTELLER”

tells his story…….

W

hile it was freezing cold here in Wisconsin, Andy and I were sitting enjoying coffee and pastries with the legendary Tom T. Hall and his wife, the delightful and ever so knowledgeable Ms. Dixie at their countryside home in Tennessee. The sun was shining through the windows with the mercury hitting a high of 65 degrees!!! The sound of Ms. Dixie’s basset hound could be heard in the background as we got acquainted with our new friends and brought ourselves back to reality that we were really, actually, physically sitting with the Halls. It wasn’t a dream.

For those of you whom may not be familiar with Tom T. Hall, the storyteller, let me enlighten you with a little early background on him.

My family listened to Tom T. daily in our rural farmhouse and even the barn radio was tuned into this country channel. We were always tuned into WDMP out of Dodgeville, and sounds of Tom T. coming through that little box were songs such as; I Washed My Face in the Morning Dew, Ballad of Forty Dollars, Strawberry Farms, The Year That Clayton Delaney Died, Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine, Ravishing Ruby, I Love, Sneaky Snake, I Like Beer, Faster Horses, Fox on the Run, and many, many more!! Tom T. Hall is an outstanding songwriter, storyteller, and musician. But why listen to me, when we can get the story right from the storyteller himself……….

Tom T. Hall entered the room, introductions were made and a few moments later, Ms. Dixie entered. (I was so proud of Andy as he remembered his southern etiquette and stood for her entrance and waited for her to be seated until he sat. Yes, his mama raised him right.)

Tom T. told me to turn on that tape recorder and he would give me a short version of his life story. Ms. Dixie laughed as the rest of us joined in, “how could such a talented man, a man with a lifetime career give me a “short story” of his life?” My first concern was that I may run out of tape before he got finished!!!!

On January 1st, 1964 Tom T. Hall came to Nashville. He said he is terrible with dates and he picked this date so that he would remember it in case anyone should ask. Tom T. met Ms. Dixie, who was writing and editing Music City News and was really involved with the Carter family and the Cash family. According to Tom T., Ms. Dixie was kind of an adopted Carter sister, living with Mother Maybelle Carter and her

16

w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

husband, E.J. (brother to A.P) Tom T. and Ms. Dixie met at a BMI dinner where they were seated together. Tom T. was being awarded a BMI award and so was Ms. Dixie.

Now, they didn’t mention love at first site, but I could tell as I sat with these two, that there was indeed a great love flowing between these two after all these years. Tom T. got busy in show business and Ms. Dixie was busy raising and showing basset hounds and working many hours for the humane shelter.

Tom T. may have sung country songs, but if you listened carefully you could hear the bluegrass in them. The Halls are currently writing bluegrass songs together. Tom T. states that country music is more of a business, where bluegrass is more folksy. You can go out under a tree and play it; you don’t need a lot of equipment, and they have always loved that music. It is evident of their love of this music, as Ms. Dixie’s eyes light up as she talks about it. On their property, the Halls built a studio, offices for publishing, started a publishing company, and built apartments. The acts can stay in the apartments, come on up to the studio to record, and not have to pay anything for room and board. Ms. Dixie is happy to serve them up some good old fashioned food. (One of Ms. Dixie’s favorite meals by the way is blood sausage.) These musicians are patrons of the art; if they have something to carry over their shoulder they can bring it along and we supply the rest. The budget is real low. Success has been good for them and their artists; many groups have become quite popular. Now Tom T. says we are up to date on his life story!!

Ms. Dixie shared that her and Tom T. have written several hundred songs together in a handful of years. “We do it from the heart, not commercially. We do it if it impresses us, we are our own record label, our own publisher, and our own spirits. We can afford to be honest now, heck we aren’t making any money, we’re doing it because we have admiration and respect for the artist and we believe in ourselves.” Ms. Dixie says she just wants to see them born.

Some of their recording artists have gone on to win some awards at the IBMA, (Record Event of the Year and Distinguished Achievement Award). Tom T. and Ms. Dixie are up for the Songwriter of the Year Award through (SPBGMA) Society of Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America. They have won the award for the past eight years and 3 more awards, including this year’s and they will get a Masters. They are going strong and holding, but certainly feeling the pressure.

Ms. Dixie says Tom T. went a little crazy a couple of years ago and did an album, “Tom T. Hall sings Miss Dixie & Tom T. . This is a great album. One special song on the album holds dear to Ms. Dixie’s heart. It is entitled, “A Hero in Harlan” and it is about a young man going off to war and returns in a casket. She feels it is the best thing they have ever written. The Halls have a writing room where they spend some of their afternoons, but Ms. Dixie says sometimes ideas come to you at the oddest places. The idea just strikes you. “When in trouble writing a w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

song will pull you through, it gives you something else to focus on and keeps you going”, Ms. Dixie says.

Tom T. says, “We write when we travel.

We take the blue highways, we try not to get on the Interstates. We’re retired, no sense of being in a hurry, we just take our time.”

The only exception Tom T. says is for yard sales. Ms. Dixie interrupts and says we don’t stop at yard sales. (Just like a regular married couple.) Tom T. says we stop at little cafes, old churches and look around. We take our time, but we don’t want to take 3 days to drive 100 miles either. They always carry a mandolin along with them in the front seat of the car in case of an inspiration. The mandolin is small enough to take along. Ms. Dixie says they like to t0 pack up some sandwiches and cold beverages and go sit at an old English settlement cemetery in Rugby, Tennessee and visit with a Ms. Margaret who is a permanent resident there.

Ms. Dixie says this is a perfect place to get away from things, gives you a chance to think. A great place to write songs.

Kentucky is where Tom T. comes from.

He was a bass player, and his voice wasn’t high enough to sing bluegrass, so he was always the guy who would lean in at the appropriate time in all those gospel songs and sing, Oh Lordy! He was the Oh Lordy guy!!!! His whole career was Oh Lordy. It was the only line he had and he had it down pat. After this experience came his first record release in Nashville, “I Washed My Face in the Morning Dew.” The producer only recorded Tom T.’s songs with acoustic instruments as he said Tom T. songs don’t fit in with a lot of twang. They had a piano, drums, violin and Dobro. This was Jerry Kennedy’s idea. This was his first record out and they said they couldn’t play this, “we don’t play bluegrass”. “Bluegrass, where’d they get that?”, Tom T. asked. (If you haven’t figured it out by now, the Halls do have quite a sense of humor. Sometimes it was hard for me to concentrate as I was laughing so hard with them.)

According to Tom T. country music has gotten really loud. He is not against change at all, and by no means is an old fuddy duddy. He just wishes they would tune it down and listen to the words. Of course, Tom T. is a lyricist, what else do you think he would say??? “With acoustic instruments you can only play as loud as you can bang on them!”, says Hall.

A multi-instrumentalist, Tom T. can play everything in a bluegrass band. (Dixie remarks that it is a good thing we weren’t around when Tom T. was learning how to

play the fiddle.) Tom T. stands his ground and adds, “I am a closet fiddle player. I play fiddle when no one else is around, so no one hears me. I get the dog’s attention when I play. The basset hound prefers the mandolin and likes songs such as, Rabbit in the log, Ain’t got no dog, - the more up tempo stuff.”. Tom T. keeps 5 instruments on stage with him when touring, piano, saxophone, banjo, guitar and harmonica. He is a one man band.

Where did the nickname “storyteller” come from? Well here is the answer right from the man himself. Tom T. toured with Tex Ritter and they did a tour to raise money for a children’s fund which led them in travels to Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, and so on. The CMA involved tour was for 30 days and they did raise a near million dollars. Tex was the Master of Ceremony and would always introduce Tom T. as the man who tells stories . Thus, when people would see him they would comment, there’s the man who tells stories, the storyteller. (You had to be in the room to get the full effect of Tom T.’s impression of good ole Tex.) With that, Tom T. went on to tell me my own little story. Tom T. says, “Let me tell you a story. We went by a little white church in East Nashville where a wedding was taking place. An inspiration hit and a song was written just like that.” He sang me a phrase from the song, then said he wondered if the people getting married had ever heard the song and I said I wondered if they were still married? Ms. Dixie said lots of people are unaware that they have been an inspiration to one of their songs. (I told them that at first when he started this story, I thought he was going to say they stopped in for wedding cake.

