Topic: Paul Geremia & Ernie Hawkins in NJ

[outfidel]

Paul Geremia & Ernie Hawkins

Saturday, January 8, 2005; 8:00 pm

Venue: Sanctuary Concerts. in Berkley Heights, NJ

Telephone: 973-376-4946

Price: $15.00

[frankie]

Did anybody go to this?  I was disappointed to not be able to go, but I'd like to hear any reports...  I'm sure it was great!

[outfidel]

Yesterday, I attended the show, and then I went to Ernie Hawkins' guitar workshop the next day.

Ernie's fingerpicking is just great. One other thing that struck me at the show is how he is branching out into other styles beyond blues/ ragtime/gospel. At the Saturday night show, he played a couple of African fingerstyle pieces, including one by Jean Bosco that was just beautiful. Ernie was also selling a CD that he plays on of Celtic Christmas songs.

Paul Geremia switched between a 12 string and a Gibson J-45 in his set. He plays a lot of great, old, obscure tunes by guys like Gus Cannon & Scrapper Blackwell. Fantastic stuff.

[frankie]

Thanks for the report, outfidel.  I've heard Ernie do some of those African pieces - very nice!  I would really have liked to have seen them both together...  I'm sure Paul played some 12-string - did Ernie?

[waxwing]

And was Paul playing his new Fraulini 12? Boy, I'm lookin forward to talkin' Scrapper with him at PT. I'm really interested in My Dream Blues, one of the Black Bottom McPhail numbers with Scrapper backing. It's similar to Penal Farm Blues with a very wierd descending chordal progression (the augmented chord, perhaps).
Thanks, Out, for mentioning his material.
All for now.
John C.

[outfidel]

Yeah, Paul played about 2/3 of his set with the 12 string, and 1/3 with a Gibson J-45.Ernie played his entire set on his sunburst J-200.

I had never heard of Fraulini prior to waxwing's post. However, looking at their web site, Paul's 12-string looked just like the one below on the left -- it had that same metal piece extending from below the bridge to the bottom of the guitar.

[waxwing]

Hmm? Actually the 12 Todd made for Paul has a 6 pin bridge, not a tailpiece, so that was probably Paul's Stella 6 converted to 12 string, I think, unless it was his Tonk, which is pictured on Todd's site. Todd, you oughta get some pictures of that beauty on your site, or at least here?
All for now.
John C.

[frankie]

The 12-string on the far left of that pic is a Francesca - the one Todd built for Paul is an Angelina - grand concert sized, but like John said, it has a pin bridge, unlike the one in the picture.? Actually, two guitars in that pic belong to me!? Well, one definitely does, the twelve string looks like mine, but it might not be...

[uncle bud]

I'm really hoping Paul brings the Angelina to Port Townsend. I wanna see it and hear it up close!

[waxwing]

Hopefully Todd won't mind me postin' these, but I think he did a beautiful job with this guitar and I can't wait to hear it.
All for now.
John C.

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[Cambio]

Holy cow, thanks for the compliments guys.  I was hoping that Paul brought the guitar to the gig too, probably more than anyone.  I talked to him last week and he said that he's been dragging it out and working it into his repetoire slowly.  He didn't bring it to that gig because he had to go to NYC the next day and only wanted to bring 2 guitars.  He wants to do a few little changes to the setup, one of which is radiusing the fingerboard to make it easier for him to play slide on it.  I usually put on a flat fingerboard because that's what I've come to prefer after playing old guitars for so long.  Had I only known...

[outfidel]

I have to say, I much[/i] preferred the tone of Paul's J-45 over his Stella 12 string -- but that's just my ears. The J-45 was a sweeter, smoother, more melodic sound. The 12 string sounded thin and metallic by comparison. Then again, I'm not a big fan of National resonators -- I'd rather hear a flat top acoustic in the hands of a slide or fingerpicking master.

It would be interesting to hear Paul playing another 12-string, such as the one Todd built for him.