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Author Topic: Introductions: When the Roll is called...  (Read 221461 times)

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jprole

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Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« on: August 05, 2004, 05:20:49 PM »
Hello all.

New guy on the boards here.. longtime associate of poney_boy in the confines of the "real world."

Aside from that, a big fan of the pre-war blues. I posted a link here in my livejournal and quite a few people thanked me for the link.. so if not a few more posters, i'm sure a few more listeners!

Anyway, just thought i'd say hello.

- Cam

Offline Slack

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Re: Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2004, 08:57:15 PM »
Hi Cam, welcome to the forum!

Many of us are returning from a week at the Centrum workshop (which folks will be posting about in the coming week), so excuse the belated welcome.

cheers,
slack

Offline frankie

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Re: Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2004, 10:09:30 AM »
the weenie roll, that is.

It seems like we've had something of a population explosion here in the last couple of weeks, so I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread for members new and old to introduce themselves.? That being said...

I'm frankie - been playing guitar for 20 years and listening to country blues from the beginning, although I didn't try to play it myself until I'd been playing for about 10 years.? I never thought I could do it!? heh - still can't really do it, but I'm less worried about sucking these days.? The thing that turned the screw for me was hearing Carl Martin's recording of Crow Jane Blues.? Up until then, I had been fascinated with Robert Johnson and early Muddy Waters and hadn't ventured much beyond that.? Shortly thereafter, I had the good fortune to meet Ari Eisinger, who really opened up my ears to what was out there.

I was introduced to weeniedom about five or six years ago by Slack, who sent me an invitation to a mailing list that he ran with a bunch of other CB nuts - all Port Townsend alumni.? At the time, I was a regular contributor to rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic - a veritable desert as far as CB is concerned - and had taken to posting long and pedantic messages that only the seven or eight other CB nuts would read, much less respond to...

My first time at Port Townsend was in 2001 - I had a great time.? Beyond great - so many amazing players.? I'm going back one of these years, once I can work out how best to get my whole family out there...

So - pleased to meet you all!

Offline Montgomery

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Re: Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2004, 10:38:08 AM »
I'm Aaron, 27 yrs, been into prewar music for about 10 yrs after hearing Last Kind Word in Crumb.  First, I only had some Robert Johnson and it took me a while to find out much more than that.  I bought a few Columbia releases (most of them terribly remastered, I later realized), and when I discovered Yazoo, that opened up a new world for me.  I later got into string band and some jazz stuff.  I've been playing guitar for about 13 years, but am still an amateur.  I still have no idea what or who weenie campbell is.

Offline Slack

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Re: Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2004, 01:26:23 PM »
At the risk of telling you more than you want to know... :)

Aaron, Weenie Campbell comes from the 1997 Port Townsend Workshop.  A couple mischievous faculty members noticed that no one was signing up for the particpants concert.  To 'break the ice' they worte in "Blind Weenie Campbell" in the #1 spot.  He didn't show up of course and so he has come to represent a mystery no-show, a reluctant performer and a reminder not to take ourselves too seriously (which is indeed tough to do when you call yourself a 'Weenie').  There is more to it than that, but you'll have to come to Port Townsend.
 
In any case I'm Slack (aka JohnD), 52.  I put my guitar away for about 20 years until my oldest son (then 12) said he wanted to learn to play.  I pulled my old Gibson J30 out of the closet (which I had bought in High School) and brushed up in order to teach him the basics.  I enjoyed relearning to play, but had mostly been a strummer and a pattern picker and decided what I _really_ wanted to play was Country blues.  I had listened to John Hurt in the 60's, which I attempted to play, but gave up, thinking it was impossible. So I started buying CD's and instructional material from Homespun... and began the slow process of making my fingers do what they did not want to do.  Someone listed a faculty line up for Port Townsend on the RMMGA newsgroup and I sent off for the brochure, telling my spouse when it arrived - that THAT was my idea of a vacation. Bless her heart, she kept reminding me about the brochure and encouraging me until I signed up.  Port Townsend  was the eye opener for me (I had never heard of Bo Carter for example). 