I thought they had become wedding crashers. See, their sense of humor is rubbing off on me.)

When young musicians come to record, I asked Tom T. if they are receptive to his knowledge in the business? Tom T. said he would have to answer no to this, “As young people, especially 19 and 20 year olds know everything.” As he did too when he was that age. Ms. Dixie said bluegrass musicians are hungry for the knowledge and absorb it. Ms. Dixie has a lot of great career advice and by this time Andy and I both declared Tom T. a walking encyclopedia of knowledge!!!

Now to show you Tom T.’s real sense of humor. I asked him what he had to offer for continued on page 31

17

AMERICANA GAZETTE WINS GREEN COUNTY’S 2008 ENTRPRENEURIAL SPIRIT AWARD ton, Executive Assistant -Green County Development Corporation Andy Ziehli’s dream has been to create a music and arts publication since he was 16 years old. In 2008, that dream came true with the publication of the very first Americana Gazette.The publication is an in-print and on-line music and arts magazine that features musicians and artists from Southern Wisconsin along with national acts. In addition to that,Andy and Joyce also have Sugar River Productions, a state of the art digital recording studio and record company, and Advisory Management & Research Services, a business to help small businesses in southern Wisconsin look at business expansion and business planning.

O

n Thursday, March 5th, 2009 Erin Blummer, our Media Coordinator and myself attended a banquet at the Monroe Country Club as recipients of one of Green County Development Corporation’s Entrepreneurial Spirit Awards. The key characteristics of an entrepreneurial firm are interest in fast growth and the focus on innovation. Green County Development Corporation presents this award to business owners that have started an entrepreneurial business and who exemplify the characteristics of an entrepreneur including creativity, integrity, and a commitment to economic growth in Green County. Other area businesses receiving this award were Jesse & Nicki Maynard of Planet Wise and Don Wickstrum of Quest Industrial.

Andy was not able to attend the banquet as he was off to Nashville, but Erin and I had a great time, enjoyed delicious food, and listened to a great speaker/musician that evening. The whole staff of the Americana Gazette wants to thank Green County Development Corporation for this honor and all the supporting businesses for letting us display our magazines there, and for all the wonderful individuals that have allowed us to interview them, Ric Genthe for helping us with our marketing, and lastly, for all of you people who are reading our stories and checking us out on line. THANK YOU!!!

Here is what was shared with the public about the Americana Gazette as written by: Susan Wethering-

18

Americana Gazette was recognized as a legitimate National Music publication by the Americana Music Association of Nashville in 2008. Andy also released a Grammy nominated compact disc (CD) in 2008 and updated and expanded the recording studio. Plans for the future include releasing their first Podcasts by April 1 and developing four additional podcasts/internet radio programs for release in 2009.They have plans to syndicate these programs.This summer will find them filming the summer concert series at the Fat Cat Coffee Works in New Glarus. “Party on the Patio” will feature local songwriters and performers. The production will be distributed and streamed on the internet.And four CDs are scheduled to be released in 2009.The Americana Gazette is regarded as an up and coming publication in the Americana and Country music community nationally. Readership covers the United States and England and Ireland.

Andy and Joyce are serial entrepreneurs, having started and are continuing multiple businesses.

They attribute the success of the Americana Gazette to their great staff.“Without their skills, talents and effort we would not be able to accomplish all that we have and hope to do.”Andy said.

Andy and I can never say this enough, but we have a great staff and we have to give special thanks to all of them for helping us in this endeavor and they are just as much a part of winning this award as we are. Thank you to all of you – we are proud of you, as you should be proud of yourselves.

Written by: Joyce Ziehli Photo Supplied by: Green County Development Corp

DANCE

FOR THE CURE

AN AMERICAN CANCER BENEFIT

Sunday, March 1st from 2:00 – 6:00 P.M. the dance floor at Flannery’s Supper Club in New Glarus was filled with patrons; they were dancing, laughing, reminiscing with old friends and making new acquaintances.

Chords For Cancer was a Senior Project organized

by Kelsey Bartle and Larissa Kammerud to raise money for the American Cancer Society and increase cancer awareness within the community and was done so in memory of Dennis Blum.

The benefit concert featured local band,‘THE RAINDOGS”. Man can these guys play. I have heard them several times and can never seem to get enough of them. If you haven’t seen them before, please check them out sometime – you won’t be sorry.

Community businesses sponsored monetary donations towards T-shirts, and many donations were collected for raffle and door prizes. It was a very well organized event, great music, many prizes awarded and many memories shared with friends.

Unfortunately, cancer has touched all of us in one way or another. By promoting cancer awareness it was theses girls hope to find a cure some day soon!

Kelsey and Larissa – job well done!!! Special thanks to Sue Lockard, mentor for all your help as well. I heard that over $5,000 was raised this day! Great!!!

I give you an A+ for your Senior Project grade!!!!

Story and photos by: Joyce Ziehli

w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

Grown in the dirt of middle Tennessee Big fat roots, big wide leaves,

Full of vitamin A, vitamin E,

Guitar or Bass not playing like it should?

all that good stuff.

Your strings are high enough off your neck you could pass an Ocean Liner underneath them?

We’re a small label based in

Your frets buzz is so loud it drowns out your Marshall Stack at 11!

But mostly, full of good music.

East Nashville, Tennessee We love zip code 37206.

There’s a ton of great music

here, and we’re bringing it to you!

The intonation of your Guitar or Bass is so far off you can’t find the G spot?

Need new pickups or pots installed?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions give us a call at Sugar River Productions and we can setup and get your guitar playing great. Fast turn around and professional work done. We service acoustic and electric guitars, and basses.

RED BEET RECORDS P.O. BOX 68417 NASHVILLE,TN 37206 EMAIL US AT mail@redbeetrecords.com

w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

If you need Speakers replaced or Custom Road Cases built give us a call too!

Call 608-424-6300 19

AREA THEATER, NOW AND THEN

I

s it February yet? When you live in climate like ours,small stepping stones get you through the loooooooooooong winter. The news that pitchers and catchers are reporting to spring training is one step. The first Grapefruit or Cactus League game is another. The road to the state basketball tournaments and the road to the Final Four are other steps. One step for me is when the packet arrives from the American Players Theatre located in rural Spring Green, Wisconsin. It usually comes at the end of February, and it contains the news of the new plays for that year and gives you the schedule for the entire season. And there are ways to save money if you study the packet carefully. As you can guess, I love that theatrical company.

I know many of the actors by sight and by name and pick plays knowing that some are in a certain production. I went to APT for the first time when a friend went there the first season, and he came back raving about what he saw. I thought to myself that there was no way Shakespeare could entertain me. Maybe I was sure I would not understand the play or what the actors were saying. I have always found Shakespeare hard to read.

BUT once my friend convinced me to join him for a play, I was HOOKED. The staging, the costumes, the music, the action, and the great way those words flowed out of their mouths onto the audi-

20

ence made me an immediate disciple of APT. Since then I have gone every season,and this is their 30th anniversary. Some years I have seen every play in that season’s repertoire. When I was teaching, they had educator’s nights for each play. It was like a final dress rehearsal. Many of my colleagues and I attended these. In recent years I have found the Sunday evening 6 PM show works best for my tastes and schedule. Until it burned down, the Post House in Spring Green was included in our evening “out”. I loved their home style cooking.

