Greg Howard (Stick) in Charlottesville tonight

Veej007 · #1 11-05-2004, 07:34 AM

Leading Chapman Stick player Greg Howard will be performing tonight alongside trumpet player John D'earth, guitarist Jamal Millner, and drummer James McLaughlin at the West Main restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia. The show will start at 9:30.

For those that might not already know, the Stick is a string instrument designed specifically for two-hand tapping, combining elements drawn from guitar, bass, and piano. You can watch a demonstration at http://www.eyeoncville.com/005/005vid02.htm or find out more at www.stick.com .

Veej007 · #2 01-12-2005, 09:45 AM

...and more:

Thursday 01.13
West Main in Charlottesville, Virginia
with James McLaughlin on drums
333 West Main St
9:00 pm. Call 434-293-2605 for more information.

Saturday 01.15
Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville, Virginia
with John D'earth, Matt Wyatt, and Jamal Millner
103 South First Street
www.gravity-lounge.com
8:00 pm. $5 cover. Call 434-977-5590 for more information.

Friday 01.21
Stick Night at the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles, California
see www.stick.com/news/sn05.html for more information
8:00-1:00

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #3 01-12-2005, 11:33 AM

Saw him in Ohio opening for Michael Manring-awesome musician.

This probably belongs in Miscellaneous though-a mod should move it for you.

**embellisher** · #4 01-12-2005, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan R. Tyler

Saw him in Ohio opening for Michael Manring-awesome musician.

This probably belongs in Miscellaneous though-a mod should move it for you.

Right you are!

cybersnyder · #5 01-12-2005, 02:50 PM

The guy's an incredible musician, but a little too "religious" about the Stick from some of the newgroup postings I've seen. I really wanted a Stick at one time but all the bickering about some suppsedly bad business deal that happened 20 years ago and still remains just turned me off to the whole thing. I'll stick with 4/5/6 strings but still be amazed by Greg's playing.

Veej007 · #6 01-31-2005, 11:20 PM

Some more upcoming gigs...

02.01.05: The Cellar in Blacksburg, Virginia (540-953-0651)
02.04.05: Jazz Street in Lynchburg, Virginia (434-385-0100)
02.05.05: Jazz Street in Lynchburg, Virginia (434-385-0100)

Greg just played out at the NAMM trade show in California, too, so you'll get a chance to see him with some cutting edge gear, including a new preamp pedal meant for use with Stick and guitar and the brand new Alto Stick, a higher-pitched permutation of the original.

>Saw him in Ohio opening for Michael Manring

There's another Manring/Howard thing coming up. March, maybe? I can't remember exactly.

> The guy's an incredible musician, but a little too "religious"
> about the Stick from some of the newgroup postings I've
> seen. I really wanted a Stick at one time but all the
> bickering about some suppsedly bad business deal
> that happened 20 years ago and still remains just turned
> me off to the whole thing. I'll stick with 4/5/6 strings but
> still be amazed by Greg's playing.

Not a bad business deal, if you're talking about what I think you are. Emmett Chapman sued a few of the people making knockoff instruments because they were using some pretty shady marketing techniques that basically leeched off his instrument's reputation/market share/etc. It's a pretty sticky situation all around. Greg still isn't really down with the Warr Guitars and Megatars and all the other lesser known variants, but he's nowhere near as sore about it as he used to be. (That is, considerably less "religious" these days.)

On the other hand, I'm a bit of a greenhorn Stick player myself, and... oh my, what an amazing instrument. In that sense, it absolutely IS a religious experience.

Bard2dbone · #7 02-01-2005, 02:27 AM

I have seen him a couple of/few times. He doesn't make it to DFW very often. He is an amazing musician. The first time I saw him I was already interested in the Stick, but every stickist I had seen up to that point used it as a bass. In most cases they played just on the bass side of the neck, but with both hands. In two cases they played with just the left hand. One of those two guys played in a duo that I saw where he used both hands on both sides, but was still just comping for his guitar player.

Greg was the first guy I ever saw really playing a stick as it was obviously meant to be played. I kind of hate him for that, in the same way I occasionally hate Victor Wooten.

The same way I can't stand to pick up my bass the day after a Flecktones concert, I didn't touch my stick for several days after seeing Greg the first time. But when I could stand to try it again I was inspired by Greg. This is also much like seeing Victa.

I continue to stink on stick, but I keep hoping I will get the hang of this thing well enough to use it with the band.

Veej007 · #8 03-05-2005, 06:45 PM

Well hey, look at this, we've got another gig with Michael Manring for this month! Check it out if you're in the area.

March 9th: Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville; with Michael Manring!
March 18th: Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville; celebrating 20 years of playing Stick, with lots of past musical partners, including John D'earth, Dawn Thompson from the Code Magenta Project, and Jamal Millner
March 24th: Michael's Bistro in Charlottesville
March 26th: The Electric Maid in Washington DC

Not to connect everything in this thread TOO cleanly, but Victa's also coming to Charlottesville this month...

Bard2dbone · #9 03-06-2005, 10:49 PM

I can't believe nobody ever posted the videos of Greg on www.stick.com

There are two: www.stick.com/method/greg_howard1.wmv and www.stick.com/method/greg_howard2.wmv

Number two is cooler.

Hollow Man · #10 03-07-2005, 05:41 AM

I saw he and Manring in Charlottesville a year or so ago, and was blown away. That's interesting that they play together so often. I think they're playing here in the DC area sometime in the near future, and once I find out when, I'll be knocking over whatever old ladies and small children happen to be standing in between me and my tickets.

Veej007 · #11 05-04-2005, 08:47 AM

Greg has just released a new album called "Ether Ore," a collection of live improvisations from the past year and a half. It's a really intriguing listen, even for people who already own his other live improv album. "Water on the Moon" was one long continuous performance; the "Ether Ore" pieces, on the other hand, were recorded over the course of several different performances and are the cream of the crop for that time period. Simply spreading the tapings apart made for a much more varied album.

You can keep up with Greg and order the album by visiting http://www.greghoward.com . It's also available from Amazon.com, MusicToday.com, and from Stick Enterprises, the company that makes Chapman Sticks, but if you buy it directly from Greg, he's running a special promotion in which you'll be able to get a second album for just $7 more.

Alright, now with all that out of the way, below are details for Greg's May performances. Old ladies and children beware.

Charlottesville, VA - May 7 - Tandem School
Charlottesville, VA - May 7 - Gravity Lounge
Nanaimo, British Columbia - May 11 - Duncan Garage Showroom
Gabriola Island, British Columbia - May 13 - White Hart Pub

Thanks for supporting independent music, everyone.