Steve holds what is likely the world record for most appearances with different bands at the Shakabrah Java in Tacoma; appearing there with Aunt Betsy, J.W. Sparrow, Victory at Sea, Reprise, Barrelhouse Billy, Vuja De, Beachcomber Bill and the Barnacles, Civil Servants, Heidi Stoermer, and the Sparkling Tonics. His nickname "bluemando" comes from the title of one of his songs, which can be heard on the website www.steveakerman.com along with several other cuts from his solo CD featuring original and traditional tunes in his "ragtime celtic boogie" style. To quote Victory Review, "Energetic, eclectic, a mixture of styles, sounds, and instrumentation...outstanding...a completely natural and spontaneous album." |
Civil Servants is a band of miscreants ... rather, a collection of dedicated musicians from the Puget Sound area, who have been band-mates for nearly five years, but who have been friends for even longer. The roots of this personal and musical friendship are the twin venues of the Open Mic, sponsored by Victory Music and held at the Antique Sandwich Company in Ruston/North Tacoma every Tuesday evening, and the jam session that follows at the Ruston Inn across the street. What started as informal collaboration ("Hey, would you play with me on stage when it's my turn?") blossomed into something more formal ("Hey, why don't we start a band?) as it became obvious how much they shared, musically and temperamentally. The band's name, Civil Servants, came from the realization that all of the members were employed by one branch or another of the government. Jessie works for Pierce County, looking after misguided young folk; Steve works for King County, in the Prosecutor's office (he claims to be one of the foremost authorities on juvenile extradition); Don has been with the United States Postal Service, as a Letter Carrier, for longer than he will admit publicly; their friend Goodwin, who sits in on the bass guitar as often as possible, has been a Human Rights Investigator for both the State of Washington and, currently, the City of Tacoma. The centerpiece of the Civil Servants' sound is the big voice and outgoing personality of Jessie Caro. She sings with power and emotion, brashness mixed with gentle warmth. Her singing comes from the heart, but it appeals to the whole range of body parts. Don Izenman plays guitar and adds harmony vocals to Jessie's lead singing. He is in the process of losing his eyesight and isn't afraid to joke, during performances, about how that loss has affected his ability to play, ogle and stand up straight. He occasionally sings lead, but this is not an activity we actively encourage. Steve Akerman, Puget Sound's musical Swiss Army Knife, plays mandolin, fiddle and occasionally, when he thinks no one is looking or listening, banjo. He also adds to the harmony vocals. Even though Jessie's voice is the first thing you notice about Civl Servants, they are most proud of the mix of vocals and instruments. It is a rich blend of harmonies and textured accompaniment. The final product has a country flavor, but it combines with a rocking "Let's Dance" feeling that keeps the joint hopping. Civil Servants has played at a number of local coffee establishments, as well as some varied eating and drinking venues, like the Swiss Tavern and Harmon's Pub and Brewery in Downtown Tacoma. They have also played a number of hot spots in Seattle. They have appeared a number of times at Seattle's Folklife Festival and the Yakima Folklife Festival. Everywhere they play, the first question people ask is, "Do you have a CD I can buy?" Well, now the answer is, "Yes we do. How many would you like?" In February of 2003, Civil Servants released their initial public offering, "West of Crazy." It is selling like hot cakes, but is much more filling. It contains 14 songs, a mixture of some of their favorite covers and some originals, written by Jessie. People like this CD so much that now the first question out of their mouths is, "When is the next one coming out?" Nothing is yet in the works, but you can bet that these guys will find themselves back in the studio sooner than later, working on a new batch of heart-wrenching and rocking melodies. The band is on a temporary, and short, performing hiatus, because Don is out of state, getting his official certificate in appropriate blind behavior, but when he gets back, they would love to play for you, in your public establishment or in your private home. They love to play, they love to sing, and they love to have fun. They will demand that all listeners also enjoy themselves and will refuse to leave until that goal is accomplished. Don't hire them if you don't plan to have a good time. |
