Bob Villwock

I moved away last summer, but I left a bunch of stuff in Grass Valley, and now it’s up for sale down at Lake of the Pines Music at the corner of Wolfe (Combie) Rd. and Hwy. 49., (530) 268-2500

Go down there and talk to Mikel if you are interested in this stuff. You can email me with questions too…if it could talk, oh the stories some of this stuff could tell. It’s all in good shape.

Fender Concert (mid 80’s) all tube guitar amp combo 1×12″ $599 $499

Rhodes Mark II electric piano $400

Ampeg 410 bass cabinet $599 $499

Crown XLS602 power amp $250

Peavey bass rig (head + cab) $399
I don’t have a picture, but let’s just say it’s loud, it’s broken in, and it has that Peavey sound.

PAS passive stage monitors (3 of them) $250 ea.
These are fantastic little 2-way wedge monitors. I don’t have any good pics of them. You don’t see these very often, but they are very good quality speakers.

Mavis Staples and Joss Stone absolutely slaying “I’ll Take You There” at a Sound Stage performance. I love the bit at about 3:38 where it fails to end. They cannot be stopped!

Mavis Staples will take you there.

What a blast we had last weekend at the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley. Fourteen soulful musicians performing a bunch of groovy tunes, and a sold-out crowd of the finest funky party people you could ask for. Another Sierra Sirens production–is there anything those ladies can’t do? I don’t think so.

Lorraine catches a breath while Larry rips a guitar solo in Aretha Franklin's "Since You've Been Gone."

They’ve always got something in the works…tributes to Ella Fitzgerald and James Taylor are both in the works, plus a Broadway revue and a night of arias. Keep an eye on the calendar at the Center for the Arts.

TONIGHT! I’m playing with Project MOSS on 6th Street, Austin, TX at Darwin’s Pub Austin at 9 pm.

It’s Mardi Gras…Don’t forget your beads!!!

Project Moss at Darwin's Pub

I’m really looking forward to this next big show with Lorraine and company.  We packed the place solid last time for the Bonnie Raitt show, so this time there will be two shows, Saturday and Sunday.  Don’t miss it… it will be one of my last hurrahs before I move away this summer.

Saturday & Sunday, June 13 & 14

Sierra Sirens presents
Rhapsody in Blue
The Music of George & Ira Gershwin
Saturday at 8:00PM, Sunday at 7:00PM
$20 in advance, $25 at the door

Featuring:
Lorraine Gervais
Brielle Morgan
Jackie Landrum

With:
Bob Villwock & Kris Landrum - grand piano
Steve Wall - guitar
Joe Dolister - stand-up bass
Mike McMullen - sax
Lew Langworthy - drums

Following their The Great American Music Series, this will be another of the vintage themed shows that Lorraine & Brielle have produced featuring wonderfully talented local and regional performers. The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley will be turned into a 1930’s nightclub with martinis, twinkly lights and funky elegance!

I loved the irony of playing “Do It Again, ” a song about addictions, particularly to gambling, at a casino earlier this month.  It was on a Friday the thirteenth no less.  What a great show this was - lots of lights and sound and fog machines and a room full of Dan fans.  A few fan videos have surfaced on youtube.  Here’s one.

OK, who’s coming to the big show on Feb. 21?  I’m very excited about it.  The seven-piece band is smokin’, the singers are fabulous, and the material is just fun to hear and dance to.

Here’s some homework for you to get you even more psyched up for the show.  First of all, check out Bonnie Raitt’s bio on her web site, and explore the rest of her site from there.  Second, theres some more great stuff with a couple of videos at All About Jazz.  Third, I just watched this interview with her on Charlie Rose back in 1995.  Kinda bizarre that she was on the show with historian Robert Massie, and Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy.  She’s sort of the sweet filling between two much drier guests.  Her 20-minute segment starts at about 22 minutes into the show.

I like it, but I’ve never been a huge fan of reggae music.  Even so, that some of my most fun travel memories from all over the world have had Bob Marley for a soundtrack has not escaped my attention.  Last weekend I found myself in Jamaica with the bachelor party gang.  By the way, we’re all married now - so next year we need a new excuse to go somewhere.

I met a fantastic trumpet player named Frank on the beach in Negril.  He just goes up and down the beach all day with his horn, hustling tips from tourists and sitting in whereever there is music.  His horn was barely held together — some of the spit valves were sealed shut, so he had to repeatedly remove a valve to empty out the condensation.  The braces were cracked, so he had the thing taped together in places.  The finish was corroded a bit from hanging out at the beach all day, but no matter though.  Somehow he managed to keep the sand out of the thing and free of dents, probably because he almost always has it in his hands.  It’s like an extension of him.  When he played it, his tone was rich and confident and clear, and the horn sounded amazing.

Frank called me up to sit in with the band on Sunday night at Alfred’s Ocean Palace, and we played some Bob Marley.  Yeah, mon.  The band was great, I had a blast, and it must have been a spectacle for the gang to see yours truly making some music with guys that had dreads to the floor.  I have had that “reggae shuffle” stuck in my head now for four days.  Kinda enjoying it actually.

On the heels of a really successful Cole Porter revue back in September, Lorraine and Brielle from Sierra Sirens Productions have cooked up the next big show.  Mark your calendars for February 21 in Grass Valley for a tribute to Bonnie Raitt with a great band and some fantastic singers.  Details to follow in a month or so…

Hey… thanks to all our friends who helped us finish in the top 5 this month!  That was fun (especially that day we spent at #1!).  We’ll have to “Do It Again” sometime.

You can check out the song and some great comments on it here.

Also check out these guys - they’re a spot-on Journey tribute band from Fresno - maybe we can play a double-bill someday?