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Black
Ink - Peter Black In The News
Portsmouth
Herald - Spotlight Magazine - November 7, 2001
CD
Celebration
You
say you like acoustic guitar music but you don't want to travel
far or break the bank to see a topnotch live performance? Well,
you're in luck.
At the Unitarian Church in Portsmouth this Sunday evening, you can
catch not one or two, but seven songwriters in a concert promoting
the release of the Seacoast Guitar Society's first sampler CD. Some
of the performers have
been around for years and have toured extensively;
a couple have only recently made their mark on the local music scene.
All of them exhibit exceptional talent and they reside right here
in the Seacoast.
The First Seacoast Songwriters Showcase will feature Cormac McCarthy,
Joyce Andersen, Peter Black, Heidi Batchelder, Craig Werth, Kate
Redgate and Tom Richter. Each performer contributes two tracks to
the "Seacoast Songwriters Volume 1 CD." Produced by the
Seacoast Guitar Society, the concert and CD seek to call attention
to the rich local music scene.
"The Seacoast area has long been a stronghold of the arts,
especially music," says Seacoast Guitar Society Executive Director
Harvey Reid. Reid is a world-renowned local guitarist who has made
his living for 25 years performing across the U.S. and abroad. "This
is one of the few circuits where musicians can support themselves
in an independent way, and there are hundreds of very skilled and
seasoned musicians choosing to work in this circuit rather than
moving to Nashville or New York."
Reid s
ays the intent of the conc
ert and CD is to celebrate these
local musicians and "help them be better appreciated in a star-driven
entertainment world that focuses on national and international artists
that are controlled by large entertainment corporations."
Founded in 1999, the Seacoast Guitar Society is a non-profit organization
dedicated to promoting and preserving guitar music. In addition
to producing concerts and CDs that feature Seacoast musicians, the
society plans to further its mission by sponsoring workshops that
feature master guitarists and music business experts. It also seeks
to develop community involvement in guitar education by cooperating
with musicians, venues, schools, manufacturers, media outlets, music
retailers and audiences in as many ways as possible.
"The Seacoast Guitar Society has been an amazing organization,"
says Peter Black, who performed for years in funk and soul bands
before going the solo acoustic route. "I've been exposed to
musicians I may have never seen and learned a great deal about the
depth and diversity of what 'guitar music' has to offer to all of
us."
He cites "virtuoso players" like nationally known finger-picking
master guitarists Steve Bennett and Chris Proctor to songwriters
like Dick Gaughan of Scotland and Buddy Mondlock of Nashville as
examples of the fine variety of performers that the SGS can offer
to area musicians and audiences alike.
The SGS also is a formal extension of the connectivity and camaraderie
among Seacoast musicians who share much more than their geographical
base.
"The Seacoast performers who I have met over the last two years
have become a support system for me like I have never experienced,"
says Kate Redgate, a Midwest transplant who resides in Newburyport,
Mass. She explains that her fellow musicians are quick to share
tips, support, advice and criticisms, as well as friendships. "There
really seems to be a noticeable and welcome lack of pretense here;
the folks are playing the music for the music's sake."
"I am grateful to be back in the Seacoast again where the sense
of community among musicians is strong," says New Hampshire
native Joy
ce Andersen, a guitarist and fiddle player who has lived
in "music industry towns" such as Nashville, New York
and Boston. She notes that the Seacoast acoustic music scene "is
what got me started on this path as a musician in the first place."
Here, she says, musicians can perform "without the confusing
and corrupting influences of the big business of music" that
is so evident in larger cities.
"I was lured to the Seacoast area in the mid-'80s by rumors
of a great singer/songwriter/folk/blues scene," recalls Tom
Richter, formerly of New York. "The camaraderie of great players,
all the Mojo Festivals and gigs and hoot nights helped to create
a good place for my songwriting and my life. The rumors were all
true."
With so many talented performers in the region, how difficult was
it to choose only seven to be featured on the first SGS release?
"On my first pass through of my personal Rolodex to see who
might be included in one of these samplers, I came up with over
60 names," says Reid. "And I am sure I only kno
w of a
fraction of what is going on."
Reid says he selected a cross-section of artists for the SGS sampler.
"I purposely did not choose only the seven best-known people.
I think it is vital to include artists who are active, full-time
(musicians) and also some who are not."
He limited his choices to seven artists with the concert in mind.
"Twelve or 15 would have been too many. This way people get
a better look at a smaller number of artists."
Reid also carefully selected the songs and placement of them on
the 55-minute CD, which flows nicely throughout. He plans to keep
a similar mix of age, fame and artist gender on all future SGS releases.
Look for many more samplers, as there's certainly no shortage of
talented performers in the region.
"I think it's a tremendous idea to promote the wealth of talent
that exists all around us in the area," says Richter. "This
concert and CD are part of what makes the Seacoast so special."
Indeed, the performers themselves are looking forward to
hearing
their colleagues play live.
"I'm just as excited about being a part of the audience as
I am about being on stage on Sunday," says Craig Werth, a "part-time"
musician who has been performing for years and divides his time
among family and work at UNH.
And if you're an acoustic music lover, that comment alone should
speak volumes about this special ensemble, which is not to be missed.
The First Seacoast Songwriters Showcase will be held at the Unitarian
Church, 292 State St., Portsmouth, on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $10 in advance/$12 door (seniors/students, $6), and
are available at Tweeter Etc. in Newington, Earcraft in Dover, Acoustic
Outfitters in Stratham, Gravestone Artwear in York, and online at
www.seacoastguitar.org.
Lisa
Derbyshire
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