Looks like we'll be here a while longer, so I'm going local.
It's a thing that happens when you've been somewhere long enough that you really start to put down roots. It's different for everyone, this week, for me it's swapping the power transformers in my amplifiers so I can run on 240 volts. As of this evening, I have converted two of them to run from the wall plug here. I'm sending the marshall is back to the marshall factory to get re-wired, and then we're done.
Funny how that works. The big thing for me was not needing a step-down transformer any more. That always seemed like a temporary thing. No longer, I'm a global kinda guy now, because the amp will run anywhere now, and I can go home one day and only re-solder one wire.
Phew.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
"why so little music lately?", she asked
Because I always warned people that one day I was going to sit down and write a book. I'm finally doing it, at about the 12,000 word mark. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Drummonds tomorrow as told by Chris Simmonds
Chris Simmonds, Aberdeen Promoter and all-around good blues guy had this to say about our gig tomorrow night at Cafe Drummonds in Aberdeen:
Fresh from their appearance on the main stage at Burnley, the very excellent Son Henry Band play one of their semi-regular Drummonds gigs. On the basis that this band gets better every time I see them they should be phenomenal tonight! The new Long Way Home CD is great and you can play the "How many guitars will Son play tonight" competition as well!! And with a supporting cast of Dean Stewart on bass; Les Taylor on drums it should be a rocking night here as well.
How many guitars? That sounds like a challenge of sorts. There's my new magnatone, and the old national, and my brown maggie. Hmmm. Anyone want to cut me in on the winnings?
Seriously, it'll be a great gig. The band is razor sharp and after a few days off is always ready to wail into the wee hours of the morning. I'm in the middle of repairing my amp (new speakers and a new 240 volt power transformer) and at the rate I'm going I'm going to be dragging my Marshall amp instead. That'll be fun.
See you there!
Fresh from their appearance on the main stage at Burnley, the very excellent Son Henry Band play one of their semi-regular Drummonds gigs. On the basis that this band gets better every time I see them they should be phenomenal tonight! The new Long Way Home CD is great and you can play the "How many guitars will Son play tonight" competition as well!! And with a supporting cast of Dean Stewart on bass; Les Taylor on drums it should be a rocking night here as well.
How many guitars? That sounds like a challenge of sorts. There's my new magnatone, and the old national, and my brown maggie. Hmmm. Anyone want to cut me in on the winnings?
Seriously, it'll be a great gig. The band is razor sharp and after a few days off is always ready to wail into the wee hours of the morning. I'm in the middle of repairing my amp (new speakers and a new 240 volt power transformer) and at the rate I'm going I'm going to be dragging my Marshall amp instead. That'll be fun.
See you there!
To that kid from youtube
Some 18 year old know-it-all on YouTube told me that I "need to take some guitar lessons from Derek Trucks", which makes as much sense as telling a keyboard player they need to take lessons from Paul Butterfield. That, and some other things that just ain't fit to print. On the off-chance you're reading this:
1. I own more than one CD, there are many other slide players in the world other than Derek Trucks. I don't expect you to understand, it requires an open mind.
2. You should post your own work on youtube, rather than illegal bootlegs of other peoples material.
3. Don't drink and type.
The 3rd one is the big one. I have nothing against anyone else that's 18, and any other new guitar players. This guy is an intellectual vomit stain on the world.
1. I own more than one CD, there are many other slide players in the world other than Derek Trucks. I don't expect you to understand, it requires an open mind.
2. You should post your own work on youtube, rather than illegal bootlegs of other peoples material.
3. Don't drink and type.
The 3rd one is the big one. I have nothing against anyone else that's 18, and any other new guitar players. This guy is an intellectual vomit stain on the world.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Solo CD track listing
OK, as of now, all that's left to do is sing everything and mix. I realize that this will mean *bupkis* to those of you that haven't seen a solo show in the last 3 months, but bear with me. All of the guitar and percussion parts are done for these songs:
Deeper and Deeper
Water Risin
Sackcloth and Ashes
Solitary blues
Luke's Black Cloud Blues
Hole in my shoe
Water worrying stone
Fork in the road
Man in the mirror
Ribbon of tar
So, there you go. Artwork is even done for this one too. All we need is a little singing, a little mixing and then it goes out the door to be ready for the June 15 launch, which will be at the Lemon Tree that afternoon and the Tunnels in the evening. There will be no escaping this one.....
