Silk City Here We Come! by Richard Cuccaro Somewhere before the Age of Disco, while the Beatles changed the pop landscape, highschoolers Barry Mitterhoff and Danny Weiss got together to play some folk music. More than a decade and a whole bunch of bands later, with Larry Cohen, they formed the greatest little group to play a mix of eclectic, genre-bending blend of bluegrass, country, classic, folk and pop in existence. In the crossing of the careers within Silk City, we can see the confluence of three arcs of intelligent use of musical sensibility. While the early imprint for two of the three men had all the makings of a classic "Left-wing Folk" mind-set, these arcs didn't strictly follow the folk path. They've intersected with classical music, country, rock, and jazz. The story of their collaboration begins in the town of Springfield, New Jersey, where Barry and Danny were friends, influenced early on by the folk scene of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, The Weavers, The Jim Kweskin Jug Band, and Dave Van Ronk (Danny's mom had taken dance classes for years with Woody Guthrie's wife Marjorie Masey). Both their parents had records by people like Seeger, Joan Baez, and Josh White. Barry remembers going down to the Jersey shore in the early sixties at the age of 8-10 where a group of his parents' friends would hang out at night. The older college kids there had been to the March on Washington and the Newport Folk Festival and would sit around singing with guitars. Because of the music Barry thought they were the "coolest." He taped hours of folk music wherever he could find it on the radio. Danny had started taking music store guitar lessons at the age of 7 but dropped it after a couple of years. When the folk music bug hit at 12, he had learned enough to teach himself what he wanted to know. The Beatles phenomenon hit when he was 13 and from then on he got involved with other kids playing rock 'n roll (Kinks, Byrds, Yardbirds, Beatles, Stones, etc.) Danny says, however, that he was always drawn to the "acoustic folk thing", and "wore out many an LP trying to figure out just exactly what Doc Watson, among others, was doing." Barry had taken trumpet and baritone horn lessons in the 4th and 5th grade and started playing guitar at the age of 13. The study of mandolin would follow three years later. Heavily inluenced by jug band music, he and Danny competed in a high school talent contest. Danny remembers: "'We played 'I Wonder Where You Are Tonight' with banjo and washtub bass in our overalls - to the derision and confusion of our fellow classmates." Wow--That's what I would call dedication to folk music. Afterward, among other numerous endeavors, Barry went on to play with the band, Bottle Hill and Danny played with Country Granola and Cross Creek. Larry, known these days as a musical arranger and record producer, as well as a monster bass player, had initially, been strongly attracted to classical music. He began piano lessons at age 7 and enjoyed listening to classical records, including Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Liszt and others at home. After a few years, the folk boom of the early '60's attracted him and he learned beginner guitar. He gradually became interested in other types of music including jazz. Shortly after the Beatles phenomenon hit, he started listening compulsively to pop radio. He took up up the double bass in high school and eventually the electric bass. The turn toward Silk City began when all three played with Tony Trishka in the highly regarded progressive bluegrass band, Skyline, in the 1980's. Dede Wyland, who adds some backup harmony on their new CD, Time, was also in Skyline. This new CD is a great showcase for this band's enormous talent. The first track offers up a perfect nugget from their wide-ranging repetoire. It's a cover of the Robert Earl Keen gem, "Think it Over One Time." The music rides the laser beam, deftly chugging it's way up from the silvery disc. Barry's mandolin rings in unison with old friend Tony Trishka's banjo. Danny's twangy vocal does the original Keen drawl justice, never losing that sense of Southwestern hombre philosophy that sees "the hard words flyin' by like punches in a barroom brawl." That one is followed by a nimble instrumental, "Velverde," by French accordionist Marc Perrone. This European import contains elements of classical music and jazz. Here, Barry's usual clockwork precision on the mandolin is joined by Danny's fluid lead runs on guitar. Danny's heartfelt composition for his late beloved father, "Time Slips Away," shows the group's ability with a slow ballad. Dede Wyland, joins them here on harmony vocals. While no mention of it is made in the liner notes, the classically imbued "Marche Funebre d'une Marionette" is quickly recognizable by those of us acquainted with 50's television as the source for the theme song used by Alfred Hitchcock's weekly show. The CD crisscrosses back and forth between vocals and instrumentals spanning genres and styles, satisfying all the way through. In concert, there is more to see as well as hear. Their Wizard of Oz medley is a show stopper, especially when Larry perfectly mimics Bert Lahr as the cowardly lion. The individual accomplishments for these guys keep piling up. Larry continues to arrange music and produce