Who he is: Ken Totushek, of Barrington.
What he plays: Ken Totushek is a guitar aficionado and it shows. In his
new album, Pilgrim Song, his instrumentals tell stories using several
styles of acoustic guitars.
"I wanted to do an instrumental and focus more on the acoustic guitar,
and different acoustic guitars," Totushek says. "Different makes and
different woods used have different tones. I wanted to make a CD that
has a lot of variety in it, but still the acoustic guitar was the
spotlight."
His arrangements on Pilgrim Song include the nuances of several guitar
styles, including jazz, classical and folk.
Fire And Ice carries the pace and rhythm of a festival in Spain, where
families gather to celebrate one another. Rebound and Twilight Serenade
suggest a closer-to-home feel, a New England autumn in the vivid style
of George Winston's seasonal ballads — a vision of the bare trees that
make us miss the colors once there.
Influences: Totushek's influences include Winston, James Taylor and
other guitar instrumentalists. "Most of this music comes out of my own
life experiences," he says.
Recording: Last November, Totushek released For Love of Christmas, with
Pastor David and Anna-Lisa Madeira of Barrington Baptist Church. In 1994
he released For the Rest of Your Life, with Ken Totushek and Friends.
He wrote Pilgrim Song over four years - "there were a lot of ups and
downs and emotions," he says. "Different songs will reflect some of that.
"Without lyrics, I wanted to try to convey a sense of what is going on
with me at the time, but also hopefully it might evoke some kind of
story for a listener. It may be a different story for you than it is for
me. The songs do minister to people in a way, which is a goal and a
prayer."
Fundraising: The proceeds from Pilgrim Song, released on his Graceworks
Recording, go to Sept. 11 relief. "That really made it more meaningful
in my mind," he says, "not just to release a CD that people can listen
to, but to have it help families of victims of the attacks on Sept. 11."
If your band would like to be featured in Band Spotlight, send
information to Vaughn Watson at The Journal, 75 Fountain St.,
Providence, R.I. 02902, send e-mail to
vwatson@projo.com or call him at 277-7524.
