There are many people who consider the first two albums by the dB’s to be just as influential as those revered early Velvet Underground releases. The singing/songwriting backbone of the dB’s was the tandem of Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, whose simpatico musical attraction was strong enough to fuel Mavericks, an excellent 1991 album by the duo. Eighteen years later, the longtime friends have released the equally stirring Here And Now. The pair has also begun recording again with the dB’s, including original bassist Gene Holder and drummer Will Rigby. Holsapple and Stamey are guest editing magnetmagazine.com all this week. Read our Q&A with them.
Peter: I performed at a Durham, N.C., benefit for Ukuleles For Peace a couple weeks ago, rendering semi-recognizable versions of “Marie” (Randy Newman) and “God Only Knows” (Beach Boys) on my ukulele. I had thought it might be a little far afield for the program, but the host group, the Durham Ukulele Orchestra, started the night with a ripping rendition of “Psycho Killer” by the Talking Heads. I was right in line, apparently. The beneficiaries of the profits of this show are trying to ally Jewish and Arab children by having them play these tiny, simple four-string jewels together and make a racket in the name of peaceful coexistence. I’m all for that. It’s an easy enough instrument to play and coax a tune out of, and it’s kid-friendly; I had my brother’s Arthur Godfrey Ukulele to learn on as a lad. The uke is not just for Hawaiian music; just ask Paul McCartney, who wailed on one for the Ram album. His late bandmate George Harrison was an ardent collector of ukuleles, and if you’ve never watched Jake Shimabukuro have his way with Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” you’ve missed an incredible performance. I’ve enjoyed my ukes for years; they’re small enough to play in a moving tour bus bunk without disturbing anyone with the sound or poking their eyes out as they pass through the hall. It’s four strings and no more, and you can’t make a more complex voicing than four notes, so every note needs to count toward your chord.
