| Friday, February 7, 1997- LOMPOC RECORD
(Lompoc, Calif.) Ochoa and friends entertain at South Side this
weekend
LOMPOC -The recent months have shown a blossoming of musical events and
talents along the Central Coast.
One of the bright spots in this scene is the appearance of musician Steve Ochoa of
Solvang, whose musical roots are deep in swing, folk music and jazz. The entertainer
shares this eclectic mix with the audience at South Side Coffee Company, 105 South H St.,
today, 8:30 p.m.-midnight. Joining him will be Jennifer Diamond from Buellton. |
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Saturday, the South Side crowd can
enjoy Ochoa's playing again when he performs as a member of SouthSide, a local bluegrass
band. The performer, who is versatile with both the guitar and mandolin, has lived and
performed up and down the Pacific coast. Recently, he relocated to the Santa Ynez Valley.
Last spring he first met SouthSide member Bill Carlsen during an all-night jam session at
the Santa Maria Bluegrass Festival. A month later Ochoa came to one of the |
Wednesday night jam sessions that Carlsen hosts
at the local coffee house. Shortly thereafter he was playing and singing with the band.
His presence has had a big impact on the arrangements of the songs and added to the band's
repertoire, Carlsen said.
"Steve's wide range of experience and his artistic approach gave us all a sense of
discipline which has greatly added to our band," said Steve Ball, SouthSide banjo
player. |
| Born and raised in Southern California, Ochoa recalls that at
age 6 he was fascinated by the oboe. He pestered his parents for one. "Somehow, it
ended up that dad got me a guitar," he recalled. His early lessons came from the
Hawaiian School of Guitar and Accordion in Los Angeles. What really inspired him to get
serious about music was his exposure to folk music as a high school student in the
sixties. His first major musical influence was a Latin teacher who sponsored a folk music
club. "We'd go in there , and Mr. Ross (the teacher) would play these old vintage
Gibson guitars," Ochoa said. "Instead of playing records by the more popular
folk artists of the day, he played records from his collection of vintage jazz, blues and
swing 78 RPM discs." That led Ochoa to learn swing and , in the late 1960s, he found
himself a member of "The Pep Boys," a three-piece acoustic swing band. The group
played several of the then-existing folk |
Playing at the Vineyard House, Santa Ynez
|
clubs in Southern
California. He also played in a group that he refers to as "a Mexican version of
Crosby, Stills and Nash."
An aborted trip to Baja turned into a ride to Spokane, and the state of Washington became
his new home. His ever-varied interests led him into jobs with country-western and jazz
bands, all the while keeping his enthusiasm for folk music. In the 1980s,with a family to
support, he moved to the Santa Barbara area. There he joined his brother in an antique
furniture restoration business, and interest which he maintains to this day. It's not
unusual to find him hunting through swap meets, flea markets and antique stores for good
pieces. With his wide-ranging styles of playing and rich repertoire, it is not surprising
that he has a list of musical influences too numerous to mention. In the folk and
bluegrass areas, the main ones were guitarists Doc Watson and Clarence White. Early jazz
guitarists Charlie Christian, Eddie Lang and Django Rheinhardt are also at the top of his
list, and "any of the old, black blues guys" could be listed as seminal, he
said.
In addition to this weekend's performance, Ochoa has an upcoming show scheduled at Los
Olivos' Side Street Cafe. Diamond will again join him, as will folk scene local legend
Peter Feldman.When not busy singing, playing, restoring furniture or spending time with
his family, Ochoa passes his musical knowledge at a music store in Solvang where he is a
popular guitar instructor.
Contact:
through Jensen's Guitar and Music in Solvang (805 686 0080)
or for The Lighthouse Jazz Quartet, contact him at (805) 688 7166 |
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