A Holiday wish

To all my friends, readers, supporters and family that have made my life so rich in blessings this year-

May you all have a happy and safe holiday full of joy and friendship, a warm and dry place to celebrate surrounded by those that love you. And may the air around you be filled with music.

Peace in the new year....

Those new CD's

Hey Gang!

I just got an e-mail from Buzz at the studio, and the mixes for the CD's are almost done. I've got a couple of things to listen to, and then we'll be ready to go to duplication. So, in early 2006 (probably our gig at the Globe in Aberdeen in March) we'll have a release party for these CD's

Red Lights and Folding Chairs (With Otto Lenz and Blue Lisa)- 9 killer old Chicago Blues tunes, all original.

Live at the 4th Avenue Theater. It was, um, recorded live this year. As a bonus you get some classic older material as well.

Thrift Store Sorcerer: The return of the original Son Henry Band, plus some solo tunes like 'Hole in my Soul'.

if that wasn't enough, I've been writing and playing like a mad-man these days, and I'm working my way throgh a whole new collection of acoustic tunes played lap-style. I'm hoping to have enough new material that I can make this the focus of my acoustic shows from now on, and have a CD to support it as well. The working title is King of the Tides, named after what will be the title track that's dedicated to my father. You'll understand the reference when you hear the song. This record is as much folk as it is blues.

So, stay tuned for details....

A new pack of Rubbers!

I still can't get used to this. My wife gave my four year old a package of things to take to school. He looked inside and screamed with delight, "Wow, thanks Mom, a brand new pack of rubbers!"

I practically fell to the floor laughing, now let me explain:

My little kids are going to a Scottish school, and they're learning all kinds of new words for things. They don't call them erasers here, they call them 'rubbers'. I'm not sure what the slang is for a condom. I'm sure he'll tell me some day....

More about Dexters

Well, you know I used to run a BLUES jam. I must be an addict. Last night at Dexters we had one hell of a blues jam that went an hour longer than we expected. But, first things first.

Wolftrain was the first band I saw, and they were as good as always, in spite of their bass players problems with a new set of strings. Horns were wailing, and Iver's guitar tone was excellent. From there it was Papa Mojo, playing that relaxed country blues that they do so well. Great music to relax to. Spectacular players too.

So, yeah, then it was my turn. We could have played a trio set, but we had Mel from Lazy Poker there to play drums, so we ended up with Robin Johnston from Wolftrain on key's and both Sandy Mathers and Bill Moodie on harps. Two hours of blues, straight up. We even had requests for odd stuff like 'Death Letter' and 'Walking Blues'. All good fun with some great players and good friends. Oh, the curry shop under the bar is nothing short of amazing too.

Oh, it was also good to see so many familiar faces too- Hennie and Cat, Alfie, for example. If you missed it you sure missed a fun one!

Dexter's Tonight!

Not sure how much the word has gotten out, but there's a big blues party at Dexter's in Dundee this afternoon and evening. It's a fund-raiser for the Musicians of New Orleans. Music starts around 2, runs till late. I've got a solo spot in the late afternoon and I'll have the band on around 9.

The sound and food is excellent, the beer is good and the music will be hot- Papa Mojo, Wolftrain and a bunch of others. I'll write y'all a review when I get home. In the meantime, I've got to get to work re-stringing my lap steel.

Saw Kelly Joe Phelps tonight

at the lemon tree from about 10 feet away. Damn, he's good, oh my lord.

I was more than a little dissapointed that he didn't play any slide at all- I'd heard through the grapevine that he was playing again. But, no. Fingerstyle only. Still, he's a monster player and that's his choice to make.

We did here a bunch of new tunes that are part of the new record he's supposed to do in February. It was good, as were the old standards he played- Capman_Bootman, Sally Ruby, bunches of other stuff.

So, I got my slide fix today by listening to 'Lead me on', his original release. Still stands up.

Oh, the club was about 3/4 full....

What a great weekend!

Man, I had such a great weekend- Friday at the Lemon Tree and Saturday at the Blue Lamp. Just think, an acoustic and an electric gig in one weekend, with time to play in the snow left over. It just doesn't get any better than that!

Thanks to those of you that made it to BOTH gigs! That'd be Sandy, Big Chris, Dave Amos, Dom and Gemma and a bunch of others. And, of course, all the good folks that made Saturday such a great time. If you missed it, the second set at the lamipe ran around 2 hours of crazy lap steel with Bill Moody, Mike Oxley and Billy Allardyce sitting in for good measure. I think we played 4 encores before I lost count, and those of you were there heard some songs that came from the ether and probably won't be heard again- like 'Voodoo Chile' on the lap steel? Crazy, I mean, who knows where this stuff comes from. I'm not complaining, although you might hear complaints from the band periodically....

Next weekend is the big jam at Dexters in Dundee from 2-10pm. We'll be there to wave the flag and wail. See you there!

The new CD

Damn! I'm listening to the rough mixes of the new cd, and it's just killing me that I can't listen to it on the big speakers. I'm stuck listening to the mixes on a cheesy pair of headphones tied to my computer. It's a long story about why my CD player won't play CDR's, but the mixes are great and I'm wishing I could be jumping around the room while I listen to this. Arggggh!

Here's the final track list:

Granite City Shuffle
Richer than a Shiek
Going back to Dallas
First thing smoking
Heartache and trouble
Love my baby
Teardrops on my Pillow
Middle man (pass me the bottle)
They Say love

47 minutes, not a wasted second and totally old school. All my life I've wanted to record something that sounds like a cross between those old Guitar Slim records and my old Camaro (that always sounded like it was about to detonate whenever you turned the ignition key). This is it, gang. Miracles of modern science, clean living and Buzz's studio engineering.

I'm blessed with having John Clark (drums) and Joel Lockman (string bass) on this, but I've also got my 2 other best friends on this as well. Otto Lenz blows some amazing harp and Blue Lisa Monroe sings her tail off. It's a great band, and a really energetic CD. Wow.

So, tomorrow I'm going to get a new CD player so I can listen to this on the big speakers. Oh, now I need a title for this. I'm thinking "Streecorner Poetry" or "Granite City Shuffle". Email me and let me know what you think. Or come up with a good name and I'll give you a copy AND credit you.....

Time to get back to work!

Benefit is over, and it's time to get back to the job at hand- playing the guitar!

I'll be at 2 of my favorite places this weekend. On Friday over lunch I'll be at the Lemon Tree, playing solo delta blues and lots of songs from the new CD(s). I'll also be recordng again for later release. On Saturday night I'll have the band at the Blue Lamp. There is a small cover charge, but it'll be worth it! Everyone in the band is primed to play, and we've got a special guest or two.

While I'm on the subject of the new CD(s), there really are more than one coming out. While I was in Anchorage we recorded seven songs for the new Son Henry CD that's tentatively titled 'Sidewalk Prophet'. It'll have some solo tunes on it as well and it sounds killer. We also recorded eleven songs for a west-coast style record (think Hollywood Fats or Junior Watson) with Harp-monster Otto Lenz and Blue Lisa. On top of that we got enough live audio at the 4th Avenue Theater for a CD to suppor the shelter. Once that's done I'll release our whole set too. Four, count them, four CD's in one week. I'm still getting caught up on my sleep, but it was all worth it!

So, stay tuned for the details about the CD release party....

On the day of the show

Friday, November 11th (Veteran's Day) was the big day, and the crew kicked into action in an effortless ease that makes me real proud ofthese folks. KB and the sound crew was hard at work at the Theater around 8 a.m. and Buzz and the rest of the gang from BBS Studios was on-site to get the recording equipment set up not long after that. KB is the reason the show sounded so good live, and Buzz is going to put an incredible recording in your hands.

What it all comes down to is this, the mood on the street as people flooded into the theater for the show- they know they've got a great time ahead, and it really shows on their faces:



This is our first year in the 4th Avenue Theater, and the acoustics are so much better than our old location, and the theater itself is so classy that it really was the perfect place to sage this years show. For those of you that can't get to Anchorage, here's a shot of the inside of the theater from the balcony that gives you a good idea of why I love this room so much....



It's a great room to sing in, by the way. And it's a little hard to tell from this photo, but the theater is at capacity, but with most everyone jammed down on the dance floor!

The Headliners

For more information about Blue Lisa Monroe and Otto "Ottomatic Slim" Lenz:

Here's a picture of Lisa in action, read her blog here



And, of course, on of Otto in the middle of a ferocious harp solo! More information about Otto can be found here

Melissa, Robert and Stu

Here's some people that performed at the benefit that you need to know more about!

Melissa Bledsoe Fisher is probably the best keyboard player I know. An unreal jazz pianist, she's also one of the best roots-blues players around. Schooled in the old masters like Otis Spann as much as she is rooted in jazz, she's simply a monster. Click here to get to her homepage.



Another person you need to know about is Big Robert T, a great vocalist that moved from Anchorage to Atlanta. I've known Robert for a few years now, and it's great to see his career taking off. Learn more by clicking here. Here's a picture of Big Robert in action...



Here's a wide shot of the band, the guitar player on the left side of the photo is probably my favorite guitar player on the planet- Stu Schulman. He's an absolute genius, a master of a half-dozen instruments including the Pedal Steel, Guitar and Hammond Organ. He's one hell of an interesting character as well.



If you're lucky enough to see them perform, jump at that chance!

Recording, phase 1

I landed in Anchorage with thirty new songs and a goal of playing and recording as many of them as I could. Where do you start? With a great rhythm section, of course. I dragged John Clark and Joel Lockman into BBS Studios on Wednesday night with an eye towards recording as many scratch tracks as I could. In about 4 hours we had perfected the basics for seven songs for the new Son Henry Band record. And then the jet lag kicked in- I'd been on my feet for over 48 hours at that point with minimal sleep and already played a gig that day, so I was pretty wiped.

