From
Los Barilles, MX – a blog about life in general.
As I look out into
the vast expanse the ocean here provides, I'm reminded of just how
lucky I have been thus far in my professional career as well as how
on earth my personal life allowed me to find such exquisite beauty.
I can't help but thinking each morning when I open the window blinds
that I really do not deserve to live this way.
There is intense sun
all day long... the temperature averages daily around eighty degrees.
There are wonderful exotic flowers and cacti surrounding the palm
trees... and of course, the white-sanded beach acts as a gateway for
an area of the ocean (Sea of Cortez) which provides one of the most
desired and sought-after fishing hot-spots in the world. Marlin,
Tuna, Yellow-Tail Mackerel, and of course, the coveted Dorado (known
as Mahi-Mahi in the States)... are all just a cast away from
appearing on that evening's dinner plate.
The people who live
here are quite proud of their own heritage as well as this beauty
they protect so well yet it would seem as though their main goal in
life is to make my stay here just that much more enjoyable! ...and
in return, I'm sad to report that the people native to this area
profit so very little monetarily.
Fortunately, it does
not take much money to live well here. The “Cost of Living”
is compensated in ways which seem foreign to someone born and raised
just south of Toledo, OH.
For example, we
don't often deal with propane, electric, or ANY other ways to
generate HEAT here. We rely only upon the sun and if the night
should take us into a chilly state, we get out a blanket or two.
Although Las Palmas Hotel here in Los Barilles does have
air-conditioning, one rarely needs to run it only because of that
gentle breeze coming off the surf 24/7. ...and tacos are cheap and
tasty.
So, here I am...
I'll be here if no one calls to “bother” me until
mid-April. This provides the PERFECT surrounding to inspire new
music. Miguel De Hoyos arrives tonight via car all the way from San
Diego... about a two-day drive. Our first show together is Saturday
night about two blocks away from the hotel at a restaurant named,
“Otra Vez” and it is sold out.
Last year at this
same time, Miguel and I made many friends/fans here while performing
a series of concerts (Sat. night each week for three months) and it
appears as though they are eagerly awaiting our return.
Thanks to one Otra
Vez patron, Stuart Barr, we were able to launch and complete
production of our first CD, “Underground Whispers” which
our audiences here have not yet seen... and it was THIS AUDIENCE WHO
DEMANDED THE CD INTO IT'S EXISTENCE! It's all very exciting, really.
Feels a bit like Christmas Eve to me (maybe because I no longer
physically celebrate Christmas, perhaps?).
Consider this
paragraph a “plug” for any of you who wish to get away
from the snow or simply want a secluded spot to mis-behave... the
city is Los Barilles, MX... the hotel is Las Palmas Hotel (ask for a
lovely lady named Cha-Cha and tell her The Fiddler sent you) and the
restaurant is Otra Vez, where you will come the closest possible to
four-star dining in this area.
Otra Vez is owned
and operated this year by the beautiful Linda Lambrecht. Last year,
she and her husband, Patrick, led us through an absolutely wonderful
series of concerts and contacts through their restaurant. And since
then, Patrick Lambrecht left this world.
One cannot express
exactly what kind of treasure Patrick's family and friends lost upon
his demise to Lung Cancer. He could change your mood in an instant
and was quite “worldly”, having served in the US Navy...
his humor could literally shock you into laughter and joy...and above
all, he was our friend. We are very grateful to have made it to San
Diego during the last week of his life to deliver a personal farewell
concert. Without BOTH Lambrechts, it is probable that our duo,
“DePue/De Hoyos” would not have survived as a musical
force.
We wish Linda
Lambrecht all the best as she takes the restaurant reigns solo with
high hopes for continued success in the restaurant business. We are
HER fans and that loyalty will not ever waver. Together we shall
rock this city once again starting tomorrow night!
Let's go back
some... I have written nothing on this subject since the duo even
formed and it's long overdue, really... and that is the Greatness of
my musical partner, Senor Miguel De Hoyos, Guitarrista Mexicano.
I've been playing
professionally for almost thirty years... Miguel has been at it
almost 40 years. We were introduced by my cousin, Brent Patterson,
about two years ago.
Miguel had just
finished a long night (four sets solo) at a restaurant in La Mision,
B.C. MX. He had just packed away his guitar when Brent took me up to
the stage. He introduced us, we shook hands and, maybe in Miguel's
mind, that was the end of it, so he hoped.
But Cousin Brent
told Miguel about how I play the violin... and Miguel was STILL just
as unimpressed... as I would be if I had just finished a hard night's
work... but Cousin Brent would not give up... he begged. He told us
of his recurring vision of Miguel and I performing together.
