Page 3
Friday • April 18, 1997
Romance
on
the road
Folk singers find
balance between solo
careers f dating
Folk singer and musician Buddy Mondlock
were born to sing blues
By Aaron Meier
The Battalion
oik musician Buddy
Mondlock has an oppor
tunity few acts have had.
In the grand tradition of
John Lennon and Yoko
Ono, and Sonny and Cher,
Mondlock shares the stage with his
girlfriend, Carol Elliott. The two have
toured together for the past one-and-
a-half months and will play Saturday at
Crooked Path at 9 p.m.
Mondlock, a Chicago native, said his
musical skills developed early.
“I started playing the guitar early on,
at age 10,” he said. “Even then, I was per
forming for friends and family. I guess I
have always had the ‘ham’ gene.”
According to the Western Xpress,
Mondlock’s big break came at the
Blue By Nature
PLAYING AT THE 3RD FLOOR CANTINA
TONIGHT AT 9:30
“I was born like this,” Lawrence said. “I
spped out pretending to be an entertain-
.As a child, I would always do little shows
ound the neighborhood and it gave me
ich a rush.”
Blue By Nature, originally from Los Ange-
s, will perform at 9:30 tonight at 3rd Floor
antina. The upbeat blues band is known for
ird-driving, energetic live performances.
Along with Lawrence, band members include
guitar player Rick Dufay and rhythm gui
tarist/songwriter Fred Hostetler.
Willie Bennett, talent buyer at 3rd
Floor Cantina, said he recognized ex
treme talent in Blue By Nature, after lis
tening to their release Blue to The Bone.
He said although the band members are
experienced musicians, their perfor
mances maintain the vitality and exhila
ration of a rookie band.
“It has some seasoned players in the
group, and they’ve got an excellent vocal
ist in Karen,” Bennett said. “They are butt-
rockin’ — they’ll make you get out there
and shake a tail feather.”
Thd performances illustrate the band
members’ talent, Bennett said. Lawrence,
who has performed in bands for 30 years,
learned to play guitar at age 10, while Du
fay’s career includes performances on four
Aerosmith recordings.
Liese Rugo, press agent for Blue By
Nature, has seen the band perform live
more than 50 times. She said each show
is awe-inspiring for both the audience
and the performers.
“A lot of their talent lies in the intense
excitement they have for this kind of mu
sic,” Rugo said. “They are always on the
same page when it comes to their music —
they are blues with a power that matches
the energy of rock 'n’ roll.”
See BLUE By NatuRE / Page 5 Folk singer and musician Carol Elliot
Carol Elliot
Buddy Mondlock
PLAYING AT THE CROOKED PATH PUB
TONIGHT AT 9
Al*i % ^
Kerrville Folk Festival in 1988. Mond
lock performed at the festival as an
amateur, and he performed in his
bathing suit.
His swimsuit gave him the oppor
tunity to meet Guy Clark, a well-
known performer.
Clark was so impressed with
Mondlock’s performance that he took
his demo tape back to Nashville.
Mondlock’s tape caught the interest of
several people, and soon he aban
doned the Windy City for the streets
of Music City.
Soon after, Mondlock had a con
tract to write songs for acts such as
Garth Brooks, Joan Baez and Peter,
Paul and Mary.
Currently, Mondlock is exploring his
own path as a performer with two al
ready-released albums and one that is
currently under production.
“Being a songwriter and a performer
is kind of all rolled up together,” he
said. “Writing and singing all comes
from the same place that just wants me
to express myself.”
Mondlock said the hardest part of
performing on the road is that it leaves
no time for songwriting.
“I’m finding, as we are touring more,
I have less time to write,” he said. “I
have to make a space in my schedule to
just sit down and do it. I like to have my
mind float around and just get side
ways. That is where you can make
those connections that are unusual
and interesting.”
Touring offers a unique romantic
experience for Mondlock. His girl
friend, Elliott, a solo folk performer,
was recently named one of Nashville’s
best kept secrets by The Performing
Songwriter Magazine.
“One of the biggest complaints of
being on the road is people never get to
see their girlfriends,” Mondlock said.
“This is the perfect way to see a lot of
each other.”
He said the tour showcases both
their individual talents and their chem
istry as a couple.
"One of the biggest complaints
of being on the road is that
people never get to see their
girlfriends. This is the perfect
way to see a lot of each other."
Buddy Mondlock
Folk singer and musician
Typically, each will do a set of their
own music as solo acts. At the end of
the evening, they take the stage to
gether for another set.
“It is a lot of fun to do the sets to
gether,” Mondlock said. “During my
set, I do all my own stuff, but when we
get together, I’ll do some of her stuff,
she’ll do some of my stuff. Sometimes
we will do stuff friends have written.”
Mondlock said he and Elliott are
not immune to the stresses of life on
the road.
See Mondlock, Page 5
J.c
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MSC Variety Show
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Curtain goes up
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Tonight at 7:30 pm
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Ytv G atvS
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