I've been interested in computers for over 20 years, for enjoyment and as a means of making a better living (I have computer related duties at work and do some computer consulting on the side).  I became interested in building virtual communities as a means of learning computer communications and ran a pre-internet, landline Bulletin Board System called "La Cantina BBS" (sort of a Margaritaville theme) in the mid 80's - which the internet mercifully killed.  I also started building guitars, mandolins and ukuleles about 5 years ago.  So I've got a good mix of  time consuming interests and when I fail at one, I can then blame it on the others. ;)

Step on up folks! 

Offline uncle bud

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Re: Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« Reply #5 on: August 18, 2004, 01:45:00 PM »
In any case I'm Slack (aka JohnD).

He looks exactly as pictured, too...

Offline frankie

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Re: Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« Reply #6 on: August 18, 2004, 04:26:44 PM »
In any case I'm Slack (aka JohnD).

He looks exactly as pictured, too...

But only when he's percolating.

Offline uncle bud

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Re: Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« Reply #7 on: August 18, 2004, 06:32:59 PM »
While I've owned a guitar since I was a teenager - not quite as long ago as some of the folks here :) - I didn't start playing seriously until about 8-10 years ago, and have been playing country blues for about seven or so, I think. I got into through wondering who those Mississippi Sheiks were that Bob Dylan was covering on a couple records from the 90s. I already owned the Robert Johnson set and listened to that seriously for the first time, then started on a slippery slope of CDs purchases - first Charlie Patton and the Master of Delta Blues records on Yazoo which was the beginning of the end. A now-much-missed acoustic blues series at the Montreal Jazz Festival where I saw Paul Geremia, Steve James, Rory Block, Honeyboy Edwards, Alvin Youngblood Hart and many others cemented the obsession.

I'm actually a reformed drummer who played in rock bands, studied music for a couple years playing percussion and some jazz. All in the past now (and most of it forgotten) and I'm devoted to CB, guitar, learning mandolin, and hopefully one day some banjo and fiddle.

I was one of those 7 or 8 readers of frankie's much needed pedantic rants on rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic, we started emailing, and he put me in touch with Slack and the original Weenie listserv. All of a sudden I found myself on the other side of the continent at Port Townsend, meeting people I'd only known electronically for a year, much to the spouse's great terror (she's all for it now).

Let us know how you heard of WeenieCampbell.com if you feel like it. It helps us figure out what we're doing right...

Offline GhostRider

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Re: Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2004, 03:08:36 PM »
Hi:

Name's Alex Knox. I learned to play guitar in the early 1970's (old Harmony semi-acoustic) and was just a strummer until I heard a guy in a bush camp finger picking folks tunes (kumbya-style) in 1982. I thought it sounded good, and I decided to try to combine fingerpicking with blues (I had never heard of Country Blues). My introduction was to Gary Davis (instructional book), but then I discovered Blind Blake and I was hooked.

In the space of a couple of years I had bought about 60 re-release vinyl albums of CB, from Yazoo, O. Jazz Library, etc. all by mail order. Bought all the TAB I could find and sat down to learning. Took a while...

I have only be transcribing tunes myself for 7-8 years. Long and slow at the beginning

In real life I'm a mineral exploration geologist living in Calgary, Canada. I'm away from home for long periods working, so I get lots of time to play. Doesn't help with the romance side though.

6'2", 56 years (2009), single. Like whiskey, bridge and the blues! Tolerent of pinko Quebecers

Why GhostRider? Don't ask!

I came across Weeniecampbell as a link on another blues website (which escapes me at the present). joined in January 2004 and waded right in. I remember Slack thinking my first post was out-to-lunch (but said in a very nice way) (in the Little Hat Jones lyric thread).

Tall, dark and 2 out of 3 ain't bad,
Alex
« Last Edit: June 18, 2009, 09:34:01 AM by GhostRider »

Offline Slack

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Re: Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2004, 03:28:49 PM »
Quote
Tolerent of pinko Quebecers

Ah, there's nothing like a little Port Townsend bonding.  :P

Quote
I came across Weeniecampbell as a link on another blues website (which escapes me at the present). joined this January and waded right in. I remember Slack thinking my first post was out-to-lunch (but said in a very nice way) .

