PLEASE NOTE: THIS PAGE COULD BE ITS OWN ENTIRE WEBSITE. 🙂
It started with just a handful of songs, but I’ve really expanded it, making YouTube videos from recordings of groups I’ve played in through the years. (If you’d like to hear samples of the music I’ve played most recently, scroll down about 1/2 way, starting with the “DAVE & CRATE” section.)
SO ON TO MY MUSICAL JOURNEY:
At age 12, I was a certified musical failure. I’d been forced to take piano lessons at a young age from a nice lady in our neighborhood, and I hated it. I was all too happy to abandon the instrument at the first opportunity. And then in junior high I had an unsuccessful stint as a mediocre trumpet player in the school band. I turned the trumpet in at the end of the school year, and figured playing music just wasn’t my thing.
That might have been the end of it, but when I was 14, the Beatles burst onto the scene, and I was totally mesmerized by their music. I simply had to be a part of it, so I bought an $18 guitar and along with my friend Pete, started to learn how to play chords and pick melodies.
And after I got moderately good at it, I returned to the piano, this time not because I had to play it, but because I wanted to play it, and pretty soon I learned to play by ear. I spent countless hours figuring out how to play the notes and chords on an instrument that had no allure for me back when I was just playing notes on a page. I wanted to feel the music, and I couldn’t do that while I was constrained by written music.
From the guitar and piano, I branched out to other instruments: 5-string and tenor banjos, mandolin, electric bass, harmonica, etc. And from high school on I played in groups, starting with “the upper register,” a Tijuana Brass knock-off group that had trumpets, a trombone, two guitars (Pete and me) and drums. When I joined the group, they were looking for a bass guitar player, but since I only had a regular electric guitar, I just boosted the bass setting on my amp and played on the top two strings most of the time.
At the end of our senior year we made a self-produced low budget album, and some of the guys in the group took it up to Casey Kasem, then a disc jockey at KRLA in Pasadena, and tried to get him to sign the liner notes saying that we were the best Tijuana Brass knockoff band around. They reported back that Casey spun the disc, listened to a couple of cuts and then told them, “Guys, it’s a gas, and it’s a bag, but it’s not a groove.”
To hear recordings, click on the photos above the song titles, except for the larger images – just click directly on those).
While most of the YouTube videos are just audio with thumbnail photos, there are a couple of actual performance videos (“The Time of Man” and “Turning Away”).
So before taking this walk through my musical memory lane, here’s one of those performance videos that my buddy Dave and I (DAVE & CRATE) did in 2017:
THE TIME OF MAN: An early environmental song, written by Travis Edmonson in 1962. On this one, Dave and I collaborated with a group of local musicians for a community concert.
So going back in time, let’s start in 1967, with my high school group, “the upper register,” which played songs by “The Tijuana Brass.”
the upper register
“Bittersweet Samba”
“Marching Through Madrid”
(Pete Desimone, me, Brad Aspell (replaced by Ty Newcomb by the time we made the album), Dick Farber, Steve Sandland & Glenn Gravlee)
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J.C. MUNNS & HIS BOYS (1972-1977)
Through my college years I played tenor banjo in “J. C. Munns & His Boys.” Jay was a friend from high school who played then (and still plays now) better and more authentic vintage ragtime piano than anyone I’ve ever heard. In high school, Jay promised me tip money and free pizza at the Village Inn Pizza Parlor if I learned to play banjo, and also enticed Dave Ellsworth to come down and play the woodblocks, spoons and other percussion instruments. Eventually Dave transitioned to the stand-up bass and I transitioned to a tenor banjo, a more authentic “period” instrument for old-time music. Together, Dave and I complemented Jay’s dazzling piano style, and we played through most of my college years.
We had some great times and made a couple of albums. We all tried our hand at writing rags, and one that Dave wrote, “Alabaster Rag,” Jay and I immediately loved, and it ended up on our first album. It’s a classical rag in the tradition of Scott Joplin.
“Alabaster Rag”
On our second album, Jay and Dave came up with a special effect on “I’ll Be in My Dixie Home Again Tomorrow.” At the beginning, it sounds like you’re listening to a record played on an old Victrola, but if you keep listening . . .
“I’ll Be in My Dixie Home Again Tomorrow”
Dave “D.L.” Ellsworth & Jay Munns
Midway through recording our second album, we invited Harold Hensley to come and lay down a few tracks with us. The guy was amazing on fiddle, and also played several woodwind instruments. He was a terrific improvisor, and I really love Harold’s riffs and the fun we were all having on “Nobody’s Sweetheart Now.”
“Nobody’s Sweetheart Now”
DARKTOWN STRUTTERS’ BALLL: Here’s one that somehow got left on the cutting room floor when we compiled the songs for “The Twenties Album.” Another fun track featuring Harold Hensley on fiddle.
