Ryan Rittenhouse, founder of Santa Cruz Surf Apparel Co., held a press conference today, Jan. 5, to dispel the Santa Cruz Surfing Club Preservation Society’s current allegations against him...
The facilities run by the city of Watsonville will be closed completely until Jan. 5, 2009, as the city attempts to save money in a slumping economy. The move...
University police had a busy morning on Wednesday, Dec. 17, as they took stock of the previous night’s vandalisms on the campus. The crimes were scattered across the large...
For most people, the clean, sharp howling of the harp calls forth rustic porchfront blues like a whistle calls forth a train; the two go hand-in-hand and there ain’t no separation. Don’t tell that to Jonny Troutner. Better known as Harpin’ Jonny , he knows there’s more to the harmonica than simply the blues, and he’s been out proving it for nearly two decades. “There isn’t any song that I can’t play on the harmonica,” he states. “I don’t see it being limited to any certain type of music and I don’t think it should be summed up as just a blues instrument.” Blowing through those minuscule metal windows on Bay Area stages since ’92, he wasn’t initially struck or confined by those stereotypical blues harmonica riffs. Instead, it was Norton Buffalo , Toots Thielemans and Charlie Musselwhite who guided him to wail through an array of bluegrass, rock, country, and jazz, in addition to the blues. “I like to embellish a song by creating melody or answers to the song, and even add percussion through the harmonica. Being able to make something interesting out of nothing is what I like to do.” And he’s been doing it ever since the age of 7. Currently alongside The Primadons, The Groovehounds and The Larry Hosford Band , not to mention studio stints for various collaborations, he’s become a Santa Cruz staple who’s even sat in with Robert Earl Keen and Paul Thorn . “Now I play so much that sometimes I’d rather hide and listen,” he admits with a laugh. Still, despite three bands and a solo album in the works, he also knows when to quit. Whereas some musicians’ nerves can flutter in fear that a harpist will drill through a tune with no restraint, Troutner understands that silence can be golden. “Most of the time, people overplay when they play the harmonica,” he admits of his breed’s reputation. “You gotta learn how to listen and play in the right places. Then people will know they can trust you to go in and not wreck the song.” Needless to say, we trust you, Jonny.
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29 with The Groovehounds. Michael’s On Main , 2591 Main St., Soquel. Free. 479-9777.
Pluto Enters Capricorn I have read several predictions from astrologers about the return of Pluto to Capricorn, the natal position of American when she was born, and they all speak of love and the soul and the one-ness of m...
Town Hall with Sam Farr
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Town Hall with Sam Farr | Print | E-mail
Written by Sam Farr
Monday, 05 January 2009
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LETTER TO PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA
Laval, Canada, January ...
What's different about California's budget? Look at how we got where we are, to see the solution. Any money the state gets they will use to raise tghe pay and benefits of state employees. They now retire on 70 to 90 percent of their pay, and a...
Say a Little Prayer Diane Wiscombe,
I unfortunately wrote my comment while you were posting yours, and oh how I wish I had seen it prior to my spouting off. I admit I was rather angered by the resoundingly critical resp...
Say a Little Prayer I've had many similar experiences as you growing up in a devoutly LDS family in the 90's, though I must admit that I was blessed growing up in the liberal San Francisco Bay Area. I think our wards wer...
