Notes from the Road - Day 2 - Saturday, July 24, 2010 Man is it hot! When I first started this annual SE tour part of the reason was to get out of Florida's heat and up into higher country. However, I'm rethinking the timing here. Not only is booking more difficult in the summer here (a lot of the established series shut down in the SE for the summer), but this year in particular the weather forecast for everywhere I'm going is hot and more hot.

I headed out of Bainbridge around noon after making some stops at the grocery store, etc., things I didn't have time for on Friday. I wound through backroads Georgia north and west towards Alabama. Watching my external temperature guage I twice noted it rise above 100 degrees. The fields, the ones that weren't being irrigated, literally shimmered in the heat of the sun. Each day some rain has been forecast, but so far I've seen neither a cloud nor a drop. Just as well, it would turn to steam immediately and make things even worse. Nevertheless, in the cool A/C in the car I enjoyed the drive west to Auburn.

I actually lived in Auburn the first couple of years of my life. My Dad went to Veterinary school here when I was a toddler. We lived in a trailer park somewhere in Auburn and I had a sturdy tri-cycle that did it's best to maim me. It broken my left ankle and nearly cut off my left pinky finger in separate incidents. This is the first time I recall coming back through here since then.

Using my trusty Navigatrix I found an inexpensive campground just a couple of miles from where I was to perform. Easy in, easy out - just like I like it. I crossed into the central time zone so I picked up an hour. I'll lose it again tomorrow heading north. I had time to relax a bit, eat an early supper and then change into clothes suitable for my evening performance.

The Gnu's Room is a nice find. I found it by snooping on Roy Schneider's calendar for places he's played out this way. A very eclectic place, The Gnu's Room is a bookstore dealing largely in used books, some collector's items, and serves a large variety of exotic coffees. Just before showtime the staff cleared the front reading area and set up chairs for the guests. Tina, my host and owner of the shop, had warned me that the crowd would be light in the summer - shows are much better attended when the college is in full session. However, we had a nice comfortable crowd at 7 pm and more trickled in as I got into my first set.

I was flattered that some had taken time to check out my websites and had specific song requests. A fellow songwriter (a Kerrville winner and touring performer who lives in Auburn) Dave Potts came out for the show - always nice to get support from others in the biz. Interestingly, a young lady in the audience (also named Tina) perked up when she learned I was from Leesburg, FL - her father was born and raised there. Such a small world. Due to the requests, my selected material varied a bit from the set lists I had prepared. However, I'm always happy to give folks what they want to hear - requests are always welcome. I continue to be pleased with the very warm reception my newer material is receiving. When the Hummingbirds Return, Cresent City Lament and I Wish were all hits with the crowd. In the small room a sound system was unnecessary, something I prefer when its possible. Every possible inch of every wall, hallway, nook and cranny of the bookstore is stuffed with racks, stacks and shelves of books, so it made the room very acoustic friendly in that there was no bounce or echo like you might get in an empty room with a hardwood floor. At the same time, that lack of natural "reverb" makes you work harder to keep the guitar perfectly in tune and carry notes longer vocally to compensate. It was a wonderful evening and a very enjoyable show. CDs have, again, made their way to new homes. I'll look forward to coming back to the Gnu's Room on future tours trough the area.

The downside of picking up an hour was that when I finished playing at 9 pm it felt like 10 pm and I was definitely getting a little droopy. Fortunately my rolling home away from home was only a couple of miles away. I stopped only to fill up the truck for tomorrow's drive and then got right back to stretch out, have a little nip o' whiskey and drift away. I'll have a couple of days off now, but tomorrow I'll roll north towards Chattanooga where I'll be "based" for the next week. Hopefully I can find someplace where the temp gets down to the low 90's!

Notes from the Road - Friday, July 23, 2010. And so it begins. I hit the road about 10 a.m. - first stop Bainbridge, Ga. for a KOA Campground show. The new owners booked me for the date back a few months ago and were very enthusiastic. It was over a five hour drive from home at my ponderous 60 mph, plus stops for gas, food, etc. Though the "Navigatrix" on the dash wanted me to head west on I-10 from I-75 I continued north to Valdosta before turning westward. That way I got the benefit of cheaper Georgia gas prices and got some backroads travel. The melon fields are green and bulging with fruit. Cotton looks good too, as well as the corn and other truck crops. There are really some magnificent old houses in tiny towns in Georgia. Southern architecture at it's best. Two and three story frame houses, all white of course, with bay corners and tin roofs that defy imagination as to the difficulty of the installation. Broad porches surrounding the entire structure, just begging for a rocking chair and a glass of lemonade (or something stronger) with simple railings and sturdy stairs. About halfway I called the campground to estimate my arrival. The new owners were not there and would not be this weekend which seemed strange. The manager had not heard of me and did not know I was coming (UH OH). Since I had sent posters and postcards for distribution I was particularly troubled. He promised to investigate the situation, but would be ready for my arrival. I pulled in at about 4:45 and met Harold, the manager I had spoken to. Nice fella, VERY talkative. He had my posters and postcards on the desk in front of him and explained that they had gone unnoticed in the owners' mail. It seems the owners have had some personal emergencies and everything had been thrown off kilter at the park. The park itself was not well populated and many of the guests were residents living in the park while working what jobs they could in the current state of the economy. Harold had already distributed cards in the park, called on Church friends and distributed fliers at a local grocery - good man. However, despite his best efforts, the blazing heat and swarming gnats of the sinking Georgia sun doomed me to an inauspicious start. My small crowd at the park Gazebo and I were well relieved when Harold suggested we move into the air conditioned rec room inside the office though it is usually claosed after 5 pm. There, with no need for a sound system, I entertained my new friends with an hour and a half of song and story, actually a very enjoyable show and exceptionally well received. CDs went home with the audience and I packed up my gear. Even at 10 pm the air was so hot that I sweated as if it were noon. A cold shower never felt so good. Saturday is another day. I'm off to Auburn, AL for a show at The Gnu's Room. More to come . . .

The first formal written review of Welcome Home is in from Don Sechelski of "The Muse's Muse."

CD REVIEW: Doug Spears - Welcome Home
By Don Sechelski - 01/24/2010 - 08:32 PM EST

Artist: Doug Spears
Album: Welcome Home
Label: Cypress Moss Records
Website: http://www.dougspearsmusic.com
Genre: Acoustic folk/pop
Production/Musicianship Grade: 10/10
Songwriting Skills: 9/10

CD Review: Fourth generation Floridian, Doug Spears, knows the traditions and customs of Florida as well as anyone and he shows it on his new CD, Welcome Home. From the swamps of North Florida to the beaches of Key West, Spears brings the sights, sounds, and even smells of Florida alive in these well written and performed songs. Doug is joined by a variety of musicians on Welcome Home which was exquisitely produced by Jason Thomas.

Moonshiners found the swampland to be a good place to hide their stills and the first cut, Yellow Butter Moon, celebrates their product. "Yellow butter moon shine down through me with a light so true. There's love and life in the burn and bite of that yellow butter moon." Lis Williamson plays a nifty clawhammer banjo along with Doug's guitar and Jason Thomas' fiddle. Rob Ickes' smooth slide kicks off Teppentine, a story about the men who distilled turpentine from the sap of pine trees. It was hot unpleasant work and much like the coal mines, the workers paid all their wages back to the company store. Spears is a storyteller of the first order. His descriptions are vivid and true.

There are so many first rate tracks on Welcome Home. Spears' songs are beautifully crafted with lush imagery and very singable melodies. Some of my favorites are A Mother's Tears about Florida native Lewis Powell who was hung as a co-conspirator with John Wilkes Booth and Banks of Old St Johns which features some very tasty acoustic guitar from Gabe Valla.

You don't have to be from Florida to enjoy and appreciate the excellent performances on Welcome Home. Stellar songwriting, perfect vocals, superb musicians and masterful production combine to create a rare album. This is not Margaritaville, it's a whole lot better.

You can see the review on line at The Muse's Muse

Radio play for Welcome Home is cranking up - Thanks to: Steve Jerrett, KOPN Radio, Colombia, MO; Al Kniola, WVPE, South Bend IN; Taylor Caffery, WRKF, Baton Rouge, LA; Ken Batista, WYEP, Pittsburg, PA; Diane Crowe, WMCB, Greenfield, MA; Maggie Ferguson, WXOU, Auburn Hills, MI; Gerry Goodfriend, CKUT, Montreal Canada;  Bill Hahn, WFDU, Teaneck, NJ; Sonja Hedlund, WJFF, Jeffersonville, NY; Craig Huegel, WSLR, Sarasota, FL; Roz Larman, KPFK, Woodland Hills, CA; Eddie O'Strange, 
783 KHz AM, Wellington, New Zealand; LAUREL PAULSON-PIERCE, KRBS, OROVILLE, CA; Norman Whitman, WYSO, Yellow Springs, OH.

Notes from the Road – Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Day 3

Saturday, October 17 – After having to get up early on Friday for the workshop gig I elected to sleep in Saturday and miss the first workshops. Around 10 am I wandered up to get some breakfast and a gallon or two of coffee. I finished in time to hear the closing minutes of the “road dog” workshop headed by Jack Williams and Still on the Hill. Next was the presentation by Still on the Hill and people from the Folk Arts Center itself about Arkansas folk life, history and heritage. I was really glad I kicked myself out of bed for that! Very interesting and, as usual when Kelly and Donna are involved, high energy fun! Amazing instruments and techniques were demonstrated and at the end we were all assigned parts in a mass folk instrument ensemble. Quite unique!

Even though I’d had breakfast only a little while before I followed the crowd in for lunch and still ate my share. Meals are great gatherings at these events, always someone new to get to know. All of the meals have been provided buffet style and have been adequate, but it has been a challenge for those who are vegetarians – not me, of course. I’ve enjoyed the convenience and the staff has been first rate taking care of us.

