Les Paul

This week, guitar great Les Paul died. To tell the truth, I was never a huge fan of the Les Paul guitar (I love Telecasters), though my one electric guitar, called a “The Paul”, is a solid mahogany Les Paul with enough heft to stop a crack-crazed sumo wrestler with one baseball-bat-like swing.

But I do love tipping points... I love the decade-long, Gordian-knot like tipping point of Charlie Patton/Son House and Robert Johnson... the Velvet Underground, the Beatles, Hendrix... those musicians crafted a moment or series of moments that carved a deep path for others to follow.

Les Paul was one of those tipping points. In the throws of the Depression, he was an innovator, not only in playing guitar, but in amplifying and electrifying that guitar. He took an acoustic instrument and gave it a voice loud and powerful. Like Henry Ford, who couldn’t really visualize what he was doing until it was too late, Les Paul didn’t see the monster chops of Jimmy Page, Slash or Hendrix. Didn’t anticipate feedback, the raged sound of over-heated tubes, wah-wah pedals and the like.

Les Paul created the electric guitar and developed a sound that was sweet, smooth and urbane... jazzy, bluesy riffs that we’re like some smooth Kalua cocktail. I remember in college listing to his albums made with his wife Mary Ford... the sweet, jazzy, poppy songs they’d perform together... wonderful music.

Then every once in a while, in the middle of a song, Les would take a guitar break and shred that fretboard, blending blues, country and soon-to-be-rock runs with his jazzy chords... playing the bass strings with a pick, running the neck from low to high... sliding, hammering and pulling off, delivering a 20 second guitar solo that would just leave your jaw hanging open.



He was truly a tipping point, and those scales started tipping a half century ago with the like of Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins and Bill Haley... and imagine that thread of guitar innovation as it moved through Lou Reed, Jimi Hendrix, Leslie White, Eric Clapton and Jorma Koukenen... and into modern guitar masters like Robin Trower, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eddie Van Halen, The Edge, Stanley Jordon and Robert Fripp.

A true innovator may have left us, but the scales have already tipped and there is no turning back. Better turn it up to eleven!

Best Amplifier Ever!

A few weeks ago, I took delivery of my new custom made Hahn Signet amplifier. What a gem! Hand made in Galva and Texas, this low wattage tube-powered beauty is a real throwback. Simple volume, gain and tone controls give a surprisingly wide range of sound options.

I'm playing my Phillips archtop through it and it's the sound that amazes me... clear, crisp and with just the right amount of fuzzy edge to deliver that vintage blues sound I'm alays looking for but rarely find.

In the past, I used a Voodoo Sparkle Drive pedal to get the sound right, but this amp delivers just what I want straight up, and I love not having any other electronics in the way between the guitar and amp.

The quality of the custom craftsmanship is amazing... from the custom cabinet (finished to match my Yamaha piano) to the tube amp chassis, everything is neat as a pin, professionally done and done with flair and an eye to lasting quality.

I rarely get on bandwagons, but I'm certainly on the Hahn Amplifier band wagon... if you are looking for a wonderful small tube amp with amazing sound, be sure to check them out! You can even head to the image gallery and see me playing through my new amp at an open mic at Budde's... check it out here.

Best Songs Using Slide Guitar

Death Letter Blues, Son House
If there was a "platonic form" of the perfect Depression-era blues song, this would be it. Powerful, driving, tragic and empowering, this song is a towering achievement. House heavily influenced Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters, and most of modern music along the way.

Come on in My Kitchen, Robert Johnson
Women were said to weep openly when Johnson played this song in juke joints. This is the masterwork of the first modern blues guitar player, full of passion and tense with sexual energy. Women want Johnson, men want to be like him. No wonder he's the "King" of the delta blues singers.

Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning, Blind Willie Johnson
Johnson is, hands down, the best slide guitar player ever. It's not even close. He used a pocket knife as a slide, and hit such perfect notes that the music compels an inescapable, deeply emotional reaction. There's a reason why his music is rocketing off into space on the Voyager probe, showcasing the very best humanity can achieve.

What Does It Mean To Be "On"?

Last week, I played a short set at Budde's open mic over in Galesburg. It was one of the best sets I ever played... but why?

