Rhythm & Grooves: Blues for Kids

This is my second year to travel around the great state of Louisiana and share traditional folk and blues music for kids. Last year Donna and I traveled to cajun country, mostly around Jennings and Ville Platte. This year we'll be down in Cameron Parish, south of Lake Charles, which still hasn't recovered from the effects of the hurricane of 2005. Also, on the circuit is Catahoula Parish, Terrebone and Lafayette.

Sadly the arts budget has been drastically cut this year and next year will be even worse. The state has only received about 1 million dollars in funds which is more than a 70% cut in arts programs. Part of the joy in being about to visit these rural areas, is bringing some cultural folk heritage to kids who often never get to see live music.

More later...

Kevin Johnson – Lightning on the Earth

My latest CD project gets underway in the middle of May. I’ll be back at Joel Whitten’s Metal Shed Studio in Baton Rouge to record some new songs. It’s really weird and wonderful this time around. When I wrote the Songs for Gilead Valley, I spent weeks trying to incorporate some of the blues themes that I was learning after having listened for months on end to the old records of Skip James, Mississippi John Hurt, Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, and Tommy Johnson and so on. But this time, most of the songs I wrote were all hammered out in just one night.

One day, I was baking a batch of bread and listening to the Whitmark recordings of Bob Dylan. These are some vintage raw demos that he did in the early 60’s and I just loved how straightforward his songwriting was. Dylan simply strummed and sang verses that he obviously penned quickly. Some of it was crude, but a lot of it was brilliant. After a few hours I thought to myself, “Man, I should be able to write stuff like that.” So I went to the computer and just decided to empty my mind all at once. In fact I didn’t even try to make it sensible or even edit it. I just dumped out words on the screen. After about three hours of doing this, I came up with six or seven songs. It was incredible. I’ve always thought that it was necessary to be very thoughtful and clever whenever you want to write a song. And though that is often true, it doesn’t have to be. There is a lot of great stuff out there in the cosmic consciousness, as long as you’re willing to let it flow out and not judge it.

A couple of days later I worked up rhythm and melodies to the verses and the songs were done. Though I wasn’t trying to write in any particular style, I realize that the tunes were coming out folksier than the Gilead Valley material. Since I’ve been interested in the wisdom of A Course in Miracles for many years, I also realize that some of my lyrics have a kind of Course theme to them. One in particular is an anthem-like tune called “The Real World.”

“When I close my eyes it’s clear as day
Nothing here can stand in the way
If you could only hear & trust what I say
Come on, my friend, there’ll be a real world someday
Why wait for heaven
When love is around
Why wait for heaven
There’s a real world now”

In fact, my friend Marnia Robinson (reuniting.info) who is also a Course student recently sent me song ideas that she wrote some twenty years ago. In following the same desire to express feelings from the Course she wrote one I really like entitled “Now is the Time.” I noodled around with the lyrics a few days ago and a melody just flowed out effortlessly. It’s great stuff. She wrote,

“Now is the time, spread your wings and fly
Sail through the stars, there’s nothing too high
Lift up your eyes, cast your gaze to the sky
All of your dreams can come true if you try
From above, all is love
We are one…
It is begun.”

So why is the record going to be titled, “Lightning on the Earth”? Here’s the story: I recently became interested in the information on healing relationships through Marnia’s website. And one of the things that really impressed me is the idea that most men need to learn to heal themselves around the issue of sexuality and women. The image of lightning on the earth came to me while watching a storm one night. I saw a flash hit a tree and it felt like this tremendous male energy grounding and balancing itself in alignment with the female (earth). I realized that this was symbolic of what I’d been working on in myself. So the song, “Lightning on the Earth” is a lively bluegrass tune that expresses the joy a woman feels when a man begins to love her purely, like ‘lightning on the earth’. I’m currently scouting around for the right woman to record the vocal for me. What’s neat is that my friend, Adrian Percy from the band, the Fugitive Poets, is going to help me out with the recording, playing some guitar licks and banjo. Now if I can just entice Steve Smith to come back in the studio and do some of his harmonica and incredible acoustic G-licks, it will be even better. More later…