Steve Akerman, playing the violin, mandolin, octave mandolin, and tiple as well as guitar and 4-string banjo, is a popular sideman on the Seattle/Tacoma music scene. He can be seen at Seattle's Folklife Festival playing everything from bluegrass to reggae/world beat to jazz (he has been called "the swiss-army-knife of musicians," a reference to this ability to fit into a variety of musical grooves). He has played with the Madrones, Aunt Betsy, Gridlock, JWSparrow, Jonathan Kingham, Hank Cramer, Dan Roberts, and Lizbeth McLaughlin. Steve is currently playing with Victory at Sea (chanteys), Civil Servants (folk/rock), Not So's You'd Notice (Celtic/bluegrass fusion), and the Sparkling Tonics (speakeasy swing). Steve is a past president of Victory Music, a nonprofit musician's organization. Working for the King County Prosecutor's Office, Steve is a long time resident of Burien, WA. |
Biographies |
Steve Akerman, playing the violin, mandolin, octave mandolin, and tiple as well as guitar and 4-string banjo, is a popular sideman on the Seattle/Tacoma music scene. He can be seen at Seattle's Folklife Festival playing everything from bluegrass to reggae/world beat to jazz (he has been called "the swiss-army-knife of musicians," a reference to this ability to fit into a variety of musical grooves). He has played with the Madrones, Aunt Betsy, Gridlock, JWSparrow, Jonathan Kingham, Hank Cramer, Dan Roberts, and Lizbeth McLaughlin. Steve is currently playing with Victory at Sea (chanteys), Civil Servants (folk/rock), Not So's You'd Notice (Celtic/bluegrass fusion), and the Sparkling Tonics (speakeasy swing). Steve is a past president of Victory Music, a nonprofit musician's organization. Working for the King County Prosecutor's Office, Steve is a long time resident of Burien, WA. |
Civil Servants is a band of miscreants ... rather, a collection of dedicated musicians from the Puget Sound area, who have been band-mates for nearly five years, but who have been friends for even longer. The roots of this personal and musical friendship are the twin venues of the Open Mic, sponsored by Victory Music and held at the Antique Sandwich Company in Ruston/North Tacoma every Tuesday evening, and the jam session that follows at the Ruston Inn across the street. What started as informal collaboration ("Hey, would you play with me on stage when it's my turn?") blossomed into something more formal ("Hey, why don't we start a band?) as it became obvious how much they shared, musically and temperamentally. The band's name, Civil Servants, came from the realization that all of the members were employed by one branch or another of the government. Jessie works for Pierce County, looking after misguided young folk; Steve works for King County, in the Prosecutor's office (he claims to be one of the foremost authorities on juvenile extradition); Don has been with the United States Postal Service, as a Letter Carrier, for longer than he will admit publicly; their friend Goodwin, who sits in on the bass guitar as often as possible, has been a Human Rights Investigator for both the State of Washington and, currently, the City of Tacoma. The centerpiece of the Civil Servants' sound is the big voice and outgoing personality of Jessie Caro. She sings with power and emotion, brashness mixed with gentle warmth. Her singing comes from the heart, but it appeals to the whole range of body parts. Don Izenman plays guitar and adds harmony vocals to Jessie's lead singing. He is in the process of losing his eyesight and isn't afraid to joke, during performances, about how that loss has affected his ability to play, ogle and stand up straight. He occasionally sings lead, but this is not an activity we actively encourage. Steve Akerman, Puget Sound's musical Swiss Army Knife, plays mandolin, fiddle and occasionally, when he thinks no one is looking or listening, banjo. He also adds to the harmony vocals. Even though Jessie's voice is the first thing you notice about Civl Servants, they are most proud of the mix of vocals and instruments. It is a rich blend of harmonies and textured accompaniment. The final product has a country flavor, but it combines with a rocking "Let's Dance" feeling that keeps the joint hopping. Civil Servants has played at a number of local coffee establishments, as well as some varied eating and drinking venues, like the Swiss Tavern and Harmon's Pub and Brewery in Downtown Tacoma. They have also played a number of hot spots in Seattle. They have appeared a number of times at Seattle's Folklife Festival and the Yakima Folklife Festival. Everywhere they play, the first question people ask is, "Do you have a CD I can buy?" Well, now the answer is, "Yes we do. How many would you like?" In February of 2003, Civil Servants released their initial public offering, "West of