Deeper and Deeper
Water Risin
Sackcloth and Ashes
Solitary blues
Luke's Black Cloud Blues
Hole in my shoe
Water worrying stone
Fork in the road
Man in the mirror
Ribbon of tar
So, there you go. Artwork is even done for this one too. All we need is a little singing, a little mixing and then it goes out the door to be ready for the June 15 launch, which will be at the Lemon Tree that afternoon and the Tunnels in the evening. There will be no escaping this one.....
Moorings Bar, Aberdeen tonight!
All-
The band is headlining a show at the Moorings Bar tonight. Our first gig there in fact.
If youre a Moorings regular, don't let the 'blues band' tag scare you away because this ain't your mothers blues band- unless she's a loud, hard living biker with a bad attitude and a larger than life alcohol tolerance. In that case bring her along......
The band is headlining a show at the Moorings Bar tonight. Our first gig there in fact.
If youre a Moorings regular, don't let the 'blues band' tag scare you away because this ain't your mothers blues band- unless she's a loud, hard living biker with a bad attitude and a larger than life alcohol tolerance. In that case bring her along......
About those other lap steels.....
In the last week I've had a bunch of questions abut my steel guitars, so here are some quick photos and some notes.
The first one is an old Magnatone, in mother-of-toiletseat brown. It's my favorite of the lot. These are generally frowned on by Steel players because they have a pretty raw tone. The pickup is more like a stratocaster pickup than a normal steel guitar, which means it not a powerful, but these have a great dynamic range and don't tend to feed back. This one is normally in Open D or Open G.
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This one is a picture of a national dynamic- it looks like mine, I can't find a good picture of mine right now. It's a classic National- brand lap steel with the big pickup. This is a guitar on steroids, very powerful and sensitive enough to play 3 octaves up the neck. Normally tuned to Open E, Open E-minor and Open A. Sometimes tuned to an E-tuning that goes 1-5-6-1-3-5
This one is an old Supro Comet, circa 1950-something. It's the one I normally play on the legs when I have a gig where I can't or don't want to sit down. It's strung so I can tune it to basically anything froma low Open-C to an Open-A. Unreal that the strings don't break more....
Ok, this one you may have seen from time to time, it's an odd one- an Eddie Alkyrie 10-string, probably made by Epiphone in the 50's. It's tuned to an E13-type of tuning that I developed for this one. It gives me the intervals I need to play minor and major chords as well as some hip jazz chords with odd extensions.
And, finally, the one that started it all- this is the National New Yorker that my friend Boo Rody loaned me *years* ago to learn on. After all these years Boo gave me the chance to buy it and I jumped at the chance. It belonged to his mother who was a professional guitarist and steel player in the 1930's and 1940's. This is a really powerful sounding old guitar that shreds amps for breakfast- it's the one you hear on 'Heartache and Trouble', for example. This is the big-block Chevy of the bunch.
Oh, it does go to gigs, but only ones where I can keep my hands on it, so it doesn't tend to travel at all. Gotta see a show in Aberdeen to see this one....
The first one is an old Magnatone, in mother-of-toiletseat brown. It's my favorite of the lot. These are generally frowned on by Steel players because they have a pretty raw tone. The pickup is more like a stratocaster pickup than a normal steel guitar, which means it not a powerful, but these have a great dynamic range and don't tend to feed back. This one is normally in Open D or Open G.
This one is a picture of a national dynamic- it looks like mine, I can't find a good picture of mine right now. It's a classic National- brand lap steel with the big pickup. This is a guitar on steroids, very powerful and sensitive enough to play 3 octaves up the neck. Normally tuned to Open E, Open E-minor and Open A. Sometimes tuned to an E-tuning that goes 1-5-6-1-3-5
This one is an old Supro Comet, circa 1950-something. It's the one I normally play on the legs when I have a gig where I can't or don't want to sit down. It's strung so I can tune it to basically anything froma low Open-C to an Open-A. Unreal that the strings don't break more....