Steve Judice - When Darkness Falls

If there is a “Zen to the art of Songwriting”, Steve Judice is a real master at the craft. His latest CD entitled “When Darkness Falls” is a compilation of some of the most thoughtful, brilliant musical narrative. And the storytelling is first rate. For example, the opening tune, “Rockin’ the Blues Away” (written along with his wife, Kathy) is a lyrical work of genius describing a homecoming queen who was forced to give up her dreams because she became pregnant; or how about “Private Miller’s Momma’s House”, a song which grabs your heart right from the start with a somber account in verse about those who didn’t come home after the war…

“Granny killed the rooster, the day I got home from Nam.
She cooked him up with dirty rice and a mess of candied yams
But I couldn’t think about eatin’, I sat quiet as a mouse
I kept on thinking about the empty chair at Private Miller’s Momma’s house.”

Even though Steve doesn’t always live what he writes about, it doesn’t matter because he feels it. And that’s the thing that really impresses me about his songwriting, Steve Judice’s unique knack for it all comes from the fact that he pays attention to life, he listens to people. Unlike a lot of veteran songwriters I’ve met before, he isn’t full of himself. And this is the one thing that amazes me when I see him at a performance, Steve talks to people, he’s interested in them. And not only does he like all kinds of music, he likes people as well. His sensitivity to other people’s suffering is obvious in the song he wrote about the people who died in the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon. He writes, “…they gave us nothing to bury but his hope for the future…” On the first anniversary of the disaster (in April 2011), a radio station in New Orleans played the song.

The quality of this recording is amazing, especially given he fact that the whole thing was set down at Swamp Studio (Cedar Creek, Texas) in only four days. It proves what can be accomplished when you’re under the gun. Steve’s voice is powerful and sublime. You can hear his passion in these songs. The musicianship is delightful, featuring a wide variety of rhythm, instrumentation and harmony, thanks to the multi-talented Slim Bawb who plays just about every instrument imaginable on this record (resonator guitar, banjo, bass, mandolin, pedal steel, organ, mojo stomp, background vocals). Steve’s acoustic Gibson guitar playing is solid and he put a lot a thought into making arrangements that keep a listener interested.

I think my favorite tune features Barry Hebert on accordion, a song called “Slow Down,” a cheerful little Cajun ditty about appreciating the present moment and living for today. (See, I told you Steve was a Zen Songwriter!) It’s a terrific album and one that I really want to listen to over and over.

Robert Johnson Tribute, May 7, 2011 at Taste of Louisiana Cafe (Denham Springs, LA)

Robert Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) is among the most famous Delta Blues musicians. Considered by some to be the “Grandfather of Rock and Roll,” his style influenced many, including, Robert Plant, Keith Richards, Rory Block, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and others. He displayed a remarkable combination of
singing, guitar skills and tremendous songwriting talent.
As a tribute to Robert Johnson’s 100th birthday, I'll be at Taste of Louisiana Café (105 N. Range Ave., Denham springs, LA) to share some of Robert Johnson’s most popular tunes as well as other songs from the early 1900’s. This is a great opportunity to learn more about Robert Johnson's music and meet some other blues fans. There will be dinner and drink specials available. For more information, call 225-664-4181.
Hope to see you there.

Music Perspectives

Everyone has their own unique perspective of things. It always amazes me when I listen to other people speak about what they values or believe, because it makes me realize how little I know. When it comes to music it is the same thing. I still feel like I’m faking it. I learn songs that I like and pay attention to songs other people like and try to learn a little bit of everything, whether blues, country, folk, rock & roll, Irish songs, old spirituals and so on. There is just so much good music out in the world; it would take a couple of lifetimes to hear it all (if that is even possible!).

When I play at a community market, someone inevitably comes up to me and asks me to play something they've heard. Sometimes I know it, sometimes it’s, “sorry, I never even heard of that”. And yet, I really do want to hear it all, while still knowing that it will never happen.