The afternoon schedule included organizational meetings and mentoring sessions which, while interesting, were not how I wanted to spend my afternoon. Craving some fresh air, I walked out through the extensive and elaborate crafts village where shops offered goods for sale which are produced on site in traditional ways. There was a clothing shop that made 1800’s style men’s collarless shirts on at a time by hand on a foot pedal singer sewing machine. I HAD to have one of THOSE! In fact, I picked one that would be perfect to wear for my official showcase that night. I wandered through jewelry stores, a luthier shop where they were making various musical instruments, a soap shop, wood crafts, etc. Soon I’d satisfied my fresh air craving and headed back to the room to put new strings on the guitar and practice a bit.

Saturday night was my official showcase onstage in the conference center. Like FARM, there is no other activity taking place during the official showcases, so everyone attends. Also, the Folk Arts Center allows outsiders to attend the show for an admission fee. These are 20 minute sets, one right after the other from 6:45 until 10:30. My slot fell after Kim Richardson who I met earlier this year at the national conference in Memphis. She is an excellent performer, very high energy, very funny, a great writer, guitarist and vocalist – not an easy act to follow so I really needed to be sharp!

I chose four songs figuring that with my stories between I’d get 3 done with one in reserve. Kim Richardson did the expected blockbuster job and had the crowd really fired up when it came time for me to step to the microphone. Taylor Cafferty, one of our radio luminaries in attendance, had been tapped as an emcee for these events. He gave me a warm and kind introduction (some of it was even true!) and away I went. Since one of the focuses of the conference had been the building of community through music and having a “sense of place” I began by telling the audience a bit about where Florida through “State of Dreams.” Then I took them to the Keys for the story of the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and “Hemmingway’s Hurricane,” followed by a bit of Florida moonshining history and “Yellow Butter Moon.” At that point I got the two minute warning and, not having a 2 minute song, I gave a quick intro and did an abbreviated version of “This Old House.” I leave it to someone else to evaluate the performance, but the crowd response was excellent and I really enjoyed the set myself (which I always take as a good sign). I think I will have a couple of videos of the show available and should be able to post some clips in the weeks to come.

So, with my performance done (and once my adrenaline allowed me to sit) I settled in for the rest of the show. Unfortunately I missed most of Laurie McLain’s set as well as Ed Peterson’s. But, based on prior experience I know they were both excellent. As with the previous evenings, there was one exceptional performance after another. Any one of the performers should be welcome in any venue or house concert in the country with stellar results. K.C. Clifford, Jamie Michaels and Louise Mosry all really impressed me. I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite act for Saturday, but if forced I’d have to go with Bill & Kate Isles from Minnesota. Bill’s song “Hobo’s in the Roundhouse” just floors me every time I hear it as does “Fences.” And, their total shtick and back and forth exchange on the “Kamasutra Polka” is just hilarious.

Soon it was time to head back to the room, have a little coffee and get ready for the private showcases. Only two for me on the last night and everyone approached things with a relaxed approach. I started with a solo set in Bill & Kate Isles’ showcase room following Ben Bedford and K.C. Clifford. While Ben and K.C. played their sets I warmed Kate and Ben’s wife, Kari Abate, with a little of the Irish Whiskey I miraculously had discovered in my bag – wonder how THAT got there?! When it came my turn to play I shared “Welcome Home,” “Break Some Stones” and “It Must Be You” with their crowd which, interestingly, included some of the “outsiders” who had purchased tickets to the official showcases and had managed to find their way back to the cabins for the private showcases – very nice!

I ran over to the Concerts In Your Home room to hear a couple of tunes from Roy Schneider – this guy has the stuff! Make sure you catch his show sometime. I was to finish up in our Florida showcase room and I got there in time to hear a couple of Larry Mangum’s tunes which is always a treat. Gloria Holloway and David Russell were there and we started talking about old cover songs. Larry had done one at the end of his set so while we worked on the Irish Whiskey, David and I played a couple, “Long Black Veil” and “Go My Way” I think were the two. I repeated “It Must Be You” to hear David play lead on it and he did a wonderful and tasteful job.

Things were really winding down, but I had one more stop to make. Kari Estrin always has a last night session at her showcase room and I wanted to stop by and say thanks for all of her hard work. I was too tired to play anymore and there were plenty of guitars already uncased anyway. Fran Snyder played a tune, then Roy Schneider put one on us, followed by David Llewellyn and Louise Mosry. About there the Irish Whiskey and my ability to stay vertical ran out simultaneously. I said my goodbyes and trudged back to the room for a last night of not enough sleep. Larry, of course, was already dead to the world so I quietly squared myself away and conked out myself.

The Departure and Travel Epilogue

Sunday, October 18 - Rest assured that 8:30 came WAY too early. Larry had already made coffee again (good man) and was loading up, anxious to get back to Florida. After infusing some caffeine I began to organize and pack. It’s always so much easier to pack to go home than to leave home. There’s no choosing what to take and you are less concerned about what condition things arrive in at the other end. So it’s more of a “stuff and haul” affair, much quicker. I was soon packed, loaded, showered and ready for Breakfast. I stepped out into the most beautiful cool, clear, sunny morning imaginable – figures, just when its time to leave.

I sat and ate breakfast with Kim Page and her husband Leon and Garrison Doles came over and joined us for coffee as well. We rehashed the conference / retreat and solved most of the world’s problems in short order. It’s a burden to be so wise and all knowing!

Goodbyes take a while, so many friends to hug and thank. But soon the airline schedule dictated that I get started on my 2 hour drive back to Little Rock. I am exhausted, but at the same time energized. The tremendous talent I saw here challenges me to work even harder at my craft and continue to grow as an artist. This was a superb atmosphere for making new connections with other artists and getting a sense of the heart of the Southeast Region moving forward. While actually booking gigs at conferences is great, validating your artistic focus and sharing it with your peers pays untold dividends, financially and otherwise. I see writing and gigging collaborations on the horizon with so many of these fine folks. Thanks again to the SERFA Board under Kari Estrin, John Stoecker and Denise Williams for putting on a great conference. Thanks also to the unsung heroes who worked hard getting the event set up, but were unable to attend themselves, Betty Friedrichsen and Christine Stay and Aiden Quinn of Friction Farm. Lastly, a huge thanks to the Ozark Folk Arts Center – you really treated us great and made us feel so welcome in your home!

Lastly a couple of travel notes. When things are done right (like how the airlines have treated me with my guitar, etc.) I try to give credit where credit is due. The same applies when things are done wrong. Travel Note #1 – avoid the Dallas / Ft. Worth airport at all costs. It is a poorly organized, poorly run and over crowded nightmare. If your only choice is to travel through DFW I suggest you buy a horse. It’ll be faster, much more comfortable and far less infuriating. It ranks right up there with O’Hare and Miami for being a giant pain in the @#!! and makes Atlanta seem like a walk in the park. Travel Note #2 – if you work in the “service industry”, remember that the word “service” literally in your job description. The two ladies working the counter at the Starbucks in DFW across from Gate C20 get my award for least likely to succeed at anything in life if they don’t improve their attitude. When the “Peter Principle” hits you at the counter at Starbucks you are really in trouble. They were obviously annoyed that I would ask what the flavor of the day was and when I was unfamiliar with it and asked whether is was light, medium or bold the woman at the counter sarcastically and with great teenager style attitude declared “I don’t know.” I was also informed they didn’t have any decaf brewed at the moment and were unsure when or if they would. Sure seems like in a time with record unemployment these two would be thankful for a job and be more cautious about losing it. Ok, that’s off my chest

Alright, as I write this I’m finally home in Orlando at 12:30 am, sipping a little o’ the Irish and waiting for my eyes to slam shut involuntarily. Tomorrow I’ll get my Kendall fix!



– see you soon!!

Doug
"It's not how far you've come, it's what you've done with the miles"
Doug Spears
36 Interlaken Road
Orlando, Florida 32804
407-257-4242
dcsnole@yahoo.com
www.dougspearsmusic.com
www.reverbnation.com/dougspears
http://www.myspace.com/dougspears
http://www.sonicbids.com/dougspears

Notes from the Road – Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Day 2

Friday, October 16th – OK, so where was I? Oh yeah, I was asleep. So, this morning I had to get up early because SOMEBODY (Kelly, it was you! Or was it Donna – don’t remember) tagged me for the panel in a workshop on writing about your home place, your culture, etc. at 9:45 am, so sleep was curtailed long before I would have liked! Anyway, Larry got up before me and made coffee (he’ll make someone a lovely husband – oh, hey Christy!) so I was able to open my eyes at least partially.

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Notes from the Road – Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Day 1

 

          Well, on to the next Folk Alliance Conference, this time in Mountain View, Arkansas at the Ozark Folk Center, a State Park facility dedicated to the preservation of the folk arts.  It is a terrific facility, if not ideally located to encourage maximum attendance being in the farthest northwest corner of the region, and I’m really looking forward to it. 

 

          My day started at 6 am EST, which is actually 5 am where I was headed.  With my daughter, Jessi’s, considerable help I had everything prepared and packed the night before, so I rolled out of bed, showered and headed for the airport.  Miraculously my travel from Orlando through Dallas connecting to Little Rock, AR was uneventful – was able to get my guitar on board without hassle (thanks American Airlines), my flights were on time, my baggage came through and my rental car was ready and waiting.  I even ran into Cheryl Paige and husband Leon in the airport at Little Rock (they were waiting for a shuttle that runs once a day up to the center, but I got a good deal on a car and preferred the independence.  So, by a little after 2 pm (Central) I was winding my way northwest out of Little Rock toward Mountain View.

 

          Though the day was grey and overcast, what a beautiful drive.  Once out of Little Rock I traveled through farmlands and small towns climbing up into the Ozarks.  Its cool here (low 50’s) and the leaves are in full change.  Folks in Arkansas are not aggressive drivers so in those parts where there was any traffic it was a low key affair.

