What Gives

About the Artist
When I was 7, I had already started playing guitar, there were three major introductions that hit me in a real curious way. First was going to see Jethro Tull at Madison Square Garden on the "Songs from the Wood" tour with my brother Eric, his friend Chris, and my folks. Ian Andersen hit the stage and hoisted the pirate ship sails, delivering Tull's acoustic-electric vision.

Second, Harry Chapin's concert impressed with humor, meaningful lyrics and use of cello, violin, brass and other instruments rarely seen in a traditional rock band set-up. Chapin voiced a compassion and action for humanity much in the way Bono does today that spoke to me.

Third, seeing Allen Ginsberg at the local public library, chanting poetry with a harmonium and burning nag-champa incense, circularly weaving his body to his meditation Kaddish; swept me into the wind of grace.

I was hooked.

I played in a several bands in high school. No Quarter, Rites of Passage, the Sweat Band, to name a few. I decided when I got to NYU I would join a new band.

As students at NYU I met Russ Irwin, now touring keyboard player with Aerosmith and Sting. He and I would put our amplifiers up to our windows and trade riffs across the courtyard in our dorm Weinstein where only years before Rick Rubin operated his fledgling label def-jam. Russ was on an upper floor, I below. Check out Russ's ever-so-tasty keyboard work on "What Gives".

Around the same time Marshall Madow and I formed The Hour, a four piece, Greenwich Village based, neo-hippie jam band. We sounded Bay Area and were reminscent of Jefferson Airplane and Fairport Convention. Jon Vitarelli played drums with Mike Mulvey on bass.

The Hour appeared in clubs throughout the village. Phish, Blues Traveler, The Authority, Surreal McCoys, The Holmes Brothers, Joan Osborne, Spin Doctors, Dreyer Brothers, Zen Tricksters, God Street Wine and more were all part of an emerging roots/jam scene. We toured the U.S. the summer of 1989 and called it Freedom Summer adding Jen Phelps-Montgomery (Patch of Eden) . Rolling Stone magazine described our New York scene as "inspired and bursting with energy."

Luke Patchen (Strangefolk) would join on guitar. Roger Fox on flute and Chris Theberge (Groove Collective) on percussion, the ever-growing multi-headed monster eventually died and The Hour was resurrected as an acoustic trio: Harmon, Madow and Turk.

The Hour moved upstate to the Arrowhead Ranch and became the band in residence. Ken and Michele Hoff, owners of the ranch, introduced us to Bill Graham. Together with some other great bands we created a phenomenal summer of music and the kernel to become HORDE tour. Phish, Lenny Kravitz, Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors, Hot Tuna, Little Feat, Richie Havens, Widespread Panic, TR3, The Authority, The Band with Billy Preston, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, Relix Magazine, Duprees Diamond News, Acoustic Junction, The Authority, and The Radiators were all part of the Arrowhead family.

Booked into a Clearwater festival I met Pete Seeger. I was immediately inspired by Pete's vision, history and humor. Pete shared the music of Mississippi John Hurt, Libba Cottonwood, Leadbelly, Sonny Terry & Browney McGee, Woody Guthrie and. and. and. My education in the roots and heritage of American music had begun. Acoustic Jorma Kaukonen and his legacy with Reverend Gary Davis would have new meaning too. I still sit at Pete Seeger's side when I can.

Next for The Hour were US tours, a highlight being with Dave Matthews Band (1992) and one to Scandavia with Per Wikstrom (Meshuggah). We settled comfortably in Saugerties, New York along the Hudson river eventually to dis-band in 1994. Carey went to Ghana to learn tribal drumming among the Dagomba . Marshall and Carey formed Reverend Taxi with Matt Burdick on guitar. I moved to first and first in the east village and worked at God's Love We Deliver , driving a van, delivering meals to people homebound with aids, listening

Product Description
New Yorker Matt Turk is a versatile musician, an accomplished guitarist, songwriter, mandolinist and vocalist. "What Gives" is produced by Kevin Hupp. Mixed by Peter Moshay (Desree, Hall & Oates), Engineered by Jay Newland (Norah Jones) Matt Turk on vocals, guitars, and mandolin, Jack Daley (Lenny Kravitz) and Mike Leslie on bass, Kevin Hupp (Maceo Parker, Joan Osborne, Rufus Wainright) on drums, Russ Irwin (Aerosmith, Sting) and Saul Zonana on keys, Curtis Schmidt (Cosmic Jug) and Randy Funke (The Grapes).

What Gives,Matt Turk,20/20 Music,Pop,Pop/Rock,Rock,Rock/Pop,Singer/Songwriter

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