And still more images....

And one last pass of images from the tour...

And then there were these as well

And then there are these, from gigs at Blues on the Farm, the Bottleneck Blues Club. Some gig pictures, some images of some new friends and the required shot of my guitars resting on the stand....

Some Tony Winfield Images...

Tony Winfield, ace photographer, captures dome images of us in action at the Red Lion Inn. Great gig photos- the ones that sent me directly to the barber to get that mess of hair cleaned up. Back to the DT....

Road Dog Report (New Crawdaddy Blues in Essex)

Sorry gang, I'm way behind on my blogging- with all the driving, playing, cooking, navigating, soldering, phoning more driving and playing that goes on, well, let's just say I have some catching up to do. Here's an early report from our last show, the tour wrap up at the New Crawdaddy Blues Club in Essex:

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April 2nd TIM AVES/SON HENRY BAND

Every year without fail a gig is announced which on paper looks intriguing. Remember Roy Mette/Papa George/ Roland Chadwick from 2007, and the Blues Pack from 2008, well look no further than Tim Aves and Son Henry for this year’s surprise package. We had 2 bluesmen from the wilds of Essex (Tim on guitar, harmonica and Paul Lester on drums) a bluesman from the wilds of Alaska (Son Henry) and a bassist of some pedigree from the wilds of NE Scotland (Dean Stewart) who had come together to play just eight shows in South East England over the past week or so. So just how this was going to pan out was anybody's guess.

Kicking off with ‘Last to Know’ and then a low down version of Bruce Springsteen's ‘Cover Me’, it was obvious to all that tonight was going to be a bit special. This was emphasised with a scintillating version of Stevie Ray Vaughan's ‘Long Way From Home’ which featured some tasty slide work from Tim. As it was the last night of the mini tour, former Armadillo Jane English got up to sing ‘You Can Have My Husband’ (great to see you on stage again Jane) and Joel Fisk from Hokie Joint got up to jam on ‘Help Me’. A cracking version of ‘Robert J's Shoes’ and ‘Wind in Denver’ bought the main set to a close before the band came back and encored with ‘Can't be Satisfied’ and the band went walkabout through the audience. Son even tried playing slide with the candle holders on the front table. Keeping all of this in place, Paul and Dean (I know what you're thinking) played like they'd been together for years. They'd had just 3 hours rehearsal time. Remarkable.

Well, I could go on but you really had to be there. No one will forget tonight in a hurry and as far as I'm concerned this really is a contender for gig of the year.

First Stop, Essex....

Well, the tour has started and we're back in the saddle. It was an easy 12 hour drive from Aberdeen to Essex, I think we hit a pocket in the traffic and made great time. After an all-day rehearsal on Wednesday we were off to a gig last night at the Farnham Maltings in, well, Farnham.

The combination of Tim and I is a fun one, great to have another 'front' guy to riff off, and also have the change to lay back a bit and play a little more guitar than I normally do. We recorded last night's session to give it the once-over.

Best moments? Well, the old beams in that theater sounded great when I used them to play my lap steel! I think we have pictures to prove it, gimme time and we'll get there...

Off to play with the Swamp Cat's in Essex tonight, and then a double-header tomorrow.

The Loyal....

Well, we soldiered our way through our gig at Drummonds last week, with the help of Mel Ross. With that one out of the way we can take stock, and think about what we do next.


Thanks to Alan, Marion, Eric and Chris who were there to

Hungary in April

Off to see Ferci in Budapest in April, around the 11th and squeeze in a couple of gigs. More details as I get them.

Cool.

Gang of 3 in Action-

Found this great picture of the old gang of three playing at the Orkney Blues Festival. One of the only shots I know of that has all of our heads in it!

Kevin's Memorial Service

Just to help get the word out, Kevin's funeral is on thursday, at 11.45, Aberdeen Crematorium, West Chapel.

Kevin's Memorial Service

Just to help get the word out, Kevin's funeral is on thursday, at 11.45, Aberdeen Crematorium, West Chapel.

Hey Governor Jindal...

You don't know what volcano monitoring is? Did you stay away in Geology 101?

Alaska and Hawaii, man, we live in the paths of these things. You monitor them to protect people living in harms way. Oh, and these things cause plane crashes and major disruptions to airline traffic.

Mount Saint Helens, anyone?

Damn, for someone from Louisianna, you don't know bupkis about a natural disaster. Have we learned anything about preparing for disaster? Are we looking to see why the seismic shift in our financial system is happening? And we're worried about volcano monitoring?

Back to your normally scheduled blues programming.

We still can't believe it.

We're sad to share with you that we lost our drummer and good friend Kevin Oliphant, who died in his sleep this week. Kev was an awesome guy, always upbeat. He was like a sparkplug, not just in the band but to everyone that knew him. A perfect gentleman, a walking smile, and always a kind word for all he met.

To say we'll miss this magnificent man is an understatement. Our deepest condolences to his family and his many friends.

Budapest in April

Sounds like a movie title, no? Off to play a couple of gigs in Hungary next month. Details to follow!

A Tale of 2 tapedecks

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.....

We tried to record our gig at Drumonds last week. Both tapedecks were checked out and working before leaving for the club. They were fine. Both quit working at the club, and we couldn't record a note. So, we played the gig, grumbled a bit, and went on home. Fast-forward to about 3 a.m., and BOTH DECKS WORKED again.

So, we've learned that the decks are picky and don't like Drumonds, which I don't understand because I really love that gig. Go figure.

Better luck next time, I suppose. Anyway, I'm off to check out real recording studios to get this next CD recorded once and for all.

not much going on here....

Sorry all, haven't been posting much lately. Truth be told, I'm:

1. Writing lots of songs for a new CD. About 1 in 10 will make the cut.
2. Fixing all the gear that's going on the road again. More bullet-proofing, soldering.
3. Selling off all the stuff that I don't use anymore. It's a big deal...

Oh, and getting ready to record tomorrow night. (See the next post)

I'll get back to writing more once the dust settles!

LIVE RECORDING!

Yep, we're going to do a live multi-track recording at Cafe Drummonds in Aberdeen tomorrow night. Full-on band set as usual, plus some surprises. And we'll be recording the whole thing to mix and master later on this month.

Worth a trip now that the weather is better?

LIVE RECORDING!

Yep, we're going to do a live multi-track recording at Cafe Drummonds in Aberdeen tomorrow night. Full-on band set as usual, plus some surprises. And we'll be recording the whole thing to mix and master later on this month.

Worth a trip now that the weather is better?

Spring tour notes...

Yep, March and April, we'll be in England for a run of dates. Man am I looking forward to taking this show on the road again. The band is razor sharp and we've got a bunch of great new songs that we've been playing lately. The band vibe is right where we want it to be- great dancing and partying music, a strong edge and a great beat.

Oh, we've got a pocket or two on the diary as well, so if you're looking for a band you should give us a shout! The first weekend in April we have an opening or two on the drive back. Shame to waste it.

And yeah, with luck we'll be celebrating a win in the Fudge Music awards, the Aberdeen music community's annual peer awards. We're the only blues band in the running, fingers crossed. Wanna vote? Vote hereL: www.aberdeen-music.com