Twas the night before Christmas......

Twas the night before christmas
and all through the house
the band was getting restless
there was no bass player about

and so in my leather jacket
and backwards beret
I put on my shoes
and went looking for Dave

then out from the street
there arose such a racket
that the cigarettes fell
out of my jacket

and looking through the window
of a rusty old van
who should I spy
but the long lost bass man

locked in the van
along with the keys
was davey the bass player
and 8 bottles of beer

when finally with a coat hanger
we did get him out
he jumped into the night air
and stumbled about

at the top of his lungs
full of good christmas cheer
"Happy Crishmash to all,
And Nappy Hew Near"

But from down the street
we did hear the yell
of punters, "play freebird"
oh bloddy hell.......

last gig of the year tonight

Cafe Drummonds, Aberdeen. Band on at 9:30

Great year, hard to believe that it's over already. Openers for Tam White, Blue Lisa, Ray Bonneville, Mem Shannon and gigs from Estonia to Alaska and all points in between. A new CD, and some great reviews and a live CD off to duplication. A youtube video that drew praise from some heavyweights in the steelguitar world. An awesome year. So how do you wrap it up? Gotta get to Drummonds tonight and find out....

Next year? A new live CD, a new band cd in the studio and a solo cd. And the life of a road dog, have lap steel will travel!

See you tonight, and happy, safe holidays to all. Thanks for your friendship and support.

and while we're at it.....

If you haven't read it yet, jump down t the previous post or this won't make a lick of sense.....

The real trick is going to be making this an integated whole, between the band and the solo gigs, no? It's going to be one thing to havethe solo gigs veer off in a new and interesting direction (not to mention a portable one too- can you imagine taking 5 guitars on a train?). But, to some extent this needs to fit well with the band too. Here's why-

First, the original songs need to be, to some extent, portable between both gigs. Otherwise, don't you run into a radical conflict, where a listener's expectations are far from being met- it seems like a big jump from raw, delta blues to lap-steel hendrix covers, no? Does it matter?

Second, the songwriter is happier if he's got a consistent target to write for, otherwise songs just stay in the books and never get a chance to tell their story on the stage.

And so, I'm open to feedback here- how important is it to have a performer present a consistent set of material from gig to gig? And by this I don't mean playing the same familiar songs the same way every night, but rather that everything seems to hang together. Or do you prefer to be surprised by what can creep into a set list on any given night?

I have my bias here. But I always like to hear from you guys. My email is at the top of the page here, so if you feel inclined, I'd welcome the feedback (as long as it's not a pitch to sell me Viagra or a Nigerian email scam), and I won't put you on a junk mail list.


OK, off to spend some time at the piano. Be well!

finding a new voice.....

Every once in a while a gig opens your eyes to new possibilities, and helps you find a new voice. It's as though the dynamics of the room, the acoustics and the personalties of the audience all lead you towards an answer or a change that you've been working towards. And SNAP, everything is in place.

Here's the dilemna- The National works fine in a sit-down cafe, but not in a pub. And, I've been feeling a little removed from the music, in the sense that these old songs have gone back to being someone elses's stories. So, last night at Satchmo's in Dundee I had a bar stool all to myself on the stage, and Leon Hunter was kind enough to let me experiment. And experiment I did, I took 5 guitars to the club and just played.

It turns out that the night just gelled with an old Jesse Mae Hemphill song, that set in motion a string of old Mississippi Hill Country style songs. Some RL Burnside and other stuff played with that vibe. And instantly the room went from one of ignoring the background music to dancing or shuffling in place, moving close to the stage and sitting there listening and throwing out song ideas. So, there was some James Taylor played on an electrified slide guitar at full volume. and other odd stuff, but somehow it all worked. And the original songs I've been wrestling with, lots of them just fit the bill.

I had a long drive home last night in the wee hours of the morning, and I was still zipping from the aftermath (it's 11 am the next day now) while I was prying my eyelids open with coffee this morning. I love it when the doors open like this, because most of the time it's not very subtle and is what one of those large bank vault doors opening must sound like.

Oh, about the 5 guitars? I only need two from here on out, and a very cheesy, very small amplifier to make it all work. Phew, I'm back to being portable again which is a comfort because moving FIVE guitars for a solo gig is a little over the top. But we did answer the question.

And for Dave and Mario who will want to know what happens to all the old delta stuff, it'll still be there guys, we're just going to transmogrify it a bit and make it a little more relevant to the life of a working-class guitar player with 4 kids living in the 21st century. Add volume and presto.....

what a great way to wrap up the year!

If you were at the Blue Lamp last night this won't be news.....

I'm so proud of they guys in the band. We had a double header with the Glebe Street Blues Band last night and they tee'd it up and hit it hard and straight. If you're wrapping up a great year, that was the gig. Dino and Angus were a cement floor, absolutely rock solid. And if you've been watching Dave lately you know he just keeps getting stronger and stronger. Damn, what a great band!

