John Natiw Music

It had been ten years since I’d been to the U.P. My mother’s family is from Escanaba and we used to visit nearly every summer and the occasional Christmas. So, needless to say, it was very exciting to be asked to play at Chamberlin’s Ole Forest Inn last weekend. Bud and Kelly were wonderful hosts and we enjoyed the food, fellowship and music. Really looking forward to getting back there. I’ll be back playing Chamberlin’s February 26 & 27 and again April 30 & May 1.

Here are a few photos from the weekend!

See you soon,
John
October 6, 2009

Bud, Kelly, Karen and John

On the Porch

Autograph session...

Chamberlin's Ole Forest Inn

Sunset on Big Manistique Lake

REVIEW – JAN KRIST & JIM BIZER CD RELEASE CONCERT AT MAMA’S COFFEEHOUSE – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2009

Rochelle and John at Mama's Coffeehouse

For some time, Rochelle and I have been looking for a way to separate ourselves from the crowd. A way to make our mark in the local music scene that would take us over the top. We came up with a plan which involved a secret weapon that would be sure to put us in rarefied air and jump start our musical journey. More about that in a moment…

Jan Krist and Jim Bizer have been making and playing great music for a long time. Both are songwriting heroes of Rochelle and I. So, it was a great opportunity when Jim Bizer asked us to open for him and Jan at their CD release party last week. The new CD is called Influence and has some amazing tracks. Getting to hear them all live for the first time was a real treat! Some of my favorites are Utterly Fine, Still in Love with You, Any One Thing and Charcoal Sky.

Saturday night started off with the open mic portion of the show. I had the pleasure of being an open mic participant a few months ago and had a great time. This time it was a band that I’m very familiar with (after being the drummer for about five years), Seven Bridges. They did four originals, including one that was brand new. Next up was Angel Brock and the Badmen. Well, except for the Badmen did not show, so Angel and one of her buddies got up there and did great when put on the spot.

Rochelle, Jan, John

Rochelle and I took the stage at 8pm and did a half hour set, starting with a brand new cover – I Want to Sing that Rock and Roll, by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Next was Sweetest Waste of Time by Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson. The highlight of the evening, for me, was the next song, but not for the reasons you may think. Nothin’ All Day went as usual until we got to the “whistle solo”. Instead of me whistling my way through the solo, Rochelle pulled out her secret weapon and laid down a sweet kazoo solo that brought the house down. It was 50/50 whether she was going to be able to do it or not. She had not been able to get through more than a measure or two without cracking up during rehearsals. She made it a bit further this time! We expect to be playing Pine Knob and The Palace any day now! ;o)

We finished up with Brandi Carlile’s What Can I Say, another original, Pleasureville, and then got the crowd involved during Seth and Daisy’s Shine On. Before Shine On I had asked the crowd to sing along on the chorus, thinking they would help us out with the last acapella chorus. Well, they rose to the occasion and sang us every single chorus, finishing up loud and proud during the last one. What a great experience! Once finished, it was time to clear the stage and let the real show begin!

Jan and Jim were amazing. Their set was put together well and featured songs off the new CD for the first half and then delving into their other material as well as a few covers from influential artist. These two have so much talent and experience and were a joy to watch and listen to for the rest of the evening.

Letting the freak flag fly!

After the show, I picked up their new CD, but forgot to have them sign it! Rochelle and I were asked to sign the MAMA’s Coffeehouse quilt! I didn’t notice, but Rochelle mentioned to me that we signed right next to Ralston Bowles! How cool is THAT? Big thank you to Jan Krist and Jim Bizer for inviting us to open for their event. Also to Dennis Kingsbury for the great sound we heard on stage and in our seats all night. And finally, thanks to our friends who came out to support Rochelle and I on this awesome evening of music!

See you soon,
John
September 26, 2009

NEXT SHOW – CHAMBERLIN’S INN, CURTIS, MICHIGAN (THE UP!) – FRIDAY & SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2-3

UPCOMING SHOW – SANDHILL CRANE VINEYARD, JACKSON, MICHIGAN – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17

UPCOMING SHOW – JACKSON COFFEE COMPANY, JACKSON, MICHIGAN – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30

NEW SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT – LIVE FROM THE LIVING ROOM, THE OAKLAND ARTS CENTER, PONTIAC, MICHIGAN – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11

Wow! Can it really be a month since I updated this blog? Guess so… Last time I checked in, my buddy Steven Wesley Guiles was making his way back to Southern California. That was a fantastic 24 hours. Glad he could make it out here to Michigan for a mini midwest tour! No update, however, on the new Guiles/Natiw collaboration, “Zombies Taste Like Chicken”. Stay tuned!

