A New Guanacaste Voice

A New Guanacaste Voice

     When he was fourteen years old, Isaac Ehresman’s father took his guitar from him and told him to get to work. So he did, but he never stopped composing music. A few years ago, Isaac picked up a new guitar and began sharing his songs with anyone who would listen. One person he impressed was Tom Rothermel, lifelong music aficionado, along with being a very diverse musician and technical specialist. Isaac and Tom starting playing music together, along with percussionist Carlos Chacon, almost accidentally at the first Playa Grande Turtle Festival at the MINAE ranger station there. Unbeknownst to them, it was filmed by Channel 11. When they saw themselves on TV that night, they all recognized their potential and quickly delved into recording Isaac’s songs together. I have been lucky enough to hear a rough, first mix and I, too, am impressed. Isaac’s voice has a magnetism that is infectious.

     The trio bill themselves as “Isaac Ehresman con Fusion” playing at The Rip Jack Inn in Playa Grande every Tuesday, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Carlos is the visual centerpiece, with a lot of stage presence, flanked by Isaac on guitar and harmonica and Tom on the other side playing bass. Ninety percent of the repertoire is comprised of Isaac’s original compositions. He’s been on a composing frenzy lately, so one never knows what you will hear when you see the band live.

     The demo recording I have is a compilation of seventeen songs by the band, followed by seven solo numbers by Isaac. This final set sounds like the composer putting down new songs for the band to work with, a nice vantage point for a music nerd like me. The CD spans more than an hour. It’s hard to label the style. With a nylon string guitar and a lot of hand percussion, it’s easy to call it folk, but with many orchestration and tempo changes, it can’t be pigeonholed that easily. The recording opens with “Babylon”, an up-tempo song with an element of playfulness to it; “Todos Tus Nombres” falls into this category as well, with its catchy hooks and lyrics. One of the strongest songs in my opinion is “Labios Mentirosos”, a tune that demonstrates Isaac’s strong voice as well as the versatility of the band.

     At the time of their first live performance, Isaac was also working in Playa Grande as an assistant to a turtle biologist. He is sincere about sharing his music and his convictions about making a positive impact, conveying a concern about living in harmony with nature and each other. Tom is passionate in his desire to incorporate his music background into a comprehensive project, firmly believing in Isaac’s potential and offering his knowledge and practicality, not only as a musician but as a live sound and recording engineer, arranger, as well as business manager. The band plans to release the final version of the album in about six months, growing all the while and possibly doing some recording outside to integrate the natural sounds of Playa Grande into the mix. I’m looking forward to hearing that final version.

     On another local musician note, Jesse Bishop and his new blues band The Bananas are performing a two hour set every Wednesday at the Hotel Marriot, beginning at 7:00 p.m. They will also play at Maries in Flamingo on lucky Friday the 13^th of this month. A great bass, harmonica and guitar blues trio.