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Rating: 
Summary: Told with wit and sensitivity . . .
Review: about an era and a scene that most people in my generation either see through rose-colored glasses or know only cursorily. A long list of people with famous names appear here, and are given faces, voices, and the quirky mannerisms that make them people, told by someone who has sat in the same room with them and breathed the same air with them. Best of all, running through this work as steadily as a flowing river is a deep reverence for musical expression at its most personal, its most intimate. A treasure of a read.
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Summary: An engaging recollection of personal memories
Review: Acoustic Stories is a unique and impressive anthology of true personal stories about musical legends such as Jerry Garcia, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, and many more as witnessed, experienced, and regaled by string bassist Bill Amatneek. An engaging recollection of personal memories, of tunes that transcend time, and offering contemporary readers with a tiny peek behind the surface of great entertainers, Acoustic Stories is most especially recommended for those legions of fans whose musical icons made and played decades of popular and unamplified music.
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Summary: Fascinating and fun collection of musical tales
Review: Bill Amatneek is accomplished musician and an equally accomplished storyteller, which is what makes this book such a great read. Just what what was it like to hang with Jerry Garcia? - well read on. Or plucking with Peter, Paul and especially Mary when they breezed through town. He talks about that, too, and even brings in Dion Warwick and an unexpected birthday serenade. His book is personal, musical, intelligent and full of back-stage scenes that you can only get through someone who's on the inside.
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Summary: Musical tales wonderfully told
Review: Each short story is a wonderful recount of the author's life as a musician and of the famous and infamous people who have left a delible impression on him. Some stories will make you laugh, some will make you cry with joy, and others will leave you reflecting on life. Stories you can read to your children.
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Summary: More than just Jerry Garcia
Review: I bought the book for the Jerry Garcia and David Grissman stories but was pleased to find lots of great stories about musicians I did not know. This isn't a typical "fan" book but fans will like learning more about these famous, and not so famous, musicians from a backstage point of view. It's worth it for the Peter, Paul and Mary story alone. Sounds like this guy has had a lot of fun over the years!
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Summary: His stories are like picturesque mountain scenery
Review: One of the first photos in "Acoustic Stories" shows author Bill Amatneek playing upright bass with Peter, Paul and Mary in 1979. At the end of the book, a photo shows the author with the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band in 2003. Between these pictures are over 20 stories and 33 other photos that provide extraordinary recollections from this musician's years of professional experience. Amatneek refers to these stories as unamplified tales, largely because of his love of acoustic music. Moreover, he certainly needs no additional reinforcement, expansion or exaggeration of them to make his charming points. In fact, each story reads quickly, and they come across more as entertaining anecdotes that are both interesting and humorous. For the most part, they are based on real occurrences although the author's preface indicates that some are "told from their facts but to their hearts." Like picturesque mountain scenery, each story is suitable for framing. The author writes with a vivid freshness and vigor that capture his unique experiences. Amatneek grew up in New York's Greenwich Village in the 1940s, and his connections eventually led to him becoming a "string-bass poppin', banjo-pickin' Philadelphia folkie." His short vignettes from the 1960s through the 1990s include tales about meeting Bob Dylan, being "used" as a prop by Mary Travers, interviewing Aretha Franklin, having Dionne Warwick sing "Happy Birthday" to him on his 21st birthday, and being inspired by Mimi Farina to make the world a better place. Throughout the book, the author intersperses a few song lyrics amidst the narrative. Acoustic musicians, especially in the folk genre, typically include stories into their presentation. Most are based on personal experience and relate thoughtful and honest portrayals of life on the road and the people they meet along the way. Many of Amatneek's yarns revolve around well-known music personalities. In one situation, he might be auditioning tortoiseshell picks with Tony Rice in Paris. In another, he and the Rowan Brothers might be picking with Bill Monroe at the Wintergrass Festival in Tacoma, Wa. A couple of my favorites are about a panel discussion of the meaning of Monroe's song lyrics in "Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake." Other favorites are his description of the 3-ring circus of Beach Blanket Babylon, and the 50th anniversary of D-Day in 1994 in Ranville, France. The emotional impacts of death creep into the stories. The author becomes introspective when talking about the passing of Mimi Farina, Kate Wolf, Jerry Garcia, Steve Gorn's father, Steve Silver, Al "Jazzbeaux" Collins, and the New Orleans horn player Buddy Bolden. Amatneek claims to be "basically shy," but this book shows, in writing, his more social and extrovert side. His "Acoustic Stories' are affectionately told, and anyone who can appreciate a few slices of music-related folklore will enjoy this book. Not only will you get to know the reserved bassist, author and storyteller better, but you'll get a taste of what it's been like for Bill Amatneek to cross paths and play with many luminaries in the music business. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)
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