Conference napalm::guitar

    I heard him doing an interview on the radio the other day (must have
    been NPR). He didn't play anything remarkable, but I liked him because
    he was playing "electric" type stuff on an acoustic, and getting a
    decent sound. I have a preference for people who work out on an
    acoustic, and know how to use it right (instead of blasting riffs off
    on a solid-body all day). Seemed like a down-to-earth kind of guy.
    
    - Ram

    Duke is from the Worcester, MA area originally.  He used to play with
    Walter Crockett's band "Crockett" when a teen (this was early
    eighties).  Crockett has since retired from playing and is now
    arts/music editor for Worcester Magazine.  
    
    Duke than started a band called the Trailers, they were house band at
    the now-defunct New Rex Lounge in Worcester as "The New Rex Trailers". 
    Boston area noters won't be surprised at the name being shortened after
    ex-kiddie-show-host Rex asked them to cease and desist.  After about
    two years of frustrations in attracting big-time management, the
    Trailers disbanded leaving one 45 in their wake and Duke went off to
    study at NE Conservatory where he ran into Bob Moses, thus his stint
    with Mozamba.  
    
    He's also gotten into record production (he produced the Story album
    "Grace and Gravity" on Elektra).
    
    							Brian

    
    Is he used to play for a 3 piece band call HeartBeat?

    I saw Duke at the Fire House in Worcester a few times.  I knew it was
    only a matter of time before this guy got national exposure. He is a
    very tasty player and he can really burn when he wants to.

Heyyyy... yah, Duke is real cool. He's a great guy (thus say several of the
mutual musicican friends I had in WormTown before I moved  west)  plus  his
playing  is  world-class.  He's not real flashy but he can really jam. He's
known for the jazz stuff he plays around (used  to  also  play  at  the  El
Moraco  (sp?)  on  jazz  night on the slack mondays when they didn't have a
touring dignatary like Tito Puente or whoever)... saw  him  play  with  all
kinds  of  people including Mozamba (awesome). He's versatile as heck. Real
good guy. Glad to hear about the CD. I'll be looking for it. (ps, he didn't
play  with  the  Heartbeats  as  far as I know. that band was around a long
time, so maybe in the old days, but I think he's been in his own gig  since
the trailers days. Heartbeats are gone now for a couple years, aren't they?)

    for those curious about Duke Levine, he will be playing with his band
    this coming Wed night June 30 at the Sit 'n' Bull pub in Maynard MA.
    I saw him there last week (in a double bill with Ronnie Earl and the
    Broadcasters!) and really enjoyed the music.  My girlfriend picked up
    the CD at the show,  I'd recommend that as well. 
    
    Tim

    I never did get a copy of Duke's CD as mentioned in .0 and just kinda
    forgot about him.  Then Sunday night, I heard a couple of cuts on WBOS's
    blues show that I was sure were Roy Buchanan; in fact, they sounded
    like *really good* Roy Buchanan.  I waited to see which album they
    were from and was surprised to learn they were cuts off of "Nobody's
    Home".  I will definitely be picking this one up.
    
    Anyone else heard more of this CD?
    
    /rick

    Yeah, I have a copy but haven't listened to it too much (didn't I
    already loan this to you Rick?).
    
    I know that feeling, though, hearing a killer tune on the radio and
    finding out it's on an album you already own but had forgotten about 
    8^(
    
    							Brian

    No, but I'll borrow it now :-)
    
    /still_waiting

I first became aware of Duke Levine when I bought Shawn Colvin's
Fat City disk.  Really loved his sound.  

When I picked up the Story "Angel in the House" disk, there he
was again.  There is something about his style that really jumps
out at me.  

I've got to get his solo disk - thanks!
Geoff

    I borrowed Brian's copy and listened to it all week.  Great disc.
    I've always seen Duke playing a Strat but this drips of Tele;
    similar in a lot of ways to the Hellecasters (but not quite as
    over-the-top).  If you liked them, you'll probably like this.
    
    /rick

>I first became aware of Duke Levine when I bought Shawn Colvin's
>Fat City disk.  Really loved his sound.

    I can't find him on Fat City. Was it maybe Colvin's Steady on album?