Dave Carter Memorial Tribute at Club Passim, Cambridge, MA

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I have to take a second to tell you what happened when I was in Boston a couple weeks ago! Tracy Grammer was at Club Passim in Cambridge to host a memorial tribute to the late Dave Carter. I had known about this for a few weeks, but never in my wildest dreams thought I would be IN BOSTON that week! Well, I was. And I went. But it gets better…

Tracy came out to open the show with a song. Then she explained that she would be drawing a few lucky names out of a hat to come up and play their favorite Dave Carter song in tribute to him. I thought long and hard about this, but couldn’t for the life of me think of a song of his that I knew well enough to attempt! But… I put my name in the hat (which was actually just a plastic pitcher). After a great set by Gretchen Peters, two “tweeners” got up and did wonderful renditions of Dave’s songs. Next it was a fantastic set by Richard Shindell. Right after he finished, Tracy pulled my name. I was mortified, but headed up to the stage, not knowing what I was going to do.

She graciously offered me her guitar (*gulp*) and I sat down and started to strum. I decided I would try When I Go, not sure I remembered how to play it at all! After finding a few chords, I began to sing. When I got to the chorus, I realized I didn’t remember it! So I stopped, begged the room’s forgiveness and then continued through to the end.Fortunately there were a few kind folks there who photographed the moment so I could actually believe it happened!

Many, many thanks to Tracy for allowing me to be a small part of an amazing evening in tribute to one of my songwriting heroes, Dave Carter.

REVIEW – CRAZY WISDOM BOOKSTORE & TEAROOM, ANN ARBOR, MI, AUGUST 8, 2009

Doesn’t seem like this show was a month ago! Room was packed and lots of friends turned out to hear Rochelle & I as well as James Humphries and Dave Brandt.

REVIEW – BLUE GILL GRILL, HASLETT, MI, AUGUST 14, 2009

Paige at the Blue Gill hooked us up with a few great dates after our first appearance at this great venue. We were happy to fill in the holes in her schedule! Rochelle and I were joined by guitarist Brian Keith Howard. Keith always brings a great vibe to our show whenever he is available. We rocked it out until 1am. We will be returning to the Blue Gill on Friday, September 25!

REVIEW – HOLLER FEST, BROOKLYN, MI, AUGUST 22, 2009

Rochelle and John main stage at Holler Fest

This was a real hoot… erm…. holler! Thanks to our friend Susie Keat for getting us this gig. Rochelle and I were honored to play in the cabin for almost 90 minutes! It was a bit surreal when members of Orpheum Bell made their way into the cabin near the end of our set. They had just finished on the main stage (which explained the light turnout in the cabin!) and were coming over to set up in the cabin. Fortunately, they brought a ton of folks in with them so we had a bigger crowd to play to as we finished our set.

After our set in the cabin, we were whisked away by Susie and Bob to sample the organic fare. If you know me at all,  you know this was an adventure! My idea of eating organic is eating at a picnic table outside. But, I must say, the food was wonderful! Although I did head over to the pizza tent later and had some veggie pizza!

Another huge honor came later that night when we were asked to head out onto the main stage during the tribute to the late Frog Holler Farm founder, Ken King. We were third or fourth in line and calmed our nerves enough to make our way out on stage. The reason we were out there at all was, again, Susie Keat. She had approached me at the Crazy Wisdom show to ask if I would be interested in making a song out of a poem she had written for Ken. I agreed to try. So, out we went to play this new song. We did our best and hope that others saw the importance of the words that Susie wrote. After the tribute, I found myself really wishing that I’d met Ken. As the night wore on, I realized I knew a lot more about him than I realized, learning of him through the grounds I walked and the people I met.

Thank you Susie Keat, Billy King and the entire King family!

REVIEW – FARMINGTON FARMERS MARKET & THE JUNCTION AT SHIAWASSEE PARK, FARMINGTON, MI, AUGUST 29, 2009

Once again, Keith joined Rochelle and I for an all day affair in Farmington. We started early at the Farmers and Artisans Market downtown. The crowds were large and busy! Props to the local farmers who worked very hard to set up and sell their goods. We even got to sample a bit of the local fare during the 3rd annual corn roast. Maybe the best corn I’ve ever had… just maybe!

