| Marc Silber, "Test Tracks 1"
CD Reviews- April 24, 2002 From Guitarnation.com Marc Silber, "Test Tracks 1", Marc Silber Music, Berkeley, CA Every now & then, if you are lucky, you meet a musician who is completely dedicated to his craft. Marc Silber is just such a singer-songwriter, or more appropriately, a song-maker, who plays many blues styles. Marc plays "Old Style Blues" like the original "Bluesmen", such as Leadbelly, Reverend Gary Davis, Mance Lipscomb, K.C. Douglas, Son House, Bukka White, &, from the Bahamas, Joseph Spence. Marc had one of the first vintage guitar stores in the US, in Greenwich Village in the early 1960's. As these great "Bluesmen" would venture "up North", they would stop to play, visit & hang out at Marc's shop. The result of this "musical education" is that Marc is able to keep their memories & styles alive with an authenticity that must be heard to be believed. If you are a fan of "Old Style Blues", I have 2 words for this 15-song homemade CD: BUY IT!!! It is without a doubt the most genuine, sincere & heartfelt CD I have heard in quite some time; it is truly a rare CD that deserves to be treasured. Rating:
John Sebastian (formerly "Lovin' Spoonful") talks about Marc's CD: Comments on Marc Silber’s CD “Test Tracks, 1,” by John Sebastian “When I first heard ‘The Test Tracks’ I called my pal Marc to tell him he’d made the best CD of the year. More than just your average finger picker, Marc brings a unique background and depth of swing and understanding to this set of blues and folk goodies. Starting at Fretted Instruments, New York's first ER for troubled instruments and folk singers, Marc Silber has been friend, aid, and student to that great first generation of acoustic bluesmen who made their ways to the big city during the 1960s ‘folk scare.’ Marc has logged more time in front of John Hurt, Skip Jones & Victoria Spivey than most of us who brag about it. It shows.” Pioneering guitarist Artie Traum 's lavished praise on Marc's CD: Comments on Marc Silber’s CD “Test Tracks, 1,” (9/2001), by Artie Traum "I can sit for hours listening to Marc Silber play Cannonball Blues, Alberta, Matchbox Blues and other country blues. Marc has always been a fan of Skip James, Mance Lipscomb, and Robert Johnson -- and he absorbed their driving bass lines and complex finger style playing. Over the years Marc's playing and singing has evolved into a powerful style. He is a Master Fingerpicker who put his personality into every tune while staying true to the country blues and high-lonesome tradition. "I love this CD. The interplay of the guitar and singing is great. I realized while listening that Marc has had a profound influence on all of us over the years -- the subtleties of his style really comes across. "Marc Silber had a huge influence on guitarists and musicians during the Greenwich Village folk revival days ... and beyond. All these years later I am feeling that anything I do right on guitar is because Marc showed me how to do it, especially when it comes to touch, tone, and the subtle stuff. "I am very thankful to have this CD. I am going to listen to it some more right now." Artie Traum, Woodstock, New York. (May, 2002)
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