What Did You Expect? by Dusty and the LoveNotes, 2010
Home Base: Southern California; Caribbean Islands
Genre: Country/Retro Rock
Band Members:
Dusty Recor-Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Songwriter
Indian Joe-Lead Guitar, Bass Guitar, Some Rhythm Parts and Backup Vocals
Sam Sailors-Drums
Website: Dusty and the LoveNotes
Dusty’s Bio.: A San Francisco native, Dusty lived in Berkeley and Orinda until she was ten years of age and then relocated to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Her mother enjoyed listening to Broadway musicals and occasionally played the piano, which prompted Dusty’s interest in music. “My grandmother had been a concert pianist and I was encouraged to take piano lessons.
I took a year or two of piano lessons and played the flute in Junior High and High School. Then I was given a guitar but I wasn’t motivated, at that time, to play.” Dusty’s path in life veered away from music when, at 19, she moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands. She lived there for ten years aboard her sailboat, Golden Dragon. “My time in the islands influenced three of my songs on my CD, What Did You Expect?, and was foundational in my life path and attitude.”
Returning to the states Dusty became seriously involved with horses and the discipline of dressage. Years later, due to lameness issues with her horse and her own back issues, she decided it was time to take a completely new direction in her life.
Dusty decided to return to her earlier music roots and learn to play the guitar. In her pursuit to find a guitar instructor she asked her yoga instructor who recommended Indian Joe. Indian Joe was the perfect teacher and inspiration she needed, even encouraging her to sing and play while he accompanied her on gigs. Eventually he included her as a band member in his classic rock and roll band.
Unfortunately the band didn’t work out, but that experience convinced Dusty that she wanted to pursue writing her own songs with the lyrics she was hearing in her head. Indian Joe and Dusty turned out to be an ideal musical collaboration and finally decided to record the songs that Dusty had been working on for four years.
According to Dusty, the title of her debut CD “What Did You Expect?” came from a reaction one of her friends had when she heard Dusty’s songs for the first time. She told Dusty, “It’s not what I expected!”
The new release, on That Other Label (TOL), delivers a blend of original and retro folk rock and country-inflected songs prepared with a combination of acoustic and electric instruments tastefully played by Indian Joe (lead guitar and bass), Dusty (rhythm guitar and flute), and Sam Sailors (drums).
Their concept is fresh and simple providing a basic musical foundation that showcases the lyrics and melodies of each tune. From the first track, “Antigua,” written in the cockpit of a friend’s sailboat, to the humorous yet poignant “Blue Satin Thong,” a song about leaving your lover and knowing they will miss you, Dusty paints sonic pictures of real life experiences.
Living in the rural areas of southern California where she is surrounded by the voices of nature, Dusty has learned to listen to the poetry in her soul instead of relying on the status quo.
“Starting a music career and learning to play guitar, sing and perform in the second half of my life isn’t the normal thing most women do,” commented Dusty. “I want to be a positive example for my “sisters” to show that a person can do anything they want to do at any moment in their life. We truly create our own reality every day with every breath we take.” An honest statement from this modern day minstrel. After all, what did you expect?
Indian Joe’s Bio.: Born a “Friday’s Child” on a summer afternoon in late July, 1948 in New Brunswick, Canada, Indian Joe was playing music in his head as long as he can remember. “I had the vision of a guitar way before I saw one,” said Indian Joe. “The magical place called California called to me strongly and before I ever knew anything about it.”
Joe grew up in his mother’s family farmhouse on a dirt road along a river valley through the woodlands. “My mother played a little piano and tried to teach my older sisters to play, but since I was the only son and ‘destined’ to take over the family business she thought it would be a distraction for me. So I was discouraged from learning to play an instrument.”
At the age of five Joe taught himself the piano keyboard, but ultimately focused on learning the guitar and writing songs. After seeing Elvis Presley on an early television show Indian Joe was fascinated with the electric guitar and was “on fire” practicing on the five dollar guitar he received as a Christmas gift.
Joe was sent to Rothesay Collegiate School, a British-style boy’s boarding school during the Beatle-maina era. While learning and showing others how to play those songs he soon discovered he had a natural ability to teach.
Joe went to Acadia University, in Wolfsville, Nova Scotia from 1966-69 where he began his performing career. “I played anywhere, anytime, on any guitar and with anyone, or for anyone who would listen.” Working hard labor in the summer of 1969 afforded Joe to purchase a Harley Sportster. That fall he decided to leave the University and headed for California. He rode and played along the way and he hasn’t stopped to this day.
Eventually he studied at the University of California, San Diego’s music department in order to fulfill his musical passion and teach professionally. Besides picking up gigs here and there, he got involved in songwriting groups where he wrote and co-wrote songs that he recorded to send to publishers.
After seven years of playing blues, rockabilly and classic rock and roll, along with the “outlaw country” music that was spearheaded by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, Joe realized he didn’t fit into the “southern California beach dude look” and he moved inland.
