Being down here on the coast of Texas, we
are used to bad weather. But we don't mess
with Hurricanes. If we're smart, we get
out of the way.
Hurricane Ike was no exception. We high
tailed it as they say here in the south.
Being evacuated can give you the homesick blues.
I couldn't get a guitar in the car...no room. I
was afraid squeezing the guitar in might do more
damage than good, so I left without it.
It was weird how many times a day I would go to
reach for my guitar and remember I didn't have
one with me.
In stressful times, or sad times, or just those
old blusey down times in life, I always reach for
my guitar and play blues songs.
I just thought I would share that...
I also want to share this:
By far the best guitar lessons online!
I've tried quite a few, wasted a lot of
money, but Griff Hamlin has an awesome
Blues Guitar Course.
Playing Through The Blues. Secrets To Learn Killer Blues Guitar
Click Here!
10.30.2008
10.13.2008
Even Cowgirls Get The Blues
Well, it's been a while since
I posted a new bloggerie, so it's
high time.
Two EVACUATIONS in September.
Gustav and Ike
I've learned not to trust hurricanes
with Male names. Not to be sexist or
anything like that.
The good thing is that working from
home made it a little easier. But being
away from home while a hurricane rips
through your hometown and surrounding
memory locations, can give one
the blues fo sho!
"bloggerie - a term from http://bloggeries.com/forum/
I posted a new bloggerie, so it's
high time.
Two EVACUATIONS in September.
Gustav and Ike
I've learned not to trust hurricanes
with Male names. Not to be sexist or
anything like that.
The good thing is that working from
home made it a little easier. But being
away from home while a hurricane rips
through your hometown and surrounding
memory locations, can give one
the blues fo sho!
"bloggerie - a term from http://bloggeries.com/forum/
7.05.2008
Yep, we're still at it!
It may seem that Blues City never changes.
Lately that's not too far from the truth.
Not sure what's going on with me, but one illness
after another has kept me from updating much of
what is going on in the world, my life and my
online life.
Please bare with me as I attempt to catch things
up.
Lately that's not too far from the truth.
Not sure what's going on with me, but one illness
after another has kept me from updating much of
what is going on in the world, my life and my
online life.
Please bare with me as I attempt to catch things
up.
1.30.2008
Never Too Late To Learn
As you know from previous entries, I recently
began to re-learn to play guitar. I wondered
if waiting until I was in my fifties to do so
was crazy, but it doesn't seem to be.
I turned 54 yesterday and had just about the
best birthday I can ever remember having. I
was intending to just sort of pretend it was
not happening this year, but it happened
anyway.
I work with a lot of musicians in this area
and they all seem to be the nicest people
that I've ever encountered. Not that I
expected them be monsters or anything,
I just had no idea HOW nice people can be.
A blues guitar player named Larry Tillery
came over yesterday and played guitar with
me all day. This guys is a huge bundle of
talent and I am always blown away when
watching his fingers fly effortlessly over
the fret board. I often wonder if I could
get my fingers to move that fast even
without a guitar in hand.
Now Larry's band plays all over the place
and he's a busy guy. He could have spent
his day ANYwhere but he chose to spend it
here. He never acted like I was new to
this or gave me a feeling that he wished
he was playing with someone more experienced.
He showed me licks that I'll be able to use
in the future and a few tricks that I would
have probably never learned on my own.
We played guitar and sang for hours. The
whole day just seemed to zip by. If I got
stuck, Larry would just say "look, try it
like this" and show me a better/easier way.
He never once said, "look old lady, this
is crazy, why don't you take up knitting?"
Yeah that was meant to be funny but true.
During that afternoon, my best friend from
high school dropped by and brought a big
bag of my favorite burgers with her. To
hell with the diet, it's my birthday! At
least that's what I told myself. She hung
our for a while and listened to the music
and seemed to have a great time.
Thinking Larry would have had all of my
playing he could take, I expected him to
go on home as the evening approached.
But he had one more trick up his sleeve
and that was that he and his girlfriend
were taking me out for sushi. I ADORE
SUSHI. He and his girlfriend don't even
eat it. He did it because he knows it's
my favorite.
