Tish Ciravolo
Encyclopedia
Southern California-based musician and guitar maker Tish Ciravolo is the President & Founder of Daisy Rock Guitars
. Daisy Rock Guitars is a guitar
manufacturer established in 2000. Known as the original “girl-guitar company,” Daisy Rock Guitars is the first company to successfully supply and market pro-quality guitars made specifically for females.
, where her best friend Barbara taught her to play guitar while they were still in high school. The young Ciravolo - whose first exposure to a girl playing rock bass was Suzi Quatro
as Leather Tuscadero on the television show Happy Days
- was a quick learner and by age 16 was on tour with a band called Plateau.
When Plateau ended up playing in Kansas City, she decided to stay there and enrolled in Penn Valley Community College as a journalism and business major. After receiving her degree, she relocated to Los Angeles, where she balanced a series of day jobs (waitress at Duke’s Coffee Shop, temp positions, assistant to Jay Leno
and his former manager, the late Helen Kushnick
, to name a few) with amateur night performances at The Improv
and Comedy Store.
Intent on being a rock star during the middle 1980s, she gravitated towards what would become her primary instrument, the bass. Like her influences Simon Gallup
and Tim Butler
, she played with a pick. “They kicked me out of the Dick Grove Music School after five minutes,” she recalls, “because I didn’t want to play with my fingers.”
and everything,” she says. “We did the windmill head shaking routine when we played, which was big at the time. We were also house band at the Whisky for a time, and played in the Battle of the Bitches at FM Station.” Finding other creative outlets, Ciravolo also made two independent films (The Wake, and Birds & The Bees) and wrote sitcom with partner Karen Peterson.
In her early 30s, Tish chose to put her bass down for a while and have a family.
“Through all those years of playing music, of great success and crushing disappointment, I always had so much fun,” Ciravolo says. “It’s physical, it’s artistic, and it’s who I am at heart. These days, I’m in this punk band called sASSafrASS, and we do covers like “Cherry Bomb” by The Runaways
plus original material. I’m kind of over the whole ‘getting the record deal thing,’ and it’s more fun than I ever had before. If I got a record deal now, it would probably interfere with everything I’m doing with Daisy Rock.”
.
In addition to her role as President of Daisy Rock Guitars, Tish is also the author of the Girl’s Guitar Method Book 1, Girl’s Guitar Method Book 2, Girl’s Bass Method, Book 1, and Girl's Guitar Method Complete (published by Alfred Publishing
).
Daisy Rock Guitars
Daisy Rock Girl Guitars is a girl-guitar company founded in 2000 by Tish Ciravolo. Daisy Rock Girl Guitars has instruments available in over 26 countries worldwide, and the company is co-owned and distributed by Alfred Music Publishing.-Company history:...
. Daisy Rock Guitars is a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
manufacturer established in 2000. Known as the original “girl-guitar company,” Daisy Rock Guitars is the first company to successfully supply and market pro-quality guitars made specifically for females.
Early years
Tish grew up in Merced, CaliforniaMerced, California
Merced is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California in the San Joaquin Valley of Northern California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 78,958. Incorporated in 1889, Merced is a charter city that operates under a council-manager government...
, where her best friend Barbara taught her to play guitar while they were still in high school. The young Ciravolo - whose first exposure to a girl playing rock bass was Suzi Quatro
Suzi Quatro
Susan Kay "Suzi" Quatro is an American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor.She scored a string of hit singles in the 1970s that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, and had a recurring role on the popular American sitcom Happy Days.-Music:Quatro began her...
as Leather Tuscadero on the television show Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
- was a quick learner and by age 16 was on tour with a band called Plateau.
When Plateau ended up playing in Kansas City, she decided to stay there and enrolled in Penn Valley Community College as a journalism and business major. After receiving her degree, she relocated to Los Angeles, where she balanced a series of day jobs (waitress at Duke’s Coffee Shop, temp positions, assistant to Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
and his former manager, the late Helen Kushnick
Helen Kushnick
Helen Kushnick , born Helen Gorman in New York, was the agent of comedians Jimmie Walker, Elayne Boosler and Jay Leno for much of her early career...