    --Ron

    BTW, Fat City does have an amazing collection of players on it.

re: -1

I'll look tonight - doesn't he play the intro & lead on
"Climb On"?

Geoff

    Geoff,

    Nope, that's (the phenomenal writer/producer, guitarist/keyboardist)
    John Leventhal, though Western Mass' own Jeff Pevar (from the
    Noho/Amherst area) does get "electric guitar" credit (but not "guitar
    solo") for "I Don't Know Why".

    --Ron

    Duke's latest recording is called "Country Soul Guitar".  The title
    pretty much nails what this CD is about.  The disc is all instrumental
    and features some of the most gorgeous 3-D Fender tones you're likely
    to come across.  Most of the time it's not hard to imagine that you're
    listening to the Hellecasters; Duke and the Helles have a lot in common.
    But there's a subtle difference that I hear.  Where the Helles constantly
    want to wow you with how clever and inventive they can be, Duke's playing
    sounds more like a matter of telling a story or baring his soul.  It's a
    subjective thing, nothing that I can put a finger on, but clear just the
    same.  The playing on this disc goes somewhere deep inside and touches you.

    One thing I've noticed about Duke's recordings is that they have a quiet,
    understated quality to them.  Often with a new disc, my first listen is
    as background while I'm doing something else, trying to let the music
    seep in before I go back and give it serious attention.  In both cases
    with Duke's CDs, my initial listens were kind of "yeah, this sounds nice
    but nothing spectacular".  It wasn't till I kicked back in a quiet house
    and really listened that the power and magic of this music became apparent.

    I try not to recommend things in here unless I consider them
    superlative and imo both "Country Soul Guitar" and Duke's previous
    "Nobody's Home" belong in every guitarist's record library.

    Nice stuff
    
    /rick

    Oh yeah, I forgot to mention.  The production on "Country Soul Guitar"
    absolutely sparkles.  Sit back, nudge up the volume a bit, and watch as
    the sound soaks in around you.  This is one of the best sounding discs
    I own.  Often after listening to it, anything else I put on sounds so
    flat by comparison that I end up turning the stereo off.  Whoever
    produced this did a heck of a job.
    
    Btw, Duke's main axes are a '63 Strat and a '63 Tele; he also used a
    Danelectro Baritone on the record.  Main amps were a Vox AC30(!) and
    a Fender Vibrolux Reverb, both from the 60's.
    
    /rick

    	I saw this guy at a club in Worcester and was mighty impressed.The
    guy who was with me bought the cd that Rick was talking about but I
    didn't get to hear it so I can't pass judgement on the production
    quality.Worth paying $6 to see this guy!
    
    
    
    						ian

      I'm listening to the disc for the first time as I type...Brian's
    copy, Ian !! Excellent production by Mason Daring, the sounds are
    crystal clear without harshness. I was sold on the first track, a
    cover of Ry Cooder's version of "I Think it's gonna work out Fine",
    with the rest of the album varying between country/bluesey/jazzy
    instrumentals. Great Hammond organ too. The guitar styles between
    "Deep Blue" and the next track,"Nashville Skyline Rag" are so
    radically different it's hard to believe it's the same band.
    
    	Hard to pick a fave track so far..I'll let it grow on me.
    
    						      Jim.
    
    

    I think my favorite track on the disc so far is called "Low Lonesome"
    (I say I *think* because the track indicator on my cheapo magnavox
    player has been dead for some time, leading to much confusion on new
    discs).
    
    Although it doesn't really sound like it, this track reminds me in
    many ways of Beck's "Cause We've Ended as Lovers".  Both have gorgeous
    melody lines and a frenzied, Buchanan-ish lead climax in the middle.
    Both seem to be coming from a similar place.  If anything the melody
    here is even more haunting, but although Duke distinguishes himself
    well on this track I doubt anything can ever quite equal the magic
    of the Beck cut for me.  Still, this one's in the same league.
    
    I agree, the opening Ry Cooder cover is another highlight.
    
