The Kevin McLeod Band

On Wednesday, January 18^th, I parked my car on Broadway around 9pm and walked down a deserted

Leonard Street

to The Knitting Factory. Located in the Tribeca area of NYC, the Knitting Factory has three separate performance spaces on three floors. Once the home of hip headlining acts and inspired avant garde Jazz and Rock, the Knitting Factory has lost its focus and has become like many other bars – booking whoever can draw an audience regardless of their actual musical abilities. Interestingly, when the club booked on merit alone, it actually created a scene. People knew that ANY night of the week they could catch great music there, and the club was always crowded. Despite the current hit-and-miss booking trends I was headed to hear someone in particular so I knew there would be good music in store.

Mark Yodice has been writing and performing on LI and in NYC for quite a few years. His debut solo CD, “June Again”, was released in 2000 and contained original solo guitar compositions that gave a stylistic tip of the hat to adventurous guitarists like Michael Hedges. Combining busy rhythms, an original melodic sense, and dense harmony achieved through the use of open tunings, Marks music immediately stood out. The CD garnered positive reviews and airplay. He has been keeping a bit of a low profile of late, teaching guitar and writing music out on LI’s East End.

This night Mark was performing in the Old Office, located in the Knit’s sub-basement. Originally scheduled to play at 10 pm, scheduling changes had him eventually playing a truncated set at 11:45pm. The Old Office was packed with people, apparently friends of another performer celebrating a birthday. While waiting for Mark to go on I sat through one set of random sound collages performed on prepared guitar, computer samples & cello; and another set of computer drum loop, keyboard, and guitar noodling.

The schedule changes forced Mark to omit some of the new songs he had originally planned on playing. He also decided to have friend Scott Tweedie sit in on trumpet for all songs. The previous bands were quite loud and the room was very crowded, however, everyone quieted down once Mark began playing – a testament to the subtle power of his music. He began with “Lion Eats Tamer”. This song has a jazzy harmonic sequence punctuated by some cool bass runs. Scott Tweedie let Mark take the song in and then contributed some sparse solos on muted trumpet.

The second song was “Jamu, the Bewildered Buddhist”, a tune from “June Again”. This song sports some complex rhythm playing. Tapping, slapping and harmonics were combined in an aggressive approach that still managed to be very catchy. Mark has a way of always using his prodigious guitar chops to serve the music. With eyes closed you might think you were listening to a guitarist, bass player and percussionist. As the song began a group of people from the back of the room edged their way up to the front of the stage to get a better look at how one person could be making all this music. Scott entered again with long noted melodies atop the busy guitar part. The trumpet playing complemented the guitar part and added contrast as well.

After the 2^nd song Mark handed the drum stool he’d been sitting on over to Scott and proceeded to play the remainder of the set sitting crossed-legged on the stage. I later found out that the drum stool wasn’t steady enough and was throwing off his rhythm. He continued the set with “Glow” from his CD as well as a new song that doesn’t yet have a final name. They were both well-composed pieces of music.

Mark ended the set with another new song. This was a moody piece, slow and deliberate. It began quietly and built in volume as it progressed. Mark prepared the guitar by inserting a pen underneath the 12^th fret of the 5^th & 6^th strings. This changed the pitch of the strings both in front of the pen (between the pen and the headstock) and between the bridge and the pen. Mark made use of all of the sounds created in this way and Scott did some very tasty soloing. It was a very open, contemplative piece of music, nicely done!

I later learned that the last song was the only one that Mark and Scott had actually rehearsed. The changes to the placement and length of Mark’s set had him changing the song selection but still wanting Scott to sit in as much as possible. Knowing how challenging Mark’s songs are I think Scott did a great job fitting trumpet parts into them on the spot.

All in all, despite some spiritless and self-conscious performances by the bands that preceded him and bumped his set, Mark and Scott played an inspired set where the focus was on the music. It was worth the wait.

(This article was featured in the April 2006 Issue of Aural Fix Communique)

Walking into the reception area of Scott B. MacDonald’s workshop I am always struck by how Scott makes me feel welcome and gives me his complete attention as I describe whatever my latest guitar problem is and wait for his advice. He’ll bring the guitar over to his workbench, check it out, and offer suggestions. The room is well lit, there are a few comfortable chairs, and an old ice-cream parlor type stool reserved for customers picking up guitars – Scott wants you to feel at home when you try out your new or repaired instrument.

Scott has been building and repairing guitars for 16 years in Huntington, Long Island. He has become well known for his custom guitars, vintage instrument restorations and repairs. He has clients all over the world. Having been authorized by Gibson, Fender, Martin, Taylor, Ovation, Gretch, and Tacoma for repair and warranty work, his workshop is always filled with guitars. He has a knack for addressing the underlying causes of guitar problems quickly. I’ve taken an electric guitar to Scott thinking I needed to spend money on new pickups only to have Scott say, “I’ll put new pickups in if you want, but I bet those pickups are fine and this wiring is what’s killing your sound.” Scott was right – he re-did the wiring and the pickups sounded great.