CDs. Danny is sought after as a contributor to other area groups for both his singing and playing. His guitar work has been recognized by Frets magazine and he has been featured in workshops both nationally and recently in Spain, Russia, and the Czech Republic. Barry has appeared at The NY Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, The New York City Ballet, The Smithsonian Institution, The Library of Congress, The White House (yes, that one--to the best of our knowledge, he did not sleep over in return for a large donation), and the Rainbow Room. He's contributed music to the score of films such as: You've Got Mail, Mickey Blue Eyes, Two Family House and the upcoming film by the Coen Brothers, O Brother Where Art Thou . Watch our listings pages for upcoming gigs. When the name Silk City appears, get there--by express, if possible. Website: www.slicedbread.com/silkcity Bookings: Felice Massey 215-242-5808 silk city@slicedbread.com
The Music of Eric Schwartz, Which Only a Mother Could Hate by Barbara Horowitz
This folksinger plays his guitar with a straight-edge razor
Eric Schwartz has been influenced by Stephen Sondheim, Dr. Demento, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, and his brother, among others. With that kind of span, it's not surprising that Eric's music is diverse, wide-ranging, and unpredictable. Describing himself as a ham since childhood, Eric originally aspired to be an actor. Although he studied piano for five years as a youngster (he really wanted to learn the drums, but his mother said "no way"), it wasn't until after college that he picked up a roommate's guitar and taught himself to play that. While on an acting tour, he wrote his first song, and, along the way, he says, he "became a folksinger by default." His first CD, That's How It's Gonna Be, reflects many of the different types of songs that Eric writes. That CD, he says, "is my calling card. It's all the things I do." Indeed, there are funny songs, satire, ballads, love songs, some loud, some soft, all original. Eric feels that subsequent recordings will focus on particular types of music. His latest CD, Pleading the First: Songs My Mother Hates, emphasizes "a wacky sense of comedy, with some off-color, but funny, stuff." In live performance, Eric's choices of music are quite eclectic. He is happy to sing cover tunes because "singing one's own songs can be limiting." He loves ballads and feels a great deal of "beauty in singing beautiful songs." On the other hand, he's a performer with an acting background who wants to give his audience a show and really entertain them. "With a funny song, you get the laughter, which is a quicker response. Life is funny, so my music is, too." Thus, Eric alternates between serious songs and more humorous ones. "What I sing depends on where my head or heart is at a given time." And he is pushing to find songs that will allow him even more breadth of expression. On stage with a band, Eric is energetic and enthusiastic. When I asked why he doesn't perform that much with bands, I was delighted with his response that he plans to play with a band in the near future and that, indeed, it's one of his goals for residing in the Boston area. As to venues, he deplores the fact that there are so few folk clubs, even in Boston, that present shows more than, say, once a week tops. Only Passim actually holds shows seven nights a week. Eric plays at colleges, although he sometimes finds it difficult to keep the audience's attention, especially if he's in some cafeteria setting. And he's frustrated by wanting to sing a soft ballad in a bar or rock club. Lately he's been considering cabarets as a setting where his political songs and colorful language might go over well. One thing's for certain-Eric will continue to spread out in different musical directions. Music seems to him to be a continual challenge, always with new paths to explore. To learn when Eric will be appearing in our area, check his website, www.ericschwartz.com, or e-mail him at singereric@aol.com.
The Pancake Song ©2000 Eric Schwartz This morning I made pancakes And one looked just like you With raisins for the nostrils and a smile of maple goo
You had orange section eyebrows Over sliced banana eyes And I flipped that bitch right out the window 'Cuz you told me lies
Six stories down you glided like a saucer through the air You landed on a mountie and caught all in his hair He then took in that bullshit grin and said "She fucked me too." So he trotted over to your apartment and arrested you. Well, Betty Crocker, Aunt Jemima, say a prayer for me. I'm hungry for your help 'cus I'm a P.O.'ed S.O.B. I'm bitter but with better batter Maybe I won't be mad at her Well the pissed-off piggie's hungry horse Did deftly down the flapjack and New York hours later you were just a pile of crap, Jack So kindly reconsider, dear, the damage that you do 'Cuz now you're in jail, the sidewalk smells and I'm still feelin' blue Yes, you're in jail, the sidewalk smells and I'm one hungry Jew Yes, you're in jail, the sidewalk smells And none of this is true While Eric skirts the boundaries of "good taste," sometimes diving headlong over the edge, he is anything but one-dimensional. His ability to also write an articulate, moving love ballad, then sing it well, with quiet passion, is remarkable.