I propose that all kottke fans here indicate so in their profile.
There’s also the unofficial Kottke page: http://www.guitarmusic.org/kottke/noframes.shtml
It may have some more tentative concert dates.
I’ve added Leo Kottke to my home page.Well, all it does is go to www.leokottke.com but it’s there.
I found a quote, which explains Leo Kottke quite well. He describes his tune The Ice Miner. “The railroad used to mine ice out of Big Lake in Big Lake, Minnesota. I have to think the mineral must have been driven around until it melted at which time the train would return and get more ice-while guys mining for ice for the last twenty years just kept whacking away.”
Any questions?
The song “Room 8” likewise is named after a cat buried by elementary school kids in Los Angeles. Leo gets around.
Conversation between me & guitar-player husband:
Me: Honey, do you know who Leo Kottke is?
Him: Yes, why?
Me: Well, there’s a thread here on the board about him.
Him: Oh God, he’s not dead, is he? Please tell me he’s not dead.
Me: No, he’s not dead.
Him: Oh good. He’s great. I’ve got some of his tapes downstairs, in fact.
So there you have it. I’ve never heard of him, but my husband thinks he’s great. Should I put that in my profile?
“The quickest way to a man’s heart is through his ribcage.” --anonymous redhead
I’ve heard of Leo Kottke, but I only know one song–Pepe Hush. I like it.
–Gail
“Predictable, really I suppose. It was an act of purest optimism to have posed the question in the first place.” --John Cleese
Okay, I got out the Fahey records and the Kottke records and spun 'em one after the other because it occurred to me Saturday night that my last post might remind some of you of a Nincompoop.
Um, let me go back and scratch that “MAY be better technically” line.
There’s no doubt that Leo can dance rings around John. Kottke can sound like four guys with guitars sitting in a room; Fahey usually sounds like only two.
Still, as you say, a matter of taste. There’s something about Fahey’s sound – raw-boned, idiosyncratic, bluesy, “I-don’t-give-a-rat’s-ass” – that I find intensely appealing.
Uke
Oh, if you’re going to sneak another John Fahey into the house, I recommend AMERICA…he recorded it in 1970 for what was supposed to be a double-album, but was only able to release one…the CD has the complete set, over 75 minutes, which had been collecting dust on the shelf for 28 years.
For a Fahey overview, Rhino did a good job with RETURN OF THE REPRESSED, their double CD anthology (makes a nice bookend to the Kottke anthology)!
Uke
Leo’s great. I’ve got “Live” and “Essential”, I first heard of him in the early 70’s but lost interest until I started playing guitar 3 years ago. I can’t play his songs but they inspire me to practice. Acoustic Guitar magazine had some tab a few issues back, if anybody’s looking for some.
Thanks for the tip, Uke, on the CD.
Part of the fun of seeing him live is the stories he tells between songs. The “Live” album has a couple of them. Last time I saw him he told one about canoeing on the Crow River (he’s from Minnesota) and being surprised by how difficult it was to make the canoe do what you wanted it to do. About that time a troop of 12 year old girl scouts came shooting by in complete control of their canoes, offering him advice. He described his lingering hostility towards 12 year old girls. Now when I listen to “Crow River Waltz” it makes me smile.
As far as playing Leo’s songs, there are a few that are not too difficult, “Crow River Waltz” being one. Getting them to sound like he does – well, that’s a whole new ballgame. BTW, he almost always tunes his guitar a step or two and uses mostly open tunings.
“pluto … a seriously demented but oddly addictive presence here.” – TVeblen
I always had an…aversion…to groups of giggling teenage girls as well. Two I may tolerate.
Leo has been in Minnesota a long time, but he was born in Athens, Georgia, as the album covers say. He spent most of his youth moving, and being a school yard punching bag as a result.
He tunes his guitar down, I believe, so capo won’t help. Are there really that many open tunings?Maybe half, or less.