Hello. My name is Jeff Blumer. I love music, play guitar and write both music and lyrics. Mostly rock, or progressive rock with a heavy edge. I also love cooking, creating interesting dishes, barbequing, etc. Spicy: yes, bland: no! I am somewhat of a math geek. I enjoy analytical stuff, making sense of it, etc. I'm also a devoted Christ-follower. At age 22, I declared Jesus as my Lord and Savior. If that turns you off, I understand. I used to be one major skeptic - actually a hater of Bible-thumpers! However, I was in a deep pit; my decisions and their consequences led me there. Worse than that, I cannot mention here. I've been a performing and recording musician since about the age of 12. At 5 yrs old as an aspiring young drummer, at 8 began to take Trumpet in school (actually started with the Tuba there!), and guitar at age 9. I got so much into guitar, that I began to teach at the age of 12, giving my first public recital with 15 students at age 14. I still played trumpet, baritone and drums, and tried to sing along with my favorite 45's and radio station. I'm not a great singer, but I think it developed into something reasonable to listen to by the time I was 14.
I began playing in bands by the 6th grade, truly just drum/guitar duos. I was influenced by the Beatles, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix. I also soon became a fan of the blues, listening to B.B. King, Wes Montgomery, and being influenced by my parents to listen to country artists like Chet Atkins and Roy Clark! I am not a fan of country music, but I enjoyed the tasty licks and technique some of these men had. I was introduced to the guitar playing of John Fogarty and CCR late in my 12th year, and became an addict to the Ventures, learning every lick I could from the gamut of the aforementioned.
I was into the psychedelic stuff too, and heavy metal artists such as Black Sabbath and Iron Butterfly, and Blue Cheer, etc. I would soon be distracted by a San Francisco band fronted by Carlos Santana! I learned EVERY song, note-for-note from Abraxas, and became the youngest kid in my school to nail "Black Magic Woman", tone and all (I purchased a 1973 Gibson SG, and rigged up my little amp to overdrive just enough, to replicate fairly closely) at nearly 15.
I grew up in Santa Cruz County, Watsonville, and moved to my birthplace, Napa, CA in 1972. So I was the new kid in town, who ended up playing in bands with older, High School guys. I found that composition was easy for me, and started my own original band, but throwing in a few covers of Santana, Doobie Brothers, Allman Brothers, Traffic, Styx and Kansas.
It was in early '74 that the whole progressive thing would gain my full attention.
These interests ranged from ELP, Yes, Rush, Kansas, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever, David Sancious & Tone, Starcastle, etc. Anything that was just slightly odd, and out-of-step with the pop/pith all my high school friends were listening to, I would grab onto.
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For many of you, you would be disappointed that I am not truly a "purist" when it comes to prog (progressive) rock. Rather, I like to mix pop, rock, metal and alternative stuff in there to keep things interesting, and perhaps more palatable to the mainstream. I still enjoy a good pop song, or a straight-ahead rock tune. When I became a Christian, I found most of the Christian Rock Music lacking in creativity, and genuine musicianship until I heard Phil Keaggy, and 2nd Chapter of Acts. When I heard Kansas went pretty much Christian, I was fully on-board with them! I actually met John Elefante when he came to buy some drumsticks from me at my music store (I owned and operated one in Napa from '77 to '99), when he
came to play a gig with a band he was with at Calvary Chapel there (here). I found out later that one of my best buddies from High School was his roommate in SoCal, and he gave a demo tape of mine to them when Kerry Livgren left the band!!) I felt like a total dork when I told John I was too busy for a "jam" later that day....if only......!!!
I am a songwriter (award-winning, actually!), lead & rhythm guitarist (in the band Article of Faith), recording artist, guitar-instructor, vocalist, musical instrument repair and restoration technician (specializing in stringed instruments: guitars, violins, violas, cellos, bows, mandolins, banjos, etc.- brass and reed instruments, especially structural integrity, dent and solder work); trumpet/cornet teacher.
I truly am amazed at the metal guitar gods of the 80's, and some of the die-hard speed metal czars that are still making records. I have been very blessed with hearing stuff from the "Guitar on the Edge" series CD's, and cannot fathom playing some of the things I am hearing, but I am very amused and entertained nonetheless.
I hope to be able to contribute here, as well as get exposure to some ideas that I wouldn't normally happen to hear or pay attention to.
I do have a strong set of mores, that is often conflicted with my humanity. That doesn't mean that I compromise my standards, it merely is a statement of the truth of the conflict all of us face. Some people call that "hypocracy" - I'd give hypocracy a more severe definition. Ask me about it sometime, we can talk. I like to meet new and different people, and enjoy discussing different life-philosophies. I do not enjoy arguing, and I never insist that I am right or correct (or more correct than YOU!) :)
If you want to be my friend, don't expect me to add you if you have a photo that is not in congruence with my standards, or have a blatant profile that contains vulgarities or slander toward my bent.
My "ethnicity" is selected as "white/caucasian", but my actual roots are about 1/2 Swiss (perhaps Swiss/Austrian, depending on where the border was at the time my grandfather immigrated to the US), ~1/4 Welsh, ~1/4 English, with some Cherokee thrown in for good measure (on my mother's side - at least that's what my parents told me...)! I embrace friendship and express love to the lovable. Is that somewhat "exclusive"? Perhaps so. Aren't we all somewhat selective? I know this for sure, God is NOT selective in whom He loves - this is the model for humankind - a difficult model indeed!
HEROESJesus Christ, my wife Kim, my kids, Jermaine Keller, Allen Gallaway, Paul the Apostle, Dr. Lambert Dolphin, Nicodemus, John the Baptist, Phil Keaggy, Dr. Walter Martin, Matthew Ward, Hank Hannagraf, Keith Green, Kerry Livgren, Dr. Ron Carlson.
BOOKSResurrection (Tolstoy), The Bible, select apocrypha, Under the Banner of Heaven (Krakauer), obscure and official cult and sect documents and texts, ancient Greek transliterations, Hebrew and Chaldean lexicons.
If you're kind, sometimes I'm on AIM as "MrBlueMyrrh", feel free to IM me to chat!
As of 7/31/07, the SECOND row of my TOP friends were once guitar students of mine! The FIFTH row are FAMILY! (the other three rows are just random friends and musicians I admire).
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