Hello to all the Tip of the Top fans. Ever since our first gig we have been asked many questions about theband. The questions range from how did we get our name to how do we create our sound. Along the waythere have been many people interested in the equipment that we use. Most of these questions are askedin person at one of our shows. Recently we were contacted by Erick Diard who lives in France and is thepublisher of a European blues magazine called Blues & Co. He had purchased a copy of our CD DepotStreet Blues and he told us that he loved it. He wanted to do an article about the band, which will be in theMarch issue of his magazine, so he sent us a list of questions that are very similar to the questions thatwe are asked all the time. We decided to post Erick’s questions and our answers in the blog section of our web site for everyone to see.We hope you enjoy the questions and the answers. If you have not yet bought a copy of our CD DepotStreet Blues, you can purchase a copy directly from the band here on our web site. 1.) Tip of the Top, why this name? Who chose it? Does it mean something special? FRANK DEROSE – My desire was to not have a band named after the harmonica or guitar player likemany current blues artists, nor did I want our name to end with the words, “Blues Band.” I had severalideas based on titles and lyrics of blues songs. Unfortunately, through Aki’s internet search, all my ideaswere already in use. It was then that I remembered the William Clarke album titled “Tip of the Top” andknew this would make a great name for our band. Thus, Tip of the Top was born. We were now a bluesband – ready to launch our Myspace website, put together promotional materials, and begin looking for gigs. We felt the name Tip of the Top had a great sound, both when we heard it and when we said it. 2.) Who is at the origin of the creation of Tip of the Top? Can you tell us how it happened, anecdotes if there are any? Did you have a special idea? FRANK DEROSE – Tip of the Top is the realization of my dream. I was inspired by pictures of the old-time blues masters sitting on their front porch or in a juke joint sitting down and playing. I had also seensome footage of Howlin’ Wolf and his band playing sitting down while the drummer played only the snarewith brushes. Those images inspired me to have a band with a look and sound different from other bluesbands in our area.One component of our unique sound is achieved by only using the snare drum. Having a snare drumaffects our volume and it requires the drummer to focus on the groove. The drum beat is continuous,intense, and at times hypnotic – no drum rolls, no bass drum pattern, and no cymbals to hit. I wanted aband that played at a lower volume. To keep from overpowering the snare drum with brushes, the other instruments must play at a lower volume. This has allowed us to expose more people to the blues invenues that other blues bands would be too loud to play in.I had been working on this idea for a few years and had been following the progress of Aki and Carlos intheir musical development of the blues. As they progressed, I knew I wanted to make music with thesetwo guys and they finally agreed. Playing brushes on a snare drum required someone that would devotetime mastering the skills to play the brushes and develop rhythm patterns on the snare. Carlos is thattype of person. I wanted a harp player who was not limited to one style of blues and would take the timeto learn all the styles we needed (delta blues, country blues, Chicago blues, pre-war blues, etc.) and Akiwas the guy to put in the work.In early 2008 we tried out this idea with a few guitar players but the sound and chemistry was not there.In November 2008, both Jon and I were hired by another harmonica player for the same gig. Although Ihad never met Jon before, I heard many good things about him and friends said, “You two guys would begreat together!” Fifteen minutes into the first set I knew Jon was our guitar player. Later that night after Carlos and Aki showed up, the four of us had an opportunity to play together for the first time. We all feltthe chemistry. We got together about two weeks later and the magic happened instantly. We were impressed with Jon’sskills. He played all the blues styles, Chicago blues, country blues, and delta blues, Texas, West coast

and so on along with slide guitar in open and standard tuning. His style was raw, spontaneous and had apower similar to the original blues recordings as well as the early records by the Fabulous Thunderbirdsand The Rolling Stones. We rehearsed weekly until the end of January. My wife, Peggy DeRose, took promotional pictures of us.By February, we had our first gig. We recorded that first gig, created a demo CD, and had Aki post thesongs and promo pictures on our MySpace website. A couple of weeks later, a renowned Bluesmusician, JC Smith, stopped by at our next gig and sang a few songs with us. By the first intermission,JC was already on the phone with the director of the 2009 San Jose Jazz Festival, making arrangementsto get us booked. The festival was a huge success and launched the debut of our first CD,

