John Dodge Music Bio
“Folk rock classical jazz world music.” That’s composer/guitarist/songwriter John Dodge’s answer to the question, “So, exactly what kind of music do you play?” Florida, Alaska, California, Virginia, Texas, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington, and Oregon are the dozen states John has called home. With that kind of background, it’s no surprise that his music is as eclectic as his geography. But rather than try to label his sound Americana/roots/alt/acoustic/eclectic, let’s just call it rhythmic, melodic, and memorable. John’s tunes get into your head and they stay there.
“At age seven, my first guitar teacher also happened to be the first African American person I ever met. She taught me the fundamentals and introduced me to Odetta and Josh White. I went on to take seven years of folk, classical and jazz lessons. Then came my teenage years and rock, which nobody can teach you. You feel it or you don’t. After all these different influences, I play acoustic steel string guitar less like a folk player and more like a rock, or jazz, or classical player, depending on the tune.”
“I attended the Juilliard School of Music for a few months before realizing that it wasn’t for me. Besides, touring made it hard to regularly attend class. After a few years on the college and coffeehouse circuit, I teamed up with Don Cooper to form the Cooper-Dodge band who recorded for ATCO Records and had a single called “I Want You Back in My Life Again,” which later became a hit for the Carpenters.”
After a hiatus which included marriage, raising a family and working successfully as a public radio program director, John is back to his first love, music. “We recorded my debut CD in 2004 with some of the best studio players in Boston. The songs on that record still sound good to me.” John Dodge, the first CD, is available from online retailer CD Baby. “Next came the live concert recording, John Dodge Live @ the Portland Guitar Society in 2009 and now Greetings from Bridgetown in 2010. “The whole backstory of the Bridgetown project including sound clips is on my web site but for the record, I like the artwork as much as the music.” The artist Christopher Bibby lends his original vision to John’s music on Greetings from Bridgetown, creating a package that’s as much fun to look at as it is to listen to.
John plays a Froggy Bottom P-12 parlor-style acoustic guitar, also a Larrivee P-05. “Both are little guitars with big sounds. For years I played a Gibson Les Paul and got used to the smaller body style. Now when I pick up my old Taylor (a ‘77 model 810), it feels like a boat with a runway for a neck.” John plays his acoustic guitars through a vintage British Trace Acoustic TA35R amplifier. “It’s another big sound in a small package, perfect for cafes, clubs, the smaller venues I play solo or with my trio. I love the Trace because there’s no added coloration—just the natural sound of the instrument, only louder.”
John’s unusual picking style has drawn attention. “I hear it called ‘hybrid-style’ picking, meaning ‘pick plus fingers’ working in partnership. It’s the combination of the flat pick technique I use in rock and blues with the plucking style used by classical players. It opens up a lot of room for different attacks, other colors, more ways to play rhythm and lead at the same time.”
Great melodies, great lyrics, great guitar playing— a great combination. To hear more from the artist John Dodge, visit www.JohnDodgeMusic.com or become a fan at www.facebook.com/pages/John-Dodge-Music/484445425614. “You be my fan, I’ll be yours. That’s my ingenious marketing strategy!”
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