After the Farmers Market, we quickly packed up our stuff and headed over to Shiawassee Park for the Junction gig. We were very pleased to be a part of this fundraiser event for school supplies for needy students. Other fantastic performers were also a part of it such as Tracy Kash Thomas, David Nefesh and the Bob Young Band. Big thanks to Bob for inviting us to be a part of this event. See you again at the Junction on November 21st! Also appearing that evening will be Bobby Pennock and Rob Hayes.

NEXT SHOW – BLUE GILL GRILL, HASLETT, MI, SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

Looking foward to seeing Paige and the crew up at the Blue Gill in a couple weeks. Come on out!

As posted on the Over the Rhine Forum – The Orchard

Ok, so if you know Teleguy Steve and Ghostwriter John at all, you probably know that we write and perform our own music. You may also know that we run a songwriting blog (http://songwritingapples.wordpress.com/). AND, you may also know that Steve has a new CD out called We Will All Be Lifted. Get it.

What you may NOT know, is that Steve has traveled to Michigan and John had mercy on him and took his stray butt in for a couple days. I met Steve at the airport Friday at 11:30am and it was GAME ON! Here’s how it went…

Steven Wesley Guiles, Rochelle Clark, John Natiw & James Humphries

11:30am – John picks up Steve from the airport. Conversation ensues.
1:00pm – Arrival at the JTV television studios for an in-studio live performance. John’s duo partner, Rochelle, also arrives.
1:15pm – Steve breaks his E string. John buys some bottled water and a muffin.
1:25pm – John breaks his E string right as he utters the words “I hope I don’t break a str…SNAP”
1:45pm – Steve rocks it out on the Bart Hawley show. John and Rochelle applaud wildly.
1:55pm – John and Rochelle pwn on the Bart Hawley show. Steve applauds wildly.
2:15pm – The three music warriors walk down the street to check out the venue for the evening. Get distracted by the sign for “turtle races” at the Crazy Cowboy next door. The trio begin to entertain the thought of checking out said “turtle races” after their show, but then decide that they would probably need to be a six-pack in to really “get” turtle racing.
3:00pm – John and Steve say goodbye to Rochelle for the moment and drive back to John’s place. They begin to write a song called “Zombies Taste Like Chicken” as they drive.
3:30pm – Lunch. Subway. Don’t tell me I don’t know how to entertain a guest.
5:00pm – Load up the sound equipment. Begin the drive out to Jackson for the evening’s show.
5:15pm – Explain to Steve that we really don’t have any traffic here in Michigan.
5:16pm – Spend the next 30 minutes stuck in construction traffic.
6:30pm – Arrive at the venue. Unload the equipment. Steve takes all the light stuff because he has only gotten up to level 2 on Wii Fit.
6:55pm – Steve realizes he forgot all his CD’s. John graciously calls his daughter, who has not left for the show yet and has NOT YET MET STEVE. John hands the phone to Steve and he asks her to go through his luggage (underwear and all) to retrieve said CD’s.
7:05pm – Steve begins his amazing one hour set. Plays many tunes off the new CD, but also a few from Pushstart Wagon. The crowd goes wild.
7:15pm – Steve, knowing that the CD’s have not arrived yet, begins to try to sell the ONE COPY he has with him for $50. No takers.
7:55pm – John is asked to join Steve on stage. The two appleheads play together on stage for the very first time.
8:15pm – John and Rochelle begin their two hour set. They are joined off and on by harmonica man James Humphries and also Steve.
8:30pm – Lindsay arrives with the CD’s. After an awkward moment between Lindsay and him, Steve wisely lowers the price of his CD’s back to $10.
9:45pm – John and Rochelle with their usual song, When We’re Gone, Long Gone (Keiran Kane cover) and turn the stage over to Steve again to take us home. He does an amazing little medley of tunes, ending with Bridge Over Troubled Water.
10:00pm – Show. OVER. Socializing. Steve selling merch. Autographing CD’s.
10:30pm – Load up the equipment. Steve takes the light stuff again. Fortunately, Rochelle has a huge friend named Rick there. He shleps some heavy stuff.
11:00pm – Goodbye’s. Steve and John drive back to John’s place.
12:00pm – Hungry. Wendy’s.
12:30am – Man-Cave. Steve and John chat about recording whilst listening to various songs.
1:00am – Bed. Steve has been up for over 24 hours.
7:45am – John rousts Steve. Out the door in 30.
8:15am – OJ, muffin and bagel at the gas station.
9:00am – John drops Steve at his next destination. They are both sad there is not more time to spend together, but agree that John will be coming to San Dimas in the very near future. They also agree to finish collaborating on “Zombies Taste Like Chicken” because that baby is gonna be a HIT!

Thanks to the Orchard for making this an amazing 24 hours.
Out.
John