I wasn't particularly technical; I screwed up a few times, but kept going. So why did it feel so good? I think part of the answer lies in audience reaction - for some reason, they were paying more attention than normal and supported my playing with cheers and hoots. Obviously, that gets a musician motivated.

But I think it was more than that... for some reason, confidence was strong (that's not a given), so I sang louder and with more conviction. Though I'm not sure why I felt better that night than others.

What I noticed most was that I felt part of the music. I wasn't just playing a few songs - I was inhabiting them. I was feeling the strings, flowing with the music, almost surfing over the music with the lyrics. I was in there and believing it, and because of that, I think the end product was greater than the sum of its parts.

I was a magical feeling, but certainly elusive for me. Maybe one day, the recipe for that magical musical gumbo will reveal itself for me; until then, I'll be content for those rare moments when I truly inhabit the music. After all, that why I keep coming back to play!

Best songs utilizing the 'wah-wah' guitar effect

Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Jimi Hendrix Experience
Electric Ladyland, 1968
This is the grand-daddy of all wah-wah songs and the Platonic Form of electric guitar for many an aspiring players. Flat out, this may be the best electric guitar song ever put on vinyl. Gifted guitarist Joe Satriani sums it up this way: "It's just the greatest piece of electric guitar work ever recorded. In fact, the whole song could be considered the holy grail of guitar expression and technique. It is a beacon of humanity."

The Ring
Robin Trower
Victims of the Fury, 1980
No one has mastered the depth and breadth of electric guitar sounds like British rocker Robin Trower. Easily one of the greatest Stratocaster players in history, Trower flows from the ethereal to the raw in his guitar work. Victims of the Fury is a masterful album, and The Ring is unequaled raw, wah-powered brilliance--the guitar line is so aggressive, it'll peel paint.

Soul to Soul
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
Soul to Soul, 1985
Stevie was perhaps the best technical guitar player ever. Not as creatively brilliant as Hendrix, but easily his master in technique. In Soul to Soul, he delivers a romping, wah-infused instrumental that's both as catchy as it is edgy. It'll make your eyes water at the same time you're tapping your foot. The ease and accuracy of his playing, coupled with the rich tone, is simply unbelievable.

Charlie, Joel and Fred

Last night, I had the pleasure of hearing both Charlie Hayes/Joel Fleming and Fred Dixon prepare for their upcoming Deep Blue Innovators Blues Festival performances at an open mic at McMahon's Pub in Monmouth.

Charlie and Joel were on fire, with Charlie playing both acoustic and electric Dobro slide guitar. It was amazing hearing the tone and range from Joel's harmonica playing--certainly not the sound you hear from your garden variety blues harpist. His high-end solo on Shake Your Money Maker was simply amazing!

Fred was working through a potential set, trying out the best flow and fit of a number of way-old-school blues songs. It's simply amazing the depth of material he has access to. He was telling me that his love of deep blues came from his childhood in Chicago (he moved up there at 12), where his "hillbilly" accent and poverty governed who he could and could not hang out with. There, with the poor kids on the streets of Chicago, he fell in love with the authenticity of the blues.

I'm getting psyched about the show--I can hear in my head the flow from one act to the next and I think it'll be a day to remember!

Prepping for the Festival

Over the last month, I've logged a lot of hours getting ready for this year's Deep Blue Innovators Blues Festival. I always have a feeling I've forgotten something, but I've gotten posters out, got the tickets out to local businesses, recruited the logistics team, have the web advertising set up, booked the rooms for the artists... I think that's it for now.

I'm getting psyched, because I can start to hear the flow of the music from one artist to the next in my head, and I think it'll be another magical day. Of course, I always get psycho-nervous before the show, but I think we've got a great show simmering here.

Now if I can only remember what I've forgotten!

Cool, Vicious Little Guitar

Last weekend, I had the pleasure to spend the evening with another "blues wanderer." We swapped some stories and jammed together. I think I got the most out of it, because I'm not all that used to jamming with other folks. I think that's something I really need to do more of, especially to help my timing.

One thing that caught my imagination was his parlor sized Framus acoustic guitar. It's an older guitar manufactured in Germany and he had it set up to play slide. The tone and sound was raw (yet gentle) with a surprising amount of volume.

