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.