Time To Settle Down (for a month at least)

Well, the month of June was very hectic for me.  I don’t think that I picked up the mandolin the entire month.  I certainly didn’t go to any jams.  I was able to pick up the guitar from time to time, and even got Hurt’s “Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor” down pretty well.

Well, check that – I did take my mandolin with my on a trip to Memphis and got to jam with my Dad at a dinner party.  That was a lot of fun.  We play this very chill Brazilian jazz together.  It is totally improvised and I gotta say we sound pretty good.  Well, at least the friends enjoyed it.

I went to Switzerland – while there was a lot of interesting things I did and saw, none if it was music related, and I didn’t bring my instrument with me.  I have really hit my stride with twitter – I kept a running diary of experiences on it.  I am open ears for any suggestions of folk and/or bluegrass jams anywhere in Switzerland – I know they are out there.

I go through waves and cycles in my mindscape.  The last couple of months have been heavy on bluegrass.  June was big on Blind Blake and John Fahey.  Right now I am moving into an academic mindset – listening to university lectures, being a total news hound, and learning French.  The academic mindset is hardly ever sustainable for me, and I suspect that July I will move back to bluegrass.  Maybe a kind of tough blues + bluegrass…. = Monroe!

And I am looking forward to continuing my lessons with Taterbug.  I want to put in a good month of lessons with him for July.  I also want to get out to some jams, but that is always difficult with all the things I have going on in my life.

That said, July promises to be a fun and exciting month!  New baby is imminent within weeks.  I can’t wait to see how my little one react to another little one.  In fact, there is NOTHING more exciting and fun than a new baby in the house!  July/August are going to be good months.

Filed under: Music & Mandolin Meditations, My Journal, Traveling Man

CJ Wilson Interview (temp posted for Banjoist123)

If I remember correctly, they get to the interview about halfway through the show.  It’s interesting to hear about CJ’s life (”mountain dew commercial”), how pitching is like putting, and his views on twitter.

Cheers, Rek

BaD Radio Weekly Wrap-Up – Week of June 8

Filed under: My Journal

Lots of Tunes

I am a big, big fan of live music.  When I was in college my best friend had a large collection of Grateful Dead bootleg tapes.  By the end of college I had become accustomed listening to live shows only.  Today, it is quite rare for me to listen to an album.  While I appreciate the album as a completed work of art, it just doesn’t seem to have the soul and excitement that a live show has.

One of the great things about bluegrass is that it has a very strong taper tradition.  In fact Jerry Garcia himself used to tape bluegrass bands around the bay area in the early 60’s.

Now days, I am a very experienced bootleg listener.  There are certain microphones I prefer, and certain tapers I look for.  For example, any show taped by Bill Kouky is going to be excellent quality.

I just think that it is so, so cool to be able to listen to a David Bromberg show that took place in Italy last week!

The most convenient place to find live and legal bootlegs is at bt.etree.org.  You will find a lot of jam band music on here, but a lot of other stuff comes through as well….and a lot of bluegrass.  Just lately some new shows have been put up and I have had the great pleasure of listening to, and I recommend them to anyone.  Here are some of the really good ones:

Tony Rice Unit 2004-03-23 ~ Smilefest, Union Grove, NC ~ SBD DAT Master ~ uncirculated

Sam Bush 2009-05-23 Delfest 2009 Cumberland, MD

David & Nancy Bromberg – May 24th, 2009 – Vicenza, Italy

Del McCoury Band 2009-05-22 Delfest 2009 Cumberland, MD BSC1-K2

Junior Brown, Summer Camp Festival, Chillicothe, IL, 2009-05-22

CharlieHunterTrio2009-05-24-Hopmunk Tavern-Sebastopol,CA.MK22

Steep Canyon Rangers 2009-05-22 Delfest BSC1-K2

the Greencards April 18, 2009 Brooksville, FL; sbd

Infamous Stringdusters 2009-05-22 Delfest 2009 Cumberland, MD BSC1 K2

Filed under: Music & Mandolin Meditations, My Journal

Lose the Ego

I have been super busy lately.  Life, life and another dose of life.  But I have been able get in some good mandolin practice and have even gotten to a couple of jams.  And of coarse I have been plugging away with taterbug.

My practice sessions have recently taken an interesting change – for the better.  I went through about a 2-3 week period where I was really lost, but now I have nailed down a really great practice regime.