Now we have a new favorite stop before we enjoy our evening on the Hill watching those most entertaining plays. It is the Old Feed Mill in Mazo.

APT now does plays by other writers, and I have found most of them most enjoyable. The ones I have enjoyed the most are plays I knew very little about. This year they open a new theater—enclosed. I have tickets for two plays there, and I have tickets for two outdoor plays.

As a kid I got introduced to the theater by a traveling theater group called the Tilton’s. They moved into the area for about three months a year putting on a different play each week, and each night they were in a different small town. I saw them in the old Brooklyn Community Building. One year the cast lived in the Old Park Hotel in Belleville. Their plays were bedroom farces with lots of laughs and pranks and misunderstandings and plenty of double meanings. I remember well hoping that my dad would announce

at supper time that we were going to the Tilton show that night. I suppose the admission was under a dollar, and I remember they sold boxes of taffy, and in some boxes there would be a coupon for something free from a local store. How I hoped my box would contain such a coupon. I don’t think one ever did. And we had a very special connection for one brief moment. My great aunt and uncle ran the Mobil station next to the Park Hotel in Belleville. Some cast members spent time in the station visiting and getting candy or pop. One mentioned they were looking for a new trunk, and they wondered if my relatives might know of one for sale. My parents had one, and so the connection was made, and one Saturday afternoon a car containing four of the actors drove into our rural Brooklyn driveway. Soon those magical people stood in our kitchen looking over the trunk that had been cleaned and placed on the kitchen table for their inspection. I remember the two ladies wore hats and long coats. All were very friendly, and they shook our hands. I then realized they were real people. They were not those zany folk I saw each week on stage. And they bought the trunk.

I loved those shows, and I now love the plays I see at the American Players Theatre. I wonder if any of those actors are looking for a trunk. I have one for sale.

Written by: Bob Hoffman w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

Sewing Seeds of Greatness... ...or not.

T

here is a ritual at our house that provides hints to the different personalities that live here, and it happens 6 days a week. Ernie brings our mail each afternoon about midday. Who ever is home at the time will bring the mail in and set it on the end of the kitchen counter, usually dividing it into “mine”and“yours”piles. Bob’s stack of mail will be opened and sorted before supper. Mine will sit there for a day or two, even if it’s a birthday card with money in it! Eventually I get the brown handled kitchen knife out and open the suckers up to see what news awaits me. There is one particular piece of mail that arrives quarterly that I always open right away, my high school news letter. I quickly flip through to see if I recognize any of the staff and then head to the back where individuals can submit a blurp about themselves. They divide this section by year of graduation so I don’t have to hunt for long. Not many send news or pictures but there are always one or two. The feeling is always the same for me. What would I put in that small space to describe my life and or accomplishments? I often pause and get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach and close the flyer and think who would want to know about my life.

Last summer my sister and I were on a long walk catching up with each other and doing some final thought exchanges about how we were dealing with our mother’s passing. During the conversation I steered the thought to myself and my life and out of my mouth popped,“Well,I am living a simple life, Jane, having not sewn the seeds of greatness when I was younger.” I was a bit stunned at my own statement of truth, and she had to agree. Part of how this conversation came about is she has two children both of whom are pursuing life experiences that I never dreamed about. Nolan is a junior at Yale this year, and Jessica is finishing up her law degree. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and ashamed actually at my lack of accomplishments in my life thus far. Just at that moment Jane looked at me and while acknowledging my statement reminded me that it is just not that simple. Jane said, “You know Jim,Nolan thinks you’re a real cool guy!

In his eyes you’re a rock star, you ride a motorcycle, you have recorded three records, and you have lived a life that he could not. He looks up to you and admires you.” In my own shoe gazing I was at w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

that moment focusing on just one thing about me: my need to have the approval of others to show me my value.

This conversation has stayed with me as I witness my friends doing some amazing things. Beth Kille from Clear Blue Betty is pursuing her songwriting craft in a big way down in the Houston ~ Nashville area. John Miller has created a very successful coffee shop, the “Fat Cat” in New Glarus, and continues to enjoy the positive impact he has made on that small community. The paper you are holding in your hands is the creation of Joyce and Andy Ziehli, a wonderful couple who live in Belleville. These people took some mighty leaps of faith. There is greatness all around me.

The challenge for me as I live each day is to remember that my value is my perception alone.

How I feel about myself in any given moment is my truth in that moment. If I feel strong and confident than that is what my experience will be. If I feel small and afraid then that is what my experience will be. I have the power within myself to feel any way I choose. My choices about how I am feeling, I believe,create the world into which I will take my next step and have my next experience. My value as a man is not determined by what you tell me but rather what I tell myself. I am free in any moment to pause and reflect on what I am feeling. If I discover in that moment of reflection that my feelings do not support my joy and well being, I am able to simply refocus my thoughts in a direction that does support my happiness and in that moment I experience the relief of change and wonderful feeling of self empowerment. I can change my momentto- moment experience just by being aware of my feelings and my inner thoughts.

Now before the paper is flooded with bills for my therapy session, I wish to offer this thought: life is filled with contrasting experiences. Without the ones that feel jagged and rough I could never know the joy of the smooth and wonderful moments. I try not to judge either experience as good or bad but just experiences that allow me to explore and define my preferences. Life is an ever evolving experience. No matter how hard I try to plan what will happen tomorrow, next week, or even ten years from now, there are so many circumstances that are out of my control that can sidetrack my

best intended plans. But, if in each moment I am aware of how I am feeling and willing to take responsibility for following what feels good and redirecting what feels bad, I will walk into tomorrow, next week and that projected 10 year goal feeling happy and joyful about however my life looks.

I have learned that sewing seeds of greatness in early life can and does lead to a life filled with amazing opportunities. I have also learned that even though I was not aware of it at the time,I can sew seeds of greatness every day. Regret for what I did not do is wasted energy.

So, if you find yourself in a circumstance or situation that is not pleasing to you, know that you have the power to change it. There are many methods and pathways to doing so, but I suggest starting simply. It does not cost a thing. Take a deep breath and just notice what is going on inside. If you like what you’re feeling in the moment, let it lead you. If you discover that you desire a different experience or feeling, think about what that might be and allow yourself to focus on your new desire. You will find in a matter of moments, relief. Then if you can hang on to that though of your new preference something will occur around you to support you and you are on your way.

Life is about many things. There is so much to enjoy while we are here. May your next moment be your best yet!

Written by: Jim Smith

Songwriting Demos • Press Kit Demos Full CD’s recorded Bands Welcome Digital recording with old school analog techniques Analog Effects • Pro Tools LE 24 Tracks Alesis HD24 Vintage Keyboards • Vintage Amps

Great Rates!

313 East Church Street • Belleville, WI 53508

608-424-6300 21

Kieran Kane creating on his own terms K

ieran Kane multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, painter, all around renaissance man, and East Nashville Icon took the time on a January afternoon before rehearsal for his show with Kevin Welch and Fats Kaplan to sit down with Joyce and I and talk about music and his passion for painting.

Kane was born in New York and lived and played in Boston for a while where the band he was in was offered a recording contract with Paramount Records that fell through.

After that he moved to LA. Kane has been in Nashville for the last 30 years and has seen trends come and go in Country Music. Today he is classified “as an Americana artist”, a place he has always really been. He has the talent to write hit songs for himself and others. A skill he honed while working at Tree Publishing in the 1970’s and early 80’s along with songwriting greats, Sonny Throckmatin, John Hiatt, Kevin Welch, and Steve Earl. He was in the duo the O’Kanes with Jamie O’Hara in the early 80’s, and started Dead Reckoning Records and the Dead Reckoners with Kevin Welch,Tammy Rodgers, and Henry Stinson. Dead Reckoning was a true independent self contained record label with all owners handling everything from marketing to janitorial services. Today Kane plays with Welch and Kaplan in Kane, Welch, Kaplan along with Kane’s oldest son, Lucas. They have released 3 CD’s and continue to tour on and off when it fits into their busy schedules.

