Introducing...

Thaddeus Spae takes the stage in a light colored, plain but smart outfit and hat that present a bit of vaudeville. He often wears a highly expressive tie and immediately we know we are in for something unexpected. His instrument display of trombone, guitar, guitarron, ukulele, banjo uke, high hat, harmonica and more makes us wonder how many are in his orchestra. But there's no orchestra. He leads off with a few quips and ruminations concerning life in general and the human condition while plucking on one of his instruments and before the first song we're laughing, squarely in his corner. He proceeds to deliver a set of songs that can best be described as eclectic: Vaudeville, Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, jazz, pop, novelty, his original songs and anything else that moves or entertains. The arrangements are all his own. Any of his instruments (or more than one at a time) combined with his vocals are more than enough to turn a sparse arrangement into full sound. His vocals always contribute a distinctive flavor in that each lyric is sung to match the theme and music, which more easily involves us, making our sing-a-long and laughter a natural extension of the piece. The in-between patter continues to set the tone as he exhibits a vast knowledge of not only music but the workings of daily life. He delivers all in a snappy manner with unique vocabulary that lets us know this is no idiot who happens to be a musician, but an intelligent man with a lot to say, and who prefers to say it in the most entertaining way possible. By the end of the set we know we've been in the presence of a true professional and have a new experience to put into our memory banks.

Natural Progressions

At this point I hope those who are unfamiliar with Thaddeus will be interested enough to catch a performance and then support his music with a CD purchase. The more curious among us may want to know how he began walking his musical and cultural path and how he arrived so accomplished at this place and time (aside from the usual hard work, of course). It was his good luck to grow up in a family where homemade music was a part of life and the arts in general were valued. He began on trombone at ten, was soon into guitar, and they've both remained central to his music. He studied various facets of music and composition in high school and college and played in school bands, then in his twenties began playing for pay in coffeehouses and clubs. The 1970's provided the natural progression into street performing (feeding the stomach and landlord one tip at a time) and he quickly found kindred spirits in the Flying Karamazov Brothers, Artis the Spoonman, Reverend Chumleigh and others with whom he shared the stage. This was a fulfilling, educational and mostly enjoyable period for Thaddeus, but it was in 1977 while busking solo that he encountered a new spirit in a way that would change two lives forever.

This being was Sandahbeth (who became Spae), a beautiful, generous and highly talented woman who made friends easily, on and off stage. She played flute, harmonica and percussion well and was possessed of a marvellous and full-powered vocal instrument that could alternately soar like a bird or be bold, husky and straightforward. She was well versed in the blues, gospel and jazz of her African-American heritage. Her repertoire and talents, as well as her cultural reach and belief in experimentation, were a perfect compliment to Thaddeus. This resulted in the formation of the artistic duo Amber Tide. They spent many years living on the road playing clubs, concerts, festivals, churches and wherever there was an audience to please, and recorded a number of tapes and CD's. In the 90's they settled in Seattle so that they could better cope with Sandahbeth's deteriorating health. They continued to play as much as possible as a couple as well as in other bands such as the Tribal Voices Jam Band. In order to attain a more regular income they established  Bard's Cathedra, an audio recording and short-run CD design and manufacturing business, which is still going strong. As time went by Sandahbeth's health became even more frail which placed Thaddeus in the position of being an all-purpose helper and transportation coordinator. This was a difficult task that he accepted and discharged willingly. This heroic work came to an end on June 15th, 2008 when Sandahbeth's death put an end to a loving and creative three decade relationship.

Reinventions

So how does one reinvent themselves at 57? What sort of new adventures await? I got a clue at last Folklife Festival when I MC'd his performance on the Alki Court Stage and found him retooled as a solo acoustic songwriter/entertainer/multi-instrumentalist. (It was as if he'd returned to his solo roots but he hadn't been back there in so long it seemed like retooling). As always, he was personable, witty and his rap made it easy to connect to him. His performance was much better when he delivered his esoteric songs on several instruments. It was a lot of fun and at the end the audience left feeling better than when they arrived, which is the measure of a fine performance. I noticed at that time and in later performances that he played a higher percentage of originals than before. Thaddeus admits that he's been doing a lot of writing of late, divided between serious and novelty songs. This seems to fit in with his current goals of figuring out his own story and making sense of his life. Apparently, for Thaddeus, writing it and then singing it out is an enjoyable and meaningful way to put it in order. Personally, I feel that Thaddeus already has written a fine story w/his life but I won't argue w/good singable and humorous songs, and in fact, I'm going to tell you about some of them.

Among recent compositions, "The Art Of The Possible" is an uplifting take on getting by day to day by doing what we can with what we've got. It's bouncy and danceable but restrained with a bluesy harmonica. "Bertha's Boogie" is a lively piece that features trombone and makes your feet move. "Clever Human Disguise" is a mysterious confession with a warning concerning what's inside us, delivered in a gravelly voice and played on the guitarron a Mexican bass, which works well with the lyrics. "Good Man" champions the ordinary person in each of us, while "Turtles All The Way Down" is a song of evolution that lovingly disdains various philosophies in favor of nature's way and will have you smiling and singing along. These and more are on Thaddeus' first solo CD, "Campfire Jazz" (more on that later--See review in CD review section). Among older keepers are the positive and informative "Sum Of Our Parts", in which he exhibits the knowledge of a doctor and the philosophy of a sage, "Other Side Of The Night" tells us there's always hope if we'll just keep on keeping on, and "I Will Be With You", a song of love and loyalty that is forever true because he lived it. These songs involve us and have a lot to say but in a friendly and non-preachy manner so that we can easily digest the content while listening, dancing or singing along. Equally meaningful is that there's simply nobody around who shares Thaddeus' concepts of theme, language and presentation so when we hear him we're always getting an original in more ways than one.

The Sounds

While I find it easy to describe the songs, it's a genuine challenge to articulate the sounds. As previously mentioned, Thaddeus doesn't just deliver a straight-on lyric backed by a conventional melody and rhythm. Instead he places specific vocal and instrumental notes that are out of the ordinary for mainstream music but are suited for what he's creating and performing. This enables him to produce his own ultimate musical truth in a manner that is humorous, spiritual and highly entertaining, and marks yet another way in which he's a unique presenter.

More to life

2010 is bound to offer Thaddeus some new adventures as he walks his herky-jerky path. The first one will have happened before you read this. He has met a new soul mate and on January 1st he and Ada-Reva Franklin will tie the knot. Let us all wish them many healthy, happy and musical years together. Thaddeus also continues to pursue gigs (and is looking to tour regionally if you happen to book clubs, festivals and such), records high quality CD's for personal satisfaction and professional acceptance, plays in bands like Snake Suspenders and the Klez Katz. He looks forward to making each and every one of you happy with his music.

For Thaddeus, it's all about keeping one's life together as a working musician and in this regard he points to his friendships with David and Roselyn from New Orleans and our own Steve and Kristy Nebel as role models who've proved it can be done.

Take it all in

So how do you get in on all of this? Well, it's easy. Thaddeus' musical information including schedules, ruminations and anything else he wishes to share can be found on his website: www.tspae.com and there's a link to Bard's Cathedral for CD sales. You can also email him at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with questions, which will receive a straightforward or convoluted response depending on the question or his mood at the time. But two things are certain: Thaddeus likes to make good music and have people tell him that he's fun and you like to listen to good music and have fun. So catch a set of his sometime and you'll both get what you want.

All comments welcome: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or206-784-0378