Pete Cavano
By Norm Gates

A guitarist who has acquired international acclaim as one of the best finger-style guitarists around, Cavano has a good idea of what he speaks. Teaching professionally for over three decades, he masters diverse styles such as Delta Blues; Chet Atkins; Classical and Jazz, teaching techniques that comprise each genre's foundation of musical culture. Pete has participated as a Main Stage Performer at the yearly Chet Atkins Society, and recorded with Jimmy Hoare, drummer and vocalist who performed with Robert Lockwood, Jr. Pete has seen the city’s musical landscape rise in the creative boom of the '60s, explode with a country music revival, and then gradually settle into its current state. After living in the dynamic, musically-drenched city of New Orleans for a number of years and traveling to a few other spots on the map, Cavano returned to his native city of birth in 1987, and has lived here ever since. According to Cavano, “The thing that really makes Cleveland great is that there’s such an honest attitude here. It’s knowing we’re not hip, but being cool with it.”

These days Pete Cavano teaches guitar at Westgate Music Center in Westlake and at his home studio in Bay Village. He can also be found playing solo guitar at private functions, clubs, restaurants and any other place that knows the value of good, live music. Though he has stepped back from the full-time band scene, on occasion he sits in with local blues and jazz bands, adding his crisp, soulful licks to the proceedings.

Cool Cleveland: What do you consider to be some of your finest achievements as a musician?
Pete Cavano: Well, one would have to be playing at the annual Chet Atkins Appreciation Society (CAAS) Convention in Nashville. They bring together the best finger-style guitarists in the world for a four-day celebration. It’s actually pretty crazy. About 500 guitarists descend on the city, pretty much overrunning the Music City Sheraton Hotel. They even put up “No-Jam” zones around the place.

How did that come about?
In 1997, I was there playing on the open stage and they asked me to come back and play the following year.

So you must have done well.
I guess so. The thing about a festival like that, where there are so many great guitarists, is that you just have to do what you do best and not worry about impressing people. You gotta play what you play.

I know that you lived in New Orleans for a number of years. What effect did that have on you, both culturally and from a musical perspective?
After I got married, my wife and I moved to New Orleans in 1982. There are so many great things about that city, it’s hard to know where to start. It’s such a slow, Southern, unique place that's steeped in musical history. Because of the influence music has on the culture, musicians are probably more respected there than anywhere else I’ve ever been. And it’s not about the money; it’s more of an entire community involvement. People are playing all the time; they have strong families and they are just plain happy. It completely goes against the materialistic, me-culture that I find to be growing in the rest of the country. It’s a different place. Everyone’s in a groove down there.

The groove is in the air...
That’s exactly it.

Did you play a lot in New Orleans?
Actually, I did more listening than playing. I ended up managing a restaurant for work, and I spent my spare time seeing bands like the Neville Brothers, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stevie Ray Vaughan, some others.

What was it like listening to a young Stevie Ray Vaughan?
It was wild. Because he would play so loud, we used to sit outside Tipitina’s, which is a pretty famous club, and listen from there. A lot of the “traditionalists” didn’t like Stevie because he played a mix of rock and blues. But the history of blues is only about 80 years old — hardly enough time to have a “tradition.” Like all great musicians, he pissed off the establishment, played with that edge, and was able to communicate something deep to a lot of people.

How long have you been playing?
I started playing when I was about 10; that was right around when the Beatles invaded. It was an incredible time in our culture. It seemed like there was music everywhere, people playing guitars, trying new things. It really was an exciting time. I remember going to dances at schools and churches and at places like the American Legion in Fairview Park, and hearing bands play the Stones, the Beatles, The Who, the Animals and others. It was infectious.

When did you start performing?
I started teaching guitar and sitting in with bands when I was fifteen.

Fifteen?
Yeah, but you have to understand that back then everyone was playing. Ralph Russo, who was a guitar teacher and a great player in his own right, used to manage a lot of guitar teachers on the West side. He would set me up with the more “beginner” students.

