bamboonews

picture this

12.12.12

big sound... small package

abby schull breaks out as a serious talent making a move on the scene

over the past few months she's been holding her own doing 2 hour gigs as a solo performer.

she took up the guitar in 5th grade. she accepted the challange to keep getting better...

and has found song writing and the power of itunes.

i was blown away a few months back watching her performance at a coffee shop...

i thought i knew more about her musically than anyone...but she matured right in front of me...i was really impressed.

her personality and vibe come across in these photos...but her music is as stunning as her smile. it's a great combo.

brand new video by shannon latham

the introspective side of her helps her be a good song writer.

her pluck makes her a good entertainer. she'll be showing up around town more and more. abby schull is for real.

ryan gee

new guy with the perfect combination of talent and attitude.

he told me he doesn't smile. huh.....i've heard that before...

bright, sings, has jumped all over the guitar stuff.

maybe 8th grade...lots of time to fine tune his game. you will totally dig this guy. i do after 3-4 months.

carly is new and working on vocals, keyboard, and uke.

her father was a member of the famous beach band "the embers"

she has been working on a few songs and gets stronger every week.

she's got her own style so expect some cool music.

a new guy brings a million killowatts of brain power to a new challange...guitar and music.

he's only been around for a couple of months but he'll be around for a long time.

it's one thing to be the smartest cat in the room....

and another to realize practice and growth take time. he's getting it together and we'll all enjoy the sound of success with this guy.

smart, smooth, easy going

most of these new students came in late summer as did this guy. he's doing great and he's anxious to start singing.

we're both working to get those fingers in shape and make that part of his game a no brainer.

this guy is fun to work with and oh......if he only knew how many g chords those fingers will squeeze into over his lifetime.

daniel meyers....

everybody who knows him leads off with...wow what a smart kid. you can see it in those eyes.

he's another summer addition so we've only had a few months to get it going.....

..he's moving across the board fast as he never forgets anything we do or talk about in the lesson.

he's started a little singing. we're getting ready to make grandma cry over the holidays.

a really nice guy with a real can-do attitude. i'd stake my reputation on this one.....if he gets the playing and singing thing going over the next year or so there will be more females crying than just grandma.

speaking of nice guys....

matt moore

a new bass student with all the stuff needed to succeed in music and life.

he's an eagle scout, he's well traveled even at a young age, started playing bass in church.

he says he doesn't sing but we'll talk about that.....

bright, polite, easy on the eye kinda dude. this will be fun. keep an ear and eye out for this cat.

can you say....cute?

she's new...6....and working with emily mohorn. the goal is to let her explore music with emily for a couple of years and load her up with some guitar, piano, singing, some theory.....let her get to know some of the other students through shows and video....make sure she's having fun while learning.

looks and sounds pretty easy from here.

this girl is smart....young but smart. emily is a real good musician who's smart and socially a force of nature. this is a win-win for everyone involved and i predict maya will do some very cool and exciting stuff over the next decade. watch this face..

she's got this part of it down.

a new addition to my adult student population.

her passport is about worn out as she travels globaly often. in between we meet and talk about life and music and song writing.

she has great hooks and hearing her view of life has been very refreshing.

the adult shows are cranking up in 2013 and she'll be a part of the next few years...if i can get her to stay grounded around here.

abby davis

tackles a new musical challange..viola

she's been working on string parts..feels in pop,country, ballads, etc.

she can improvise melody and two note harmony already.

she has perfect pitch and it won't be long until her technique matches up with the power of that musical brain and those jumbo musical ears. she's awesome....show time coming soon.

celina

keeps on chasing pavement and gaining believers and fans.

a super star might be glowing brightly right in front of my eyes week after week.

celina ehrligh is the real deal. i know it when i see it. i get to witness this part of her...her voice...her fun side...and her creativeness.

middle school. sings like a much older cat. makes me laugh. makes me glad to be teaching. makes me thankful for getting the chance to work with such an amazing talent and for getting to be one of many musicians who will influence her growth.

when you hear her sing when she's sitting on my floor with no pressure it's mindblowing.

these pics do reflect some of that inner sunshine in this girl.

i'm wearing shades right now she glows so much.

this, or any guitar, means squat if you don't use it or understand it's power.

emilee briggs

totally understands it.

last summer she put it all together right before heading off to college and added song writing to her bright future.

she learned to play...began to sing....

