Rob Barteletti: Press

I’m not often a sit-still-and-be-reflective person – wish I was. But this CD makes me want to relax in a rocking chair (on some tunes I might be dancing in my mind), drink a glass of iced tea with lemon, and gaze across a country lake. It’s that rustic, crisp, and refreshing.


The vibrant title track of Even If I Fall grabbed me right away. Tony Furtado’s blissful dobro run gives way to Reina Collins’ rich voice. Nick Peets adds some campfire-smoky backing vocals on the chorus, as he does throughout the disc. Next, “Yonder Ship” is an upbeat narrative like a good Dolly Parton song. Reina’s sings like a woman who has earned life’s wisdom, and Furtado fires off another nifty dobro solo.

“Blue Sky” is one of Reina’s compositions, and it’s roadhouse-worthy. Terry Robb shreds on slide guitar, and Reina belts it out like she’s stalking the stage on a Saturday night. Later on the album, the driving “Big Ol’ House” would work even better if Reina cut loose (this one kind of reminds me of one of my guilty pleasures, Cher’s “Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves.”)

On the other end of the vocal spectrum, she achingly sings the lines of “Honky-Tonk Band” in a way that is both vulnerable and knowing. It’s another roadhouse-worthy number, but in a cry-in-your-beer way, especially after you hear Bob Baker’s wailing fiddle.

I appreciate how Reina and songwriter Rob Barteletti (he penned 10 of the 15 tracks) steers clear of cliché even as he writes about common country/folk themes in numbers such as “Honky Tonk Band” and the catchy “Something Blue.”

On the beautifully simple “Too Costly Is Nothing.” Reina’s vocal is touching and sincere, and Nancy Ives contributes understated and moving cello playing. The hopeful “Whole New Way” is another pretty number, embellished by flourishes of piano (Peter Boe) and harmonica (Bart Ferguson).

Reina’s voice, sultry voice is such a powerful presence on the album, and “House on Fire” is one of her most emotional vocal performances. It especially hits home as I write this in the midst of our Florida drought. Paul Hirschman (who plays guitar throughout the CD) contributes tasty mandolin.

The sincere, earthy Even If I Fall is hook-filled folk rock – more folk than rock, with a nice dose of twang that adds to its considerable charm.

"Apparently it’s written in the stars that Reina G. Collins and Rob Barteletti somehow would meet, somewhere on this earth. Not world-shaking, but for music lovers their meeting is a gift from heaven. This fine gift bears the title "Even If I Fall" and it is the brilliant result of two class artists... Barteletti provides most of the song-writing for their venture and Collins does what she's always done: sing like a nightingale. The title number by itself justifies the purchase of this disc, but little pearls like "Cain's Lament," "Yonder Ship," "Honky-Tonk Band," "Too Costly is Nothing," and "Something Blue" reach unquestionably the same level. And that the bar remains high is thanks to the willing and impressive help from Tony Furtado, Terry Robb, Paul Hirschmann, Jeff Minnick, Bob Baker, Rob Busey, Nick Peets, and Bart Ferguson. Lovers of original Americana-roots-country-folkrock-newgrass, fine storytelling songs, and heavenly singing are hereby notified: Mandatory purchase! 4.5 stars out of 5" (an excerpt translated by Steve Young)

"Rob Barteletti delivers a grizzled, smoky, pebbly, grainy, gritty, seasoned, growly, amused, patient, openhearted, open-eyed, rueful, gentle, merciful, prayerful, winking, wincing, storyteller's voice, singing songs hauled kicking and mewling new from his salty soul; and the music's damn fine too."

Rob Barteletti had been pondering the big questions of life -- Does God exist? Is there an afterlife? What is reality? -- for so long, that when he learned he had Parkinson's disease, he simply said thank you.

The room is not too big, but Barteletti's home office tells part of the story of his life. Behind his desk, the bookshelf holds more books than it should. "Living with Life." "Stages of Faith." "I Am That." The titles hint at a personal theology he's still crafting as he learns from the disease.

His fingers can't pluck the same guitar chords they could. His voice is tired; his mind is, too. At the end of the school year, he'll say goodbye to teaching, a life he's loved for 31 years.

