Dave Holodiloff comes in many flavors. Whether it’s bluegrass, jazz, folk, gypsy jazz, Celtic or classical, or some new exotic mix he’s discovered and mastered, the music comes freely and, apparently, easily from his fingertips.
The many settings he can be heard in is a testament to his professionalism and ability to wear many hats. He’s not just a musician’s musician, he’s got the full package. Designer, collaborator, promoter, supporter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and an all-around good guy. So when Dave says he’s got a special gig, I sit up and pay attention.
Friday, 7 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church, 381 High St., Monterey, the Dave Holodiloff “All Star Acoustic” String Band comes together for the joy of creating amazing music for local music lovers.
As he states in his promotional material, and elaborated on in our conversation, “the all-star band features five-string violin prodigy Peter Mellinger, upright bassist Bill Sullivan, gypsy jazz guitar wizard Lex Olsen and multi-talented Santa Cruz favorite Elijjah McCullar on violin, banjo, oud and more. Band leader, singer, and mandolinist Holodiloff pulls the best musicians of the Central Coast together in a united vision to create music in a style that is all his own.”
Wow. Sounds great. And knowing him the way I do, I can attest to the high-quality music you’ll be hearing should you decide to make it up to St. James, where the room’s acoustics are also of the highest order. The Pacific Grove-born-and-raised 38-year-old has a knack for creating special programming and with each unique program he’s devised comes years of repeat performances where they become annual events with strong followings. Thus he creates fans from all walks of life in all types of locations. More on that later.
“I love acoustic music and that’s mostly what I do,” Holodiloff said in a phone conversation. “We’re doing this show at St. James, a beautiful church for acoustics. It really sounds great. It’s a dream team and I call it the ‘Acoustic All Stars.’ For the first time, I’m having my two violin players with me, Elijjah, McCullar and Peter Mellinger, officially on the same show, which we’ve never really done before (outside of impromptu jams). It’s just logistically challenging. So that’s really cool having the twin fiddles, and Elijjah will play some of these other stringed instruments like the cumbus.”
When he says the logistics are a challenge, he means that not everyone in the band lives locally; they’re all in-demand players spread out around Northern California. He explained that it’s taken months to plan, with scheduling, rehearsing, trading PDF files and recording.
“It’s a miracle every time we can get together and play some music with my band,” he said. “The Acoustic All Stars. It’s a flexible team, depending on who’s available. There’s so many factors that have to come together for us to play a show. We will also have at least one special guest come in. A surprise, but a bit planned.”
With the virtuosic level of musicianship a factor, this string band, without keyboards or drums, can turn on a dime stylistically. It’s guaranteed to be stimulating as the quintet veers from playing original music into newly arranged traditional music, in styles so varied yet fitting for this type of band to play. This is a very intentional group to bring together. Both violinists are incredible improvisers, and when both have what may otherwise be referred to as fiddles in hand, they will focus on one another and have musical conversations together. He said having that element in the band is a “really big first. It’s really cool.”
“We’re going to have fun,” he added. “It will not be a specific music theme show as opposed to some of my other concerts like Balkan, Christmas, Jerry Garcia, etc. It will be an eclectic mix. We will have elements of those, some originals, Latin, some Eastern European, Balkan and otherwise, American folk music, gypsy jazz. It will be a mish-mosh.”
If you think that catching Holodiloff for free at any number of locations around town every week is a good alternative, think again. While he’s appreciative of his busy schedule and enjoys playing music anytime, anywhere, this special concert is a whole other thing, as previously stated. The venue for one is a beautiful building and is acoustically resonant, so there’s not much need for amplification. What you hear is pure unadulterated sound, although there is a need for some miking.
“The other reasons I do shows like this, it gives me a chance to perform the music that wouldn’t fit in a hotel lobby or at a restaurant,” he said. “After we lost Monterey Live, I feel like nothing else has really stepped up and that was over 15 years ago. It would be nice to have a bonafide music venue, that isn’t the same size as the Golden State Theatre or Sunset Center, which are great venues, but they’re only big national touring acts for the most part.” (One might consider the restructuring of Wave Street Studios and Wendi Kirby Music as a step in the right direction in remedying the situation here regarding quality music venues.)
Friday’s concert is organized by Bill Sullivan Productions (Sullivan’s the bass player in the band), and the $30 advance tickets can be purchased by contacting Sullivan at wildbillsullivan1@gmail.com or calling (831) 236-9138. Tickets are $40 at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., music starts at 7 p.m. All ages are welcome. For more info on Holodiloff and to see his calendar of events, visit his website at www.daveholodiloff.com.
One of his very popular special-themed events is coming up in about seven weeks, the 15th Annual Jerry Garcia Bday Bash, Aug. 1 at the Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur. Could be a sell-out so get your tickets ($30) now at www.henrymiller.org.
We do have an abundance of talented creative people who call this area home and it’s interesting the contrasts there are between the visual arts and the art of music. When one goes to a gallery to view art, no one ever calls out for the artist to paint a copy of the Mona Lisa when the artist has the ability to create original artwork. But in music, playing cover tunes comes with the territory and especially so in this area where more likely than not, the places the musician has to perform in require they play cover tunes to entertain the tourists. And the locals have become accustomed to dancing to their favorite cover bands. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, she says in her best Seinfeld voice. But a lot of these musicians have dreamt of being the musician other people cover, that their original music is listened to and appreciated.
One of our very special musicians who performs in the area regularly is Dan Frechette, a Canadian transplant who is known somewhat as a human jukebox. He’s an accomplished singer/songwriter and performer of Beatles tunes, along with every other song you’ve ever heard. Well, I may be exaggerating a little bit, but he’s an extremely prolific collector of songs. Truth be told, he also writes a ton of original material. And he’s decided that it’s time he starts to focus more on that area of his repertoire. Thursday, from 7-10 p.m. he’ll be performing at the Salty Seal Brewpub and Sports Bar, 653 Cannery Row, a place he’s played many times before.
“It may be my last time performing there, as they are changing owners and there are no future gigs booked on my calendar,” he said. “Yet, I performed there for two-and-a-half years, and it was my main source of income. I performed covers and requests and some originals. I have loved playing music there and bid the place farewell in style this Thursday. I’ve released 125 albums, so every show lately is in celebration, a discography release, if you will. I have all these recordings and now enjoy playing the best songs I’ve written over the years.”
Go on down to The Row, and support Frechette’s brave foray into the spirit of his own heart and soul. You just might find something you like.
