My all-time favorite guitarist, Ry Cooder

Three day weekend, man. 

Columbus Day?

Fuck, no. It's got something to do with money and and shit but I don't have a fuckin' idea of what it is for sure. I think it's got something to do where it's an unpaid day for us, of course. But at this point I am in desperate need of a three day weekend, so I ain't questioning anything.

Hey, did I tell you about the concert I went to? 

No, farmboy. Who'd you go hear?

My all-time favorite guitarist, Ry Cooder. With Ricky Skaggs and his wife Sharon White. All three were just fuckin' amazing, man. Cooper...fuck, he's just fuckin' fearless. They did lots of harmonies with Cooder singing bass and doing a damn fine job of it. Skaggs was wonderful. I've loved his music for a long time. Sharon was also great and her harmonies were exquisite.

Exquisite. That's not a word I hear you use often.

It well may be the first time I've ever used it, I don't know.

You know, it's good to hear that you're going out and doing things. Especially going to hear live music.

Yeah, I don't do that too often. I need to start taking advantage of living in a city, doing stuff like that.

Maybe you'll do something this weekend?

We'll see. 

Short and sweet

Man, this is so fuckin' rough. I have to write this bio thing to try to get gigs at rest homes and day-care places. Kids and seniors. Anyway, it's just been hard writing this thing. Can I bounce some ideas off you?


Sure, farmboy. I'd love to hear whatever you've got. I'm glad to see you've been working.


That's tough, too. Tough to get disciplined, hard to get past the guilt and shame. But we can go over that at another time...


Yes, I think it's better if you tackle the bio today.  Just concentrate on that for right now. It's a concrete action. Not that there's not a time for planning and thinking and daydreaming, it's just that I want you to feel like you've accomplished something when you go to bed tonight.


Okay, man, here's the first paragraph:


With fingers on strings and joy in his voice, farmboy has been entertaining people for over ___ years. He utilizes his skills on guitar, banjo, and piano to accompany himself performing American folk music. The songs he sings -- from such writers as Woody Guthrie and Stephen Foster, as well as traditional songs -- lend themselves to group participation and singing along. Everybody is apt to have a good time when farmboy performs.


How does that sound? Is it too flowery?


What I would suggest, farmboy, is that you write whatever comes to mind and then edit and rewrite later. 


Kinda like how I write songs?


Exactly, farmboy.


Okay. Here goes nothing.


farmboy's music has taken him to such diverse venues as senior centers and daycare facilities, churches and festivals, radio and television programs, coffeehouse and county fairs. He has opened concerts for musicians like Ricky Skaggs, Lucinda Williams, and Portland's own Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer. He currently works for Portland Public Schools in special education, where he plays music for his students, among other duties.


His musical accomplishments since moving to the Pacific Northwest include winning first place in the songwriting competition at Artichoke Community Music's folk music festival in Portland, Oregon in June 2007. farmboy has released four CDs of original material and is currently recording a fifth recording.


Wow, farmboy! I had no idea you had four CDs.


I have a lot of songs, man. That's what I do.


So how does that sound? I'm figuring that I'll put a photo of myself playing guitar on the bio, and contact information at the end. I also need to get some music on You Tube at some point. 


So that's it, man. I'm keeping it short and sweet. Just one page, that's all I want.


I think you have it, farmboy, but I'd read it over again tomorrow and see what you want to change. I like the way it's worded; it doesn't limit you to just playing one kind of place.


Thanks, man. Thanks for listening and thanks for your input. So tomorrow I'll firm this up and make a master copy that I can use. And I'll look into my method of getting them to places, which I think may be driving to places with my ukulele in case they want a sample.


How do you feel?


Like I haven't done anything. Like I'm a fuckin' lazy slob that can't do anything right.


You're wrong, farmboy.


Man, I hope so. I'm so fuckin' tired of being a failure.


Stop that, farmboy. No putting yourself down.


I know, man. It's hard...


But not impossible.


No, sir.

Howdy

Not much to talk about, or not much I want to talk about. It's just the same, more of the same. Worrying, stress, money, my existence on this planet. All of it. You know?

farmboy, have you been smoking marijuana?

Well, yeah. How can you tell, O Great Interviewer?

I just can. There's nothing wrong with it. Don't act so guilty.

It's just my fuckin' conditioning. Catholic upbringing, you know.

What's that you're listening to?

A recording of this great concert by Emmylou Harris and Ricky Skaggs in Santa Cruz, California. 1979.

Anyway, there's just not a whole lot to say tonight. I just wanted to say howdy.

Howdy yourself. Have a good night, farmboy.

You too, man.

Threw my head back and fuckin' howled, man!

So, farmboy, how was last night's performance?

It was good, despite being so last minute. I didn't really have any idea of what I was gonna play, or not much of one. It was all very seat-of-the-pants, as a friend of mine would say. I don't really know the reason for that phrase in the performance context, but, you know, there it is. (laughs) Maybe it means I'm just covering my ass.

I sang well, I used the microphone well, I got to be very intimate when I wanted and there were times when was so confident that I backed away from the microphone and threw my head back and fuckin' howled, man! Yep, farmboy the Chicano bluegrass singer. Ay, dios mio!

I can imagine it a little bit. You're a tenor...

Oh, man, believe me, if I could sing like those guys...Make me a mixture of Ralph Stanley and Ricky Skaggs, see if I care. But, you know, I'm not from the South and I didn't grow up playing in a family band at a Baptist church, you know. But I love that style of singing. I wish somebody would tell me I'm good at it, so I could do it more often.

Did it get your mind off your troubles?

A little bit. It was good, I'm glad I did it. If nothing else I got a little money, enough for an eighth of an ounce of weed. So I'm glad.

I know I should put that money towards something else, but it's music money, you know? I'm counting it as extra. At least this month.

I'm happy to hear that you were comfortable enough to sing out.

Yeah, it's surprising to me. Like, I'm doing it and thinking "I'm really doing this." I love that, that taking chances boldly stuff. Man, that is just the fuckin' best.

Boy, I tell you, man, what I really need to do is go on tour for an extended period of time. Or just fuckin' perform for an extended period of time. Get these fuckin' nerves out of my system. 'Cause I can be really good, you know? Last night I was funny, I was serious, people laughed, people were touch. You know, man, I followed this guy who played cello and did a lot of things with loops on his lap top and he had all these wires and things. Which, by the way, I really like. But I decided to go the opposite way, which was to start completely acapella and sing one of my most compassionate and humanistic type songs. And I like that. I love using my performance chops.

Anyway, man, I just looked at the clock and it's time for me to go. I'm going to the coffeehouse to hear an old friend from Southern California play tonight.

Glad the gig went well. Have a great night, farmboy.

You too, man. See ya.