We sat at one of the hibachi tables. I
dined on sushi while the guy threw knives
around and made volcanoes out of onions
right there on the grill. He had a big
combo of different foods going but never
seemed to miss a beat...I wondered if
my hands could move that fast. Maybe
they can, but I'll stick with getting
just my fingers to move faster. Guitar
strings just seem safer in my hands
than huge sharp knives do.
began to re-learn to play guitar. I wondered
if waiting until I was in my fifties to do so
was crazy, but it doesn't seem to be.
I turned 54 yesterday and had just about the
best birthday I can ever remember having. I
was intending to just sort of pretend it was
not happening this year, but it happened
anyway.
I work with a lot of musicians in this area
and they all seem to be the nicest people
that I've ever encountered. Not that I
expected them be monsters or anything,
I just had no idea HOW nice people can be.
A blues guitar player named Larry Tillery
came over yesterday and played guitar with
me all day. This guys is a huge bundle of
talent and I am always blown away when
watching his fingers fly effortlessly over
the fret board. I often wonder if I could
get my fingers to move that fast even
without a guitar in hand.
Now Larry's band plays all over the place
and he's a busy guy. He could have spent
his day ANYwhere but he chose to spend it
here. He never acted like I was new to
this or gave me a feeling that he wished
he was playing with someone more experienced.
He showed me licks that I'll be able to use
in the future and a few tricks that I would
have probably never learned on my own.
We played guitar and sang for hours. The
whole day just seemed to zip by. If I got
stuck, Larry would just say "look, try it
like this" and show me a better/easier way.
He never once said, "look old lady, this
is crazy, why don't you take up knitting?"
Yeah that was meant to be funny but true.
During that afternoon, my best friend from
high school dropped by and brought a big
bag of my favorite burgers with her. To
hell with the diet, it's my birthday! At
least that's what I told myself. She hung
our for a while and listened to the music
and seemed to have a great time.
Thinking Larry would have had all of my
playing he could take, I expected him to
go on home as the evening approached.
But he had one more trick up his sleeve
and that was that he and his girlfriend
were taking me out for sushi. I ADORE
SUSHI. He and his girlfriend don't even
eat it. He did it because he knows it's
my favorite.
We sat at one of the hibachi tables. I
dined on sushi while the guy threw knives
around and made volcanoes out of onions
right there on the grill. He had a big
combo of different foods going but never
seemed to miss a beat...I wondered if
my hands could move that fast. Maybe
they can, but I'll stick with getting
just my fingers to move faster. Guitar
strings just seem safer in my hands
than huge sharp knives do.
1.17.2008
Cruisin' The Blues Highway (Hwy. 61)
The stories of Hwy. 61 (The Blues Highway) go on for
more miles than the Highway itself.
The official name is U.S. Route 61 and stretches out
for about 1400 miles from New Orleans, LA to
Wyoming, MN. What I am concerned with is in the
south which spans from New Orleans to St. Louis.
61 Highway is the longest road I know Goes all the
way from Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico. - Son Thomas
We are gearing up early for a road trip to experience
the historical path that so many blues artists have
travelled in pursuit of living the blues, listening
to the blues and above all, playing the blues.
Starting at The Old Absinthe House in New Orleans
where many a celebrity has downed a few strong
concoctions and working our way up to Clarksdale
in the Mississippi Delta is sure to prove an interesting
if not enlightening experience.
Hwy. 61 winds it's way up from Louisiana to Clarksdale
and intersects there with Hwy. 49. Probably one of the
most famous intersections in American Music History
and known as "The Crossroads", where Robert Johnson
(or legend has it) sold his Soul to the Devil in return
for his great musical talent.
I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees.
I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees.
Asked the Lord above for mercy, "Save me if you please."
- Robert Johnson
Playing Through The Blues. Secrets To Learn Killer Blues Guitar.Click Here!
Learn How To Play Guitar with Jamorama Click Here!
Music Master Pro - Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano And Violin Video Lessons! Click Here!
more miles than the Highway itself.
The official name is U.S. Route 61 and stretches out
for about 1400 miles from New Orleans, LA to
Wyoming, MN. What I am concerned with is in the
south which spans from New Orleans to St. Louis.
