michelej1
12-05-2008, 12:24 PM
Mount Desert Islander
http://mdislander.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8151&Itemid=39
Written by Mark Good
Friday, December 05, 2008
A former Mount Desert Island man has made it big in the music world, playing keyboards in a blues band founded by former Fleetwood Mac frontman Mick Fleetwood.
Long before songs like “Go Your Own Way” and “Don’t Stop” shot to the top of the pop charts, Fleetwood Mac was a blues band. Co-founders Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Peter Green had all been members of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, a British band with alumni that also includes guitarists Mick Taylor and Eric Clapton.
The early albums by Fleetwood Mac continued the hard-rocking style of blues the band members had been playing with Mr. Mayall. Along with recording classic blues songs like “Dust My Broom” and “Shake Your Moneymaker,” the group performed self-penned tunes such as “Black Magic Woman” and the instrumental “Albatross” that became hits in Great Britain.
Over the years, with changes in personnel, the sound of Fleetwood Mac became less blues-influenced and more pop-oriented. More than 40 years after the release of the Fleetwood Mac’s first album, the group continues to perform, albeit infrequently, with Mr. Fleetwood and Mr. McVie continuing to head the band they founded.
With Fleetwood Mac on hiatus, Mr. Fleetwood, who now lives in Hawaii, decided to form a quartet to revisit his blues roots. After the drummer lined up guitarist, vocalist and current Fleetwood Mac member Rick Vito, he began looking for local musicians on the island of Maui to fill the bass and keyboard chairs. Auditions were held in February. Lenny Castellanos was hired to play bass.
And former MDI resident Mark Johnstone got the nod as keyboard player.
“[Mr. Fleetwood] really embraces the local musicians. He really wanted to be part of the musical community in Hawaii,” Mr. Johnstone said last week in an interview at his father’s home in Bar Harbor. “Otherwise, he could have called anybody.”
Mr. Johnstone certainly has the experience for the job. The 41-year-old has been playing piano since age 5 and has performed solo and in bands since he was a teenager. Rehearsals were held at Mr. Fleetwood’s Maui home.
“We literally got together and the band gelled,” Mr. Johnstone recalled. “There was something there.”
After only four rehearsals, the band flew to St. Louis to perform a show at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The concert was recorded; many of the songs are included on the band’s first album, Blue Again.
“Talk about being thrown to the wolves,” Mr. Johnstone said.
He said he found himself an “instant rock star.”
“That was like being in a movie,” he said. “It was a little bit surreal.”
After St. Louis, the band played Aspen. Both gigs were to promote wine from a vineyard Mr. Fleetwood owns, and the gigs served as a warm-up to a European tour.
In August, the band traveled to Norway for the Notodden Blues Festival, one of the largest festivals on the continent.
“That was a fantastic experience,” Mr. Johnstone said.
Adding to the experience were the all-night jam sessions that took place in every corner of the hotel where the band was staying. Mr. Johnstone also got to rub elbows with blues legends like Koko Taylor and Pine Top Perkins.
“That was more fun than the gig,” he said.
In October, the band seriously took to the road, traveling through Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Great Britain in a van, playing 20 shows in 30 days. The band performed in small clubs and intimate concert halls, not arenas, a situation Mr. Johnstone said he prefers.
“You get a direct exchange between the audience and musicians,” he explained. “It feels that you’re making more of a connection.”
The size of the venues made for small but enthusiastic crowds, Mr. Johnstone said. Rock star pretensions were cast aside; fans were welcomed.
“We had a meet-and-greet after each gig,” Mr. Johnstone said. “That also enhanced the experience for me. You got to meet the people.”
Still, he was on tour with Mick Fleetwood and there were perks.
“We had a road crew; we had a caterer,” Mr. Johnstone said. “I didn’t touch a piece of gear. And it was so nice to have a nice hot meal waiting for you at sound check.”
One of the surprises was to see Fleetwood Mac singer and pianist Christine McVie in the audience for a show in Canterbury, England, he said.
“Playing with Mick [Fleetwood] you’re either on the train or you’re going to get run over by it.”
— Mark johnstone
Like early Fleetwood Mac, the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band plays straight-ahead British blues rock, filled with sliding guitar licks and thumping bass lines. Mr. Johnstone plays piano, organ, guitar and harmonica with the band. The music provides plenty of challenges.
“Playing with Mick you’re either on the train or you’re going to get run over by it,” Mr. Johnstone said.