 

          My room mate for the trip is Jacksonville’s Larry Mangum who arrived a day earlier.  He had left a phone message asking that I acquire some liquid refreshment of the adult variety before I got to Mountain View, which is a small little place and has no liquor stores.  I should have taken care of that before leaving Little Rock.  I passed 62,000 churches of every conceivable denomination, at times three or four next door to each other in a row (ok, maybe only 50,000, but A LOT) and not one liquor store of any description.  No beer or wine in the supermarkets either, I checked.  I thought of stopping at one of the Baptist churches to talk to the groundskeeper (they always know where to get locally manufactured whiskey), but just thought I’d better press on.  I have a little sippin’ tonic with me and I’ll have to share it sparingly.

 

The drive took about 2 ½ hours and the last part through the mountains was particularly winding and climbing.  However, I enjoy the mountain roads and the scenery.  Saw a couple of deer, a red fox and a big hawk soaring the thermals over a big lake impoundment near Greer.  Really pretty.  But I was getting tired (traveling does that you know) and anxious to get to the center in time to join everyone for supper, so I pushed on through without dawdling to admire the landscape much.

 

Upon arrival I got checked in, registered, found Larry and the room, tossed my stuff out of the car and hustled over to the restaurant for supper.  I was in hyper mode and really had to work at winding down as all I could think of was things I needed to do.  I wolfed down my buffet meal while said my hellos to all the familiar faces - Jack and Judy Williams, Ronny Cox, Ray Lewis, Kelly and Donna Mulholland, Jaime Michaels, Lauren Lapointe, Denise Williams, Gloria Holloway, Daniel and Ellen Boling, Kari Estrin, John Stoecker, Bill and Kate Isles and on and on and on.  My apologies to the many I didn’t list specifically.  Then I hustled over to the main conference area to put my materials on the exhibit table, spread out the bags of Cracker Crunch (what I’m calling my Chex mix now) and then whirled back to the room to change before the evening showcases.  Whew!!!

 

I finally managed to settle into relax mode (after a phone call with Ron Litschauer about the mastering progress on Welcome Home and a call home to my bride).  I went up to hear the first of the official showcases (mine slot is on Saturday) and enjoyed nice sets from Lauren Lapointe (Savannah, Ga.), Chico Schwall (Oregon) and my buddy Larry Mangum, who did a particularly good set including his tribute to Gamble Rogers, I Knew the Last Troubadour.  Then I ducked out for a little rest (coffee) and practice before my private showcases for the evening.

 

My first showcase was a songwriters’ round in the New Mexico room hosted by Daniel and Ellen Boling.  They really went all out setting up the room with chairs, lighting and décor.  I was honored to be in the round with Jack Williams and Ronnie Cox, two of the best on the circuit.  Jack is an unparalleled writer, singer and, particularly, guitar player.  Ronnie, though better known as a actor (Deliverance, Beverly Hills Cop, Murder at 1600 and, most recently, Imagine That) is a tremendous touring folk musician who has earned a lot of attention in the past few years for his musicianship.  We had a wonderful 1 hour round swapping tunes for a full room.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and had looked forward to it as one of the highlights of this conference.  I wasn’t disappointed!

 

Following us came Kelly and Donna Mulholland, Daniel Boling and Jamie Michaels.  I was able to stay for only part of their set as I had a show to do in our Florida showcase room at 12:30 a.m., so at the appropriate time I slipped out.  The Florida Room is being hosted by Ray Lewis from Jacksonville.  I was following Larry Mangum and enjoyed hearing some new tunes from Larry.  When it came my time Roy Schneider (Naples FL) had joined us in the room.  I had missed Roy’s official showcase earlier in the evening so after a couple of tunes I invited him to step in for a couple.  Wow, great stuff!  Roy was a finalist in the Kerrville New Folk showcase this year and I can see why.  What a treat to get to hear some of his material!  Then I took back over and finished out the set at 1:00 am. 

 

Now, a day that starts at 5 am and ends at 1 am is a long day, I don’t care who you are.  So I headed back to the room (where Larry was already trying to get to sleep), had a small snort of that fine amber liquid I’d brought along and read a few stories in “Forgotten Tales of Florida” just released by my friend Bob Paterson in St. Augustine.  By 1:45 it was lights out in more ways than one!!  More tomorrow.

 

 

Doug
"It's not how far you've come, it's what you've done with the miles"

Doug Spears

36 Interlaken Road

Orlando, Florida 32804
407-257-4242

dcsnole@yahoo.com

www.dougspearsmusic.com
www.reverbnation.com/dougspears

http://www.myspace.com/dougspears

http://www.sonicbids.com/dougspears

Notes from the Road – Midwest Folk Alliance Conference – Day 1

Good morning from Bolingbrook, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. It’s cool (40’s – 50’s) and rainy since we got here (Judy’s tagging along for this one), but relief from the hot and humidity is welcome regardless of its packaging. We arrived just after noon yesterday on Southwest (one of my favorite airlines – very musician friendly) and though it was rainy and windy at Midway we landed on only the second bounce (ok, it was a jarring landing, but any landing you walk away from is a good one).

The FARM conference has a long history having begun meeting in 1991. This is my first visit, precipitated by my selection as an official showcase artist, and I didn’t really know what to expect. I had heard mixed reviews by folks who had attended this conference in the past regarding the size of the gathering, the programs and value to the artist. But, FARM has experienced a renewal of commitment under its leadership and, though I have nothing to compare it to since I’m a Newbie I’m thrilled to be here.

The attendance is around 120 with a very good representation from venues, house concert presenters and Folk DJs – on a percentage basis compared to artists, about the same as the National Conference in Memphis. In just the first few hours I’ve gotten to spend time with folks I would not otherwise have met or would only get to see for a minute or two in the madness of the National Conference.

The first night they presented a new feature of the gathering. Concerts In Your Home (Fran Snyder) produced a special invitational showcase for non – official showcase artists and some special guests. Ten acts were presented over about 2 ½ hours. Though all were quite good and entertaining, I have to admit my favorites were Claudia Schmidt and Joe Jencks. Great talents both and certainly folks I would recommend without hesitation to any venue, house concert, festival, etc.

This morning things start of with workshops and peer group discussions on various topics. I’m looking forward to some of the business oriented workshops and to sitting over coffee with new and old friends alike. My official showcase is tonight. One thing that distinguishes the smaller regional conferences over the national is that the official showcases are done one at a time in one room – no other activity at the same time and, therefore, everyone is in attendance. That’s a good feature for the artists chosen and somewhat guarantees that the folks you really want to hear you are in the room (illness or exhaustion excepted). While I have a table display set up in the main hallway of the conference, its not one that I have to be with so I’m free to roam.

Stay tuned!

Notes from the Road – Trenton Ga to Cullman AL to Knoxville TN to Parsons WV

If you'd like, view this at http://dougspearsmusic.blogspot.com/ to see it with
pictures, etc. included.

What a week! Lots of shows and a bit of road time. Let's catch up.

Friday, August 28th – Cullman, Alabama

The way I've worked this trip I'm leaving the camper set up in Trenton, GA at
the Lookout Mountain West KOA and traveling to and from my gigs from that home
base. Brian and Allison, the owners, became great friends and fans last year and
agreed to have me stay an entire 8 days with them this year and I've GREATLY
appreciated it. If you are campers and want to head to the NW Georgia /
Chattanooga area you will make a big mistake by not stopping in and staying with
Brian and Allison. Their's is not the average KOA – it is what the model should
be. They made a decision to change their lifestyle to focus on family and
friends. They treat that campground as their home and you as an honored guest in
it. This is not a "corporate" campground like some where the bottom line is all.
To be sure, they are there to make a living, but they are intent on giving every
guest more than the value of the fee they pay to stay. Please stop in there and
tell `em I sent `ya!

Friday night was my show at Berkley Bob's Coffeehouse in Cullman, AL. I
"poached" this gig off of the Bluesgotus calendar when I saw they were playing
there back in June (thanks Bill & Eli for the tip!). I frankly didn't know what
to expect and kept myself ready for anything. It turned out to be a special
treat and I made a lot of new friends.

Bob Keefe, the proprietor, used to live down our way and played the Florida Folk
Festival once back in the Cousin Thelma days. He's had Berkley Bob's now for
about 7 years and moved to this particular location a couple of years ago. What
a great room! A 100 year old brick building with high ceilings covered in
stamped tin tiles – the place just oozes charm and warmth. Coffee's, teas, deli
items and baked goods are the fare served up by Bob's daughter behind the
counter. A nice sized raised stage in the corner farthest from the entrance
looks out on tables, couches and arm chairs with books, teas, coffees and other
items for sale lining the walls. The coffee / tea station is to the right of the
stage and I had the usual concern about the overwhelming noise of the cappuccino
machine and blender (smoothies) kicking in just when I het a soft, soulful song.
I worried for naught. This is a REAL listening room – the folks know that if
they go over and order something that will require noisy apparatus to prepare
then they'll have to wait just a bit until a space between songs, etc. before
the equipment will be used – VERY impressive. I had a solid crowd of a little
over 50 who listened to every word and note, signed up on the email list, bought
CD's and generously supported the gas fund. Bob has enthusiastically invited me
back and I intend to take him up on it for sure. This is one of the true small
listening venues of the southeast. Thanks Bob and all my new friends in the
great state of Alabama!

Saturday, August 29th

Trenton GA is, of course, just 10 – 15 miles southwest of Chattanooga, so I had
a short commute to my Saturday night show at Charles and Myrtles' Coffeehouse at
the Christ Unity Church in Chattanooga. Andrew Kelsey is the host of the series
which has been going strong EVERY WEEK (that's right, 50+ shows a year) for 16
years. The opportunity to play Charles & Myrtle's is a privilege and I was
looking forward to it.

