Just curious-
Dave has been recording our lives shows, and the recordings are pretty good for ones made with a couple of mics in a live room. So, we're wondering, if we set up a soundclick page and put songs on there as we find stuff we like, how many of our friends would go there and download them?
Email me at info@sonhenry.com and let me know what you think!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Friday, May 26, 2006
Live at Cafe Drummonds
First gig in almost 14 months at Cafe Drummonds here in Aberdeen! Good to be back, it's a great room! Oh, we'll be back there AGAIN on the the first of June- that's next Thursday!
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Glenn Highway Blues Review
From this month's Southwest Blues-
-------------------
Alaska is the last real American wilderness. Vast and widely unpopulated, nature calls the shots here, and those weak of spirit cry “Uncle” early and high tail it back to whatever white bread civilization they came from.
Not surprising then that Alaskan Son Henry’s release “Glenn Highway Blues” is as wild and untamed as the state it was conceived in. This is blues from the gut – unvarnished and unpretentious. All nine tracks are penned with ink culled from Son’s sweat and tears. The rhythm section (John Clark on drums and Joel Lockman on bass) is tight and economical on each track – driving the beat and yet snuggly in the pocket every time.
This builds the perfect base for Son to do his “thang” – big, bold electric and slide guitar playing, some rustic harmonica flavorings and, of course, the lap steel playing that is quickly defining the man as a force to be reckoned with. Son’s vocal style is earthy and relaxed, the perfect vehicle to deliver his tales of love both won and lost.
As with the very best of all blues, the songs deal with every day life, love and relationships. Damn this man for writing “Second Glance”. Its desperation and resignation hit me so hard every time I hear it that funny watery stuff comes to my eyes. It scares me when someone details the longings of my soul before I’ve even defined them myself. Son is good at that – VERY good. “Heartache In My House” is another outstanding cut. The beat is down home groove. The message is the reality that sometimes home is not quite the cozy castle it should be.
Temporarily relocated to Aberdeen, Scotland, Son initially put “Glenn Highway Blues” out as an independent release It has recently been re-released and distributed from new blues and roots music label Front Porch Records (www.frontporchrecords.co.uk), unleashing Henry on the unsuspecting United Kingdom, who have responded by making him their new favorite adopted son.
They better enjoy him while they can. His suitcase is always packed and ready to head off to the next adventure. We can only hope he continues to document his life with the same flair as he has here.
-------------------
Alaska is the last real American wilderness. Vast and widely unpopulated, nature calls the shots here, and those weak of spirit cry “Uncle” early and high tail it back to whatever white bread civilization they came from.
Not surprising then that Alaskan Son Henry’s release “Glenn Highway Blues” is as wild and untamed as the state it was conceived in. This is blues from the gut – unvarnished and unpretentious. All nine tracks are penned with ink culled from Son’s sweat and tears. The rhythm section (John Clark on drums and Joel Lockman on bass) is tight and economical on each track – driving the beat and yet snuggly in the pocket every time.
This builds the perfect base for Son to do his “thang” – big, bold electric and slide guitar playing, some rustic harmonica flavorings and, of course, the lap steel playing that is quickly defining the man as a force to be reckoned with. Son’s vocal style is earthy and relaxed, the perfect vehicle to deliver his tales of love both won and lost.
As with the very best of all blues, the songs deal with every day life, love and relationships. Damn this man for writing “Second Glance”. Its desperation and resignation hit me so hard every time I hear it that funny watery stuff comes to my eyes. It scares me when someone details the longings of my soul before I’ve even defined them myself. Son is good at that – VERY good. “Heartache In My House” is another outstanding cut. The beat is down home groove. The message is the reality that sometimes home is not quite the cozy castle it should be.
Temporarily relocated to Aberdeen, Scotland, Son initially put “Glenn Highway Blues” out as an independent release It has recently been re-released and distributed from new blues and roots music label Front Porch Records (www.frontporchrecords.co.uk), unleashing Henry on the unsuspecting United Kingdom, who have responded by making him their new favorite adopted son.
They better enjoy him while they can. His suitcase is always packed and ready to head off to the next adventure. We can only hope he continues to document his life with the same flair as he has here.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Get Ready! Lisa Monroe is coming to town...
Lisa Monroe is coming to Scotland, she'll be at the Dundee Blues Bonanza backed by my band. It'll be a great show! Time/day TBA, check this space for details when I get them.
You'll love her show. For those of you with my new CD, that's Lisa singing 2 of the songs. She's gonna rock the house for sure!
You'll love her show. For those of you with my new CD, that's Lisa singing 2 of the songs. She's gonna rock the house for sure!
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Blues in Britain review
If you've got the magazine this month, it was an interesting review, and we appreciate the column space. Some of the bits we liked the best:
They are a tight little unit that clearly know their shit
They are a tight little unit that clearly know their shit
Monday, May 01, 2006
Life with 2 guitars
Why go to two guitars?
Well, the big difference for me is that I can stop playing and really sing. It's hard to focus on two things at once and some of my songs really require concentration to hit the runs or hit and maintain high pitches. So guitar #2 covers that main parts of the song so everything stays sounding full. That's just whats in it for me.
On another level, when you get two guitar players schooled in old Muddy Waters, there's a great deal of counter point and dissonance going on. You can't fake that with a single guitar. A guitar and a keyboard can get you close. Two guitars are magic.
Also, there are musical parts that can only be played with one guitar player in standard tuning and another in say, open G. The chords sound different because of the intervals involved.
Oh, playing lap-steel in a trio is fine. But having a second guitar player there opens up more keys for me where the chord voicings aren't as full or are a little odd. So, blues in F#minor or B minor on a steel guitar is totally cool with a second player. AND, I get to play harp too. AND, I think having a second guitar player makes you work harder too.
OK, so it's all about me from the sounds of it. Well, the music is different in a good way, that's really what's important.
Well, the big difference for me is that I can stop playing and really sing. It's hard to focus on two things at once and some of my songs really require concentration to hit the runs or hit and maintain high pitches. So guitar #2 covers that main parts of the song so everything stays sounding full. That's just whats in it for me.
On another level, when you get two guitar players schooled in old Muddy Waters, there's a great deal of counter point and dissonance going on. You can't fake that with a single guitar. A guitar and a keyboard can get you close. Two guitars are magic.
Also, there are musical parts that can only be played with one guitar player in standard tuning and another in say, open G. The chords sound different because of the intervals involved.
Oh, playing lap-steel in a trio is fine. But having a second guitar player there opens up more keys for me where the chord voicings aren't as full or are a little odd. So, blues in F#minor or B minor on a steel guitar is totally cool with a second player. AND, I get to play harp too. AND, I think having a second guitar player makes you work harder too.
OK, so it's all about me from the sounds of it. Well, the music is different in a good way, that's really what's important.
Don't be shy....
I got an email from an old friend that I knew way back in Alaska (we'll call him Joe). Joe decided to hit the email link that's found in a couple of places here and shoot me an update on where he was. It was great to hear from him, I had an old email address and it looks like he's changed over to gmail, so I'd lost him.
My point?
Letters from home. Comments about the last gig. Complaints about the loud shirt I was wearing. Suggestions for a place to play or a song to cover. Whatever it is, don't be shy about getting it off your chest....
My point?
Letters from home. Comments about the last gig. Complaints about the loud shirt I was wearing. Suggestions for a place to play or a song to cover. Whatever it is, don't be shy about getting it off your chest....
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