Finally, Mr. De Hoyos reluctantly reached back into his guitar case.
Up until that point, neither he or I had any idea how the other
played as I had just entered the restaurant from the parking lot.
...and with a sigh
(I was also tired from my gig earlier that evening) I got my fiddle
out to satisfy my Cousin's dream of Miguel and I performing together
and then... off to my warm bed... so I thought. (more
for-shadowing...)
With a worn-out
glance, Miguel politely asked me what I would like to play. I told
him to just pick anything and I'd just fall in. He raised his
eyebrows... “Besame Mucho?”, he asked, very politely once
again.
(The frequent
mention of Miguel and the word polite is important... if you were to
sum up his character in one word, “polite” might be the
one. Word.)
Still, somehow I
felt like a six-year-old with a whiffle-ball bat stepping up to take
a swing with the Red Sox. I told him that I had heard “Besame
Mucho” at least once before. “What key?” he asked.
I indicated that he could pick his favorite and go with that.
He was pleasantly
surprised with that particular answer and his demeanor changed a bit
simultaneously... it is often the case that whenever any musician
indicates no hesitation playing in ANY key, most likely, that
musician has vast knowledge and skill on his/her particular
instrument. And then he began to play.
What happened next
can only be explained in make-believe land. The sounds that rolled
out of his guitar were truly foreign to me. I had never heard the
guitar speak in a foreign tongue. We all know that music is a
universal language.
Still, I immediately
felt like a mere visitor in a country where music was VERY
important... especially to those who perform for survival. I have
“jammed” with and even performed with the greatest
guitarists of our day (heck, I just toured with Vai, right?) and
thought I knew all there was to know about the guitar as well as it's
capabilities... even play the guitar myself, yet Miguel has proven to
me once again that I must continue to learn on a daily basis.
The
Flamenco style of playing the guitar incorporates plenty of left-hand
technique. If you can imagine a fast Mexican song... even the famed,
“La Bamba”... that's a pretty quick tempo. OK, now take
your right hand, get all five fingers (thumb included) positioned
over the SIX strings... and then roll, or finger-pick, or even
tremolo... your lead line/solo by sub-dividing all the way down to
what one could only call 64th notes.
At times, Miguel's
right hand looks like a fan... a blur... it's exciting to watch and
epic to hear. He overwhelms our audiences with his mastery... now
let's talk about artistry.
To play with Mr. De
Hoyos reminds me a lot of my college days at Bowling Green State
University as a student majoring in Music Performance. I had the
privilege of working and performing with world-re-known pianist,
Jerome Rose. Mr. Rose and Miguel have a lot in common.
Playing with either
of them is so easy because my own mind is constantly being read.
They know how I'm about to turn a particular phrase sometimes before
even I do! In some ways, it's a bit creepy. The difference between
Rose and De Hoyos is that Miguel has never had a formal music lesson.
His Dad taught him when Miguel was only a boy growing up in
Monterrey, MX.
Our music (DePue/De
Hoyos) just flows freely without much effort at all. Some of the
tunes we currently perform have not changed AT ALL since our FIRST
TRY. The same is true for some of the tracks on the CD. It would
seem as though we think the same, feel the same, and ultimately, even
breathe exactly the same when performing.
We just began
recording our second CD with two new tracks in a rather cold and
snowy Philadelphia last month. We got to the studio, pulled out our
cold instruments, sat down in front of hot mics, and completed our
first track in one take. We did not even speak to each other,
really... too early for that... just one quick bit of eye contact and
three minutes and thirty seconds later, we were finished with that
much of our next recording... and HAPPY with the performance!? Sound
unbelievable? It was just that.
Because the name
Miguel De Hoyos is even more unknown than my own in the USA, I have
had the luxury of introducing De Hoyos as my “special guest”
for our American audiences... which is comical to me.
It is a DUO. It's
50/50 and our reasons for promoting ourselves temporarily in this
manner, at least in the US, are complicated and involved... say no
more.
Whenever I'm stuck
during a show and feel as though any particular audience is getting
even the slightest bit bored, I just grab the mic and say, “Now
I give you Miguel De Hoyos” and leave the stage. By the time I
get back the audience is on their feet cheering... EVERY TIME.
Well, back to the
story... don't really NEED to go back now, really, cuz you already
know the outcome. The short version would be that after we performed
together that first time on the famous, “Besame Mucho”,
we exchanged many compliments and we both knew that we could finally
satisfy ourselves musically and artistically through working
together, no matter how large the audience. Then I left the country
with Steve Vai.