Here's Joel on the standup bass learning one of the tunes:



Here's me, smiling at how fast these guys can learn material!



And John, of course, talking to Buzz about sme arcane bit of drum recording lore.



The amazing thing is that these guys had never heard these tunes before, we learned them on the spot and recorded them. I think they're good songs, but these guys added that unusual element that makes this a great record.

So, Thursday it was off to the studio to finish everything, mostly singing and recording the lap steel parts. It's a pretty sparse record all in all, but the space is well-used and the grooves are pretty tight. I think you'll like it! And that was just the start of the week!

Blues for my Brother Review

We got a great review in the Anchorage Press this week for Blues for My Brother! I'm flattered, but I also think that Stu, Otto, Lisa and Melissa deserved every word and then some.


Click Here to read the review!

I'll write a whole bunch this weekend as I catch my breath, and post some pictures too. For now let's just say it was good to be back in Anchorage with so many great people, have a chance to get caught up, and do something wonderful for people that need it that can only be done by a community.

The live recordings came out great, and are now in Mike Buzzinski's very capable hands to mix and master. We're going to find a corporate sponsor for the release and then make the disks available through a bnch of sources, again to benefit the shelter's programs.

Ok, right now some sleep- it took FOUR full days of travelling to get back home to Aberdeen because of flight delays. But there is a great deal to write about, in the meantime take a look at the review. Thanks to Scott Christensen, Monica Bradbury and the rest of the staff at the Anchorage Press, Amy Van Singel at the Anchorage Daily News, Gary Lamar and everyone else at Channel 2 for helping get the word out! We really did a great thing together this week, and I appreciate your help!

In Anchorage Recording!

Well, day one of the new CD was really productive, we played all the basic tracks for seven songs and the really sound good. Tomorrow (Thursday) I'm going back to record the other guitar and harp parts and do some singing. We're including these songs for sure on the CD:

Voodoo Doll
Not your Satellite
Luke's Black Cloud Blues
Black Cat Blues
Killing Floor
The One I love
Walking Shoes

So, it's off to a good start. Hmmm, CD release party needs to be soon.

Hey, you should join my mailing list

I added a link to get on my mailing list over to the right. Why join the list? Well, if you're in the area I can tell you about gigs. I have several new CD's coming out very soon. AND, I'm going to start putting mp3's of live shows on the web and letting the folks on the mailing list know how to get at them. See? News and free stuff!

Please just tell me where you are on the planet, so I can be selective in what I send, ok?

Don't worry, though. My job is playing the guitar not spamming you with viagra adds or that silly Nigerian Chain-letter scam.

Have a think.....

My mother in law sent me this...

Ironic, no?

This week in the Anchorage Press

Well, the advance word is out in Alaska. Here's a quick write-up from the Anchorage Press and all you need to do is click here!.

It's great to be going back for a visit. Wish it was longer, but we'll make hay while the sun is shining. Hmmm, bad metaphor. We'll ski while the powder is fresh. Yeah, that's better.

I'm opening for Mem Shannon tomorrow

Yep, I'm opening for Mem Shannon and his band tomorrow night at the Blue Lamp. I'm on at 8:30 for a short set, and then I get to kick back with y'all and listen to Mem do his thing! What can I say, it's an honor to open for a cat like Mem Shannon, he's a great musician and songwriter. Tickets are cheap, so even though it's a Sunday it beats staying home and fighting with the kids and the dog!

I think these are my favorite records-

That one has audio clips recorded in a taxi, back when he was a cab driver. It's a great record. This one is also really good too:

Blues for my Brother benefi for the Brother Francis Homeless Shelter update

Well, the Brother Francis Shelter benefit is next week, and I'm getting everything organized from 9 timezones away. It's going to be a great show, and while I may be a little jet-lagged it's worth it for the chance to play music with old friends and support a worthy cause. Six months of planning comes down to this- here's the schedule.

The Schedule:

6:00 Doors open for the dinner crowd
6:15 Welcome, program announcements and thanks
6:30-7:00 Rick Brooks
7:00-7:30 Veronica C. Page band

- short break to allow dinner clean-up
and admission of the later crowd.

8:00-8:30 Melissa Bledsoe Fisher
8:30-9:00 Son Henry
9:00-9:30 Big Robert T
9:30-10:15 Blue Lisa, headliner from Dallas
10:15-11:15 Otto 'Ottomatic Slim' headliner from Boston
11:15 Raffle draw
11:30-12:00 Spin the bottle (the band, not the game)


It's going to be a great night, lots of dancing and laughter. A stage full of monster musicians. Food. Raffle items. If it were me I'd go for the dinner tickets, reserve a place down close to the dance floor and bring really comforatble dancing shoes.

See you all there! I'll post pictures as soon as I get back!

Hurricane Katrina Benefit

Wow, what a party, we raised around $3,000 and had a great time doing it. And today I'm still wiped out. What a weekend.

Party started at 12, which meant that we loaded in and set up at 10 a.m. Not really a big deal except that we played in Dundee the night before and were running on a couple hours sleep. But right out of the gate the music was great, starting with the Juke Joint Rollers. There was a great range of solo performers and duos in the afternoon, including Richard 'Snakehips' O'Donnell on the piano and guitar, the Bourach Brothers and Sliding Delta (Dougie and Lovat). The louder section of the night took off with Papa Mojo, a new band called Mr. Spider, my band and then Lazy Poker. Once the raffle was done we openend it up into an invitational jam that went till all hours of the morning.

And my buddy Eric sat through the whole thing and was still functional enough to drive me and a couple of others home at the end.

I could talk for hours, here's some pictures. The first on is my band, with Mel from Lazy Poker covering for Les:




This is Bob Telford from Wolftrain, great Chicago-style band:




And here is my buddy Lovat Fraser tuning up in the mens room....





And this is Paul Tasker from the Bourach Brothers, a great finger-style player:





And Sandy Mathers, the other half of the Bourach Brothers:





And finally Papa Mojo, with Billy Allardyce on the drums. Excellent guys to know, and great musicians too:



All in all it was a day to remember. We raised some money for people that need help and had a great time. What's more it's proof that blues musicians and fans are the same the world over, and I had a great time talking and getting to know everyone. I'm sure we'll do some event like this again.....

Blues for my Brother Update

All-

The line-up is official:

Otto 'Ottomatic Slim' Lenz (a harmonica legend from Boston) is headlining. Blue Lisa from Dallas is coming along too. Big Robert T is flying in from Atlanta. Melissa Bledsoe Fisher is joining in, as is Stu Schulman, Rick Brooks, the Veronica C. Page band, and Spin the Bottle. Oh, and my old band will be there too.

For $30 you can have a reserved seat and dinner, and for you the doors open at 6 pm. For a few bucks less you can skip the meal and the early part of the show, join in for the dancing at 8 pm. If it was me I'd go for the dinner tickets, because you'll save over going to a restaurant- and the music will be better.

Oh, keep in mind that we're recording too so we can release a follow-on cd.

Scottish Blues Alliance, Katrina Benefit Schedule

Gang, the Scottish Blues Alliance benefit for the musicians of New Orleans is Saturday at the Blue Lamp in Aberdeen. Noon-Midnight for 10 quid.

We've got CD's from blues bands around the world, a 12-string guitar, T-Shirts, Whisky, Stevie Ray Vaughan Backstage Passes, Muddy Waters Tickets, and the Peter Green Biography autographed by Peter Green as silent auction and raffle items.

Here's the schedule:

12:00 Doors Open
12:30 Juke Joint Rollers
2:00 Snakehips
3:00 The Bourach Brothers
4:00 Sliding Delta
5:00 Wolftrain
6:00 Pete Goldie
6:15 Papa Mojo
7:15 Pete Goldie
7:30 Mr. Spider
8:30 Sliding Delta
8:45 Son Henry Band
9:45 Sliding Delta
10:00 Lazy Poker
11:00 Big Raffle Draw
11:15 Monster Invitational Jam

Best show in town! See you there...

My bestfriend is getting married!

It's an amazing thing when two people can be so much in love that making decisions about forever is totally logical. Wow.

More about the Lemon Tree....

By my count there are several keepers, well recorded and really well played:

Second Glance
Vodoo Doll
Hole in My Soul
Cypress Grove
Nobody knows you (when you're down and out)

And a couple that I'm on the fence about:

Glenn Highway blues
Can't be satisfied
3 O'clock in the morning
Key to the highway
Future blues

So, I think what I'll do is think about it for a few more days and then put out a few samplers to people on my mailing list that typically have strong opinions. At any rate, I'm back at the Lemon Tree on the 25th of November and with a little luck we'll catch a few tunes that I didn't play. That list, if you're curious, is:

Rising Water Blues
When I lay my burden down
Watching Noah Sleep
Luke's Black Cloud Blues
I'm not your satellite
Deeper and Deeper
Fat Jeans
Nunca Mas, Corazon

and a few favorite covers like:

Terraplane Blues
Tom Rushen's Blues
Kindhearted Woman
Yo yo mama

So, there it is, in advance- my Lemon Tree set list for the next show. And to think some of you never imagined that you'd ever see me put together a set list.....

Live at the Lemon Tree today

Well, I was a little underwhelmed by the music today and then I listened to the cd that Craig recorded for me. Turns out it actually was pretty good, some of it is good enough to share. So, give me a bit and I'll distill some of the best songs and make them available here. Just goes to show you that you just never really know. Lot's of the credit goes to Craig, who did a really stellar job on the sound today, dealing with that cantankerous national guitar of mine is an art. Hopefully he'll be the soundguy at my next gig there on November 25th.

As always, it was great to see so many of you, including Sandy Mathers and the contingent from ConocoPhillips- Eithne, Allen, Hugh and Carol. Thanks for coming today, hope to see more of you!