    /rick

    its amazing what this guy can do with a Telecaster!The only thing that
    kinda annoyed me was ...there was a couple of songs that started out
    being played in a certain style and then switched to another and then
    back to the original style.....country/jazz/country.This sounded a bit
    odd but whatever the style,there was an incredible amount of quality
    guitar playing!
    
    
    						ian

    Duke's playing at the Old Vienna Koffeehouse in Westboro (MA) on
    Friday Jan 13. Anyone interested in a guitar notes get-together?
    

     
     I would go but I work 2nd and wouldn't get there 'til waaaaay late!
    
    
    
    							ian

    It seems whenever Dave Clark and I go out to a show together, it turns
    out to be something special; last Friday night was no exception.  Duke
    Levine and his band (4 pieces, guitar, bass, Hammond organ, drums)
    absolutely rocked the Old Vienna.  I love seeing shows in small,
    intimate venues like this and where the audience is really there to
    listen; the Vienna is about as good as it gets in that regard.  They
    were packed full, with several people standing; maybe 100 people total?
    Another interesting indicator, the audience was a wide mix of young and
    old, male and female; definitely not your typical guitar-slinger crowd.

    They did mostly selections from Duke's two most recent albums, "Country
    Soul Guitar" and "Nobody's Home", plus a couple of as-yet-untitled
    goodies (one of these was a wicked surf/rockabilly workout).  Duke's
    playing and tone (more on this later) were out of this world.  He looks
    kinda like a big kid out there (he reminds me of a cross between Adam
    Arkin and that kid from The Wonder Years), sneaking looks out at the
    audience like he just stole the keys to his dad's car.  Dave thought he
    was reminiscent of Ronnie Earl in that way that both players have taken
    a traditional style (Ronnie - blues, Duke - country), updated it,
    and fusing a bit with other styles to create a potent and appealing
    stew.  Duke's band also deserves special mention.  They really kicked;
    tight, professional, expert use of dynamics, hot and tasty.  Bassist
    Paul Bryan shares writing duties and contributed a couple of my
    favorite tunes.

    I'd go out of my way to hear these folks again.  Definitely recommended.

    /rick

    ps Guitar-nerd stuff: I saw Duke do two cool "tricks"; these probably
    aren't anything new, but it was the first time I'd seen em.
    - Duke got a great Hendrix-style wah-wah effect just by fanning his
    Strat's pickup selector switch back and forth.  Surprisingly effective.
    I'd guess he had the middle and neck pickup tone controls set to enhance
    this.  I'd also imagine he has to replace selector switches pretty often.
    - This next one has to be seen to be appreciated.  In the middle of the
    surf-a-billy tune he ripped off a fast double picked run on one fret but
    changed fingers every note.  The resulting snake-like motion of his
    fingers up and down the neck is like nothing you've ever seen before,
    and coupled with the fact that the note itself isn't changing the effect
    is very disorienting.  It took several seconds for your brain to process
    what actually happened.  Totally flash, probably only appreciated by
    guitar players but cool nonetheless.

    what Rick said!!! I was losing it during his snake-finger trick.
    At times, they reminded me of the obscure seventies band Mallard :-)

    Duke used three guitars Friday night.  His main axe was a '63 Tele,
    rosewood board, refinished natural but otherwise looked stock.  He also
    used a battered sunburst '63 Strat on a couple of tunes and a blue late
    60's maple board Strat on one number for slide.  His slide work is
    outstanding btw, wish he'd done more of it.

    He used one amp, a mid-60's JMI Vox AC-30 that had been restored and
    top-boost modded by Roy Goode of Cambridge.  After hearing this amp,
    it's easy to see why AC-30's and AC-30 re-issues and clones are such
    hot items in the amp market right now.  This amp had a huge, rich chimey
    sound to it; it literally filled the room with tone (well, it was miked
    too of course).  The amp seemed to be set clean and he didn't fiddle
    with it much; overdrive and other effects were mainly via stomp boxes
    (more on these later).  Just the raw sound of his Tele through that
    Vox was gorgeous, like a big clear bell.
    