Crazy." It is selling like hot cakes, but is much more filling. It contains 14 songs, a mixture of some of their favorite covers and some originals, written by Jessie. People like this CD so much that now the first question out of their mouths is, "When is the next one coming out?" Nothing is yet in the works, but you can bet that these guys will find themselves back in the studio sooner than later, working on a new batch of heart-wrenching and rocking melodies. The band is on a temporary, and short, performing hiatus, because Don is out of state, getting his official certificate in appropriate blind behavior, but when he gets back, they would love to play for you, in your public establishment or in your private home. They love to play, they love to sing, and they love to have fun. They will demand that all listeners also enjoy themselves and will refuse to leave until that goal is accomplished. Don't hire them if you don't plan to have a good time. |
Don Izenman was born in Los Angeles, California, at the early part of the baby boom. That makes him very old and very ornery. He picked up the guitar during what Martin Mull refers to as the "Great Folk Music Scare" of the 1960s. He and his friends regularly frequented all of the local folk clubs in the L.A. area, which is about a million square miles. It started with the Ash Grove and the Troubador, both in L.A. proper, but eventually there were even clubs in Orange County. During this era and in this area, an ambitious folk follwer could catch Joan Baez, Phil Ochs,The Dillards, Roger Miller, Judy Collins, John Denver, and a whole slew of other famous and not-so-famous performers. As the acoustic scene started turning progressively more electric, he started playing in a number of garage rock bands, covering the songs of The Doors, Jefferson Airplane (while they were still an airplane and not a starship), Steppenwolf, The Seeds (remember them?), and the rest of that whole psychedelic scene. |
When he graduated from college with a degree in Philosphy, he was a prime candidate for a job at the Post Office. He never looked back, becoming one of the best danged Letter Carriers you could ask for. After 32 years, just as he was really starting to get the job figured out, he decided to go blind. It's a questionable career choice, but he's determined to carry it through. After a long fallow period (he missed nearly completely those golden musical years known as the '80s), he has again joined the newly burgeoning acoustic folk music scene. He found a thriving Open Mic scene in the Puget Sound area, and is once again being invited to parties where everyone brings their instruments and voices, along with the beer and chips. Nobody is shy, nor particularly proud, and they play the night away, having fun and sharing musical styles. Involvement in this musical mayhem led him to start, along with Goodwin Trent, Jessie Caro and Steve Akerman, the local folk super group, Civil Servants. The rest is only the beginning. |
Steve holds what is likely the world record for most appearances with different bands at the Shakabrah Java in Tacoma; appearing there with Aunt Betsy, J.W. Sparrow, Victory at Sea, Reprise, Barrelhouse Billy, Vuja De, Beachcomber Bill and the Barnacles, Civil Servants, Heidi Stoermer, and the Sparkling Tonics. His nickname "bluemando" comes from the title of one of his songs, which can be heard on the website www.steveakerman.com along with several other cuts from his solo CD featuring original and traditional tunes in his "ragtime celtic boogie" style. To quote Victory Review, "Energetic, eclectic, a mixture of styles, sounds, and instrumentation...outstanding...a completely natural and spontaneous album." |
With Goodwin Trent at Folklife |
Jessie Caro was born in Tacoma, one of eleven children. As a young girl she would sit near the radio listening to KJR and sing along. Soon she would find that she best enjoyed music from artists such as Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and John Denver. As the years passed she fell in love with the voices of Emmy Lou Harris, James Taylor and several others. This Latina woman who has been referred to as an "Angel with an attitude" is exactly what you will find. What stands out most about Jessie is the power and passion in her voice. With her own style and soothing sound she leaves you to run, "West of Crazy" over and over again. |
Jessie graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Social Welfare and when she's not playing music she works as a Probation Officer. After years of playing at the Open Mic in Ruston and playing in a family band, she joined a few other musicians forming the band, "Civil Servants." Perhaps she's not a true angel, but her voice will surely fool you. |
