About 85% of the wood Seth Gamba uses for his hand-turned bowls comes from within walking distance of his front door, pulled from tree services removing trees from neighbors' yards or his own. He estimates he's found usable wood from close to half the yards on his Roswell block.

Gamba is also a full-time orchestra director at Elkins Pointe Middle School and Hembree Springs Elementary School in Fulton County, where he teaches elementary and middle school students to play strings. His bandmate Erik Herndon, also an orchestra director, calls him a Renaissance man.

"I usually play up the local angle," Gamba told Appen Media, describing how he talks about the woodturning with customers.

His process is tree-to-finished piece. He cuts the log himself and carries it through to a bowl, vessel, or urn someone can use or pass down as an heirloom. He does not buy pre-cut lumber from a store.

Herndon said Gamba built him a guitar pedal from scratch, engineering and soldering the circuitry himself, and wired up a home recording studio without formal training. The two met around 2005 through a shared mentor teacher and have played together in multiple groups over two decades, including a nine-year run with a band called The Expats and five years with the Vesna Quartet.

Their newest project is a five-piece blues band that rehearsed Saturday, July 18, at a home in Roswell. The lineup: Sam Champion on drums, Jacek Mroczka on harmonica and vocals, Jay Champion on keyboards, Herndon on guitar, and Gamba on upright bass. Sam Champion is the son of keyboardist Jay Champion, who teaches chorus and music technology at Lost Mountain Middle School in Kennesaw.

The band's first public performance is scheduled for August at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest Street. A specific date has not been set.

Gamba holds a bachelor's degree in double bass from Indiana University and a Master of Music Education from the University of Georgia. His compositions for student orchestras have been performed at the Georgia Music Educators Association state convention, and he publishes original music at gambamusic.com.

Upcoming at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center

The Giant, The Beanstalk, & Jack — Presented by That Puppet Guy Productions. Thursday, July 23, through Saturday, July 25, at 10 a.m., with an additional 1 p.m. show on Saturday, July 25. General admission $9; groups of 10 or more $8; children under 2 free. Box office: (770) 594-6120.