I did a little digging and found a photo of a guitar that' very similar, and it was referred to as a "Telles"... I checked on the Framus site and they have a great vintage online museum, but I couldn't find that exact guitar, but their "Wanderer" series seemed to be the closest match. You can see that page here.

Bernie Pearl Video

Legendary acoustic blues player Bernie Pearl just uploaded a video of his performance of the Lightnin' Hopkins classic Shinin' Moon (one of my favorite Hopkins' tunes). Here is the link to the video.

I emailed Bernie after I saw this and this is what he sent back:

Thanks for the praise. I met Lightnin' in 1960 and played lots with him. I also studied his recordings and always try to capture the spirit, if not the note-for-note, of his music.

I'm playing a Martin 00-17 (1952) which I have owned since 1956 and used when I played with Lightnin'. No, no pickups at all. Just an acoustic guitar through a decent mic. It makes a great deal of tonal and touch difference when the guitar has an internal pickup or mic. It was a house mic., an SM-57, I think, going directly through the board. The engineer gave me enough monitors to allow me to hear what I was doing and, therefore, enjoy playing.

I'd love to come to Monmouth and play.

Thanks, Bernie

Carolina Chocolate Drops

I had the chance to see the Carolina Chocolate Drops at the MVBS blues festival on July 3rd. They are a self-dubbed African-American String Band, and they play the music that lies, historically, after the field chants and hollers but before the blues proper appeared in the Delta.

Their show was simply amazing, with banjo, fiddle, resonator guitar, kazoo, jug--a wonderful cross section of music from post Civil War up through the 1920s. They even broke out a great old Charlie Patton number: Jellyroll.

If you ever get a chance to see this band, mark your calendar. The show is captivating and Rhiannon Giddens dancing is unforgettable.

The Kelly Richey Band

The June 21st performance of the Kelly Richey Band was simply amazing! The Rivoli was in fine form and we filled the entire main floor with fans for the show. What was the most amazing thing about Kelly's performance was the way she was able to absolutely grab the crowd's attention and hold it throughout all of her amazing solos.

She would sometimes solo five or six minutes straight, and each note seemed to pull the crowd forward on their seats. I've heard some amazing guitarists, but even the most amazing guitarist can make a solo seem to drag on--not so with Kelly--it was mesmerizing and amazing.

Best Duets

Portland, Oregon
Loretta Lynn and Jack White
This raucous ballad of drunk love found in a bar over pitchers of Sloe Gin Fizz pairs county music legend Loretta Lynn with alternative rocker and song writer Jack White (of the White Stripes). This catchy tune is both hard-core county music and edgy alternative rock, showing that even the most unlikely genre lines can be blurred.

Me and My Shadow
Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.
This jazzy Rat Pack duet was was of the staples of their early 60s Vegas shows. Revamped lyrics feel both traditional and mired in the hip Vegas of the era as the song follows the crooners from club to club, best friends partying until the light of dawn.

Fairytale of New York
Shane MacGowen and Kristy MacColl
This story-song follows two hard-luck Irish immigrants as they attempt to deal with Christmas in New York City without killing each other. The song is a twisted, poignant holiday jewel featuring shattered dreams, wandering tramps, drug addicts, the NYPD choir and the realization that love is always messy.

2008 Blues Music Award Winners

The 2008 Blues Music Awards Winners announced by the Blues Foundation:

1. DVD - Kenny Wayne Shepherd "10 Days Out: - Blues from the Backroads "
2. Traditional Blues Male Artist - Hubert Sumlin
3. Traditional Blues Female Artist - Koko Taylor
4. Acoustic Artist - Bobby Rush
5. Acoustic Album Bobby Rush - Raw
6. Pinetop Perkins Piano Player - Honey Piazza
7. Instrumentalist-Guitar - Bob Margolin
8. Soul Blues Male Artist - Bobby Rush
9. Soul Blues Female Artist - Irma Thomas
10. Soul Blues Album - The Holmes Brothers – State of Grace
11. Historical Album - Epic/Legacy – Breakin’ It UP, Breakin’ it DOWN
12. Contemporary Blues Album - Tommy Castro - Painkiller
13. Contemporary Blues Female Artist - Bettye LaVette
14. Contemporary Blues Male Artist - Tab Benoit
15. Instrumentalist-Harmonica - Kim Wilson
16. Instrumentalist-Bass - Bob Stroger
17. Instrumentalist-Drums - Sam Lay
18. Instrumentalist-Horn - Deanna Bogart
19. Instrumentalist-Pedal Steel- Robert Randolph
20. Best New Artist Debut - Diunna Greenleaf & Blue Mercy – Cotton Field to Coffee House
21. Song - “Gonna Buy Me a Mule” – Koko Taylor
22. Traditional Blues Album - Koko Taylor – Old School
23. Album - Watermelon Slim & the Workers – The Wheel Man
24. Band - Watermelon Slim & the Workers
25. B.B. King Entertainer - Tommy Castro

