by Craig Eddy
Well, when it comes to the local music scene there are only a handful of musicians that have been around La Honda as long as Nigel Webb. Nigel first came to the area in 1975. He was looking to check out the counter culture movement happening on the West Coast and the beauty and weather of the Santa Cruz mountains appealed to him. He fooled around with guitar for a couple of years and then on a trip to Mexico a friend loaned him a guitar and he got such a good response from people that he came home and started playing as a duo with Gary Gates. It went so well with Gary that they brought in Bobby Gates on drums and Mark Binion on Keyboards. After a couple of gigs as the Reactors they changed the name to the Rhythm Method. Rhythm Method played all the clubs from Santa Cruz to San Francisco for just under ten years. Eventually Nigel decided he needed something besides playing for little or no money and started up the Greenpeace Benefit Concert in San Gregorio which he coordinated for several years. He still is involved in the local festival scene in La Honda and Pescadero.
Nigels' motivation with his music has always been to help the world in a positive way. His music is groove oriented, quite danceable, and socially conscious. He incorporates Afro/Caribbean influences and creates a vibe that is infectious and fun and really gets people into the dance mood. He is also an avid collector of world beat music recordings and has an extensive collection.
These days Nigel doesn't play out that much, but his two projects bring together some of the area's best talent. Both This Way Up and the International Head Band have a few dates at the local venues each year. His favorite venue is the La Honda Fair where he can be checked out this June.
I highly recommend you catch Nigel when and where you can but be sure to bring your dancing shoes.
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