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 Who's
DISCOGRAPHIC
TOUROGRAPHIC
THE REST OF IT
Whom
Everyone I've
ever played with is
 a genius.

 
A long time ago, I played Irish music with George and Dennis and Amy and (I seem to remember) someone named Scott. We played at a couple of KPFK Christmas fairs and at the house of Robert Fitzpatrick, the president or something of Cal Arts and later the man who made the '84 Olympics such a delightful experience for everyone, and at a wedding and several times at a bar in Pasadena called the Loch Ness Monster and at sundry other Scots-Irish "pubs" in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Ultimately it was not my thing. George and Dennis soldiered on, and the culmination of all their sweat and tears may be accessed at George's Buzzworld world. 
 
The Lopez Beatles was my first perfectly satisfying band experience, not counting perfectly satisfying teenage bedroom/garage combos with Brian and Bob and Ron and (a different) Bob. Not counting playing under the tree on the quad. You may read of the mysterious origins of the Lopez Beatles here. We played a lot of clubs that don't exist anymore and a couple that do, and we were on television more than once, though it was always the same bit of film. Do not rule out future performances, but don't hold your breath either.
 
The Radio Ranch Straight Shooters was formed sometime in the 1980s by high school chum and self styled bum vivant Paul Greenstein and though the band continues it is much more professional and accomplished than this original version, which included Paul, singing and playing the guitar, Mary Mullen on standup bass, and Marilyn Neher later of the Screamin' Sirens on fiddle, and eventually Lopez Beatle Bruce on lap steel guitar. We busked for small recompense on Olvera Street, opened for Los Lobos once somewhere downtown and played a horse sale. Lopez Beatle Doug plays lead guitar in the present, on-again-off-again version.
 
The Romans were friends of mine. They were ditching their lead guitarist or he was ditching them or they were ditching each other, and there I was. We played a lot of clubs that don't exist anymore, or anyway none that should. (Sans Michael we also backed up Mr. Greg Burk as The Romanoffs. You may read Greg's incomparable prose in the L.A. Weekly.)
 
Around the time I became a Roman I acquired a mandolin, and being the only person in my little corner of the world with a mandolin I became immediately more useful and popular. Ditto for the accordion once I acquired an accordion. I also let it be known that I could make sounds come out of a piano and so I got some jobs Chris Cacavas wasn't available for.
 
The Steve Wynn Quintet/Quartet/Trio/Duo. The mandolin, accordion and piano when available were in full effect in this fluctuating aggregation, which played acoustic shows around town from 1987 to 1989, performing songs that wound up either on the last Dream Syndicate album or Steve's first solo record and some that have been lost to the ages. You would find at these functions some combination of Steve, myself, Chris Cacavas, Mark Walton and Paul B. Cutler of the Dream Syndicate, and a few times the sweet pink icing that is Julie Christensen. Audio souvenirs of this period may be found on the semisanctioned Dream Syndicate bootleg It's Too Late to Stop Now, as well as on Take Your Flunky and Dangle and the deluxe reissue of Kerosene Man.
 
In loud electrical mode, I toured with Steve Wynn in America and Europe in 1990 and '92 (and again, sort of, in '98). (The '90 loud quintet was hired by John Wesley Harding for his 1991 American tour.) Steve turned the sound mostly down for Fluorescent. The group that made that friendly little record (Steve, Gary Eaton, Kevin Jarvis & me) played out only once at a show few saw and nobody bothered to tape. Another one-off Wynnsemble (1997) -- assembled by me (keys, guit.) and including Steve, drumgirl Linda Pitmon, Lopez Beatle bassist Doug Freeman, reedman Rick Arbuckle and 2nd/sometimes 3rd guitarist Russ Tolman -- also provided backup (minus Rick, and w/ Steve producing) for half of Russ's album City Lights.
 
Russ Tolman's psychosexuamusical past is related in almost alarming detail on his almost alarmingly detailed website. Local shows with Russ's Totem Polemen (it all just hangs out w/ Russ, all over the place) included guitarist Broadway Jon Klages, erstwhile Dream Syndicate bassist and constant Droog David Provost, and drummer Dave Drewry; in the '89 touring band there were Dave and me and Jeff Kane (guitar) and Brian Mazor (bass). Later there was guitarzan Kirk Swan and there were other people.
 
Chris Cacavas I first got to know when Steve brought him in to play keyboards with the Romans on Last Days at the Ranch. Chris was in Green on Red, which was still happening then (and Romans drummer Keith Mitchell was happening with them). Chris was a fellow member of the acoustic SWQ, and I accompanied him on a few odd coffeehouse jobs, the details of which are lost to history and fading memory, and played on some of his records.
 
John Wesley Harding I guess I've played more music with than any other human on Earth, dead or alive. As related above, the Steve Wynn Quintet v. 1990 became in 1991 the Deceivers, backing Wes on his first American headlining tour, and oh what a time we had. We backed up Iggy Pop one night in Boston, I guess I might mention. Peter Buck jammed in Atlanta. Kelly Hogan sang somewhere. Further excursions in the more familiar duo form are related in small and larger detail in the Tourism pages, and in the News section, accessible from this page. New stuff always ongoing, goings-on going on. Recordings are catalogued in the Discography -- il discografia! Pictures from the July 2000 tour appear when you click here.
 
Victoria Williams. These shows featured a versatile little combo that included Willie Aron, Tammy Rogers, Joey Burns and John Convertino and later Don Heffington and (in New York, subbing for Willie) Stephen McCarthy of Long Ryders/Gutterball and lately Jayhawks "fame." In addition to shows here and there, half a dozen songs were recorded at Mad Dog Studios (site as well of the Fluorescent sessions) when it was still tiny and in Venice. In New York, we played Fez with Peter Blegvad opening, and in the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center, and went to see an IMAX film about Antarctica at the Natural History Museum.
 
The House on the Cliff was my own psychedelifolk-free-faux-jazz instrumental combo, named for the second Hardy Boys book. Besides me (the mandolin, the accordion), there were Mr. Doug Freeman of the Lopez Beatles on acoustical and electrical guitar, Steve Wagner who'd been in the Balancing Act playing bass, frequent tourmate Kevin Cakes Jarvis beating skins, and sax and flute guy Rick Arbuckle. When Steve left town to make beer it all fell apart, and I've been too lazy or distracted to pick up the pieces. Steve Wynn guested once on "The Coat That Wouldn't Burn," an A-chord excursion written especially for him to guest on, named in honor of the night we unsuccessfully tried to torch his tour-skanky jacket outside the Mean Fiddler in London at the end of the 1990 Eurotour. (In the end, they ran the truck over it instead.)

Gary Eaton/Kingsize Maybe. I've played with ex-Continental Drifter/ex-Ringling Sister and otherwise busy guy Gary on and off over the years (combos sometimes including Mr. Kevin Jarvis, of Steve Wynn Quintet/John Wesley Harding & the Deceivers/& the Radical Gentlemen fames among other fames -- see the paragraph above beginning "In loud electrical mode" for more on the Gary/Kevin/Steve/Robert axis). Currently (Fall 2003) on. Present lineup includes Adam Maples of Legal Weapon/The Sea Hags, Shelli Eaton of Shelli and Gary (and Hazel), Robbie Rist of many things including of course The Brady Bunch. Country garage rock.

MORE TO COME
 

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