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Morning Dancer
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
many times I get up in the morning with a song in my heart, so I go down to the studio and throw it down
these things are mostly improvised musings, that sometimes come out pretty well
No trees were killed to provide paper for me to write down the notes, I just heard it and played it.
Taylor 25th Anniversary Grand Auditorium, Alvarez Acoustic Bass, Gibson Dobro, and a couple harmonicas.
Am pentatonic riffage
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
I’ve had many guitar students over the years working out the patterns of the pentatonic minor scale.
So, here’s a tune you can jam along with for fun, that’s primarily based on Am pentatonic scales, and the three most favored chords for such things as maybe “All Along the Watchtower” Hendrix/Dylan et al
But, this in no way anything like “Watchtower” but uses the same progression in spots: Am, G, and F chords.
Who’s the customer?
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
It’s interesting to me to think about all the supposed woes of the “music industry. I can’t really be that sympathetic although I realize that many families depend on those revenue streams. But, as an artist, I’m really the customer of a record label, I’m purchasing services if I go that route as a career choice. So, many artists I’ve talked with think the best thing in the world for their career would be a record deal. Mostly because they don’t know they’re the customer of the label. Whether you pay upfront or on the back end is the only difference. They really only want you if you already have an established audience that they can attempt to build from and the days of mega stars are over, because music is competing with too many other diversions. There is so much entertainment out there these days, it’s daunting to try to find entertainment of any real lasting value, and now music is not a dominant player in most peoples lives. It’s just a soundtrack to a video game, movie, or tv show. Or, just muzak to fill the air with something, which oftentimes is just irritating to me. Then of course there are the ’sports’ clubs, bar and grill etc. 15 tv’s all playing something different, with a noisy environment, and then just to add insult to injury lets put a guitar player in the corner to sing a few tunes. What’s the point?
Club owners are just trying to make an effort to entertain and turn a profit, which is getting tougher and tougher in these rough economic times. But, then there are the musicians who think their customer is the bar owner or restaurant owner, maybe in some ways, but not really. Musicians think the bar owner should pay for services, but the artist should be responsible for his or her own audience. What you’re really doing in most cases is asking a club owner to share his customers. Unless you really have your own draw, and then don’t need a clubs customer base, and you don’t need them to pay either. Your fans should pay because they’re the customer. It used to be said that “you’ve got to pay the piper”, but most folks don’t really want to pay the piper so much anymore because too many pipers will ‘pipe’ for next to nothing or free, and many don’t seem to hear any qualitative differences.
So, ultimately if you are a musician or an artist, with all the “social networking” going on with the internet it seems like it should be easier, but it’s not. The reason is not that these tools are not good or effective in some way or at some point, it’s just that you still have to do the real work of developing your talent, and getting your act together. Then you have to present it to people even if it’s one or two at a time, and if you’re great at what you do people will establish your career for you, because they will become your customers, and then it is your responsibility to treat them well, give them fair prices, and a great experience.
WYSO 91.3 performance
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Played some music with friends last Saturday night. June 19th. Had a great time, Wind Over Texas the title track from my cd got played, then we performed live banjo, 2 guitars, and harmonica. I’m typically not playing much bluegrass these days. A few years ago I played it a lot with “the Nano Mountain Boys”, but I’ve been writing songs and playing jazz more often than not these days. So, the Midnight Ramble was a nice diversion. WYSO in Yellow Springs hosted the show with Tom Duffey as dj. We had Roscoe Wray playing harmonica, singing songs, and telling funny stories. Roscoe was a fantastic fiddle player up until a stroke robbed him of the use of his right arm, making it impossible to bow, so he’s taken up the harmonica, and is doing quite well with it so far.
Taylor Farley (the elder), and his son Taylor Farley Jr. were performing as well, the elder Farley on banjo, and the younger on rhythm guitar. Some fine banjo playing and great guitar work in those two.
I played rhythm and lead guitar, and sang a few tunes too. Overall it seems like we did well, but I’ll have to listen to the recording to know for sure, it’s hard to know what it really sounds like from the recording booth of a radio station, but we had some moments that felt really good, and we had a blast. Basically, it was just a lot of fun.
Looks like a recording may be in the works with some of my songs and a few standard folk/bluegrass numbers soon, I really enjoyed the sound of the banjo and guitars together with a bit of harmonica. I’ll add acoustic bass and it should sound fine.
I performed my own arrangement of “House of the Rising Sun” (fingerstyle guitar), we also played “Keep Old Glory New”, “Once It Felt Right”, “Gamecock Blues”, and “Little Suzie”. All my tunes, then mixed in some bluegrass standards like “Wayfaring Stranger”, “The Theme”, and some of Taylor’s tunes (the elder Farley).
We may perform again for a show in Kentucky next month but I’ll have to find out the date.
The Miserable Howling Dogs will be at the Greene in Kettering/Beavercreek on August 29th. Bringing our brand of blues, jazz, and classic rock as well as some original stuff too.
Hope to see ya somewhere out there checking out the music.
miserable howling dogs
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Yes, yes, yes….The Miserable Howling Dogs are out and about playing blues, jazz, classic rock and soul music.
Stay tuned for opportunities to hear them. There are a few possible configurations depending on factors like availability and $$$$. Trio: guitar/vocal, bass, and drums. Quartet: add keyboard to the trio. Quartet: add Harmonica/vocalist to the trio, or Quintet: yes add the keyboard with the harmonica vocal to the trio.
Recently seen as a trio at the Dayton Blues Society “blues Challenge”. Where you would have heard “Juke Joint Jump” by Elvin Bishop, “Crosseyed Cat” by Muddy Waters, and Crosscut Saw, like Albert Collins and others.
We were recently seen helping out David Esrati at the South Park Tavern for his fundraiser for his run at City Commisioner.
We played with a small horn section at the National Museum of the United States Air Force recently as well. (Call that the trio plus 3 horns). Jazz and dance music.
We’ll soon be the regular house band at a club to be announced in the near future for Thursday night jam sessions with our Harmonica Howler, Howling Walter. Stay tuned for that……
We’ll be announcing a Christmas show at South Park Tavern in December very soon too…
In the meantime check out this recording of a post millenial pre-electric acoustic guitar jam
Or this little bell brass dobro ditty:
Perhaps a little jungle rhythm drum loops and the wailing Les Paul of :