, to name a few) with amateur night performances at The Improv
The Improv
The Improv is a comedy club franchise. Originally, it was a single venue founded in 1963 by Budd Friedman and located in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City on West 44th near the SE corner of 9th Ave. A second location was opened in 1974 at 8162 Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax District...
and Comedy Store.
Intent on being a rock star during the middle 1980s, she gravitated towards what would become her primary instrument, the bass. Like her influences Simon Gallup
Simon Gallup
Simon Jonathon Gallup is an English musician and bassist of the post-punk band The Cure.-Early years:...
and Tim Butler
Tim Butler
Tim Butler is an English songwriter and musician. He is the bass player, and co-founder of the Psychedelic Furs. He is also the youngest of three brothers....
, she played with a pick. “They kicked me out of the Dick Grove Music School after five minutes,” she recalls, “because I didn’t want to play with my fingers.”
Bands
Tish played in several bands over the years, including Rag Dolls, The Velvets (a female Psychedelic Furs-type outfit), They Eat Their Own (new wave pop), and eventually, her own group, Shiksa and the Sluts. Then she entered her “big hair metal phase,” as the bass player for the popular band Lypstik from 1988 to 1992. “We had a billboard on the side of the RoxyThe Roxy Theatre
The Roxy Theatre is a famous nightclub, on the Sunset Strip, in West Hollywood, California. The Roxy is owned by Lou Adler and Adler's son, Nic, who operates the club.- History :...
and everything,” she says. “We did the windmill head shaking routine when we played, which was big at the time. We were also house band at the Whisky for a time, and played in the Battle of the Bitches at FM Station.” Finding other creative outlets, Ciravolo also made two independent films (The Wake, and Birds & The Bees) and wrote sitcom with partner Karen Peterson.
In her early 30s, Tish chose to put her bass down for a while and have a family.
“Through all those years of playing music, of great success and crushing disappointment, I always had so much fun,” Ciravolo says. “It’s physical, it’s artistic, and it’s who I am at heart. These days, I’m in this punk band called sASSafrASS, and we do covers like “Cherry Bomb” by The Runaways
The Runaways
The Runaways were an American all-girl rock band that recorded and performed in the second half of the 1970s. The band released four studio albums and one live set during its run. Among its best known songs: "Cherry Bomb", "Queens of Noise", "Neon Angels On the Road to Ruin", "California Paradise"...
plus original material. I’m kind of over the whole ‘getting the record deal thing,’ and it’s more fun than I ever had before. If I got a record deal now, it would probably interfere with everything I’m doing with Daisy Rock.”
Daisy Rock
Since being founded in 2000, Daisy Rock has increased in size at an astonishing rate, with 2006 sales reaching $2.4 million, and with Daisy Rock guitars and basses now available in more than 25 countries worldwide. The catalog includes acoustic and acoustic-electric guitars, electric guitars, and electric basses in a vibrant selection of colors. The company offers an ample bouquet of models from popular lines such as the Butterfly, Daisy, Heartbreaker, Star, Pixie, Wildwood, Stardust Elite, Stardust Retro-H, Tom Boy, and Rock Candy series, and 2007 marked the launch of the Stardust Retro-H De-Luxe Series, the Rebel Rockit Series, and the new Rock Candy Custom Special Bass. 2007 also marked the release of the very special Rock Candy Pink Label guitar that was hand crafted in the USA by guitar guru to the stars, John CarruthersJohn Carruthers
John Carruthers was a Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was born in Hamilton, Canada West and became a physician and mayor of Little Current, Ontario....
.
In addition to her role as President of Daisy Rock Guitars, Tish is also the author of the Girl’s Guitar Method Book 1, Girl’s Guitar Method Book 2, Girl’s Bass Method, Book 1, and Girl's Guitar Method Complete (published by Alfred Publishing
Alfred Publishing
Alfred Music Publishing is a family-owned and operated music publishing company, founded in 1922. Headquartered in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, it is the largest educational music publisher in the world.- Profile :...
).