JEFF CALVIN
Who am I, and why am I here?
I was born in Cooperstown, NY and raised in a small upstate NY town. Nothing much happened until I was 16, when I grabbed my brother's cheap acoustic guitar from his room when he wasn't around; aided by a songbook that had the little boxes with the little dots in them, I went about learning all of the Eagles Greatest Hits. It seemed pretty easy; just put your fingers where the dots are*.
I soon finagled a cheap electric Strat-style guitar and 5-watt amp made of plywood. I played along with records for hours at a time; sometimes my attempts to mimic the guitar solo on "Aqualung" would draw the dreaded phone call from an elderly neighbor.
Many bands followed; too many to mention. Eventually I founded my own blues band in Harrisburg, PA, in 1988. The King Bees would go on to play hundreds of gigs around the Northeast, often with a 3-piece horn section; a fine group that ended when I moved to San Francisco in 1994.
In that city, I gigged and recorded with a phenomenal phunk band named Moe's Kitchen. I also worked with local artists like soul singer Edna Love and Grateful Dead saxophonist Martin Fiero, and it was in that city that the Converse All Stars first laced up.
The All Stars, which featured SF bassist/man-about-town Ed Ivey and drummer Dave "Deebs" Black, played many fine SF rooms, but resided mainly at a Theatre District dive called the Blue Lamp. Sadly, the Lamp has been gutted and reduced to another shiny yuppie hang, but the old room, in all its funky fine-ness, can be seen on the cover of Maria Muldaur's "Meet Me Where They Play the Blues" album - look here.
Circumstances beyond my belief required a return to the cozy Northeast, where the Converse All Stars rise again - ready to turn your room into a fine and funky blues joint....whenever you're ready.
For booking info, call 443-465-7168.
Info on my guitars and amps is here.
I'm on Facebook, and I blog as well. Where aren't I?
*Further information on the little dots: "The Trial of Ralph McTell".
