How long have you been playing harp?
24 years come October 2009. I started playing right before I
turned 16.
How did you get started?
At 15 I worked as a camp counselor. My boss, Eric Guthertz,
had a harp he let me borrow. Instead of looking at it for a minute, I went
to a corner and jammed for a half an hour. 6 months later I was with a
friend, Robert Schmidt, at a bookstore. There was
Jon Gindicks’ Country and Blues Harmonica for the Musically Hopeless ,
a book that came with a tape and a harp for $14. My friend said,
"There’s something flaky you would do." I had the money, which at 15 years
old was a minor miracle. "You’ll never get anywhere with that." He said. The
moment I played, I knew it was my thing. I was gigging a year later.
Where are you from?
I was conceived in Memphis. I was born in Livingston, New
Jersey,
0-8 years old West Orange, New Jersey
8-12 years old Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
12-17 years old Larkspur, Marin County, California
17-21 years old Rohnert Park, Sonoma County, California with
summers in the Malibu mountains.
21-22 years old New Orleans, Louisiana
22-23 years old, Santa Rosa, California and one half of a
year busking in Europe
23-28 years old, Austin, Texas
28-30 years old Houston, Texas, New Haven, Connecticut, New
York, New York playing in the orchestra of a pre Broadway and Broadway show,
the Tony nominated "The Civil War"
30-39 years old, South Austin, TX
What was your musical training?
I listened to lots of recordings and live shows and played
at jams and gigs. I’ve talked to most of the famous harp players and gotten
advice, most notably from Rick Estrin, Gary Primich, Eugene Huggins and Andy
J. Forest. I’ve taken a few official
harmonica lessons. I’ve gone to a bunch of harmonica conventions. I took
3 jazz improv semesters in college, Sonoma State University, on chromatic. A
couple of years back I took another semester’s worth at Austin Community
College playing one diatonic harmonica fully chromatically.
In college I also took chorus and ear training. I’ve taken a
couple of piano and electric bass lessons and a lot of vocal and mandolin
lessons.
What instruments do you play?
The
diatonic harp (10 hole blues harp) played fully chromatically, the
chromatic harp, the bass harp, mandolin, vocals, electric bass, keyboards,
melodica, kazoo, various flutelike things and percussion.
What does it mean to play the diatonic harmonica
fully chromatically?
What do you like better, the diatonic or the
chromatic?
I love both, but the diatonic feels like home to me. However
I will rarely play a show without bringing out the big harp. It’s beautiful,
like a songbird.
What diatonics do you play?
I use stock
Hohner Special 20’s
and a few Seydel 1847's.
I like the action I get and
the compromised just tuning. Compromised just tuned harps have some notes
tuned a little flat in pitch and some notes tuned a little sharp in pitch in
comparison to what is considered standard pitch. That creates that crunchy
harmonica sound when playing chords and double stops (two notes played at
once). Unlike compromised just tuning, equal tuning sets all the notes at
close to the same level of flat or sharp in comparison to what is considered
standard pitch. It makes very pretty single note melodies but the chords and
double stops do not sound as nice as compromised just tuning, in my opinion.
I do not like equal tuning. Examples would be the Lee Oskar or the Hohner
Golden Melody. I see equal tuning’s value when playing in unusual positions.
(Positions refer to playing in multiple keys on one harmonica.) For example,
on a compromised just tuned C harp, hole 5 draw is a slightly flat F note.
In a blues song in the key of G that F note sounds fine. It does not sound
so good in the key of Eb. That is when I would choose a Lee Oskar or Golden
Melody.
I set up the low harps, G's through C's for overblows on the Special
20's. I rarely overblow on a harp higher than a C.
I own a couple of Special 20 Country tuned harps
and Lee Oskar minor tuned, just to check them out. Except for the chords and
double stops, they do not do much for me. I do have a "D" Lee Oskar because
they never break and Hohner D's seem to often break for me. I try and keep
the Lee Oskar only as a back up harp. I play some low tuned harps, they are
tuned one octave lower and I have one high tuned G harp. I fool with a
Seydel F# diminished harp and think the layout is genius but have not worked
hard to enough to play it musically. Check out Alfred Hirsch for someone who
can play it (Alfred's
MySpace). I own a circular tuned harp and
do not like it. I had James Conway build me a Low D Bagpipe harp. That is
fun (James on
YouTube). Speaking of unusual harps, although not a
diatonic, my fantasy would be to own a Harmonetta (The typewriter harp.)
