Got My Mojo Workin

I am excited. My blues band "Big Fish on the Wall" will be participating at the North Central Ohio Blues Challenge. This is a qualifying event for the International Blues Challenge. This event is designed to showcaes Blues Artists from all over in Memphis Tennesee in 2006. For Ohio it is the first stop to the main competition in Marietta. We have one rehersal before next weekend's competition. We are not really one of those bands that practice all the time, we just sort of play as we go. This band has been around since 1983. In my opinion the current lineup is the best ever.



The picture is the Band Logo, the band has taken on many different forms since we
started it. The original band had two drummers. We have had some great musicians
as part of the band. Several guitar players, a couple bass players, several harmonica players.
We have had horn players including a trombone, and keyboards as well.
So if your in Loundonville Ohio on May 7th stop by and say hello.

Lovin My Guitar Rig

It's Wednesday morning and I had a really good time last night playin guitar through my new setup. It's Boss, really Boss TU-2 Tuner, Boss RC-20 Phrase Sampler, Boss ME-50Multiple Effects. I can play a rythmn part and sample it with the RC-20, Click the button with my foot and play along with the recorded part. This process has given me some more confidence for my solo act. It really does sound good. Another benefit is that I am able to work on playing other guitar parts that I probably wouldn't have discovered.

Let It Flow

It's early Sunday morning. We are expecting 4-6 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow. This snow thing is really gettin old. It seems like this winter just keeps hangin on. Anyway, setup the guitar rig today and it was inspirational. It seems since I got "off it" about the music and decided to have some fun with it, the songs are starting to flow again. For me, the songs come fast and furious. It is up to me to catch em and hold on to them somehow. I broke out the portable 8 track and my very cool BOSS RC-20. It is a sampling peddle that lets you play a rythmn, record it and play another part along with it at the same time. I find that playing along with the basic guitar track helps me find melody lines, and helps to create a structure. So the music is flowing and I say let it flow...

Another Day In Paradise

Today is Thursday. I am getting some good responses to my local ad for musicians. In one way it is very exciting. The idea of meeting new musicians and sharing my songs with them. It is also a bit daunting at the same time. I am asking them to listen to the music and let me know what they think. For me it is about the music. I love to play and the CD will give us all a chance to maybe play some fun gigs in different venues. I downloaded a song performed by Steven Stills today, "In My Life". Yeah I know it's a beatles song. But man does he deliver it! I never really "got" that song till I heard him do it. It used to seem so simple. having a little "water under the bridge" so to speak, I now understand this song. The lyrics are not simple, they are very powerful. The song gets the experience across. Those FAB Four cats keep amazing me again, and again.

Getting Some Momentum

I am starting to get excited about my new plan. Oh yeah maybe I didn't tell anybody what the plan was. Anyway, I am working on my solo act. I am also playing more now. It is amazing I used to play for hours and hours a day. Then after a set back on my CD project I guess I just took some time off. Today I was looking for some "popular" songs to mix in with my originals. My idea was that people could relate a little better and that would get me a couple of gigs. So my first try was an old Dave Mason song, "Only You Know and I Know". Great song. It is mixed with an acoustic track on one stereo side and an electric track on the other. Well, I got the tuning (and man I love alternate tunings) somewhere off the internet. So I start working it out and all of a sudden I am really starting to get the feel of this tuning. Well the next thing I know it's 20 minutes later and I have come up with several new riffy's of my own. I just love exploring new tunings. I spent the rest of the practice time in the new tuning and will probably return to it next time. I also started networking on the internet for some musicians to help me finish the CD and do some performing locally. Just local boards and stuff. Till next time...

Another Manic Monday

Just finished another Monday...I have two long days a week. They are
both 14 hour days. So I look forward to Tuesday to sleep a little bit.
Usually something always comes up. Anyway I was playin the
guitar tonight and having fun with some new grooves. I worked
a little while on my newest song, Man In The Mirror. Sort of a stale
old metaphor for taking stock of yourself, myself in this case. The verses
stack up nice and the chorus is shining through a little. However I know
there is a part missing. This song actually came about as two other partial
riffs. Sometimes I have to just go down the path and see where it leads.
Off for some sleep, maybe...

More About The Sound Gig

I was thinking that my very first post to the blog didn't quite have
enough information. I left out stuff like...
The Band's Name: "Wild Avenue".
They have a web site so you can find out more about them there.
They also have a schedule of where they are playing.

Wild Avenue Website

First Entry

This is my first journal (blog) entry. The purpose of the journal is to record my thoughts and experiences about music. Specifically, about "Making Music". Last night I was a stand-in soundman for a friend of mine at a club down in Canton Ohio. Got their early, and actually knew one of the guitar players that was playing in the band that night. Setup went smooth with the exception of a channel swap problem. It is a good setup there. The mixes are split monitors and mains. The monitor mixer is located up by the stage, and the main board is located in the back of the room. The band was classic rock and they are a good band. Making music for me is not only playing it, but also in producing it in different forms. Live sound, recording, etc.