The Church is a small house converted to the purposes of the congregation. There
is seating for about 80 arranged in a short, upside down "T" from the
performance space (which becomes the pulpit on Sunday). I was thrilled to walk
in and immediately see Bill & Barbara Derby, our good friends and expatriots
from Ormond Beach who now live in Blairsville, Ga. A two hour hike for them to
come see me – THANKS GUYS!!

Again, this is a true listening room environment. The folks come strictly to sit
and listen, many with their eyes closed a good part of the time, swaying to the
music. You know, an old storyteller and song writer like me just eats that up
with a spoon – what a treat. A major plus is Andrew's home baked cookies – WOW!
Totally addictive and loaded with all the good (bad for you) stuff.

The appearance at Charles & Myrtles' also includes an appearance at their Church
service the following morning. It is a lay ministry which features a different
speaker each week either from the congregation or someone traveling through.
This is a very liberal, relaxed, Christian based fellowship that includes much
laughter and song, as well as mediation and personal introspection. If you can
believe it, ASCAP & BMI make the Church buy a license because they use some
contemporary music in their service (i.e., Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens,
etc.). I'd REALLY like to hear the PRO's defend THAT! They brought me on for a
two song offering ("Do You" and "It Must Be You") which was very well received.
Andrew invited me to come "do it again" and I intend to get that on the calendar
soon. Thanks Andrew!

Sunday, August 30th

Time for a goodbye show here in the KOA. These are, by definition, small shows
for 25 or less. But, you can never judge the quality of a crowd by its size. In
my two years of doing these campground shows I've learned "the ropes" of making
it work, for my type of act at least, and these are some of my favorite shows of
the tours. Like a house concert, they are small and intimate, but with the plus
of being in a beautiful outdoor setting designed for this purpose, like a
festival performance. Again, the folks that come to these are there strictly for
the music and want to here every word and note. They are generous beyond measure
and love to purchase CD's. From a purely economic standpoint I do nearly as well
with these shows as I do weekend shows at a coffeehouse with an admission fee.
From an artist enjoyment standpoint they are second only to house concerts in
the pleasure I derive from the people and the music.

This show here at the KOA was no exception. A good crowd on Sunday night, 25 or
so, and a full offering of tunes from the soon to be released (no really, soon
now, I promise) CD Welcome Home, my 2007 album Break Some Stones, as well as
older material and newer stuff not currently on an available CD. Another "perk"
of these shows is that you are meeting folks from different parts of the
country, not so much locals. There was a group this night from the Houston area
who were thrilled to hear I'd be in their neck of the woods in November and have
already made plans to attend my shows there. I really love these shows and the
folks I meet in them.

Monday, August 31st

On the road again . . . I didn't get started as early as I would have liked due
to work that had to be done in connection with the new CD, etc. So I pulled out
just before noon to make my way north into West Virginia. I knew I wouldn't make
it all the way, but I wanted to get as far as possible so that I could get in
and settled in Parsons sometime Tuesday morning. I learned last year that
pushing the big Ford to haul the trailer at 70 mph plus, particularly in the
hill country, destroys what little fuel economy you can get out of a V8. So the
time v. $$ trade weighs in favor of keeping it around 60 mph and accepting the
longer drive time.

I had pure interstate highway driving up through TN and Virginia. Still, scenery
was nice and the driving was fairly easy except around Knoxville which can get a
little congested. Once I crossed into West Virginia two things changed – one
good and one bad. The bad first – gas prices jump .35 per gallon immediately
after crossing the state line!! They must have a serious gas tax going on up
here. But, the good is that the driving converted to a state highway system with
gorgeous scenery. As WV is owned nearly 70% by the federal government, much of
the drive is through national forests. I crossed great dams, rivers, man made
lakes, etc. and the Allegheny Mountains (part of the Appalachians and forming
the border between Virginia and West Virginia) which were breathtaking.

By 7 pm I had crossed the New River Gorge, passed Beckly and Fayetteville and
was looking for a likely place to stop for the night – cheap, comfortable and
easy were my criteria for a campsite. I saw a sign for the Summerville Dam
National Park and turned towards it. Now, I made a large mistake at this point.
As it was nearly dusk I was looking to make sure I didn't miss the turn to the
park. I came upon "Camp Site Road" and quickly turned right. Bad, bad move. Camp
Site Road is a private road of residences and is a narrow rock road that drops
STEEPLY down the mountain a couple of miles to a dead end with ditches on both
sides of the road. Remember, I'm towing a 24' behemoth behind the Expedition.
Well, thank goodness for 4 wheel drive and an ability to back a trailer. I saw
my chance about a mile down – one gravel driveway went steeply up to my right
while another dropped down to my left almost straight across. I switched into
high 4 wheel drive on the fly, hit the gas up the steep drive on the right and
ground to a stop as the trailer cleared the road. After a quick assessment of my
angle and a deep breath I put `er in reverse and let her go slinging the rear of
the trailer into the descending drive across the way. Again, gravel flew as I
ground to a halt. Now, low 4 wheel drive was needed to bear down and pull the
trailer up and around onto the road heading back the way I came. Now I REALLY
needed to get to the campground and a little brown whiskey!

Soon I crossed the Summerville Dam and then came to the camping area right on
Summersville lake. Cheap, very comfortable and (but for my own folly) very easy.
I checked in and received a site right on (I mean 10 ` close) the lake. The site
was perfectly level so I had no set up – just left the trailer hooked to the car
and plugged in the electric. I had a nice quiet dinner looking out over the lake
as night fell and then sat and picked the guitar for a bit as I sipped that
amber libation I had been craving after my backing adventure. Cool, sleeping
with the windows open and the blankets on – can't beat it.

Tuesday, September 1

I got up early to get under way. I made a pot of coffee and stepped out to
appreciate the early sun on Lake Summerville. The water is crystal clear and the
mountains and trees rising around me were as peaceful as I could ask for. The
blue wing teals make their home here and are fat from the offerings of the
campers in the area. I got out a few slices of bread and within seconds I was
surrounded by 30 or more beautiful ducks wrestling for the bits I tossed their
way. The experienced ones watched the arc and caught the bread in the air before
it hit the water. I have lots of pictures and will post a link when I've got a
chance.

Only two and ½ hours from Parsons I pressed on and arrived at Five Rivers
Campground by 11 a.m. I was soon settled in and connected to the internet to do
some promotion for the shows in the area on Wednesday and Thursday. The
campground sits right on the Cheat River, just two miles upstream from the 2
acre parcel we bought here last fall. At this time of year the river level is
dropping though still plenty of water for fish and that peaceful moving water
sound across the polished rocks. Very cool here – low 50's to high 40's at night
and 70's during the day. Clear blue skies – magnificent! I spent the day
working, as described, with breaks to go wade the river a little, skip some
stones, take a supply run to local grocery and scare up a little firewood.
Whiskey and a warm fire looking out over the river – this is living!

Wednesday, September 2

I played a new venue last night ½ hour down the mountain in Elkins, WV. Elkins
is an "artsy" little community which includes Davis & Elkins College, a small
private liberal arts school. I'm playing at a local music venue, El Gran Sabor,
an authentic Venezuelan restaurant. The food is wonderful and the building is
another charm oozing edifice with wood floors and an outdoor courtyard up front.
The owner, Rob Masten (along with his wife, Derdlim, the master chef and, in
Rob's words, "the boss") is also a musician and teaches music both at the local
high school and at Davis & Elkins. The restaurant has a terrific music room in
the back of the building where the bar is located. A full stage with good sound
and nice lighting sits back there and looks out over a seating area large enough
for at least 50 or so. The live music runs Wednesday and Friday from 7 to 10 and
focuses on original music of various genres.

I had a great time playing the room, though it is not what I'm typically used
to. On this night the smallish crowd, though paying attention to the music and
appreciative, were not a pure listening crowd. Sitting mostly around the bar
there was a great deal of conversation and noise during the show. Consequently,
I couldn't establish my usual audience connection, tell the stories between
songs, etc. that I usually do. Nevertheless, the crowd was hearing me, was
generous in terms of the gas fund and very complimentary during breaks. I think
the room has wonderful potential and I'll look forward to playing here again in
my new "home away from home" neighborhood. Rob is a very outgoing and helpful
guy who can be of great assistance locating other rooms to play within a
reasonable driving distance for future trips. It's all in the attitude with
which you approach it and the effort you invest to develop it. I think El Gran
Sabor is well worth it. Thanks Rob!

Thursday, September 3

OK, you're up to date. I've spent the morning writing this in the cool,
beautiful WV weather with a campfire crackling and the Cheat River gurgling.
Tonight I play the Purple Fiddle in Thomas WV less than a ½ up the mountain and
then head out early tomorrow for NC (house concert Saturday night), SC
(campground show Sunday) and home on Monday. I may wait until I get back for the
last installment, but you never know so stay tuned.

Notes from the Road – Trenton, Ga. to Knoxville, TN

Had a bustling day Monday. I’ve brought all my computer gear (including my color laser printer) so the camper during the day is like a home office. I had posters, postcards, etc. to print for a show in WV next week, so I did those and ran in to the post office in Trenton to get those in the mail.

Trenton is a quaint little town. On the way back I saw an old fashioned town graveyard so I stopped and wandered a bit. The graves in the front of the cemetery were the oldest and they worked back from there. The markers and monuments bore dates as early as the 1830’s. You could tell which families had moved on or died out as their plots were crumbling and weed covered. You could also tell who the prominent families in the community are by the conditions of their plots. I saw graves for folks that had lived remarkably long lives for the period of time – one lady was over a hundred when she died in 1911. I also saw grave stones for young people, less than 20 and some infants. When I wander a cemetery like this I always wonder about who the people were and what things they’d experienced. Probably not as fascinating as I imagine.

