Big Robert Tyler, International Blues Challenge

Wow, my friend Big Robert Tyler made to to the finals of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Hopefully this is the start of something big for him!

New Disk to look for

Yet another CD to look for, Precious Bryant has a new disk out!

She's from Georgia, and a great old school Piedmont player with a great voice. Her guitar playing is just how I like it, it's a little rough around the edges, but the songs have a great groove. I've got two other of her CDs and have worn them both out, this one has come out just in time as far as I'm concerned. Damn, it's even available throughthe major online retailers.

McQueen's Music Room this week!

Off to a new room this week, on Wednesday I'll be playing a solo gig at McQueen's Music Room in Blairgowrie. It'll be 2 sets of acoustic blues, some lap steel- a pretty typical high-energy acoustic blues night.

Some new songs to watch out for, some Charley Patton, a Barbeque Bob Hicks song or two, and a bunch of original stuff too. If you're going, I won't spoilthe surprise. I am really happy with some of the new songs that I've written, they recorded well and they're fun to play live too.

So, hope to see you there! Stay tuned for more dates in the UK, the States and elsewhere...

Dexter's last night (or why I love Dundee)

Man, any time you can crank out a few solo tunes on an old electric guitar and have people calling out requests for songs from your last CD? That's heaven.

So, all in all a great gig and I stayed out much too late last night. We were supposed to quit at 10, but went much longer- how can you quit when you've got a room full of people dancing and having fun? It's like yer dad walking in on your birthday party and turning the music off!

But, for the first time last night in Scotland I dragged my pedal steel along and played a half-dozen tunes through the night. I think the guys in the band understand now that it's a big sound like a Hammond Organ.

Thanks to all of you that were there, and to Bob Telford for sitting in on the keys. Great night! Now all I need to do is catch up on my sleep...

Off to manufacturing!

Here's the track listing:

Granite City Shuffle
Richer than a Shiek
Teardrops on my pillow
Heartache and Trouble
Well I love my baby
First thing smokin
Middle man blues
Going Back to Dallas
They say love

This is the magic disk we've been calling the 'retro' record while we worked on it, it's got a real old Chicago feel with a bit of an edge. I'm so glad my good friends Otto Lenz and Blue Lisa were able to be on it, they really made the record complete. Otto's harp playing sounds like he's channeling the ghost of Little Walter. And Lisa? Man, she's all Texas attitude and twang, so perfect for this record.

At the rate this is going, it'll in-hand for the release party at the Blue Lamp on the 24th of February. Phew, with the volcano it was getting a little close there.

Oh the label, by the way

is a new label called Front Porch Records.

Cd release delayed by a volcano?

No, for real, here's the photo for proof.

That really cool retro-sounding CD I recorded with Otto Lenz and Blue Lisa, John Clark and Joel Lockman was in the final stages of being mixed in Anchorage. The FINAL stages,minor tweaks only that need to get finished or it'll bug me forever. It's going to take a little longer than we'd thought because there's a volcano erupting close by.

Ok, sure you say. But really, it's Mt. Augustine about 200 miles up-wind from Anchorage and while the lava flow will go straight into the water it's the air-borne volcanic glass that'll get you. It eats up motors, causes severe respiratory problems and is probably the worst possible thing for a recording studio. So, we either need to run with things the way they are, or we need to wait to get mixes done right. I think I'd rather wait.

Another great Steel Guitar CD

Hey all, here's another really fine CD with some Sacred Steel from the masters of the genre. You can check it out at Amazon and listen to the sound clips. It's got all my favorite players like the Campbell Brothers, Calvin Cooke, and even a tune by Robert Randolph. You don't need a religious preference to enjoy the music, it'll sweep you along with the emotional quality of the performances. Man, I think I'd skip a meal to have the scratch to buy this one

Augustine Blues

Mt. Augustine, one of the first volcanos in the Aleutian Chain erupted yesterday, probably the first of several leading to a big one. No big deal if you live in Seattle, but the ash cloud could hit Anchorage (where my house is) and Homer. More of an inconenience than anthing else, unless you're a motor.

Good to be home

even if my suitcases are still travelling.....

International Collective

So, one of the results of this trip is I've started organizing an international collective of musicians that can collaborate on some blues-base world music. I'm a huge fan of tangos, cumbias and just about everything else from Central and South America. Plus, I've met a bunch of really fantastic musicians while I've been here- percussionists, guitarists, bassists. Turns out that most of us have ability to record music directly to the computer in a format that the rest of us understand. So, I've got some song sketches that I've done in the last couple of weeks that I'm gooing to cleanup and start sending them to these guys to add parts. I'm not sure what the result will be, but with some excellent players and the power of the internet it will at least be fun.

Show's over, coming home...

Next Stop, Paris. Can't wait to get home.

Some needed down-time...

Man, I love getting a break to to nothing but hang out with my kids and play the guitar. Take in the sunset for a change. Write songs. Oh, play gigs and drink some wine afterwards with some interesting people.

While I´ve had some down-time I´ve finally had a chance to really work with the tuning that my friend Larry Allen turned me on to last year, it´s a cool E-based tuning for a lap-steel that uses a 6th note on the 4th string, which means I can play full-on minor chords with a straight bar. Opens up some really interesting tunes for that guitar. Of course, if you´re used to playing in C6th then this is no big deal. But C6th isn´t really a very bluesy sounding tuning and this one is.

So, some surprises coming, some of which you´ll hear on the new CD. I *love* this tuning. My poor band.....

UK Top 30

All in all a cool day. According to Chris Simmonds at the Scots Blues News, our gig at the Blue Lamp was in the top 30 shows he saw last year, and so was our Glenn Highway Blues CD! Thanks Chris!