Depot Street Blues

.CARLOS VELASCO:: I believe the origin of the band developed when Frank saw a video of one of theblues masters perform and even though the drummer had a full drum kit, he only used the snare withbrushes. So we adapted that concept to fit our style, giving me the freedom to be creative with thegrooves. The four of us met one night when Frank and Jon were playing together with another harmonicaplayer. That same night, I was playing with Aki’s band at a club across town. Frank had asked Aki andme to stop by after we were done with our gig, so we did. When we arrived at the club where Frank andJon were playing, we were asked to sit in with the band. That was the first time Frank, Jon, Aki, and Iplayed together. Frank immediately saw what the four of us could have, so he invited Jon over to myhouse to try a few songs. The magic happened the first time we got together. It was instant. 3.) The sound, the cohesion, the groove are huge, even fantastic, how can you explain that it is so strong for a one year old band? FRANK DEROSE: For me the sound comes from the fact that there is a snare drum playing a beat that iscontinuous, intense and very hypnotic. There is no bass drum pattern, which gives me plenty of room toweave in and out of Jon’s guitar rhythms without clashing with the bass drum. Since there are no drumfills on the tom-toms, floor toms, or bass drum, which could cloud up a new rhythm pattern we might beexploring, Jon has the freedom to change his rhythms and I can easily follow him. Not having a bassdrum makes my bass stand out more and makes my rhythm patterns equally important as the notes Iplay.I like to keep it simple. I like intense repetition. I want to make people tap their feet and wiggle in their seat.JON LAWTON – My entire approach to the blues genre is the groove. I spent a good portion of the firstfive years of playing the guitar getting the groove of the E-shuffle down. The groove is what makes melove the music. Aki’s playing is very rhythmic and that works well with the simplicity of my guitar playing. Ithink I may have hit on the noun – simplicity. We are not attempting to technically mimic anything we haveheard. We are playing what we can in the effort to get a groove going. CARLOS VELASCO - A few things happen for us to be cohesive. First, I follow Frank and watch for hiscues for drum fills and dynamics. Second, we have a general idea for the song’s structure which can varyfrom gig to gig. In my opinion, being spontaneous within the structure is what gives the grooves life andkeeps our style fresh! We play with an emotion that’s happening at that particular moment. We couldplay the same song five nights in a row. The song would be slightly different and full of life every time.Aki’s and Jon’s solos might be similar to what they did the night before, but never the same. I listen totheir phrases and try to capture their emotions and energy. Many times Jon and Aki will lay down a riff that inspires me to play with greater emotion. This is what sets the groove for each song. I believe it’s thereason the cohesion between us is so strong.For me, another piece that makes the grooves work is having an understanding of what Frank, Jon, andAki want and adapting that to the snare. I had to learn how to apply any groove from the drum set to justthe snare. If I can’t simulate the drum kit on the snare, the groove won’t feel right. In addition, Frank is agenius at holding down the bottom. In fact, many people are surprised to find out we only use a snare!Finally, Aki, Frank, and Jon play with a great sense of time and with a “groove-first” mentality whichmakes it easy to find a snare drum pattern and fit it into any song we play.

4.) Your sound is unique, how did you define it, how did you get it? JON LAWTON - When we rehearse, the band gets the progression down and then we work on relaxinginside it until it is grooving. It is not really a matter of time spent together; rather, it is a matter of adjustingto each other and listening, while still expressing any inner feelings the music generates.The sound of the band is defined by who we are, the equipment we have and the moment we are in. It isspontaneous. Every one of us brings whatever experience we have to bear on the song and the moment.By definition that will be unique. FRANK DEROSE – Our sound is defined by working with only a snare drum and hi hat. As Jon said, weplay the song for awhile, listen to what each other is playing, and adjust our parts until we have the rightsound. The first thing we try to establish is the drummer’s role, played by Carlos. Next, Jon refines hisguitar part. Then I try to fit my bass part into the groove (the drum part) so that Jon’s guitar part is fullysupported with both the right rhythm and melody from the bass part. Aki then creates his part on theharp, creating fills, doing a call and response with the guitar, etc. If our song features vocals, we create aproper space in our music for the singer to tell the story. 5.) The choice of the equipment (amps, guitars, mikes, etc.) is an important thing, can you tell us about it,give us a description; particularly the minimalist drum used by Carlos Velasco? JON LAWTON’S EQUIPMENT –Guitar 1960 Harmony Hollywood hollow-body electric, 2 pickups, floating bridge, no cutawayAmp – 1973 Musicman 50 watts, 12” speaker AKI KUMAR’S EQUIPMENT-Amps- Sonny Jr. 4x10 for large shows, or Silvertone 1432 for small showsHarp Mics- Vintage Shure "Brown Bullet" Microphone with CR element, Astatic JT-30 mic with crystalelementHarps- Seydel 1847s with Hohner SP20s (and Marine Bands) as backups CARLOS VELASCO’S EQUIPMENT –My snare is the 14 x 6.5 Pearl Reference Series Brass Snare. I use Remo Coated Ambassador heads,and Regal Tip Brushes. Hi hats are the Zildjian K hi hats FRANK DEROSE’S EQUIPMENT –I play a Fender Jazz Bass, made in Mexico with Fender custom shop pickups installed. I use onlyflatwound strings Ernie Ball or from a company that I found on the internet called Web Strings. I use avintage GK 200 RB amp head and I use an old Mesa Boogie 1x15 cabinet with an EV 400 15 inchspeaker for large rooms or I use an Eden brand cabinet with only a 10 inch speaker for small rooms. 6.) The band is given to play a Blues from Memphis, Chicago to Texas but the CD is very Chicago styled? Isthere a particular reason? JON LAWTON – The CD was self-produced on a time budget. We had been together for about 5 monthsand needed one to get some shows going. The band really needed to get in there and get out with abunch of songs. We went for some straightforward tunes that we all know. The live show features styleswe all love from the Delta to the city. The one tune on the CD that is not really a Chicago style is You’veGot to Move On. It is an original tune with a distinct rag feel. FRANK DEROSE – The goal of the recording session was to play live and to play the same material thatwe would play at a live show. So the singers went for the songs that they felt inspired to sing on that day just like a live show. We picked songs that we had a feeling for at that moment. Our live shows feature alltypes of blues and blues influenced styles from all over the country.