TBONE TED KASTELIC
TBone Ted Kastelic plays guitar/harmonica and sings
for Folk In A. TBone grew up in Colorado and spent
time in Atlanta, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC
before making the migration to California. That was
long enough ago that he thinks he qualifies for
native status.
TBone started with piano lessons in first grade and
graduated to trombone in 4th grade. OK, you don't
graduate to trombone. He slid into that.
TBone stuck with trombone waiting for the great soul
band to find him when he heard the following joke:
Q. A frog and a trombone player are walking down the
street on a Friday night. What's the difference?
A. The frog is probably going to a gig.
Getting the hint, and figuring that he'd never get a
girl by playing trombone (even though trombone players,
like harmonica players make great kissers), TBone
cast about for other media for his musical expression.
For some unknown reason (genetic defect?) he became
enamored of the 5 string banjo. Maybe it was the
Bonnie and Clyde theme. He acquired the Pete Seeger
banjo book and developed a low level of proficiency
at the banjo. Then he began to hear banjo jokes. Like –
Q. You know how you can tell an extroverted banjo player?
A. He looks at your shoes.
Of course the eagerly anticipated groupies never showed
up either. And then someone stole the young TBone's
banjo. And of course, he couldn't really blame them.
It's very difficult to practice the banjo quietly.
So he looked around and noticed that the guys who
seemed to most interest the girls were guitar players.
And he'd heard Mississippi John Hurt and Lightnin'
Hopkins, and John Lee Hooker, and BB and Albert and
Freddie (the King boys), and Elmore James and Robert
Johnson and...well, he just figured if he could make
a sound like that, he'd die a happy man. Well, he
learned 'em. And he's very happy. The good news is
he ain't dead yet either.
And he's found his muse (wherever did I put that
thing anyway?) and his voice (it's a new age thing,
but once you find yours you know what they're talking
about). Writing and singing have become means of
expression that fill our TBone with joy. Having you
(yep you – reading this – that you) listen makes it
all that much better. He and DaddyO create some
righteous sounds. It seems like it's all ending up
pretty hunky and fairly dorey. And if you come to a
Folk In A show, you might just get TBone to fill you
in on "the missing years." Yep, rumor is, he found
'em.
Photo by Linda Candler
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