October 19 Issue - Newspaper - Page 14
EDITION 8
October 19 2023
Page 14
Behind the Voice Part
Matt Barranti - See it, feel it, hear it!
By Pat Phillips
Sooooo, a few weeks
back I penned the first
installment of “Behind
the Voice” where I gave
my thoughts on how most
folks listen to live music
by focusing on the
vocalist. Primarily
because of the common
denominator of the singer
and listener both
understanding the English
language. I also talked
about how the drums get
your body moving and
most likely grooving.
This edition is going to
focus on another aspect
of the listening process.
The guitar.
Before we forage into this
article, let’s clear up a
common misconception.
Young Matt Barrenti
Some folks have been
lulled into believing that
there are two separate
types of guitarists in a
band, a lead guitar and a
rhythm guitar. Although
some acts have done this,
most players’ skill sets
enable them to tackle
both. From now on, let’s
call them guitarists or
guitar players.
What brought guitar into
prominence? In short,
electricity. When the likes
of Fender, Rickenbacker
and Gibson took
advantage of what Les
Paul had been developing
in the 1940’s, the electric
guitar came to life. AND
what people akin to Leo
Fender did with leftover
World War II tube
amplification schematics
triggered the advent of
modern (louder)
instrument amplification.
Viola! The seeds of Rock
and Roll, Pop and blues
were planted and about to
grow in a much grander
direction. Basically,
players didn’t have to
worry about a lack of
volume, awkward
playing/sounding acoustic
instruments being buried
in the wash of naturally
loud instrumentation like
horns, percussion and
voices. They could stand
alone.
“Rock Around the Clock”
by Bill Hailey and the
Comets and “Johnny B.
Good” by Chuck Berry
are early examples of
what an amplified electric
guitar could add to
popular music. It also
made recording, writing
and arranging a much less
Matt playing with Foghat
tedious endeavor. After
all, time is money. In
short, electrification of
guitars and basses
changed the musical
landscape for the next 70
years. Jimmy Page, Jeff
Beck, Joe Perry, Joe
Satriani, hundreds of
studio players and others
too numerous to mention.
Today’s spotlight is on
Matt Barranti. The Matt
Barranti Band is a perfect
example of what to listen
to while peeling back the
onion layers of what a
band is delivering,
particularly what the
guitar is doing “Behind
the Voice”.
First, a bit of history.
Matt grew up in Peters
Township in a musical
family. Early on, a few
things caught his ear that
pulled him into the game
100%. The picking styles
of Jerry Reed and Chet
Atkins, the early days of
Southern Rock, Jazz cats
like Wes Montgomery,
but most of all, Duane
Allman. Allman’s
slippery melodic tone
with a medicine bottle
slide and jazzy/bluesy
chord approach appealed
to Matt wanting to make
music his life’s passion.
Initially, he developed a
strong ear and was able to
learn musical parts by just
listening.
He wanted to increase his
musical vocabulary which
drove him down the path
of knowledge by working
with Bill Loughman,
Tony Janflone Sr, Scott
Elliot, Eric Susoeff and
working through theory
literature like Berklee
College of Music, the
Carcassi Method and the
five books of the Suski
Method.
From bands like
Southbound, Gashouse
Claysville Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary
Making a Difference
By W.R. Smith
In no uncertain terms, the
importance of volunteer
fire departments across
the nation and in
Washington County,
cannot be understated.
These men and women
are heroes who willingly
risk their own safety to
ensure that their
communities and
townsfolk are safe. They
work countless hours
ensuring their equipment
and stations are well
cared for and ready, in
case of an emergency.
They work on a volunteer
basis and are “on call” 24
hours a day and 365 days
a year, always ready to
spring into action when
duty calls. Unbeknownst
to many, there is another
group of volunteers who
work in the background
to ensure their firefighters
have the equipment they
need to support the
community. The Ladies
Auxiliary.
The Ladies Auxiliary at
the Claysville VFD is one
such group of tireless
volunteers who are as
important to the
firefighters and stations
they serve as the
firefighters are to the
community.
The Ladies Auxiliary has
many functions that aid
volunteer firefighters.
Some respond to fire calls
to provide firefighters
with the liquids and
nourishment needed to
help maintain their
strength and stamina
while they perform the
difficult and dangerous
duties of firefighting.
They also assist
firefighters, the
department, and the
community in any way
that they can, whether it
be raising funds for any
equipment that they wish
to have or helping with
community events.
The Claysville Ladies
Auxiliary was established
in February of 1968 for
the purpose of assisting
the fireman to better
serve. There were 24
charter members of the
auxiliary in the
beginning.
