Felton resident Patti Maxine has had a longtime love affair with music that started humbly in Virginia and has since taken her all over the world.
And the lap steel guitar virtuoso always keeps busy. In addition to her day job at Highlands Park Senior Center, Maxine performs almost every night.
“I have very little free time. When I’m lucky, sometimes I get to wash the dishes,” she said with a laugh. “But I’m doing what I love.”
Before embarking on her career as a session player, Maxine was known as a driving force behind Saddle Up and Boogie, the first western swing band in Santa Cruz. She is also a regular member of the Island Breeze band and has held down a regular gig for years at the historic Roaring Camp Railroad.
Maxine was born in Roanoke, Va., where she learned the lap steel guitar as a young girl, studying with Elmer Ridenhour, who mentored Wayne and Jerry Newton. And while she plays a variety of styles, including jazz and blues, she considers Hawaiian music closest to her heart.
“It just resonated for me and was one of the first things I learned,” said Maxine, “It just seemed right.”
Her love of music also sparked her work as an activist.
Maxine works as a teacher for Guitars not Guns, a nonprofit that aims to stop violence in schools and on the streets by providing music programs for at-risk youth.
The Highlands Park Senior Center, where Maxine works as a coordinator, donates the space for her classes.
“Its important to help, and I do what I can,” she said.
Maxine became a California girl after falling in love with the state’s sunshine in the ’70s and moved to Felton 11 years ago.
“I got a house here for $200,000 — the price was right and I really love the valley. I’ve always loved the valley,” she said.
During her 45-year career, Maxine has recorded with dozens of musicians, including folk legend Mary McCaslin and Hawaiian musician Kalae Miles.
Deemed “Ace-steeler” by friends, Maxine named her band The Wild Cards, made up of Matt Bohn, Olaf Schiappacasse and Charlie Wallace.
Sunday’s concert will feature a gamut of styles ranging from pop to western swing, as well as a tribute to the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, though Maxine was not an attendee of the famous festival.
“I was as straight as they come.” she said with a giggle. “I was influenced by a lot of the music, though.”
At a glance
• WHAT: Patti Maxine
• WHEN: 7 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 23
• WHERE: Don Quixote’s International Music Hall, 6275 Highway 9, in Felton.
• TICKETS: $10
• INFO: 335-2800
