MUSIC

Gilewitz makes way to Arkansas, beyond

Guitar virtuoso Richard Gilewitz once made almost regular visits to central Arkansas venues, but of late has fit into the category of "missing in action." Fans might have assumed he had retired, joined a heavy metal band or took a prestigious professorship at his alma mater, the University of Alabama.

But, no.

Richard Gilewitz

“Guitars, Gear and a Bit of Ukulele”

7:30 p.m. Friday, Dogtown Sound, 4012 JFK Blvd., Little Rock, (501) 478-9663, dogtownsound.com

Tickets: $12 pre-sale, $15 at the door

10:30 a.m. Saturday – “Ukulele Adventures Workshop,” $25

11:30 a.m. Saturday – “Fingerstyle Guitar Workshop,”$25

Cove House Concerts

7 p.m. Saturday, 4205 Shawnee Cove, Springdale

Admission: $12 donation, RSVP to [email protected]

(479) 283-2277

facebook.com/CoveCo…

Unitarian Universalist Church

5 p.m. meet-and greet-potluck; 6 p.m. music, Sunday, 17 Elk St., Eureka Springs

Admission: $15 donation

(479) 244-0123

Though he might not qualify to be teaching techniques for adding guitar crescendos to the chorus of "Roll Tide!" he could offer his expertise in the field of computer science, mathematics and music -- his college degrees. Or he could have returned to the worlds of flight simulation design, telemetry and satellite systems -- where he worked after his college years.

But, no.

"I don't know what my niche is, whether it's slide 12-string guitar playing, storytelling, tapping on the guitar or what exactly, so I keep trying to figure it out, even though making it in the music business is no picnic these days," Gilewitz says. "There's not really any clubs that cater to what I do, so I have to be creative in finding places to play, both here and abroad."

He cites a recent experience in Ireland, when he was teaching a class of high schoolers about the music business and what he learned from those whom he was trying to teach.

Gilewitz asked the class -- none of whom had heard of him -- if they could name any of the ways he kept his career afloat, but the students had virtually no clues.

"Someone suggested I probably busked on the street or in a subway," he says. "And I told them that's one step above being homeless. Another said making YouTube videos must be a good income producer. I told them that you can't actually get any money from those, but it is a way where people can watch my stuff and maybe decide to go see me in person, or take one of my classes on Skype."

There are also a diminishing number of guitar stores in the nation, he notes, but he feels there is hope, thanks to places like North Little Rock's new such home of guitars and accompanying lessons, Dogtown Sounds, where he will launch his "2016 Arkansas Tour."

"For those of us who are not on the level of Eric Clapton, even an appearance in a guitar store is an additional tool to help us spread our message around," he says. "The old way of becoming famous doesn't work anymore, the route of getting signed to a record company and getting an agent."

Gilewitz has been playing 6- and 12-string guitars for nearly four decades, and life on the road has given him a few journals worth of stories, tales, jokes and the like to enliven a show that might resemble a classical concert otherwise, because Gilewitz is not a vocalist.

"I still don't sing, unless people threaten me," he says. "I try to get a few laughs along the way in the shows without having to resort to my attempts at vocalizing."

As he grew up in Cherry Hill, N.J., and Huntsville, Ala., Gilewitz was seduced by the sounds of a diverse group of musicians, from The Beatles to Andres Segovia, Kraftwerk, Leo Kottke, J.S. Bach, John Fahey and Flatt & Scruggs, along with the Dr. Demento radio show. When he decided to leave the 9-to-5 world behind, he moved to Florida and began recording and releasing his creations. He was noticed by Leo Kottke, himself a somewhat odd guitarist, who did occasionally sing. Kottke recorded a Gilewitz composition, "Echoing Wilderness," but he renamed it "Echoing Gilewitz."

Gilewitz has released seven CDs, plus publications through the Mel Bay organization and has written for music magazines. He has also gotten endorsement deals from music companies that make guitar strings, microphones, speakers and the like.

Lately he has added ukulele to his skill set and has even discovered combining music and acting.

"I had three lines in a movie, In-Bred Redneck Alien Abduction, where my character is Agent Cupcake," he says. "When I asked the director how I should approach matters musically, he said 'Just think of hillbillies chasing aliens.'"

Like many bluesmen of old, Gilewitz finds more fertile ground abroad, so he travels much of the year, spreading his vibes of music and humor to New Zealand, Tasmania, Australia, Germany, England and Ireland.

"My advice to aspiring musicians everywhere is to be a great act and that's how you can rise to the top," he says. "It's a balancing act, the concerts, the teaching, the sponsorships, royalties and recording. If I do too much of one thing, I miss out on something else."

Weekend on 10/27/2016

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