Although his extensive knowledge of both vintage guitars and modern guitar building suggests a man who works because he loves instruments, Scott told me there was something else that he found even more satisfying, “It’s not really about guitars, it’s about people.” He means it. When he says he builds ‘custom guitars’, he’s talking about instruments designed around the needs, spirit and personality of the musician, not just two or three designs that he cranks out over and over. Scott always strives to make a unique instrument for the PERSON who orders it. He insists on getting to know as much about each customer and their music as he can before design and construction begins. In the end, each instrument is as unique as its owner. He considers the whole personality of the musician ordering a guitar.

I’m a guitar player. I like guitars. I like it best when I pick up a guitar and it sounds and feels as good as it looks. Music is born when the right instrument reaches the hands of a creative musician. This is why I’ve become such a fan of Scott’s custom guitars. I haven’t had Scott build me one yet (although I do see a custom electric in my future…), but I have played a few that he’s built for others. They look and feel like something special, they sound great, and in the cases of a few LI musicians I know who own his guitars the instruments genuinely suit their music and playing styles. I think Scott gets high marks for hitting his goal of constructing guitars that fit the personality of the player.

Scott says that he’s seen tremendous growth in his business in the past few years as a result of the internet. I think Scott’s reputation for meticulous work and attention to detail might have something to do with it too, but he has recently re-vamped his website, www.customguitars.com. In addition to seeing photos of some of his custom guitars potential customers can now hear samples of what they sound like. They can also see video clips of Lucinda Williams and her band making good use of the Resonator Electric Guitars Scott made for Lucinda and her lead guitarist.

Scott builds custom instruments for musicians who play large venues and for musicians who play bars and coffee houses. He gives everyone the same respect and attention. Scott says it usually takes about a year to make an electric and fourteen months to make an acoustic. His prices are very competitive so before you shell out a lot of money for an assembly line instrument you might want to consider getting a guitar hand-made with your personality and playing habits in mind instead.

(Industry Insider column for April 2006 Inside Connection Magazine)

If you’re used to ‘New Age’ music referring to a lot of directionless noodling by people who haven’t mastered their instruments, maybe punctuated by samples of ocean waves and wind, you will be pleasantly surprised listening to Geoffrey Armes’ latest recording, “Spirit Dwelling”. Geoffrey has already established himself as a singer/songwriter worthy of notice with his CDs “Green Love” and “Elemental Red”. “Spirit Dwelling” demonstrates that he’s also a gifted enough instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer to pull off an ambitious 70-minute, mostly instrumental, recording.

This will be a very long article if I comment on every song, so I will turn most of my attention to the first song. “Spirit Dwelling” begins with “Sun and Cloud.” It starts with a low synth note – so deep and resonant you feel it as well as hear it. You have been alerted; you’re entering a different space. Guitars enter slowly, arpeggiating an easy welcome. A flute plays in the background. Nothing is rushed. The music takes all the time it needs to slowly unravel and you feel as if you have all the time in the world to listen.

Four minutes in and we haven’t even changed chords yet. In fact, there are no chords here, nothing to anticipate, nothing to rush towards. Here, melodies intertwine, they come and go like the leaves drifting past my window as I write this on a November morning.

At almost six minutes into “Sun and Cloud,” percussion and electric bass create a pulse and harmonic foundation. Indian and Middle Eastern influences dominate the guitar melodies. Reggae/Dub influences are apparent in the groove. Eventually the guitar and the groove give way to synth strings that suspend the mood and finally fade to end this eleven minute song.

This ain’t rock’n’roll. This ain’t the blues. This IS thoughtfully improvised world-folk-newage music that creates an atmosphere for introspection, meditation, or yoga – as the composer intended. In fact, Geoffrey subtitled this CD, “Music for Yoga.” I think he succeeded. With this music playing I can let my mind wander as I listen, yet the focus of the musical performance keeps me focused and alert to each thought that enters and then leaves my mind. This music creates a perfect aural landscape for yoga practice.

This is an important recording. It is unified. It maintains a definite sense of purpose from the first song to the last, from the first note through to the last. It is spacious and calming, but not sleep-inducing. Songs with extended improvisations sit beside instrumentals reminiscent of Indian Ragas where modal melodies dance over pedal tones. Some songs groove, some are built on a more open landscape, and some have obvious Celtic/Folk influences. This contrast makes for a positive listening experience. All of the music is engaging – not an adjective I would normally associate with ‘New Age’ music.

The recording’s sound quality is excellent. Recorded at Geoffrey’s Village Recording, and mastered by Tom DeSisto, this CD sounds great. Acoustic guitars sound warm and full, the percussion rings crisp and clear.

This is adventurous music that you should hear. You can purchase a copy at http://www.geoffreyarmes.com/. Then you can light a few candles, put the CD on, and bend your body into shapes like a pretzel.

(originally published in January 2006 Aural Fix)