My Musical Journey

In late 1982 I had been teaching at various colleges for seven years, had finished the course work for my PhD in Human Relations at Kansas University, and was ready for a change. I remember very vividly talking with the co-instructor of an encounter group course we were teaching about how there were no university teaching positions that excited me. He asked what I REALLY wanted to do. I blinked - then said that what I really wanted to do was to combine teaching with being a professional musician, but that (at age 32) I'd never really performed in public. He then asked what kept me from performing music. I blinked again but didn't have a response.

Larry Carter
Sketched by Cordelia Brown, December, 1998

As a result of that blink, I accepted an invitation that spring from John Ludlow and JD Wilhite to sit in on mandolin with their Grateful Dead cover band. That summer, after a weekend stop-over at the first-ever Climax Festival, I continued on to New Mexico for a week-long music workshop with master musician Paul Winter at the Lama Foundation in the mountains outside of Taos. There I decided to switch my focus from gaining a tenured position as a college professor to performing music while using my teaching skills in a less academically demanding position.

That fall, Ry Brown invited me to join him and Clark Jamison at an East-West fusion concert they were doing at the Lawrence Arts Center. As a result of that connection, Ry, Clark, Maria Anthony and I started performing together in a wide variety of bands. For better or worse, the rest of the journey has followed.

Bands I've Been In

1983: Heart of Gold Band - Grateful Dead covers and Folk-Rock

I sat in on mandolin and acoustic guitar with J.D. Willhite (electric bass), John Ludlow (acoustic guitar), and occasional member Darrell Lea (lead electric guitar). My first public performance anywhere was on Matt Moore's "Old Hip-Eye" program, KJHK radio. While I was at the Lama Foundation (above) they decided to turn it into a 4-piece rock band with Darrell and started touring. Soon afterwards Ry Brown, whom I had grown up with in Coffeyville, invited me to join him and Clark Jamison in an East-West fusion concert. So - as one door closed, an even wider door opened.

1983-1984: The Dancing Elephants
World Fusion

During our World Fusion stage I played open-tuned acoustic guitar with Ry Brown (sarod), Clark Jamison (tabla), and Maria Anthony (flute).

1983-1986: Various short-lived rock bands, including Dancing Elephants II, The Time Lords, and Pariah

I played bass, organ or electric guitar in various bands that played hard rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock or original rock. Other members usually included Ry Brown (electric guitar), Maria Anthony (electric guitar or bass), and Clark Jamison (drums), plus a revolving cast of others. The four of us lived in the house the Mercantile owned at on the corner of 7th & Maine. The basement was our music studio/practice space.
1988-1989: Whole Earth Consort - Original World Fusion

I played piano & synthesizers with Ry Brown (violin), Clark Jamison (tabla), and frequent guest Gerald Trimble (cittern).

1989-1991: Avalon - Celtic-Rock

Maria Anthony & I put together this band to perform my "Mother Earth Suite," then we continued performing for a couple of years after that. I played baritone cittern, acoustic guitar or piano with Maria (acoustic guitar), Megan Hurt (violin), Tom Wheat (electric bass), David Overton (drums) and frequent guest Darrell Lea (electric guitar). After I resigned, Maria took over and changed the name to Uncle Dirty Toes, with Darrell becoming a regular member.

This is from a 1990 publication of the Kansas Folk Music & Dance Resource Center
Avalon, a newer contemporary Celtic band, also plays original folk and folk-rock music. Some of its music sounds English, as one of its influences is the great English band Steeleye Span. Probably half the music Avalon performs is original. In fact, a “folk suite” composed by one Avalon member lured the other band members to come play it and then join together as a band.

1991-1996: Carter-Storm
Original & Contemporary Folk

I played acoustic guitar, baritone cittern or piano with singer/songwriter Yohanna Storm, promoting social justice & environmental awareness.

1998-2000: Nine Mile Burn
Traditional Celtic on acoustic & electric instruments

I played electric bass with Becky Pringle (fiddle), Gordon Bearss (electric guitar), Denise Reid (cittern, mandolin), and frequent guest Lynette Gregg (bodhran). Imagine Liz Carroll on fiddle, with a solid rhythm section, melodic bass, and an electric guitar weaving in countpoints & harmonies...

2000-2004: Rowan - Traditional Celtic and Contemporary Folk

I played guitar or piano with Marianne Payette Carter (violin, bodhran), Doug Harvey (cittern, guitar, whistles), and Lance Zimmerman (fiddle, concertina).

2001-2008: Mark Gottschall - Original Folk

I played piano, organ, accordion, mandolin, and electric bass with singer/songwriter Mark Gottschall (acoustic guitar, vocals), usually as a duo but occasionally with various guests that included Clark Jamison (congas), Sabes (saxophone) and Cordelia Brown (violin). In addition to his original songs, Mark performs contemporary songs by artists such as Richard Shindell and Patty Griffin. Mark has now moved back to Austin.

Since 1997: Forest Green
Originals, Traditional English/Celtic, Robert Burns, Light Classical, Contemporary Folk

Forest Green is my duo with Cordelia Brown. In addition to my original material, we mainly play traditional English & Celtic folk songs & tunes, including songs by Robert Burns. We also play for weddings where we perform light classical music. I typically play piano, guitar, baritone cittern, or recorder while Cordelia plays violin, piano or concert harp.