Ok, this one you may have seen from time to time, it's an odd one- an Eddie Alkyrie 10-string, probably made by Epiphone in the 50's. It's tuned to an E13-type of tuning that I developed for this one. It gives me the intervals I need to play minor and major chords as well as some hip jazz chords with odd extensions.
And, finally, the one that started it all- this is the National New Yorker that my friend Boo Rody loaned me *years* ago to learn on. After all these years Boo gave me the chance to buy it and I jumped at the chance. It belonged to his mother who was a professional guitarist and steel player in the 1930's and 1940's. This is a really powerful sounding old guitar that shreds amps for breakfast- it's the one you hear on 'Heartache and Trouble', for example. This is the big-block Chevy of the bunch.
Oh, it does go to gigs, but only ones where I can keep my hands on it, so it doesn't tend to travel at all. Gotta see a show in Aberdeen to see this one....
Friday, April 13, 2007
more blues photos
The Lancashire Telegraph just posted a whole collection of photos from the Burnley Festival. To check them out click here
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Off the subject of the blues
The US Mint is finally getting around to making the Alaska quarter-dollar as part of the series. Designs are good for the most part, but I like the one with the Musher and Denali best.
Sorry, it's an Alaskan thing, humor me.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Burnley Stage Photos!
Tony Winfield sent me some photos that he took at Burnley last weekend, and he's been gracious enough to allow me to share them with y'all. Thanks Tony!
Be sure and check out his web site of blues photographs at http://www.bluespics.co.uk and his myspace page
Be sure and check out his web site of blues photographs at http://www.bluespics.co.uk and his myspace page
The artist with the Magnatone addiction
I'm sure that there is a cure for people with chronic tendencies to acquire instruments, and if there is please don't tell me about it. Yeah, ok, I have an unhealthy addiction to these Magnatone lap steels, they're cheap, lightweight and sound amazing. And they come in such great colors. Like this vomit-green one, for example, that is currently on it's way to me.
Ahh, the good life. It really did need a home where it'll be able to get out and make some noise and not hide behind a glass case in some industrialists home....
Sunday, April 08, 2007
This just in from Burnley
Son Henry Band kicked the fun off at Burnley Mechanics with their raucous set of swing stomp and jazz blues which had the crowds jumping.
Here's the link: http://www.burnleytoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=2491049&SectionID=12
Here's the link: http://www.burnleytoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=2491049&SectionID=12
Burnley Retrospective
Well, gang, I'm back home from the Burnley Festival. All in all our show went really well and we were well received. Also had a chance to meet HarpDog and JC from the the Blindman's Blues Forum, and saw but couldn't connect up with Houndog, so by my rough count that was 6 members of the forum all together (including me, Delius and Dino from my line up). If you're not a member, you should google the forum and check it out, it's a great 'place'.
We decided to take the train, save on gas. Great idea in principle, but with all the gear and lap steels I needed my suitcase weighed almost 100 lbs. Not very smart. But the ride down was really relaxing and gave us a chance to just hang out (which doesn't happen enough). Most of the way down we talked about the religion thread on the forum. That's odd coincidence number one- we have an ex --divinity student and an ex-religion and philosophy major in the band. I know that's so *not* blues band, we should have been talking abut wiskey and wimmen, but we were on a train so I think that evens things out.
Get to the train station in Burnley. No Taxi to be found. Two mile walk to the venue. Finally flag a cab big enough to get us there and a really nice Pakistani gentleman talks blues with us all the way to the hotel. So, you've got 3 Scots, an Alaskan and a Pakistani talking blues in England. Small world.
Hotel is nice, very English pub and all the other headliners are staying there too.
Quick shower and gear check and we're off to the theatre. Cabbie getting us there is the brother of the first cabbie and so, again, we talk blues all the way to the theatre. Line-check, sound check and off to the green room for some food. Oh, somehow I managed to get *so* much volume out of the Fender Twin they had for us that the sound guy complained he had me totally out of the mains. Arrrgh. Ok. Line check, sound check, turn down, second sound check and then off to the green room where we talked about the creation thread, Epigenetics, grid stability in 6L6 amps and wimmen. Ok, thats a little more blues band- gear and girls. The band is now acting 10 years younger.
