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Photograph by Chad Pilster
Total eCool Tunes: (From left to right) Eric Lutter on guitar, Jon Nygaard on bass and Randie Shapiro on rattler practice for their upcoming gig in Campbell.
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Silicon Valley Blue Notes
Randie and the eDawgs find a musical niche in a high-tech world
By Julie Wang
At Café De Matisse in downtown San Jose, Michael Vaughn types away on a small, turquoise Hermes 3000 typewriter. Engrossed and sedate, he could be writing a novel, or perhaps some poetry. One would never guess that at night he doubles as the energetic drummer of a local blues band known as Randie and the eDawgs.
Then again, on account of their occupations, the other four Silicon Valley-type members of the band--lead singer Randie Shapiro, bassist Jon Nygaard and guitarists Tom Constantino and Eric Lutter--don't exactly fit that image either.
"It's a real interesting mix of personalities," says Nygaard.
"They're like my boys," laughs vocalist Shapiro. "It's a really great mix of energy and different talents, and we all respect each other. We work hard and have fun."
After meeting at a party in Willow Glen about a year ago, Randie and the eDawgs christened themselves with the name after Lutter signed an email, "the eDawg."
"We had been through three names," Vaughn explains, "but we knew that we wanted something with 'Dawg.' It has a nice Southern country sound, and after Eric signed the email that way, it just stuck."
After being spotted at open mic night at Campbell coffeehouse City Espresso, the band was booked by owner Patty Lovetro, and will be returning to the cafe for a solo performance on July 24.
"I thought they were fabulous," Lovetro says, "they were entertaining and lively and personable. They had a great variety of jazz, and I enjoyed their blues as well. They put on a great show."
The eDawgs' repertoire includes both classic and contemporary blues, and rhythm and blues tunes such as Wilson Pickett's "Mustang Sally." While they occasionally dip into jazz and rock 'n' roll territory, Randie and the eDawgs never stray too far from their original blues roots.
"Anything we do is at least influenced by the blues," Vaughn says. "We just try to stay true to the spirit of the blues tradition. By keeping the blues flavor, we make a nice little niche for ourselves."
That little niche will soon become even more customized, as the group plans to begin developing and performing its own material in the near future.
"We're trying to broaden our play list a little bit," Nygaard says. "We're just hoping to have a good mix of tunes for people to dance to."
Vaughn looks forward to performing original material. "I have some poetry that I'd like to set to some blues songs. The guitarists would come up with the music."
The group meets once a week for rehearsal, relaxation from demanding day jobs and a vent for their musical talents. Family lives as well as demanding careers as software engineers and marketing and finance executives strain the eDawgs' potential for developing their common hobby into a serious music career.
"It's a real balancing act," Shapiro says.
"A lot of times," Nygaard adds, "you have to work late without a lot of notice, and it makes it difficult to practice."
Nevertheless, they continue to book performances, and will be performing at a party in Livermore in August. Despite the challenges of doing it all, the members remain reluctant to give up their music for their careers. "It's fun and it's satisfying. It satisfies an itch I have," Nygaard explains.
Shapiro agrees. "My brain needs all of it. I do the music because it feeds my soul. It's not a choice anymore. I have to do it."
Randie and the eDawgs will perform Saturday, July 24 at 8 p.m. at City Espresso, 1820 W. Campbell Ave. For more information, call 370-1477.
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Campbell, California