Through my lessons with taterbug I have been building a good cateloge of Monroe style licks in all keys.  I am really trying to take these licks and positions and integrate them into my mandolin vocabulary.  So, I have been playing along with some recordings of jams and applying the licks to them.  I will take a lick that is in C and transpose it to G, or A or D and try it against several different songs.

I am also working on playing the melody, and playing what is in my head.   This has been a real turning point for me lately in my playing.  In the past I feel that I was reaching for notes that I knew would not be out of key, while not really thinking about the melody I was playing.  This makes for solos that start to all sound alike and that do not represent the melody.  Playing the melody has been something that does not come very naturally to me, and so I really have to work on it.

Another aspect I have been working on is the ego.  In a lesson with taterbug I mentioned how I froze up in jam and how that tension really affects my playing for the worse.  I feel that my playing at home and alone is much better than when I am in front of people.  His response was that playing in general becomes so much easier once you loose the ego.  He really just mentioned this in passing but it struck a chord with me.

The fact is that I am so worried about “sounding good” that it handicaps me.  My own ego is my belief that I should sound good, and that other people should recognize that.  I get so nervous worrying about what other people will think.  Loose the ego and you loose the nerves.  Who cares what other people think!  Have fun!

So I have been happy with the progress I have been making and I feel that my practice sessions will lead to more progress.

Below is a clip from a recent jam.  I like this solo because I had some really good ideas in it.  I used some licks that I have been learning and applied them really effectively.  But this clip is also an example of my ego getting in the way and my need to loosen up.  This solo could have been really good, but my tenseness gets in the way.  When I listen to it, I can really hear my musical idea and my insecure ego battling it out.

Loosen up, play raw, have fun.

05-07-2009 Bluebell Irving clip

Filed under: Jam Reflections, Music & Mandolin Meditations, Music Clip, My Journal, Practice Session Notes

Deep River Blues

Artist: Watson Doc
Song: Deep River Blues
Album: Trouble in Mind

Let it rain, let it pour,
Let it rain a whole lot more,
‘Cause I got them deep river blues.
Let the rain drive right on,
Let the waves sweep along,
‘Cause I got them deep river blues.

My old gal’s a good old pal,
And she looks like a water fowl,
When I get them deep river blues.
Ain’t no one to cry for me,
And the fish all go out on a spree
When I get them deep river blues.

Give me back my old boat,
I’m gonna sail if she’ll float,
‘Cause I got them deep river blues,
I’m goin’ back to Muscle Shoals,
Times are better there I’m told,
Cause I got them deep river blues.

Let it rain, let it pour,
Let it rain a whole lot more,
‘Cause I got them deep river blues,
Let the rain drive right on,
Let the waves sweep along,
‘Cause I got them deep river blues.

If my boat sinks with me.
I’ll go down, don’t you see,
‘Cause I got them deep river blues,
Now I’m gonna say goodbye,
And if I sink, just let me die,
‘Cause I got them deep river blues.

Let it rain, let it pour,
Let it rain a whole lot more,
‘Cause I got them deep river blues,
Let the rain drive right on,
Let the waves sweep along,
‘Cause I got them deep river blues

Filed under: Deep River Blues, My Journal

Stacker Lee

Police officer
How can it be?
You can arrest everybody
But cruel Stagger Lee
That bad man
Oh cruel Stagger Lee

Billy DeLyon told Stagger Lee
Please don’t take my life
I got two little babes
And a darling, loving wife
That bad man
Oh cruel Stagger Lee

What do I care about your two little babes
And a darling loving wife?
You done stole my Stetson hat
I’m bound to take your life
That bad man
Oh cruel Stagger Lee

Boom boom, boom boom
Went a fourty-four
Well when I spied Billy DeLyon
He’s lying down on the floor
That bad man
Oh cruel Stagger Lee

Gentlemens of the jury
What you think of that?
Stagger Lee killed Billy DeLyon
‘Bout a five dollar Stetson hat.
That bad man
Oh cruel Stagger Lee

Standing on the gallows
Head way up high,
At twelve o’clock, they killed him
We was all glad to see him die
That bad man
Oh cruel Stagger Lee

Filed under: John Hurt's Stagger Lee, My Journal, Show Notes & Song References

All Things Hoss

Here it is…another Sam Bush treat for my mandolin friends.  In this installment, Sam spends a good amount of time talking about his mandolin named Hoss.

