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Walking the solitary creative path
By Ryan Heinsius
Published on 03/11/2010
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A big congratulations is in order. And I don’t mean to all the hoity-toity celeb winners at the Oscars last Sunday. I’m directing this to all the winners at Flagstaff’s second annual Viola Awards, which took place March 4 at the Radisson.
This week we have a full rundown of the goings on by Penelope Bass, who attended the gathering which included many prime suspects in Flagstaff’s arts and music community. From where I sit in the cool underbelly of the Flag Live dungeon offices, the current power of Flagstaff’s culture is at an all-time high, and the Viola Awards and its winners underscore the world-class talent and drive that is present in our town. Since I moved here 11-and-a-half years ago, I’ve seen the constant ebb and flow of Flagstaff—some years it’s been a beacon of creativity and innovation in the Southwest; some years, not as much. Some years, there have been incredible local bands packing Flag’s music venues and literally falling out into the streets downtown from every door; some years it’s been less densely packed, but nonetheless great.
It’s the natural order of things: tension and resolution, chaos and peace, life and death. But, there’s something in the air right now in this town, and a renaissance of sorts that has been afoot for a few years. Instead of good and not-as-good years, they seem to be getting better as each passes, like something is building on itself.
Now, I would be remiss as the editor of the publication you hold in your hands if I failed to toot our own horn for just a minute, so bear with me. We’re extremely proud to be able to direct specific attention to two Viola winners in particular: Tony Norris, who won for Music, and Shonto Begay, who won for Visual Arts. It has been our extreme pleasure to have both of these illustrious and quintessential Flag locals as columnists during the last couple years in our weekly series “Letter from Home.” Tony and Shonto, along with our three additional top-notch contributors, have molded these weekly column inches on page 4 into a sounding board for the sights, sounds and general vibe of northern Arizona life in 2010 AD. The day jobs that Tony and Shonto have—and for which they were recognized—provide both individuals with their distinct, one-of-a-kind perspectives on the world—hence why we are so pleased to have a couple members of our Flag Live family honored at the Violas.
Also this week, you’ve likely noticed our cover story, which is an extended interview with Flag guitarist and songwriter Steve Reynolds by the inimitable Dean Bonzani (click here). We’ve been wanting to get a story in Live on Mr. Reynolds for some time and after we failed (admittedly, it was my fault) to do so last summer after the release of his newest album Shut Up & Play, we really wanted to do it right. So, we set him up with ace local photographer Josh Biggs last week for some pics, and, despite getting chased from the tracks by some hyper-attentive BNSF rail workers, we ended up with some good shots of the troubadour, his gorgeous new Collings guitar and his trusty pooch Edie.
Steve Reynolds is truly one of the most dedicated and skilled musicians in the Southwest and has been honing his professional chops as a guitarist, songwriter and singer since he turned pro in 1969. Since then, he’s lived in Michigan, Colorado and Austin, where he delved deeply into the exploding and vibrant music scene of the ’80s and ’90s. While there, he shared stages with damaged country-rock goddess Lucinda Williams, blues vocal master Delbert McClinton and the legendary Texas guitar badass Stevie Ray Vaughan. Reynolds also logged some time in San Diego, L.A. and Tucson and toured Europe a couple times with the band Texas Lone Star. He’s also cranked out two other solo albums since ’98: Too Much Coffee and Downriver.
So he’s been around, and his credentials are miles long. But, his playing is the obvious focus. With the strong influences of Rev. Gary Davis and Mississippi John Hurt, Reynolds has a firm mastery of fingerstyle blues, but he also incorporates elements of jazz, vaudeville, country and folk into his eclectic style.
A creature of the road, Reynolds spends a lot of time traveling to and from out-of-town gigs, so it’s always a pleasure to have him at his regular haunt, Flagstaff’s own Altitudes. He’ll be there Friday and Saturday so drop by to see a true master work.
To see recent columns from the Editor’s Head CLICK HERE.
To contact the Editor’s Head, drop it an e-mail at ryanh@flaglive.com.
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