AHWAHNEE – Once again, the Coolwater Ranch plays host to a pair of top-flight musicians. Passes are now available for the next show, set for Saturday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m.
Stevie Coyle (late of the whiz-bang string band The Waybacks) is one lucky bum. His dad ran a radio station in southern California and brought home all the promo LPs that didn’t fit the Spanish-language format. The Ventures’ Guitar Freakout, The 50 Guitars of Tommy Garrett and Alvin And The Chipmunks Play The Beatles’ Hits all came home on a single fateful day.
It didn’t hurt, either, that string-meister David Lindley played in a bluegrass band that rehearsed right next door and gave Stevie his very first lessons, or that his dear Granny was a pianist in the heyday of vaudeville and that his sainted mother was a whiz in mandolin orchestras during the 1930s.
Not even several years of playing Folk Masses every Sunday could quash his musical spirit, and in high school he began fingerpicking, inspired – as so many were – by that first Hot Tuna album.
In 1998 he co-founded The Waybacks with Wayne “Chojo” Jacques and Glenn (Pomianek) Houston. Soon the acoustic trio were joined by drummer Peter Tucker and bassist Chris Kee. This is the band that established and developed The Waybacks’ considerable reputation in California.
Peter, Chris and Glenn were eventually replaced by Chuck Hamilton, Joe Kyle and James Nash. Stevie fronted both versions of the band and toured steadily with the latter configuration from 2000 through 2007. The band released 4 albums in that time, played major festivals like Merlefest, Grey Fox, Floydfest, Great Waters, Old Settlers, Bumbershoot and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, toured Australia, and collaborated with Lloyd Maines, Michelle Shocked and Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead.
Doug Adamz has recorded five albums of original, instrumental music and three albums of his songs. His compositions have been used by The Joffrey and other ballet companies (Santa Fe/Aspen, Oklahoma City, San Francisco), featured in a film by Robert Altman (The Company), heard in a PBS documentary soundtrack (Jim Thorpe, World’s Greatest Athlete) and in two Spanish television series (La Frontera Herida, Sahel).
The Kronos Quartet commissioned Doug to write several short pieces and Stevie Coyle (The Waybacks) and Dr. Elmo (Grandma–Reindeer) have recorded and released some of Doug’s songs on their albums. He’s performed with Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Joan Baez, and many finger-style luminaries like Stevie Coyle and Doug Young, played (informally) with Maria Muldaur, and Jim Messina, recorded with Peter Rowan and Huey Lewis and opened for many stars including Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jesse Colin Young, Leo Kotke, David Lindley, Dottie West, The Chambers Brothers, Steppenwolf, Johnny Rivers and Johnny Lee.
His 1973 degree in music is from the University of Texas at El Paso, with a major in guitar.
Passes for this show are available now at Oakhurst Feed and Mountain Feed and Nursery, or you can call host Robin Ralston at 559-760-1134 or email info@coolwaterconcerts.com to have a reservation at the door.
Suggested donation for the artist is $20 in advance, $25 at the door.
The ranch is located in Ahwahnee, just ten minutes from Oakhurst at 45680 Forest Ridge Drive.
Just a few house rules attendees are asked to follow please: no alcohol, drugs or smoking and no children under 16. The Coolwater Concert Series is sponsored in part by Tenaya Lodge.
To read an in-depth article about Robin and the Coolwater Ranch concerts, click here.
As always, there will be a variety of foods and non-alcoholic beverages available at no extra cost.