Monday night’s show in the campground was terrific. I learned last year that weekday shows are the best for the campgrounds. I always walk around during the day to say hello to folks and make sure they know about the show. There are few campers here during the week, but with only one exception every single camper was present. These are the small, intimate crowds that every songwriter lives for. And, surprisingly rewarding financially as well. There is no admission, of course – just a tip jar and CD’s. But, without exception I’ve found that these folks generously toss appreciation into the tip jar (many times what you normally see in a coffeehouse type setting) and hungrily buy CD’s. Had I charged an admission fee, some would not have come in the first place and those that did would not have been able to buy the number of CD’s that the full crowd did. I really like this approach for weekday “filler” shows when you would otherwise be idle or playing a coffeehouse on a tips / sales basis anyway.

I used my new, compact Fishman SoloAmp sound system and really loved it. What a treat to have the whole system in one rolling bag weighing 30 lbs! The sound coverage is excellent and no feedback unless I turned directly into the unit from very close range. Really makes set up less of a chore.

Tuesday was a work day getting email done, checking in on the status of the Welcome Home Project, conference call with my “folk mom”, Kari Estrin, in Nashville, accounting work, etc. – yep, dull and boring. But, I took a break at lunch time and went to tour the Chickamauga Battlefield which is close by. It is the oldest of the national military parks, dedicated in 1895. Covering 8,000 acres it is also one of the largest.

I started in the visitor’s center with a 20 minute movie that explained the general troop movements, etc. Like most of those productions it was unnecessarily corny and dumbed down, but nevertheless gave the basic information to let you guide yourself through the park. One of the first things you come to on the self guided car tour is the monument erected by the State of Florida honoring those regiments of the CSA from our home state. Impressive monuments exist throughout the park marking the places where each State’s troops engaged in action, where certain soldiers were wounded or killed, etc. These battlefields always have a profound effect on me. The park is so peaceful, hardly anyone there during the week, dozens of deer roaming and grazing unconcerned with my presence. To think of this place shrouded in the smoke of battle and soaked with the blood of young Americans leaves me with an eerie sense of sorrow, duty, honor and incredulity all mixed together. There are so many that think they understand why that war was fought and what goals it accomplished I won’t dare offer my viewpoint. It was interesting that the bookstore in the visitor’s center had volumes covering all viewpoints and I overheard two different people registering formal complaints with the guards on duty regarding what they viewed to be historical inaccuracies being perpetuated by the exhibits. But, one thing is clear to me - we don’t learn much from history and continue to make the same blunders time and again.

Wednesday was an up and on the road early day – time to appear on WDVX’s Blue Plate Special in Knoxville. The station’s studio is located in the Knoxville Visitor’s Center and has a formal performance stage set up in the lobby with the gift shop and coffee bar. Every day at noon the station presents a live performance broadcast. It’s very popular with the locals. About 60 seats are set up (including the standard lunch tables) and folks come in for the lunch hour and the show. By 11:45 am there were few seats left and those were gone by Noon. It was a very enjoyable show and performance to this pure listening (and munching) crowd. The host, Matt Morelock, does an excellent job keeping things organized and moving. The show draws acts from the very big names in folk and bluegrass (Doyle Lawson, Tim O’Brien, David Olney, etc.) to lesser mortals like me. They record the show and provide you with a CD and I videoed the performance as well. Hopefully the links work and you can see me do “Yellow Butter Moon” in front of the Blue Plate Wall of Fame.

Its Thursday as I write this and its rainy out. That’s OK, because I’ve got lots of work to do. Stay tuned for more!

Notes from the Road – Havana, FL / Trenton, GA.

Back on the road again – time for my SE US mini-tour. Two and one-half weeks in the camper doing shows in north FL (1), GA (2), AL (1), TN (2), WV (2), NC (1) and SC (1).

I got on the road Saturday morning to head to Havana, FL, just outside of Tallahassee, for a gig at The Mockingbird Café that Lis & Lon Williamson put me onto. The 4 hour drive was a slugger along I-75 with 2,000 truckers and 5,000 morons through lightning, thunder and rain most of the way. There was one REALLY bad accident in the Gainesville area. Don’t know what happened first, but it appeared that there was a bad crash in the southbound lanes and then some idiot rubberneckers in the northbound lanes cracked up while trying to see if there was any visible blood on the southbound side. You know, as a species we aren’t getting any smarter at all.

But, I made it to north Florida unscathed. I checked into the Big Oak campground just 10 miles from Havana, had a quick bite to eat and then headed over to get set up. Boy, did I get a surprise when I got out of the car and started towards the Café! There outside the patio entrance were Pete Gallagher and Pat Barmore up all the way from St. Pete / Tampa. Now, of course, my ego said “WOW, drove all that way to hear me!” In reality, there was some booking confusion. Lorie (the proprietress) had me booked and advertised, but Pete & Pat thought they were booked. Stuff happens! After a few minutes of head scratching it seemed like the sensible thing to do was just split the night. Pete & Pat had driven 5 hours themselves to get there so it made no sense to just say “sorry” and send them home. Problem solved. And, really to my advantage since my SoloAmp system won’t handle a duo, so Pete & Pat had to set up their Bose system – less work for me!!

The Mockingbird is truly a lovely venue and the food is absolutely AWESOME. They had a special rib-eye steak that was just killer and the cheesecake with fresh berries was to die for. Their house specialty, black beans and rice, is also just as advertised – delicious. The café is quaint and spacious inside and the patio entrance is quite charming. All of the staff goes way out of their way to treat the performers as part of the family and get you anything you need throughout the night (including slippery elm tea – great for the vocal chords). We had a warm, receptive and generous crowd, a true listening crowd. I made some new friends and reconnected with some old ones. It’s always nice to have local performers drop in to catch your show – Mimi Hearns and Grant Peeples were in the house. Pat, Pete and I switched ½ hour sets from 7 – 10 and everyone had a great time. I’m really looking forward to playing The Mockingbird again soon.

Sunday was my long drive day. I needed to get up to Trenton, GA where I’ve wangled a week’s stay at one of my KOA friend’s campground while I play gigs in TN and AL. It makes much more sense (gas wise and time wise) to leave the camper in one spot and drive to the gigs – nothing more than two hours away. I’ll play a couple of shows in the campground during the week as well. Works out great.

I got underway around 10 am and took the back roads up through GA towards Atlanta. The corn was harvested back in the early summer and those fields are brown and in stubble, but the peanut fields and truck crops (beans, peas, etc.) are lush green and endless. The cotton is coming in as well and will be harvested in September. Some of the prettiest peach orchards and pecan groves I’ve ever seen lay along the route I drove. I should have stopped for pictures, but you know me. To say this is Bible belt country is a vast understatement. You can’t swing a worn out guitar strap without smacking a Baptist, Methodist or more fundamentalist type country church.

I really enjoyed the first half of the day’s drive. I stopped in Dawson, GA for lunch at a great little Mexican grille. Had to stay away from the cerveca and the tequila though – Georgia back roads on a Sunday afternoon is no time to get stopped by the local sheriff with beer breath!

Then I hit I-85 to I-285 around Atlanta and I-75 to Chattanooga – back to the world of morons and Nascar wannabes. I was more than ready to hit the campground when I pulled in around 6:30 pm. My hosts had left a map pinned to the front door showing me to my site. I got settled in, had a little pre-dinner cocktail while I wandered to see who my neighbors were, then had that wonderful ribeye steak meal from The Mockingbird (they fixed up an extra one to go so I’d have it when I got to my next stop!). The weather here is cool, clear and wonderful – goodbye heat!

Stay tuned – more to come.

Notes from the Road – Gamble Rogers 2009

From Friday, May 1 to Sunday, May 3 we gathered at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds in Elkton, FL, west of St. Augustine for three days of music celebrating to life of one of our own, the late, great Gamble Rogers. I hope you are familiar with Gamble’s life and work. If not, here’s a little bit about him.

Florida Times Union columnist, Ron Johnson, wrote in his Friday edition:

The son and grandson of influential architects, Gamble Rogers was described as both a "modern troubadour" and the "resurrection of Will Rogers and Mark Twain". Rogers was a master performer--enchanting an audience with Travis-style guitar finger picking and relating downright rib-tickling tales about the inhabitants of the fictitious Oklawaha County.

The Atlanta Constitution called Rogers, "an American treasure worthy of inclusion in the Smithsonian". Rogers was just hitting his peak when he died, on October 10, 1991, trying to save a man from drowning. The recreational area in Flagler County, where the accident occurred, was later renamed, "The Gamble Rogers Memorial Park".

Gamble was universally revered and loved by his fellow musicians and fans alike. Gamble never met a stranger and his gracious assistance to young up and coming artists is legendary. Known for many philosophical witticisms like “the Lord gives me grace, but the devil gives me style”, “sorry is as sorry does” and “life’s what happens to you while you’re making other plans” Gamble was the perfect blend of master storyteller and musician. Many songs have been written honoring Gamble, but my personal favorite was written by my friend Steve Gillette who I think fully captured his spirit:

I remember Gamble Rogers,
He was a gentleman with a guitar,
He’s gone on a little further now,
A little deeper in the stars,
He went down into the water,
To help to save a drowning man,
And he left this world,
Holding out his hand.

It’s been my great privilege to participate in this gathering for many years now and have been looking forward to this second edition in the new location at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds.

Friday, May 1

You may recall that I’ve been having trouble with my car battery when I hook up my camper lights to the car. Or, maybe you don’t. For you it doesn’t really matter. As for me, I unfortunately did not remember it until Friday morning when I was preparing to load up. Shoot! Off to Costco I went to get a new battery. While I was there I also picked up one of those portable jump start units – handy looking thing. I didn’t have time (or rather didn’t want to take the time) to install the new battery (in an Expedition its not as easy as it should be), but at least I’d have the new battery and the jump start unit in case I got stranded.

Back home I loaded up my gear, my Samplers for presales of the new CD and some things I might need if called to Tallahassee for the arrival of the new granddaughter (yeah, the little bugger is still stuck in there despite continual warnings of imminent commencement of the birthing journey). Off I went and was surprised to arrive at the fairgrounds nearly ½ hour before I expected.