He was born in Massachusetts; his family moved to Bar Harbor when he was in elementary school. After beginning his study of piano at age 5, in his early teens he began learning guitar under the tutelage of his father, Don Johnstone. The pair had a band, Misty Fever, which traveled throughout Maine playing what Don calls “cowboy stuff.” The younger Johnstone’s talents were recognized by the Maine Country Music Association, which presented him with an award as the year’s most promising musician.
He attended Mount Desert Island High School for his freshman and sophomore years, playing guitar in the jazz band and mallet percussion in the concert band, both directed by Dick Ordway.
Mr. Johnstone spent his remaining high school years in Rhode Island, where he studied jazz piano with a friend of his father, Mac Chrupcala. He graduated in 1985 and left for Boston, where he was to attend the Berklee School of Music.
“I went to Berklee for a minute and continued on to UMass Boston,” Mr. Johnstone said.
Berklee served as a wake-up call for the young musician. The school attracts some of the finest musicians in the world. Mr. Johnstone no longer found himself a big fish in a small pond.
“It was humbling, for sure,” he said. Although his stay was brief, the lessons learned were valuable. “It was an exciting inspirational place to be at the time. It set me on the path of what I needed to know.”
At UMass, Mr. Johnstone earned a bachelor’s degree in English, all the while supporting himself by playing in rock bands in the Boston area. Then came a move to Steamboat Springs, Colo. It proved to be a good decision.
“I think Steamboat was the place I found my musical identity,” he said.
He stayed in Colorado for eight years, honing his skills playing music for skiers and other tourists. In June 2001, he left for the warmer – and more windsurfing-friendly – environment of Maui. He was surprised to find such an active music scene on the island.
“I found myself among some amazing musicians out there,” Mr. Johnstone said.
On Maui, he performs in restaurants and clubs. He has a band, Wave Train, which plays soul jazz tunes, and he is working on a CD of his own. He also hosts jazz brunches at his home, teaches music a little and works part-time at a surf shop. It’s all part of making a living as a musician, he said.
“To be well-rounded and to diversify is how you survive in the business,” he said. “I feel very lucky to be among the people who can call it their main job.”
Mr. Johnstone said the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band is on hold while planning is under way for next year’s Fleetwood Mac tour. The band has scheduled a gig for New Year’s Eve and Mr. Johnstone is hoping that other concerts follow.
“I think Mick would like to take this band back on the road again,” he said.
In the meantime, Mr. Johnstone is content to make music wherever people are willing to listen.
“Your job is to go out and make people happy,” he said. “It’s a great job.”
http://mdislander.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8151&Itemid=39
Written by Mark Good
Friday, December 05, 2008
A former Mount Desert Island man has made it big in the music world, playing keyboards in a blues band founded by former Fleetwood Mac frontman Mick Fleetwood.
Long before songs like “Go Your Own Way” and “Don’t Stop” shot to the top of the pop charts, Fleetwood Mac was a blues band. Co-founders Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Peter Green had all been members of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, a British band with alumni that also includes guitarists Mick Taylor and Eric Clapton.
The early albums by Fleetwood Mac continued the hard-rocking style of blues the band members had been playing with Mr. Mayall. Along with recording classic blues songs like “Dust My Broom” and “Shake Your Moneymaker,” the group performed self-penned tunes such as “Black Magic Woman” and the instrumental “Albatross” that became hits in Great Britain.
Over the years, with changes in personnel, the sound of Fleetwood Mac became less blues-influenced and more pop-oriented. More than 40 years after the release of the Fleetwood Mac’s first album, the group continues to perform, albeit infrequently, with Mr. Fleetwood and Mr. McVie continuing to head the band they founded.
With Fleetwood Mac on hiatus, Mr. Fleetwood, who now lives in Hawaii, decided to form a quartet to revisit his blues roots. After the drummer lined up guitarist, vocalist and current Fleetwood Mac member Rick Vito, he began looking for local musicians on the island of Maui to fill the bass and keyboard chairs. Auditions were held in February. Lenny Castellanos was hired to play bass.
And former MDI resident Mark Johnstone got the nod as keyboard player.
“[Mr. Fleetwood] really embraces the local musicians. He really wanted to be part of the musical community in Hawaii,” Mr. Johnstone said last week in an interview at his father’s home in Bar Harbor. “Otherwise, he could have called anybody.”
Mr. Johnstone certainly has the experience for the job. The 41-year-old has been playing piano since age 5 and has performed solo and in bands since he was a teenager. Rehearsals were held at Mr. Fleetwood’s Maui home.
“We literally got together and the band gelled,” Mr. Johnstone recalled. “There was something there.”
After only four rehearsals, the band flew to St. Louis to perform a show at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The concert was recorded; many of the songs are included on the band’s first album, Blue Again.
“Talk about being thrown to the wolves,” Mr. Johnstone said.
