And those early, perfectly named teachers Martin and Gibson! Thanks for a beautiful story to start our day, Kevin! Love learning more about your wonderful obsession from which we all get to benefit ❤️
I only realized that after my kids started school. I was telling them one day that they would never forget the names of their first teachers….i told them mine and once I said the names out loud it hit me 🤓
Thank you for sharing this beautiful insight into the birth of Shinyribs. And a big thank you for your teachers and influences that brought about the soulful music that fills my life with joy.
"I am a poet and a songwriter and an entertainer. That’s what I do. That’s what I am. I know a lot of things, but that’s really all I know professionally is poetry, song and dance. That’s me in a nutshell." Yeah, we're all stocked up here too. I was asked on Soundcloud (by a Bangladeshi AI robot I think) "How do I write my songs?" So, I responded to my ex-machina "I write what I live, and I've been writing songs since I was in kindergarten. "Mrs. Stolper is doper" was my first little ditty. I was the first kid in my town to stay after school. Make shit up, add melody/chords and poof you're a songwriter. I'm working hard on my Lost in Austin album recording my old tunes adding better vocals and erudite lyrical twists but keeping the basic musical structures intact.
Improving upon inspiration is a trap. As far as friends... I've had a few but then again too few to mention... but one friend (my original drummer of Sweet Crude) wrote a better one than any of mine from my 90's NYC/Brooklyn days and nights. He made this home recording about mutual friend Bebe's daughter Liv. "Liv in a Dream" I re-wrote it and added it to the SC set with a Rolling Stones middle part a la "Shattered" and we rocked Nightingale's Bar until '98 along with a bushel of my tunes of heartache and debauchery. So, I guess "place" is also a key contributor, both the locale and where you're at. I just finished my stage acting career in June singing and dancing as the Mayor in Bye Bye Birdie. So yeah, we're entertainers mostly... through and through but now I'm fully committed to writing this music again. I lived in your town, and it stuck in my craw. It's not something you can explain but it comes up from deep within. Can't stop the shindig.
Tunefulness? Truthfulness? Toothlessness? We all sing in the shower. We hit a bad note or "clam", everybody knows it. Living on the periphery I'm a jazz singer in a big band and they are counting on me to never hit one and I never do. Maybe a phrase could be sharper hit but no more clams. But those old on the road songs still resonate with me, I pursue them like a wolf on the trail.
Happy trails bro! You're an inspiration to a new generation of seekers, singing sweet songs.
See, you started down this path a long time ago and one can see fate's hand in it at every step. Now, if you tell us the principal's name was Mr. Fender, well...😁
Thanks for writing this, Kevin!
As a non-musician with almost every friend a gifted player, I always felt like they were speaking a language I couldn't understand. A secret language with code words and vague terms that I struggled to follow. Now, at 73.5 years, I'm contemplating buying a resonator guitar. Is it ever too late?
Beautiful story, my man. Glad it's your story and not one that ended up with a different Ribs working 3rd shift and hating life, while listening to some nonsense on the radio and knowing you could do it better. Or at least do it more Rib-like. There's nothing much out there like Steeple Full of Swallows or 442. Keep a dancin' and a hollerin' and inspirin' and we'll keep being joyful and unburdened and happy to be there when it all breaks out.
Kevin, I really loved reading about how you learned how to create and write and play your guitar! I hope Kay and I can come see you and the band soon! Thanks!
Great Story, now we need a re-write of the Beaumont Song. Maybe a blend of the old and new. Now that you visit Beaumont as often as you do. And you have all these adulthood influences of from all the Pineywoods People. "Keep on Ribbing"......now I just envisioned a new T-shirt
I love this essay! Especially that you learned to play guitar so you could write songs. I learned to play guitar so I could write my songs and quit dating musicians! (Now I'm married to a fantastic guitarist, but whatever, lol.)
Thank you Judy, Joe, and Kevin!
And those early, perfectly named teachers Martin and Gibson! Thanks for a beautiful story to start our day, Kevin! Love learning more about your wonderful obsession from which we all get to benefit ❤️
I only realized that after my kids started school. I was telling them one day that they would never forget the names of their first teachers….i told them mine and once I said the names out loud it hit me 🤓
There's my problem! My first teachers were Podolski and Lang! Sounds like shyster lawyers. I coulda been a contenda...