There is a real question in my mind about whether I would have ever become a prosecutor or have written this book without my association with JC MUNNS & HIS BOYS. If you’re curious, click on “BONUS CHAPTERS” and read the one entitled: “NO BANJO, NO BOOK — IT’S THAT SIMPLE.”
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The Saga of “Huntington Beach”
And who could forget that no-hit wonder, “Huntington Beach,” probably the only ragtime surfing song ever recorded. Back in the 70s, a record producer from Huntington Beach approached us at a gig and said he wanted to hire us to record a song he’d written, so he paired us up with a drummer and a vocalist he knew, dubbed us “Pacific,” and put us in a studio to record the song. He gave us the choice of taking a percentage of the profits, or a flat 60 bucks per guy for the session. We took the $60, and never looked back. We knew we’d made the right decision when, the day we got our first copy of the record, I put it on the record player in my folks’ backyard, and after playing it a couple of times, a neighbor yelled over the fence, “Change the record!” Still, the lagging sales didn’t deter the producer from trying to set up a concert for Pacific to play on the pier at Huntington Beach. We had to point out to him that there was just one problem — there was no group Pacific. (Oh, and yes, when I recorded it off the 45, it skipped at the end – somehow seemed fittin.’)
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PLAYING WITH JOE
My brother Joe and I have played together off and on through the years, including a song he wrote about the Civil War, called “1864.” On this version, we’re accompanied by Fred Voros on acoustic guitar.
HALLELUJAH: Here’s our cover of the Leonard Cohen song, from a jam session with Joe and Fred Voros:
PITY THE BOY: Song by English singer/songwriter Ralph McTell. Joe and I recorded it one summer evening. (You can hear the crickets in the background.)
CC’s BREAKDOWN: In “JC Munns & His Boys,” I played tenor banjo, a 4-stringed rhythm instrument. I decided I wanted to learn how to play a 5-string banjo also, so I could try my hand at bluegrass. Jay knew a guitar maker named R. C. Allen, and he made me a 5-string banjo. I never got very proficient on it, but did write this tune, which starts with a traditional song and then turns into “CC’s Breakdown.” Joe accompanied me on guitar.
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THE L.A. RIVER RANGERS (1975-1976)
When I was at UCLA, I played in “The L.A. River Rangers,” which was meant to be a bit of a joke, which you’ll understand if you’ve ever seen the L.A. River, which is more like a concrete wash.
(Me, Anne Lynn, John Krason & Skip Montanaro on ground)
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THE BASSWOOD BAND (1978-1979)
After moving to Utah, I played in various groups throughout the years, including “The Basswood Band,” again with Joe.
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RONALDO, CC & JIFF (1980s)
I also played mandolin in a trio with my cousin Ron on violin and Jeff Thorpe on guitar.
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PLAYING WITH SANDI (1980s)
In the mid-80s, I collaborated with Sandi Hemmert, on songs like this one — “Prisoner in Disguise,” a J.D. Souther song featured on Linda Ronstadt album of the same name. Again, the recording equipment was pretty primitive, but I’ve always liked the song. (Sandi is featured in the picture in the black and white striped shirt.)
BOTSWANNA: My brother Joe joined Sandi and me and sang lead on this John Stewart song. The recording starts partway into the first verse. I feel fortunate to have this much of it, because a few years ago when I was tossing out old cassette tapes, I inadvertently threw it away. A day or two later, just before the truck came to empty the dumpster, I somehow decided to take another quick look at the list of songs on each tape, and found this one.
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ABERDEEN (2004-2007)
For a few years, we had a family band called “ABERDEEN,”which I played in with my daughters.
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JABOOM (2007-2013)
From 2007 to 2013, I played bass guitar, mandolin and harmonica in the rock band “JABOOM” (which stands for “Just a Bunch of Old Men”) with my brother Joe. It was a fun group and we had some great times, including performing at the same stadium where Paul McCartney had performed two weeks before. (Yes, we were just playing for the Rio Tinto Mining Company’s employees’ party, but it was still a hoot playing at the stadium.) In JABOOM, I got to live out my childhood fantasy of performing music by the Beatles and other iconic groups that I grew up with.
JABOOM at Rio Tinto Stadium 2010
SHE’S NOT THERE: Song by the Zombies (1964)
SULTANS OF SWING: Song by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits (1978). With guest guitar whiz Phillip Linford. “Oh, yeah, the boy can play.”
LOSING MY RELIGION: Song by R.E.M. (1991). Joe sang lead and I played mandolin.
I’LL FEEL A WHOLE LOT BETTER: One of my favorite Gene Clark songs, on The Byrds’ first album. Phillip Linford joined us again, and I love the way he replicates McGuinn’s 12-string Rickenbacker part. Thanks to Fred Voros for lending Phillip his Rickenbacker for the session.