It makes me think about the past, incredible musicians that grew up learning to play by listening to other musicians, before radio and records. What I really wish is that I could have heard my Grandfather play. His name was William Zurich Coglizer. He died in the late 1960’s and I never knew him. He was a fiddle player and had an old German violin that was made sometime around 1870. After he died the fiddle sat in the closet at my Aunt’s house for 43 years, wrapped up in woolen cloth and duct tape. No one on that side of my family was interested in that old fiddle, so one day I called my Aunt and asked her if I could have it. Surprisingly, she packaged it up and mailed it to me this past summer. I was absolutely stunned to see it for the first time and hold it in my hands. Except for the fact that the bridge and the tail piece were broken, it was still in very fine shape. It had a thin crack on the top and there were signs that it had been repaired a few times in the past, but overall, it looked great. I brought it to Keith Davis’ Violin Shop in Hammond, LA (985-340-0137). Keith is a fine luthier and he took his time getting it back into shape. I finally got it back this week and am thrilled to finally get into learning to play it.

When I recorded my latest music CD, Gilead Valley – Original Country Blues, Robert Chaney, who plays fiddle for the Fugitive Poets, kindly offered several tracks for me. He did such a wonderful job embellishing my arrangements and creating counter melodies on several songs. It really makes me appreciate what a fine instrument the violin is.

Anyway, getting back to personal perspectives… I realize that the vast majority of people see things totally differently, but none the less, it is obvious to me that most of us are moving into some challenging times. It’s as if the big corporations of the world have just stepped all over the working middle class and instituted laws and policies to rob the savings and resources out of the hands of the little guy. Whatever is going on with the devaluation of the dollar and the higher food prices, it is obvious to me that more and more people are beginning to feel the pinch. Gasoline prices are starting to rise again, and the latest estimates say that the price per barrel is going to get up to $150 - $200. That is going to devastate truckers, commuters; it’s going to raise prices on everything from food to household supplies. It is a bad situation. And it looks to me like the next few years are going to be a real challenge for a lot of hard working Americans.

All I know to do is keep focusing on living simply, learning how to do practical skills, and keep playing music. I was at Café Taste of Louisiana in Denham Springs this afternoon, playing for a small lunch crowd and it was such a delight to share old familiar folk songs with the people there. There is something magical about the singer-songwriter era, that time of great folk music from the early 60’s to the mid-70's. Most people just seem to enjoy those inspired songs, if played well, and it makes me delighted to see people singing along. I just know that for a few minutes they are having a memory of the past.

Though there are plenty of places in and around Baton Rouge to go and listen to bands, it’s still strange that there are hardly any places to go and enjoy solo performers. The majority of restaurant business owners and managers don’t seem to get it, not everyone wants to hear a loud band, sometimes it is nice to just sit back with a glass of wine or beer and listen to some nice mellow songs, with great lyric and simple melody. I can’t figure it out why there are only a handful of places that feature local musicians around Baton Rouge, (in fact I can just about name them all: Brew-Ha-Ha, LaFonda’s open mic night, Birdman Coffee & Books, Taste of Louisiana, Whole Foods Market, Magnolia Café, The Red Dragon Listening Room…and that’s just about it.) Hopefully Dorothy Leblanc will soon be able to get her new coffee shop, The Third Place, up and running. And when she does, you can bet they’ll be some great music there all the time. www.dorothyleblanc.com

Familiar songs bring back good feelings of a simpler time. Whatever economic conditions are unfolding, it will be those who come together in a sense of community and spirit of helpfulness that are going to get through. Try to get more places to allow solo or duo performers. There are many talented musicians around town willing to share their stuff, but few places to do so.

Blues and Bread

From Steven Smith's webpage: http://scratchandsnifflive.com/

Recently I met a guitar player when I was playing LaCaliente Mexican Restaurant in Central just northeast of Baton Rouge. His name is Kevin Johnson and he is a very good player, so much so that I had the opportunity of doing several gigs with him. We played in Clinton at the Clinton Community Farmers Market, which is directly in front of the Courthouse on Hwy 10 and we also played a gig at Grill Room at Perkins Rowe in Baton Rouge. I really enjoyed playing with Kevin, as I mentioned, he is a very accomplished player in the styles of Delta Blues players like Robert Johnson and the other legendary bluesmen from Mississippi and the South which includes Baton Rouge, La.("The unofficial home of the Blues")

I have always wanted to be able to play in this style but never really had an opportunity to do so until Kevin gave me a chance to play along with him, which allowed me to improvise on some of great songs the bluesmen released upon the world. One of todays most famous players who was intrigued by this sound is Eric Clapton who considers Baton Rouge's "Buddy Guy" as one of the best guitarists he has ever heard.