AG: How did you end up in Nashville?

22

Kane: I spent most of the 70’s in Los Angeles knocking around trying to do some business and getting something going. I was playing in a pretty hard core old time Country joint playing lead guitar and I met Debra Allan and Rafe Van Horn. They were writers in Nashville and encouraged me to move here. I was not prepared to move here then, so Debra took some of my demos and gave them to Jerry Crutchfield at MCA Publishing. They liked the songs there and they sent me a writer’s contract. It was a pretty big time for me because this was the first time anyone had really said that they liked what I was doing.

I did not know a lot about publishing at the time. I had always assumed that I would write songs and record them and make records myself. The point of writing songs for others to sing never really occurred to me. The contract was for $50.00 a week to write songs which was good money back then. I just could not sign it because I had a bad feeling about it. Then they called me about a month later and had a lot of comments about the demos I had sent them. They wanted me to rewrite most of them or at least parts of them.

I told them I was through with those songs and I was writing new songs now. First you liked those songs now you want me to rewrite them, sorry but I can’t work like that. That

was the hardest decision I had to ever make. Rafe then said come to Nashville and I’ll get you a publishing deal. I came to town in 1979 and he made a list of publishers where I could go. He took me to Tree first where he worked. Don Gnant was the creative director there and he offered me a deal with Tree. He could not offer me an advance but he would give me a little cash every time I turned in a song and got me as much demo work as a guitar player as he could in the demo studio downstairs. I went back to LA and got my wife and stuff that I could carry and afford to ship out and left the rest on the porch with a note that said help yourself and left for Nashville.

AG: How did the O’Kane’s come about?

Kane: I was a staff writer at Tree and I had done a solo album on Electra. The album was not a hit but I did have a couple of top ten singles off of it. Jamie was also writing at w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

Tree. He had arrived there about the same time I had. We had become friends but never really wrote together. The drill at the time was to “hang out” at night and co-write. I did not do co-writing at the time. It seemed a little odd to me because I did not know how it worked. I soon started co-writing and it went fine. Jamie and I would always run into each other and say we should get together and write a song. Finally we did. At that point we had both reached a place where we were writing songs at Tree that we did not really care about. It was get the song done and pitch it to an artist to get it recorded. The songs did not have any value to me or Jamie other than it was a way to make money. The songs became very disposable because I did not really care for them. I was learning a lot though because at Tree you were surrounded by master songwriters like Harlan Howard, Sonny Throckmoarten, Red Lane, Bobby Braddock, and Hank Cochran. These guys were very, very generous with teaching and helping us become better songwriters.

What Jamie and I wanted to do was to write songs that we could feel good about singing.

Neither one of us was recording or had any intention of recording, but we wanted to write different styles and kinds of songs that we could not write for Tree to push to other artists. We started getting together a lot during the weeks to write, and that is where all the material for the first O’Kanes album came from. In the process of writing them we started recording them at my house on a little 4-track recorder that I had. These songs where very different than the formula we had to use at Tree. Some where just one chord or one quick chord change. Oh Darlin is a great example of that kind of song. At that time it was a pretty revolutionary song to get airplay.

It was so unbelievable to us to have it become a hit. The more demos we recorded at my house a “sound” started developing and a recording style which left itself to the instrumentation we used. My brother Richard had a lot to do with the sound we were getting.

He would come buy and play fiddle or guitar, and the O’Kanes style or sound came into being. We added Jay Spell on accordion and started playing in clubs to nobody except Kevin and Harlan.

We then said we should make a record and put it out in Europe because nobody here was getting what we were doing. I had left Tree at that time and they had wanted me to come back. So I went to them and told them I would come back if I got an advance and Jamie and I could make a record. The deal also meant that we could use the studio as much as we wanted and record whatever we wanted to record. They agreed and we took the band into the studio and cut the first seven tracks for the first record. Bob Montgomery who was running the writer’s f loor heard it and loved it which really surprised us. Montgomery’s forte was Top 40 Country Radio stuff, so for him to like this material really blew us away. Montgomery liked it so much he took it right over to CBS and they offered us a deal. This all happened in late 1986 and early 1987. w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

AG: When did the Dead Reckoners evolve?

Kane: After three albums with the O’Kanes and a stint in Kevin’s band I went back to Tree for a third time. I got together with Harry Stinson who had played drums in Kevin’s band, the Overtones and decided I wanted to make a record again. I worked with Rick Blackburn and made another solo album. I used my friends as the backing and cut about six or seven tracks for Atlantic Records. I have never played my songs for an A & R guy or a label head. I have always just made music and recorded material for myself. “ If you don’t like it that’s your problem. I always say”,“I can be encouraged, but never discouraged in my work.” It may sound arrogant but it has always helped me to survive. My undying faith in myself has been my key to survival.

After three months I was dropped from Atlantic records. I then got some gigs in Norway and I took Tammy and Harry with me.

After a show we did in Oslo a fellow came up to me and asked if I had a new record coming out. I told him no. He said if I did he would buy them from me. I asked him how many would he buy and he said 1000. I asked him what he would pay for them and he said $8.00 a piece. I told him that I would be making a new record. Over a bottle of scotch one night Harry, Kevin, and I decided to start a record company. We knew that we could make a record for a hell of lot less than $8000.00 so we did. We actually started out in the black which was the only time we were in the black. We then put the band together and started touring. Because the band was so big we could never make any money. We shipped records overseas to Europe, Rounder Records distributed them here and we sold them at shows.

Rounder Records and the press started really pushing for us to be bigger than we initially had wanted to be. So what happened was that we were critic darlings but the general public did not really take to us. We got deeper and deeper in the hole and that put an end to the first model and took us to the point that we are at now.

that record I ended up playing a lot of percussion and drums. When we finished that CD we went to play in Canada to promote the CD. I suggested that we use Lucas who is my son to play the drum parts. He added so much to the songs that I felt he should be part of it. Fats and Kevin were all for it. Lucas was just going to play two shows but he added so much that Fats and Kevin wanted him to finish out the tour and join the band.

We record everything live in the studio so there is no going back and fixing it, so when we play live it sounds like the CD. AG: How often do you play out now?

Kane: We don’t play out very often. Just a few shows a year.

AG: So what do you do in your downtime then?

Kane: I paint a lot and I’m working on a solo record. It’s a little different than my past work. I added a baritone sax on this CD. It’s just me on banjo, Richard Bennett on Electric Guitar, Lucas on Drums and some Sax. I have a three and half year old grandson who is the love of my life that I watch a few days every week while my daughter goes back to school. Watching him the last two years has been the best part of my weeks. Being a Grandparent is great. I missed a lot of time with my kids because I was out on the road so this is wonderful for me.

AG: Let’s talk about your painting.

Kane: I live in a great place that inspires me everyday to paint and create. My house is near the Golf Course and East Nashville is the center of creativeness for me. My family is very close by and I get to see them whenever I want. I also have a place in Upper New York State where I spend my summers painting and writing and just hanging out. My kids come up in July and vacation with me which is pretty cool. My painting is for me. I have sold some paintings and enjoy doing so, but it is really just something I do for me.

AG: What are your plans for the future?

AG: Now you do the trio with Kevin and Fats, how is that going?

Kane: After doing a few years as a duo we recorded a live CD in Melbourne Australia that turned out very well. An Australian publication that is like No Depression Magazine here voted our show at the Continental Club in Melbourne the best show of the year. That really helped us to get going on what we are doing now. We have gone back there every year since 1999 except last year to play shows.

After the Live CD we thought that we should make a proper studio album, but did not know what we should do or how we should approach it. We had been playing with Fats for years so we decided to bring him on board.

