Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Stuck on the Stick

'I saw Tony Levin playing a Stick at the 1997 NAMM trade show in Anaheim, and I bought one that year," says Tom Griesgraber. The 12-stringed Stick (popularized by Levin during stints with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel) is played by tapping the strings like piano keys, with bass strings tuned in ascending fifths and melody strings in descending fourths, providing a wide tonal range of sounds.

"It sounds something like electric guitar, electric bass, piano, and synths -- all thrown into a blender," says Griesgraber. "When I started, there was nobody teaching it, really, so I bought the only two books in existence for it. The Stick itself gets amazing reactions. I used to draw small crowds in Guitar Center just by playing a few notes to test amps for it, and I've sold CDs just by pulling it out of the case and not playing a note."

DESERT ISLAND DVDs?

1. Peter Gabriel, Secret World Live ("Probably his best stage setup ever and certainly one of his best bands.")

2. King Crimson, Deja Vroom ("I have a VHS release from the same period which seems to have a better audio mix.")

3. This Is Spinal Tap ("I was surprised to learn recently that some musician friends in Italy had never heard of it.")

Sponsored
Sponsored

4. The Adventures of Indiana Jones (box set) ("I loaned this to a friend months ago -- if you read this, Peter, I want it back.")

5. Bruce Almighty ("I know I should probably pick something meatier for a desert island sojourn, but truth is I've watched this more than a lot of other movies.")

WHAT'S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?

1. Genesis, Three Sides Live ("Interesting period for them, plus it has great guitar work from Daryl Stuermer.")

2. Peter Gabriel, Up ("Amazing production, but then he did spend ten years on it. I heard they tried so many things, they had over a hundred songs that got boiled down to this one album.")

3. The California Guitar Trio, Ten Christmas Songs ("I've given copies to so many friends that I'm afraid to give it out anymore 'cause I'm sure I'll get regifted.")

4. Phil Collins, Face Value ("This is how you know I'm being honest with this list. Despite the overt poppiness, Phil really is a great musician.")

FAVORITE TV SHOWS?

1. 24 ("Jack is too cool -- though serials are a pain in the hindquarters to keep up with when you're on tour for a month at a time.")

2. Star Trek ("I actually have the DVDs. I'm a geek; it's a horrible fate.")

3. That '70s Show ("Only ever watched in syndication, but I'll usually stop on it if I'm channel surfing.")

4. Lost ("I got sucked in.")

5. The Simpsons ("I'm actually a bit burned out on it, but I'll include it because it's just been so good for so long.")

WORST COVER SONGS?

1. "In Your Eyes," Jeffrey Gaines ("Takes a classic Peter Gabriel tune and turns it into something that sounds like a bar band at a coffee shop. There should be laws.")

2. "Landslide," the Dixie Chicks ("Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham just have too strong personalities to replace.")

3. "White Christmas," Elton John ("He got a little too carried away with the vocal inflections on this one.")

BEST KING CRIMSON LINEUP?

"I love this question. I'm gonna say the double trio: Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Bill Bruford, Pat Mastelotto, and Trey Gunn. Just so many great musical personalities, and they're all such good players that they make the over-the-top instrumentation actually work. It was actually the first lineup I saw, on video, and it's the one that pulled me into the band in general. Plus, they have two Stick players."

IF YOU WERE A CHARACTER IN THE WIZARD OF OZ, YOU'D BE...

"...the wizard. I like hiding behind curtains and pushing lots of buttons."

SOMETHING ABOUT YOU FEW WOULD KNOW OR GUESS?

"I can't drive stick shift. Quite the issue while touring Europe."

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

San Diego's Uptown Planners challenged by renters from Vibrant Uptown

Two La Jolla planning groups fight for predominance
Next Article

Summit Fellowship wants to be a home of belonging

Unitarian Universalism allows you to be exactly who you are in the moment

'I saw Tony Levin playing a Stick at the 1997 NAMM trade show in Anaheim, and I bought one that year," says Tom Griesgraber. The 12-stringed Stick (popularized by Levin during stints with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel) is played by tapping the strings like piano keys, with bass strings tuned in ascending fifths and melody strings in descending fourths, providing a wide tonal range of sounds.

"It sounds something like electric guitar, electric bass, piano, and synths -- all thrown into a blender," says Griesgraber. "When I started, there was nobody teaching it, really, so I bought the only two books in existence for it. The Stick itself gets amazing reactions. I used to draw small crowds in Guitar Center just by playing a few notes to test amps for it, and I've sold CDs just by pulling it out of the case and not playing a note."

DESERT ISLAND DVDs?

1. Peter Gabriel, Secret World Live ("Probably his best stage setup ever and certainly one of his best bands.")

2. King Crimson, Deja Vroom ("I have a VHS release from the same period which seems to have a better audio mix.")

3. This Is Spinal Tap ("I was surprised to learn recently that some musician friends in Italy had never heard of it.")

Sponsored
Sponsored

4. The Adventures of Indiana Jones (box set) ("I loaned this to a friend months ago -- if you read this, Peter, I want it back.")

5. Bruce Almighty ("I know I should probably pick something meatier for a desert island sojourn, but truth is I've watched this more than a lot of other movies.")

WHAT'S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?

1. Genesis, Three Sides Live ("Interesting period for them, plus it has great guitar work from Daryl Stuermer.")

2. Peter Gabriel, Up ("Amazing production, but then he did spend ten years on it. I heard they tried so many things, they had over a hundred songs that got boiled down to this one album.")

3. The California Guitar Trio, Ten Christmas Songs ("I've given copies to so many friends that I'm afraid to give it out anymore 'cause I'm sure I'll get regifted.")

4. Phil Collins, Face Value ("This is how you know I'm being honest with this list. Despite the overt poppiness, Phil really is a great musician.")

FAVORITE TV SHOWS?

1. 24 ("Jack is too cool -- though serials are a pain in the hindquarters to keep up with when you're on tour for a month at a time.")

2. Star Trek ("I actually have the DVDs. I'm a geek; it's a horrible fate.")

3. That '70s Show ("Only ever watched in syndication, but I'll usually stop on it if I'm channel surfing.")

4. Lost ("I got sucked in.")

5. The Simpsons ("I'm actually a bit burned out on it, but I'll include it because it's just been so good for so long.")

WORST COVER SONGS?

1. "In Your Eyes," Jeffrey Gaines ("Takes a classic Peter Gabriel tune and turns it into something that sounds like a bar band at a coffee shop. There should be laws.")

2. "Landslide," the Dixie Chicks ("Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham just have too strong personalities to replace.")

3. "White Christmas," Elton John ("He got a little too carried away with the vocal inflections on this one.")

BEST KING CRIMSON LINEUP?

"I love this question. I'm gonna say the double trio: Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Bill Bruford, Pat Mastelotto, and Trey Gunn. Just so many great musical personalities, and they're all such good players that they make the over-the-top instrumentation actually work. It was actually the first lineup I saw, on video, and it's the one that pulled me into the band in general. Plus, they have two Stick players."

IF YOU WERE A CHARACTER IN THE WIZARD OF OZ, YOU'D BE...

"...the wizard. I like hiding behind curtains and pushing lots of buttons."

SOMETHING ABOUT YOU FEW WOULD KNOW OR GUESS?

"I can't drive stick shift. Quite the issue while touring Europe."

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob
Next Article

Navy solves San Diego homeless crisis by retiring four locally moored ships

Decommision Accomplished
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.