All was in order. I was issued my artist’s pass and given directions to my campsite. I drew a wonderful spot – right next to Larry Mangum. That wasn’t what made it so wonderful, though it was clearly a bonus. Rather it was the shade from the big oak that would protect my roof from the broiling sun most of the day. Bill & Eli Perras thought it looked pretty good too and, though without access to power or water, they elected to join us there under the oaks.

We were soon engaged in a songswap over at Larry’s with Charlie Simmons, Jack (oops, can’t remember), Bill & Eli, Jen Weidley, Chuck & Pat Spano, Grant Peeples and probably others that at this writing two days later I can’t recall. I introduced Grant to the wonders of Gorilla Snot (it’s a real product, I’m not making it up) – a pine resin product that helps you keep your grip on your guitar pick in sweaty or other conditions adverse to guitar pickers. I believe it changed Grant’s life, though probably not as much as some of you might have hoped.

The weather Friday was magnificent – cool in the shade and breezy, crystal clear and springtime fresh. The songswap would have gone longer, but Larry started serving some red wine which at that afternoon hour brought on the drowsies in some. Me, I had to go check my CD’s in at the product table and circulate among the other arrivals so I put away the guitar and set off. In truth, I figured on finding someone who was camped over close to where the fish fry was to take place at 6 p.m. Succeeded too, as Al Scortino, reliable for such as this, had parked his Casita within spittin’ distance of where the line would form. So, with a beer in hand (that vendor opened early and was doing a brisk trade) I ambled over and infiltrated the Ashley Gang crowd. Sure enough, we got some of the first fish out of the oil and feasted our fill.

The evening schedule featured some of my real favorites. My good friend Jack Williams started things off with his usual stellar set that left folks hollering for more and all the guitar pickers considering another line of endeavor. He was followed by Tracy Grammer and The Rowan Brothers with wonderful performances. Then our own one man band sensation, Ben Prestage, came on to prove that all that caterwauling about how good he is actually sells him short. He’s a serious showstopper. Those guitar pickers in the crowd that had managed to recover from the humiliation of watching the mastery of Jack Williams were beset with a new wave of discouragement regarding their own abilities and I’m sure many a guitar came close to violent disposal or cheap sale.

Once the main stage wrapped up I discovered one significant negative to my beautiful campsite. Turns out the evening contra dance that often doesn’t end until people are too exhausted to stand was taking place on the Pickers Stage with 100 feet of my rolling abode. Not to worry – I was running my AC unit and I came equipped with foam ear plugs for just such a situation.

The campsite songswaps were more active and widespread than I can recall in recent years. It was terrific. I started over with Jerry Mincey’s crowd, then filtered down to the Mayhaws’ area where I found Lis Williams and Lolly Rogers (Gamble’s daughter). Lis sang some harmonies with me on Banks of the Old St. John’s which was fun. She was not camping and soon made her preparations to head out. She had a tin cup of Irish Whiskey that some provided her and that she hadn’t finished. Knowing exactly where it would be most welcome she blessed me with its care and disposal, swearing me to faithfully return the cup to its owner when its contents were expended. A fine and bonnie Lass she is!

I next found myself at the rough camping segment of the Ashley Gang – Al, of course, long since absent and gone back to the Casita to enjoy AC and deep slumber. David Russell and his lovely bride Ann were there, David kind of sitting right in the middle of things adding accompaniment to whatever was being played. Since we had played it at Folk Alliance together back in February (check back at those Notes for the background on that) he joined me very capably on This Old House. Glenn Smith and his far better half were there with a tune or two. Larry Mangum slide in from the dark at some point. Soon Jack Williams showed up to trade licks and an encyclopedic recall of a vast catalog of old tunes with Russell. Grant Peeples was in there too, begging more Gorilla Snot. He took to putting a gob of it on the bill of his cap so it would be handy whenever he needed it. Of course, all of the Ashley Gang was there, Michelle, Norm and the couple Garfinkle (Al in abstentia of course already sawing logs). Again, I know there were many more that I’m overlooking and please pardon me for the omissions.

By a little after 1 a.m. I realized that I was exhausted and stumbled my way through the campground lights back to my traveling bedroom. I’ve been carrying my cell phone waiting for the stork to call, but nothing yet. Tomorrow I’m on the Old Town Stage. G’night.

Saturday, May 2

I woke up way too early, but I think I got enough sleep to survive anyway. I stumbled over to the artists’ hospitality area for some coffee and breakfast. All kinds of folks were wandering through and really don’t remember everyone I ended up chatting with while I was there. The hospitality for the artists at Gamble Rogers is always first rate and gracious, just like the festival’s namesake.

I spent a fair part of the morning in the camper restringing the guitar, making a set list, practicing, working on some new tunes, etc. And, of course, I kept checking to see if there was any baby alert – nothing. I went on back over to the hospitality area for some lunch, chatted a while with the Dean of Florida folk, Frank Thomas, and numerous others filtering through. I also ran into my old friend Bob Higgenbotham who plays the festival every year – we only live about 45 miles apart (he in Winter Haven), yet we see each other more often at Gamble than anywhere else these days. That’s a large part of the joy of these gatherings is connecting again with so many great folks.

I got to be part of a terrific line-up on the Old Town Stage. Magda Hiller had drawn a good crowd over and I got to enjoy her set. What a great, great performer she is! She had Jack Schwade with her which added another layer to the high luster of her show.

Charlie Robertson, who was to play after me, was doing a quick stand in as emcee and asked me what I wanted said as my introduction. “Aw Charlie,” I says, “just make some lie up that’ll make me sound good.” So, Charlie hops up on the stage and hollers “Please welcome one of the truly great Florida songwriters, Doug Spears.” Now, I ask you, since I told him to lie . . . hummmph! I gave ‘em 6 good ‘uns – This Old House, State of Dreams, On the Other Side, Marker 26, A Mothers’ Tears and Yellow Butter Moon. I also told them about the new CD (I love bragging about the stellar line-up I’ve got on there) and afterwards several folks grabbed me to buy the pre-sales sampler.

I stuck by to hear Charlie’s set – he is just one of those amazing songwriters who can see every little thing from every possible perspective and picks the one that should be obvious, but which you hadn’t considered to write about. It just knocks your socks off. He also is given to unpredictable commentary that makes you laugh until you hurt. You shouldn’t miss any chance to hear Charlie perform.

Next I hustled back to the camper, dropped the guitar, etc. there and headed over to the Big Top. Missy Raines (my bass player on 8 tracks on the new CD - brag, brag, brag) has rolled in with her exciting band, Missy Raines and The New Hip, for their two mainstage performances. Husband, Ben Surratt, was hustling about running their sound and I took a seat at the railing right behind him. I let him get everything settled during their first couple of tunes then leaned forward, tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a cold beer I just acquired from that busy vendor on my way in. It seemed one of the more welcome hellos he’d had! At his invitation I circled around at sat at the board with him for the show and thoroughly enjoyed Missy’s set.

What a GREAT band – I mean top to bottom superb surrounding Missy’s incomparable bass. Their album, Inside Out, just released on Compass Records, is terrific CD that I highly recommend to everyone. However, I have to admit that for me seeing Missy play is so wonderful I close me eyes when I listen to the CD so I can imagine her groovin’ around through the tunes. Just how much she loves what she does shouts out from every twist, turn and hop and the sounds she produces from that big stand up bass are not to be believed unless you hear her while seeing it with your own eyes. After they finished I went around backstage for a hug and a hello. Ben’s beer had already drawn jealous glances from the band and I feared that my failure to bring a whole tray might put me in jeopardy, but Missy fended them off for me.

By this time, with a beer or two in my gullet, I began to feel a bit peckish. Over at the hospitality hut I sat and chatted with Ben and Missy a bit about life in general and the progress of the CD project. Then the more serious hunger began setting in. They weren’t yet ready to lay out the supper spread yet so I wandered back over to the Big Top looking for Jason Thomas (my producer and fiddler for Gatorbone and Claire Lynch) who was to have arrived to warm up with Gatorbone for their 7 pm set and bring me some material from the CD. To my dismay I found that Jason was stuck in a major traffic back up on I-95 and would not be making it for the show – shoot!

So, I hooked up with Lis & Lon Williamson and Lolly Rogers for a little supper. Then I settled in for the excellent Saturday evening line-up. My absolute favorites, Gatorbone kicked it into gear at 7 pm. They were sans Jason Thomas (who ended up turning back in the face of hours of backup on I-95), but they still rocked! There is no finer singer than Lis Williamson, nor a better rhythm gypsy jazz guitar player. And, if you lined up 25 guitar players and had them perform the same licks I could pick Gabe Valla out blindfolded. The tone he creates is so clean and crystal clear that it can’t be confused with any other, truly one of a kind. Lis and Lon sent goosebumps through the crowd with their duo performance of Love Hurts – WOW! And, Kurt Johnson is a stellar addition to the group on pedal steel and keyboards. The rest of the night had a high bar set by Gatorbone!!

Willy Claflin came next with his recreation of Gamble’s signature music and stories. He ain’t Gamble, but he’s close! It was a fitting and well received presentation for this crowd.

Jesse Winchester alone on stage is a treat for any lover of the pure craft of songwriting. His songs have been recorded by everyone in the business and have been sung, hummed and enjoyed by every one of us, whether we knew it at the time or not. His easy going, homespun Memphis manner is deadly and the audience was charmed from the first note.

Next, my bass player (I love saying that!), Missy Raines and The New Hip laid another stellar set on the crowd to close the night. Call it “jazz-grass” or whatever you like – this group is HOT! Stop, Drop & Wiggle, Basket of Singing Birds and Inside Out seemed like crowd favorites. This is a group that makes you move. The musicianship and arrangements are stunning.