We then went back to Australia to tour with Fats, and that was the end of us playing as a duo. We then recorded Lost John Dean. On

Kane: I don’t have any elusions of becoming the next biggest thing and have never had any.

I just want to put out music that people enjoy and hopefully can make a little money to pave the driveway. I really don’t envision doing anything else. I like to putter at the cabin and hang out. I have no complaints on my life. I have never had another job but playing music.

I have a very blessed life. I don’t want anything more than I have, my kids, my grandchild, my house, my cabin are all I really need.

As I said I am truly blessed.

Written by: Andy Ziehli Photos by: Andy & Joyce Ziehli

23

Kane Welch Kaplin at...

I

...The Basement in Nashville 24

’ve been to many shows over the years. Everything from rock concerts to small coffee house gigs, but this was the first time I was ever at a show in the Basement. Located under Grimey’s CD and Record Store in Nashville,The Basement was a very interesting place to see music. First the only furniture in the place were about 10 stools. Roughly 75 fans (including some of Nashville’s top songwriters) of this superb Americana Band crowded into a small room to hear one of the best shows I have ever attended. Randy Blevins of Blevins Audio joined Joyce and me for this unforgettable show.

Preparing for their Australian tour Kieran and Lucas Kane, Kevin Welch, and Fats Kaplin ran through an hour’s worth of some of the best music I have ever heard. Playing mostly songs from their Lost John Dean and Kane Welch Kaplin CD’s, the band ripped flawlessly through their hour set with all the passion and intensity you could ever imagine. If you have never heard these guys go to Amazon.com or CD baby right now and buy everything you can get a hold of by them together and as soloist. Kevin Welch is undoughtibly one of my favorite songwriters. Kieran Kane is too. Fats Kaplin is my hero when it comes to pickers. The man can play everything!!! I think the biggest surprise of

the evening was the incredible amount of percussion that Lucas Kane got out of his Floor Tom and High hat that he used. That’s right,that’s all he used and he filled more space than most drummers can with a 10 piece set. These guys ROCK!!!

The most incredible song of the evening for me was Monkey Jump. The tightness and control on this song just blew me away. Who says you need three chords and the truth in a song? This baby has one chord with the most eclectic lyrics and lies I have ever heard. The professionalism these entertainers brought to the stage was incredible. They were there to play music and have fun and it showed. Welch joked with the crowd in his Oklahoma drawl keeping the show light. His song Mr. Bones hit a chord with the left of center crowd.

Other highlights of the show were Kaplin's unbelievable guitar picking and the tone he pulled from his guitar and fiddle. Kane’s Octave-mandolin was clear and precise. His percussion work on the Bonaro along with his Banjo playing filled nicely.

His and Welch’s vocals both on lead and harmony parts were right on and in the groove.

These guys don’t play out much so if you get the chance to see them do so. You won’t be disappointed!

Written by and photos by:Andy Ziehli w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

ON SONGWRITING Nothing to Write About?

L

et me warn you in advance. If you ever come up to me and say,“I’m a songwriter, but I just can’t find anything to write about,”and I happen to have a two-by-four in my hands, the next thing you will hear is a nurse saying,“OK, now how many fingers am I holding up?”

Someone once said to me,“Does the world really need another song?” I said,“Absolutely. The world needs all the songs it can get!”

What it doesn’t need is: more bullets, land mines, and exploding cars. More racism, fear, and hate.

More exploitation, poverty, greedy financiers, incompetent CEO’s and oil companies.

It’s a sad, troubled, beautiful and magical world.

And it needs and craves all the music and art it can get. Remember,“There’s medicine in the music.”

Believe it, write it. Never, ever, stop writing songs!

Article: Rick Harris

I’m not really prone to outburst of violence,but I’ve heard this complaint time and time again from actual songwriters who should know better.

And this is certainly not the only excuse I’ve heard for not writing. “Got no money,lost my honey. Lost my job, my man’s a slob. Rent got spent, car’s got a dent. Too early, too late, ex-mate, jail-bait. My landlord, I’m bored,wife snored,just scored. Too drunk, boat sunk, I’m in a funk. Too high, too tired, too wired, got fired,” and let’s not forget,“I’m just not inspired.”

Is this a lack of inspiration? Or a lack of engagement in the world?

Remember, all these so-called excuses, and many, many more, have come to be known collectively in colloquial English as “your life.” As songwriters we should be milking this stuff for all we can get. The human race never gets tired of hearing about itself.

It shouldn’t. It’s got a lot to think about!

Haven’t you ever seen a baby being born? Haven’t you ever gotten a phone call at 3 AM informing you that your wife and her boyfriend have just gotten your new pick-up stuck in a wet cornfield:“Could you come and pull it out? After all,it is“your truck!”

Now, if you can’t find a song in that situation, you might as well take up piano tuning.

All this stuff, good or bad, is part of our shared human experience. It crosses all borders: political, religious, age, sex, cultural, and on and on. And it gives songwriters, as a tool, an actual vocabulary of human experience that can be used to communicate our ideas and feelings with song. It has the power to bring people together.

We as songwriters have the opportunity, and hopefully the ability, to shine a light. To focus a lens, or maybe blur a line. We can shake things up (Revolution #9), or settle things down (Give Peace a Chance). Music can help organize human effort (union songs/work songs), or bring a little hope (What the World Needs Now).

I have put Aretha Franklin’s version of Rose in Spanish Harlem in my car stereo and cried like a baby.

No lie! The life force in that lyric, focused through the lens of her heart, and delivered in that voice, could power every neon light in New York City for a year. That song turns me upside down and inside out. It changes me every time. w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

25

Musician+ Songwriter+ Painter =

Rick Harris

26

w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

R

ick Harris of Mineral Point, Wisconsin wears many hats. He is a songwriter, musician, and painter. His art reflects his musical tastes, Americana meets eclectic muse. The bright colors of his paintings go with the bright musical muse he creates with his songs. Harris has been a musician his whole life. Starting out as a drummer in Rock & roll and R&B bands in Milwaukee in the early 1960’s, Harris has played all over the United States.

He picked up playing the guitar while filling hours of boredom between shows while on the road. He is an accomplished guitar player with a wonderful voice. His original songs are cleverly written and have a very identifiable groove to them. Many are in the Blues/Swing style. He has recorded a CD and also a children’s CD in the last few years. A delight to talk to and a walking history of music I sat down with Harris on a Sunday afternoon in February at the Red Rooster Café in Mineral Point to find out what makes him tick and where does the inspiration come from to cultivate his ideas for songs and paintings. Harris is currently working on a new CD. He has finished six songs and hopes to release it by the end of summer.

AG: How did you get started being a musician?

Harris: My brother who is 11 years older than I am had a great record collection and when he left home he gave it to me. I was 10 years old at the time. This was a collection of all the great 50’s artists. First I went out and bought a guitar but I had trouble playing it so I thought drums looked easier so I got a drum set and started learning. I practiced for about a year on a 1930’s Gretsch set when a guy that became my best friend asked me to join up with him and we started a band. At age 11 I turned professional and was playing in bars, clubs,and weddings. That was all pre-Beatles. Then 1964 came and the world was never the same again.

In 1966 I left High School and went on the road as a drummer playing clubs and bars throughout the Midwest. We were gone for weeks at a time. At age 15 when I started on the road I was playing a lot of Blues and Roots music. In 1969, one band that I was in released a couple of singles. In our downtime I started finger picking the guitar and the banjo.

those films. I read a lot. I have quite an eclectic toe hold on the world. The world is kind of a smorgasbord for me to pick ideas and lyrics from.

I truly love to write. Writing and painting is where my heart lies today. Performing is still a lot of fun and it helps pay the bills. But the creativeness of songwriting and painting really fuel my life.

AG: Is there an easy correlation for you to make to go from songwriting to painting?

Harris: My Mother was a painter. I used to stay up all night and watch her paint. We would talk, drink coffee, and smoke cigarettes all night. We would talk about painting and what inspired her to paint.