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DAVE & CRATE (2014 – )
When I moved out of Utah, I said goodbye to JABOOM and figured I’d never do anything as fun musically again, but when I moved to the coast it was my good fortune to hook up with Dave, a first-rate musician who had played in several bands in the midwest. Way back when, right out of high school, he had been a member of a popular group called “The Classmen.” They were kind of like “The Beach Boys” of Kansas City, and had made some popular records. Dave, who had a wealth of experience as a lead guitarist, was also a member of the Kansas Music Hall of Fame.
After Dave and I met at the open mic we decided to team up, and now perform in restaurants and pubs around town, playing mostly classic popular music from the 50’s through the 80s — nostalgic songs we grew up with, and that we call the soundtrack of our lives.
Dave and I started playing not as a duo, but as a trio, with recording artist Alex Kash, and we teamed up for a few concerts and open mics before Alex moved on. Here’s our rendition of “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl,” by The Beatles.
Back to DAVE & CRATE, here’s a sampling of artists we cover, including Christy Moore, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Simon & Garfunkel, The Everly Brothers, Neil Young, The Left Banke, Bob Seger, Fleet Foxes, Lyle Lovett, Warren Zevon, Bob Dylan, Runrig, Joni Mitchell, Dan Fogelberg, Bob Marley, John Gorka, Cindy Walker, Dougie MacLean, The Byrds, Bill Morrissey, Firefall, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Webb, John Stewart, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Mamas and the Papas, and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
2020-2021 NOTE: Until recently, I had only posted a handful of YouTube videos in this section. With Dave and I not performing during the pandemic, I’ve been adding lots of songs, and have turned this page into a virtual DAVE & CRATE performance showcase. There are now more than 35 songs posted below.
I recommend that you scroll down and just pick two or three at a sitting (at most) – ones that sound most interesting to you. I wouldn’t listen to them all unless you’re planning to write a dissertation on the songs of DAVE & CRATE, which I don’t recommend. 🙂
All recordings were made on a small portable digital recorder, and most were recorded “on the fly” before live audiences, as you’ll hear. None were studio recordings. (On some, I’ve added a little keyboard, harmonica or mandolin, using a USB mic and audio software from Audacity.)
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RIDE ON: This song is on an album by Irish singer Christy Moore. A haunting song of longing, cryptic enough that, as Moore says, “You can apply your own story to that song.”
MR. BOJANGLES: Song by Jerry Jeff Walker – a hit for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
BOOKENDS THEME: Song by Simon and Garfunkel, and the shortest song Paul Simon ever wrote, so we sing its one verse twice. 🙂
CATHY’S CLOWN: Nicely put together song by The Everly Brothers, with an unusual harmony pattern. It was the a major influence on the Beatles, who used a similar vocal arrangement on “Please Please Me.”
POWDERFINGER: This is a Neil Young song that I probably wouldn’t have paid much attention to, because Neil plays it in a loud rock style. It was only after I heard the quieter soulful cover by the Cowboy Junkies that I became a fan of the song.
WALK AWAY, RENEE: A song by The Left Banke.
TURN THE PAGE: A Bob Seger song about his life on the road as a musician.
MYKONOS: A song by Fleet Foxes.
IF I HAD A BOAT: A Lyle Lovett song, which he said he wrote when he was supposed to be doing something else. Glad he played hooky. A fun little song.
DESPERADOS UNDER THE EAVES: A Warren Zevon song that was reportedly one of his favorites.
KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR: A song by Bob Dylan.
EVERY RIVER: A song by the Scottish group, Runrig.
WOODSTOCK: A song by Joni Mitchell.
RUN FOR THE ROSES: A Dan Fogelberg tune.
I SHOT THE SHERIFF: A Bob Marley song that was a big hit for Eric Clapton back in the 70s.
CARMELITA: Another song by Warren Zevon.
LAND OF THE BOTTOM LINE: A song by John Gorka about the tension between wanting to be a dreamer (in his case, a musician) and the need to make a living.
YOU DON’T KNOW ME: A sentimental torch song from the 50s by songwriter Cindy Walker.
CALEDONIA: A song by Scottish singer/songwriter Dougie MacLean, written when he was a young man busking in France, and feeling homesick. Through the years it has become sort of the unofficial anthem of Scotland (Caledonia is the Latin name for Scotland), and is oftentimes sung in the pubs, with locals joining in on the choruses. We did this one in a jam session with other local musicians.
CHIMES OF FREEDOM: A Bob Dylan song, covered by The Byrds on their first album.
ST. JAMES INFIRMARY BLUES: An old song from New Orleans. I’ve always like the chord progression.
ROBERT JOHNSON: A song by Bill Morrissey, about the legendary blues guitarist who reputedly sold his soul to the devil to play the way he did. Fun story song for Dave’s guitar “noodling.”