OK, back to work on the recordings. Needed to pop up for a bit and let you know what was going on!

CD Suggestion: Sacred Steel Convention

Been a while since we had a CD suggestion here, so let's talk, because this is a great one. It's some amazing music recorded at the Second Annual Sacred Steel Convention in March, 2001. It's got the Campbell Brothers, Elton Noble, Lonnie Bennett, Robert Randolph and a number of other monster musicians that are all masters of the genre. Even if you're not into gospel music, this is a fantastic disk. I got my copy in Houston last week, but you can get it from any of the on-line CD retailers and it's worth every penny. You can listen on-line at Amazon, frankly the samples don't do the CD justice!

A Whirlwind tour of Texas

Hey all, I'm back. It's so good to be home. I love Texas, don't get me wrong (it was even home at one time) but there is nothing in life like the sound of your suitcase hitting the floor inside your own front door.

Spent a week in Houston, checking out local bands and sitting in here and there. I really enjoyed a set by Sonny Boy Terry at the very funky Shakespere Club. He's a great harp player, worth checking out if you're in the area.

From there I was in Dallas for the 6th Anniversary show of Blue Lisa's Big Texas Blues radio show on KNON 89.3. She took me on a tour of the new studio and I spent some time talking to my old friends Dave Chaos and Don O. Don was also kind enough to put me on the air during his show and play a couple of songs off the new CD.

The anniversary show was a monster bill at Django's on the Parkway, with locals BB Campbell and the Hambones, Andrea Dawson, Blue Lisa, me and Candye Kane. Mike 'BB' Campbell is an upcomer in Dallas, and they really kicked it off fine. Andrea Dawson is my favorite new Blues-RnB singer, man she's got an incredible voice and stage persence for miles. My set (with a fair amount of steel guitar) was very well received, and Lisa's band did a great job with my songs. Thanks Tim, Nick, Jim and Lenno- you guys rocked the house.

But life in Dallas, ahhhh, what a great time. I used to live in a sleepy little town called McKinney, and so on Saturday it was off to visit friends for an old fashioned porch party. Ok, it's not exactly blues, but I love going back to my old haunts. Dinner at Sicily's. Cafe Brazil, the Metro Diner, Guitar Center, Charley's Guitars. But the best part was sitting on my friends Lawrence and Nina's porch with Dan, Rick and Kerry and all the kids and just catching up.

But, home again. Laundry and then time to put the CD's that I bought on my mp3 player- and then I'll tell you all about those too.

And here's what they said about opening for Peter Green

Same source, different gig:

Inside the club the athmosphere was certainly electric and the supporting act the Son Henry Band started the evening with an impressive performance, the small space in front of the stage soon taken advantage of by a handful of dancers.

There's no doubt that the Alaskan Bluesman Son Henry, accompanied by Mike Oxley on bass and Les Taylor on drums, left the audience well and truly warmed up.

Even More from Orkney

They said this about us in the Orcadian:

Alaskan Bluesman Son Henry, appearing for the first time, proved a huge sucess. Recently relocated to Aberdeen, he is described as an excellent musician and performer providing a mixture of original material and covers with his voice and guitar to the fore, backed by a tight rhythm section.

This proved to be the case with strong vocals expressing deeply-felt lyrics. These, plus some excellent moves on the guitar, provided a hugely fun session, with the audience bopping away.

They also improvised, using an ashtray and a bottle of beer to play some of the tunes!

One fan said "They are excellent, a refreshing sound"

"They are very sharp and there is some really good guitar playing"

Robert MacNamara, another festival veteran, saod "This is the best band I've heard in three years of the festival"

Another man has been converted, Justin Kimmett of Stromness said: "I wasn;t a true blues fan until this weekend"

CD's are in the mail to CD Baby

Sorry we're out of stock. They're on the way, thanks for being patient while I get the hang of international parcel post....

More about Dallas, October 7th

Just a heads up, I'm going to get down to KNON and say 'hi' to Don O. on friday night as well before heading over to the show. Don's one of the longest running blues DJ's on the air, and one heck of a great guy. It'll be fun to catch up and see old friends and play some music. Spread the word! It's for a great cause. Hope to see you there....

Blue Lamp, Friday!

OK all, I'll have my acoustic lap-steel guitar with me tomorrow night. It's going to be a great show, with the legendary Sandy Tweedale and little old me. See you tommorrow night!

Dallas, October 7th....

Oh, I've got to go to Texas for a bit, and I'm really excited that I get to be part of the Blue Lisa Anniversary party, in honor of my friend Blue Lisa's radio show on KNON. Friday the 7th of October at Djangos on the Parkway in Dallas, Candye Kane is headlining along with a bunch of great Texas musicians. Details at the KNON website

Contrary to public belief, I'm alive....

Well, I'd planned on being in Anchorage this past weekend. Most of you may know by now that I didn't make it as planned. Thanks for your expressions of concern, here's what was going on.

Although these plans were made months in advance, my wifes employer needed here in London. That in itself isn't that bad, but with young kids 'someone' needs to be there to look after them. Hey, music is important but when you get right down to it my kids are more important. So, I had to cancel about 2 weeks ago. It sounds like the papers either didn't get the word or couldn't be bothered changing their ads. It's the first gig I've missed in years. Hopefully it will be the last for a bit. My humble apologies for the confusion. I never would have chosen things to work out the way they did.

As a consolation, I'll be there without fail for the benefit on November 11th. In fact, tickets for the show are about to go on sale. I'm going to see if we can get Studio 68 on the 12th for a jam and a chance to get together.

Be well, see some of you soon!

More from Orkney

Hi All- Les sent me these pictures of the opener we played for Peter Green and the British Blues All-Stars. The first one is us in the dressing room right before we hit the stage. That dressing room was the size of a night-club in it's own right.







Here's one of your's truly at sound check, armed only with an old Magnatone lap steel. The combination of my old amp and that amazing PA at the Fusion gave us probably what was the best-ever steel guitar sound for this band.






And Les, of course, giving the drums a good hard kick. Gotta love the sound of those rock-start drums.







And Mike making sure there was enough bass in the monitor mix.






And finally, this is us in our natural habitat.





What can I say, it was a great gig and the hour that we played seemed to go by too fast. My bet is that there were around 800 people in the club that night, the first 5 or so rows actually had enough room to dance (and dance they did).

Orkney Blues Festival Part 1.

Ah, what a great trip this was, lot's of great music, fantastic people and incredible scenery!

Now that the picture of the Brodegar Ring of Standing Stones is posted I'm going to grab some sleep. Details to follow, but for now- a million thanks for Colin Sinclair and everyone else involved in organizing the festival. They did a super job!

Watch this space, I've got photos of everyone in action that I need to post, including Peter Green and the rest of the British Blues All-Stars.....

First, some sleep!

Comments are back on

We'll see if we've outwitted the comment spammers. Blues or blog-related comments are welcome and invited.

Hey, I'm in CD Baby!

Yippee! My new CD is finally available at CD Baby. Click Here to see the site

Friday November 25th at the Lemon Tree

A confirmed date at the Lemon Tree. I'm hoping to have the new CD done by then!

Orkney next weekend

I heard from a reliable source that this is going to be the last Orkney Blues Festival. So, we'd better all make it a good one! I know the band and I are pulling out all the stops. I'm also teaching a lap-steel workshop, so if you've wanted to learn how to play the steel guitar that should be a good reason to travel.

Oh, and Peter Green is on the bill too. How very cool is that. Click Here to visit the official site. And then book your ferry tickets and pack a bag. This will be the festival to remember.

September 11 Blues

Do you remember where you were
when you saw the towers fall?
Do you remember where you were
when you saw the towers fall?
Images on the TV,
That you couldn't believe at all.

Praying for my brother
hoping that he'd be found
Praying for my brother
hoping that he'd be found
He was lucky, his plane never left the ground

Three men that I went to school with
and a couple thousand more
Left for work that morning
And would never make it home
Leaving us to wonder
Why they had to go.

Now I believe in a God of mercy
And I'll try to turn the other cheek
Pray to be strong enough
To always help the weak
And on days like today
let my falling teardops speak

(c) Words and Music Son Henry

How to Organize a Benefit

I've been getting asked this quite a bit, and after posting the same basic ideas on several forums I've just decided to put it all here so it's easier to reference.

Organizing a benefit is not as complicated as it seems. Understand that everyone wants to help if it's a good cause, and will be glad someone is leading the way. Also remember that you've got all kinds of friends that will get excited and want to help, especially if you're excited. It's contagious. Keep those two things in mind. Now, on to the details.

First, find a venue, nothing happens until you've got a room nailed down. If you can find a place with a PA even better.

It's a benefit, so let the club have the bar, but always ask for a cut of the bar too. Don't give them a share of the door or ticket sales unless they're doing something for you like advertising. If you live in an area with more than one club, shop around to get the best deal. You're going to bring in business and generate publicity for the club, so don't be shy about asking for things. Get the best deal you can.

Now, call all your friends and get them together to talk about how they can help, because you're officially having a benefit once the room is nailed down. It's time to fill in the rest of the details.

Next you need to line-up the musical talent. I'd suggest getting several bands to play short sets rather than a single performer, because what you're after is an event ticket- the chance to see people together that you won't see otherwise. 4 bands laying 45 minute sets is a great evening's entertainment. Also, by getting several good performers on a single ticket you've made that ticket more valuable. Third, you decrease the local competition on the night of your benefit. Really, you want to be selling the hottest ticket in town. Stacking the deck with several talented bands is the way to go.

OK, ticket price. I'd take the normal cover charge and double it as a start. Charge at the door. Really, this is a judgement call. Reality-check this with people you trust, get as much per ticket as you can. Remember that you want to get as many bodies in the room as you can.