About seven years ago I decided that I was going to be a painter. No one said I should I just got the idea to do so. My subject is always music. There are at the minimum at least instruments in my paintings.

I paint a lot of Street Musicians. I meet the most amazing people doing so. When I first took this up I read about a fellow in Iowa named Jeff Cochran who has a virtual art gallery on line that features untrained folk artists like me. I had a friend email him for me because I am not very computer literate and he said to send him some images. So my friend p h o tographed a few paintings and sent them to him.

He emailed back and said to send him everything I had. I was just floored with this request. My paintings started selling immediately through the United States and Europe. You can find them at folkyart.com/Rick Harris.

AG: Do you consider yourself a Folk artist?

AG: Songwriting is a big part of your life now, how did that come about?

Harris: In 1969 I started writing and it was terrible, but I kept at it. I feel that only about five years ago did I reach the point where I feel that I am a pretty good songwriter. Not a great songwriter, but I can hold my own and create songs people like to listen to. It’s getting better and better all the time. It’s a craft and you have to work at it to get better and climb the ladder. I’m 58 now so it only took 42 years to get to this point!

Harris: I guess I’m a Folk Artist. I’m certainly not trained. I try to tell a story like I do in my songs.

I’m getting better at it. I’ve caught a tail wind and everything seems to be going okay. I’m very interested in Americana stuff. I feel that our American Music is a gift to the world;in fact I feel that it is our greatest gift to the world. A strong American theme runs through my music and paintings. Because I write in so many genres Cajun, Blues, Country, Swing, and Rock, it is all very American.

AG: What is your inspiration for writing?

AG: When you go out to perform do you always perform as a soloist? How would you describe a Rick Harris Show.?

Harris: I listen to everything all around me and pick up little snatches of conversations or what I see and put them to words. I am a hellish eavesdropper like all writers are. If you listen close you will hear amazing phrases that people say. Stuff you would never come up with on your own. I watch old movies and get some ideas form the dialog in

Harris: Right now I am doing solo gigs. I’m kind of burnt out on bands for live shows. I’m too old to deal with the crap involved keeping a band going.

I told a friend of mind recently that I was getting the urge to start a band again and he told me to lie down and it would soon pass! I do record in a

w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

band format. When I come out to play I look the audience right in the eye so they know that I’m here and focused on them. I start playing songs in no particular order. I play covers and my own songs.

AG: With your skills and talents as a songwriter,musician, and painter have you ever considered combining them all into a show or video?

Harris: I have not but that’s a great idea.

AG: Well I only take 10% for ideas!

Harris: That cup of coffee is all you’ll get! (We both laugh loudly) Two years ago I sold a song to a PBS station in Milwaukee that used it in a documentary on the homeless. That’s as close to video I have gotten so far.

AG: Who was or is your biggest inspiration for being creative?

Harris: I guess as a musician I would have to say Van Morrison. I also like Chris Issak a lot. I don’t play or sing like him but I do really like his stuff.

AG: Is the ability to create born into you or is it a skill you can learn?

Harris: Well I can only talk for myself. I’m a natural drummer. I took to it immediately.

You have to have the interest to do anything. Some people have one step more and that is passion. There are people that have to be cabinet makers or glass blowers. That’s their passion. It is ingrained into them. I guess it is probably genetically attached to them. I have to paint and write songs. I could not exist without being able to do them both. Even if I made no money at them I would still have to do them both.

AG: What do you want to accomplish before you retire? You’ve been very fortunate and have had a very long and productive career so far, what would make it even better?

Harris: I could retire from being a player tomorrow.

I would have no problem with that. I have to write, and because I write I have to have an outlet for my songs so I guess I will be performing for a long time. I have done commercials in the past. Though it is not very rewarding as a songwriter,it does help pay the bills. So I guess I’ll just continue to write and to paint. They both are such a big part of my life I can’t see myself not doing them until I can no longer physically accomplish them.

Written by: Andy Ziehli Photos by: Andy Ziehli

27

YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIKE THEM BOTH 28

“You Don’t’ Have To Like Them Both” is the title of the newly released CD by Eric Brace and Peter Cooper of East Nashville.

Andy and I were able to attend this CD Release Party at the Station Inn in Nashville during our January trip.

Brace and Cooper sing beautifully together, and because of their friendship, they bring out the best in each other. This is clearly evident as you watch them perform.

The duo played all their cuts from the CD, joined on stage by other friends including outstanding musician, Jen Gunderman.

Be sure to check out Andy’s review of this CD; it was in the last issue of the Americana Gazette – www.americanagazett.net .

Other musicians ventured out on this chilly night to check the pair out. Spotted in the crowd were Bill Lloyd (Foster & Lloyd) and Jim Lauderdale. Andy and I had the honor of sitting with Tom.T Hall and his lovely wife, Dixie at a front row table. Now, Brace and Cooper did a Tom T. Hall during this set.

Brace belted out the song in perfection as always.

Unaware (because of the bright lights) that Tom T. was sitting in the crowd until after his performance, Peter Cooper said to Eric,“You know Tom T. and his wife are sitting at the table with Andy and Joyce?”

Brace told us later that if he had known Tom T. was there he would have never sung that song. By the way the song was, “I Flew Over Our House Last

Night”. Now sitting at the table with the infamous Tom T. during this time was priceless. Tom T. had a big smile on his face,was singing along under his breath, and hands tapping on the table top. Yes, a priceless moment!!!!Tom T. Hall even told Eric afterwards that and I quote,“Young man, you did a fine job on that song.”

Brace and Cooper finished out the night without a flaw and signed CD’s. Another successful CD party was had in Nashville.

You can purchase this CD at Red Beet Records.com, CD Baby,Amazon.com and locally in East Nashville.

Story by: Joyce Ziehli Photos by: Andy Ziehli w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

Paul Broucek

Film Music Producer/Consultant O

n a coldThursday night in February,Film Music Producer Paul Broucek made his way to Madison to speak at the Sundance Theaters about his career and how to get songs into the movies.

Broucek was brought to Madison by Roy Elkins and his company Broadjam. Broucek is to be the first in a series of music industry heavyweights Elkins plans to bring to Madison to speak and network with local musicians. This was also a MAMA's fundraiser. The event was sold out in advance.

Elkins and MAMA’s Executive Director Rick Tvedt thanked the attendees and Broucek for their time and generosity.

Broucek began the evening by explaining to the attendees the importance that music plays in movies and television. He went into great detail explaining how music helps to set the scene or bring emotion to the film. It used as a sedway to move the film along; and how important using music as a backdrop to what is going on in film was also discussed. The use of a great video production to help accent his speech helped Broucek get his point across. By the end of the evening all who attended had a much better grasp on what Hollywood looks for in music for films and how to submit music for consideration. At the end of the presentation Broucek took questions and talked with attendees.

Elkins announced to the attendees that Broadjam has quite a few listings for music for films and television in its newsletters. He also announced that Broadjam was launching a Publishing Division by the end of March to help shop around local music for these venues and recordings. This is a huge advantage to local songwriters who do not have the connections or ability to get national acts and or Hollywood to listen to their songs.

The Americana Gazette applauds Roy Elkins on this first of hopefully many opportunities for local musicians and songwriters to meet, network with, and learn from music industry pros. It is wonderful that we have such an organization as Broadjam and Elkins here in Southern Wisconsin. For our readers throughout the United States and Europe you too can join Broadjam. It is an international music organization. If you have not looked into Broadjam please take the time. Check out broadjam.com.

Hats off to you Roy!!!

(Below is a biography of Broucek) Paul Broucek began his film career on the landmark film Apocalypse Now as an assistant engineer to Academy Award winning Sound Designer, Walter Murch. Broucek went on to join the recording staff w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

at the Record Plant in Los Angeles, as well as, the start-up of the scoring division at Paramount Studio’s famed Stage M. He eventually returned to the San Francisco Bay area where he served as President/General Manager of The Plant Studios in Sausalito in 1983-1984.

