You stumble across some strange stuff..

But this is kinda cool.

There's a playlist of 'current and timeless masters of the instrument' a steel guitar playlist on FIQL.com, a library of playlists. It's got all the people you'd expect- David Lindley, Speedy West, Black Ace, Santo and Johnny, Jerry Douglas. And 2, count em, two tunes from my first CD! Man, not sure I belong there, but I'm flattered that someone thinks those songs belong on that list.

Click hear to see the play list


Wow....

Black Ace on youtube

Who finds this stuff?

I'm giving up youtube for lent...

Check out this clip of Robert Pete Williams, man what a killer.

Or JB Hutto. Damn.

BUT RL IS STILL KING

Yeah, take them all, RL Burnside is still the king. Found this on youtube. Nothing fancy, just an old guitar and a folding chair and music without crap. Simplicity.

Or Ray Bonneville...

http://www.spotlighton.tv/raybonneville.html

Just a passing thought...

more guitar tone....

yeah, this is pretty killer too

~Year in Photos ~

Well, these seem to sum it all up.....

All the best for the holidays!

Here's hoping that no matter where you are, the holidays are well spent with family and friends!

~ that's all the gigs for 2007 ~

This time I mean it, one last show for an important cause.

The LemonAid benefit yesterday was one last blast for good cause that we shouldn't need to be fighting. Sad that there is even a need to assemble a bunch of musicians for a benefit to protest the closing of an arts center like the Lemon Tree. Especially over a small amount of money, in comparison to the money spent by the government on other things. But, there we were, if only to show support to a place that was really supportive of our music, and the music and theater and art of all our friends.

Thanks to all of you that joined us at the Tunnels yesterday to show support. I have no idea if we even registered on the City Council radar, but we did demonstrate that support for the arts is alive and well in Aberdeen.

The Lemon Tree was one of the first places to put me on the bill as a solo act in Scotland, one of the first places to book my band. I took my kids there for theater performances, my kids were involved in student productions there, and my wife and I sat there on a regular basis to soak up the music on friday at lunch for the Friday Live series, and the regular folk and blues offerings there in the evenings. We'll miss it! Thanks to the staff for all you've done over the years to make the place what it is/was.

"You don't miss your water, till your well runs dry"

The Perfect Guitar tone...

Help the Lemon Tree benefit gig!

OK, I thought the year was over, but this is important.

There's a benefit gig at the Tunnels on Saturday afternoon. Lots of Aberdeen bands, all styles. We're there around 3. Details to follow.

You can do some christmas shopping, stumble in for a pint and help the Lemon Tree as well. Great way to kill a Saturday!

Check this space, as soon as I have details I'll post em-

More unconstructed ramblings.....

Yeah, some interesting processing for 2008 going on here. More solo gigs? Sure did play some great places this year, packing only a guitar or two. Music is good fun, more personal. Less crazy and sweaty.

the Ipod collection of 2007

If you're interested, this is what had the most air-time on my Ipod this year-

Seasick Steve
Ray Bonneville (Rough Luck)
R L Burnside
T Model Ford
Southern Culture on the skids
Kelly Joe Phelps
Blind Willie Johnson
Bukka White
Mississippi Fred McDowell
Lightnin Hopkins

Not what I expected, if I'd guessed the top 10 would have been more electric players, but the stats on the computer don't lie I guess.

and that's a wrap......

That's it, last gig of 2007 has now been played and I can get on with my Christmas shopping. Phew.

It was a great year with some great places to play and lots of fantastic people along the way. Ireland, Orkney and Shetland by ferry, Burnley by train, Alaska by plane, the Moorings by bus, the Lemon Tree on foot and lots of places by car. We got hopelessly lost on the way to Fetternear, and stuck in Customs in Seattle.

And last night was a great way to wrap up the year, sitting on a bar stool at Drummonds with Dino and Angus blasting out the Mississippi hill county slide and lap steel tunes in a 2-hour set till 1 am, to a club jammed to the rafters with happy dancers and drinkers. Great to see lots of you last night, regulars and semi-regulars all in one place.

I'm walking in my sleep, my finger tips are sore and I have no voice left. Sure signs of an extremely over the top gig.

Cheers all, see you next year in Germany, the US, the UK.....

New recordings

It was such a frantic trip that the new CD didn't get finished, but we're working on it long distance...

11 new songs in all, 10 originals and a cover. It's more 'Americana' than pure blues. Yeah, sure, there's a couple of stone-cold blues tracks. But for the first time there's tunes that are more JJ Cale, lots of lap steel.

You'll like it. But you gotta wait a bit longer.

ouch

and that's all I got to say about this one.

BFMB Pictures

Got these from Bo Rody by email. Thanks Boo!

