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Although the song "Skinny Little Boy" has pretty much turned into a nostalgia piece for Madison-On-The-Lake singer/songwriter Alex Bevan, the "low tech" troubadour" is still churning out the tunes, as proven by his latest effort, "Invitation." OhioOnline music correspondent Peanuts quizzed Bevan not long ago to find out what audio river the latter's been navigating of late. |
| OO: |
Let's start with a music history |
| AB: |
"My mom was a piano and flute teacher and I was in the elementary school band, playing French horn instead of trumpet. At 16 years old, the guitar became an option when I was at Shaw High School. I coerced my parents into paying for half of an acoustic guitar and I paid for the other half with my paper route money. Within 6-8 months, I had quit the French horn and was hanging out in 1966 at the Well on Euclid Avenue in East Cleveland. That was an acoustic music venue that a church near Euclid Avenue and Forest Hills had. In 1967, I started playing Fagan's in the Flats in Cleveland with a Irish duo. I was still a senior in high school." |
| OO: |
Who were your acoustic music influences? |
| AB: |
"I use to hang out at LaCave, a legendary but now defunct music venue near Case Western Reserve University. It depended who came to town that week. Tom Paxton, Tom Rush, Bruce Cockburn, Judy Collins, Gordon Lightfoot, to name a few. Paxton was especially gracious. He gave me quick guitar lesson that baffled me for months. Others would be Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young." |
| OO: |
Anyone from Ohio on that list? |
| AB: |
"John Hutchinson from Athens, Rolly Brown, a national picking champ from Euclid and Cleveland's John Bassette." |
| OO: |
Describe your music. |
| AB: |
"At its simplest, it is like a line drawing. Sparse arrangements, memorable melodies and, hopefully, sound poetry attempts to engage and evoke memories and like minded experiences from the listener. At its most complex, a rollicking tonal experiment that throws caution to the wind, within the confines of the described song form, and asks the listener to be a full participant in the musical moment." |
| OO: |
Where was the new disc cut? |
| AB: |
"It was recorded and mastered in my home studio. Live recording to hard disk. No edits. Just a little processing in terms of eq, compression and reverb." |
| OO: |
Which gave the studio a familiar feel. |
| AB: |
"It was just like my home. Make coffee. Set the mikes. Go to work. Make a record. What fun!" |
| OO: |
Favorite Ohio venue to play? |
| AB: |
"I would have to split it between the Boathouse on Put-In-Bay and any of the local wineries. The folks to who come to see me play are the best and the ones who wander in are all potential fans. As much as I enjoy concert venues, it's the immediate nature of the 'club gigs' that brings out the best improv in me." |
| OO: |
Speaking of concerts, who is on the wish list to perform with? |
| AB: |
"Let me answer by saying I would love to meet and open for Mark Knopfler. Also Bruce Cockburn and John Jennings. The latter is also the producer for Mary Chapin Carpenter and John Gorka." |
| OO: |
Anyone in Ohio you'd like to split a bill with? |
| AB: |
"None lately, outside of David Wilcox, a Mentor native now in North Carolina." |
| OO: |
Long term plans? |
| AB: |
"Keep working. Working on another Lake Erie chronicle thing right now. The working title is 'The Boats'." |