Wonderful. You brought to mind another story Wynton Marsalis told about the great Danny Barker and music education: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt2BEpTs2i8
Thank you for sharing this beautiful insight into the birth of Shinyribs. And a big thank you for your teachers and influences that brought about the soulful music that fills my life with joy.
To the teachers,as difficult as I was they always had my best interest at heart
When I was teaching fourth grade, every year there was that boy or girl who was a little toot and they always had a special
Place in my heart.
"I am a poet and a songwriter and an entertainer. That’s what I do. That’s what I am. I know a lot of things, but that’s really all I know professionally is poetry, song and dance. That’s me in a nutshell." Yeah, we're all stocked up here too. I was asked on Soundcloud (by a Bangladeshi AI robot I think) "How do I write my songs?" So, I responded to my ex-machina "I write what I live, and I've been writing songs since I was in kindergarten. "Mrs. Stolper is doper" was my first little ditty. I was the first kid in my town to stay after school. Make shit up, add melody/chords and poof you're a songwriter. I'm working hard on my Lost in Austin album recording my old tunes adding better vocals and erudite lyrical twists but keeping the basic musical structures intact.
Improving upon inspiration is a trap. As far as friends... I've had a few but then again too few to mention... but one friend (my original drummer of Sweet Crude) wrote a better one than any of mine from my 90's NYC/Brooklyn days and nights. He made this home recording about mutual friend Bebe's daughter Liv. "Liv in a Dream" I re-wrote it and added it to the SC set with a Rolling Stones middle part a la "Shattered" and we rocked Nightingale's Bar until '98 along with a bushel of my tunes of heartache and debauchery. So, I guess "place" is also a key contributor, both the locale and where you're at. I just finished my stage acting career in June singing and dancing as the Mayor in Bye Bye Birdie. So yeah, we're entertainers mostly... through and through but now I'm fully committed to writing this music again. I lived in your town, and it stuck in my craw. It's not something you can explain but it comes up from deep within. Can't stop the shindig.
Tunefulness? Truthfulness? Toothlessness? We all sing in the shower. We hit a bad note or "clam", everybody knows it. Living on the periphery I'm a jazz singer in a big band and they are counting on me to never hit one and I never do. Maybe a phrase could be sharper hit but no more clams. But those old on the road songs still resonate with me, I pursue them like a wolf on the trail.
Happy trails bro! You're an inspiration to a new generation of seekers, singing sweet songs.
https://soundcloud.com/stevegabe/live-from-the-vault-16-liv-in?si=978c0c6b3f064c37a5c88f0ab51cdc37&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Polygenic traits and Proust effect
A beautiful story to start the day off with Kevin. Much love and lots of music!
Nice that you wrote about when you were a young boy
I can hear the NYC in this
See, you started down this path a long time ago and one can see fate's hand in it at every step. Now, if you tell us the principal's name was Mr. Fender, well...😁
Thanks for writing this, Kevin!
As a non-musician with almost every friend a gifted player, I always felt like they were speaking a language I couldn't understand. A secret language with code words and vague terms that I struggled to follow. Now, at 73.5 years, I'm contemplating buying a resonator guitar. Is it ever too late?
It is never too late, it’s always a good time
I hope that’s right. Thank you for the encouragement Kevin!
Beautiful story, my man. Glad it's your story and not one that ended up with a different Ribs working 3rd shift and hating life, while listening to some nonsense on the radio and knowing you could do it better. Or at least do it more Rib-like. There's nothing much out there like Steeple Full of Swallows or 442. Keep a dancin' and a hollerin' and inspirin' and we'll keep being joyful and unburdened and happy to be there when it all breaks out.
I hope your father got some new strings for ya, for that guitar!
Kevin, I really loved reading about how you learned how to create and write and play your guitar! I hope Kay and I can come see you and the band soon! Thanks!
You turned it into Dreaming the Life.
Born to shine!
Pretty cool nut shell!
Great Story, now we need a re-write of the Beaumont Song. Maybe a blend of the old and new. Now that you visit Beaumont as often as you do. And you have all these adulthood influences of from all the Pineywoods People. "Keep on Ribbing"......now I just envisioned a new T-shirt
I love this essay! Especially that you learned to play guitar so you could write songs. I learned to play guitar so I could write my songs and quit dating musicians! (Now I'm married to a fantastic guitarist, but whatever, lol.)