Class of 86 (L-R) Marty Holland - Rolf Carl - Charles Steinlauf
Rolf and Charlie grew up in the town of
Woodstock, NY (Not the concert site).
The village of Woodstock sites in broad notch below theramparts of Catskill Mtns, a little over 90 minutes north of NYC .
Its location and semi-rural character has made it home to many
well known artists and musicians since the early part of last century.
So you got a couple kids growing up in town, taking music lessons.
A few of their neighbors happened to be
Charlie Hayden, Jack Dejohnette, Tony Levin, The Band, etc ...
Wanna guess who they took lessons from?
What I know is their families were a contrast to one another.
As friends, they were an odd couple.They only agreed on music, and maybe (not always)
those time tested principals: the sky is up,
the earth is down. I think that's about it.
(as I get information I will add it to this site)
Charlie and Rolf out moved to Cali in the mid 80s (84 or 85?) .
Rolf contacted me through an ad I put up in a music store.
It was time for me to switch gears -
A three year steady diet of Afro-Jamaican-Trinidadian
vibe was only getting me hungry
to go back to 'faster' American influences.
Count slower, play faster!
I was looking to play Jaco, James Brown,
Charlie Parker, Steely Dan, Tower of Power -
And I wanted to get more theory.
TSR was in all, roughly,
15 marathon rehearsals between 1986 & 1989.
Sessions going anywhere from question-answer,
philosophical and social-political discussions to
chem-collective brain burners. Every possibility
Ab over B for 3 hours. Another 2 or 3 more
inverting cycle of 4th and 5ths, whole tone,
half tone, micro tonal, substitutions to an infinitude...
I remember always leaving those sessions
with a overworked brain and a bad headache.
A TIMES SQUARE REUNION were friends with a few successful
Oakland based bands at that time,
Digital Underground, Timex Social Club come to mind.
Rolf's website isAMERICAN GUITAR PLAYER @ MySpace.com
Charles Steinlauf passed away in 2004.
Rolf “Wolf” Carl died in 2008.
