Submitted by Lopez Center
Come enjoy an evening of music with three wonderful Lopez musicians at the Lopez Center this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Libby, Phil and Gretchen’s disparate songs capture love, wonder, hope and longing, with Lopezian simplicity. In trio, duets and solo, they share their joy through violin, guitar, mandolin and voice. Entrance is by donation with proceeds benefiting the Center.
When Libby Valluzzi was a wee girl, squeaking away on her violin and squinting her eyes to read the music notes, she would sometimes visit her Irish-American grandfather on Whidbey Island, who played fiddle as a young man before accidentally severing his finger. He would smile, applaud her, and then ask, “Now, can you play ‘far-far-away’?” She’d smile back politely, answer “Hmm, I don’t know that one,” and continue on with her practice. Now, 15 years later, she feels pretty confident that there’s no need to play so far away.
When she was 21, Valluzzi lived in a dark little cabin in the Redwoods in a community of 14 people, taking children out into the wondrous forest, hiking all day, and singing nerdy nature songs. Being the only one who had never picked up a guitar in her life, Libby decided she should learn at least a couple chords, so she could play the songs for the children. One Saturday afternoon a friend sat down and showed her D, Em, and A chords, and by eight that evening the friend found her sitting on the couch, alone, where she squeaked, “Wait! It’s dark out! Is it lunch time yet? I haven’t even used the bathroom! Oh my gosh, what happened?!” This obsessive quality has served her well, and though she has never taken any lessons in guitar, she finds herself learning a bit more every day and writing songs every couple weeks.
Valluzzi gathers inspiration from all things thought-provoking and heart-provoking, and sends them out to the world through her fingers and voice as vivid poetic melodies.
Phil Paige started playing guitar in grade school and started singing and writing songs in high school. He played in bands and taught guitar lessons to help earn some cash through college. After marrying and having kids, he embarked on a 34 year career in the fire service.
During his time as a firefighter, Paige says his music served as a therapeutic way to help deal with some of the tragedies at work. He continued to play in a Seattle area band, “The Pontunes,” with friends from high school. About twelve years ago, he moved to San Diego, got back to his solo folk-rock roots and began writing again. He released his first full length studio album “Simple Things” in 2011, and after hanging up his fire helmet in 2014, he got to work on his second album, “Shades of Blue,” which was released earlier this year.
About a year ago, Paige and his wife Kelly moved to Lopez Island. Now, as a full time singer songwriter, and missing the fire service, Paige has also joined the Lopez Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter.
Gretchen Wing left her former life as a high school teacher behind when she and husband Ken moved to Lopez in 2010, swapping her roll book for a rolling pin at Holly B’s and devoting her non-baking hours to writing novels. She continued to play mediocre guitar as she had since college, in order to accompany herself singing. But soon after moving, she found her old excuse of “I have no time” no longer applied, so she signed up for guitar lessons with Bill Johnson (who had become a Lopezian the same year as the Wings).
As a lesson in understanding chord relationships, Johnson suggested she write a song. “I don’t write songs,” Wing remembers saying, “that’s what people like Paul McCartney do.”
“I really thought it was this specialized gift,” she adds now. “Making up melodies? That’s a Mozart kind of thing.” But she gave it a whirl. When she sang her first song for Johnson, she was so nervous she insisted that he not look at her. Johnson’s response: “Hmm. That’s a real song!”
Apparently that bit of approval was all Wing’s Muse was waiting for. Since then, she has written dozens of songs, continuing to look for “the songs that need to be written.” She admits to feeling a little silly for having waited till age 50 to start.
“People have said to me, ‘Wait—you’re a writer and a singer, but you never thought of putting the two together?’ What can I say? I guess I’m just slow.”
