A Little History
My first band gig was on Staten Island, NY at the Cedar Grove beach clubhouse. I was part of a 4-piece rock band called the CPO’s. I played rhythm guitar and sang. That band evolved into “Sweet Wine” playing high school dances as well as an extended gig at The Gallery Lounge. In College and Grad school, I played lead guitar with another 4/5 piece band called Otto Road. Otto played mixers, fraternity and sorority parties as well as a few clubs. After graduation, a trio split off, (piano, drums...and me on bass guitar) playing private parties and weddings. Occasionally we’d bring in a horn or two to fill the stage. A move to the Boston area connected me with a very talented quartet called “Spectrum” where I again played bass guitar and sang. Another job relocation inspired me to figure out how to sound like more than just a guitar player. That’s when I met George Blodgett, one of the owners of Fender Musical Instruments.
To back up a bit, when I was in my early teens, my cousin had a console organ that had built-in percussion tracks and a variety of selectable musical background styles. These styles and drum beats, as well as chord changes, could be triggered with your left hand on the lower octave of the keyboard. One’s right hand would play the melody. This was interesting, but not being a keyboard player, it was just something I tucked in the back of my head. Sometime later, I saw Jim Stafford of “I don’t Like Spiders and Snakes” fame, playing guitar while also playing bass runs using a set of organ type foot pedals. Years later, the console organ and bass foot pedal thoughts converged when I met my Fender friend.
I mentioned to George how I’d wished I could somehow play the organ chords and drums while also playing guitar. He paused, went in to his basement, and comes out with a set of Midi Bass Pedals. While I had seen Stafford play something similar, I had no idea Midi pedals even existed! These Midi pedals (Midi stands for; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) enabled me to play a portable Yamaha version of my cousin’s old console organ. The result is what I do today. I basically play a portable keyboard’s lower octave with my feet…triggering the ‘single finger feature’ of the keyboard that activates the style of the song I’m playing, drums, and a bass line. Using one or two feet, I’m able to play major, minor and 7th chords in real time. Along with my guitar playing, I’m able to produce the sound of a 4-piece band without any pre-recorded backing tracks. This method also gives me the freedom to go wherever I want with a tune … never constrained to pre-recorded karaoke-type backing tracks. The downside of course is that it requires a lot of hand/feet/vocal coordination. If I miss a foot pedal, a musically tuned ear will hear the missed chord. Fortunately, it doesn’t happen too often. Rounding out my equipment is a Digitech Vocalist Performer connected to a second microphone. This allows me to create 2 and 3 part vocal harmonies using my own voice, again, in real time.
I’ve been doing my one-man-band schtick for some time now, having first done so in New Hampshire and then in Hong Kong for private parties. The most memorable gig in Asia was at the Hong Kong American Club in Exchange Square, overlooking beautiful Victoria Harbor. (See photo being accompanied by three of my close friends singing along). More relocations (Tokyo and then Kentucky), found me playing a few more private gigs. For the past dozen years or so, it’s been 30 – 50 gigs per year here in Sarasota…. mostly for Farmer’s Markets and private parties. I’m not a club person…probably because I’m usually in bed by 10pm.
So, why “Siesta John”? Well, it’s easier than remembering John Sollazzo
