Guitar goddess and downtown NYC impresaria Viva DeConcini says she would marry her Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite if it were legal in NY State.  But this is no arranged marriage.  Viva has played guitar since first grade, and is one of the few female guitarists ever to be the subject of a three-page feature in Guitar Player magazine.

She knows from axes.

We asked Viva to recount some of the other memorable guitars she has owned and played over the years and the resulting essay is such a gearhead’s delight that we decided to make it our first Guest Blog Post for the newly redesigned Shore Fire blog, The Suite 16.

“I first started playing guitar at the Montessori school I went to in the first grade in Phoenix.  It was a Goya classical that belonged to my father.  Here’s a picture of it.  (We were in the paper in an article about alternate schooling.)  It was hard to play!”

Viva DeConcini on left

“My next guitar was a wine colored Gibson SG junior which my parents bought from our teacher Jerry along with a Randall Commander II amplifier.  Somewhere in the ether is an incredible photo of me playing this guitar but I don’t know where that photo is so this one will have to do for now.”

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You know that phenomenon where one year at age 12 you make an offhand remark at Christmas that you’re really into trains (or ninjas, or circus animals, or ladybugs, or whatever it was for you) and then for the next 22 years you get trains for every holiday gift. Into college you’re still getting little train mugs, posters, flatware, whatever. It’s just one of those things that happens.

I am pretty sure that’s the reason that every time I get a birthday card or a toast or some other all-office thing they reference the *same* thing, a certain tasty cold beverage. It’s just one of those quirky little things about life. Once people get something stuck in their heads as “your thing” they can’t let go of it.

It has nothing to do with anything.

No that’s not a camera phone picture of my desk as I’m writing this.

The double bill of Leland Sundries and Dan Kaplan kicked off their week-long tour last Sunday in Somerville, Mass (for those non-New Englanders read: Boston). I was one of many in the packed, dimly lit, and raptly attentive room: a perfect setting for an evening of intellectual and evocative musical storytelling.

Leland Sundries front-man, a Shore Fire staffer, Nick Loss-Eaton effortlessly wove stories of Americana, of slide trombones and cantankerous lovers, armed with his resonator guitar, banjo, harmonica, kazoo and megaphone (yeah, that’s right, megaphone), occasionally joined by a guitar-soloing Kaplan. Everything from Dylan covers, to melancholia, to rousing sing-alongs followed, effectively keeping the audience on its toes.

The adorable and folk-rocking Kaplan followed, filling the stage with friends. Adding to his acoustic guitar were steel guitar, violin, banjo and backing vocals, creating a lovely, laid-back set. Fresh off the release of a new LP, Year of the Swallowtail, Kaplan gave us elegies and romps alike, all with the warmest of harmonies.

Last stop for these two troubadours will be Brooklyn’s own Parkside Lounge this Sunday. If last Sunday was any indication, this a show not to be missed!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mONMC5t_5w]

RIP Hank Jones (July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010)

Patrick Watson MADE MY WEEK last week with his show on Friday at 92Y Tribeca here in New York. Watson live is a spectacle; restores your faith in live music. Of course, Patrick Watson and his bandmates are fearless musicians and their work has awed listeners worldwide. It’s no surprise then that a roomful of chattering adults at 92Y fell completely silent when the band took the stage. We were all anticipating one of Watson’s signature performances—full of surprises and remarkable music. Watson delivered and then some. Check his tour dates here to find out when Patrick Watson will be in your town.

It is a marvelous experience. Here are some shots taken by the wonderful photographer Gabi Porter of myself, my esteemed colleague Nick Loss-Eaton and the band after the show.