Ultimately it all comes down to advertising. Newspapers, Radio and TV all run PSA's- public service announcements. You need a well-written press release and a telephone. Over the phone verify who gets these (numbers are in the phone book, call the main number), fax them in and then follow it with another phone call. Be nice, talk up what you're doing. You need to be persistent, not pushy. Some places, like TV stations, will cut you a deal where they'll give you advertising at a real cut rate. For that you need a budget (see below)

You need to print posters and hang them everywhere. You'll need friends with cars toi help. Saturation is the name of the game, and when you get right down to it you want everyone talking about your show. Saturation.

OK, if you're doing this for the Red Cross or another organization call them today and get them involved. If you're going to put their logo on posters etc, the will need to be involved. They'll also advise about how to handle the money and how to take donations-in-kind (food, etc). Also, because they are a not-for-profit, you'll qualify for the not-for-profit rate if you buy advertising. Again you need a budget, so keep reading.

Still need a PA? Ask the bands, most have their own. Give the band bringing the PA credit for this by making them the host or anchor band. Also, take good care of the musicians, remember that any worth having are pro's and you're asking them to give up a night from the weekend is like asking a normal person do give up 1/2 a weeks salary. Go to cost-co and stock up on snacks for the bands, small things to let then know you appreciate what they're doing. Also plan on each band member bringing a guest. We all love to bring spouses or girlfriend when we're doing something nice for the community.

Next, get an Emcee. Ask the radio stations or TV stations if they have someone that would volunteer , for example. You need a pro to keep things moving, and someone to hawk the raffle items between band sets.

Now, about that budget. Approach (or get friends to approach) the companies you/they work for to get some money. It doesn't have to be much, 500-1000$ will make for a comfortable budget to print posters and buy newspaper adds if you have to. Many companies have matching grants or planning grants that are like free money that never gets used. Cold-call small businessses ask for a couple of hundered dollars in exchange for logo sponsorship (logo on the posters and print adds). With a little bit of nerve and networking you can raise a service-able budget quickly. Or consider donating the operating money if you can spare it. There are ways for you to get a tax deduction, ask the organization you're working with.

OK, here's the real important point. 10$ at the door for 100-200 people isn't much money. If you have an auction table, a raffle, etc, you can easily make 10 times that amount. Again, nerve and leg-work are required, but all you have to do is visit places of business and ask. Bring along documentation that shows you're legit, a letter from the club, etc. Lean on friends to help, they may know people that are store managers at bookstores, etc. Really, this is an easy one to blow by, but I know one benefit that really worked the raffle and silent auction. They set a low ticket price to fill the room and made $25,000 from the merchendise. Wow, yes? You can do that too, it's just leg work

Phew. It's a huge amount of work but it'll all be worth it when you find yourself looking at a room full of sweaty, dancing people all there for a good cause.

Oh, one last thing. Always remember to say thank you. It's so basic. Send thank you notes or call everyone that helps. Send thank you cards to the businesses that donated stuff. It's polite, and (ha ha ha) most places will hang them in a very public place. It's recognition for them, and great free advertising for next year,m when you start all over again....

Hurricane Katrina, Roger Sutcliffe and Hard Road blues

Talk about surreal. I was listening to Roger Sutcliffe at the Globe last night. One of his early numbers was Hard Road Blues, and while he was playing the song CNN was showing the footage of Hurricane Katrina over his shoulder. With the TV sound off, it was the perfect soundtrack, ironic in the juxtaposition. Truthful though.

I'm having a hard time watching the tv and functioning, knowing that friends are living through the aftermath of the hurricane in such squalor. And there's not much to be done from here at this point.

Review on the Blues Matters website

Hey- check out this review of Friday's gig at the Blue Lamp by Eric Scott! And click here to visit the Blues Matters website. What can I say Eric, I'm really flattered!

New CD

OK, 6 songs are roughed out, instrumental tracks pretty done:

Hole in my soul
Tom Rushen's Blues
Voodoo Doll
Luke's Black Cloud Blues
When I lay my burden down
Deeper and Deeper

5 or 6 more to go and then the tapes are off to Anchorage for John Clark to play some percussion.

Off to Houston in October.

So cool. I'm going to by that set of crocodile boots I've been yearning after.

For my environmentalist friends, they're farm-raised, not wild crocs. They raise them for food and hide, just like a cow. So please, no nasty emails (especially if you're wearing a leather belt while typing)

For my Alaskan buds, no I'm not skinning the croc myself.

For my Scottish friends, well- nevermind. Their cool shoes...

Hey comment spammers, kiss my butt.....

Sorry gang, somehow I got on some spammers list. I don't mind the comments, but I got 12 posts yesterday for medical websites in pakistan, botox, detox, iranian judges with issues, blah blah blah. I'm turning the anonymous comments off for a bit. Sorry. What can I say, spammers are jerks. Go somewhere else.

If you'd like to post comments, let me know by an email. From there I'll get you set up. Frankly, I'd rather just get the email....

When the levee breaks

Holding my breath today, worried about some of my friends in the New Orleans area. A category 5 hurricane, 145 mph winds. If by some miracle you can read this, our prayers are with you all tonight...

FWIW, I still remember Hugo in South Carolina. We lived through that, lived right through the damn middle of the storm. You never forget the sound of the wind when it's moving that fast. We're worried about you all, call or email when you can.

More Ramblings on the new CD

Back in the studio this week for more recording. And truthfully, I'm not really interested in doing a band album at all, the tracks are going to be hard labor. Most of what I'm real excited about is the old-school, pre-war blues. Not the new electric stuff. So, I'm opting for a bit of a left turn- all acoustic instruments (save the lap steel) and no drums. For now.

Oh, I've had an offer to borrow a mandolin. I'm in the market for an old 4-string irish banjo too. Ever heard those old blues guys that played banjo? Oh my gawd what a sound! Get back. Hey, it's got frets and wire, yes? I can play that. Say prayers for my family's patience tonight....

Tommy Johnson

So I've got to buy my 4th copy of the complete recorded works of Tommy Johns. It must be the cursed disk in my cd collection.

Disk 1? Lost somewhere in my truck on a cross-country road trip.
Disk 2? Purchased to replace disk 1.

Disk 1 shows up, so I gave disk 2 to a good friend that also has bad luck with Tommy Johnson cds.

Disk 3? Well, disk #1 went walk-about in my truck again. Disk 3 was a much needed replacement.

Before I can crack the shrink-wrap, disk #1 shows up again. So, I saved disk 3 and used it as a raffle item at Blues For My Brother last year.

Now, why disk #4? Well, when unpacking some stuff from my move over here it managed to fall out of my CD binder and get stepped on. I can play the first 4 tracks, but it's just not making it. So, CD #4 is on order.

So, you might infer that Tommy Johnson is a serious addiction, yes? I should probably buy 2 copies, but I'd probably lose both of them. Oh, being a superstitious guy by nature, I'm not adding these tracks to my MP3 player either.

Damn, I *love* TJ's guitar playing too.

Steve Arvey

Man, what a great time last night at the Globe. Steve Arvey was in town from Chicago. As those of you that were there know, Steve has played with everyone and is a real monster talent- as a blues cat and as a singer-songwriter.

So, throw a couple of blues guys together and then stir- Steve was kind enough to let me sit in last night and play some lap steel and a little Slide guitar as part of his show. It was fun to be a sideman again for a bit, and play some of the old acoustic tunes. Great gig, hopefully the first of many!

Travel safe, Steve and come back soon!

Arbroath, day 2

Well friends, the second day was a little more colourful than the first- bot only because I'm directionally challenged. I was sure I knew where I was going, I studied maps and google earth. I was confident. I'd studied the city, and had a plan. But I was wrong.

To be fair, I got close. Within a city block, in fact. I circled the block several times and drove my truck full of gear past a pair of Police Officers. By the 4th pass they flagged me down. "Lost, are we son?", they asked. Impressed that they new my name, I asked for their help. They pointed me in the right direction and off I went, only to drive by them again 100 feet down the road. More directions and more driving and I passed them a 3rd time. At this point they told me to just keep following them, the club was across the street from the Police Station.

Fortunately there was a parking place in front off the club and the PA went up without issue. It was a fun gog, we ended up playing some impromptu James Brown, Lynyrd Skynyrd and other oddities, as well as a bunch of tunes of the new CD. And then there was "murderer's row"- a bunch of great musicians all hanging out, including Billy Allardyce, Dave Blair, Gerry Jablonski. Intimidating bunch of friendly guys.

So, tonight (Turesday) I'm off to Drummmonds to hear Gerry Jablonski with Chris Simmonds and Steve Arvey. More gigs about to hit the calendar. Stay tuned. And thanks for hannging out with me and the band this weekend!

How you know you're gigging in Scotland

On my way home I had one of those profound experiences while driving, the realization that after years of planning we're actually here, playing gigs.

That may sound odd, I mean we've been here since April. So at that level I totally understand. But at well past midnight I was driving the coast road home. It was a beautiful night, clear but everything was black, not a hint of blue in the sky. I hit this one length of road where I was driving along the edge of a cliff along a large secluded bay and I just had to stop. Sliver ribbon of monlight on the water, just a hint of fog and the North Sea surf, huge breakers. Absolutely beautiful. I've loved along the ocean most of my life and never seen something so stunning.

If my ears hadn't been still ringing from my gig it would have been perfect. Someone to share it with might have been nice too.....

Arbroath, Saturday (part one)

Hi gang- We're halfway through the Arbroath Blues Festival, two gigs down one to go!

Had a great set with the band at the Inverpark Hotel in the afternoon. It's really a pub with a hotel attached and for once it was a real easy load in. In fact it was almost too easy- the club (unbeknownst to us) had hired a PA for the day, so I didn't need to move anything but my guitar amp and a few odd 6-strings. Place was empty as a church on monday as we set up, but by the time we kicked it off there wasn't a seat to be had. Which is really pretty amazing seeing as it was a spectacular day outside. A bunch of my music buddies were there too- Sandy Mathers, Chris Simmonds and the cats from uGli, and of course excellent folks like Anna. Steve Arvey from Chicago stuck his head in to say hi too. And, of course, a typical Son Henry Band set- 2 hours, no break and no set list.