Buy Nothing Day

Not a bad idea. The day after Thanksgiving is normally the busiest shopping day of the year in the US. But is Christmas about presents? Is it worth re-thinking the holiday, focusing in friends and family?

Buy Nothing Day

Not a bad idea....

Packing list for Alaska

1 Flannel shirt, old
2 pair of jeans, faded
1 poly-fleece vest.
1 pair hiking boots
2 pair heavy socks
a strat in a gig bag
a good, long book
a heavy jacket (packed in a suitcase)
1 warm, wool sweater from Shetland


and an early-morning taxi. It's great to be going home, even if only for a bit. I think it was Oscar Wilde that describe home as "the place tha, when you have to go there, they have to take you in". He never made it to Alaska. And I'll be there in 24 hours.

I am ~so~ ready to go home for a bit, recharge batteries and not worry about my accent.

~ In the home stretch ~

Yes, yes. One week from today and it'll be all winding down, and you guys in Anchorage will be resting your feet and falling back on your favorite hangover remedy.

In case you are in Alaska but don't get out mcuh, Saturday November 10th at 7:30 is the 6th Annual Blues for My Brother benefit for the Brother Francis Shelter. Check out the poster below for the line-up and ticket outlets. If you're going to indluge in the Sumday show at the Marston, better get tickets early. It's turning out to be a popular show.

Remember this is all to help the Brother Francis Shelter provide last-ditch support services, transitional housing and counseling services to the homeless in Anchorage. It's a powerful place, and certainly worthy of your support. I'll be taking some of the musicians on a tour on Friday afternoon next week. Email me if you'd like to tag along.

Oh, and all that aside, it's going to be a great party. Great musicians, great friends, some beer, wine and food, and a big dance floor. See y'all there, stop in and say hello!

Blues for my Brother details.....

That sense of adventure

Hey Gang-

Someone at a gig asked me where had the sense of adventure had gone from the band. Well (in my best Tony Soprano voice), "I got your sense of adventure right here"

We're back as a trio, it's a great change- back to the raw, primal sounds that we started with. And we'll be at Café Drummonds next Thursday, with Angus McCurrach playing drums.....

Oh, it's a special gig- Kent Duchaine is in town from the States and playing a solo gig as well on the same night. So you can double-dip, hear Kent play some great solo delta blues, and hear us play some acoustic blues as a trio, some electric blues and LOTS of new songs that will be going onto the new CD. Hmmm, that's more of a quadruple dip.

It's been awhile. Come on by and say hello, let us know what you've been up too-

Son

Chris Simmonds packs it in...

Some of you may have seen the email that came from Chris Simmonds this week. Declining attendance and consistent money-losing gigs have prompted him to pack it in, and stop booking road bands in Aberdeen.

Say what you will about venue choice or the bands that came through town. No matter how you look it, it's a huge loss for all of us. Bugs Henderson, Mem Shannon, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Lightnin Willie and a whole bunch of others never would have had a chance to play in Aberdeen if Chris hadn't made it happen.

Thanks for all you did Chris! Sorry to see you quitting, but I understand.

Be sure to vote.....

Congratulations Al Gore!

No politics. Just congraulations to Al Gore for helping elevate global climate change to the national and international level.

As an Alaskan, the evidence is all around us- polar bears denning on land because the sea ice is no longer growing thick enough to support them, rapid glacial retreat. That's just for starters.

That's enough. Congrats Al.....

Things I'm going to do when I get home.....

In no particular order-

Eat a pizza at the Mooses Tooth.
Eat some Halibut Tacos at Humpys
Go clothes shopping at Value Village.
Climb Flattop
Drive the Seward toward Portage
Check out the view from the Glen Alps traihead
Look for Mr. Whitekeys
Have Vietnamese food with Patti and Amy so I can catch up on the gossip
Renew my driver's license
Check in with a lot of old friends
Go to Beluga Point and feel the wind on my face
Bike the Bird-to-Gird Trail
Jam with Special Ed and the guys, wherever they are

And, most of all, thank the good lord for bringing me home, even if for a short time.

No Joey....

Sorry, gang. Tickets were just too expensive for a fund-raiser. Joey and I agreed that he'd come up next year when we've got more time.

be a man....

To whoever has been molesting my web sites; If you've got a problem with me, then be a man about it

Gigs en France et en Allemagne, avril 2008

Nous programmons des gigs en France et en Allemagne pour avril 2008. Intéressé ? Email je !

Frankreich und in Deutschland, April 2008

Wir legen Konzerte in Frankreich und in Deutschland für April 2008 fest. Interessiert? Email ich!

New recordings

Odd how life settles into the right groove sometimes. Could it be the sunshine we've had lately? Perhaps. I'm not sure I have an explanation, and I'm not sure I really am even worried about it. It just is. That's enough for now.