What chromatics do you play?
I use the Hohner Super Chromonica 270 in the key of C. I own
a Tenor CX 12, but never perform with it. I have never tried the other keys.
I play in all 12 keys on the C harp, so except for the tone and chords and
double stops, I do not need the others. I will admit to having a quickness
in a couple of keys’ positions so I probably would do well to have the
others, but my facility in all the positions is pretty good. I have tried
both the Toots Mellowtone and Hard Bopper and liked both.
Do you perform and record with the Bass Harmonica?
Yes. I use it regularly in the Kalu James band and have a great track on
Alexa Woodward's CD Speck as well as other recordings and performance
situations. I even had Richard Smith's Harmonix company build me a special
pickup so I could plug it into an amplifier. I also had Steve Watne, a great
harmonica machinist, make it play easier. My student and friend Brad
Trainham has started playing chord harmonica, so lookout! Here comes
Austin's own harmonica band! We played a harmonica band song with Norton
Buffalo on Chromatic, Rob Roy Parnell and the Kerrville Harmonica Workshop
students on diatonic. That was a lot of fun.
Kalu James ||
Alexa Woodward ||
Richard Smith ||
Steve Watne ||
Norton Buffalo ||
Rob Roy Parnell
Do you tongue block, pucker or U-block?
I kind of do all three. Instead of U blocking, I do the same
thing but I do not curl my tongue. I put the tip of my tongue under the hole
I want and blow over the center. I do this for my main embouchure on the
chromatic and on the diatonic’s high notes. If you hear me play the
chromatic with a bendy sound or if I am on the low end of the diatonic and
not using tongue slaps, pulls or octave-type double stops I am puckering. If
you hear slaps and double stops, I am tongue blocking. I will play single
note runs without slaps in the tongue blocked style if I am continuing to
play a lick after a run of slapping. I can bend while tongue blocking but
often will quickly switch to a pucker, especially if the bend is on a
different hole. I also tongue switch, so if you hear quick jumps from high
to low, I’m tongue blocking.
What’s your gear?
I use a boom stand, 57 or 58 vocal mic and PA system (you or the
club provide the PA system) for my acoustic sound. I use the Shure Green Bullet mic
with no volume control but me and a ’59 Reissue Fender Bassman for my
electric sound. I never got obsessed with gear. I like it functional.
.
What kind of music do you play?
I play all kinds. I like to play with friends mostly.
Luckily I have lots of friends who are professional musicians. I will play
any style of music with anyone who is respectful. I have done gigs just for
money or recognition or artistic value alone and I probably would do it
again, but it is always a little weird if friendship and/or respect is
missing.
What kind of
music do you listen to?
I listen to all kinds of music, but I lean towards blues,
jazz, folk and garage rock. I prefer high feeling and low production values.
Who are your favorite harp players?
Do you write songs?
Yeah and I sing too. I’m a showman. I put on the occasional
Michael Rubin Band gig and plan to put a CD out of my tunes one of these
lifetimes.
Do you do sideman work?
Yes, I enjoy being a sideman to all types of singers. I play
harp well, they sing well. It’s a good combination.
Where can we hear your work?
Besides live performances, check out my CD "Call
of my Harp" which is a collection of live and studio cuts of me backing
up 15 of Austin’s best players. To find out where I'm playing this week,
email me at
michaelrubinharmonica@gmail.com.
How would you describe your style?
It’s a bit of Jekkyl and Hyde. I can play the most
appropriate music for backing up a song or a singer, be it pretty, bluesy,
rocking or whatever. But I also have a mad scientist side where I am
exploring techniques and styles unique to my vision. When playing with bands
where the focus is on technical or musical innovation, I can show off that
side of me. Even when keeping my music appropriate to the song, I will often
play something in a way not normally associated with harmonica. I like to
keep ‘em guessing.
How can I get involved with harmonica on a worldwide basis?
I
heartily recommend The Society for the Preservation and Advancement of The
Harmonica at www.SPAH.org
What else do you
like to do?
I like to read
classic literature, see all types of movies, do
ecstatic dance, travel, go to the
Kerrville Folk Festival, eat pasta and shrimp and some other things,
drink coffee, agonize about theology, and be with my friends, family and my
wife, Carey.
