Had the chance to play with Rochester legend Joe Beard at our Son House Blues night at the Record archive last month. What an honor to share the stage with Mr Beard. He's the real deal, check out his records!

Acoustic re-release

 Hey y'all! I'm taking a bunch of my older solo songs and re-releasing them on CD and streaming platforms! My buddy Eric has been on my case about not putting some of this material out there, and so here we go.

What material? Unreleased radio performances, solo studio work. All good stuff that hasn't generally seen the light of day. Away we go...

Long time quiet

 So, yeah. I haven't really been keeping up with this blog. Is there even an audience for these today? Or is everything devolved to instagram-facebook-twitter-etc? Let's find out.

First, let's get caught up. We packed up everything and left Texas to move north to Upstate NY. The weather is better, the overall situation is more relaxed and it's a good place for a roots musician to be based these days, strategically placed between Boston and Chicago and all points in between. I've got a great new band started which you'll be reading about in the coming months. I'm also finishing up an EP that should be released this summer with a few new songs I'm proud of.

So, good to reconnect! Good to be back. Lets see who read this now....

Somtimes you just say the right thing....

Somewhere in the middle of a radio interview if you're not fast enough and you leave a gap the guitar player will tell you what's really going on. Bomb dropped...

Day 2: Showing up.

Day one is easy. The second day is all about showing up. So far I've got 45 minutes of Mandolin and and hour on the guitar along with time to stretch. Moving to the steel guitar now to run some right-hand exercises and then we take a break.

Showing up ready to work. That's the key.

90 Days to Mastery

I've read that it takes 30 days to make something a habit. What would you do if you had not one month but three that were all yours?

Today starts day 1, a 3-month chance to create some new habits and chase some long-standing goals.

Goal 1: 3 months of lessons and practice on the Pedal Steel.  My first lesson is Wednesday, and is 3 hours long. Today I'm setting up the old Sho-Bud steel guitar and getting it read to start working again. Why that one? Because we're going to tackle that damn C6 neck I've been using as an arm rest.

Goal 2: Get my mandolin laying together once and for all. Scales and picking exercises all ready. My target is 30 min/day.

Goal 3: Get my fiddle playing better. Basically take those scales on the mandolin and translate them to the fiddle. Target is again, 30 min per day.

Goal 4: Get back to playing solo gigs. I'm getting a song a day ready. Lap steel, National, Guitar, whatever. One song per day, gig ready.

OK. Done typing for the day. Time to get Old Red set up and get to work. See y'all tomorrow. 

Something to look ahead into the new year. Jon Stork's new CD is getting released soon, might be a tour to follow. The old acoustic lap steel has been out nonstop, there are about five new songs brewing that need air time. An a recording? Hmmm, not sure yet. Watch this space!

All healed up...

It only took four months. My arm is finally better. It only took four months of not playing much, skipping the coffee. Stretching. Not playing much at all.

In the end, the culprit was the fiddle. Or, a death grip on the fiddle. Learned to play with a lighter touch, and now I'm playing again. Just in time for the new year....

Bring it on, 2017! Let's go!

My life as a sideman

So, we bring seven months of work to a conclusion as a side man for an up-and-coming Texas songwriter. It's been an interesting experience being part of the support structure for a good band but, in the end, it was time for the experience to draw to a close. I'll miss the guys in the band, miss the gigs that were a look into the real musical heart of Texas. But I learned a few things....

First, I remember just how much I love the sound of the steel guitar. Playing all the parts that pull a song together is one of the best spots on the stage. You can move couples closer together on the dance floor with the right melody lines, support a good singer and make them sound better. And there is nothing on this Earth that sounds as wonderful as a pedal steel. Nothing.

Second, I never would have even considered taking up the violin had it not been for this band. It's another sound that I've fallen in love with, and hopefully soon the sound in me head will match the sound coming out of the instrument. Sandy Mathers was right, it is the devil's instrument. It's not going to take a visit to the crossroads to master this thing, just time and the stress of getting parts ready to play on stage. No fear.

Third, I'm not cut out for sitting in the back.

Finally, would I do it again? In a heartbeat.

With luck I can still fill a spot with these guys in the future. Always good to make music with your friends...