In 1986, Broucek was approached by Fairlight Instruments of Australia to head up their U.S. operations. He led Fairlight US while working with the crème de la crème of the music community: Peter Gabriel, Steve Winwood, Hans Zimmer, Thomas Dolby and Herbie Hancock. In 1988, Broucek moved full-time into music supervision and a longterm creative partnership with Evyen Klean, doing a mix of television and feature films.

Today, Paul Broucek continues to be actively involved in the evolving technologies available to the music production community. For the past 12 years, Broucek headed the creative music team at New Line Cinema, overseeing the music on numerous films including: Frequency,Austin Powers, American History X,the Rush Hour film series,Wag The Dog, Blow, I Am Sam, About Schmidt, Elf,The Notebook, Blade Trinity,A History of Violence,Wedding Crashers, The New World, Hairspray, The Golden Compass, and Sex and the City.

During this same time Broucek also served as the Executive Music Producer for the Academy Award winning trilogy,The Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring,The Two Towers andThe Return of the King which won 3 Oscars out of 4 nominations for music. For The Return of the King, Broucek produced the featured guest performances of Annie Lennox, Renee Fleming and Sir James Galway. In 2004, Broucek was named President of Music at New Line where he worked until 2008 with the recent merger of New Line Cinema and Warner Brothers Studios.

Broucek is currently in the process of setting up his new company in Los Angeles to produce and consult on music productions for film, television, records, online, commercials, games and new media.In addition,he has just announced a creative alliance with famed record producer Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse, Jennifer Hudson, Fergie, Lauryn Hill,The Fugees) for a lineup of future film projects.

Broucek has just completed Executive Producing the score in New Zealand for the upcoming martial arts western, Laundry Warrior, starring Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush and Danny Huston set for release in 2009.

Bio provided by Broadjam Written by: Andy Ziehli

Looking for Songwriters in Southern Wisconsin!

Sugar River Productions and the Americana Gazette are looking for Songwriters for two CD compilation projects to release this year. If you write in the Americana, Bluegrass, Folk, Indie Rock, Country, or Rock a billy styles please send a CD with no more than 3 songs and lyric sheets to be considered for these projects. The songs do not have to be professionally recorded. Simple demos are fine. All songs will be re-recorded in Sugar River Studios by the writers/artists.

Our staff will choose the best 30 songs to be included on the CD’s which will be sold to raise money for local charities in Southern Wisconsin.

The dead line for submission is May 15, 2009. No CD’s will be returned. All songs selected in the final 30 will be copy written by the authors before they will be re-recorded. Our staff will help you with that if you need it. Pass the word onto your songwriting friends!

Send lyric sheets and CD’s to Americana Gazette Songwriters CD PO Box 208 Belleville,WI 53508

Looking for Contact Information Attention all bands, soloist, artists, etc. The Americana Gazette is in the process of setting up a contact page to make it easier to find the above. Please email or mail us your name, email address, web or myspace page address,and style of music or art you perform or create using the following as a guide.

Music Americana, Folk, Roots, Country,Alt-Country, Bluegrass, or Rock Art Painting, Jewelry, Pottery, Watercolor, Ceramic, Weaver, Quilt Maker, Metal,Wood, etc.

We want to have our first listing of area artists in our 1st Anniversary Issue that comes out in June 2009.

Send information to aziehli@advisorymgt.com or to Americana Gazette PO Box 208 Belleville,WI 53508

29

CD Review

chase it at goodhomegrownmusic.com. So get ready for a hell of ride through the back roads of this great land with an old friend in a new vehicle Tom T. Hall, and enjoy the superb music that he and Miss Dixie created for you.

Written by: Andy Ziehli

play tribute on this CD. I hope that this is a successful venture for Vanguard and that they’ll do another Sahm tribute CD with some of his other great songs. If you like that “cheesy” 60’s organ sound and music you can tap your feet too check out all the Sir Douglas Quintet, Doug Sahm solo work, Texas Tornado, and Augie Meyer material available on Amazon.com. If you only buy one CD besides this one get Live from the Limo by the Texas Tornados. It is in my top five favorite CD’s of all time.

Though this is a tribute to Sahm, Augie Meyer deserves as much credit as Sahm in bring this style of music to the masses. I love this stuff!!! Meyer was an innovator along with Sahm. Elvis Costello borrowed from these guys, so did the Gourds, Joe Carrasco, and countless Garage bands throughout the world. So grab a Pearl Beer, turn up the tunes, and prepare to enter Groover's Paradise while you kick back and let the sounds of Doug Sahm take you there.

Adios Vatos, Andy Ziehli

Tom T. Hall ♪♪♪♪♪ Sings Miss Dixie & Tom T. Blue Circle Records Style: Bluegrass This is a wonderful CD filled with wonderfully colorful songs and stories. Each track (there are 12 of them) on this CD vibrates with authenticity, heartfelt love, and true expressions of people who live the Bluegrass life. It is not very often when you put on a CD and find out there is not a bad or weak song on it. This is one of those times. The music springs from the speakers as you listen to and get drawn into this CD. Tom T. Hall has always been known as the Storyteller, and it is proven here on these songs he wrote with his wife Miss Dixie. It is easy to see why they win the songwriters of the year awards from the National Bluegrass Association every year.

The CD starts off with a real Americana type song I’m a Coal Mining Man. It tells the story of a hardworking truly patriotic Coalminer who only wants the best for his family and willing to work underground in the mines to provide it for them. The next track A Hero in Harlan tells the sobering story of the true cost of war. This song really hits home in these troubling times of young men sacrificing their lives in the Mideast and Afghanistan.

Leaving Baker County and One of those Days (When I miss Lester Flatt) are my two favorite cuts on the CD. They are both rollicking bluegrass tunes that will make you want to get up and dance. Once Upon A Road is a fantastic traveling song and should go down in the annuals of music history as a classic.

This CD has some great pickers on it including Mike Bub on Bass, Glen Duncan on Fiddles,Wayne Benson on Mandolin, Robert Bowlin on Rhythm Guitar, Kristen Scott Benson on Banjo,and Rebecca Isaacs Bowman, Sonya Isaacs, and Josh Williams on background vocals. The CD was produced by Miss Dixie.

Various Artists ♪♪♪♪♪ Keep Your Soul, A Tribute to Doug Sahm Vanguard Records Style: Americana, Blues,Tex-Mex, Rock & Roll For those of you who don’t know who Doug Sahm was I feel sorry for you. Sahm was the Steve McQueen of music. The man oozed cool!!! Sahm was a child prodigy on the fiddle and steel guitar in San Antonio Texas in the early 1950’s who went on to forge a life long career in Texas Music until his untimely death in 1999. He had radio hits with his band The Sir Douglas Quintet, as a solo artist, and with The Texas Tornados. Along with his chief musical partner Augie Meyers, Sahm blazed a trail throughout the U.S. and Europe playing his brand of Tex-Mex, Blues, and Rock & Roll. Meyer’s signature Vox organ cutting through the mix and Sahm’s driving rhythm guitar made their music pounce from the speakers in the 1960’s and 70’s. With songs like She’s about a mover, Mendcino, Dynamite Woman, Adios Mexico, and countless others Sahm and Meyer’s were the Buck and Don of this rowdy music.

This CD is a labor of love. The artists that played on it put that little bit of extra effort into each song to make this a very very special tribute CD. Little Willie G kicks it off with Ry Cooder on guitar playing She’s about a Mover. Sahm would be proud of this version. Cooder’s guitar tone and style takes this organ dominated song to a new hemisphere.

