POPCORNER
October 18, 1996
Pittsfield native Carl Bowlby to inaugurate Studio stage
by Seth Rogovoy
(WILLIAMSTOWN, Massachusetts) The Studio, the new downtown Pittsfield nightclub in the former England Brothers building on North Street, has yet to open, but already its effect is being felt by the local music community. If all goes as planned, the very first person to perform on the stage at The Studio when it opens next Saturday night will be Pittsfield native Carl Bowlby."I'm extremely excited. It's a big thrill," said Bowlby, who is scheduled to warm up the crowd for headliners Black 47, the Irish- American rock 'n' rap group, when The Studio has its grand opening on Oct. 26 at 8.
Bowlby is a guitarist and singer/songwriter who has been playing his original "alternative pop" songs and cover tunes in small area venues for the past year. The Studio gig is his biggest to date. "It's a great opportunity," he said. "I'm really looking forward to it. I never would have gotten anything like it in New York City or Los Angeles."
After graduating from New York University last year, Bowlby decided that the best place to launch his career in music was back in his hometown.
"A lot of what I read in music business courses said to start in your hometown to get a good reaction there and build a fan base and then go from there," said Bowlby. "They thought it was a big mistake to go to a big city and think that you're going to take over the town. One of the big points of advice I took was just to try out your hometown first, which is basically why I'm here."
After about a year, that strategy is beginning to pay off for Bowlby, who performs regularly at Sip of Seattle and La Cocina in Pittsfield. "Obviously with the Black 47 gig coming up, that's a giant step forward," he said.
As heard on a live demo tape, Bowlby writes and performs in a style deeply rooted in '60s pop, especially psychedelia and British pop groups with an edge, like The Kinks. In this way, he shares a sound and sensibility with many of today's top British bands, who also look back to the late-'60s and early-'70s for inspiration.
Bowlby began his music studies on violin, clarinet and piano with Hilda Banks Shapiro. The Pittsfield High graduate continued his classical training under Argentine pianist Pola Baytelman and Menahem Pressler of the Beaux Arts Trio while attending Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Moving to N.Y.U. in 1992, Bowlby began composing and performing popular songs and orchestral works. He lived in Los Angeles for a stint, where he played in cabaret bars and worked as a promotions assistant at EMI Records. During this time he composed two symphonic works, one sonata for piano and cello and various works for solo instruments.
Back in New York in 1994, Bowlby worked for a record producer and interned at HBO, working as a development and production assistant until he got his B.A. in Music from N.Y.U. in May 1995.
After returning to Pittsfield last fall, he recorded a studio demo tape at Derek Studios in Dalton called "The Jesus Cradle," which this reviewer described as "orchestral pop-rock" blending "the quirky humor of the Beach Boys and a bit of English music hall."
Bowlby is bullish on The Studio. "I think it's going to be great," he said. "It's going to be big. It's the shot in the arm that downtown needed."
Bowlby's long-term goal is to garner a record contract. "That's really the big push for me," he said. "I have been in contact with several people from record companies. It's an ongoing process, proving yourself to them." In the meantime, when he is not performing, writing or recording new songs, he gives private lessons to piano students and works part-time at Falcetti Music in Pittsfield.
[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Oct. 18, 1996. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1996. All rights reserved.]
Seth Rogovoy
rogovoy@berkshire.net
music news, interviews, reviews, et al.
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