But those reminders aren't the end of the world -- not yet. The 58-year-old has taught theology at Jesuit for 17 years, and if there is one thing he has learned, it is that he still has more to learn.

When a student asked him if he would advocate for stem cell research if it meant he would be cured of his Parkinson's, he admitted he isn't ready to be cured yet.

"I haven't learned everything I can from having Parkinson's," he told the student.

The intersection of the personal and the academic doesn't make him uneasy. In fact, it's his own life that has become his best tool in the classroom.

"I've always used my life as a teachable moment," he says. "Artificial stuff in the classroom -- cheesy, fake examples -- that stuff doesn't fly. Kids are savvy."

Those personal examples resonate with Kayla Hughes, a senior who took Barteletti's religion class. The discussion on stem-cell research is one she won't forget.

"We could see that this person standing in front of us is affected by it, that it's not just some far-off thing," she says. "It was effective when he used personal examples."

Hughes says Barteletti's class challenged her, but she learned to confront difficult conversations, rather than avoid them.

As he leaves teaching -- a job that has kept his "cognitive machine well-oiled" -- Barteletti plans to take this life, these lessons, and funnel them into the dream Parkinson's has reminded him to go after: songwriting.

He started cranking out songs at 16, but never thought he had much of a shot.

Friends told him to make a record. When those went out of style, they told him to make a CD.

"Once Parkinson's hit me, I realized I might not have a next year," he says. "The diagnosis was a wake-up call: You can't put aside your dreams."

Two CDs later, he has a collection of recorded songs that make him proud. When he listens to his second album, "Even If I Fall," he still gets excited.

And though he can't play the guitar the way he could when he bought the 1968 Martin D-28 new, he takes those 40 years of songwriting and puts them to use, creating songs for others.

On Sunday, he'll put his blend of roots and "newgrass" tunes on display at the third annual Shaker's Ball, a concert to raise money for Parkinson's research.

The name -- a nod to the tremors that Parkinson's causes -- hints at Barteletti's humor, something he hopes to put to good use as he emcees the event. He'll sing a few songs, but the Reina G. Collins Band will be performing most of his tunes.

Casey Parks: 503-294-5955; caseyparks@news.oregonian.com



©2007 The Oregonian

THE OREGONIAN - April 21, 2005

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: JESUIT TEACHER TO PERFORM AT BENEFIT CONCERT

Rob Barteletti has had a lifelong dream to record his songs on an album.

After he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2002, a brain disorder that affects the smooth, coordinated function of the body's muscles and movement, he knew his time to start the project was limited.

"While I still had some of my faculties working for me, I finally decided to get this CD recorded," he said. When he began working on it with Dan Decker of Sound Impressions Studio in June 2004, his guitar playing skills had dramatically diminished. But his voice was strong enough to record. By December, his album "Old Sombrero" was complete.

On May 11, the Jesuit High School teacher will use his Americana/folk-rock music to benefit two Parkinson's organizations, the Parkinson Center of Oregon and Parkinson's Resources of Oregon.

His band Rob Barteletti and The Shadows will perform at the "The Shaker's Ball" in the Crystal Ballro! om. The show, which he named, is a reference to the tremors associated with Parkinson's disease.

"Fortunately, I have an irreverent sense of humor about things like illness. I appreciate the seriousness and all, but laughter is a pretty good antidote for self-pity," he said. "Most of the folks I have met with (Parkinson's) seem to have a good sense of humor, so I hope they'll find it funny but apropos."

Headlining the show will be The Bart Ferguson Band. Nick Peets & Friends also will perform.

McMenamins is donating the space for the event, so the cost of the $10 tickets will directly benefit Parkinson's organizations. The bands will sell signed copies of their CDs for $20, with half the proceeds going toward the Parkinson's organizations.

Tickets are available through the Parkinson Center of Oregon at www.ohsu.edu/pco/, the Parkinson's Resources of Oregon at www.parkinsonsresources.org, Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com and the Crystal Ba! llroom box office, 1332 W. Burnside in Portland.