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You Sure This Is How Richie Havens Got Famous?
Arts Blog – You Sure This Is How Richie Havens Got Famous?
Dwight Hobbes
Mark Dorshak, who’s at the moment jawing with me on the phone, is fine guitarist and a sharp, solid producer. Prince of a guy, too, for that matter. Me and him, though, can on occasion, drive one another up a tree. This happens to be one such occasion — two weeks before our first gig together with me singing and backing myself up on acoustic rhythm. Never mind particulars of how we are making each other crazy this time. Show me a partnership — even the best of ‘em — and you’ll see problems, it’s just a matter of how they’re dealt with. Today, getting off the phone, I deal with it by pulling out some of what little bit of hair I have left, asking myself: Self, you sure this is how Richie Havens got famous?
Haven’t gigged outside of a few open mics in about 5 years. Not since opening for James Curry at the Terminal Bar. And 5 years before that, opening for David Daniels at First Street Entry. That’s a lot of rust to scrape off, especially if you haven’t even had a guitar laying around the house to practice on and keep yourself loose. Consequently, rehearsal has been interesting to say the least. Songs I played for ages by second nature, I’ve had to figure the lyrics and chords to all over again (not just covers, but several that I wrote). And that’s after getting my fingers nimble enough to touch all the strings at the same time. Fun.
It’s coming along, though. Helps that at least I’ve kept my pipes warm over the past year or so, in and out of the studio, recording a CD that should’ve been finished this summer except the economy had other ideas. It’s on hold, but the work out at Winterland Studios is most done. In fact, two tracks are up at CD Baby. They’re not exactly burning up the proverbial chart, but, well, that’s what gigs are for. Accordingly, to promote this upcoming appearance at Corner Coffee in the Minneapolis Warehouse District, I swung guest spots on radio and TV, courtesy of some dear friends. Kinshasha Kambui had me on her show Health Notes From The Heart Of A Natural Woman (KFAI) and Bill Borea had me on Spectator (MTN). That’s to get the cuts, “End It All Over Again” and “Lady Midnight” some airplay.
Interesting isn’t quite the word for how the studio experience has gone, working at a top-flight space with hellified musicians. Check this out. Alicia Wiley sings a duet with me on “End It All Over Again”. And plays piano on “Lady Midnight”, doing an arrangement by J.D. Steele. There’s guest guitarist Aaron “Orange A.C.” Cosgrove from The New Congress, guitarist Jeff “Boday” Christensen, Stanley Kipper (timbales, vocals) and Chico Perez (congas) from New Primitives and Yohannes Tona, who plays bass and, for “End It All Over Again”, played piano and did the arrangement. Won’t none of them be at Corner Coffee — hell, I’ll be happy if me and Mark keep it together long enough for our debut. The play, by the way, is a nice, quiet spot where you can grab fancy sandwiches, a specialized cup of joe and there’s a short menu of home-cooked stuff that smelled great last time I was in (I interviewed Lehamore-Hudson, a pair of pretty damned good guitarists). Shouldn’t be a hard room to play. Not if I’m in shape. Which I’m working on as fast and diligently as a few weeks allow. It’s been like riding a bicycle with most of rehearsal being about wobbling my butt off and keeping from falling right on my fanny.
So. I stop pulling at my scalp and pick up my guitar.
Story to be continued via: Dwight Hobbes performs at Corner Coffee, 514 3rd St. North in the Warehouse District, Minneapolis, 7PM to 8PM. Aug. 27th No cover, all ages. Shameless plug, I know. Sue me.
About the Author
Coming: “Angels Don’t Really Fly” EP by Dwight Hobbes & The All-Star Hired Guns featuring Alicia Wiley. The crew: Me, Alicia Wiley, Stanley Kipper, Chico Perez, Jeff “Boday” Christensen, Aaron “Orange A.C.” Cosgrove and Yohannes Tona. Singer-songwriter Dwight Hobbes recorded the single “Atlanta Children” (BeatBad Records) and gigged 10 years in the Long Island/NYC area, including The Other End, Kenny’s Castaways and My Fathers Place. Fronted the Boston blues band Midlight. In Minneapolis, Hobbes opened for David Daniels at First Street Entry, James Curry at Terminal Bar, sat in with Yohannes Tona, Alicia Wiley at Sol Testimony’s Soul Jam, The New Congress at Babalu, Willie Murphy at the Viking Bar and Wain McFarlane & Jahz at Lucille’s Kitchen. Dwight Hobbes still drops in at the occasional open mic around town. Dwight Hobbes has written for ESSENCE, Reader’s Digest, Washington Post, Minneapolis Star Tribune, St. Paul Pioneer Press, City Pages, Mpls/St. Paul, MN Law & Politics, Pulse of the Twin Cities, Twin Cities Daily Planet, Women & Word, San Diego Union-Tribune, The Circle, to Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (where he contributes the commentary columns Hobbes In The House and Something I Said. He’s spoken his mind over National Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio and KMOJ in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Was regularly featured as guest commentator on NewsNight Minnesota (KTCA-Minneapolis/St. Paul) and Spectator (Minneapolis Television Network). His monthly column “Hobbes In The House” in MN Spokesman Recorder comments on domestic abuse and rape. His plays are Shelter – produced at Mixed Blood Theatre by Pangea World Theater, Dues – produced by Mixed Blood Theatre, University of Southern Illinois in Point of Revue, selected for Bedlam Theatre’s 10-Minute Play Festival and published by Playscripts, Inc. You Can’t Always Sometimes Never Tell – produced by Theater Center Philadelphia, Long Island University, reading at The Kennedy Center and published in the anthology CENTER STAGE, In the Midst – produced by Long Island University, starring Samuel E. Wright. Hobbes spoke on the panel “Farewell To August Wilson” at the Guthrie Theater, broadcast on Conversations With Al McFarlane (KFAI, KMOJ). Twin Cities Daily Planet articles archived at www.tcdailyplanet.net/dwighthobbes
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