Who Are These Guys, Anyway?

Rob Young

My story – I guess at about age 3 I was quite content to beat on things with sticks for hours on end. So the ’rents got the picture. Started the prerequisite piano lessons at about 7 and school and private lesson drums at 10. Lessons with Elliot Fine, the Mpls Symphony Orch. Percussionist and preeminent drum teacher. Didn’t realize how good I had it (read...didn’t practice very hard..) for the next 7 years.

Played in school bands, stage bands, jazz bands and started in Rock bands in High School. After HS- moved to Chicago and played in a band that at times was a blues band, a jazz band and a rock band.

Moved back to Mpls in ’77 and joined an actual working band playing funk, Stevie Wonder, EWF and other covers. Played with them 4 years. Then after trying to get numerous bands off the ground, got a 4 track portastudio and decided it was just for fun. This whole story also has a substory of playing with tape recorders, amps and PA stuff and general tweeking. So I went underground- literally. The basement recording studio (Low Profile Studio... get it...?.)was born and a cast of characters came in to collaborate.

After being involved with Lakota (Native American) activities for some time, Jay and I ran into each other de-hairing buffalo hides in my back yard to make ceremony drums. (So many stories to tell...!) He saw the studio, His eyes lighted up and we were on our way! Good match for each other- his vocal ability, flute talent, guitar, bass and creative push went well with my keys, drums, studio prowess and a semblance of organization.

Now Jay’s story, the best I can remember- Jay took up the flute and was instructed by a number of players and elders and became skilled at traditional styles, the stories that went with them, and also developed his own style. He already was a capable rock singer, now he took up traditional ceremony and pow-wow singing. He moved to the Twin Cities played around both in and out of the Native community. Played a gig with the Mpls Symphony performing a piece written by Pete Kater, and Carlos Nakai couldn’t make it. Jay memorized the piece and received the standing “O”! In ’96 found himself working hides in this white guy’s back yard- who had G-tars and stuff! The paths have been crossed!!

We started writing and recording songs, many of them “one nite wonders’. From idea to recorded project in one nite. These were a variety of styles with themes that were on our (Jay’s) mind at the time. Some of these songs are on the “Hawk and Wolf” site at MP3.com. He and sometimes with me accompanying, would get requests for flute performances so we developed that as well. There’s a thousand rockers out there, but not many can play the flute like Jay and I had my own style for synth back up. We wanted to show that the flute was a versatile legitimate instrument, not a “quaint Native artifact”. We hope you enjoy the product of this effort at “Red Hawk and Wolf” at Mp3.com.

That brings us to the present ( 8-99). Jay moved back to SD and so I’m on my own again. I still have many songs of ours that I will get out to Mp3, both Flute and otherwise. Keep an ear open and check back often. Meanwhile I have been developing my solo sound ( for years...)and that has become the “Sir Real and the Dreamers” site. I make rhythmic ambient dance music with “world” themes...and other stuff. I hope you pay it a listen and write in the guest book what you think. This is history in the making! ( at least for us!) I’m sure there are many more chapters to come. I’ll end with a little poem I wrote a while back... I like it anyway...

MUSIC BECOMES MY RELIGION

Music becomes my religion

the rites and rituals

Of making limb and mind

Work together in form

And allow a hunger and a longing

Surging from a deeper well

To find a home in

The air

Hanging on rhythms

And chords

Bound together in a sequence

Of tonality

Hoping that maybe today

The magic will happen

And this moment

Will go into

That other realm....

Hit back for music...