Los Lobos play the next cut a beautiful rendition of And it didn’t even bring me down. Steve Berlins Sax adding a new texture. Dave Alvin covers my favorite track on the CD Dynamite Woman in an acoustic fashion which takes this song in a whole different direction. My other favorite cuts are The Gourds Nuevo Laredo, Joe King Carrasco and the TexasTornadoes covering Adios Mexico and Shawn Sahm’s cover of his dad’s Mendocino. Jimmie Vaughn, Terry Allan, Alejandro Escovedo, Delbert McClinton, Charlie Sexton, and Flaco Jimenez round out the other well known Texas pickers that

Mark Your Calendars NOW!

WARNER E. HODGES (LEAD GUITAR PLAYER FOR JASON AND THE SCORCHERS)

WILL BE PERFORMING WITH DAN BAIRD & HOMEMADE SIN KNUT’S BAR & GRILL Orfordville, Wisconsin

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2009

AMERICANA GAZETTE SUBSCRIPTION The Americana Gazette is a free bimonthly publication and may be picked up at area locations. However if you would like a copy mailed to you, please fill out the following information and submit a check for $15.00 to: Americana Gazette, P.O. Box 208, Belleville,Wi. 53508

I love this CD and know you will too. You can pur-

30

w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

T.Hall... continued from page 17

advice to new musicians? His reply, “SHOW UP. If you don’t show up, nothing can happen. No one is going to mail you a check for not showing up. Nothing happens if you don’t show up. It’s a brief statement, neat concept.” His second piece of advice is even better. Tom T. says people don’t answer their phones anymore. “Here’s the way it works and they just don’t get the concept. If you ring the phone, nobody answers it, you get a message. The message is he’s not there. Isn’t that a message? If you ring the phone and he picks up. You get another message, he’s there! No big mystery about finding me, I’m either there or I’m not. How much information do you need?” says Mr. Hall. Tom T. had a perfect example to go along with this advice. Tom T. had asked someone to pick on his album. The guy said he’d love to. Tom T. said he’d call him, Tom T. called him and knew he wouldn’t answer the phone. He waited a day then called someone else, who answered and said he’d be there on Monday for the session. Tom T. saw the other guy a week later and said he had wanted to pick on his album. Tom T. said I called you, you never answered the phone. “I called you, I can’t drive over to your house and get you out of bed, etc. so I called someone else. That’s show business.

That’s the way it works” Tom T. says. Tom T. adds, of course it’s none of my business, he’s not on the album, but that’s not my problem. He got the message!!

I asked Tom T. and Ms. Dixie where they felt bluegrass music evolved from? Tom T. stated that Bill Monroe started bluegrass.

Bill Monroe is a cosmic person, and they only come along once in a century. Bill took his mandolin and years looking for people to put together for a band. Bill found Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, that’s what he’d been looking for – that was it!!! Once Bill found this he never changed it. Tom T. says, “If you are doing bluegrass like Bill Monroe, you are doing it right.” “A bluegrass band covers every spectrum of the musical scale.

A complete bluegrass band, a 5 piece band, is a musical ensemble that meets every dynamic of music as a science if you think about it,” says Tom T. “The beauty of it is that you can take it out under a tree – it’s a miracle.” Ms. Dixie on the other hand states, “ that Bill Monroe may have formulated the recipe for bluegrass, but the British Isles exported the raw materials” Tom T. and Ms. Dixie shared some more stories with us, such as the time Tom T. went to hear this new band called the Eagles rehearse at a bar in LA. He said it was some of the greatest music he had ever heard.

The songs and sounds were soulful, beautiful and those 5 people were magic together.

There were probably another 300 bands at other bars in LA at the same time, you just never know what is going to touch the human ear.

Will bluegrass music ever be as popular as other music? Ms. Dixie responded, “I hope not. Now it is something special, I hate to have it become commercialized.” Tom T. added, “It has to become a fad to mainstream, then the shine is taken off of it. Be w w w. a m e r i c a n a g a z e t t e . n e t

careful of what you wish for, it just might come true.”

Tom T. shared that he had learned how to play the instruments out of necessity.

He was a disc jockey and people would call saying they had a gig and needed a player.

Tom T. would pull his instrument out of the closet and play the job. He said he wasn’t very good, but they didn’t have anybody and they weren’t the A team either. What a way to get started?? Tom T. says he now also plays the alto sax.

Tom T. had to get one more story in before we ended. He said this was the funniest line he had ever heard. An engineer was recording a woman singer on his lap top. She sang one line, he pushed the buttons off. The singer asked how did that sound. The engineer replied, “Let me look.”

Tom T. said, “Look, let me look? How about let me listen? I can’t ever tell if anyone can sing by looking. This is the funniest line of the century.”

Before winding up this delightful interview, I asked what they wanted to add and what they felt the future of bluegrass entailed? Tom T. and Ms. Dixie want to continue writing and recording. “A lot depends on the festivals. That’s the venue – you have to have someplace to go play, Tom T. says, “We’re having a good time, we love the people, especially the young people, they keep us young.”

Andy and I wish to thank the Halls for inviting us into their home and spending this precious time with us. I hope you readers enjoy this interview and be sure to check out their website at: www.tomthall.net . To order a copy of their cd, go to www.cdbaby.com . We look forward to our next visit to Nashville and getting together with the Halls again.

Note: On Saturday night we had the honor of sharing our table with the Halls at Peter Cooper and Eric Brace’s CD release party at the Station Inn in Nashville. It was an enjoyable evening of music and conversation, a little pizza and popcorn to top off the night. When Eric Brace performed one of Tom T.’s songs, it brought a smile to my face to watch Tom T. sing along and tap his fingers to the song. Tom T. even commented, “That this young man did a great job on my song.” Here is a little tidbit I will leave you with, Tom T. asked Andy what he had done during the day on Saturday.

Andy replied that he looked at some guitars but Joyce wouldn’t let him buy any.

Tom T. graciously offered his Johnny Cash stage guitar for Andy to purchase for $227,000. I guess the answer was no, because Tom T. just laughed when Andy asked if he would take an out of state check?

Written by: Joyce Ziehli Photos by: Becky Lawrence, Terry Herd, Melissa and Andy Ziehli.

• Business Plan Creation • Feasiability Studies • Grant Writing • Marketing Plans • Research (business, funding, historical) AMRS, Inc. specializes in working with small businesses, non-profit agencies, entrepreneurs, artists, and musicians. No business or project is too small for us to help.

Advisory Management & Research Services, Inc 608-424-6300 • aziehli@advisorymgt.com

31

Belleville Area Cultural Foundation "Bringing a World of Cultural and Entertainment Opportunities to the Greater Belleville Area - Since 1988"

The Belleville Area Cultural Foundation (BACF) will be hosting

“The Mr. Lucky Syndicate” along with the Belleville High School Jazz Band and Choir at the Hageman Gym (Belleville Intermediate School) on Saturday, April 18, 2009 from 6:00pm – 11:00pm.

Lead by Band Leader - Jerry Becker, The Mr. Lucky Syndicate is an award winning band specializing in Swing, R&B, Latin, Ball Room, Rock and more. (www.luckyswings.com)

2005 Swing Band of the Year WAMI Award Nominee 2001 – 2008 BACF will also feature the musical talents of the Belleville High School Jazz Band and Jazz Choir.

For a great night of dancing and toe-tapping, please join the festivities on Saturday, April 18, 2009 – from 6pm – 11pm at the Hageman Gym (Belleville Intermediate School, 101 South Grant Street, Belleville, WI 53508.

Food and drink will be available on site.

For further information & links, please check our website www.bellevilleareaculturalfoundation.org OR Contact BACF Vice President – Mark Dohm 424-3033 / 332-1794 • email - mcdohm2@yahoo.com $3 tickets are available at the Belleville High School, Belleville Intermediate School and Belleville Grade School Offices.

Other ticket sales locations will be listed as they become available.