Listening to you play, you obviously have a pretty deep blues influence, but there are also jazz, country and classical elements to your playing. Who do you consider to be your biggest musical influences?
When I was growing up, I really liked guys like B.B. King, Hendrix and Chet Atkins. Ralph Russo introduced me to classical music and jazz, so I got quite a broad exposure. Another person who was really influential was Norm Strelka. He was the original owner of Westgate Music, and a great jazz guitarist. He was probably the first person to teach me that you could be a cool, white suburban guitarist.

The blues spoke to me from the beginning, and I’ve always considered it to be the root of my music. It’s not something that you can explain, but only some people can play the blues. It’s not about how fast or how technical you are. It’s as much about what notes you don’t play as what you do. Like a good actor, in the end music has to tell a story. But I’ve also experimented with a number of other styles. In fact, I sort of tried to become a hillbilly after high school. I had a truck and everything.

A hillbilly, eh? How did that work out for you?
Yeah, not bad. But I couldn’t really cut it. A lot of people don’t know this about Cleveland, but from the '50s to the early '80s, Cleveland had a great country music scene.

Country music in Cleveland? How did that happen?
A lot of people from Appalachia were migrating to Cleveland at the time, and they brought with them their love of country music. I was gigging five to six nights a week at a bunch of bars and clubs on Brookpark Rd. with bands like Johnny Lambert and Full House and Roger Wilhoit and the Band of Gold. We played everything from Hank Williams and George Jones to Honky Tonk. From a gigging standpoint, it was probably the best the music scene has ever been in Cleveland.

So why did you ever leave New Orleans?
Well, I had dreams of home-schooling my son and teaching him to play guitar. He would grow his hair out, not brush his teeth, hang around, and play in the clubs and bars — you know, become a real hip cat — but my wife thought otherwise. It was probably for the best. For all it offers, New Orleans isn’t the greatest place to raise a family. We moved back to Cleveland in the end because it’s safe, you can get a good education here, it’s affordable, and because the people are honest and kind.

How would you characterize the local music scene in Cleveland?
I would say that above all else, it’s a tight community. Once you get involved in it, you’ll find that musicians here really stick together, and that’s refreshing. When I came back from New Orleans, I was able to get back into the scene pretty quickly because of that. I took what I had learned and started playing with bands like Hollywood Slim, Aces & Eights and some others. I also had a few shows with Robert Lockwood Jr. over the years.

The problem with the music scene in Cleveland is that it’s very difficult to earn a living just by gigging. Most musicians have to support themselves by other means. Though there are many unique, smaller venues all over the city, there isn’t the tourist base to support live music. And I really feel like people now don’t have the time to enjoy a good show. They’re so busy working, shopping, talking on their cell phones, that they’d rather spend their free time unwinding in front of the TV, whereas before you’d want to go out. It’s sad. The thing about Cleveland is that the talent will always be there, but whether it stays is another question.

Playing with Robert Lockwood Jr. must have been quite an experience.
Oh it was. I mean, here’s a guy who taught B.B. King to play. He’s a legendary bluesman in the truest sense of the term. He taught me a lot about playing, and let me tell you, he’s definitely got it. He’s also got a wicked sense of humor.

You’re now mostly involved with teaching, recording and playing solo gigs. In other words, you’re not playing with a band on a steady basis. Does that suit your lifestyle at the moment?
Yeah, it really does. I guess the last band I played with on a steady basis was the Hollywood Slim Band, and that was probably back in 1995. Now I do between 120 to 150 solo gigs a year, but I’ll still sit in with bands from time to time. I’m actually about to do a show with Becky Boyd and Real Life soon. I’ve also done some projects with Spectrum, a jazz group, and some duo gigs with Michele George, a great jazz violinist. At this point in my life I prefer to have control over things.

You’ve recorded three CDs, correct?
Yeah, there’s Out of the Blue (1999), Christmas Guitar (2000), and Story Without Words (2001), and I’m working on a fourth.

If someone is interested in booking you for a function, for lessons, to buy a CD or anything else, how can they get hold of you?
The best way to reach me at the moment is at the Westgate Music Center, 440-835-0555.

Interview and image by Norman Gates norm.gates@gmail.com

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