My favorites of the evening? "Don't go cutting off your hair", a dedication to the late Sammy Meyers was spontantous and right on the money, including a perfect Peter Green-tinged solo by Dave, and the "Voodoo Chile" rendition with the Sputnik imitation (a lap steel on legs played behind my head).

Wow, I'm exhausted, and off to catch some sleep. Thanks to all of you that bought CD's last night! Hope they make great stocking stuffers!

Last band gig of the year is at Cafe Drummonds on the 21st. It'll be a good one, so mark your diaries!

So where is that solo CD?

Great gig at Drummonds last night, sorry if you missed it...

Eric the Social worker, a couple of guys visiting from Calgary, Collin, Dave, Sherry Mike and Jane all asked about the solo cd- as in when is it going to be finished?

Soon.

Having enough material isn't the problem, it's what material goes together well enough for a cd so that it's an even consistent statement that reflects the 'artist's mindset' at a given point in time. This guy is a little over the road these days. Is it a country or delta blues record? Lots of lap steel? Some electric or ensemble playing? Talk about your basic pointless emotional and artistic crisis- here we are.

So, whadda we gonna do?

How about this as a plan- I've booked time in a local studio in december to take one and only one guitar in for a 4 hour block of recording. We'll record a couple of complete songs and keep the good stuff. Take a second block of time with another guitar and record another bunch of songs, and keep rotating untill we get a good, consistent package. The rest of the stuff I'll put out on my website for folks on my email list to download as a freebie.

GACK! Don't ask me about the live cd, it's all ready to go (artwork and all), but that's waiting on the label to get it out- hassle them at info@frontporchrecords.co.uk...

OK, that's me rant for the day. Off to write a few new songs!

Some stuff I gotta have when I grow up-


A guitar shaped swimming pool, a round, furry bed with an 8-track tape player mounted upside down for easy access from a reclining position. And some work clothes. Elvis had it all figured out.....

Kemnay Photos!

Chris Overton surprised me with photos from the Kemnay gig, here are some of them. More later. Thanks Chris!

Another YouTube video

I found some more footage from the Stirling Tollbooth this sumer, a real mellow version of the guys playing "love in vain". You cancheck it out here:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkt895kZT8g

Wow, the new Sons of Kemnay....

We had such a great time in Kemnay last night, warm welcome, nice room full of people and great acoustics.

I had a feeling it was going to be a great gig when we were driving down the highway into town and say a series of small signs on the roadside, about the size of an A3 sheet of paper that read:

SON HENRY

BLUES BAND

NOVEMBER 25

TICKETS AT HAIR SHOP

With publicity like that, well, we knew we were in the right track. And the thing abut Scots is that they're very much like Alaskans in their open-minded attitude towards music and willingness to have goot time. So, once everything was loaded in and set up we relaxed to hear Paul Tasker's new band the Doghouse Roses, an acoustic duo that reminded me of the Cowboy Junkies. Great music to relax to, and eat a pizza (which we did with reckless abandon)

At 10 pm it was our turn, and the guys corked off a great set right from the opening number. My instruction were to play a 'listening' set first and a dancing set later so people would hang around till the end. We managed to keep people sitting till around the 3rd number and then everyone (inclulding the band) was up and dancing and carrying on. So, we ended up with two long sets of dancing and carrying on.

Thanks to all of you that joined us last night, and those of you that took the CDs home! And to Dave and the rest of the crew that worked so hard to put on the show, thanks as well- you all did an excellent job with all the organizing and such. And for the honor of being tagges ' Honorary Sons of Kemnay'? Well, what can I say? We are really flattered....

back in the saddle

Been a couple of weeks off, much needed here. Sorry about the long absence....

Couple of big gigs coming up- the first Forfar Blues and Bridie festival is December 4, and I'm alternating sets with Gerry Jablonski at the Caledonian Pub and the Plough. Gerry's one of my favorite guitar players, so it should be fun, and talk about contrasting styles? And any time you get to launch a new blues festival is very cool as well.

From there, watch out for a solo set in December at Satchmo's in Dundee AND the mother of all double-header gigs at the Blue Lamp in Aberdeen on December 9th and Cafe Drumonds on November 30. More you-tube video to shoot at those two gigs as well.

Peace all, stay in touch!

Looking for horn players

And you thought I was kidding!

The band needs a horn section- Trumpet, Tenor Sax, Trombone or Bari Sax. Lot's of original material to be played, and I want to nufge the band in that Texas swing direction (and not towards a blues brothers tribute act)

last gig aftermath

Was that the best solo gig I've ever played? No, probably far from it actually. But it did confirm for me that there's something interesting and fun to changing over to an electric guitar-based set. My guitars sounded great, and I didn't feel like I was fighting them the whole time on stage. I never seem to get that feeling from my acoustics, and as much as I love my old national it was (all whining aside) great to NOT have it there to serve as a crutch.

