In our perfect world....

Music has dynamics.
Songs have meaning,
and that meaning is shared.
Art is valued and
innovation is the norm.
Genre boundaries are meaningless.
Music is art,
and I am an artist.

Stand back,
listen,
and make the most of the short time we have together.

Taking a break, walking a way....

I'm stepping away from the keyboard, the band and life in the electronic universe for a while. I'll be back after January 5th with more blues and stories, and more regular posting. For now I need to get out and play in the snow.

It's been an interesting and challenging year, with some real highs and lows. To my good friends that were there to get me through the low spots, and shared in the high spots all I can say is thanks- I wouldn't be here with out all your help. Daily, I remember that I'm forever in the debt of the Seven Sisters of Mercy in Rayong, and the arms of the Universe (whatever your concept of God is) that caught me when I fell and was second-chance-reborn with the dawn of 2010.

And so, with the close of the year, it's finally time to go away and think (or re-think) the music. Somehow it's become hard work, like walking the same ground over and over again. Different, urgent, personal, new, challenging are words I need to apply honestly to this again. How to get there? Moving. Different. How to get there?

I suppose that the simple answer is that it is time for change of instrumentation. More pedal steel. More something and less something else. That's too simple, however. It needs to be more transformational than that. I need some unstructured time to write and think and be, and emerge from this metamorphosis with something worth taking on the next few miles of the journey, as short or as long as this may be.

See you in the new year with something worth sharing.

Namaste

On the fine art of selling downloads....

So, can you really get rich from selling music on the interwebs? Here's an analysis ofg how much you need to sell to hi the US minimum wage in a given month....

Click here to read

Changes in Son-Henry-Land

Well, my year-long adventure into the land of big band blues has come to an end. Given the pressures of the economy we've made the hard choice to drop back to a smaller more compact format. It's always hard to say goodbye to good players like Chris and Dave, but (and you may have heard me say this before) change is always good.

I had a chance to road-test the new line-up on Friday at the Globe Inn here in Aberdeen. How'd it go? Well, we settled right in and had the room jumping from the start. It's all that old-school stuff that I love that works so well in a guitar-driven format; John Lee Hooker, Guitar Slim, Lightning Slim and my own tunes. All works. And you need to see it to experience it!

And really, my measure is just this. I like it, its the perfect line-up for where my head is at these days. And on Friday we played well past the closing bell for a large group of women that just didn't want to stop dancing. There's all the proof I need.

See you soon-

How to tour...

OK, someone finally said it. How to tour with a band. Everything you need to know in one place, it's simple, honest and should be read by everyone. Thor Harris, you nailed it.


Click Here to read it

New Press Kit available!

Hey all-

Promoter? Festival? Venue?

Drop me an email at info@sonhenry.com. IF you get me your address, I'll get you a press kit!

Son

Fall mini-tour....

Thanks to all of you that joined us for our quick trip down south! We had a great time, and we'll be back soon.

Although we missed the horns (and wish them well with their family crisis) this trip reinforced for me just how much I love to play the guitar. Especially when I get to play blues with a great rhythm section that can go with me when I abandon the set list early. Friday night we did away with the set list altogether and managed to cover a lot of ground- from old Texas shuffles, to some Gulf Coast Slim Harpo style, as well as a big chunk of original tunes and a bunch of steel guitar.

One of the changes that is coming from this trip came out of a conversation at a late night coffee session after that gig. We've been working up new tunes that are based on my pedal steel playing, rather than a straight lap steel (or lap steel/guitar combo) like we do now. It'll open some harmonic doors for us, give us some new challenges. All in all, a great choice.

So, looking ahead through the rest of the year, we have a few more gigs before we call an end to 2010, but we'll be filling the time writing and recording, booking 2011 and still arguing about where to get the best pizza on the road.

OK, I've got to unload the van. Cant put it off an longer.....

Off on the road again...

Taking the band down to play the fantastic High Barn in Essex this week. If you're n the area, stop in and say hello.

Click Here to learn more about High Barn!


And then, it's off to Nottingham for the first Anniversary of the Nottingham Blues Society.

Read more here...

So, see you there!

Booking information for 2011!

If you're reading this, tell your friends, tell your local blues society and blues clubs that they should be booking this band! Help a starving artist, point them this way!

There is a complete press kit on the band web site and you can get there by clicking here

and, as always, thanks for your support!

Son

Did you read that right?

Last solo gig ever?

Well, forever is a long time but yeah, for a bit. The solo material is getting moved into the normal set instead of taking a break.

In Newark, with Sean Webster....

Mooring's Residency coming to an end...

This coming Friday is it. The end of a month of mayhem and madness with all the denizens of the Moorings Bar, the best live music pub in Scotland....

So, we're going out in grand, blow-down-the-walls style. Special guests, things to give away, and an even longer show- Flash the owner says we can play as long as we want. Is he ever going to regret saying that! So don't miss it, it won't happen again this year, and there's not a snowball's chance in Mexico that you'll ever have this much fun on a Friday night.

Pictures to follow. You may end up in one too. That's a good thing....

Mooring's Residency coming to an end...

This coming Friday is it. The end of a month of mayhem and madness with all the denizens of the Moorings Bar, the best live music pub in Scotland....

So, we're going out in grand, blow-down-the-walls style. Special guests, things to give away, and an even longer show- Flash the owner says we can play as long as we want. Is he ever going to regret saying that! So don't miss it, it won't happen again this year, and there's not a snowball' chance in Mexico that you'll ever have this much fun on a Friday night.

Happy 50th Alan!

Happy 50th Alan! All the best, and fingers crossed that the effects of all the tequila were minor.....

Some photos from Newark...

Thanks Rob and Anne! They sent me these pictures, and they're right- this is one happy lap steel player.

Who says guitar players only pull tough-guy faces?

what can I say but thanks to all of you!

the new one on the bandstand

Well, we could use this to play country (and I do, BTW). It's an old triple neck Fender Stringmaster- 24 strings, 6 pickups, 4 legs and a very heavy case. Right now it's tuned to C6, A6 and E13, not sure if I'll stay with these or switch to some others.

It's a great guitar though, and opens a few harmonic doors for me and the band- in the E13 tuning I can play big fat chords like a horn section. Expect to see this and hear some new material where we push the steel boundaries in blues and in the band. It's time, and this big bit of lumber is the key!

You read it here first---

Not sure if it'll really be forever, but at last for a long time I'm taking a break from solo gigs.

We need to focus on getting this next band CD out, and really getting behind it with a serious tour or two in 2011. There's just no way to prepare for both the band tour

Every Friday in September- the Moorings!

It's true. Trio starts around 9, all September long.

The last time we were there it was an amazing party, with too many shots of tequila. We'll probably go for a repeat performance on all fronts. Heres what the party looked like last time...

Moorings Bar?

Hey, we're back at the Moorings Bar on Saturday the 17th....

I'm taking the trio in for a loud set, mostly of some new lap steel stuff. And yeah, we're running every Friday night there in September too.....