ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: RON ROTHMAN

I hereby declare Ron Rothman to be Southold village's official Renaissance Man.  Really.  I grew up riding my bike and stopping at Rothman's Dept store in the 1970s to visit the Coke machine and buy kites and rocket engines.  In the '80s, I saw Ron around town playing gigs at thriving venues that no longer exist.  In the 1990s, Ron made it possible to stop driving all the way to Riverhead to get guitar strings.  And, in the new millenium, Ron added a great vintage guitar section, and has become a dealer of new guitars for both CF Martin & Taylor Guitars.  On top of it, he travels the guitar show circuit hunting those gems out there to bring back to the north fork's most complete vintage guitar store.  BUT, this is a blog about original music, and we should get to it.....

                                                             

At reverbnation, Ron lists his genres as Blues/Jazz/Folk.  I would have to agree that is a fair representation of the genres touched upon, but it doesn't paint the whole picture.  Though deeply rooted in the blues, the music has a quality to it that is oh so cooool.....with a jazzy beatnik feel to it.  It swings the pendulum from the Robert Johnson inspired song, 'Walkin Blues' to the quirky jazz groove of 'Well You Needn't'.  Ron plays out regularly these days and has an afternoon show scheduled for Jan 2nd at Peconic Bay Winery in Cutchogue. 

Beyond performing music, Ron is a true historian.  He is considered to be the world's leading authority on Harmony guitars and their history, and has published a book detailing the USA manufacturer entitled 'Harmony: The Peoples Guitar'. 

                                                           

 It can be purchased at his website, http://www.rothguitar.com/ , which also lists his eclectic inventory of used vintage guitars.  Visit his website and read the interesting history of Rothman's Department Store, a fixture in Southold since 1918.  Be sure to see the section on Albert Einstein!

LISTEN TO RON ROTHMAN

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: JOHNNY BLOOD



     Johnny Blood kicks ass.  I just wanted to get that out of the way before I even started with the basics.  As for the basics.......Mr Blood hails from Amagansett, over on the south fork.  He is a veteran of the music world on Long Island that has built an impressive resume in many areas of the business.  His music can be heard everywhere, whether it be as a session player, on film or television, or as the axe man in the Nancy Atlas Project.  Personally, as a guitarist myself, I love Johnny Blood's solo material.  His song writing and production style is right up my alley.  Driving rhythms with touches of ethnic and symphonic soundscapes provide the backbone for a high energy guitar fury.  The lead work is fat....not over played, more tasty with nods to blues, rockabilly, and psychedelia.  The lyrical content is sarcastic, wry, and oh so painfully on the spot.  It has a punk attitude but doesn't come across as punk music so much.  I couldn't come up with a popular reference.  In the end, I came up with a cocktail that can describe, as least to these ears, Johnny Blood.  Put these 5 guys in a blender, and you'll get something similar:  Frank Zappa, Rob Zombie, Gary Moore, Reverend Horton Heat, and Eddie Spaghetti. 

     I could pick a few songs to mention as stand outs, but it's really not necessary.  Just click on the player here and take your pick.  It's all good.  If that doesn't work for ya, I suggest you start with 'The Sun Don't Shine'.  You can catch Johnny live on November 26th at The Stephen Talkhouse with the Nancy Atlas Project.  

LISTEN TO JOHNNY BLOOD

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: DEEP RISING



DEEP RISING is a Progressive Melodic Rock group that has members from the Jamesport area, and points west.  The song writing is solid throughout their releases and the playing is consistently tight and precise, as is the want of prog in general......At the same time, however, there is an immediate accessibility not often found in prog influenced music......just a touch of that 80's hard rock we all remember.....but not too much.  The vocals and choices in melody are both top notch.  Nick Kerzner shines on the vocals with a strong, emotive voice that suits the music wonderfully.  The lyrics are thought provoking and just plain catchy at times. 

     As of this moment, the band has 3 releases to their credit.  I have not managed to get a hold of their 1st release yet, BUT I did manage to get my hands on their 2 most recent efforts;  SHARDS (2004), and TRUTH BE TOLD (2007).  SHARDS is a 14 track effort with solid songs throughout.  It features a wealth a mid-tempo, thought provoking songs with a nice mix of more agressive and exploratory numbers infused in the mix.  'Unfamiliar' is an up tempo rocker with a catchy melody and chorus that hits you with a surprise off-beat break.  The programming on the track 'Kitesfly' suits the song with it's cool verse riff that reminds me of the Masters of Reality and Lenny Kravitz at the same time.  The airy chorus provides a nice change in texture.  'One For The Road' is a standout among the mid tempo tunes with it's use of keyboards and an exceptionally strong vocal.  'Eyes Closed' is a driving riff with a darker edge to it that gets the blood flowing.  Another hard rocker with instantly catchy riffage is 'Phoenix'.  A personal favorite is 'Cloud-9'.  It's starts off slow and builds to a rockin' lead that comes back down to the harmonies before it kicks the jams in again and let's it fly one last time.  2007's TRUTH BE TOLD represents a 3 year growth in the band and the difference can be seen.  The signature sound is still there, but there seems to be a bit more leaning towards the guitars on this CD.  I like it, a lot.  At times I feel like I'm listening to a Kings-X/Tesla hybrid, yet it is undeniably original.  'X' is a song that captures that feel.  It rocks, it jams, it has lyrics and melody that make you want to scream in the car while you're driving.  'Nothing Means Nothing' starts off with a slower verse, but the song breaks into a quirky riff that leads into the most extensive jam on the disc.  I'd imagine every girl that hears 'Cheater' instantly sings along.  It has that sing-a-long quality and a subject matter that almost everyone can take to heart.  A true, dyed in the wool, prog rock journey is the tune, 'Xel-Ha'.  The song echoes the sentiments of Pink Floyd and relays a hard rockin' Yes style vibe when it kicks into gear. 

     The band will be releasing it's newest disc in December 2010 and plans on gigging extensively to support it.  With a little luck, we'll get them out east for a show this winter.......

LISTEN TO DEEP RISING