By SARAH LYNCH

The Independent

ASHLAND,KY
If you've ever paid to hear Eddie Riffe and Tony Maynard playing

live together as ETA (Eddie and Tony Acoustically), chances are you got your

money's worth.

They are not just a two-man band; they're a comedy act, local music

promoters, a "walking information center" and an 'all bases covered

entertainment complex.

But don't be mislead by the outrageous humor that, at times, possesses them

both. Riffe and Maynard are an electric duo, feeding off one another's

energy, but like the infamous mullet, business is always in the forefront.

Tony Maynard is a professional audio engineer. That means he makes the

muscians he works with sound good when they are on stage.

"I work regulary at the Paramount mixing monitors. I'm the guy they bring in

for the big shows to provided maximum entertainment value," Maynard said.

When working at the Paramount, Maynard often teams up with Richie Collins,

another "genius at audio and mixing," according to Maynard.

Our motto is "Play it as loud as the people want it," and "No feedback." If

you can do that," Maynard said, "you're a king."

Although often unseen in the shadows of the backstage, Maynard has been

resposible for the sounds of Hank Williams Jr., Chaka Khan, Linda Ronstadt,

and one of the latest big shows at the Paramount, The Coasters, The Drifters

and The Platters.

When hešs not working for other musicians, he becomes one.

People ask "Well, how'd you get that sound?" I say, "I didnšt get it, I

stole it!" It's my pathetic attempt at emmulating my heros!" Maynard said

with a laugh.

Those heros include noted musicians such as Johnny Winter and Albert Lee.

I was playing at a bar in Cincinnati when Lonnie Mack pointed at me and

yelled, "Johnny Winter!" And I said, "Yeah!" and he yelled back, "Quit!" So

I began emulating Albert Lee," Maynard said.

I liked his chicken-pickin', multi-finger playing. I'm a closet bluegrass

fan. So, my attempts at emulating resulted in a style that people will pay

to see.

ETA began a little more than a year ago, but Maynard met Eddie Riffe in 1985

while Riffe was recording a song he'd collaborated on with another local

musician, Roger Smith.

Riffe also has a business side. He's involved in the Arts Council of North

Eastern Kentucky as a committee member. It's his pursuit to "learn the ropes

and politics that go along with business and music."

Riffe has worked the last three years at the local radio station, WTCR, on a

program called "Homegrown Country" that airs on Sunday nights and is

dedicated to local country musicians.

" I'm one of those fans who lives, eats and breathes this music. It takes

people like me to keep traditional honky-tonk country alive," Riffe stated.

He's got his own music to promote, but Riffe spends a lot of time getting

the word out about what's on tap in the local scene. He is a contributing

writer for "Graffiti," a monthly magazine published in Charleston, W.Va. If

you're a music lover and want to know who's playing where or if you're a

musician looking for a local venue, you can find it in Graffiti Riffe is in

charge of "Ashland Noize," which is a column that strives to update readers

on every band and musician Riffe could get the low down on in the area.

Riffe describes his sound as music with "a bouncy beat; uptempo, coal miners

music; music country folk go home and listen to after a hard day at work.

I've got my own breed of music. I do what I do and I write a certain style.

That's me. You won't catch me covering Lynyrd Skynyrd because that's already

been done.˛"

But he does cover songs by vintage artist such as Buck Owens and Gary

Stewart, whose music he has a passion for introducing unenlightened

listeners to.

Maynard and Riffe are driven by the music. It is their life. If they aren't

playing it, they are promoting it, recording it, making it sound better,

meeting people and "shooting the bull" with visitors and tourists, letting

them know what and who to look for in the local music scene. They're big

supporters of music in every way.

"There are too many good shows here and too many empty seats," Riffe said.

"Live music is an art form and unless we go out and support it, it will be a

dying art form."

SARAH LYNCH can be reached at slynch@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2662.