One Man Guitar Festival by Paul Chasman

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I started playing guitar when I was ten years old. The first guitar I ever met was a sunburst Stella sitting in the corner of Harry Drell’s living room. He taught me a D and A7 and some old tunes like “Old Paint” and “Pick a Bale o’ Cotton.” I was drawn to that guitar like a magnet and I literally played it till my fingers bled. Then I put band aids on and played some more.

Mom & Dad bought me a Harmony guitar for my tenth birthday--probably the best gift they ever gave me (except for that ‘63 Martin D28 they bought me for my 16th birthday). So began a lifelong love affair with the guitar, which, at 60, is still going strong.

Like many love relationships, I’ve had my ups and downs with the guitar--times when I didn’t think I was going to make it, times when I didn’t feel I could measure up; times when we just didn’t get along!

But I’ve also had moments of unadulterated bliss, and moments of deep satisfaction when I’ve expressed something through the instrument that I wasn’t able to say any other way.

I love the guitar. It has given me purpose, direction, and shape. It saved my life. The guitar is still magic to me and still makes my heart leap. It still beckons me to revel in its beauty, commune with its spirit, and on a good day, transcend this hard world we live in and soar to the just about the purest place I know.

One Man Guitar Festival

ONE MAN GUITAR FESTIVAL SONGS:

1988 Rob Ehlers Steel String

1. Limehouse Blues-P. Braham, D. Furber
I’ve always loved this tune and wanted to record it. This version features my lead guitarist, Mike Stand, and my bass player, Chuck Wagon.

2. Blue Bells-P. Chasman
I play this tune mostly with harmonics. Blues harmonics are somewhat of an oxymoron, like Jumbo Shrimp or Marijuana Initiative.

3. Lady Madonna-J. Lennon, P. McCartney
Say what you want about my generation, we had the Beatles!

4. Sidh Baeg Sid Mor-T. O’Carolyn
Turlough O’Carolyn was a blind Irish harpist who traveled the country playing for his supper. I first heard this played by Eric Schoenberg and thought it was one of the most beautiful tunes I’d ever heard. I borrowed a few licks from Eric in my harmonics version. The title means, “Big Mountain, Little Mountain.”

Ehlers and Martin D28

5. Chickens in the Outhouse -P. Chasman
I originally wrote this tune for the Acoustic Guitar Summit and named it, “Maple on the Vine.” I stole the “Chickens” title from Sophia Wise, one of my characters in “The Book of Bob.” Pop Quiz: What three Doc Watson tunes get quoted in “Chickens”?

1997 Jefferey Elliott Classical

6. Prelude, Lute Suite No.2-J.S. Bach
I always thought that if I took up classical guitar, this would be the first piece I would learn. I did, and it’s still one of my favorite guitar pieces. This piece has a special meaning for Anna and I dedicate it to her, my wife and best friend.
Concerto in D-A. Vivaldi:

7. Allegro

8. Largo

9. Allegro
I played this piece for my stepson Christopher and Emily at their marriage. I played the first movement as people were coming in, the second movement when the bride and groom walked down the aisle, and the third movement as they left the altar. (Guitar players’ hint: Vivaldi wrote great wedding music!)

10. The Last of Us Medley-P. Chasman
This is a medley of themes I wrote for the soundtrack to the film, “The Last of Us,” which was produced in Port Townsend, WA, 2010.

1959 Martin D28 (on loan from Suzie Stewart-Nunley)

11. Under the Double Eagle-J.P. Sousa
I arranged this bluegrass style when I played with Gordy Keane and Tom Miller in The Heavy Gauge String Band, circa 1973.

12. Rover-P. Chasman
I wrote this around the same time and played it with Heavy Gauge. It’s the earliest tune I wrote that I still play.

2002 Woodley White 8-string

13. Stepping Stones-P. Chasman
Tuned from bass to treble: A-D-A-D-G-B-E-A

14. Night of the Racoons-P. Chasman
I first recorded this on my Solo Man cassette in the mid-‘80s. With the emergence of the 8-string, it was time for an update. Tuned: A-E-A-D-G-B-E-A

15. Hummingbird-P. Chasman
Bob Stark, the gifted engineer on this project, says that with Racoons to Hummingbird, I’m going from one of his least favorite animals to one of his favorite. Tuned: A-E-A-D-G-B-E-A

Ehlers, Elliott, Martin, and White (the law firm of)

16. Clallam County Breakdown-P. Chasman
I also wrote this for the Acoustic Guitar Summit. They weren’t around, so I had to play all the parts myself.

17. The MTA-J. Steiner and B. Lomax
My dad recorded me playing and singing when I was 10 and had been playing guitar for about 4 months. Listen closely and you’ll hear some pretty hot bass licks!

--Paul Chasman, April 2011