March 19, 2024

Plugged in... Jeff Bihlman

Jan. 31, 2007
In the real world, Jeff “Jabo” Bihlman teaches blues-rock guitar to a few dozen students in Northern Michigan. Meanwhile, in cyberspace, he’s also teaching
thousands, thanks to a new online guitar series at www.workshoplive.com.
The frontman for the popular Bihlman Brothers blues band, Jeff also has a new role as the star of a 30-minute infomercial that’s playing on TV in major cities across the nation, such as Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, and both coasts. Plus, he’s featured on a concert DVD being used to promote the new online teaching method that’s advanced far beyond similar sites on the Internet.
And the biggest news of all. The Bihlman Brothers just signed a three-record deal with legendary Hollywood producer Bruce Robb on his brand new record label, Quarter to 3.
Their first record will be recorded next month in Hollywood at the legendary Cherokee studios, which is slated to be torn down soon after the recording session.
“Our record could very well be the last thing ever recorded at this seminal facility,” Bihlman said. “And who’s recording right before us? Either David Bowie or the Dave Matthews Band. Cool huh?”
It’s been a wild ride for Bihlman, who’s finding national success in a highly-unexpected way from his culturally-remote home in the Traverse City area.
“It’s going great -- I was so busy last year, traveling and filming lessons,” he says, sitting in his small studio at Boardman and Front Streets in TC. “I’m teaching the blues guitar and getting more into blues rock and advanced lessons now.”

SOLO SHOW
Bihlman still plays out several times a week as a solo act at venues such as Bay Harbor and Chandler’s in Petoskey and Red Mesa Grill in Traverse City. And many in the region recall the long run he and his brother Scot Little Bihlman had with The Bihlman Brothers, whose music was featured on WKLT-FM. The brothers took their act to the biggest blues clubs in the nation in Memphis and Chicago before deciding to give other avenues a try. For Jeff, that meant settling down as the father of two toddlers; for Scot, the allure of drumming with rock groups in L.A. and an acting career drew him to the West Coast.
Last March, Bihlman got involved with workshoplive.com in a major way as an online teacher.
“I’m one of 45 teachers online and we offer everything from beginning guitar to the craziest stuff you ever heard,” he says. “I was teaching for the National Guitar Workshop for the last few summers and this is their new online service.”
Based out of Pittsfield in Massachusetts, the National Guitar Workshop offers a summer music camp at communities across the nation for those wishing to learn guitar, drums, keyboards, bass, songwriting and voice. At a rock school for kids, students form a band, write a song, and perform it by week’s end.
Company president, Dave Smolover, recognized several years ago that music lessons were going online in a big way and began pouring resources into workshoplive.com. “The company already had the teaching aspect down, but creating the website was a huge technological feat,” Bihlman notes.
WHAT YOU GET
At workshoplive.com, Bihlman is one of seven teachers who focus on the blues alone. Other staffers teach jazz, acoustic guitar, bass and keyboards. In addition to the nuts and bolts of playing each genre, the website also offers instruction in top hits, such as “Stairway to Heaven” and “Satin Doll.”
A nice touch to the site is that in addition to a teacher showing you how to play a song, a fretboard also appears at the bottom of your computer screen with dots representing the fingering. It’s an invaluable feature in terms of increasing comprehension.
Plus, for around $30 per month, students have unlimited access to over 1,500 lessons in all musical genres.
“For the price, you get unlimited access,” Bihlman notes. “You can take one of my lessons and then try a heavy metal lesson. They don’t limit you in any way. If you were going to take a lesson from me, personally, it would be $30 per hour, but with this program, it’s unlimited for $30 per month.”
Bihlman works hard for his online money. He had to painstakingly transcribe the musical notation for several rock hits, including “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd and “She Talks to Angels” by the Black Crowes.
“It’s very tough notating -- it’s a nightmare,” he says, adding that he could easily transcribe the music through a software program such as “Sibelius,” but it takes as long to learn the software as it does to write the music out himself. In any case, the notation has to be perfect for demanding musicians.
Similarly, the 30-minute infomercial he recorded involved 10 days of filming.
“I had no experience with that kind of acting and we had one of the most successful infomercial directors in the history of TV on the project,” he says. “They were writing the script as we went along, and I’d memorize something and then we’d film it.”

WHAT NEXT?
Over the past couple of weeks, Jeff and his bro’ Scot have been laying down tracks at the Cherokee Studios. It’s a world-famous Hollywood landmark where huge stars ranging from The Doors to Guns ‘N’ Roses recorded some of rock’s greatest albums. Producers at the studio were reportedly fired-up over the Southern rock & blues sounds of the Bihlman’s last CD, “American Son,” and asked them if they’d like to record some new tracks.
The Bihlmans may be the last act to record at Cherokee Studios, since the 100-year-old building which serves as its home is scheduled to be torn down soon.
So, don’t be surprised if The Bihlman Brothers rise again in Northern Michigan with a new CD and some local shows. In the meantime, check out Jeff’s act online at www.WorkshopLive.com.

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