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8/5/2006 Festival Kids Review from the California Bluegrass Association June 2006 - Mike Compton's review |
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8/5/2006 Festival Kids Reviewfrom the California Bluegrass AssociationReviewed by: B Hough Pacific Ocean Bluegrass Band: Festival Kids Pacific Ocean Bluegrass may sound like a contradiction in terms, since “surf music” would be the first musical connection with the ocean, but this band of hot dawg instrument surfers is sure to catch a wave and plow a wide furrow through the fields of bluegrass (too many mixed metaphors!) The band has a great group of California kids who have grown up with bluegrass festivals and jams. Scott Gates, the band founder, has already become known for his fine mandolin playing. His playing has the driving rhythm and woody sound of the old masters but he can shift to melodic playing or to the ukelele with the band in a retro version of “Tonight You Belong To Me.” Angelica Grim’s voice has a maturity and heartfelt quality that goes beyond her teenage years. Scott, Angelica and Andy Gates (Scott’s Dad) wrote “Festival Kid,” easily the most charming song on the album with its tale of kids growing up on bluegrass with “Uncle Doyle, Uncle Earl and Aunt Rhonda” as role models. Julian Conn Busch hails from Santa Cruz County and his steady beat on the bass helps power the band’s rhythm. Katie Nakamura is a fine fiddler who has won awards at the Topanga Banjo-Fiddle Contest in 2006 and is the Judge’s Choice in the Southern California Junior Bach Festival. Her playing is featured in the band’s instrumentals, and she kicks off the band’s versions of “Fire on the Mountain “ and “Cuckoo’s Nest.” Victor Skidanenko grew up in Santa Clara County and developed a love for the great banjo players of bluegrass music. His fluid playing blends easily with Scott’s mandolin and the two of them produce a very high powered “Clinch Mountain Backstep” and a Scruggs style “Flint Hill Special.” The group’s instrumentals are well developed and mature and the vocal harmonies are carefully developed in “Side by Side” and “Harvest Time.” This band is sure to be a contender for “Emerging Band” in the years to come. Be sure to check their web site for appearances and their work to bring bluegrass music to schools and other children. |
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June 2006 - Mike Compton's POB review"What do you get when you put Scott Gates, Angelica Grim, Victor Skidanenko, Julian Conn Busch and Katie Nakamura together with traditional string band instruments? You get PACIFIC OCEAN BLUEGRASS BAND! Now, I’m not talking about just any bluegrass band, mind you. I’m talking about a group of people who are listening to each other and communicate; who know how to pull tone and play as a group. Nevermind that the oldest persons in the group are a mere 16 years old! If that fact were not known, the music would certainly not give away the you in this group (the combined age of it’s members is only 68!) as they play with much greater understanding and taste than might be expected at first glance. ... Most all the major traditional bluegrass stylists show influence on these youngsters, and there’s a bit of jazz/swing influence too. These songs are played in the voices of the members of PACIFIC OCEAN BLUEGRASS. They play the tunes, not just copy them. Even old standards like “Black Mountain Rag” and “Foggy Mountain Special” sound as if they could have been written recently rather than decades ago. There is a spirited and intricate interplay ... burning leads or understated and beautifully supportive backup lines. It is all there. ...PACIFIC OCEAN BLUEGRASS is certainly doing their part to ensure a healthy future for string band music with a straightforward and tasteful first effort!" - MIKE COMPTON - June 2006 |
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Summer 2005 Mandolin Magazine Review of Legacy
Notes from the Gates to avoid confusion/worry about Scott’s “late” grandfather: We enjoyed this review very much, and Scott was pleased to see it printed next to John Reischman’s review, too! Nice little plus from MandoMag, however, to paraphrase Mark Twain, “The rumors of Grandpa Marco Manzo’s death are greatly exaggerated.” Marco (Scott’s maternal grandfather) is 85 years old at this writing (10/2005) and alive to hear the recocording which fullfilled a dream for him. And yes, he IS proud. Manzo wrote the song in 1949 when his wife Patricia, Scott’s maternal grandmother, was pregnant with their first child. Back then it was only a guess as to which gender would arrive, yet Marco deeply wanted a baby girl to be named after his mother, Antonina Stallone Manzo. He wrote the lullaby for Ninuzza Mia (My Little Nina) even before she was born. Manzo actually recorded the song in 1999 on his Old Country CD. With his permission, we lifted the track of his solo mandolin minus all of the other instruments. Scott wrote the other instrument parts to the tune and then recorded it as a trio of Mandolins; Marco playing lead, Scott playing second Mandolin and Evan Marshall (of whom Manzo is a huge fan) playing third Mandolin the first time through and Violin the second time through. Marco had always dreamed to have this tune done as a trio but it took his youngest Grandson to realize that dream and finish the tune for his Grandpa. Marco’s youngest son and Scott’s namesake, Scott Manzo, plays Bass on the tune and Eric Uglum plays fingerpick style guitar to round out the recording. Marco’s track is untouched and as he originally layed it down in 1999. It is a pretty special recording. |
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August 2005 - The Bluegrass Breakdown Vol. 32, No. 1
Scott Gates (age 12-mandolin) is just an incredible young man with an exceptional talent. Watching and listening to Scott play his mandolin is a thrill and his composure and stage presence is remarkable as he often ad-libs and adds comic relief to his performance. But when he takes his solos, just watch those fingers fly and listen to the delicate beauty that comes from his mandolin!! Scott has played with many talented (famous) people and has already put out his first CD, called “Legacy”. There are a number of kids, his age, that are so very talented and some are even already in bands. Some no longer come to be part of the Kids on Bluegrass and with Scott’s talent, it would be easy for him to say he was moving on. During one of our rehearsal breaks, I thanked Scott for being
a part of this program. I told him that he was giving each one
of the other kids a gift by helping when someone needs help, by
sharing what he knows and by just being a part of a group of kids
that want to learn to play as well as him. He got a big grin on
his face and told me he really likes being part of the Kids on
Bluegrass. He told me about a conversation he’d had with
a younger child about bluegrass music and the mandolin, and he
said when he was finished, the child replied “I think I
want to start playing the mandolin now!” He then told me
that it really makes him feel good when he can help, and to teach
the younger ones. The beauty of your music doesn’t just
flow through your fingers, Scott, it flows from your heart. And
I think it’s that combination of musicianship, kindness,
humility and dedication that will make you a leader and a “Star.”
Together, Scott and Katie Nakamura will give Frank Solivan II
and Keith Arneson of the US Navy Country Current Band a run for
their money when they play Blackberry Blossom and Orange Blossom
Special together! At the end of Scott and Katie’s Blackberry Blossom/Orange Blossom Special medley, I sat there wondering just what Frank Solivan II thought as he listened, watched and played with all these very talented kids. Was he thinking back 16 or so years ago when he and a few other young players walked on stage for the very first Kids on Bluegrass show? Did he have any idea it would go this far? Did he have any idea what he and those other first kids were starting? Leaving the stage that day, Frank Solivan, Sr. Director of the Kids on Bluegrass program, and Frank Solivan, II hugged one another proudly! Bluegrass Breakdown - CD Review
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review of Kids on Bluegrass show, Grass Valley, CA
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