A couple years ago, riding home from attending a concert with David James and Jordan Glasgow we formed the ensemble Russian Telegraph, a collective that includes Chris Grady, John Hanes, Keith McArthur,Diana Mangano (when she’s around!). David James came up with the Russian Telegraph moniker named for two of San Francisco’s hills. We’re performing April 20th in San Francisco at the mighty MakeOut Room, May 19th in Albany’s wonderful Ivy Room, back in SF June 14th at Mr. Tipples.
As always I call for world peace, a laying down of all arms!
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum….delectable artists, not to be missed, April 6th @ the Taube. With Nils, voice of MY GRANDMOTHER, Carla, Eighty Mile Beach‘s first release. Huzaah, some of the greatest musicians I know and then there’s our connections with Mark Stikman.
Mark Stikman aka Stichman, was a leader of a tribe of us at SUNY Potsdam, Crane School of Music, that included artists Gabrielle Curry and John Yellen. Crane was where I got some of my early improv training jamming with musicians Larry Ham, Pat O’Leary, bassist, Pete Cantasonti, drummer, I also jammed with the records of Bonnie Raitt, Eric Dolphy, and John Lee Hooker in my dorm room (!)
Crane was an amazing place to play seven hours a day, never learned a whit of the music biz but played in every ensemble I could get in to including the orchestra and concert band which led to performing in the 1980 Winter Olympics orchestra and national anthem band!
I’ve some cool engagements coming up, hope you’ll attend, where would I be without you? Consider buying product from my store, attend a concert, license a track for your movie, donate to projects. And thank you for all your years of support. Carry on!
Super psyched to play in the trio format again this Saturday with Will Bernard and Ellen Gronningen. Bird and Beckett is my very favorite bookstore in San Francisco where the tireless owner not only carries cool stuff but presents concerts several times a week, mostly from the Bay area music scene, some travelers. Visit the neighborhood where 80MB wrote Inclement Weather, hike the canyon, eat, then stop by for some sweet music in a very hip old SF neighborhood.
One could do worse than be part of the Bay Area music scene. In the words of the great Kenny Wollesen ‘it’s all the same.’ I cherish my life here and the opportunities to perform, special thanks to all my fans, music DJs/writers/promoters, friends and family. Please shop my store and/or donate, thanks!
Hope all is well. I have some gigs in December, yeah! Stop in at all of my concerts, there will be some wildly different and great music at every single one. Thank you for your continued interest and support.
David James, Tom Dimuzio, and I will perform live improvisations to the Mattress Day film of Jakub Kalousek at The New Farm, next to Bay Natives Nursery at 10 Cargo Way, San Francisco, by donation.
Another Czech connection(!) My life is filled with many performances in the Czech Republic: the San Francisco Performance Festival wherein I performed solo in Prague’s Stalin Bunker, in Bratislava’s bunker/bar, in Plzen at the State Mental Institute (with a homicidal murderer!), and in a Plzen gallery, wherein a patron began to make animal noises at my feet while I played the clarinet. I went on to collaborate with Czech painter Vladimir Kokolia, with the aburdist humor group BKS, and I had an Agosto residency wherein I played live film scores with Czech artist/musician Franta Skala at Ponrepo.
Bird and Beckett Jazz Series, San Francisco
Beth Custer, clarinets/voice, Will Bernard, guitar, with special guest Oakland Symphony’s Ellen Gronningen perform music from their recent release SKY plus some interesting winter holiday selections. Gorgeous melodies, a little raunchy blues, some delicate otherworldly timbres, this lush trio will delight audiences of all ages with their genre bending music.
I scored I WANTED TO BE A MAN WITH A GUN (dir. William Farley) during lockdown. It’s finally getting it’s world premiere October 27th, 9pm, at Mitchell Park, Palo Alto, Farley, editor Levien, and I (and others) will hold a Q&A after the screening. Make an evening of it! Mitchell Park is beautiful with great restaurants nearby, or bring a picnic/grill, saunter the grounds, visit the Barron Park donkeys, have a hike, take the train down, shop the boutiques in downtown, there’s a great bookstore and many unique clothing shops, 34 miles from SF. Films take a village to make and a decade to complete and this one is no exception. Genius sound designer/musician Phil Perkins mixed. What’s not to love?
Film scoring is my favorite work, my father predicted it would be so before he passed. Recent scores include the lyrical VOICES BEYOND THE WALL (dir. Brad Coley) (score not yet released) with a trip-hop song at it’s visual climax of a Coca~Cola sign overlooking San Pedro Sula, Honduras. I got to records on a song or two w/his daughter Lila Blue.
SKY w/Will Bernard release is still getting alot of attention and YOU can hear it live, November 15th, in Berkeley, at Babette, stop in, sit under the redwood, have a sip and a plate, while you experience SKY. We’ll have a merch table wherein you can get all your holiday shopping done early!