    There were a bunch of stomp boxes onstage, looked like two basic signal
    paths.  The first consisted of a TS-9 Tube Screamer, Diaz TexasTremelo
    (attention Fred Abatelli!) and Boss digital delay;  the second had
    another Boss digital delay, this time fronted by a large brown stomper
    called a "Centaur", probably an overdrive of some sort.  There was also
    a volume pedal in there somewhere, used to excellent effect for pedal
    steel type sounds.  The Diaz tremelo box was very interesting.  It's
    just a simple stomp box with a couple of knobs and a button, obviously
    all solid state.  Duke uses tremelo on quite a few tunes, both in subtle
    doses and occasionally at radical settings; the Diaz sounded great.

    As mentioned, the Tele was Duke's weapon of choice for most of the
    evening.  He coaxed a wide array of sounds and styles from it, covering
    all pickup selector positions and making liberal use of volume knob
    to vary bite and tone.  He pulled the '63 Strat out for a thicker,
    bluesier sound on a couple of numbers; most notable (to me) was the
    title track from "Nobody's Home", where things approached a Hendrix
    like space-frenzy.  Note that Duke's guitars were equipped with straight
    (and probably old) single coil pickups.  Under the close lights of
    the Vienna, these picked up a fair amount of noise, most clearly
    at the start and end of tunes and during very quiet passages.  However,
    I can't say it was a real detractor for me and was lost in the mix most
    of the time anyway.  For those who like the sound of single coils,
    there's always that noise tradeoff to consider.  From where I sat on
    Friday, I'd say the plusses overwhelmingly outweigh the minusses here.

    Bassist Paul Bryan used a great looking orange 60's Tele bass (attention
    Tom Gallo!) with added J-bass pickup at the bridge.  He pumped this
    through an SVT head (what else!) and some modern 4x10 cab.  To me
    there's still nothing like the whump of an SVT in your chest; the bass
    was fairly up in the mix and really drove the band.  Paul also used a
    short-scale Jerry Jones Danelectro-copy on a couple of tunes.  When
    played with a pick the Dano can do a cool imitation of an upright
    bass (attention Brian Rost... oops, nevermind), especially as used
    in rockabilly and R&B settings.

    /rick

    Forgot to mention, I picked up a copy of Duke's rather rare 1st CD,
    "Guitar Talk" at the Vienna show.  This was recorded in the late 80's,
    at a time when he was studying at the New England Conservatory and
    hanging around with jazz drummer Bob Moses.  The tunes and playing are
    clearly in the fusion bag on this one; almost none of the country and
    rockabilly influences of his more recent stuff.  Yet even in this
    setting, his style is clearly evident; he seems to be able to shine
    and retain his own distinct voice in vastly different surroundings,
    and make it work.  He's also one of the those guitarists who I could
    listen to forever.
    
    On a trip to Cambridge Music recently I spotted one of the mysterious
    Centaur pedals.  These are being made by someone in the Boston area
    (Brookline, I think) and just on the market.  In fact, turns out I've
    run into the guy making these several times over the past couple of
    years; he was always showing up at different music stores with prototypes
    for people to try, getting input from local players hanging out.  I
    guess he finally got the design stable.  It's an overdrive box, sorta
    in the vein of a Tube Screamer but trying to do a few things better.
    I spent a little time with one, but not enough to really judge.  
    It's pretty pricey too, but then again that Centaur logo is way cool
    :-)
    
    For those of you with a taste for a little adventure, I hear that Duke
    and his band are playing Gilreins in Worcester this Saturday.
    
    /rick
    

    
    I may go to Gilreins this weekend! 8)
    
    
    
    
    						ian

    got "Country Soul Guitar" the othe day.  My favorite off this one is
    'buds bounce', how does he do all those bends??
    
    rj

    BTW, Duke just went on tour with Mary Chapin Carpenter 
    for 6 months!
    
    			_kathy

    There's a short mini-lesson from Duke in the April issue of Musician,
    on how he gets some of his pedal steel bend effects.  There's also a
    good photo of his beat '63 Strat.  Nice to see Duke getting some
    national mag exposure.
    
    /rick

    Well, I'm not one for country music, but I heard this guy's CD
    (played during a break at a gig Saturday night), and it was quite
    good.  Excellent in fact. The title was something like "Country
    Soul..." I also happened upon a review of the CD yesterday, which
    was quite favorable.
    
