By craig eddy
Once in awhile Charlie Natzke will leave his hidden valley retreat above La Honda and make an appearance. Usually this is the sign that it is La Honda Fair time again. For as little as he is seen out and about he none-the-less has had and still has a big impact on the local music scene. Charlie came to the area in 1976. He had taken guitar lessons early on and had done some playing for family events mostly. Once he moved here it didn't take long to hook up with some of the local musicians and start a band or two. Early on he played with the likes of Jim Moss, Jerry Logan, Bob Kolb, Gary Gates, Nigel Webb all of who still play music in the area. Charlie started out with bands like Mindigo String Band, The Porkridge Rangers, and The Kolb Brothers. Currently Charlie plays with The Gary Gates Band, Bundy Browne, and The Mark Reid Band. Slipperworld Studios is Charlie's recording studio. He has produced many projects for local musicians. Two of my favorite recording projects out of Slipperworld are David Elias and Banjo master Derek Krogh. Look for new projects from The Mark Reid Band and Lisa Kelly. Charlie has a long history with helping with the La Honda Music Festival. He was one of the original founders of the La Honda Fair simply because he happened to own the only PA system in town. These days Charlie can be found at the sound board and stage helping create the incredible sound we have grown accustomed to.
Well folks the La Honda Fair was a huge success, thanks to all that made it so including the people that came out and spent the weekend. Now it's on to the next musical event, July 4th Picnic at the Playbowl. Always tons of fun, music, games and food. See ya there.