61 Highway is the longest road I know Goes all the
way from Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico. - Son Thomas
We are gearing up early for a road trip to experience
the historical path that so many blues artists have
travelled in pursuit of living the blues, listening
to the blues and above all, playing the blues.
Starting at The Old Absinthe House in New Orleans
where many a celebrity has downed a few strong
concoctions and working our way up to Clarksdale
in the Mississippi Delta is sure to prove an interesting
if not enlightening experience.
Hwy. 61 winds it's way up from Louisiana to Clarksdale
and intersects there with Hwy. 49. Probably one of the
most famous intersections in American Music History
and known as "The Crossroads", where Robert Johnson
(or legend has it) sold his Soul to the Devil in return
for his great musical talent.
I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees.
I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees.
Asked the Lord above for mercy, "Save me if you please."
- Robert Johnson
Playing Through The Blues. Secrets To Learn Killer Blues Guitar.Click Here!
Learn How To Play Guitar with Jamorama Click Here!
Music Master Pro - Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano And Violin Video Lessons! Click Here!
12.28.2007
New Year, New You?
Sign up for Yahoo! Personals 7 Day Free Trial
Does the prospect of finding a date for New Year's Eve
give you the blues?
I found these Yahoo Personals to be a great help.
What are your resolutions for the coming year?
Do you want to lose weight? If you've ever watched "The Biggest Loser"
on TV, then you already know just how inspirational it can be. I
know that gaining weight gives me the blues. So I'm about to blog
out my New Year's resolution and all the steps I take to make a
"New Me" in the "New Year".
Stay tuned for that. I will blog it on a different blog, so watch
for the link to come up at the first of the year.
I might just get myself back into the dating world again, who
knows? Although being more involved in the Music World is
really more like what I want to do.
I have a nice new Fender Acoustic guitar that I just love. It's
easier to practice on an acoustic while living in an apartment.
But recently I won a really nice pre-amp/pick up system for
an acoustic. It's so nice, it actually cost more than the guitar.
So I took guitar and pick up system down to one of the local
guitar stores today to have the two "married". This will
make a nice addition to my growing collection of guitars.
My resolutions:
Learn to play the guitar much better.
Quit Smoking
Lose Weight
Pretty ambitious, I know. Let's see how far I get with it.
Does the prospect of finding a date for New Year's Eve
give you the blues?
I found these Yahoo Personals to be a great help.
What are your resolutions for the coming year?
Do you want to lose weight? If you've ever watched "The Biggest Loser"
on TV, then you already know just how inspirational it can be. I
know that gaining weight gives me the blues. So I'm about to blog
out my New Year's resolution and all the steps I take to make a
"New Me" in the "New Year".
Stay tuned for that. I will blog it on a different blog, so watch
for the link to come up at the first of the year.
I might just get myself back into the dating world again, who
knows? Although being more involved in the Music World is
really more like what I want to do.
I have a nice new Fender Acoustic guitar that I just love. It's
easier to practice on an acoustic while living in an apartment.
But recently I won a really nice pre-amp/pick up system for
an acoustic. It's so nice, it actually cost more than the guitar.
So I took guitar and pick up system down to one of the local
guitar stores today to have the two "married". This will
make a nice addition to my growing collection of guitars.
My resolutions:
Learn to play the guitar much better.
Quit Smoking
Lose Weight
Pretty ambitious, I know. Let's see how far I get with it.
12.24.2007
This Should Be The First Post
A little about me:
I was born and raised in Beaumont, TX.
Sure it was a small town, but to me, that's a good thing.
I graduated from Forest Park High School in 1972. And
I was glad to be done with that.
I took piano lessons as a kid, went on to self teach myself
guitar, then took cello in Junior High and High School. I
considered myself to be a musician, although I wasn't
playing anywhere in a band or a solo act for money.
Let's skip ahead a few hundred years shall we?
In 1992 I was in a serious motorcycle accident. Serious
meaning a boat load of injuries, including broken bones,
lacerations, scraping all the skin from the right side of
my face and a closed head injury that left me unable to
play any of the afore mentioned instruments.
