PRAISE FOR THE SIDEMAN
Your story on Benny Rietveld [“A Bass Ace Speaks
Out,” April 2001] was a breath of fresh air. Everyone wants
to be a star, but there are tons of us out here who dream of
gigging with our idols, which is what Benny has done. Fame and
fortune are great, but when it comes right down to it, making the
music is what's important. If we can do it playing alongside
masters such as Miles and Santana, that's what it's all about. I
hope to see more articles about such lesser-known but really
talented musicians.
John Musgrave
via the Internet
UNEQUAL COVERAGE?
A magazine like yours is important; the concerns of performing
musicians are too often neglected by publications that would rather
pander to the techno-lust of stay-at-home computer jockeys. The
fact that you're such a valuable new resource makes it doubly
important that you cover all types of performing musicians,
including a segment that you've completely ignored: women. In case
you haven't noticed, times have changed since the day when the only
woman onstage was a “chick singer” with big hair and a
bigger ego. Women are playing music in greater numbers than ever,
and it's frankly ridiculous that you haven't covered more of them
in your magazine. I buy Onstage for the excellent how-to's —
the recent article on lighting systems [“Getting Lit,”
April 2001] was particularly “illuminating” — but
I'm rapidly losing patience.
Carla Lindell
Minneapolis, MN
Carla — I appreciate your concern and want to assure you
that Onstage does, in fact, care about women artists. We've
profiled a number of female musicians in recent issues —
including Susan Tedeschi, Shelby Lynne, and Eleni Mandell —
and plan much more coverage in the future. — Mike Levine
BETTS WISHES
I want to comment on your coverage of the Allman Brothers
[“The Road Goes On Forever,” April 2001]. I'm a
longtime Allman Brothers fan and found the story to be fascinating.
Butch Trucks is very articulate and told some stories that I'd
never heard before. That said, I'm pissed off at Butch, Gregg, and
Jaimoe for throwing Dickey Betts out of the band. If he was having
problems, they should have stuck with him and helped him through
them — like a “brother” should. After all, his
influence on the Allman Brothers' music, especially in the
post-Duane era, was huge. Songs such as “Ramblin' Man,”
“Jessica,” and “High Falls” are all
integral parts of the Allman repertoire and were all written by
Dickey. Let's hope that some sort of reconciliation can be worked
out so that the band gets back together the way they ought to
be.
Don Kendall
via the Internet
I read your Allman Brothers piece with great interest. I saw
them perform last summer for the first time in years, and I was
impressed by the band's sound. That was after Dickey Betts was
fired, when Jimmy Herring was filling in. Derek Trucks and Herring
were wailing on guitar; Oteil was solid on bass; and Gregg was
positively soulful with his vocals and B3 playing. Then, this fall,
I listened to Peakin' at the Beacon, which was recorded while Betts
was still in the band, and it sounded pretty lame. Much as I have
always been a Dickey Betts fan, this led me to conclude that
perhaps he had become a bad influence on the band at the end. I
certainly wish him well with his solo career, but I think maybe
firing him was just what the Allman Brothers needed.
Alan Golden
Bronx, NY
WE WELCOME YOUR OPINIONS
Address correspondence to: “Letters,”
Onstage, 6400 Hollis St., #12, Emeryville, CA 94608, or to
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