Saturday night I had a solo gig at the Station Bar, a little hole-in-the-wall across from the train station. This place was *really* tiny, gang. About as wide as an average kitchen and about as long as Blues Central in Anchorage. I got my gear all set up, was ready to go and then *BOOM* went the power. We re-set the breaker and then blew it again. Once we unplugged the cigarette machine, the ice maker, the dishwasher and the jukebox the fuse stayed lit. So, off I went. Once again the place was jammed with people, I mean crazy jammed. It was so full that in order for people to get to the toilets in the back I needed to stop playing to let them get by, so I'd start scatting and dry strumming to keep time and they'd be able to answer nature's call. Oh, it was supposed to be an hour gig, but by the 45 minute mark there were a bunch of people dancing and we were having so much fun that I ended up playing about a 90 minute show. Thanks guys, I had as much fun as y'all did.

So, today it's off to the Burns Bar in Arbroath for a closer. One more electric set and I can crash. What a great weekend so far....

Check us out here too!

Hey all-

Check us out here too, we're on the Fat Blues Cat site too, thanks to my buddy Steve.
Click here to see the page. It's got a bunch of pictures so it takes a bit to load, but I promise you that it's worth the wait!

Sidewalk Poet

I've got to get warmed up for the Arbroath Blues Festival this coming weekend, so I'll be playing on the street Thursday Night around the corner of Union and Belmont. Not so much to make bus fare, but to run down a few new tunes in front of real people. If you're around stop by and say hi. Probably be there around 9 or so.

The Bourach Brothers

Had a chance to sit in with the Bourach Brothers (Sandy Mathers and Paul Tasker) at the Queen Vic. Great duo, excellent guys, great music. Didn't know they did live music there, but it's a great venue too.

We're in CDBABY

It may take a few days to get everything set up, but we're going to be listed in CDbaby which means you can order CD's on the web. Or get stuff from Napster, or whatever. Kinda cool, all this technology stuff, bringing alaska blues to your door....

It'll be here once they're done setting us up:

www.cdbaby.com

Some CD's to check out

Heard through the grapevine that there are some new CD's coming out that are worth knowing about-

One of them is by a young cat named Mark Lemhouse. It's traditional blues with a nice modern feel, not quite so 'out there' as the North Mississippi Allstars. I've got his first CD called Big Lonesome Radio, and I'm looking forward to his next one. Here's more information from his label:

http://yellowdogrecords.com

Also heard that there's a new Corey Harris CD and a new Alvin Youngblood Hart cd as well. Damn, gotta spend some money this week.

Oh, but the one that's been in my CD player all week is the new one by Junior Watson (www.juniorwatson.com). If you like west coast blues, Junior is king.

Blue Lamp last night

Thanks to all of you that came out to see us last night. I love the acoustics in the Blue Lamp- there's something about a long room with a slate floor that really seems to enhacne the sound of the band. A bit of natural reverb perhaps. Whatever it is, I love playng there.

I'd been posting on Billy Allardyce's forum (http://blindman.forumhoster.com/) right before leaving about those old pawnshop and ebay guitars. I was joking about how much I love the old silvertone and harmony guitars, old danelectro's and those other really cheap student models. Well, ok, so I favor an old strat too. But if you're reading this from the blindman forum, I was thinking of you guys as I set up- an old magnatone, and old silvertone, a national lap steel. Nice looking backline.

We'd intended to play 2 1-hour sets, but we started at a little after 9 and took our first break around 11:30. What can I say, we were in the zone. I just felt good to play. For a late second set we had local harp ace Spider McKenzie sitting in as well. Great to see Sandy Mathers, Dave Blair, Chris Simmonds, Eric-the-Social-Worker and Dave Inness, and get at least a few minutes to catch up with everyone. And the crowd from BP- welcome to the family!

So, a couple of people commented that we weren't playing enough slide tunes, and looking back on it I have to agree. Not sure why the muses took us in the direction that they did, perhaps we just needed to dust off the old west coast catalog, or some Lazy Lester, or Otis Rush. We'll try and play more slide tunes in Arbroath.

It's great how close some of you pay attention to what we do. A couple of people commented on the difference in tone between the magnatone and national lap steels- you could have knocked me over with a feather, you guys are really astute! My favorite comment though was

"That sounded like a cross between David Lindley and Stevie Ray Vaughan"

(David Lindley was the guy that played steel guitar for Jackson Browne by the way- remember 'Running on Empty'?) I should have my 10-string repaired by the Arbroath Festival next weekend- then we'll really have something to talk about!

So, here's a little prod to all my friends- don't be shy about making a tune request! I remember songs like I remember jokes- one leads to another, all being linked in some strange interconnected way that I don't understand. But chances are if you ask for Magic Sam, you'll get that plus a bunch of other stuff that'll make you smile. And since we never work with a set list who's going to know?

Thanks again to all of you that made it out last night. Be sure to tell all your friends that stayed home to watch re-runs on video that it's a proven medical fact that socializing will extend your life-span. Why not do it with a blues soundtrack.....

Peace

Son

BFMB House Band Line-up

Well here's the latest for the Blues for My Brother House Band, it's so cool.

Stu Schulman (guitar)
Patti Greene (bass and vocals)
Trish Hamm (bass and vocals)
Melissa Bledsoe Fisher (key's and vocals)
John Clarke (Drums)
Me (guitar, steel guitar and vocals)

There'll be a bunch of other players rotating in too. Man what can I say, look at the line-up, do you have any idea what it's gonna be like to be in the middle of this? Damn, I can't wait.

Links

Some Favorite Links:

Musicians:

Joey Fender, Alaskan Rockabilly King

Cool Blues Links:

Blackcat Bones Blues Emporium
Independent bluesartist network and magazine
(fatbluescat.com)


Festivals and such:

Blues Festival Guide Online
Blues Festivals Around the World!
www.BluesFestivalGuide.com

Friends:

The Blind Man's Blues Forum
Wild Blue Models, my Brother Pigs model shop



Want to be on my list? I'll trade ya.....

Johnshaven

Thanks Sandy for getting me on the schedule!

Johnshaven Fish Festival, Saturday August 6th. I can honestly say that in all my years I've never followed a pipe (as in bagpipes) band. But there you go, everyday is something new.

The festival was fun, they blocked off the streets and set up a small fair along the waterfront on a beautiful saturday morning. Blue skys and sea breezes. Great fish and chips. All in all a great way to spend a day. Oh, and I got to play 45 minutes of old stomp-down delta blues with special guest Sandy Mathers sitting in on Harp.

Set list went somthing like:

Glenn Highway Blues
You got to move
That same thing
Hummingbird
She's my Home
Voodoo Doll (one of the new songs I promised)
I'll always be in love with you
Preachin Blues, Jitterbug Swing, Fixing to die medley
Future Blues

Probably some others thrown in there too. Oh, here's a picture to prove I was really there:

James Talley and Blues for My Brother

Just a quick heads up that we've added a second headliner to the Blues for My Brother show on November 11 in Anchorage. James Talley, a monster musician and songwriter, will be joining us adding a real special acoustic element to the show. To learn more about him, click here. What can I say, I'm thrilled that we've got *another* musician of his caliber being part of the show. Special thanks to Mike McCormick of Whistling Swan Productions in Anchorage for making it happen.

If you missed it a few posts ago, Otto 'Ottomatic Slim' Lenz, an old friend from the East Coast will be the other headliner. Otto's the best harmonica player I know, period. And the back-up band rocks. If that wasn't enough, Big Robert T will be there. Only one member of the Alaska class of 2005 that we still need to get a thumbs up from and that's Joey Fender. Joey, if you're reading this shoot me an email because it's not a party with out you!

The final line-up should be posted later this week, just trying to coordinate some details (and some of you are hard to reach). I'll post the line-up and the poster art here when I get it all together. In the meantime, keep watching this space because it's going to be a great show.

My new favorite guitar player

When Robert Cray was in town last month he had a solo artist open up for him. Yeah, sure I thought and almost lingered over dinner to get to the show in time to see RC throw down. Damn glad I didn't, because the opener was a cat named Ray Bonneville. Electric guitar and harp, great voice and some amazing songs. What can I say, I'm glad I was there because he totally rocked the house.

Got a chance to talk to him after the show, he's also a really super, mellow guy that just loves playing music. So, I bought a couple of CD's and I've been wearing them out. My favorite of them is called 'Gust of Wind' and you can get it at CDbaby. Check him out, let me know.

Road gigs coming up, brace yourself.

It's underway. Anyone got a mandolin?

Well, I've got the artwork started, all I need are a few songs.....

But, I've now got 3 songs started with rough parts on tape. Just finished recording the basic tracks to 'Hole in my Soul', a song you may have heard at the Blue Lamp. Also have the basics to 2 other new songs that have never been played in front of an audience. I'm excited about this new disk. It'll be a mix of raw acoustic blues and some odd instrumentation. My big regret is that I left my mandolin in Alaska, and I've got the perfect place for a mandolin part. Damm. Can anyone loan me a mando?

So, I'm going to try and have this finished by the time I head back to Alaska so I can organize the duplication while I'm there. We'll have a CD release party sometime about mid-November.

So, it's underway, the songs are all written and arranged. What can I say, I'm excited. And the artwork is almost done too. How cool is that!

Some new songs to listen for!