Great gig. I love the tone of my old Magnatone lap steel blasting in a big theater and reflecting off the walls. It's a huge woody tone with a really large dynamic range for an electric instrument. We played two encores, and for the second one we played a lap-steel version of 'bring it on home to me' at a slow, teasing tempo. It was one of those soul-cleansing moments that reminds me of why I love to play music, sitting on the edge of the stage and bringing the band volume so low that I sould sing from the edge of the stage without a mic and hear the audience breathing. Any idea on how good a band you need to try that?
Done. Time to sell CDs and talk to folks. Met lots of nice people, business cards go flying out of my hands. We drag our tired selves off to the hotel. Yep, same cabbie, wants to know all about our show and were we staying around for Tommy Castro. Nope, as it turns out, we're recording. Too bad, I like Tommy Castro and haven't seen him in a few years.
It's at the hotel after midnight that things start to get interesting. Johnny Mastro and the band drifted into the hotel bar not long after we did, and we got to talking. Turns out that he's from my hometown in upstate new york 30 years ago. We went to college 10 miles from each other and I went to school with his older brother and sister- she was my ex-girlfriends running buddy. Turns out we know most of the same people. Talked with these guys almost until sun-up about things that Johnny and I had forgotten for years, all the people we'd not kept in touch with after graduation because we were different. A couple of blues-playing misfits in schools of career minded adults. Reassuring to run into someone that had the same experience. All this time I thought it was just me.
Over breakfast, Dave and I talk about the Archetypical journey of the modern hero, Carl Jung, Modern Psychology and the genome project. DIno is immersed in a book. Les is the quiet Beatle this morning. We take turns debating who gets to be Ringo and John. No one wants to be Paul.
Cab ride in the morning to the train station. Different cabbie. Too bad, this guy is grouchy. Lost my phone at the train station, but the guy that found it calls Dino and tells us he'll send it back in the post.
It's on the train that the beers, red bull and talk about women starts. And while we're waiting for a train I catch a reflection of the band in a window, and it hits me how much we look like a band. We're tired and unshaven. We're wearing a mix of stage clothes and street clothes, sunglasses and we're standing in a tight huddle on the platform talking in low voices, even though there is ample room to spread out. Strangers give us our space, but we can catch the stray eye puzzling over who exactly these guys are, what band is this anyway? But we're still taking about metaphysics, gear and women, though, and realizing we'll be able to include Dino in the conversation when he finishes his book in the next 5 minutes. He's lost in some fantasy world, different from ours. No matter, we've other long excursions coming up. This was an easy trip, by comparison.
But the trip was a reminder of how much I love playing music with these guys, and hey- I'd travel with these guys anywhere.
We decided to take the train, save on gas. Great idea in principle, but with all the gear and lap steels I needed my suitcase weighed almost 100 lbs. Not very smart. But the ride down was really relaxing and gave us a chance to just hang out (which doesn't happen enough). Most of the way down we talked about the religion thread on the forum. That's odd coincidence number one- we have an ex --divinity student and an ex-religion and philosophy major in the band. I know that's so *not* blues band, we should have been talking abut wiskey and wimmen, but we were on a train so I think that evens things out.
Get to the train station in Burnley. No Taxi to be found. Two mile walk to the venue. Finally flag a cab big enough to get us there and a really nice Pakistani gentleman talks blues with us all the way to the hotel. So, you've got 3 Scots, an Alaskan and a Pakistani talking blues in England. Small world.
Hotel is nice, very English pub and all the other headliners are staying there too.
Quick shower and gear check and we're off to the theatre. Cabbie getting us there is the brother of the first cabbie and so, again, we talk blues all the way to the theatre. Line-check, sound check and off to the green room for some food. Oh, somehow I managed to get *so* much volume out of the Fender Twin they had for us that the sound guy complained he had me totally out of the mains. Arrrgh. Ok. Line check, sound check, turn down, second sound check and then off to the green room where we talked about the creation thread, Epigenetics, grid stability in 6L6 amps and wimmen. Ok, thats a little more blues band- gear and girls. The band is now acting 10 years younger.
