Meet my friend Eric Paridine

Some weeks ago at Peaburry Cafés' Wednesday night 'Open Mike,' I sat down with Eric Paridine to do an interview for www.PappyYates.com. What Eric had to say about his music and music in general was enlightening. In order to do justice to that interview I will be posting parts of it as blog entries here and soon there will be a page on www.PappyYates.com dedicated to Eric's music. For now, read the following and start getting to know my friend Eric Paridine just a little.

"Eric," how long have you been performing?"

"My first 'show' was around 1965... high school senior year. I had a crush on Fran... and I had been playing without really learning much for a year or so. Therefore, let's say I've been playing since 1964, most of which time I had no idea what I was doing. For example, I played whatever guitar I had 'as is.' I had no notion of how to set up a guitar or even that mine needed to be set up – which it surely did! That first 'show" was in high school. With the 'British invasion' somebody had the idea to put on a talent show. Most of the acts lip synced to the hits of the day. My band decided to play Jimmy Reed's "You Got Me Running." Straight up twelve bar blues... though I didn't know that at the time. How did I ever come up with Jimmy Reed? Somehow, browsing (pre-computer browsing meant going through the racks at the local record shop until I found something that caught my attention) at my local record shop I found both Jimmy Reed and John Lee Hooker. The Jimmy Reed record was amazing. The recording session transposed to record everything intact. The chatter between musicians, the recording engineer and Jimmy directing the whole affair. I still can't figure out how anyone understood what he was saying, but these guys all started and stopped on a dime.

I did some basement parties. And then I got hooked up with a band that was much older than me. Playing bars etc... though I never did enjoy alcohol or smoking. We played Ventures, Beetles, Beach Boys, everything without any real context, just disconnected tunes... one after another. I starved in New York's Greenwich VIllage… I played the Cafe Wha, Night Owl, Cock and Bull, Purple Onion. They were 'heady' days, but still very disconnected from any self directed purpose. I played through college with a couple of bands... met people I still know, got passed up for Viet Nam, started working for an airline and stopped playing.

Anyway, I started playing a long time ago, but I stopped playing in the seventies. I ran out of inspiration. Still, I hadn't found the acoustic guitar. Everything was basically electric… all about Hendrix et al… all about trying to write pop music hit tunes. It just sort of spent itself out after a very short time. And there were no community players to keep me going, to keep me psyched. That would change in the late 90's.

About 1997, a friend from work (nothing to do with music) dared me to go to an 'open mike.' I hadn't played out in nearly 20 years. Hadn't really played much at all. But I took the dare. I totally destroyed "Beyond the Sea" on a twelve string Martin set up with six strings. But I was drawn to these singer- songwriters... folk pickers, Travis slickers.

Then I found alternate tunings. Alternate tunings have been the door to this phase of my playing guitar. A whole new world of music was opening before me. DADGAD became my tuning of choice. I didn't know chords or scales in standard and I certainly didn't know them in DADGAD. I had to relearn playing the guitar. I started writing songs, lots of songs. Eventually after a couple of years, I started playing only acoustic guitar. The strats and tele's were left sitting in their cases. Today, some thirty years after I started playing and performing I think I'm just beginning to get it. It's all about the song and playing the instrument and for getting the song out to the audience."

Subscribe to this blog to find out more about Eric in the weeks and months to come.

A Meal at Judy's Java & Fire House Cafe

So, just how good is the food at Judy's Java?

As promised, though it took a bit longer than I anticipated, I went back to Judy's Java for another 'open mike.' This time I got there early and stayed late. This time I had dinner there.

On the way from the parking lot, I encountered a man carrying a banjo case. Standing just inside the door was another fellow with a double base and another with a guitar. 'Bluegrass' I thought as I headed for the coffee bar, a little excited.

I decided to keep my dinner on the light side so I could try a dessert and another sampling of the excellent coffee offerings. For my first, but certainly not my last, meal at Judy's Java I thought soup and a sandwich was in order. So, I asked Ian at the counter what was on for soup. His reply brought a smile to my face. "Home made chicken noodle and homemade split pea with ham."

'On a chilly evening there is nothing like a bowl of piping hot split pea soup,' I thought. "I'll have a bowl of the split pea and a ham & cheese sandwich." Ian then offered me some choices of breads and cheeses. "Okay then, ham and provolone on rye with lettuce, tomato and mayo. Oh, and an iced tea."

"Anything else you would like?" he asked, documenting my order.

"That's fine for now." I replied, knowing that I intended to order dessert and coffee later on.

"Have a seat. We'll bring it to your table." So I spotted a comfortable stuffed chair close to the front, sat down with my iced tea and awaited my meal and the music.

To my left and back a little way, there was a young man dressed in an outfit made entirely of American flags. 'A bit odd if he isn't here to perform.' I thought. On second thought, 'a bit odd even if he is.' Rick Rogers announced the first participant, "The Lyrical Technician." No surprise . . . the young patriot stood and walked to the front. Rap, as near as I could tell, Christian rap. Not being a great fan of rap of any kind, it is difficult to comment other than I have to admire his style. Then Rick did a few songs. A nice smooth voice, really easy to listen to.