Saddest Songs Ever

For this week's Galesburg Register Mail "Rating Game" feature, we were asked to list our three "saddest songs ever." Here are my picks, which include one awesome blues tune from B.B. King and a true "blue" song from John Prine:

"There Must Be A Better World Somewhere", B.B. King
This song blends heat-wrenching sadness with just a hint of tragic optimism. While the lyrics are sad in and of themselves, the gut punch of this song comes from the interplay of the wailing saxophones and B.B. King's crying guitar.

"Hallelujah", Jeff Buckley
Buckley's cover of this Leonard Cohen song weaves an emotional tapestry of inner sorrow and confusion, at once both tragic and beautiful. The enigmatic lyrics blend flawlessly with his ethereal singing voice to create an unforgettable emotion experience for the listener.

"Angel From Montgomery", John Prine
The emotional power of these lyrics almost commands you to toss back a shot of hard liquor and to cry quietly in your beer. This masterpiece of lonely sorrow, also covered by Bonnie Raitt, paints a picture of a desperately broken life in sparse, powerful prose.

Click here for a link to the full article.

Online Music Teaching

I'll be trying something wholly new for me this spring. I've signed up for a 12 week online class from the Berklee College of Music. It's a Blues Guitar Workshop, and I'm psyched to dive in and spend 12 weeks increasing my blues knowledge base.

Folks tell me I'm not a bad blues guitarist, but I feel like my musical knowledge is built on a pretty shaky foundation, and hopefully this class will help shore up that foundation (and give me some new licks and tunes to boot!).

I'm very curious to see how online teaching works for something like guitar. We'll get videos of instructor demonstrations and we will submit our work as MP3 files. I think it could be quite effective. The semester starts in early April--I'll be sure to report on how it goes.

A Simply Awesome Honor

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of being the logistical guru of the Old School Guitar Heroes Blues Festival, as well as act as the event's emcee. It was a ball and the event was simply amazing (see monmouthblues.com for more info and photos). The night wrapped up with an ad hoc set featuring Charlie Hayes, Joe Price, Brian Daw and Joel Flemming. They were smoking! My "moment in the spotlight" came after their set, when I got to close down the fest by playing five songs on the Rivoli stage. I played both a normal acoustic (in standard tuning) and my single-cone chrome resonator (tuned to open D). It was really a dream come true to hear the screams of the crowd. What an awesome day!

Sounding Good!

I stopped by Arthur Fowler's house today to drop off some Blues Fest marketing swag and got to hear Fred Dixon practice a few songs for next week's Old School Guitar Heroes Blues Fest. Fred will be joined onstage by Arthur, his two sons and Josh playing congas. They take us from jazz to deep blues. It'll be a great set!

Festival Less Than Two Weeks Away!

The Old School Guitar Heroes Blues Festival is less than two weeks away! I've been working frantically to get the word out via posters, press releases, the web and local radio. This week, the Rivoli now sports the Blues Fest on the marquee. It was put up a few weeks ago, but the freak storm that hit our area blew the letters down less than two hours after they were put up!

Festival Posters

We're nearing the final month before the Old School Guitar Heroes Blues Festival and posters were sent to the printer today. In a few days, we'll distribute the posters locally, as well as tickets for purchase. If you don't have your tickets yet, grab them online or where you see the posters!

Blues Zombie

For the past few weeks, our younger daughter has been studying the great drawing videos of Monster by Mail, the summer work of an artist who will create a custom zombie image for you. The videos are great fun to watch (with songs provided by unsigned independent bands). One thing lead to another, and I had to try my own hand at a "blues zombie"... enjoy!