Great gig. I love the tone of my old Magnatone lap steel blasting in a big theater and reflecting off the walls. It's a huge woody tone with a really large dynamic range for an electric instrument. We played two encores, and for the second one we played a lap-steel version of 'bring it on home to me' at a slow, teasing tempo. It was one of those soul-cleansing moments that reminds me of why I love to play music, sitting on the edge of the stage and bringing the band volume so low that I sould sing from the edge of the stage without a mic and hear the audience breathing. Any idea on how good a band you need to try that?
Done. Time to sell CDs and talk to folks. Met lots of nice people, business cards go flying out of my hands. We drag our tired selves off to the hotel. Yep, same cabbie, wants to know all about our show and were we staying around for Tommy Castro. Nope, as it turns out, we're recording. Too bad, I like Tommy Castro and haven't seen him in a few years.
It's at the hotel after midnight that things start to get interesting. Johnny Mastro and the band drifted into the hotel bar not long after we did, and we got to talking. Turns out that he's from my hometown in upstate new york 30 years ago. We went to college 10 miles from each other and I went to school with his older brother and sister- she was my ex-girlfriends running buddy. Turns out we know most of the same people. Talked with these guys almost until sun-up about things that Johnny and I had forgotten for years, all the people we'd not kept in touch with after graduation because we were different. A couple of blues-playing misfits in schools of career minded adults. Reassuring to run into someone that had the same experience. All this time I thought it was just me.
Over breakfast, Dave and I talk about the Archetypical journey of the modern hero, Carl Jung, Modern Psychology and the genome project. DIno is immersed in a book. Les is the quiet Beatle this morning. We take turns debating who gets to be Ringo and John. No one wants to be Paul.
Cab ride in the morning to the train station. Different cabbie. Too bad, this guy is grouchy. Lost my phone at the train station, but the guy that found it calls Dino and tells us he'll send it back in the post.
It's on the train that the beers, red bull and talk about women starts. And while we're waiting for a train I catch a reflection of the band in a window, and it hits me how much we look like a band. We're tired and unshaven. We're wearing a mix of stage clothes and street clothes, sunglasses and we're standing in a tight huddle on the platform talking in low voices, even though there is ample room to spread out. Strangers give us our space, but we can catch the stray eye puzzling over who exactly these guys are, what band is this anyway? But we're still taking about metaphysics, gear and women, though, and realizing we'll be able to include Dino in the conversation when he finishes his book in the next 5 minutes. He's lost in some fantasy world, different from ours. No matter, we've other long excursions coming up. This was an easy trip, by comparison.
But the trip was a reminder of how much I love playing music with these guys, and hey- I'd travel with these guys anywhere.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Burnley, ready or not!
Brace yourself, the band is on it's way to the Burnley National Blues Festival for our Friday night appearance. If you're going to the festival, expect a high-energy set for sure.
And, I always enjoy hanging out afterwards and talking shop, so look for me by the band's merchandise stall because that's where I'll be once we're finished. I usually bring my steel guitars along if you're curious about how they actually work- they are an odd breed of guitar.
And, if you're planning on staying home, well, you're going to miss all the fireworks! Off to pack, over and out for now. Hopefully we'll get some drummer-cam pictures for you to see the show from our perspective!
And, I always enjoy hanging out afterwards and talking shop, so look for me by the band's merchandise stall because that's where I'll be once we're finished. I usually bring my steel guitars along if you're curious about how they actually work- they are an odd breed of guitar.
And, if you're planning on staying home, well, you're going to miss all the fireworks! Off to pack, over and out for now. Hopefully we'll get some drummer-cam pictures for you to see the show from our perspective!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Solo CD release party, June 15
Talk about putting the cart before the horse. I know some of you think that waiting for my solo CD is like waiting for an Elvis sighting. So, to put my money where my mouth is, I schedled the release party at the Lemon Tree, Friday june 15 over lunch. I'll see if I can get an evening slot at a place like the Blue Lamp the same day.
Should get the recording finished the week after the Burnley Blues Festival, I have all the studio time booked- a solid week of recording. That should get it done. It's shaping up to be an interesting disk, with mostly lap acoustic. despite what I told Dave last week I think I am going to dust off my piano. Hmmm, some national steel too. arrgh- too much material. What a curse.