Part of the evolutionary process has really been coming to terms with the new place that songs seem to come from. It's a new voice for me in a sense, the new feel is less delta blues and more, well, me. I like the songs that are developing. They're melodic, different and honest. And, as a result, the new solo record is really feeling settled to me, like water findng it's own level. It's a good thing, too, because I'm back at Buzz's studio to record next month, back in that comfortable and familiar creative environment where it all seems to have started.

For those of you that have been listening to 'Ball and Chain' or 'Sackcloth and Ashes' for the pasy 6 months, well, I think these will have good company on this disk. Most will be solo lap steel or solo electric guitar and voice, a little harp. One or two will require a little percussion or some bass to fill them out a bit. But it's all music designed to play solo. And it all connects back to a process that started on a back porch in Argentina a couple of years ago, with some cold beer, an old marching drum and John Clarke and I playing old cowboy songs for the ranch hands, while my wife sat nearby in a rocking chair knitting.

And so, constant readers, it's a beautiful day. A good one to set a burden down and feel the sunlight on your face as the days grow shorter. Taking stock, I've got friends and enemies, family and co-workers, musicians all to share the journey with, and 19 new songs that the universe has given me to sing. It's a great place to be.


flip down the visor to meet the sun rise
cold rush of wind across my face
with the radio for company
there's 800 miles left to ride


Peace all. Time to ride a bit.

Photos from Tony Winfield!

Tony Winfield sent me some copies of the Orkney festival from a week or so ago, and who would have believed it possible- he actually captured a smile. And not once, but several times!

Thanks Tony!

Be sure and check out his work by clicking here

Kent Duchaine

Kent Duchaine is going to be at Drummonds on the 25th of October. I talked to Nathan at Drummonds last week, and it's actually going to be a double-header with your's truly. There's still a few details to work out, but it looks like the band will follow Kent and play till the early hours of the morning. So stay tuned, things may change a little.

For more about Kent, click here to go to his home page. Kent is a monster player and a great guy who puts on a good solid show. Well worth getting there for this one.

I'll have a few cool surprises up my sleeve as well.....

Dave Amos sent me some photos from the Stromness Hotel show last weekend. Thanks Dave!



What a great time that was, I love the acoustics there- lots of wood, lots of people and lots of beer (the holy trinity of a good gig). So, bags are packed, let's do it again!

Audience Harmonica?

~ Just say no ~

I know, it's a cheap instrument and fun to learn. But, please, when you come to a gig, leave it in your pocket, ok?

Last few gigs, in all kinds of odd places, there has been someone in the room playing a harmonica. Most of the time it's not even the correct key. So, please, a small favor, don't do this? OK? It makes everyone at the tables around you mad. And all I'm going to do is take out my capo and start playing in sharp or flat keys, so the C-major marine band is going to sound bad and embarass you in front of your friends.

Please, work with me on this ok? It's all I ask. After all, there's a reason why it's called a 'solo' show.

If it's a band gig I don't care at all. We're way to freaking loud for anyone to hear you blow, so save it for the band gigs if you absolutely, positively, must treat us like a harp-less karaoke track.....

Sorry Amy-

I got an email from my friend Amy Van Singel. She'd first heard about the plans for the Brother Francis Benefit show through a flyer at the trainstation that she picked up off the counter. Lots's of things you can or should learn about on the street, but this isn't one of them. So, a very public apology, Amy.....

Orkney Blues Festival: End of the ferry tour, 2007

So, the 2007 Ferry Tour is over. Ireland, Shetland, Orkney. Three great festivals, all required ferry trips. Odd how that all came about, but there you go.

As always I had a great time in Orkney. All kidding about seasickness aside, I love getting to the ferry terminal and the natural conversations that happen with people getting set to make the crossing. And once there, it's so much like being home for me that I find myself just relaxing in ways I'd forgotten about.

The festival was a great time. Two gigs, one at the Stromness Hotel and the other at the Ferry Inn. It was a chance to try out all the new material from my solo CD and check reactions. Also had a chance to hang out with Gerry Jablonski and Kate, Dave Amos and the tribe and a raft of other old friends.

Gerry, in particular, was in killer form. I think the gig of his at the Standing Stones was one of the best I've seen. Got a chance to see a couple of other bands as well- BlueBelly, Mean Business. Great weekend of music, sad to leave. Thanks to Walter, Graham and all the organizers for all the hard work in making this happen. If you see them, pat 'em on the back because they sure do deserve it.

Oh, on an odd note- take a couple of aging die-hard guitar players like Gerry and I and put them together over beer, and what do we talk about? Women? Wild Parties? Nope. We talked for a long time about how heavy our PA's are. If that's not a sign of the times, I don't know what is. I'm still laughing......