Selected Music Events
2011

Producer/Performer - "Tuesday Concert"
Opening act for a weekly concert series

10th & final year producing Lawrence Scottish Fest
Thanks to Ashley Davis for joining us

Whole Earth Kirtan performs at MeadowFest, ZenFest and DragonFest
And Stone Spirit Lodge, Be Moved Studio and Obiji Farm

2010

First Place, Kansas Fiddling & Picking Contest
Baritone Cittern, Misc Acoustic Instruments

Producer/Performer - "Tuesday Concert"
Opening act for a weekly concert series
Moved to the Lawrence Arts Center

Executive Producer, "Scots on the Kaw"
DVD featuring performances by Connie Dover, Uncle Dirtytoes, Forest Green

Producer/Performer - Lawrence Scottish Fest
Solo and with Forest Green.
Thanks to the great Kansas City band "Kelly" for joining us.

Solo Performer as "The Pied Piper of Lawrence

2009

Producer/Performer - Tuesday Concert
The opening act for a weekly concert series

Producer/Performer - Carter Performers
Musical melodrama adaptation of "The Pied Piper"

Producer/Performer - Lawrence Scottish Fest
Forest Green, with Uncle Dirtytoes

2008
Producer/Performer - Tuesday Concert
The opening act for a weekly concert series

Producer/Performer - Carter Performers
Musical melodrama adaptation of "The Pied Piper"

Producer/Performer Lawrence Scottish Fest
Forest Green, with special guests Connie Dover & Mason Brown

Artist in Residence, Coffeyville, Kansas
Week-long residence sponsored by Coffeyville Community College

2007

Producer/Performer - Tuesday Concert
The opening act for a weekly concert series

Producer/Performer - Carter Performers
Musical melodrama adaptation of "The Pied Piper"

Producer/Performer - Lawrence Scottish Fest
Forest Green, with Uncle Dirtytoes

2006
Guest on "Good Morning Kansas"
I played banjo & guitar and discussed traditional English Christmas music

Producer/Performer - Tuesday Concert
The opening act for a weekly concert series

Producer/Performer - Carter Performers
Musical melodrama adaptation of "The Pied Piper"

Producer /Lawrence Scottish Fest
Forest Green, with special guest Connie Dover

2005

Artist in Residence, Coffeyville, Kansas
Week-long residence, Coffeyville Humanities Series

Producer/Performer - Tuesday Concert
The opening act for a weekly concert series

Producer/Performer Lawrence Scottish Fest
Forest Green, with Maria & Megan

2004

Live Performance, Kansas Public Radio
Forest Green performed live on "Trail Mix" and released the recording as a demo.

Producer, Lawrence Scottish Fest
Forest Green, with Maria & Megan

Performance on "River City Folk"
Rowan performed on this nationally syndicated radio program in February. The one-hour program consisted of us in a studio with host Tom May, performing live and being interviewed.

First Place, Kansas Fiddling & Picking Championship
Baritone Cittern, Miscellaneous Acoustic Instruments

2003

Live Performance, Kansas Public Radio
Forest Green performed live on "Trail Mix"

Producer, Lawrence Scottish Fest
Forest Green, with Maria & Megan and special guest Jonathan Ramsey

2002

Guest, Kansas Public Radio
Marianne Carter and I sat in on "Trail Mix" to play cuts from the new Rowan album.

Producer, Lawrence Scottish Fest
Rowan, with Maria & Megan.

2000

Guest Pianist, Kansas Public Radio
Michael Paul and I performed live on KPR's afternoon classical music program to promote the "Improvisational Piano Concert" I produced later that week.

"Cloud Gate Dance Theater"
I improvised music on synthesizers for a "Master's Workshop" offered by this dance group from Taiwan before their performance at the Lied Center in Lawrence.

1986

Movie soundtrack
I composed the soundtrack music to the feature-length movie Song of the Sword (good & evil wizards, female warriors, and the like) and multi-track recorded it with Clark Jamison, percussion. The movie won the 1986 "Ozzie Independent Film Award" in the feature-length category.

1988

Debut as a Pianist and Composer
"The Winter Suite" solo on grand piano, then "The Mother Earth Suite" with eight guest musicians at the Lawrence Arts Center.

1989


First Place - Kansas Fiddling & Picking Championship
Baritone cittern in the Miscellaneous Acoustic Instruments Division.

1992

Second Place - Kansas Fiddling & Picking Championship
Open-tuned mandolin in the Mandolin Division.

1993

First Place - Kansas Fiddling & Picking Championship
Baritone cittern in the Miscellaneous Acoustic Instruments Division.

1995

"The Velveteen Rabbit" - Solo Piano
Composed and performed on piano the live music for the children's production of The Velveteen Rabbit at the Lawrence Arts Center.

1997

Second Place - Kansas Fiddling & Picking Championship
Open-tuned guitar in the Miscellaneous Acoustic Instruments Division.

Piano with "Prairie Wind Dancers"
One of my piano compositions was set to modern dance by the Prairie Wind Dancers as their "greeting" to former dance members at the "10th Anniversary Reunion Concert" at the Lawrence Arts Center.

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