Just so you think the news isn't all bad, some new songs in the works, and you'll hear them at the up-coming gig at the Blue Lamp. My good friend Blue Lisa gave me a much needed kick in the pants, and I'm back to work writing songs and (as you can tell from some earlier posts) getting them recorded as well.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I need to mix the Atomic Mama show. I know. I'm working on it.

Here's what's interesting- There's some interesting blues songs happeing, but also a tango or two, some old country, a little jazz. Not sure where this stuff is coming frm but I'm putting it down on paper. The good stuff will go on tape too..

OK, enough for today. Too nice to be inside here, so I'm going to finish the wiring as best I can and then hit the beach. You heard that right- hit the beach right here in bonnie Scotland....

Peace.

Well, add them to the list of stuff lost in the move

Finishing up wiring the studio so I can get back to work. All my insert cables are missing, some that I made myself that connect some audio equipment to the board. What a pain, I need to re-make all those cables again. Arrrrgh.

Even Guitar Players need a day off.....

Even guitar players get a day off. So, time for a pilgrimage. I took my clan to see Doune Castle, one of the sites where Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed. It was used as Camelot, Castle Anthrax, Swamp Castle, and of course, the Castle of Guy de Lombard. We spent several hours deciding what scene was filmed in each room. We also bought a copy of the movie script in the gift shop to be sure the running dialog was accurage.




"I have to push the pram alot....."


What a great day. OK, back to blues.

Oh, we're on for the Orkney Blues Festival

Here's the URL

Click Here


That's my buddy Joey in the background of the picture.

A great quote, made me laugh

I'm reading a book by Nick Hornby called 'A Long Way Down', abouu 4 people that meet on New Years Eve at the top of a tower where they've all planned to jump. One of the characters is a musician. Later on, he's complaining about people that don't read:

"I've spent my entire life with people who don't read - my folks, my sister, most of the band, especially the rhythym section"

OK, not exactly blues, but it struck me as funny.

Saw Tam White last night

Almost forgot. Saw Tam White at the Globe in Aberdeen last night. He was as good as always. Great voice, and a good raport with his audience. Real informal too, I really dig it. You should check him out if he's in your area.

Working in the studio this weekend

Hey all.

Got a couple of new songs in the works. I'm sure I'll trot them out at the Blue Lamp gig next month. But, I'm getting back to work in the studio working on some demos of new songs. And, (scouts honor) I'm going to *FINALLY* mix the live broadcast we did on the Atomic Mama show in February. I don't really have an excuse for not having this finished, it's about 5 hours of work to complete. Well, my excuse is that I've been hanging out in pubs, eating take-away kebabs and hanging out with my family.

Looks like they caught the bomber.

Amazing how quickly too. Now if all the violence could end. No politics here, just sadness at how we all treat each other. Still a '60's child.....

A 2-minute national moment of silence for the London Bombing victims

So, join me if you will...
















Thanks. Pray for peace tonight. Work for peace in the morning.

I enabled the 'Email this Post'

Hey all-

I was digging through the Blogger documentation and realized I could enable the ability to email posts. So, you can now click on the email icon at the end of the posts and email them if you like. For example, email the schedule post to all your friends....

OK, back to the blues.

An official schedule update

Some up-coming dates so you'll mark your calendar! CD's available....

August 6: Johnshaven Fish Festival, Son plays solo, and with a little luck Sandy Mathers is going to sit in, arent you Sandy!. Time and location TBA.

August 12: Son Henry Band at the Blue Lamp (A Beermonster Production, brought to you by our friend Chris Simmonds). Details to follow. But it's close enough to home that I'm bringing all the toys.

August 20: A double-header at the Arbroath Festival. Look below for the information or click here for the official site.

We're finalizing details to go up to the Orkney Festival, and of course, there's these two:

September 23: Son Solo at the Inn Cafe, Palmer, Alaska. 6:30- 9:30. I'm hoping that Alison King and John Clark will be playing too.

September 23/24 The Free Buster Tour. Two nights at the Fly By Night Club. Band starts at 10 pm, no cover, lots of special guests both nights. Celebrate my dogs departure from Anchorage to join the family in Scotland!

November 11th: The Fifth Annual Blues for My Brother benefit for the Brother Francis Shelter. 4th Avenue Theater, Anchorage Alaska. Doors open at 7pm, show goes late and features Otto "Ottomatic Slim" Lenz, a monster harp player from Boston with a new CD on 95 North Records as well as a bunch of local and regional favorites.

Arbroath and beyond...

Hey gang, this just in. On August 20th I'm playing a solo and a band set at the Arbroath Festival! That is so cool. More details as I get them, so check back! Also in the process of confirming a couple of other festival and pub gigs, so stay tuned!

A Dundee Retrospective

Wow. It's taken me a few days to recover from the Dundee Blues Bonanza. Like many of you that were there, I went without a break for three straight days. What an incredible weekend of music and just plain hanging out.

For those of you reading this from someplace other than Scotland, Dundee is a nice little city on the coast, about an hour south of Aberdeen. Here are some Pictures of the town of Dundee from the Blues Bonanza webmaster's photo library:

The look up Reform Street:



Dundee City Square:




It really is a nice place. Easy drive too.

The festival was the same weekend as the G8 summit, and everyone was expecting the roads to be bad because of the protesters. The organizers were also worried that the attendance might be down for the same reason. Well, there may have been a large number of people marching, but there were also a large number of people out supporting live music as well.

So, here's what happened!

Friday night I was scheduled to play at the Marquee with my new band (Les Taylor on drums and Mike Oxley on bass). Got there around 3pm to have a sound check and met Bob Telford (the organizer), his wife Henny (hope that's spelled right) and Ivers from Bob's band Wolftrain who was running sound that night. Also on the bill was Bottleneck John from Sweden and Tam White- a well know Scottish blues singer an actor (he was in Braveheart). All great people. Also on the bill was Bob Hall, an incredible blues piano player who was part of Savoy Brown and some of the other players like Peter Green. What an honor to be on the bill with these guys, even more so to be the last act of the night.

the club was supposed to be easy to find. "Look for the big yellow sign that says Marquee" were my instructions. We looked and looked and couldn't find it. Because they were repainting the sign. So after about 20-30 minutes of looking around there was finally enough on the sign that we understood what was going on.

The Marquee was a cool club, real long and wide with a nice high ceiling. Decorated in a retro, vintage disco vibe. Sound check was easy, the guys really knew their stuff. Les and I hung out listening to the other cat's do their thing and then it was our turn. Here's a photo Les took over the top of the drums of the magnatone lap steel in action:



And here's a picture of me and Bob Hall:




Meanwhile, my long-suffering wife was back poolside at the hotel, hanging out with our little kids. She wisely made arrangements at a hotel right downtown that doubles as a spa. It also turns out that it was walking distance to all the clubs, which was really convenient because we only have one car. Last thing I wanted was for the 3 of them to be stranded.

After sound check I went back and checked on my gang, had dinner in a great pub and wandered the city for a bit. Show started at 8pm, we were on at 11 so we had some time. I ended up there around 9 or so, my wife threw me out of the hotel room- I think the pacing was making her nervous. And there you go, I *hate* waiting to go on. It's not a nervous thing, it's an excitement thing. I just can't wait and so I get all worked up and start pacing and singing. Like watching a hig-jumoer rehearse a jump perhaps. No matter, it bugs her so off I went to the Marquee.

Instead of pacing at the club, I got to hang out on the front steps and talk to Bob Hall quite a bit. He's an interesting person. We talked about the chicago blues festival, a bunch about Muddy and Wolf. Mostly we talked about clothes. How odd is that- 2 musicians talking wardrobe. It's an odd thing for me to see players on stage in a T-shirt and jeans, I suspect it's cultural. Bob and I were both really dressed up, probably the only 2 (outside of my band).

Tam White was up in front of us. Great band with an unusual line-up: 2 guitars, a harp player and Tam singing. He's got a great voice, did some excellent songs and really worked the room up to a nice energy level. Then it was our turn.....

The guys in my new band now have a few gigs behind them and they rocked. We came out swinging with 'Killing Floor' and put a bunch of people on the dance floor. From there is was slide and shuffle time, a bunch of steel guitar and all kinds of carrying on. Typical loud and in your face Son Henry set. And the guys running sound were excellent, they really made us sound good.

When it was all over, the place had been well-rocked. Thanks to those that stayed late, and that went home with a copy of the CD! I didn't get home until late, talking to Bob Telford and the crew. And thanks Bob andd Henny for the T-shirt!


Here's a shot of the Marquee, with the band about to endd a tune:





Saturday I got a chance to play solo at the Balcony, great small club with an old wood floor. Great acoustics. And more bodies than I thought you could pack into a small space. Phew. It was hot in there but I really loved the energy. I'd do that again in a heartbeat.

Sunday I ended doing a double header. The band was at the Bank Bar, and I opened for Otis Grand in the Social. But first I had to make a speed run back to Aberdeen and drop off my wife and kids, and go back with my PA. So far I've been lucky that I didn't get any speeding tickets. Bank Bar gig was fun, tons of folks (thanks for being there) and lots of familiar faces that I saw several times over the weekend. The high-point of my day was stringing up the National and opening for Otis, though. The room was packed, and I mean packed, with bodies. Everyone was in a great mood and the site of a few rows of people in their 20's dancing and yelling along to some old country blues made me smile.

I think I've droned on enough. Thanks to all of you that made it such a great weekend. Come see us again!

Social, Sunday night:



Tam White in action (Les Taylor Photo)




Yours truly giving an impromptu demo of the lap steel at soundcheck (another Les Taylor Photo):

Cafe Drummonds

Thanks to all of you that joined us for our debut inside the city walls at Drummonds on Monday. It was great to see the gang from the blindman forum, and Alfie and son Chris. And big Chris. Big Chris was no surprise, I owed
him money.

Man I love that stage and that room. Great sound system and room to move. Les and Mike played their butts off, and I got to turn it up a bit too.