So, mark your calendars! And trust me, it'll be in the Lemon Tree Brochure (http://www.lemontree.org)
Should get the recording finished the week after the Burnley Blues Festival, I have all the studio time booked- a solid week of recording. That should get it done. It's shaping up to be an interesting disk, with mostly lap acoustic. despite what I told Dave last week I think I am going to dust off my piano. Hmmm, some national steel too. arrgh- too much material. What a curse.
So, mark your calendars! And trust me, it'll be in the Lemon Tree Brochure (http://www.lemontree.org)
Monday, April 02, 2007
New CD Review on BluesMatters website
Scottish Music Reviewer Eric Scott had this to say about the new live CD:
This is the record of the annual benefit concert Son plays at in Anchorage, Alaska and it demonstrates that, like a good baseball pitcher, he has some truly ‘nasty stuff’ coming out of his lap steel guitar. Dark, mysterious and dirty in the lower registers, wicked and cutting up high, Mr. Henry remains a modern master of tone and shape- an unstoppable force at next weekend’s Burnley Blues Festival, for those of you within driving distance.
read the complete review here
This is the record of the annual benefit concert Son plays at in Anchorage, Alaska and it demonstrates that, like a good baseball pitcher, he has some truly ‘nasty stuff’ coming out of his lap steel guitar. Dark, mysterious and dirty in the lower registers, wicked and cutting up high, Mr. Henry remains a modern master of tone and shape- an unstoppable force at next weekend’s Burnley Blues Festival, for those of you within driving distance.
read the complete review here
From my buddy Bob Parsons
My friend Bob Parsons has been writing down road and gig stories, and sent this to me a few weeks ago. I'd forgotten most of this and had a good laugh reading this......
----------------------
I have been very privileged to play with some real ballsy players. Let me just embarrass a dude right here and now.
I played 3 years with Son Henry. He never missed a gig, although he was sick a couple of times. here's a side note — don't hang with that guy when he's doin Dayquil! As I lug my stuff to the gig, still keeping it to one trip, I look back on all the stuff Son packed into his Suburban to get him through the night. Tremendous committment to a certain sound that he needed. Sometimes he'd bring 400 pounds of gear. And the guy was so road-tested. He broke a string on his lap steel at Blues on the Green, kept talking to the crowd the whole time he found a new string and replaced the broken one. The bnd is vamping through all this and I got so caught up in watching this lesson in multi-tasking, I totally forgot to play anything to help him out. Then he looks back and says "Play something will ya, and help me out here!". Duh, oh yeah, that's right, I'm a musician...
Besides, being sick, playing, playing through crappy electricity, microphones emitting blue sparks (come on, how do you go back and put your lips back on a mic that just hit you so hard it burnt your pickups off your strat?) Son calls me from the hospital the day we are to cap off Ocean Fest. He's strapped to a gurny, can't move his head, because some kid smucked Son in the backside with an S-10 pickup going 50mph — and he's talking about MAYBE needing help with his gear that night!!! Geez Louise... what's your excuse!
----------------------
I have been very privileged to play with some real ballsy players. Let me just embarrass a dude right here and now.
I played 3 years with Son Henry. He never missed a gig, although he was sick a couple of times. here's a side note — don't hang with that guy when he's doin Dayquil! As I lug my stuff to the gig, still keeping it to one trip, I look back on all the stuff Son packed into his Suburban to get him through the night. Tremendous committment to a certain sound that he needed. Sometimes he'd bring 400 pounds of gear. And the guy was so road-tested. He broke a string on his lap steel at Blues on the Green, kept talking to the crowd the whole time he found a new string and replaced the broken one. The bnd is vamping through all this and I got so caught up in watching this lesson in multi-tasking, I totally forgot to play anything to help him out. Then he looks back and says "Play something will ya, and help me out here!". Duh, oh yeah, that's right, I'm a musician...
Besides, being sick, playing, playing through crappy electricity, microphones emitting blue sparks (come on, how do you go back and put your lips back on a mic that just hit you so hard it burnt your pickups off your strat?) Son calls me from the hospital the day we are to cap off Ocean Fest. He's strapped to a gurny, can't move his head, because some kid smucked Son in the backside with an S-10 pickup going 50mph — and he's talking about MAYBE needing help with his gear that night!!! Geez Louise... what's your excuse!
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