Never heard of Dibson until this here cassette hit my meager mailbox, but damn son. This is what my life was before — and frankly, despite a love of all the weirdest sounds, still is. I’m an finger picker, folk, alt-country, raga, one man and guitar kind of listener. It’s likely the solitary practice of, not only the listening experience but the performance. Dibson isn’t completely alone here, but when he is, Oakland to Sebastopol is nearly metaphysical in what makes folk a personal homage to shared experience. The tape is surely rural in subject matter but it’s not recorded at slow speed. Just as Dibson has traded the fast paced city life for a more communal experience within Sebastopol, California, the music reflects both sides of Dibson’s guitar personality. The melodies are entrenched with salt-of-the-earth Fahey and Kottke, but also have a slight city and traveled twang not far from Harper or Bull. Frankly, it’s just a stunningly good guitar-and-sunshine answer to the current fog of divisiveness that has enveloped most of the globe. It’s proof that we’ll get through it, and we should just keep moving forward no matter how hard the wind blows in our face.
More about: Dibson T. Hoffweiler