...and the rest is still growing larger and deeper.

emilee is as complex a character as i've worked with. she has a ton of life experience at 18....and knows how to mine every day for new ideas for songs.

she will show up at some shows and here....i can feel it.

a renaissance man checks off a few things on his bucket list and makes a record.

listen to a track from the cd

i met jim/james as a musician in the early 90's. our friendship and musical connection helped me meet dozens and dozens of great local players and his music has and will inspire others to never stop playing and singing. he's spent a ton of money and time to complete a cd project he dreamed about almost 20 years ago.

dan davis was brought in on this project early as the rhythm tracks needed to sound solid.

jim selected oceola studios and the talent of dick hodgen to oversee the effort.

it got a little wierd for a moment when jim gave dan a wet willy. it was kinda funny but it made dan play louder than normal.

ed paolantonio was the first call for jim. i met ed at the first rehearsal i did with jim in the early 90's. he has all the chops....all the taste needed to make this music sound like it was done in l.a. or new york city.

frayda bluestein was a singer i met at the first rehearsal with jim also.

frayda and several singers were in on this record.

i got to shoot a few before the session cranked up.

paul cooper dropped by and shot several pics of the room and vibe. that's abby schull sitting next to me.

dick hodgen has digital recording mastered. he can engineer and produce with the best. he shows that every day but his history...hootie and the blowfish...speaks volumes.

jim brought in a total of 18 musicians on the project. backup singers, horn players, the works. he explained his vision many times to get the recordings to sound the way he wanted it.

jim learned a ton about the recording process. by the time it was over he understood how to do it again..and hopefully again. he seemed proud of the outcome when i got to hear the final mixes a few weeks before the release.

 

abby schull was in the vocal booth and paul cooper snuck in the shot with a steady hand and a telephoto lens.

 

i had to miss a session and went in to lay down a bass track.

here's another paul cooper photo.

kids......those boxes on the ground are reels of tape. music used to be recorded on tape machines...back in the day we didn't have the digital option.

jim wrote most of the songs 20 years ago.....that guitar is already generating the music for the next cd project do be done over the next few years not decades.

willie painter has the blues

i caught a set at the pittsboro general store this fall

willie is a writer who plays a mean guitar. he and his band are a bunch of eggheads who bring brain power and life to the music.

willie and bassist craig dittmar used to be in a band called the boomers. they were thee blues act to catch. his band now does a blues mix and a few originals.

he's a very soulful singer and player. he goes somewhere in his music we all try to find and feel on stage.

drummer john hanks is a duke musical staple along with playing piano for theatre and dance companys.

bill newton is a lot things musically with deep local roots but he brings a fun vibe to the stage every night.

the general store has had a history of supporting local music. they had closed last year and re-opened in 2012 under new ownership.

 

i wish i had some sound for you but just imagine a totally groovin band layin it down and you're there.

check out his site and follow the music

thanks for the music man.

mark mckee

an artist/producer on the way up.

i got to hang out with mark recently and we talked about his future while we litened to it.

he's got a great talent for making records, nice gear, and a terrific ear for success.

at any given time he's got ten irons in the fire...projects going on all over the country.

nice rack of axes.....something for everyone and every sound needed.

i've known mark since he was maybe 11 or 12. it was obvious to me he'd be in the sound booth...we're all impressed at how he earned his was into the control room.

todd trotted out the new band and the new record at a festival in sept, 2012.

this was the second of three weekend outings to dust off the studio crust and make the music come to life.

the band played at a private gig called the barn bustin...you can see where the name came from.

todd has a varied background too intricate to go into here....but awesome songwriting is something he's really good at.

there's always a good sound system and an appreciative and musically knowledgable crowd.

todd writes the songs, sings, plays keyboard, and a special hello kitty guitar.

robert bittle is an amazing guitarist who fills all the spots in the right way and compliments the record. he and todd have musical history.

scott warren on very well played bass.

his name pops up a lot musically locally. he fits in with todds hot dog staff.

emma davis/big mamma e brings her voice and vibe to every musical thing she does and money v people works because of her.

never send a boy to do a mans job...need a drummer with all the chops.....who ya gonna call? dan davis brings the wood all day.

if we could look inside the head of todd jones we'd see the side of him that reflects the big smiling sunshine filled musician that he really is. more music please...keep the songs coming...smiling man has a lot to say that needs said.

i got a chance to shoot these young lads down at progress energy center for the performing arts.

mike edwards and the banned

back and bad once again

kelly biggers /drums/vocals

robert turner /keyboards/guitar/vocals

mike edwards/the man/lead guitar vocals

paul bock /bass/vocals

rick lawson /keyboards/vocals/guitar

i got involved with the music scene 20 years ago and i had heard about mike and a few of the banned but they were onto other musical diversions and the banned stepped back awhile. mike has been with big mama e and the cool since the late 90's so i thought i had heard most of his musical act and knew it well. getting mike edwards and the banned back together got a lot of attention regionally. they have been rehearsing now and then and i caught the act this last fall. classic rock played classically well.

kelly was showing the guys how he hurt his back and had to have his spine fused. my camera battery failed right after this shot so i missed the next 30 minutes when the ems people showed up to take him to the hospital.

mike edwards and the banned were much younger when they pillaged the countryside and played up and down the east coast.

they didn't loose an ounce of talent and the music of the moody blues, pink floyd, yes all still work when knocked out of the park by a good band.

pull out those jeans you wore in the 70z and 80z and try to get them on...they shrunk did they?...and go out to see this group.

good songs never die. good musicians don't go down easily. 50 is the new 20 for musicians. check out mike edwards and the band sound better than ever.