Acoustic Stories: Playing Bass with Peter, Paul & Mary, Jerry Garcia, and Bill Monroe, and Eighteen Other Unamplified Tales [Paperback]

Bill Amatneek (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2003

These twenty-one insider stories about the author's experiences as a bass player to the greats of folk, bluegrass, and acoustic music, are hilarious, insightful, sweet, thoughtful, humble, and generous in their real-life depictions of our best-loved entertainers. Here are true stories about Bill's playing string bass with Peter, Paul & Mary, pickin' bluegrass with Jerry Garcia, and concertizing with the Father of Bluegrass music, Bill Monroe. Aretha Franklin reveals yet another of her powers when Bill interviews her for Rolling Stone magazine. Bob Dylan is seen backstage as he makes his way to his first gig in Philadelphia. And Stephane Grapelli, at age 74, on being introduced to the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, admits that he is just grateful to be alive. These stories show us the specific and rarefied culture of the folk musician, but also stand as pieces of literature, full-fledged stories of deep humanity and sensitivity that give us a tasty sampling of the stew of human interaction both on stage and off. The book is richly illustrated with 35 graphics, drawing and photos. There is a beautiful portrait of Aretha Franklin by the world's most famous photographer, Annie Leibovitz, a drawing of Beach Blanket Babylon's Steve Silver by the late Al Hershfeld, and photos of Jerry Garcia by Jon Sievert.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Charming, funny, poignant reminiscences on the musicians who touched Amatneek's life with their musical excellence and nobility of character. -- Bob Cooperman, Hard Roe To Hoe, October, 2003

I think the folk music world has found its Homer. -- Milbre Burch, April 11, 1998

About the Author

Bill Amatneek has recorded with Mark O'Connor, Kate Wolf, the Chambers Brothers, Tiny Moore and Eldin Shamblin, the Rowan Brothers, and on the first David Grisman Quintet album. He has played string bass with Frank Wakefield, Peter Rowan and Tony Rice, Bill Keith, Peter, Paul & Mary, and the Full Faith & Credit Big Band.

Rolling Stone, Down Beat, Bluegrass Unlimited, Musician, Pacific Sun, Yoga Journal, First Leaves, and The Dickens have all published Amatneek's stories and essays, and he is anthologized in the book, Encounters with Bob Dylan.

Bill tells tales from Acoustic Stories at folk, bluegrass and storytelling festivals, accompanying himself on bass and banjo. Bill has been seen flying with Peter Rowan and the Free Mexican Air Force, playing bass with Lorin Rowan and Kester Smith in the band Rattlebox, and directing Jump House, a twenty-piece Santa Rosa big band.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Vineyards Press, LLC (August 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 192857811X
• ISBN-13: 978-1928578116
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,539,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars His stories are like picturesque mountain scenery, February 23, 2004

By 

J. Ross "a-music_fan" (Roseburg, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Acoustic Stories: Playing Bass with Peter, Paul & Mary, Jerry Garcia, and Bill Monroe, and Eighteen Other Unamplified Tales (Paperback)

One of the first photos in "Acoustic Stories" shows author Bill Amatneek playing upright bass with Peter, Paul and Mary in 1979. At the end of the book, a photo shows the author with the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band in 2003. Between these pictures are over 20 stories and 33 other photos that provide extraordinary recollections from this musician's years of professional experience. Amatneek refers to these stories as unamplified tales, largely because of his love of acoustic music. Moreover, he certainly needs no additional reinforcement, expansion or exaggeration of them to make his charming points. In fact, each story reads quickly, and they come across more as entertaining anecdotes that are both interesting and humorous. For the most part, they are based on real occurrences although the author's preface indicates that some are "told from their facts but to their hearts." Like picturesque mountain scenery, each story is suitable for framing. The author writes with a vivid freshness and vigor that capture his unique experiences.

Amatneek grew up in New York's Greenwich Village in the 1940s, and his connections eventually led to him becoming a "string-bass poppin', banjo-pickin' Philadelphia folkie." His short vignettes from the 1960s through the 1990s include tales about meeting Bob Dylan, being "used" as a prop by Mary Travers, interviewing Aretha Franklin, having Dionne Warwick sing "Happy Birthday" to him on his 21st birthday, and being inspired by Mimi Farina to make the world a better place. Throughout the book, the author intersperses a few song lyrics amidst the narrative.

Acoustic musicians, especially in the folk genre, typically include stories into their presentation. Most are based on personal experience and relate thoughtful and honest portrayals of life on the road and the people they meet along the way. Many of Amatneek's yarns revolve around well-known music personalities. In one situation, he might be auditioning tortoiseshell picks with Tony Rice in Paris. In another, he and the Rowan Brothers might be picking with Bill Monroe at the Wintergrass Festival in Tacoma, Wa. A couple of my favorites are about a panel discussion of the meaning of Monroe's song lyrics in "Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake." Other favorites are his description of the 3-ring circus of Beach Blanket Babylon, and the 50th anniversary of D-Day in 1994 in Ranville, France.

The emotional impacts of death creep into the stories. The author becomes introspective when talking about the passing of Mimi Farina, Kate Wolf, Jerry Garcia, Steve Gorn's father, Steve Silver, Al "Jazzbeaux" Collins, and the New Orleans horn player Buddy Bolden. Amatneek claims to be "basically shy," but this book shows, in writing, his more social and extrovert side. His "Acoustic Stories' are affectionately told, and anyone who can appreciate a few slices of music-related folklore will enjoy this book. Not only will you get to know the reserved bassist, author and storyteller better, but you'll get a taste of what it's been like for Bill Amatneek to cross paths and play with many luminaries in the music business. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Musical tales wonderfully told, October 14, 2003

By 

Joel Chaban (San Rafael, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Acoustic Stories: Playing Bass with Peter, Paul & Mary, Jerry Garcia, and Bill Monroe, and Eighteen Other Unamplified Tales (Paperback)

Each short story is a wonderful recount of the author's life as a musician and of the famous and infamous people who have left a delible impression on him. Some stories will make you laugh, some will make you cry with joy, and others will leave you reflecting on life. Stories you can read to your children.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An engaging recollection of personal memories, April 4, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Acoustic Stories: Playing Bass with Peter, Paul & Mary, Jerry Garcia, and Bill Monroe, and Eighteen Other Unamplified Tales (Paperback)

Acoustic Stories is a unique and impressive anthology of true personal stories about musical legends such as Jerry Garcia, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, and many more as witnessed, experienced, and regaled by string bassist Bill Amatneek. An engaging recollection of personal memories, of tunes that transcend time, and offering contemporary readers with a tiny peek behind the surface of great entertainers, Acoustic Stories is most especially recommended for those legions of fans whose musical icons made and played decades of popular and unamplified music.