Ha!  I vaguely remember this - I wonder if it is still on the forum.  BTW, I may be sending you a NY Times article  - in my never ending and difficult task of straightening you out.    ;)

Cheers,
Slack

Offline Cambio

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Re: Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« Reply #10 on: August 19, 2004, 04:34:53 PM »
My name is Todd.  I'm a Country Blues addict.
I was born with a harmonica in my mouth, got hooked on Muddy Waters as a kid.  Got the chance to play with a lot of cool old timers in Chicago through the awkward junior high and high school years, moved to Madison, Wisconsin at the age of 18 and met Catfish Stephenson who was a local street musician and played tons of great old material.  I was bound and determined to start playing with him and learn country blues harp while he was bound and determined to get rid of me.  The first tune that he played when I tried to sit in with him was Terraplane Blues.  The second was Georgia Rag.  I sounded like hell but didn't give up.  He figured I had staying power so he took me under his wing, told me all the right stuff to listen to and what to play as well as what not to play.  I played harp with him for four years, then switched to upright bass.  Did that for a while, he left town and I served as sideman for some other guitar players.  I always had a steady job in construction, some money in my pocket and took to buying guitars from different partners when they were broke and needed money.  I also picked up little bits of guitar from each of them.  Having amassed a pretty good collection and realizing they were all arrogant and crazy, I stopped being a sideman and figured that I should just back myself. 
I lived in San Francisco for a while, befriended Alvin Youngblood Hart , was housemates with guitar great Craig Ventresco and started to really get into guitars from the teens and twenties.  I moved back to Wisconsin, started finding old guitars and fixing them.  I started building guitars about four years ago and have now quit my day job to dedicate all of my time to building and playing.  Sometimes I wonder, "what the hell was I thinking?" but the worries are becoming less frequent.  In truth, I couldn't be happier.

Offline Mark

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Re: Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« Reply #11 on: August 20, 2004, 12:41:34 PM »
Greetings -

I'm Mark, age 44, living in Victoria, British Columbia.? I learned to play piano accordian as a kid, but gave it up in my teens.? I took up guitar at age 27 or so, teaching myself to fingerpick by learning tunes by John Hurt, Bruce Cockburn, Leo Kottke etc.? John Hurt was pretty much the extent of my exposure to country blues until about 5 years ago when I started attending workshops with the likes of Tim Williams, Michael Jerome Browne, and Rick Fines (all frequent faculty at the Hornby Island Blues Workshop:? http://www.hornby-blues.bc.ca/).?

Since then I've been delving deeper and deeper into this great music: now I have an large (and growing) collection of prewar blues on CD and the majority of my guitar reperetoire is country blues tunes.? I'm currently playing tunes by Blind Blake, Gary Davis, Blind Boy Fuller, John Hurt, Tampa Red, Memphis Minnie, William Brown, William Moore and others, with sooo many more on my list of songs to learn (Bo Carter is next up).? Over the last 5 years I've also been playing mandolin (both blues and some fiddle tunes), and have taken up accordion again.

I've been down to the Port Townsend Country Blues Workshop for the last two years in a row (thanks to the prodding of Shelley 'Desperate' Stevens, an alumnus of both PTCBW and Hornby Island Blues), and plan to keep on coming as long as they keep letting me across the border.?

I learned about Weenie Campbell (the myth AND the website) during my first trip to PTCBW.? Great work guys, just keep doing what you're doing.

