Pictured is James Clay Garrison. File photo.
Rhythm Nights Start with James Clay Garrison by: Melina Paris, Music Writer
How fast can a rhythmic finger snapper snap?
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Grilled Oysters
Make sure to have the toppings ready to go before grilling the oysters. And serve barbecue oysters immediately. In fact, it’s fun to have a production line - as oysters are ready to come off the grill - shuck, dress and serve them to the guests huddled around the barbecue. Happy grilling and slurping! Lori Lynn Hirsch Stokoe blogs about food, wine, and entertaining at Taste With The Eyes http://www.tastewiththeeyes.com and tweets as Tasteblog at https://twitter.com/tasteblog.
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July 2
Comedy Night Enjoy a night of comedy starting at 9 p.m. every Tuesday. Details: (310) 547-0628; www.Ryan-Reaves.com Venue: Godmother’s Saloon Location: 437 W. 6th St., San Pedro
July 4
See Page 12 for Fourth of July Celebrations
July 5
Friday Night Community Concerts Enjoy the Long Beach Municipal Band’s Friday night concerts at 6:30 p.m. Venue: El Dorado Park West Location: 2800 N. Studebaker Rd, Long Beach
July 6
2013 Long Beach Funk Fest The 2013 Long Beach Funk Fest will be at Harvelle’s at 12 p.m. Tickets are $10 and there will be a 2-drink minimum purchase required. Details: (562) 239-3700; www.longbeach.harvelles. com Venue: Harvelles Location: 201 E. Broadway, Long Beach
Community/Family June 28
Bloody Thursday Horseshoe Tournament The 30th Annual Horseshoe Tournament will take place at 8 p.m. If you are interested in signing up, the cost is $50 per team. Details: (562) 743-4642 or (310) 612-1411 Venue: Peck Park Location: 560 N. Western Ave., San Pedro
June 29
Shop American Saturday The Shop American Saturday event will be at CRAFTED, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Details: (310) 732-1270; www.craftedportla.com Venue: CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles Location: 110 E. 22nd St., San Pedro
June 30
Old Memories Car Show Old Memories Harbor Area presents its first car show, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Venue: K1 Speed Torrance Location: 19038 S. Vermont Ave., Gardena
July 1
Friends of the Library Used Book Sale The San Pedro Library is hosting a used book sale, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Details: (310) 548-7779; www.lapl.org Venue: San Pedro Public Library Location: 931 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro Fish Fry Camp The Aquarium of the Pacific is conducting the Fish Fry Camp, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. July 1 through 3. The camp is a three-day event, in which your children will wet their appetites with marine life with hands-on exploration, crafts, games and aquarium tours. The camp is only for children between the ages of 3 and 4. The fee is $110 for every child and parent combination. Call to reserve a spot. Details: (562) 590-3100; www.aquariumofpacific. org Venue: Aquarium of the Pacific Location: 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach Calendar to page 16.
June 28 – July 11, 2013
flavor as the oyster is the real star, so add toppings sparingly. Sriracha butter: Melt one half stick of butter in a small pan, stir in 2 teaspoons Sriracha (chili sauce). Spoon a small amount of melted butter sauce over the oyster. Scotch whisky: Drizzle a very small amount of smoky, peaty Scotch over the hot oyster. Bacon and bleu cheese: Top a shucked oyster with a few crumbles of bleu cheese and finely chopped cooked bacon. Put the oyster back on the grill until the cheese starts to melt. Kimchi and scallion: Slice napa cabbage kimchi into thin ribbons. Slice scallions very thin. Top the oyster with Sriracha butter, then add a small dollop of kimchi and a few scallions. Lemon garlic butter: Melt one half stick of butter in a small pan, add two–cloves minced garlic, and cook for one minute. Remove from heat, add the juice from one half lemon and 1 teaspoon chopped parsley. Spoon over hot oyster.
Celery hearts: Place a very small cube of unsalted butter on the hot oyster. Add a pinch of sea salt and white pepper. Garnish with finely chopped leaves from the heart of a celery stalk. Enjoy as the butter starts to melt. Parmesan and smoked paprika: Spoon a small dollop of mayonnaise onto a shucked oyster. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and top with shredded Parmesan. Put the oyster back on the grill until the cheese melts.