I had a bad case of the "black and blues".
Now almost 16 years later, I'm still in pain from some
of the joint injuries, cracked vertebrae and torn ligaments.
It's amazing how much pain can stay with a person for
such a long time.
Emotionally painful was the inability to play music anymore.
Yeah, it gave me the blues alright.
I spent 11 years in Boulder, CO and about 20 in Dallas, TX.
Did a 2 year stint in NYC. But after 30 plus years, I returned
to Beaumont to be with friends and family in the little city
where I grew up.
I moved down here to be in a slower pace. A town where
being partially crippled was easier to navigate.
Living on disability is boring and it's hard to make ends
meet sometimes. So I opened a little website called
Beaumont Live! where I post the music events of local
musicians, and run a little Internet Radio Station that
plays local talent.
I never monetized this effort, but that's still in the works.
I have met so many musicians from this area. All of them
really nice people. A few who have become good friends,
and a few who have inspired me.
One guitarist named Larry Tillery who never fails to blow
me away at any of his shows, inspired me to pick up the
guitar again. For that, I will be forever grateful to him.
Larry plays The Blues. I can't play the way he does, and
probably never will, but I can play the guitar again! He
also inspired me to open a second radio station that plays
"nuthin' but the blues". And that is probably how you arrived
here. http://bluescityradio.com/
Like I said, I've met a lot of great people in the local music
world and wouldn't trade any of that experience for anything.
I would like to acknowlege a few who have spent time with
me, supporting me in re-learning guitar, and encouraging
me to do the best I can.
Larry Tillery - Beaumont, TX
Charley Drumm - Hackberry, LA
Dobro Danny Hill - Beaumont, Ft. Worth, TX
Knowing them has enriched my life.
I was born and raised in Beaumont, TX.
Sure it was a small town, but to me, that's a good thing.
I graduated from Forest Park High School in 1972. And
I was glad to be done with that.
I took piano lessons as a kid, went on to self teach myself
guitar, then took cello in Junior High and High School. I
considered myself to be a musician, although I wasn't
playing anywhere in a band or a solo act for money.
Let's skip ahead a few hundred years shall we?
In 1992 I was in a serious motorcycle accident. Serious
meaning a boat load of injuries, including broken bones,
lacerations, scraping all the skin from the right side of
my face and a closed head injury that left me unable to
play any of the afore mentioned instruments.
I had a bad case of the "black and blues".
Now almost 16 years later, I'm still in pain from some
of the joint injuries, cracked vertebrae and torn ligaments.
It's amazing how much pain can stay with a person for
such a long time.
Emotionally painful was the inability to play music anymore.
Yeah, it gave me the blues alright.
I spent 11 years in Boulder, CO and about 20 in Dallas, TX.
Did a 2 year stint in NYC. But after 30 plus years, I returned
to Beaumont to be with friends and family in the little city
where I grew up.
I moved down here to be in a slower pace. A town where
being partially crippled was easier to navigate.
Living on disability is boring and it's hard to make ends
meet sometimes. So I opened a little website called
Beaumont Live! where I post the music events of local
musicians, and run a little Internet Radio Station that
plays local talent.
I never monetized this effort, but that's still in the works.
I have met so many musicians from this area. All of them
really nice people. A few who have become good friends,
and a few who have inspired me.
One guitarist named Larry Tillery who never fails to blow
me away at any of his shows, inspired me to pick up the
guitar again. For that, I will be forever grateful to him.
Larry plays The Blues. I can't play the way he does, and
probably never will, but I can play the guitar again! He
also inspired me to open a second radio station that plays
"nuthin' but the blues". And that is probably how you arrived
here. http://bluescityradio.com/
Like I said, I've met a lot of great people in the local music
world and wouldn't trade any of that experience for anything.
I would like to acknowlege a few who have spent time with
me, supporting me in re-learning guitar, and encouraging
me to do the best I can.
Larry Tillery - Beaumont, TX
Charley Drumm - Hackberry, LA
Dobro Danny Hill - Beaumont, Ft. Worth, TX
Knowing them has enriched my life.
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