Any chance to see the California Guitar Trio is a good thing, but the chance to see them on a downtown rooftop with the Louisville skyline as a backdrop is not to be missed.  Their brand of swirling, interchanging lines and duties is so fluid as to defy singularity, while amazing in studio works, truly deserves to be seen live and in person to gain the purest effect.  Add to that an unseasonably cool late June night, and the natural light show of the sunset reflecting off the steel and glass and the result was a show not to be forgotten.  Long time fans were rewarded with stunning renditions, and new fans were made easily with the fret board unity on display.

     As soon as I heard about the Trio’s show on the rooftop of Glassworks I knew I had to be there.  Glassworks, a local art gallery/hands on art glass workshop, provides a wonderful service for my community.  Besides their admirable role aiding artists in sharing their hard work, they host walk in basis tutorials to help people who might not normally use art as a means of expression to learn a new voice.  Their snappy, modern headquarters have an open, airy quality enhanced by the use of interior walls made of…wait for it…glass.  Their offices and gallery space take up the lower floors of this stylish masonry building.  They consist of the gallery, workshops and offices and a meeting/performance space, while the upper floors are used for housing.  And sometimes, when the weather is right and the stars are aligned, (and the neighbors don’t mind), the roof of the building is open to the public for various events, such as tonight’s concert.
    
     When I arrived I was greeted by Amanda, who seemed to have a hand in every aspect of the workshops, walking people thru all the different projects, giving tours of the gallery spaces, and enjoying a different kind of artistry after her shift at the show.  I had a chance to sit down with Amanda and her fellow tour guide Jacqueline and talk what they liked about their jobs.  Jacqueline spoke of her enjoyment watching people’s excitement watching the creations take form, while Amanda wanted me to be sure to let people know that they were there for the artist.  Glassworks gives artists a chance to display in a stylish setting, their work popping against the expansionist wall spaces giving them a one of a kind place to shine.  After a quick tour (no artist present to ask permission so no close shots, a good rule for photography, just so you know) I got a chance to chat with a couple of the trio, Paul Richards, the American of the band, and Bert Lams, who hails from Belgium.

     While Hideyo Moriya toiled away setting up his equipment, Paul and Bert pulled themselves away from the soundcheck to talk with me for a few minutes about the band’s past, present, and future.  “We first met at a work shop hosted in 1987 by Robert Fripp (of the legendary band King Crimson) for guitarists” said Paul, who then went on to describe the unusual teaching methods used.  “He (Fripp) would gather us all in a circle, sometimes as many as seventy of us, and we would work on learning how to play together, to listen to not just the notes, but the players as well.  Fripp would then, as the pieces became rote, introduce challenges to the group to force them to see the piece differently.  He would have the players arrange themselves in a circle, and each guitarist would take a note, played in succession.  As this became more comfortable to the players, he would interject, calling out skips forcing the players to know the piece backwards and forwards, to keep their ears open and minds focused on the task at hand.”  
     As Paul spoke of the tutorial methods used, you could see the fond memories dancing behind his eyes.  When asked about the challenges inherent in such a style he and Bert grew visibly happier, and detailed their love of challenges.  “We constantly try and challenge ourselves, rearranging pieces and roles, and try to write compositions that force us to think” Paul said before stepping away to finish his soundcheck.   Bert stayed for a few more minutes, continuing the band’s history.  “There was chemistry instantly”, he said, “and after we toured with Fripp’s ‘League of Crafty Guitarists’, (a traveling, sometimes upwards of twenty piece version of the workshop playing model) it was obvious the three of us were very happy playing together.”   I let him know how happy we were that they had found each other before he left to rejoin his band mates in preparation for the evening’s performance.

     The band is in town to record a new disc at the analog studio, housed in the Ratterman funeral home here in Louisville. Kevin Ratterman, who works with the band as a recording engineer, along with the band’s sound man (and sometimes guest Harmelodia player) ran the band through their sound check and I got a sneak preview of the night’s set.  It was so interesting to watch these perfectionists work out all the kinks in the sound, never appearing frustrated as the hot sun slowly dropped from it’s midday perch and the breeze from the Ohio river started to blow across the rooftops.  Finally content that all was right, the band and their hardworking sound crew retired for a little well deserved food and shade.

      Staff at Glassworks set up a small bar at the rear of the rooftop, including a selection of microbrews from local fixture Brownies fresh and on tap.  Louisville has a smoking ordinance in effect though since we were outdoors and thus exempt, smokers still showed consideration and confined themselves to the bar area.  The crowd filtered in and we were joined by an eclectic mix of diehard music fans and the musically curious, who had heard the band’s music and news of the show on legendary local radio station WFPK.

     Among them were Greg and Katherine Popham, who were celebrating their anniversary that day.  Greg also happens to be my land lord, so I chose to make a gift to them of the concert, and had given he and his bride the tickets earlier in the day as a gift. As my apartment is directly above their office in his real estate management business’s building, they put up with a lot from me and I was glad to have a chance to share something I was sure they’d love.  Joined by my friend Chris, who brought his lovely mother Carol, we took the front row seats I had saved us and settled in for an aural adventure.

     The set featured many highlights, including reworkings of classical pieces, originals and the occasional cover, such as their inspired rendition of Mike Oldfeld’s “Tubular Bells”.  Taking advantage of the show’s proximity to their return too the studio, they played a few new pieces, the hauntingly beautiful “Portland Rain” and my new favorite piece from the Trio, the spacey, psychedelic “Andromeda”.  An amazing merging of  the picking style that is at the heart of their sound and astral trippy effects, as the piece reached a crescendo I was surprised to see my landlord leap to his feet and cheer, and to see so many others follow his example.  “I just had to stand” Greg said,” the music made me!”  Well said sir, well said.

     After making my friend Chris’s night by closing with their chilling guitar only rendition of the Pink Floyd classic “Echoes”, the band mingled with the crowd, talking with all who approached them, signing copies of their studio works, and copies of the show we had just watched, mastered and quick burned by Tyler for a grateful crowd. After thanking them for such a magnificent evening, I drove home and paid the band the best compliment I possibly could, and listened to the show again, in its entirety.  I can’t urge you strongly enough to check this band and their guitar oneness out for yourselves. You will be astounded and confounded by the magic of the California Guitar Trio.

      
   Words and pictures by Rex Thomson.