EZ Marc - ProfilesArchive

About Me

This one-man-band was created to explore the combined use of "catasrophones", those experimental instruments from the early 20th century: Resophonics and Strohviols. I've played many kinds of music for many years. I started out playing blues, but that got boring, so I switched to old timey fiddle. ( The Normal Heights Lounge Lizards ) Then Novelty ( Hunt & Peck ) Then I got into early Californio music and Mexican up in Santa Cruz. ( La Flor Perdida ) Then Balkan and gypsy styles. ( The Ethnophonic Orchestra, The Budapest Brothers ) I even played 100 watt fiddle in a C&W band ( North Forty Band ) for a few years in north San Diego county. Now, I mostly record. Most of my music buddies live in other towns now, but we still get together for wild music parties. As for "friends" in MySpace, I intend to use only musicians I like who have died in my "top 8" or now "top 24". Those with sound files are given extra consideration, because I want visitors to hear them! Those in the top 24 without sound files have been promoted in spite of that fact, because I like them, and would urge the owners of the tribute site to get some!!! Choosing my favorites from all the wonderful "dead guys" is always difficult, and it's hard to have to add some who have just entered that category, like "Butane" James Brown! I'd have liked to sing, play with and talk with any of these people, and more besides. (I actually DID get to play with one of the Mississippi Shieks, and had my chance with Rose Maddox, but was too dumb to take advantage of it.) From my selections, you should be able to tell something about me, and see how broad my tastes are!SO: To get and stay in my top 24, you must be dead and have sound files. Thomas' myspace editor™ V2.5

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 6/22/2005
Band Website: home.comcast.net/~tenorguitar/EZpage.html
Band Members: I'm a "one-man band" so far, but that means I've got the "Ten-Fingered Tzar of the Tenor Guitar" playing tenor guitars, the "Fiddlin' Fool Too Fierce To Mention" playing fiddles, the "Megadigital Maestro of the Mandolin" playing mandolins, as well as guitaron, and a midi-tenorguitar powered sound module. Maybe you could call my small, "personal" recording studio another member. Digidesign 001 and ProTools.
Here's a video I just made of myself.

Influences: Not many people that YOU'D have heard of. Tsitsanis , for instance. Carlos Gardel , Guty Cardenas , Trio los Panchos , Amalia Rodrigues , Fernando Maria , Cesaria Evora , Garo Hayrabedian , Gid Tanner , Dave Macon , The Mississippi Sheiks , Aleksandar Sisic , all those wonderful Huasteca groups and oh so many more!
I've always felt that it was the height of arrogance to assume that all the best songs in the world were written in english! People who don't speak english write wonderful melodies, and when you listen to songs who's words you don't understand, you realise how important melody is to a really good song. Stop limiting yourself, you're smart enough to hear it!Here's a clip of Amalia Rodrigues, the fadista apotheosis!

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And Edith Piaf, "the Little Sparrow!!"

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I've decided that embedded movies take up too much space, so I've replaced the rest with links. Enjoy!
Louis Jordan! Brother, beware!
Louis Jordan
Trio Los Panchos! The template on which all Mexican tropical trios are built!
Trio Los Panchos
Ray Price, THE cherokee cowboy!
Ray Price
King of the Tango: Carlos Gardel!!
Carlos Gardel
Romica Puceanu, the Romanian Gypsy Diva!
Romica Puceanu
Mahala Rai Banda! REAL Gypsies! Opa, romale!
Mahala Rai Band
-...and let's not forget SISTER Rosetta Tharpe! Go Girl!!!
Sister Rosetta Tharp
Sounds Like: You've got to be kidding! What would be the point of sounding like someone else? I have my own spark of the divine fire!
Record Label: Brute Force Media
Type of Label: None

My Blog

The year, she begins!

Saturday morning, May 6th, I got dressed in my whites and went to the Roots festival. Bob LeBeau was supposed to play first at the beer garden. He never showed up. I was sitting around with Lou Curtis...
Posted by EZ Marc on Fri, 16 May 2008 10:01:00 PST

What I’m "all about".

I hold this truth to be self-evident.That not all the best songs and melodies were written in English!When you listen to a song, (melody, rhythm and chord progression) written in a language you don&rs...
Posted by EZ Marc on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 11:59:00 PST

The week at camp

When I got my campsite set up, Catt came by to ask me to take a shift on stage at Fiddlin' Will's, Friday night. Since Andy (guitar) and Barb (bass) were going to be there, I was happy to. I figured w...
Posted by EZ Marc on Sun, 05 Aug 2007 06:30:00 PST

One, two, three, you might be it!

The rules that follow were copied and pasted from my tagger's blog. Names have been made public to publicize the guilty. Isis hit me up to post eight random facts about myself...Here are the rules. Ea...
Posted by EZ Marc on Fri, 03 Aug 2007 09:15:00 PST

Back from Music camp.

Looks like I got back safe and had a good time! Here's a Google view for orientation.-----This is the backdoor to the Balkan camp where I was staying: a footbridge over a stream.-----Some of the tents...
Posted by EZ Marc on Wed, 25 Jul 2007 06:35:00 PST

Off to music camp!

I'm off for ten days to music camp. I'll be back in town Thursday for a Dr. appointment, but heading right back up afterwards.About this music camp:I was first invited to the Mill in 1973 and didn't k...
Posted by EZ Marc on Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:47:00 PST

Gig coming up with Amber

I committed to playing a gig with Amber. It's on the night of the 23rd up in Prather, at the Intermountain Nursery. I sent this picture to the local newspaper:We're calling ourselves the "Aggravating ...
Posted by EZ Marc on Sat, 16 Jun 2007 01:59:00 PST

North Forty Band memoire

I got hired to play for the North Forty Band back in 1988 because they were having personnel trouble with the fiddler they had. He'd been a classically trained violinist, and even claimed to be a "con...
Posted by EZ Marc on Wed, 04 Apr 2007 12:06:00 PST

La Rosa lyrics translation

I first heard La Rosa many years ago. It's a Huastecan Huapango, and at first was a little hard to "access", but once my brain latched onto the cadence and meter, I realized that it was a wonderful an...
Posted by EZ Marc on Sun, 25 Mar 2007 12:38:00 PST

The Berkeley string band contest.

My buddy Lee convinced me to come to Berkely to join in the fun at the Berkeley Old Time String Band contest. He promised that Mary would come and the three of us would play again like the old days. H...
Posted by EZ Marc on Fri, 22 Sep 2006 07:33:00 PST