BLIND WILLIE MCTELL: A song by Bob Dylan, which he recorded in 1983, but didn’t release then, thinking he hadn’t completed it and that it sounded too much like “St. James Infirmary Blues.” It was released on an album in 1991 called “The Bootleg Series,” and was covered by other artists, including The Band, Dylan’s own backing band from the late 60s. After hearing The Band’s version, Dylan was inspired to start performing the song himself in 1997, and has ever since. It’s currently regarded as one of his classic songs, on a par with “Like a Rolling Stone” and “All Along the Watchtower.”
JUST REMEMBER I LOVE YOU: A song by the group Firefall, from their 1977 album, “Luna Sea.”
DOWNBOUND TRAIN: A song by Bruce Springsteen, off his 1984 album “Born in the USA.”
SENOR: A song by Bob Dylan.
THUNDER ROAD: Again, Bruce Springsteen, from his 1975 album, “Born to Run.”
ONE THING: Another song by the Scottish group, Runrig.
MOHAMMED’S RADIO: Another song by Warren Zevon.
MAN IN THE LONG BLACK COAT: Song by Bob Dylan from his 1989 album, “Oh Mercy.” In a book Dylan wrote, he said that “in some kind of weird way, I thought of it as my ‘I Walk the Line’ (Johnny Cash’s signature song), a song I’d always considered to be up there at the top, one of the most mysterious and revolutionary of all time, a song that makes an attack on your most vulnerable spots, sharp words from a master.” But hardly anyone has even heard it. So here you go. 🙂
SLAVE’S LAMENT: Song by Scottish singer/songwriter Dougie MacLean, based on a Robert Burns poem decrying slavery in America. On this jam, we were joined by our friends Whale, Rick & Peggy.
THE MOON’S A HARSH MISTRESS: I really like this little known Jimmy Webb song. We did this freewheeling version in a jam session with our friends Whale and Rick.
WICHITA LINEMAN: Another Jimmy Webb song, and a big hit for Glen Campbell.
COMFORT ME: A song by John Stewart.
DON’T THINK TWICE, IT’S ALRIGHT: Another iconic Dylan song. I grew up listening to Peter, Paul and Mary’s version. When I was in high school, I got to hear them perform live at the Pasadena Playhouse, and they were every bit as good as on their records.
TURNING AWAY: Sometimes Dave and I collaborate with other local musicians for a concert, like we did on this song by Scottish singer/songwriter Dougie MacLean:
Sometimes Eyrie joins us onstage, which is always fun.
SONGS WITH KAELY:
KNOPFLER TUNE: Here’s a song by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits.
DAYS OF HEAVEN: Song from the soundtrack of the movie, composed by Ennio Morricone. We recorded this one at home on the piano (but I just had photos with the guitar).
LAST OF THE MOHICANS/THE GAEL: Fiddle tune by Dougie MacLean, which was adopted and used in the movie “Last of the Mohicans.” It was recorded a few years ago when we played at a restaurant, and I recently added some keyboard for effect.
BERCEUSE: Song by Finnish composer Armas Jarnefelt, written in 1904.
SEADANCE: Kaely and I collaborated on this tune. I came up with the chord sequence and she worked up the melody.
APPALACHIAN SONG: Back in the mid-1970s, I heard the main air for this tune in a TV-made movie about the Hatfields and McCoys. By the time I grabbed my cassette recorder, I was only able to record a brief section of the song, and never did find out what it was or where it came from. It felt like a traditional song to me, and I liked it well enough that I composed the other two sections around the main air, and named it “Appalachian Song.” If anyone recognizes the main melody, I’d be most interested in finding out more about the original song.
ROAD TO LISDOONVARNA:
CULLODEN’S HARVEST: Scottish lament about the battle of Culloden in 1746, between the British and Scottish forces.
Kaely also sings, as she does on this beautiful Scottish folk song, WILD MOUNTAIN THYME.
Never more fun than when I get to play with both Eyrie and Kaely. Here’s a song by one of our favorite artists, Loreena McKennitt:
SPANISH GUITARS & NIGHT PLAZAS
OF THIS LAND: Another Kaely & Eyrie song, composed by the Irish group, CLANNAD. Recorded piano and vocals first, then I added other instrumentation.
Here’s one Eyrie sings that we recorded one afternoon, with Kaely providing some fiddle backup.
YOU BROUGHT ME UP: Song by Irish singer Karan Casey.
When my brother Joe comes to town, we get together and do some jamming:
And finally, some songs I play solo:
YE JACOBITES: Perhaps the first known anti-war song, dating back to the 1700s, by Scottish poet Robert Burns. The original version of the song specifically condemned the bloody and unsuccessful Jacobite uprising, which culminated in the routing of the Scottish by the English in the Battle of Culloden in 1745. Burns rewrote the words of the song to be a more generalized condemnation of war.
A Reluctant Prosecutor 