If you noticed me laughing whenever I played slide, here's the inside story- I broke my regular slide guitar on saturday and didn't get a chance to fix it. On Monday I grabbed that old silvertone and put some heavy strings on it, tuned it up. sounded great, off to the gig. It wasn't till I got there that I remembered the guitar has those really dark position markers that fade to nothing under red stage lights. So it was like playing blind. Which is funny because most of the time I play with my eyes closed. What tripped me up was actually *thinking* about it. I won't make that mistake again

Well, we're off to Dundee next. I've got about 10 new songs that I've
written since arriving. I'll try out some of them on Saturday at the
Balcony. Hope to see you there!

Looking for a Vox AC-30

How can I *not* be looking, after all. I mean, I'm living in the UK, and some of the best musicians that ever were played an AC-30. It's the home-town tone. Think about it? Rory Gallagher, the Beatles, U2- all AC30. Gotta have that tone.



Well, it'd be easier if I wasn't broke. That'll pass. And I'll find that AC30 too.

Ok, enough day-dreaming about gear. Coming back to reality......

Well Chris, you missed a great gig.

My new band made it's debut performance at the Northern Lights Pub in Hatton of Fintray last night to a small but spirited crowd of new freinds that really know how to party. Thanks to all of you for such a great time. And to Eric the social worker and his friend Doug for making the drive. And Dave 'Barrelhouse' Blair, who was there for a bit.

So, my friend Chris was supposed to be there too. He's been instrumental (no pun intended) in helping me get started here, and he's planned on being there to celebrate with us- and spare himself the drive home by crashing at his friend Big Al's. Well Big Al was there, but no Chris. Must have been good, because Chris wasn't home when Big Al called to give him a review well after midnight.

For all my Alaskan friends it'd be no surprise, for my new Scottish buds this was a typical Son Henry show- start early, end late and loud. Almost 3 hours with only a 5 minute water break. The big surprise of the night was little Al the Hammond player. He slipped a note to the band stand reading "need a Hammond player?". "Sure", I said, thinking this was a long-term request. Five minutes later in came the gear, and man could little Al ever play. So, we ended a little later than planned, but we had a great time. My only regret is that Mike is just filling in for us on bass after our other bass player left us flat. We'll find those magic 'other' players I'm sure. For now we rock.

So, Cafe Drummond's on Monday night and then it's off to Dundee. Hope we'll see you there! If you're reading this and would like to sit in on Sunday afternoon send me an email. Let's make it a party!

Dundee Blues Bonanza

Just to let you know, I'll be at the Dundee Blues Bonanza- the largest free blues festival in Europe. So cool.

On Friday night I'm part of the show opening. I'll have my new band at the Marquee, opening to Tam White (who among other things was in the movie Braveheart), and Bob Hall, an amazing boogie-woogie style piano player and a legend here.

On Saturday I'll run down an hours worth of Acoustic Blues, including several new songs that I've written in the last couple of weeks. Probably have the lap steel and the acoustic lap guitars there as well.

Finally, on Sunday afternoon the band will be back in the saddle. This'll be a fun way to get a few drinks in before you head off to see Otis Grand. Save me a seat...

Details are on my schedule page.

Just an observation- some of you know how much I love to have fellow musicians sit in. If you're reading this and also on the bill at Dundee send me an email. Let's have some fun on Sunday!

Now, for my Alaskan buddies- I don't have a Suburban anymore. I've got a small truck to move kids, but there's not much room for gear. Somehow I need to fit me, my wife and 2 of the kids, my PA, an amp and a couple of guitars in a vehicle about the size of one of those Subaru Station-wagons. I may just need to strap things on the roof, or, (gasp) not take too many guitars. It's going to be a real problem. Am I stressed? Yes. First big gig and you know I've got to have the National, my strat, a silvertone, a lap steel as a minimum. But that leaves me with no backup. I'll let you know how this works out. Either way it's going to be a great gig.

Peace all. More later as the world develops, no doubt as it should.

June Gigs.....

OK, the new band will be making it's first appearance in town on Monday the 27th of June at Drummonds. We'll be at the Northern Lights (how ironic is that name for an Alaskan) on June 25, but that's a few clicks out of town.

So, come on to Drummonds, and expect a set much like SRV at El Mocambo- raw, loud and full of energy. See you there!

The Free Buster tour -or- September 23/24 at the Fly-By-Night club

Some of you that know me well know that not long ago I adopted a sled dog named Buster from the animal shelter. He's an incredible dog, and was great company while I was down from back surgery. He never did quite master changing DVD's for me, but he did learn to fetch the remote control.

To make a long story short, he's still in Alaska in the care of some very good friends. I had to leave him because our vet was totally confused about the UK's regulations for importing a dog. But, his time of exile is soon to end, and I can go get him in September.

So, what a great excuse to play music! So, for 2, count them 2 nights only, you'll get a reunion of my world-class band at the Fly-By-Night club, along with some very special guests. Show starts at 9:30, and if it were me, I'd go see Mr. Whitekey's show first, have dinner and then change into some dancing shows.

But wait, there's more. It's also going to be a CD release party. I'll have copies of the new CD "Live on the Atomic Mama Show" ready to go.

I can't wait. Halibut Taco's. A pizza from the Mooses Tooth. Get to see the dog. And some live blues with a great band. We'll be playing some new songs that I've written in the last few weeks that will be on the next CD.

So, there you go. Plenty of reasons to come out. Oh, and the weekend before? If you happen to be in Orkney, I'm on the bill with Peter Green. Not bad for a kid from the sticks huh?

Lemon Tree, June 3

Well it's now official. We're gigging again and it feels great to be back at work.

Thanks to all of you that came out over lunch to listen. It was a fun show for me, great sound and no broken strings (this is odd actually). Funny looking back on it, it felt like taking a huge risk breaking out the lap steel and blasting out some old Blind Lemon Jefferson. It felt ok, but I'm never sure how people are going to react. And the general reaction was the complete opposite- one of curiosity and fascination. One of you even told me it felt "hair raising" (in a good way). Ok then, we'll do more of that.....

Still feels like I'm settling in to the rhythm of shows here. An hour is fine, sound dis great, but there's huge differences in language that really become obvious when you tell stories or joke and sometimes they just don't translate. So I'll work on that.

But watch this space. I've got a good trio coming together, and that'll feature more electric things that I can't play solo. Oh, and lots of lap steel.

Cheers all. If you're reading this and you're not on my mailing list why not send me an email at

info@sonhenry.com

and I'll keep you up to date.

Cheers!

Son

Ahhhh, Hello Aberdeen

Man, did that ever feel good. I finally got a chance to get my guitar out and play after a very long month off. If you were there you know I'm talking about an hour-long set at the Blue Lamp on Saturday the 14th. Thanks to all of you that came out and voiced such strong opinions in favor of that raw delta blues.

So, after gig #1, one thing that really struck me was how knowledgable the audience was about all things blues-related. Much more so than the States. I suppose that doesn't come as a suprise, as modern blues artists seem to spend more time here than state-side making a living. Must be that thing about not appreciating something that comes from your own back yard. No bother, it's great to have a room full of people to talk blues with. Great to see all of you there, and dthanks to those that spent some cash on my cd!

OK, some other local gigs will be going on the web calendar today. Also, I'm working on booking some solo shows in Argentina, and some return gigs in Alaska. So please check into my website to keep up to date on the latest show.

How do you recognize a real blues band anyway?

Seems like I get this question all the time. Here's a few thoughts to help you recognize a real blues band:

I think there's a difference between a good blues SONG and a good blues BAND. The best blues bands I can think of have a few characteristics in common:

1. The gig is an on-going conversation where the audience is a key participant. There's no rock-n-roll 'we're too cool to acknowlege the little people trip'

2. Song selection is geared for dancing, dominated by medium-tempo grooves that allow people to dance by shuffling feet and moving pelvises. Slow songs, funky songs too. Anything resembling 'Freebird', 'Enter Sandman' or 'Takin care of business' is a give-away that you're not listening to a blues band.

3. Likewise, songs that are not about collective concerns of a room full of people that work for a living generally aren't blues songs.

4. If someone in the band shot a man in menphis just to watch him die, that's a country band. Learn to line dance when listening to this band.

5. But, a band singing "i'm going to murder my baby" probably is a blues band, but only if the tempo of the song is one you could also use to walk to the dentist.

6. A band full of people dressed in shades, fedora's and cheap black suits is not a blues band, it's a movie tribute band. Run, don't walk, in the opposite direction.

7. Some indicators that you've found a real blues band- they can handle a Magic Sam request, have day jobs working in a steel mill, are not playing shiny guitars. If something about the singing or the guitar playing sends a shiver down your spine, makes you want to shuffle your feet and every once in a while turn to your date and smile because you've heard something universal about the human condition (excluding BMW cars, hired help, tax shelters and a CEO sucession plan) then you're listening to a blues band. If you are listening to songs about BMW cars, hired help, tax shelters and a CEO sucession plan sung by men in suits, fedoras and sunglasses, refer to #6 above. Should you by chance encounter a real working blues band, throw a fiver in the tip jar, buy a CD or two and tell them to keep up the good work. There's too many #6 bands around.

Are we clear now?

I've been waiting for weeks for my amp to get here. It took much longer than anyone expected. Then I needed a transformer to bring the 240 volt electricity down to something the amp can deal with. Fine. This afternoon I decided to wring out my amp before all the neighbors got home from work.

What a really, really bad idea....

Well, just let it be said that I did meet my next door neighbor. I've been here 3 weeks and seen no sign of life next door (we share a thick granite wall with them, the house is like a Texas duplex). To be fair, it was extremely loud. I think she was a little suprised to see gray-haired me answer the door, I'm sure she was expecting to see my teenage son. "Gosh, I sure am sorry" I said, "it was a little loud, I'll turn it off right now". At least she left happy. And she seemed nice, once she got over the shock.