Calendar from page 14. at 3 p.m. Enjoy an evening of singing by this experienced choral group. Tickets are $5. Details: (310) 618-1185; www.laglee.org Venue: James Armstrong Theatre Location: 3330 Civic Center Dr., Torrance
ACE: Arts • Cuisine • Entertainment
Ask James Clay Garrison. Better yet, just go see him play. He has a mild demeanor, but he can rock hard. I saw him play on a recent Tuesday at Harvelle’s in downtown Long Beach. Garrison also possesses a highly uncommon talent. Doing some research on him, I discovered he may actually be on record for the fastest rhythmic finger snapping in the world. This will give you an idea of just how fast he can shred a guitar. I watched the video with its infrared detail and it almost looks like animation. It’s amazing! A mind-blowing guitarist, he has been playing professionally since the early 1980s. When he was very young child in Spain, he remembers his father taking him to the flamenco bars until the early-morning hours. Garrison explains his father was an air force pilot and “typical of that ilk, being somewhat of a partier.” He bought Garrison his first guitar with hopes that he would play flamenco music. Garrison’s talents on guitar could easily match those of a flamenco player. He plays exceptionally fast, with his fingers flailing away on a rock number just as dexterously as he does on a smooth rhythm and blues groove. I hesitate to say he’s an undiscovered talent, especially when you see the list of musicians he’s worked with. But there lies the point. He is an
extremely talented, working musician, accessible to live music devotees and he can entertain. That doesn’t quite meet the criteria for undiscovered. Playing with him at Harvelle’s were two more excellent musicians, Mick Linden on bass and Garrison’s son Cory, on drums. A fiddle player also regularly plays with them. Garrison opened with a funky cover of Bill Withers’ “Use Me.” Mellow to start, it wasn’t long before he brought his unique variation on this number between extended guitar solos that enthrall while he sings with abandon. It’s evident he loves to sing. He has the capacity to organically tap into lyrics, either on a cover or an original number and bring out the raw emotion of a song. Garrison’s original song, “Sweet Bye and Bye” was next, from the soon-to-be-released album, 1000 Million Miracles. This up-tempo blues combines long guitar riffs, Cory’s powerful drumming and Lindens bass providing kick, culminating into a high energy number. On Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” Garrison interpreted it into a rock song. While playing a profusion of notes and different rhythms on guitar, he sang out with his sweet soulful voice. He succeeds in keeping this classic’s emotive vibe, fusing it with rock ’n’ roll. Marvin Gaye’s, “What’s Going On” was just as expressive. Showcasing both guitar and bass — back and forth — Garrison and Linden
extended the rhythm and incorporated elements of jazz, bringing unexpected musical twists to their performance. Another original, “Star Crossed Lovers” is a rocking rhythmic song about two lovers who just can’t be together. Star crossed lovers that spark off one another Light up the universe You can’t hide The planets collide Dancing in a shower of meteors The room was now ready to party and they had the space. A group of friends all got up to boogie down. One impressed music lover walked right up to Garrison, who was not more than two feet away. He captured video on his phone of him playing furiously, picking away on his guitar mid-solo and walking away with a huge grin of satisfaction. In reciprocation, right before their break, the band broke into a funky instrumental. Garrison laid out some feverish finger-picking, prolonging these dancers happy groove. Talking to Garrison between sets, he shared a little from his early years playing music. His fast picking came from playing flamenco and as he got older, he found a new muse. “I heard the Beatles and it was over,” he said. “I was never going to make an honest dollar again. I was a bit young for them but my older sister was really into them. She would play their albums when she had slumber parties and I would listen from my room to something like Magical Mystery Tour or Abbey Road and it was gorgeous.” Garrison studied broadcast journalism at Louisiana State University, but soon enough, got a gig playing at a local dormitory house. “That’s Louisiana for you,” he elaborated. “There was a bar in the dorm, in the basement. They paid really well, back then I got like $75 or $100 for an hour. Garrison started getting hired at local bars and a few months after, he picked up a tour. “It was in the early 80s, when the Hiltons and the Sheratons still had big showrooms with large stages,” he said. “I played back-up for an Italian singer and that’s how I cut my teeth in the business. I did that for a while and then I picked up a record deal in 1985 through Warner Brothers.” That deal came by way of the extraordinary guitarist, Eddie Van Halen. He made Garrison’s group an offer to record on Warner Brother’s label after hearing them play in his hometown of Shreveport, La. After that, Garrison was Los Angeles-bound, where he wrote and recorded original material and worked with legends such as Ray Charles, as a writer, producer and musical director. Garrison has recorded and performed with musicians Stephen Stills, Brian Wilson, Van Halen and many more. On 1000 Million Miracles Garrison says he has a who’s who list of rock drummers including, Todd Sucherman of prog rock group, STYX, as well as Chris Slade, AC/DC and Chris Frazier, now with 80s rock group Foreigner and others. He describes it as progressive adult alternative. “It has a progressive edge to it,” he added. “Musically, it’s more adventurous than just regular format stuff.”
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