Norma Ward, who is a
charter member of the
group currently serves as
the auxiliary president
along with officers Barb
Sprowls (charter
member-vice president),
Joann Brownlee
(secretary), Sandy
Sprowls (treasurer), and
Linda Mounts who is the
assistant treasurer and
chaplain. It should be
noted that the oldest
living member of the
auxiliary is Catherine
Walker, who is 103 years
young.
Unfortunately, there is
not enough funding to
obtain some essentials, so
the Ladies Auxiliary
holds fundraisers each
year to help with costs.
The money raised is used
to help the firefighters
and organization obtain
some of the essential and
important equipment that
Sandy Sprowls and Norma
Ward of the Claysville VFD
Ladies
is vital to effective
firefighting in today’s day
and age. Like the
firefighters, the Ladies
Auxiliary is ready to
respond to the call when
their assistance is needed.
And the Claysville Ladies
Auxiliary most certainly
responds to that call.
One of the most popular
and most certainly
community supported
fundraisers is the monthly
Hoagie sale. Each month
the ladies gather on the
second Monday of the
month and begin hoagie
preparation by slicing
tomatoes, lettuce, and
meats to be ready to
assemble on Tuesday
morning. On Tuesday,
the orders begin to fly out
the door beginning at
11:00 or 1130. At $6.00
per hoagie, the group
raises a significant
amount of money for the
department each month
as they usually assemble
and sell between 300 to
400 hoagies each month.
Norma Ward stated that,
“we use only the finest
ingredients including top
quality honey ham,
salami and bologna.”
She went onto say “that
many of the firefighters
participate in the monthly
fund raiser and we are so
appreciative of their help.
I cannot say how much it
means to us that this
community supports us
and is protected by the
services our department
provides.”
Over the past four years,
the Ladies Auxiliary has
donated over $40,000 to
the department for a wide
array of things including
vehicle payments,
equipment and even
insurance. Ward was
especially proud of a
recent purchase. “We just
bought an alert system
that tells cars on Route 70
that there is an
emergency vehicle ahead
and to be cautious,” she
said.
Eric Bedillion, who is a
former trustee and safety
officer in the Claysville
VFD and the proprietor
of Bedillion’s Pizza just
down the road from the
department had great
things to say about the
Ladies Auxiliary.
“They do a lot of things
behind the scenes. When
we have events, they are
working prepping meals
and desserts. They work
with us on the fireman’s
festival which is our
largest annual fundraiser
of the year and held on
the last Saturday in July.
Annie, The Matt Barranti
Band, Barranti/Caskey,
The Bill Ali Band
amongst many, Matt has
cemented his name into
Pittsburgh’s guitar elite.
BUT (there’s always a
but) Matt is also a reserve
member of the legendary
British rock band, Foghat.
Whenever Foghat’s
guitarist, Brian Bassett is
unavailable, Matt is the
first person on a plane
traveling to wherever on
the globe he is needed to
bust out his slide and take
the crowd on a “Slow
Ride”.
So why did I use Matt as
an example for “Behind
the Voice”? After sitting
and talking, Matt’s
opinion is (I highly
recommend trying this at
home) the guitar is in
many ways like the
human voice. It covers a
similar spectrum and has
similar emotional traits as
the human voice. Chords
create a bed for guitar
“leads” or vocal melodies
to sit on. “The guitar
itself does in fact, SING.”
– Matt Barranti.
If you appreciate live
music, check out Matt
Barranti live. It’s an
exceptional experience.
Get out and soak it in.
Life is too short to not
enjoy the moments.
Until next time,
Me
We have food, music,
kids’ activities, and
donated prizes which the
auxiliary helps to
procure. If we didn’t
have their help, we
couldn’t do it right.”
Bedillion went on to say,
“if we go on a call to a
house fire and are out for
several hours, they
provide meals and
refreshment for fireman.
And the monthly hoagie
sale is just a huge help
and raises a lot of the
funds we need to keep
going. If they weren’t
here, they would be
missed as they do so
much behind the scenes
for the department. They
are a blessing.”
Ward stated that “with the
growth of McGuffey
School District, and more
people moving to the
area, we continue to do
what we can do to make
this the best department it
can be. It is our
pleasure.”
If anyone in the area is
interested in volunteering
with the department and
the auxiliary, please reach
out to Sandy Sprowls at
724-554-1954 or Norma
Ward at 724-554-4655.
Or be sure to attend the
upcoming meet and greet
on November 5th from 2-4
at the firehouse. The
event is planned to recruit
new members and show
the public what the
Ladies Auxiliary and fire
department is all about.
The Ladies Auxiliary of
Claysville VFD is doing
wonderful work ensuring
that their community and
firefighters are safe. Well
done ladies.
