Even More From the Abyss...

Forgive the lousy performance and intonation of these two, the point was to just capture the general idea of the tunes, not create something CD quality. Another uke tune with no title other than 'E-Minor.' The second tune is called 'When' which will be one of my favorites when I can get the time to write some words for it. The lyrical idea is about what it will be like at some distant point in the future to look back on right now. I get very sentimental about the idea (more than usual), knowing that life is going to change so much down the road. It's just about the most bittersweet thing I can think of.

E-Minor

When

oh yea

here we go...
Our blog has taken on a new look. And we are heading in a new direction. Stay tuned for updates as we prepare to depart on a new adventure!

More From the Abyss...

I love the ukulele for so many different reasons. In this tune I made up a couple of weeks ago, I was treating the uke as a sort of soprano classical guitar. I'm glad I could remember it.
Lament in F-Minor

'Open' guitar tunings are really cool for achieving an 'open' sound in a tune. This is something I was playing around with after getting a device called a partial capo which allows me to achieve an open tuning without retuning the strings on the instrument.
Open E

From the Abyss...

I'm always getting behind on music. I've been writing so much that some of it gets lost in the shuffle. I'll have a half hour to play and come up with something that I won't remember later. I'm losing less than I used to though thanks to modern technology.

I'll spend some time posting tunes I managed to rescue from the abyss...

A little uke tune probably influenced by 30s Duke Ellington or Cab Calloway:
Raisin' Cain

A 7 minute guitar composition with 'dropped D' tuning, I've got some words for part of this:
Tin Roof

Recycleman's New Drummer

We've got a kick-butt new drummer for the Recycleman shows -Vince Adame. He stepped right in to the show on Tuesday for the first time, without a group rehearsal, and did phenomenally well. He anticipated the breaks, and had just the right energy for the audience. I am looking so forward to having Vince with us, especially because we've been using a stinking drum machine...

If you're in the Portland area and need to hire a drummer, he's got my wholehearted recommendation. Check out his website
www.vinceadame.com

Folk Music Lives!!!

I can't believe that it's already November 9th!
The 2nd through the 4th were the FAR-West conference. Folk music like crazy... Artichoke took me as an 'ambassador', and I would say that we did a good job representing. We had probably the most traffic at our table and the crowd at the post conference event at Artichoke's Back Gate Stage was great.

I would have to say that as a musician, it was the most rewarding experience of my life. Next year is in Phoenix, and I'm definitely going to be there. I put together an audio 'report' of my experience at the conference.
Artichoke Ambassador Report

I recorded my showcase session also, it's good to have the feedback.
Showcase

Several gigs filled the week since then, ending tonight with my live television debut performance at Ethos Music Center -a very cool non-profit dedicated to teaching kids music.
I was told that the show makes it into 440,000 living rooms. That means my odds are pretty good that at least somebody will see it.

I've got to find someone who can record the show on it's rebroadcast, otherwise I might have to wait months for a copy.