San Diego Reader

Synoposis

Background:

Guitarist Marc Intravaia used to play with the Monroes, who had a brief taste of national fame with the hit “What Do All the People Know.”

“Back in the seventies,” he says, “I was in a band called Listen, and we were on some of the Homegrown albums. In ‘75 and ‘76 or so, we did KGB’s musical logos and played music for their commercials, and Jim [McIness,local DJ] even helped get us half hour spotlights about our band, like on the Sunday night shows. Back then, Jim was the guy who made KGB a really progressive radio station, and he really gave local bands a boost. I was 18 when we met, and I was in awe of DJs, of meeting the guys behind the voices on the radio.”

“KGB used to put on free concerts at what is now called Starlight Bowl but then it was Balboa Bowl. Listen did a few of those, and Jim used to get up on stage and jam with us sometimes. The first time was ‘74 or ‘75, and I wasn’t even aware at the time that he was a musician.”

As of 2010, Intravaia has spent nearly twenty years writing, recording, and performing with Eve Selis. The Selis band frequently includes “Cactus” Jim Soldi and Sharon Whyte who, along with Intravaia have their own band, Cactus Twang & Whyte (Twang = Intravaia). Soldi played with Johnny Cash for four years and Ricky Skaggs for two years. She's frequently seen around town playing with Tim Flannery and the duo Berkley Hart.