He quickly discovered that his style of playing was more suited to the back-country preferences and eventually he started his own cover band, “Indian Joe & the Chiefs”. The band mostly played private clubs, parties and occasional events like rodeos, car shows and other open-air public places.
He continued teaching guitar and music theory and many of his students have become respected local musicians with recognized CD’s and tours to their credit. Indian Joe was introduced to Dusty in 2004 when she came to him to study guitar.
“I saw her potential as a singer-songwriter-rhythm guitarist so we began to work together. I enjoy the blend of acoustic and electric guitar sounds and the originality of the material we write together.
Dusty enjoys our musical collaboration and my writing the accompaniments to her songs on the electric guitar. It is great to have someone to work with instead of against. I hope others like the music as much as we do.”
My Review: The PR firm where I get most of my music has the artists post 3 or 4 of what they consider their “strongest” tracks and than you have the opportunity to order the full CD from the artist if you desire.
All too many times, I find that the rest of the tracks on the CD are very weak, in fact, sometimes they just plain stink! Now, I ordered “What Did You Expect?” from Dusty. It has 11 tracks on it, friends, I really couldn’t find a weak track on the whole CD!
Everyone who has read my blogs know that I’m not a big fan of country music, however, Dusty’s CD adds enough rock n roll, humor and life experience to even her country tracks that makes them enjoyable to all! “What Did You Expect” offers a unique blend of retro-rock, country and a touch of the Caribbean that makes every track different, in its own way, in other words, it holds the listeners interest, which a good CD should!
More than that it is a glimpse, a snapshot of Dusty’s life and it offers some valuable “lessons of life” along the way! We learn that are lives are a series of choices. If we make bad choices, we have a bad or hard life, if we make good choices we have a good or at least, better life. We learn of Dusty’s love of sailing and the simpler life of the Caribbean Islands and that it is O.K. To drop out of the “rat race” and “hustle and bustle” of the modern day world and retreat to the simpler life. We learn how she handled the loss of her brother, Geordie and how she handled breaking up with someone she cared about. We also learn how she handled changing careers from dressage rider to singer and song writer. Dusty and the LoveNote’s “What Did You Expect” is a “Treasure Trove” of knowledge, wisdom and experience. I can’t begin to list everything I found in the lyrics of Dusty’s songs!
I know, some of you are probably saying “I don’t like country music or retro-rock or rockabilly or whatever you’d like to call it”, but, what you can learn from the lyrics is well worth it. And, as I mentioned earlier, Dusty’s music changes rhythm and styles enough to hold any listener’s attention!
You know, one of the hardest parts of doing a review is deciding which tracks to feature, especially when you have 11 to choose from and each one is outstanding in it’s own way! I’m going to try and choose ones I feel best showcase Dusty And The LoveNotes different musical styles and of course “Geordie’s Song” which is a memorial to Dusty’s brother.
Before we get to the music, though, I do want to give special recognition to Dusty’s mentor, Indian Joe. In addition to being a gifted instructor, Joe played the lead guitar, bass, and some rhythm tracks. did back up vocals as well as helping Dusty with the production and arrangement of this CD.
Here’s to a very, very talented guitar player, a great actor in the music video and a gifted instructor! Hats off, and respect, Joe, Great job!
So, I chose the following tracks to showcase, “Antigua”, because it has a bit of a Caribbean flavor and tells of Dusty’s love of sailing and the simpler life in the Islands, “Heart” , because it teaches us how to “mend a broken heart” but even more, shows us that the life we have is a series of choices, and that we are the only ones that have the power to change our choices from bad to good and ultimately our lives from bad to good. “Not Necessarily” because of it’s classical “retro-rock” rockabilly styling and because it points out that’s it’s the little things, the way a person acts, the little things they say that shows us that they love us, without them always having to come out and say “I Love You”! And, of course, “Geordie’s Song” a memorial to Dusty’s brother.
You also have the video of “Blue Satin Thong” a somewhat poignant, yet humorous and ironic song about breaking up with the one you love.
Believe me, picking these songs was very hard. I re-listened to the entire CD several times before I made these choices. You’re going to have to believe me when I say, I found all the tracks easy to listen to, with some good “hooks” to keep the music bouncing around your head, it shows several different styles of music so you don’t get bored half way through the CD, its somewhat humorous, and laced with common sense “life lessons”. Dusty’s voice comes through clear as a bell and is perfect for this style of music. It’s not for the hard or modern rock lover, not for the rap or hip-hop fan, it’s for the person who just wants an enjoyable CD to listen to and doesn’t mind learning about life along the way.
So, I rate “What Did You Expect?” by Dusty and the LoveNotes, 10 stars and a “thumbs up”! I hope you and Indian Joe have 10 or 11 more songs kicking around somewhere, Ms. Dust!
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Blue Satin Thing by Dusty and the LoveNotes