Back out in the campground the song circles and jams were in full swing. I started out right at my own camper with Ron & Bari Litschauer, Stan Geberer, Jeannie Fitchen (Ned lending moral support) and Clyde and Lorelli Walker (though Clyde elected to assume the position of listener and star gazer in the background). Ken Buchanan brought a couple of chairs over and sat to enjoy the show. John Alison soon joined us with his tasteful backing and beautiful OM and then Jack Williams ambled in to add his signature licks to the mix. Several others migrated in whose names I don’t know and for a while there it got to be a pretty sizeable jam. However, the Roadside Revue folks and the Walkers needed to head home to the Walker abode in St. Augustine and things broke up at the camper around 1:30 or so.

I had played enough, but felt like listening some more so I wandered the grounds with a little refreshment in hand. I sat at the Ashley Gang area for a bit and listened to David Russell, Michelle, Carly Bak and others swap tunes and licks. Over at the Mayhaws settlement a HUGE crowd had gathered. As I pushed into a spot where I could lean and watch Grant Peeples was holding court. Jack Williams was in there as well. Dale Crider and Rod MacDonald were in the mix and many, many more.

Starting to droop I began the wander back, stopped by Jerry Mincey’s fire and chatted a bit, then meandered on back to the bunk on wheels - 3:30 is late enough for me! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ . . . .

Sunday, May 3

As you might guess, I slept in a bit waking just in time for lunch . . . barely. I headed over for a burger and a hot dog at the hospitality area (and a LOT of coffee). I wasn’t to play until 3:40 on the Florida Stage, but I had plenty of cleaning up and departure preparations to take care of, so I got busy. As I cleaned and organized I ran into one and another friends and began the goodbyes. Sunday was a good bit warmer, more like the usual Gamble weather we’ve had for the past few years, but the breeze kept blowing which helped a bit.

Before I knew it 3:00 was upon me. I headed on over to hear Charlie Robertson who preceded me on the Florida Stage as I got ready for my set. I started off with Banks of the Old St. Johns, Heminway’s Hurricane and State of Dreams, then by prearrangement Ron & Bari Litschauer and Stan Geberer joined me and we rocked ‘em with Teppintine, Withlacoochee Dreamer, There’s Always a Middle and Steam Train. I love playing with those guys and they add so much to the performance. When we were finished Rod MacDonald closed the Florida Stage and another Gamble Rogers Festival was in the can.

I went and collected my CD $$ and product from the sales area and quickly loaded and hooked up to the rolling behemoth. Many more goodbyes were exchanged. However, with the afternoon heat I was glad to get into the airconditioned car and I was off for the run home. See you next year Mr. Rogers!

Notes from the Road – Barberville Spring Frolic 2009

If you’ve never been to the Pioneer Settlement for the Creative Arts in Barberville you really are missing one of the most interesting, quaint villages in Central Florida. The Settlement consists of many acres of land covered with historical buildings that have been moved to the grounds from the central Florida area. Native crafts (blacksmithing, woodworking, turpentine manufacturing, quilting, etc.) are demonstrated on the grounds periodically and twice a year the folk music community descends for a couple of days of terrific acoustic music. The stages are set up inside some of the buildings (the Church and the Barn are my favorites) and some are outdoors under canvas canopies. In all, 6 stages of music run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the Barn stage continuing on until 11 pm on Saturday night.

Friday, April 24

In the past I’ve not camped at the Spring Frolic as the weather tends to be hot and, in some years, very wet. It’s only about 1 hour and 20 minutes from Orlando, so it’s not a big deal to go back and forth. However, this year the weather is predicted to be very comfortable and I hate to miss the late night pickin’ in the camping area, so I’m hauling the camper on over. Judy has to stay home and care for her dad so I’m flying solo on this trip.

I got hooked up and underway by about 3:30. It’s a pretty easy drive, just east on I-4 to Lake Helen, into Deland, take the bypass around downtown and catch 17 north up through Deleon Springs to Barberville. The only interesting part of the drive is the last few miles on 17 – otherwise just regular old highway and town roads.

I’ve been having a problem with my car’s electrical system when I tow the trailer. For some reason hooking the trailer lights, etc. to the car puts a tremendous draw on the battery and it starts with difficulty after just a short time. I stopped in Deland to pick up some supplies and shut the car down – mistake. When I came back out and tried to crank back up all I got was that rapid clicking sound that lets you know you’ve got trouble. Lucky for me there was a guy parked next to me in a big F150 Ford pick-up chatting on his cell phone and, learning of my situation, agreed to assist with jumper cables. Vvvrrrooommm – On the road again . . .

I swung into the campground right at 5:30 and quickly located a somewhat shady spot right next to my friend Doug Purcell. In no time I was unhooked and set up (I let the car continue to idle for about 20 minutes after disconnecting the trailer to let the battery recover). Soon I was sipping a beer and chatting with all the musicians that had gathered early, enjoying the evening breeze and the cooling air.

Joe and Katie Waller are the pair responsible for this bi-annual event. The job of organizing a festival of this size is a herculean, thankless task and they do a magnificent job. Besides the setting in the historical pioneer settlement, another unique aspect of the program is that all stages are 100% acoustic – no sound amplification of any kind and all acoustic instruments. Some find that daunting, but I love it. The acoustics in buildings like the Church are fabulous and its so much fun to be able to perform free of microphones, speakers, wires and such. It really creates a connection with the audience that is “house concert like” though in a more formal setting. In addition, there are no Emcees – each stage has a large clock on a stand directly in front of the performer and you are expected to start and conclude your show on time. While you might think that would lead to time problems with no one in charge, the opposite is actually true – the musicians are fastidious in respecting the time schedule and everything runs . . . well . . . like clockwork. That was a Joe Waller innovation a couple of years back and was a master stroke!

I circulated and sipped a while and then decided to fix a little something to eat – a heaped turkey sandwich did me just fine. I brought some boiled peanuts and some ice cream for later if I get snacky. Time to hit the song circles.

I quickly settled in with James Hawkins, Leigh and Steve Humes, Mike Worral and Larry Mangum. We began swapping tunes, some truly great tunes. Larry’s got a new one which I’m guessing is called ‘These are the Times of Our Lives’ that’s gonna be a crowd favorite. I kept dreggin up old ones that I rarely play and have never been recorded. Mike Worral is also one heck of a writer who I’ve not had the chance to sit and appreciate before. It seemed like in no time at all the tequila had suffered mortal injury and, well, it just got late all of a sudden. Everyone started to sag around midnight and I settled back into the camper for a late night snack, a little reading and some serious zzzz’s. Tomorrow things get under way.

Saturday April 25th

With all the windows open (no electricity in this camping facility, just open ground and trees) I woke to the melodious sounds of Triad (Doug Purcell with Carl and Barbara Wade) as they rehearsed for their 10 a.m. set. Charley Groth was also there and soon he was running tunes with the various folks he had joining him for his shows. I made coffee on the gas stove (the old fashioned way) while I washed the night from my face. Then, armed with coffee, I ventured forth to check in at the musicians’ table and start thinking about my day. I’m starting off with a noon show in the Church, one of my favorite stages. I’m a little nervous about my voice – it still seemed a little weak last night, apparently still recovering from my Will McLean illness. I restrung my guitar over a second cup of coffee and then fixed myself a little breakfast (hard boiled eggs and fruit). Now with third cup of coffee in hand I began to consider my set list for the first show.

I tested the voice and it really seemed ok, though not full strength and I didn’t want to strain it. So I eased into Banks of the Old St. Johns, Teppintine, Hemingways Hurricane, Marker 26 and Steam Train. Everything seems fine, so I’m ready.

The Church, while one of my favorite stages, is sometimes not as well attended as others. Audiences can be really small – in past years often as few as 8 to 10. However, today folks are out and looking for music (and, hopefully, for me). I had around 30 or better for this first show, a great turn out. Lots of old friends, but many new faces as well. The voice really worked well (a few cracks and yodels, but nothing embarrassing) and the set went without a hitch. I added many new names to my mailing list and sold a couple of CD’s too. Terrific start.

After chatting outside the Church with a few folks I headed over to do my songwriting workshop with Larry Mangum. I never find one hour workshops to be very productive in terms of really imparting much information on the craft itself, but I was looking forward to this one because I enjoy Larry’s company. We had a small determined group in attendance, but as it came time to start, no Larry. Hmmmm . . . Oh well, we got started anyway and really had a nice one hour session – much more productive than the typical. The attendees were all business and knew what they wanted to ask and learn about. Quite a pleasure even without Sir Mango. Wonder what happened to him?

With that work done I was in need of nourishment. They have a hospitality area for the performers serving stew, cornbread, etc. and it fit the bill just fine. I sat and chatted with some old friends and as I was finishing up I happened to look over at a table under one of the Chickees and there was Larry Mangum! So, I went over, chastised him (to his great embarrassment) for ditching the workshop (which he totally forgot as he was sitting in with some other musicians on their set) and informed him that I would be taking his half of the workshop fee. What is half of zero anyway? Also sat and chatted a bit with Ron and Mary (soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Johnson) about their upcoming CD release and the status of mine.

Lots of time to kill now as my next set isn’t until 7 pm. I headed back to the camper to take care of some housekeeping issues, write a little of this stuff here and otherwise chill. My laptop battery had expired so I went over to the Settlement schoolhouse and sat in one of the old desks (a tight fit) and plugged into an outlet to recharge while I worked. An older fellow came over and talked to me for a bit. Turns out he is from Pierson and as an elementary school kid had gone to school in the very building in which we sat. In fact, he allowed as how he had gotten the only “F” in his life in that very classroom – it taught him not to argue with the teacher!! Interesting fellow and I enjoyed out chat.

Back in the camping area I sat over with Doug Purcell, Rick Kennedy and Denise Adams while I constructed my set list for my evening Barn set. The evening lineup in the Barn is quite special – everything else shuts down except for the dance stage and you always have a great crowd for the Barn on Saturday night. I always appreciate being included. I settled on a song list of On the Other Side, Withlacoochee Dreamer, State of Dreams, Welcome Home, This Old House and Yellow Butter Moon.