    The CD is on my buy list, which, if you knew me and my general
    feelings about country, you would agree is most unusual.
    
    -b

    
    I had picked up the Country Soul Guitar CD based upon a tune I'd 
    heard on the radio and the favorable comments in this conference.
    
     This is another CD which I decided wasn't a keeper for me.  Duke's
    got some pretty decent chops, and for the most part, the quality of 
    the recording is excellent. I think the quality of the song writing 
    leaves a bit to be desired.  A lot of the songs seem to go on way 
    too long, to the point where they no longer are of interest.  The 
    rest of the band doesn't seem to be on a par with Duke's playing 
    and consequently, I think they sound pretty bland.  Most of the 
    tunes lack a melodic hook and seem more like jams to me.  I think
    he sounds his best when he's got that slightly overdriven sound and 
    gets into the bluesy groove (3rd song).  The country stuff bored the
    heck out of me.   Give me Albert Lee for country picking anyday.
    
     Lv

    Larry, the Sonny Landreth note is 2615. I suggest you mosey on over!
    If you'd like to check him out, I'll be happy to provide a cassette
    or let you borrow my discs for the full affect.
    
    Mark

    Well, a year has come and gone, and Duke and the boys returned to the
    Vienna last Friday night.  Everyone has been busy with other projects
    (you can catch Duke on the Mary Chapin Carpenter in Ireland TV special)
    and this was their first time playing together in a year.  You'd never
    know it; the rhythm section was tight and kickin, and Duke himself was
    in fine form.

    As last time, they did mostly tunes from the two most recent CDs plus
    a few new tunes and covers ("Manhole" by Freddie King?).  I remember
    getting two generous sets for my money last year, but this was two
    separate shows; one set for my $10, clocking in at a rather short
    hour-and-a-half.  Ah well, inflation.  Nevertheless, I'd have paid
    twice as much to see this band play half as long; they were great.
    There were times when the whole room seemed to be moving.  Seeing
    someone like Duke reminds you of all reasons you started to love
    the guitar in the first place.
    
    On the gearhead front, Duke played a G&L ASAT Classic Tele with maple
    board and his beat '63 Strat.  Last year he played more Tele on tunes,
    but this time around he used more Strat.  The G&L really sparkled, but
    I'd have to say the Strat, besides the usual Stratiness, had something
    extra; that big, sweet, syrupy, vintage-magic-thing.  For amps, Duke
    used a blackface Vibrolux reverb and an original Vox AC-15 with 1x12".
    Duke's pedalboard was pretty much the same as last time (see my previous
    note) except the Centaur pedal had been replaced by a Matchless Hot Tubes,
    a high voltage tube driver like the Mesa V2.  He coaxed an amazing array
    of sounds from this rig; big sparkling twang chords that filled the room,
    spacey Hendrix swirls a la EJ, searing lead runs into the stratosphere,
    lowdown funk and downhome pickin.  He gets a crying, pedal steel tone
    that'll bring tears to your eyes.

    See this band if you get a chance!

    /rick
    

    re .-1
    
    As usual, I wait for Rick to do the work of posting an excellent
    review so I can agree with him :-) I just wish we'd eaten a 
    little earlier so they could have cooked our chicken all the
    way through.
    
    I had to get up early saturday to rehearse for a church Passion
    Play program; the main characters were late so the drummer, the
    bass player (Mr. Rost) and I just jammed for about 40 minutes.
    I was way psyched to play after seeing Duke the night before;
    I couldn't put my guitar down all morning. All in all a very
    satisfying show.
    
    - Dave

    I've caught Duke a couple of times on TV lately, with Mary Chapin
    Carpenter's band.  First, at the Superbowl pre-game show right before
    kickoff; Duke was using one of those amp-in-the-case Silvertones.
    Then again Wednesday night on Conan, with a cool 50's Gretsch.
    Looks like a steady gig, nice to see he's doing well.
    

    Mary Chapin Carpenter has a concert video with plenty of tasty playing
    by Duke (and John Jennings isn't too bad, either).  In general, a good,
    tight, band.
    
    Jim