Pleasure to meet y'all? ?;)

Offline Slack

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Re: Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« Reply #12 on: August 20, 2004, 02:07:11 PM »
Nice meeting you too Mark! - and glad you've finally made some posts!  ;)

Offline waxwing

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Re: Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« Reply #13 on: August 20, 2004, 05:07:23 PM »
 I'm 53, grew up mostly in South Jersey, near Philly, listening to lots of soul and doo wop in addition to the British invasion and the psychedelic sound. I also got into a lot of Folk in the early '60s so when I told my folks I didn't want to waste any more money on piano lessons and they asked me what instrument I wanted to play (good answer), I told them folk guitar and we went and got a dime store Stella. Thanks to a very cool book by Alan Lomax (which I just found in the piano stool on a recent visit) I learned a bunch of chords and a bunch of folk songs. And then, by some twist of fate, I met a woman (well, she was a senior in college and kinda like Mama Cass) who taught me to fingerpick, alternating bass and all. I spent every day at her house all summer long. We played all kinds of stuff like PP&M and Donovan and even Come Back Baby by DVR. My folks were so impressed that they gave me a Martin D-18S as a graduation present. I went off to college (in Ithaca, NY) and played a lot of open mics and such. Even had a brief but cool band with a couple guys who were graduating a month later. Me on guitar and harp, Corey on washtub bass (with a hockey stick, of course) and Dave on soprano sax. My heart was broken when they took off. I also started getting more into theatre, and that finally took so much of my creative juices that I let the guitar slide to the point where I only played it once a year, at Christmas, for my family. Spent the rest of the '70s in and around the theatre department at Cornell and then after a year at the Boarshead Theatre in Michigan I spent the '80s becoming totally disillusioned in NYC. By a twist of fate (too long to tell here) I ended up in SF in time for the big Quake in '89. That kinda made me see things a little differently. I did have quite a reawakening of my acting career, but soon my awareness of the lack of boundary issues many bring to what is inherently a difficult collaborative process caused me to pursue fewer opportunities. After a while I started to realize I still needed to express myself and decided to get out the old Martin. Well, by then it needed a neck reset, but it was worth it. I got it back a little over three years ago and haven't stopped playing since. Come Back Baby led me to the prewar blues and pretty quickly I found Stefan's Guitar Workshop. I've also gotten into playing some of the old guitars and have developed a nice little collection of Oscar Schmidts (thanks to Neil), a couple Nationals and a few others to compliment the D-18S. I stick to the old arrangements pretty much, and am developing the ability to transcribe from the recordings, thanks to the encouragement of JohnM and Frank and others. But I do still play some of Dave van Ronk's arrangements. In fact, I had a great conversation with Lightnin' Wells who was also first turned on to country blues by DVR. We were listing off all the songs on "Sings the Blues" from about '64 and I mentioned the Morton song "Sweet Substitute" as one of my favs so Lightnin' tells me it's on his latest CD and I later got him to play it at the Public House. (Also spent a few more scheckles at Quimper) Anyway, can't remember how I found out about PT but the first guy I met was Doug from Sitka and those lads took me in and really drew me out, night after night. Lee and Gary have really become regular phone bill items and the whole bunch really exemplifies what PT is all about as much as the Weenies now do for me. Last year I was posting about my second PT on the IGS Forum and Frank emailed me about WeenieCampbell.com. I been here ever since.
All for now.
Barbecue John C.
"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it."
George Bernard Shaw

“Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.”
Joseph Heller, Catch-22

http://www.youtube.com/user/WaxwingJohn
CD on YT

Offline outfidel

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Re: Introductions: When the Roll is called...
« Reply #14 on: August 23, 2004, 09:07:15 AM »
Michael, 40

Born in New York City, lived most of my life in New Jersey

"Outfidel" is the opposite of "Infidel"

Guitar history:
-- Learned a few chords in my teens
-- Picked up guitar in my mid-20s to learn a few T-Bone Walker riffs
-- Picked it up again in my mid-30s to learn to fingerpick like Mississippi John Hurt...and have not put it down since then

Main guitar is a Martin 00-18CTN Elizabeth Cotten model

Favorites: MJH, Libba Cotten, Doc Watson, Mance Lipscomb, Sam McGee, Rev Gary Davis, Merle Travis, Blind Blake and Etta Baker

Other heroes: Harry Smith & Joe Bussard

Also learning clawhammer banjo, albeit very[/i] slowly
« Last Edit: August 23, 2004, 11:13:56 AM by outfidel »
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