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K&K's Artist of the Month: Mike Alvarez

December 2003

"I'm a multi-instrumentalist who plays keyboards, guitar, bass and percussion, but my greatest musical love is the cello. I am currently gigging solo under the name "One Dude Orchestra", using a pre-programmed sequencer in a Korg keyboard for accompaniment.

I initially selected the violin, but after learning to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on it, I somehow ended up preferring the cello. I remember carrying the school loaner instrument home. It was a good 2 city blocks and across a park. The thing was taller than I was! I stayed with it for a couple more years until junior high beckoned.

That was a musical dry spell, except for the fact that I had discovered rock 'n' roll. Back in the 70s, you could hear great tunes on the radio. My fascination for bowed instruments must have still been there because my favorite group at the time was the Electric Light Orchestra. Those 3 guys in their string section were big heroes of mine, especially their crazy cellist Hugh McDowell. When I started high school, it was back to playing music, and of course I picked up my beloved cello.

I actually studied with a great teacher in college named Peter Farrell whose most notable accomplishment was showing me how much I DID NOT know. But he was very patient and encouraging, and I am grateful to him for showing me how to overcome some problems with proper technique. I remember showing him pictures of the ELO guys abusing their instruments and he was greatly amused.

The next band I joined was the Jazz Real Trio. We had a keyboardist, a female drummer, and me on guitar and bass. That was a fun and challenging project, and we played a couple of gigs, but ultimately went our separate ways. Shortly after that, I fitted my trusty old cello with a Fishman pickup system, and was happily processing my signal through effects and amplifying it. It was an imperfect solution as there was some extraneous noise and sometimes feedback, but I was able to use this setup on a couple of recording projects.

While attending ProgFest 2000, I wandered into a music store and beheld...The Grail. A Yamaha Silent Electric Cello. After playing it for a while, I knew I had to have it, so I went back after the festival and picked it up. I fell in love with its striking appearance and full, rich tone. No feedback or noise! It's been my main axe ever since. After answering an ad for a musician seeking a cellist, I started doing the thing I dreamed of--gigging as a cellist!

We played at Borders Books, an Irish pub, various coffee houses, and a huge 4th of July festival at Lake Murray. Unfortunately, egos being what they are, that situation only lasted a few months. The band kept wanting me to play bass because bassists never seemed to stay. This, of course, upset me greatly as I didn't sign on to be a bassist, so The Scot Taber Band and I parted company. What to do? I had the itch to gig, but I also wanted to do it on my terms. With my own material. With me calling the shots. Because it's ALL ABOUT ME. So I programmed some backing tracks into my keyboard sequencer. Drums, bass lines, keyboard parts. I also acquired a looping pedal, so I could play cello duets.

It took months before I had enough material and practice time to take my act to the public. But in November of 2002, the One Dude Orchestra was born, and my inaugural gig was at a coffee house in San Diego (I named the act after my faithful dog Odo!). This was followed by a series of similar gigs around town. I've recently been getting paid for performing...and there are also a growing number of requests to have me guest with other performers either on stage or in the studio. I'm a 'semi-professional' (whatever that means!) now! My new CD "CelloJam Vol. 1: Dude, Orchestrated" is now complete, and available for purchase at my gigs."

Mike uses the K&K Big Twin and Preamp 97 on his cello: "I am absolutely stunned by the sound the Big Twin produces. I've used a Fishman cello pickup in the past, but the Big Twin surpasses it in terms of sound quality and low noise. The signal is incredibly clean and robust, and the icing on the cake is the fact that it's so reasonably priced!"

E-mail Mike at mikodo@mindspring.com

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