Besides playing guitar Kevin has also written several articles, and produced an instructional DVD entitled "The Art of Sourdough Bread Making" which is available on his website "BluesandBread.newlibertyvillage.com" Check it out. He has a wealth of info there along with songs from his latest CD.

He also has started a "Blues and Bread Blog" where he wrote a very nice article about me and the two of us playing together.

We plan on continuing to play together whenever possible.
We will be playing at "Birdman Cafe" in St. Francisville January 25th starting at 6:00 pm

Till next time Baton Rouge, keep playing your guitars


'Scratch'

Gilead Valley - Original Country Blues

It’s been quite some time since I’ve written any good songs or at least songs that I actually like. In the last few weeks several tunes have come to mind and I’ve worked out enough of them to put together a collection of originals in the country blues fingerpicking style. This is one of the most enjoyable forms of music expression for me because the melodies and words are so simple. I’m not a big fan of complicated songs. And though I like a good story, my songs are more like poetic hints of certain states of consciousness rather than detailed accounts of events.

One good example is the song entitled: “Tree of Life”. Rather than laying out a story the song moves through a repetitive guitar ditty with one line descriptions of the way things are, as in the opening verse, “It's been a long day, walking alone and cryin'. I lost my good friend, can't be satisfied...” It’s more about expressing how things started off bad in my life, gradually getting better over time as I started going back to basics; building a home, working in the garden, standing in the sunshine, living on the tree of life, and so on.

The title song, “Gilead Valley” is a symbolic reference to a place where one can go and psychologically escape the struggles of survival in life. It is like going through a doorway into a mystical reality. The words describe “going down to Gilead Valley, going there no more to weep… where souls redeemed, their vigils keep." The idea came to me one morning when I began feeling that there was no relief from the burden of having to earn a living in our present society, and so the longing to descend into a valley became kind of a metaphor for attaining spiritual and material freedom. I think it is a common theme in the heart of most of us, to find a sacred place where there is a promise of hope and happiness in the afterlife.

Many of the songs reflect my inner feelings about the joys of simple living and seeking to follow a path of true values. It seems that these songs are more biographical in that sense. I really wanted to express these themes in a way that would paint a picture of what simplicity is really about without trying to tell it in a fictional tale.

My good friend, Joel Whitten is helping me with this recording. His “Metal Shed Studio” is a great little place where we are trying some new recording techniques in order to produce the cleanest sound possible. We are using mikes along with inline plugging this time because I want the acoustic guitar to have the kind of full tone that you can only get from live performances, but we’re separating the vocal tracks this time which is such a hard thing for me to do, especially since I am used to singing and playing at the same time. It has required that I practice playing and singing silently in my mind, recording to a click track, then going back and singing over it. I do find, however, that it makes me concentrate on singing better, really projecting my voice.

The opening song is called “Been Going Nowhere”. This is an upbeat country tune that I really enjoy singing. I intended this song originally for the Fugitive Poets to sing. I wrote the song after seeing folk singer, John Craigie a few weeks ago at Boudreaux’s & Thibodeaux’s. John played song after song, telling these remarkable stories about traveling around the country, playing coffee shops and bars for tips, and I came away feeling a little envious that I’ll never be able to have that kind of adventure and experience. So the song is about the flip side, the benefits of staying home with your woman and discovering something deeper in the long run.

I'm doing a couple of ukulele fingerpicking tunes this time as well,“Saddle Up My Pony,” and "Biscuit Roller Blues". Also some folky guitar ballads such as “People Are So Mean,” “Angels Are Calling,” and there is a wonderful instrumental tune recorded in open G tuning called “Essene Cakewalk”. I tried to do this tune with a looping track and layer 3 other guitar parts but it soon became a horrible mess. Finally i told Joel, "the hell with it, I'm going back to playing it like I do live and it came out fantastic." Simpler is always better.

The record will take a while to complete; I'd hoping to get Steve Smith to play on a couple of tunes so the possible release will be sometime early this summer. But in the meantime I’m working in a few of the numbers at some of my performances.