My dinner arrived with a smile. The split pea soup was thick, rich and piping hot; the sandwich was exactly what I had ordered. Next up, "Chain Reaction," banjo, guitar, mandolin and double base. Some really fine traditional bluegrass pickin' and singin'. These guys could play a whole evening and I'd sit right there and clap my hands and tap my toes to the music. If you're in the Elkton, MD area and want some bluegrass for an event, look these guys up.

Ian McCammont still sounds angry when he sings, but this being my second time hearing him, I think I am developing an appreciation for his style. Besides, when he is working behind the counter he doesn't sound angry. Quite the contrary, he seems to genuinely enjoy waiting on the clientele at Judy's Java.

Some time during Ian's set I decided it was time for dessert. There were too many choices in the dessert case, so I asked Kathy to tell me about them. She had just started the recitation when I heard "Bread pudding."

Interrupting her I said, "Bread pudding... bread pudding and a double shot of espresso."

"Would you like the pudding hot?" She asked.

"Yes ma'am, please."

"I'll bring it right out."

In a few minutes she was at my table with a serving of hot bread pudding with whipped cream and a perfect looking double espresso. A bite and a sip were all it took to know that I was going to enjoy my desert.

Leif Poland stopped in for a bite to eat and a coffee on his way from Minnesota to Florida, (by way of Elkton?) He borrowed a guitar and played a few songs. Leif was obviously no stranger to playing on stage, though he said that it had been a few years.

Then there was Tasha Blevins. She accompanied Ian on a couple of songs with her violin. There was something about her music that stirred me. There are untold numbers of good musicians in this world but every now and then you get to see and hear a musician play who is so much at one with his or her instrument that you can't tell where fingers end and strings begin. When music flows like water in a stream and as naturally, it's like walking for us mere musicians.

I found out later in the evening that Tasha teaches the violin, and I wondered to myself whether or not one could be taught to play and feel the music like that. I have to refer back to a previous blog entry, "Talent on Loan from God." There is talent - natural abilities that some of us are just born with. There are gifts - that come from our Creator. And there is skill - that comes with hours of practice and determination. Then there are the very few like Tasha, who take their natural talents and the gifts that God has given them and put in the hours of practice to be able to play music that moves people. So what is this young lady doing serving coffee? I do not know, but I hope to hear her play her violin again.

There is something about a real coffeehouse that is familiar and comfortable. Judy's Java and Firehouse Cafe is a real coffeehouse. Stop by for some good music, great coffee, and a tasty bite to eat on a Friday night. You won't be disappointed.

Check out Landing Lane

I received an email from my sister. The short version is: "I was asked to go and hear this Christian rock band play, but I will be out of town. Would you go?"

My first thought was about the use of the word "rock" to describe a Christian band. (That will be an entirely different blog for a different time.) My second thought was, "But I was planning to go to the open mike at Judy's Java in Elkton on Friday night." My third thought and thankfully the one I listened to was, "Barb doesn't usually ask me for anything unless it is important to her."

Did you ever go some place or do something fully expecting not to have a good time, but you went anyway because it was important to someone else? Well, that was my mind-set when I walked into the Landing Lane concert on Friday night November 9th. The show had already started; I had dragged my feet getting there. The crowd was small and not very lively, but as I sat and listened to the music and the lyrics I realized that the music I was hearing was not what I had heard the night before on their website. What I was hearing now was hard driving yet enjoyable music being played and sung by a band that had obviously spent many hours playing together. I was stunned when they commented that the drummer had only been with the band for six weeks.

A good description of Landing Lane's music would surely have to include the word 'rock.' However, there are other words that must be used. Two that come to mind are 'praise' and 'worship,' but the first word that I would have to use in describing the music of Landing Lane is 'Christian.' That is to say that the music was not in any way offensive and the lyrics were unapologetically all about Jesus Christ.

I am no music critic... Well, then again I guess we all are. We all make a choice as to whether or not we will buy another CD or go to a concert to hear a band play again and so on. So, I will offer my opinion here on the Landing Lane concert that I attended on Friday night:

First of all let me say, when I have the opportunity to go to another Landing Lane concert I will! As I have already stated, these guys are first and foremost a Christian band. The fact that at this particular concert they performed original music almost exclusively was and is a double-edged sword for them. While it is great that they have enough original stuff to do an entire concert, in my opinion a band that doesn't yet have a following should do enough covers during a concert to get some audience participation. The one cover song they did "You've Got to Serve Somebody," by Bob Dylan was done quite well, but 80% of the audience there on Friday night weren't even born yet when Dylan recorded it. The fast 'rock' songs that they played made me want to move with the music, but due to the fact that the band had no sound engineer with them, it was a bit of a strain to make out all the lyrics. By the same token, with the slower songs it was easy to hear the powerful lyrics, but Dave did some of them alone without the benefit of Tim, Patrick and Kirby playing behind him. I think they would have had more impact had the whole band played them acoustically.

If you get a chance to go and hear Landing Lane, GO! Clap your hands, jump up and down and praise God to some good 'Christian Rock' music. You will have a great time and so will they.

Guys, keep doing what you are doing!