So, owing a very heavy debt to Little Jimmy Reed for the rack-harp lessons, and some very insightful advice from Ray Bonneville I think this is the direction we're going to go for a while. Friday showed me what songs work and what ones clearly don't, and so we'll be leaving a bunch of material behind. But the good news is that I can get caught up on some of the songs I've written that don't work on a resonator guitar. It's all a balance. But I've always been a firm believer in going where the muse leads, and there's some interesting signs pointing in this direction.

Oh, and yeah, I'm really excited about how well my floor board worked as well. I got lots of help from Mac running the sound board who understood exactly what I wanted. But the electronics worked great and I'll keep it!

All I want for Christmas

All I want for Christmas is a horn section. Baritone Sax, Tenor, Alto and a Trumpet player.

Really, that's it. I don't even need a card.

My friend Anna turned me on to this guy- he's a pre-war blues and gospel guy that plays the zither. A novelty instrument? Historical oddity? No matter, the music is really unusual and great listening.

A new guitar or two...

Well, there are some new additions to the family here. After loosing an old friend to the airline baggage handlers, and realizing it was time to part with a couple of other guitars that hadn't seen a gig in a bit it was time to indulge. Expect to see this at the Lemon Tree in November-

The one in the case is an ES-125T, it's a thin-bodied ES-125 jazz box with a big old P-90 pickup on it. It's a great guitar for the swampy solo stuff I've been playing in standard tunings. All the old Jimmy Reed sounds great on it as well.

So, why the change? Fair question, I suppose. Here's the logic- I'd like to change over to a set of guitars I can use for a solo gig where my electric lap steel seems less radical. It always seems to fit poorly with an acoustic national and a regular acoustic guitar. So, we'll translate the slide material to the my old silvertone and the straight guitar parts to the 125T, amplify everything andthen the lap steel fits better. It's a great change in other ways too- opens up some rhythmic techniques on these guitars that don't come out or simply don't work on an acoustic guitar.

I suppose the national will still get around. I know I don't ever want to risk travelling with it again.

Off to practice and write. Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Memphis in the meantime...

OK, I'm back. What a great trip.

Ended up spending two days in Memphis lasty weekend. Got there Friday night and stayed in the Days Inn Graceland across 'Elvis Presley Blvd' from the Graceland mansion. the hotel was great- a guitar shaped swimming pool and Elvis movies nonstop on 4 channels in the hotel. Getting there late at night there was only one thing to do- head out for Bar-b-que.

Turns out A-R Barbeque was right down the road and was some of the best I've had in a long time. I ate myself silly. Beans and coleslaw, and a big brisket sandwich. Ahhh. Heaven.

In the morning some friends and I hopped aboard a tour bus and went through the mansion. It was smaller than I expected, but right on the money- great shag carpeting on the roof, exactly like I imagined Elvis would decorate his place.

Then, off to lunch and more barbeque.

In the afternoon I did the tours of Sun Studios and the Stax Museum of Soul. Inspiring to be there, both places. Absolutely magical.

That night we hit Beale Street. Not what I expected at all. Early in the night it was nothing but Stevie Ray cover bands playing the same set list over and over. I finally sat on the street in front of Big Gary, who played all the old Jimmy Reed stuff. Covers, but still good and not 'Pride and Joy' and 'Cold Shot'. Later on it was off to hear this kick-ass rockabilly band, who's name I've lost. The beer was good, what can I say.

No matter, it's great to be home and ready to play again. Check in sometime soon at a gig, lots of other stories to tell!

barbeque at my place!

Amazing things happend when you have a welder for a friend!

My buddy Dave sent me an email a while back of a picture he'd found on the web of a great BBQ accessory, one of those pictures that was making it's way around the internet. Man, I had to find a set of these to add some comic relief to my backdoor cooking. My cooking is funny enough by itself, but it does need a little help...

So, to make a long story short, it turns out he's not just a welder he's an artist too, and made me these to amuse the kids and annoy my wife. Thanks Dave! Because now I have the most popular gas grill in town

Off to Graceland too!

Oh, expect a travel-log over the next few weeks, because we're going to Memphis and Nashville! I'll try and post pictures along the way....

Been kinda quiet here lately...

Long time, no writing. My apologies, it's been a little busy.

We've been working on the new songs for our next record, and had a great rehearsal last week. I think we've got a string start on seven or eight new songs. The feel of these is pretty close to that Glenn Highway Blues-vibe, real rootsy. Except this time it's nice to have a second guitar player to bat ideas around with, makes the foundation a little sounder.

More in a bit!