I hope you learn a lot of interesting things about Hoss, I know I did.  For instance,  it is really interesting to hear how Hoss  reacts to the weather.  I also didn’t realize that Hoss started out as such an ugly duckling.  Didn’t know that the back has been replaced.  And I would love to hear the recording of John Hartford and Norman Blake scraping off the finish…that’s right…a play by play recording of John Hartford and Norman Blake scraping off the finish…

Enjoy!

sb-workshop2009-03-29t05

Filed under: Burning Questions, Music Clip, My Journal

Sam Bush and the White Rabbit

I have a little treat that I have been wanting to share with my fellow mandolin playing friends.  I have below excerpts from the Sam Bush mandolin workshop at the July 19, 2008, Greyfox festival.

This is a really classic piece.  The crowd is very, very lively.  I think it is raining outside, and everyone has huddled into the workshop tent.

Sam Bush gives great workshops.  It seems that lately he has been starting his workshops of with a brief intro to Bill Monroe, and then demonstrates different styles with “Patty On The Turnpike”.

But this workshop is different – this is Greyfox.  Check out the seamless transition between Patty and White Rabbit.  I won’t tease anyone…the masked rabbit man is Jerry Douglas.  Mr. Douglas must be quite the character.

My only question – was this whole thing rehearsed?  Sam does a phenomenal job with White Rabbit…the chords, the lyrics, everything!  I just have to think that it was rehearsed.  Take a listen – what do you think?

sam-bush-talks-about-bill-monroe

patty-on-the-turnpike-white-rabbit

Filed under: Burning Questions, Music Clip, My Journal

Taterbug Smack Down

The previous two weeks were pretty stale for me on the mandolin front.  I got in two good days of practice in L.A., but that’s about it.  It showed during my lesson with Taterbug on Tuesday.  He had given me the assignment of creating my own solo to “When You Are Lonely” using some of the licks and ideas from our previous work – I didn’t really have anything to show for.  I couldn’t even play the solo off the score very well.

Mike was very cool about it – there was no such smack down at all really.  But he did want me to try again and bring something “to convince him” at the next lesson.

In truth this is what I needed.  I needed more time with the piece and more time to practice.  As I told Taterbug, I am just starting to get into the meat of the thing.

I got to jam a bit with my friend Keith this past weekend, and I sang “Blue Yodel #4″ for the first time.  My solo was good, but I was surprised that my yodel was even better.  I feel like my singing in general is improving.

So, I am pretty focused on coming to my next lesson with Taterbug.  In the last couple of days I have been doing a lot of Getting Into Jazz Mandolin exercises, and the practicing “When You Are Lonely”.  I also have been keeping up with Brad Davis.

The only thing missing is a jam – I really am itching to get to one.  I can’t wait for Garland to start up again.

Filed under: Jam Reflections, Music & Mandolin Meditations, My Journal, Practice Session Notes , Taterbug

This is really sad….how could a musician make music knowing that they are participating in the extinction of a species?  Please people, use synthetic…the only reason this black market exists is because there is a demand.

Woman accused of importing turtle-shell picks

By KERRY BENEFIELD
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 3:45 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 3:45 a.m.

A Santa Rosa woman has been indicted on federal charges of illegally importing guitar picks made from endangered turtle shells.

Qing Song, also known as Christie Song, 54, is charged with two misdemeanors and a felony count of trading endangered species. She is accused of selling 74 picks and possessing 899 made from the hawksbill sea turtle.

Hawksbills are one of seven distinct species of sea turtles that have been listed as endangered under either the Endangered Species Act or an international treaty on the trade of endangered species.

Song is scheduled to appear in court April 14.

She faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $200,000 fine and three years of probation on the felony charge. She faces an additional $100,000 fine, a year in prison and a year of probation on each of the two misdemeanor charges.

“Guitar picks made from the shell material of sea turtles are highly desired by skilled musicians, despite their illegality, because they are believed to produce a tone that is superior to that produced by plastic guitar picks,” the indictment states.

Music chat rooms are filled with questions about synthetic products that claim to mimic the sound produced with turtle-shell picks. There are also discussions about whether heirloom picks can be sold and whether it’s legal to convert existing turtle material found in jewelry boxes into guitar picks.

Song is accused of selling 24 guitar picks made of hawksbill sea turtle in March 2007, according to the indictment.

She then sold 50 picks in August 2007 for more than $350, according to the indictment. The following month, she was in possession of 899 picks made from the turtles, the indictment states.

– Staff Writer Kerry Benefield writes an education blog at extracredit.pressdemocrat.com. She can be reached at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com.

Filed under: My Journal