Sless of Interest
Full Name:
Painted Mandolin
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Dove into my personal archive and unearthed a nice soundboard recording of my old band, "The Chazz Cats,"
from 2003 at Rancho Nicasio (West Marin County) featuring Barry Sless on Pedal Steel Guitar.
Audio quality is A+ having been documented to digital media buy the late Ted Rodden (Rancho Nicasio's now deceased but much loved sound engineer!)
This is the second set - I'll try and find set one and upload it!
~Enjoy
https://archive.org/details/tcc2003-02-08
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The origin of the Chazz Cats connection to Barry Sless:
We opened for the David Nelson Band at a long ago closed down North Beach Bar on Montgomery called Cocodrie.
After chatting a while with Barry we learned he'd been in a great Baltimore based Swing band called "Cowboy Jazz," with 2 great female vocalists who wound up singing with Dan Hicks.
We asked him to sit in with us during our set and wound up playing several dozen private gigs with him doing everything from real book jazz to western swing.
We also wound up playing High Sierra Music Fest (the first one ever at Quincy - though we'd played it twice before at Bear Valley) and a couple of Oregon Country Fair sets with him before he elevated to the big leagues and became the masterful guitar wiz we all know and love.....
Regardless of his skills, status or success - dude is one super kind human being.
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
I'm loving this. I'm only on
I'm loving this. I'm only on second song but look forward to the rest. Thanks.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
Funny an old friend of mine
Funny an old friend of mine just posted this to FB a few days ago
https://archive.org/details/tcc1997-01-19.flac16
Just about wore out my Chazz Cats CD. That music will always put me back in early 90's SF.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: aiq
Dig that crazy swing.
Dig that crazy swing.
Also, I'se a viper.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Painted Mandolin
El Nino:
El Nino:
I also posted that show you provided the URL to.
It was provided by Todd Kushnir who was a working sound engineer I'd met at Oregon Country Fair and at the WOW Hall in Eugene in '96.
He did sound at the Cafe Du Nord and several other local clubs in '97 but had been working with the late, great Jambay band before relocating to the bay.
He provided me with links to a significant stash of uncut / unedited digital recordings from OCF, WOW Hall and several locations in the Bay Area of a number of great bands including Living Daylights, Hanuman (w Scott Law), Ben Harper, Soul Coughing, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Charlie Hunter, Trillian Green, Shelly Doty and many others.
I of course focused on what I was involved with but I may edit a few of these shows and upload them to the LMA.
And I fo sho ams a Viper!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sycamore Slough
Thanks for the links, look
Thanks for the links, look forward to listening.
I got to see Jambay a couple times in OR, and some of the other bands you mentioned above.
One show was at Dexter Lake (??) as a warmup before the Autzen shows, so '93 or '94.
Would love to listen back to that one.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Fly
Great thread and tunage.
Bzzump for Great thread and tunage.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 2 Room Shack
will check it later....
will check it later....
2nd pc at work my audio has died...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
<a great Baltimore based
<a great Baltimore based Swing band called "Cowboy Jazz," with 2 great female vocalists who wound up singing with Dan Hicks.>
Ahhh, now that brings back some fine memories at watering holes like No Fish Today. Barry's pre-headband days.
.
Trurly, a superb band. There were three great female vocalists: Kate Bennett, Denise Carlson and Deanna Bogart. Check 'em out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlDbUiBQwoo
(thanks for all the great links, Treble)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
Some Cowboy Jazz history:
Some Cowboy Jazz history: Interesting note - The last bass player in the band, Liam, moved West and was in a couple of incarnations of Zero.
"In the Spring of 1986
the weathered hull of the good ship Cowboy Jazz was creaking, straining with age. After six years of flirting with success, we were feeling the pressure to once and for all 'make it.'
The irony was that this flavor of Cowboy Jazz boasted a particularly high level of musicianship, in large part due to the addition of accomplished jazz singer Maryann Price.
But even though the band was breaking new ground musically, we were still struggling to survive financially, and even were seeing the quality of our bookings slip.
The final blow came when our record label rejected their option to record our third album.
The writing was on the wall. It was determined that the Summer tour—which would take us to Alaska—would be the last. Maryann opted not to join us for the grueling 9-week, non-profit venture. The group persevered however, and performed successfully as a five-piece.
The above photo was also taken by Road Manager Nick Sharp.Personnel (L-R) are:
Deanna Bogart (piano, saxophone, vocals), Barry Sless (lead and steel guitars), Brian Alpert (drums), Denise Carlson (fiddle, vocals), Liam Hanrahan (bass), Maryann Price (vocals)."
http://rhumba.com/alaska/cowboy_jazz2.html
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
And yet another fun Cowboy
And yet another fun Cowboy Jazz connection: DNB included drummers Arthur Steinhorn and Charlie Crane (both Cowboy Jazz alumni)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
Some other little known Sless
Some other little known Sless gems...... (Thankfully, he did not take the management training job at Toys Are Us and stuck with guitar instead):
Barry from Rocky Gap Music Festival 1996 (2 min mark)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz-8M7akFmA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jox3A0Cqus0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQEvTax6N2E
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Painted Mandolin
Back at ya Alan.
Back at ya Alan.
Great links of Sless!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Painted Mandolin
"Some Cowboy Jazz history:
"Some Cowboy Jazz history: Interesting note - The last bass player in the band, Liam, moved West and was in a couple of incarnations of Zero."
That would be Liam Hanrahan.
A Marin County stalwart - he's not Bobby Vega, but he doesn't suck.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Painted Mandolin
That first URL with Drivin'
That first URL with Drivin' Wheel kicks ass and Barry is killin' in it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz-8M7akFmA
Here's an insightful interview of Barry by Ben Fong Torres from Nov of '13:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLvYp42y_zY
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
Some pre DNB - maybe the
Some pre DNB - maybe the earliest video of Sless / Nelson? (I haven't searched, but this has to be fairly early)
Dead Ringers at The Palomino in Burbank, California, October 11, 1991; with Barry Flast, David Nelson, Tom Constanten, Barry Sless, Fred Campbell, & Jimmy Sanchez.. (Barry toward end)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NC7Gy11Dyo
Dead Ringers perform "Bye and Bye" at Wetlands, NYC 5/30/93 with Barry Flast, David Nelson, Tom Constanten, Barry Sless, Buddy Cage, Arthur Steinhorn, & Bill Laymon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjvlCRNcPrc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC144407a7E
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
Kingfish at the Sun Club 3/14
Kingfish at the Sun Club 3/14/88 (some Barry shots on the left at about the one minute mark)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNwCWw3QKvg
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
Some high quality Sless circa
Some high quality Sless circa 1990
Kingfish live "On Stage" Television show, June 4, 1990, El Cerrito California. With Barry Flast, Matt Kelly, Barry Sless, David Perper & Fred Campbell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNUw7urgv94