He said he found himself an “instant rock star.”
“That was like being in a movie,” he said. “It was a little bit surreal.”
After St. Louis, the band played Aspen. Both gigs were to promote wine from a vineyard Mr. Fleetwood owns, and the gigs served as a warm-up to a European tour.
In August, the band traveled to Norway for the Notodden Blues Festival, one of the largest festivals on the continent.
“That was a fantastic experience,” Mr. Johnstone said.
Adding to the experience were the all-night jam sessions that took place in every corner of the hotel where the band was staying. Mr. Johnstone also got to rub elbows with blues legends like Koko Taylor and Pine Top Perkins.
“That was more fun than the gig,” he said.
In October, the band seriously took to the road, traveling through Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Great Britain in a van, playing 20 shows in 30 days. The band performed in small clubs and intimate concert halls, not arenas, a situation Mr. Johnstone said he prefers.
“You get a direct exchange between the audience and musicians,” he explained. “It feels that you’re making more of a connection.”
The size of the venues made for small but enthusiastic crowds, Mr. Johnstone said. Rock star pretensions were cast aside; fans were welcomed.
“We had a meet-and-greet after each gig,” Mr. Johnstone said. “That also enhanced the experience for me. You got to meet the people.”
Still, he was on tour with Mick Fleetwood and there were perks.
“We had a road crew; we had a caterer,” Mr. Johnstone said. “I didn’t touch a piece of gear. And it was so nice to have a nice hot meal waiting for you at sound check.”
One of the surprises was to see Fleetwood Mac singer and pianist Christine McVie in the audience for a show in Canterbury, England, he said.
“Playing with Mick [Fleetwood] you’re either on the train or you’re going to get run over by it.”
— Mark johnstone
Like early Fleetwood Mac, the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band plays straight-ahead British blues rock, filled with sliding guitar licks and thumping bass lines. Mr. Johnstone plays piano, organ, guitar and harmonica with the band. The music provides plenty of challenges.
“Playing with Mick you’re either on the train or you’re going to get run over by it,” Mr. Johnstone said.
He was born in Massachusetts; his family moved to Bar Harbor when he was in elementary school. After beginning his study of piano at age 5, in his early teens he began learning guitar under the tutelage of his father, Don Johnstone. The pair had a band, Misty Fever, which traveled throughout Maine playing what Don calls “cowboy stuff.” The younger Johnstone’s talents were recognized by the Maine Country Music Association, which presented him with an award as the year’s most promising musician.
He attended Mount Desert Island High School for his freshman and sophomore years, playing guitar in the jazz band and mallet percussion in the concert band, both directed by Dick Ordway.
Mr. Johnstone spent his remaining high school years in Rhode Island, where he studied jazz piano with a friend of his father, Mac Chrupcala. He graduated in 1985 and left for Boston, where he was to attend the Berklee School of Music.
“I went to Berklee for a minute and continued on to UMass Boston,” Mr. Johnstone said.
Berklee served as a wake-up call for the young musician. The school attracts some of the finest musicians in the world. Mr. Johnstone no longer found himself a big fish in a small pond.
“It was humbling, for sure,” he said. Although his stay was brief, the lessons learned were valuable. “It was an exciting inspirational place to be at the time. It set me on the path of what I needed to know.”
At UMass, Mr. Johnstone earned a bachelor’s degree in English, all the while supporting himself by playing in rock bands in the Boston area. Then came a move to Steamboat Springs, Colo. It proved to be a good decision.
“I think Steamboat was the place I found my musical identity,” he said.
He stayed in Colorado for eight years, honing his skills playing music for skiers and other tourists. In June 2001, he left for the warmer – and more windsurfing-friendly – environment of Maui. He was surprised to find such an active music scene on the island.
“I found myself among some amazing musicians out there,” Mr. Johnstone said.
On Maui, he performs in restaurants and clubs. He has a band, Wave Train, which plays soul jazz tunes, and he is working on a CD of his own. He also hosts jazz brunches at his home, teaches music a little and works part-time at a surf shop. It’s all part of making a living as a musician, he said.
“To be well-rounded and to diversify is how you survive in the business,” he said. “I feel very lucky to be among the people who can call it their main job.”
Mr. Johnstone said the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band is on hold while planning is under way for next year’s Fleetwood Mac tour. The band has scheduled a gig for New Year’s Eve and Mr. Johnstone is hoping that other concerts follow.
“I think Mick would like to take this band back on the road again,” he said.
In the meantime, Mr. Johnstone is content to make music wherever people are willing to listen.
“Your job is to go out and make people happy,” he said. “It’s a great job.”