So, from this we've learned a few things:

1. We really do have a next-door neighbor.
2. Granite walls make really bad sound barriers.
3. We need to work on the volume
4. I'm still kinda loud for an old fart.

And to think that my mother said that my guitar playing would only get me in trouble, what- 30 years ago? I should have listened!

The Pogues. Remember them?

I finally got my gear. Now I can go to work. The interesting thing? That's not it.

Yesterday I spent a long time talking with the gentleman that delivered my stuff. Turned out he was a drummer when he was a little younger. Not a casual drummer, a serious drummer who among other gigs played a long run of dates with the Pogues.

Now that is seriously cool. Oh, my gear is here too, but delivered by an ex-member of the Pogues. That has got to be some kind of sign, don't cha think?

Finally here

Phew. We're finally here.

The trip over was pretty calm, all in all. The music starts pretty quickly. Tonight I'm gonna sit in the audience and listen to a band that is from (I think, so don't hold me to this) Sheffield that does a Rory Gallagher tribute called Raw Gallagher. Be interesting to get a look at one of the local rooms, see what a Scottish blues audience looks like and watch someone else work for a change.

Peace and love all. I'm sure this will get more interesting as time rolls on. Just wanted to let those of you checking in that we arrived safely and that as a thursday night passed without a blues jam, it felt really odd sitting at home with nowhere to plug my strat in.

Over and out from here.....

Look out world, I'm signing off from my Alaska home. The next transmission will be from the other side of the Atlantic!

Thanks to all of you that came to the last Thursday night jam. It was great to see all off you one last time and make some music together. And having Lindy Raines there to play as well was over the top. Jusst think, all of my favorite players in one room. It was a greate send off, thanks so much.

And, those of you that were there got to see my younger son Toph take the stage and play the conga drums. He was great, totally into it, making rock star faces and doing lots of flashy tricks on the drums. By the end of the night I had 2 of my boys on stage, surrounded by Todd Glazer (harp), Lindy Raines (guitar), Gary Lamar (guitar, John Clark (drums) and Joel Lockman (bass).



See you all in November for the next Blues for my Brother benefit!

CD party and the aftermath

What a great time! Thanks to all of you that joined us for our CD release party!

For those of you that missed id, we kicked off at 8pm, with an acoustic set. I played my old national, Joel played the doghouse and John played a snare with brushes. Real minimal, and exactly what we did on Amy VanSingel's 9th Alley Blues show on KNBA. We played some old standards and a couple of songs from our new CD, including Glenn Highway Blues, Long Way Home and Cold Cold World.

From there we settled into some electric instruments and played the rest of the CD. It was great to see Patti Greene, Gary Lamar, Mr Whitekeys, Todd Glazer, Kyle, a.k.a. Minnesota Slim, Sherman, Steve Pradell and Veronica Page. They all sat in with us, and kept the party in high gear. When the music stopped somewhere around 2 a.m. I think we were all played out and ready to face the raging snowstorm outside!

The most overwhelming part of the night was the huge turnout of people that came to wish us well and buy a copy of the CD. Boo Rody jumped in to help get everyone a CD that wanted one, and gave me a chance to visit with about 80 people. Every little bit of positive feedback is appreciated, and validates what we set out to do from the start- record some honest original blues songs that captured the feel of our club set. Thanks to all of you for your vote of connfidence!

CD's are here.....

Nothing more to say except PHEW. Big box of our new CD's arrived in time for the release party tonight!

Here's a picture of me and some of the boys after opening the box of disks at the studio:

Vintage Guitar Photo

In this months 'Vintage Guitar Magazine' there's a photo in the back of the Alaskan Tone Party! Thanks JZ for submitting the picture and thanks Gary Lamar for taking that incredible picture.



No, all that gear is NOT mine. The old bassman is, and the 100 watt marshall too. The rest came from all my buddies here in Alaska, all professional musicians. Every bit of that gear is something you'd see at a blues gig somewhere in the state. We took over Studio 68 on a Sunday afternoon, dragged in our favorite gear and let loose. My buddy KB brought in some of the best stuff- that old vibratone, the Gibson RV-whatever amp, the satellite reverbs. What a time that was...

Repairs, repairs, repairs

Man, I'll tell you one thing that is freaking me out about moving is that it seems like everything needs to be fixed before I go. We only blew up or set fire to 4 amps while we were recording last month, and I've finally got all that squared away. But, on top of all the things I need to do to get my family moved (which is the important thing right now) I realize that I'm not going to have access to most of my tools and I've got all this broken crap. Talk about a senseless crisis, but a crisis it is- I've got an old Supro double-necked lapsteel that needs a new pickup, my Strat is falling apart, my Silvertone needs a new input jack, blah blah blah.

The lesson here is not to play so hard, I suppose, but where is the fun in that? So, we're packing tools too. Grrrr.

New Lap Steel Tuning!

Ok, Larry Allen (a well known Alaska steel guitarist and tatoo artist) called me last week to let me know he has a few old road cases that might hold my gear. I went over to take a look and after 3 hours of talking and swapping war stories I was on my way with a few cases to check out. Very cool of him, no?

But, while I was there Larry turned my on to his 'secret' lap steel tuning for 6-string guitars. It goes 1, 5, 6, 1, 3, 5 from low to high. So, if you were in E the notes would be E, B, C#, E, G#, B. I knew the rest of my weekend was wrecked, and it was- all I've been doing is playing the steel guitar so I can master this tuning. Here's what's so cool about the tuning- it's overall a major tuning with the added 6th. But in the middle of it is a minor triad (the C#, E, G#), which means you can play minor chords without bar slants. You can also make a minor 7th chord too.

The other cool thing about this tuning is that the relationship of the 3 highest pitched strings are the same as in a open G country blues tuning. So it's not that much different than most standard blues tunings- it's just got that 6th scale degree in it. And, if you pull the high string up a whole step, you've got a 4 note minor chord. Damn, it's a very cool tuning.

Thanks Larry! I'm a total convert! Was it nice out this weekend? Somebody needs to tell me....

the Eric Bibb Show

Hey all just got in fro the Eric Bibb show and I gotta tell you it was a great show. Eric is an engaging performer and a fantastic singer. If you don't recognize the name you really should check out his music.

It's always a treat for me to play with someone of his caliber, that's no surprise. But there is always something about a show that hit's me as interesting, or something I had never though about. This time it was watching Eric do his sound check (a sound check is where the performer tests all the gear before the performance and makes whatever necessary adjustments need to be made). He worked systematically through the house sound, verifying that the guitar and his voice were 'recognizable', which I though was a great choice of words. He made some minor adjustments with the help of Sheila the sound engineer until the sound in the room was perfect.

It was pretty obvious last night that the monitor speakers (the ones that he was listening to) were really inadequate for the job. And here I agree- the monitor speakers were a pair of Carvin monitors that make a male voice sound like it's coming through a cheap telephone speaker. Remember the teacher's voice in the old Charlie Brown comics? That's what it sounded like. Now, that may sound like a small thing, but it's really important that as a singer you hear your own voice coming back at you. First, it's a comfort and it gives you confidence because you sound like yourself. Second, and much more important, if the sound is off you'll unconsciously compensate for the missing frequencies and hurt your voice. Eric had a gentle way of working with Sheila to get everything as sounding as good as they could, and then he was done. He kept making one statement that I thought was really pretty profound; "it sounds good, but it doesn't sound like me yet". It's really something that sound reinforcement engineers loose track of, as basic as that is.

OK, I did my sound check with Mr. Bib in the audience, and he was a great help dialing in the tone of my old National guitar. This can be tricky because it's not like a regular guitar made from wood- it's all steel and needs to have a certain 'thump' to it in order for all to be well with my universe. All was well.

We spent a few minutes talking guitars with him and then right after a quick bite to eat it was showtime. The sound was great and the Anchorage audience was exactly what you expect- energetic, involved and loud. I just love playing for the home folks- Anchorage audiences are just nothing short of excellent. It took me a minute though to get comfortable, because the theater was so dark that all I could see was the edge of the stage and then nothing- edge of the world darkness. Probably exactly what Christopher Columbus was afraid he's sail into. It's really that dark, kinda like singing into a black curtain.

I played 3 new songs, 2 of which you'll find on my new CD. I opened with the title cut "Glenn Highway Blues". It felt really comfortable, and armed with that sense of security I played a real slow song called "Hole in my soul", that I wrote the night my father died. It was the first time I've ever played that in public; it's a very personal song. The time was right and from the comments I heard later on it was well received.

And so my friends my last acoustic gig in Alaska has come and gone. Thanks to all of you I saw there for your support. Next stop, Humpy's. Tonight is the farewell show, last full gig of my road band! See you tonight!

Peace

Son

I'm ruined.....

They have eBay in Scotland. Check it out:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/

I thought I was escaping by leaving that behind. I'm ruined.....

Melissa Gibson's Birthday too

I just heard from Melissa, March 26 is her birthday and she's going to come to Studio 68 and celebreate with us. How cool is that?

CD Release Party!

Well, one last gig to mark on your calendar- we’re having out CD release party at Studio 68 on Saturday, March 26^th at 8 pm. Joel Lockman, John Clark and I spent a solid week in the studio working on a hybrid of old-school blues and a 21^st century punk attitude. We’re really excited about the results. So, join us for a night of merry-making and mayhem!

 

I’ll open the show with some solo delta blues, and then we’ll play an acoustic set as a band. This’ll gradually get louder and crazier as we go electric and bring up lots of friends and special guests. Oh, we’re recording this for posterity as well!

 

This is, however, the last gig for us till November (when we once again bring you ‘Blues for my Brother’). If I don’t see you, be well and take care of each other till I get back, ok? I’