Andy Waldeck found his dream bass guitar on eBay recently. Waldeck, who likes trying to collect instruments from his birth year, recently found a 1966 candy-apple-red Fender Jazz Bass “with the most rare factory option, [the matching peg head paint.] This one is, as stated, in dead mint condition. Played lightly and put away for 40 years!!! My heart skipped a beat. It’s the proverbial needle in the haystack. This is THE BASS !! Now, if I only had a spare 13 grand!”
Waldeck’s new CD will be released at the Gravity Lounge on Saturday, November 25. Recorded at Rod Coles’ Esmont Studio, Waldeck played all the instruments except drums, and he invited a number of guest musicians to come in and add parts. Waldeck describes the new disc as his first full-length, electric project since Earth to Andy. Backing him up at the CD release party will be longtime collaborators Joe Lawlor, Tevis Marshall and Andy Rowland, and recent co-conspirator BJ Pendleton.
Waldeck’s better half, Jenn Rhubright, says that although she “has never been very saintly,” she was inspired to make a trip to New Orleans this week. The Charlottesville Chapter of Habitat for Humanity is helping to build a musicians’ village in the Crescent City, a set of 81 homes for displaced musicians.
As part of that project, Rhubright and a good friend are asking for donated musical instruments (wind instruments, percussion, strings, guitars, basses, keyboards, amplifiers, PA gear, microphones, speakers, cables, etc.). They will head south on Starlight Express buses to deliver the goods to the Tipitina’s Foundation (www.tipitinas foundation.org). The instruments will go to musicians who lost their instruments following Hurricane Katrina as well as to music programs in the local schools.
Rhubright says, “We can use any instruments that are in playable condition.” Anyone interested in making a tax-deductible donation to a good cause, contact Rhubright by Saturday, November 18, at jenn rhubright@gmail.com.
Rhubright has also become interested in photography and recently had a showing of photos at Starr Hill. Part of her itinerary will be to shoot some interesting photos in New Orleans.
And this Friday, before they leave, Rhubright’s band The Dirty Dishes are playing a set at the Gravity Lounge. The Dishes, also featuring Chris Ruotolo on guitar and bass, Juliet Trail on keys and cello and Lea Calvani on percussion, describe themselves as “Vibe-Girl Lounge” and play a mix of originals and covers influenced by Ella and Morcheeba.
The Dishes will be a followed by an increasingly rare local show by Jay Pun and Morwenna Lasko. This performance is only rare because the dynamic duo has been on the road in other parts of the country of late. They played an acoustic side stage for a DMB show in Virginia Beach this summer, and they were also invited to open for Ralph Stanley. They were well received. Lasko and Pun were also asked to join a short tour with Nashville up-and-comer Adrienne Young, who saw them at Floydfest and wanted to take them to some new venues. Pun says that they have also logged some miles in western North Carolina, which he says he really likes, and they have a date this month with Jen Chapin at The Living Room in New York City.
Pun says that their Myspace page has gotten them quite a bit of exposure. After opening for The Avett Brothers at Starr Hill, Pun says that a lot of fans reported they had found out about their music on Myspace. They got quite a few hits after the show, too.
Pun also says that the he and Lasko have a lot of new material and are looking to record with the goal of a new CD by springtime. You can catch the new material this Friday. Should be an excellent show.
Word has it that Scottish fiddler Bonnie Rideout is looking to make Charlottesville her new home. She must have been positively impressed after her Paramount date.
I got to say, I think Keith Morris spends way too much time on MySpace. Oh my god, Sidney Tapscott has a MySpace page.
Jay Pun’s recent spins: “The new Hamiltons CD. I was very excited to get that. We also like the new ones by Chris Thile, John Legend, Mindy Smith and Thom Yorke. As most people know, we are all over the place.”
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