That accomplished I practiced a bit back at the camper. Raven Stands Alone stopped by for a while as did Bill & Eli Perras, Brian and Tia Smalley and a couple of others. Idle time passes so quickly and soon I grabbed my gear and headed over to the Barn.

I got there in time to hear a little of Hannah’s Whirl (my friends Tami and Paul from Tampa) and Garrison Doles (my great songwriter compatriot from Orlando). Then, show time! As expected I had nearly a full house (was full if you counted the lingerers outside the back doors where the breeze was cooling the evening down. In that room I felt like I needed to push the vocals more to be heard throughout the room (and beyond) and I found that while I’m recovered from my Willfest ills my voice is still a little weak from lack of use. So, I had some more noticeable cracks and yodels early, but again nothing terrible or embarrassing. I truly enjoyed the set and the crowd response was awesome. There were mailing list fans there that I hadn’t seen in quite some time and lots of new faces as well. So much fun.

James Hawkins and Cold Harbor came next with their usual terrific set, then The Ashley Gang, another of my favorites (Al Scortino is, in my opinion, one of the best songwriters I know) and then the ever popular and superb M.T. Pawkets. What a great line up and a real treat to hear. Joe & Katie Waller with Jackson Creek finished out the night, but I confess that I had not yet eaten and I was feeling the considerable gravitational pull of that tequila. So, I ducked out and repaired to the campground for nourishment and refreshment.

Of course, others were already there and the song circles and jams were in full swing. So after my bite to eat I headed back over to the Cold Harbor campsite where my badly wounded tequila bottle had been left to languish. Larry Mangum, Mike Worral, Mike McKee, Raven Stands Alone and a couple others were in full song swap. I just listened for a bit, but then drug out the guitar. We were soon joined by James Hawkins, Leigh and Steve Humes (whose chairs, etc. we were already using in their absence), Ron & Mary Johnson, Jonathon and Sherry Hodge, Charlie Groth (and I’m sure I’m leaving someone out). Great, great, great song swap with some great players who could back any song that came up – quite a treat. I had a fair amount of help with the libations - the tequila finally succumbed to the beating it had sustained and lay dead on the field of battle. By midnight I was no longer able to concentrate enough to finish a song so off to bed I went, though I could hear others continuing on for hours after that. Nice cool evening with a refreshing breeze coming through the windows – holler if I snore!

Sunday September 26

Surprisingly, it got pretty cool last night and at one point I woke reaching for the blanket. I really slept well and didn’t roll out until around 8 a.m. I made coffee and worked a little on this epic chronicle for a while before venturing out. I visited hither and yon with these and those, circling back for more coffee when appropriate. Everyone is really enjoying the weekend of magnificent weather, great music and good friends. But, you already sense the restlessness that comes with knowing today it all ends and soon it’ll be time to pack up and head out.

My sole set on Sunday wasn’t until 2:30 back in the Barn, so I had plenty of time to futz around with things. I got my set list together – today I thought I’d do Annie’s Chairs, The One Not There, Break Some Stones, Okeechobee and, the only repeater for the weekend, Hemingway’s Hurricane. After establishing what I would play I cleaned up (as best I could with no running water, etc. – shower is first priority today when I get home) and then headed over to the Settlement buildings to recharge my computer battery and get some lunch from the hospitality area. I sat down to lunch and solved many of the world’s problems with Chuck and Varney Hardwicke and Joe Waller.

The only feature of the Pioneer Settlement that I am not fond of is the large aviary full of peacocks near the Barn and Sugar Cane stages and right across from where we were eating lunch. Peacocks, though beautiful, are noisy, irritating birds. This is even more so in the spring when they are full time engaged in activities of the amorous nature. The males are strutting, fanning and preening while the girls look just about as bored and put off as when us males try to show off by proving who can drink the most beer. They kept screeching and calling to the point that I was having murderous fantasies involving a guitar string garrote, colorful feathers and a BBQ.

Having finished lunch and settled most all of the pressing problems of mankind I headed back to get my gear for my show. I did not really expect to have much of a crowd for this show since I had stiff competition on other stages and the Sunday crowd tends to be lighter in any event. I got to the Barn in time to hear Triad (Doug Purcell, Carl Wade, Barbara Shaeffer and Rick Kennedy) do a very nice set including Will McLean’s Hold Back the Waters. Bill & Eli Perras, Bluesgotus, followed with a great set of their originals accompanied by Bill’s exceptional guitar licks, Chuck Spano’s tasteful percussion and Eli’s heartfelt and expressive vocals. Wonderful stuff.

To my surprise and pleasure I had a very nice crowd for a Sunday afternoon and the song selections fit right in with the mood. Having learned my lesson last night I took it easier and did not push the vocals so hard – all went well. Such a pleasure to play for lovers of the music there to listen and let you into their hearts.

Well, time to load up. Everyone was breaking down by the time I got back to the campground. My first order of business was to go fill up with gas so there’d be no stopping once I hooked up to the behemoth and started home. Alas, the strain of getting to Barberville Friday with the mysterious power drain on my battery had proved too much and the car just wouldn’t start. Fortunately Carl Wade had jumper cables reasonably handy and we used Doug Purcell’s car to get me cranked. I went on to the gas station and violated one of the usual rules – I left the car running while I pumped the gas. If I hadn’t it likely would not have restarted. No incident however and soon I was back at the campground putting things away and hooking up to get under way. Goodbyes were shared all around. Many of us will be at Gamble Rogers next weekend, but some I won’t see until the Florida Folk Festival towards the end of May. That’s as it is for this family of musicians and none of us would have it any other way.

Still no Granddaughter – ARRRGGGG!!! Next weekend, Gamble Rogers near St. Augustine at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds. Hope to see you there!

Notes from the Road – Will McLean Festival 2009



The kick off for the festival year here in the State of Dreams is the annual Will McLean Festival held near Dunnellon, FL the first weekend in April. It has been my privilege to perform at the festival for many years now and it is one of my true favorites. Conceived by Margaret Longhill to honor the memory and music of Will McLean, the festival features Florida’s best musicians and songwriters in a three day celebration of our roots, history and heritage. Including an award to honor the best new song written about Florida, which goes this year to my good friend Garrison Doles (I was thrilled to win the award back in 1997), the festival is a gathering of good friends, fans of the music and lovers of the State in an idyllic setting overlooking the beautiful Withlacoochee River. This year is its twentieth anniversary and, as always, the line up is truly stellar.



Thursday, April 2, 2009



Now, the festival doesn’t actually start until Friday and its less than two hours from home, but I’m anxious to get on site, get the camper set up, start chillin’ with good friends and start pickin’ some tunes. So, we got things organized at home, got the camper loaded and headed out by late afternoon. We were halfway there when I realized we had left my performer’s packet with my tickets, etc. at the house – figures. Well, hopefully someone will know me at the gate and I won’t have to pay to get in!



The wind was annoying all the way to Dunnellon – gusting and blowing the camper around on the road like a big metal sail hooked to my bumper. Passing semis and buses was exciting to say the least. But, we managed to get there without sideswiping anything. The Roadside Revue gang (Ron & Bari Litschauer, Dawn DeWitt and husband Charles, Stan Geberer and companion Cathy) had saved us space in their enclave along with Clyde and Lorelli Walker – great group of folks. We were soon settled and immediately into the social activities. Ron quickly provided me with a plastic cup with a good three finger measure of amber liquid. Hello’s, hugs, laughter and friendship all around.



There is traditionally a potluck on Thursday night for the early arrivals, but we didn’t come prepared for that so we repaired to the camper for a meal of leftovers from home. Then the guitars began to pop out. We had a great circle from dusk on with Ron. Bari, Dawn, Stan, Clyde and me and we were soon joined by Keith Hope and Mindy Simmons. I had a warranty issue with the cup Ron had provided me – the silly thing would not retain the liquid that had been poured there. Seemed like every time I turned around the darned thing had let the precious amber leach away into the night, so I had to keep rooting around in Ron’s camper to refill it!! Quite mysterious.



Suddenly, right around 11 p.m. a few ominous drops of rain fell and we all scrambled for guitar cases and cover. Time to turn in anyway. What a great beginning.



Friday, April 3, 2009



I don’t perform until Saturday, so Friday is a free day to relax. I had to run some errands in the morning, but got back in time to catch Clyde Walker on the Crypress stage accompanied by Ron Litschauer and Stan Geberer – great set. They were followed by the wonderful harmonies of Hannah’s Whirl (Tami & Paul, my friends from Tampa).



I’m starting to feel a little tickle in my throat, but I think its dust and irritation from stopping by my folks’ house (mom’s a smoker). So, I think I’ll head back to the trailer, practice a bit and perhaps sip a little of the old home remedy to clear the vocal chords. I plinked and plunked, thought about a song list for Saturday, chatted with the passers by and generally soaked up the beauty of the campground here on the banks of the Withlacoochee. No rain in the forecast until maybe Sunday, so that seems promising.



Judy came back and went down for a nap so I went for a walk about. I checked in my CD’s at the FOFF booth, bought Judy a Willfest T-shirt and checked out the vendors a bit. I’m still feeling that tickle in the throat and its starting to worry me. Back at the Roadside Revue enclave I chatted with the various inhabitants and relaxing in the afternoon breeze. It was soon supper time and we were feasted on burritos with the best chipotle sauce I’ve had in some time.



Roadside Revue was scheduled on the main stage at 7:30 so I made Judy and I some coffee, took our chairs and headed that way. These guys, besides being dear friends, have always been some of my favorite performers on stage. Not only is the music great, but the chemistry they have together is simply awesome. I’m never sure who is having more fun – those of us listening or them on stage. Clyde Walker added his fingerstyle wizardry to a tune or two and the half hour passed much too quickly.



However, during their rendition of Steve Blackwell’s “Gravel Road” I realized, unmistakably, that disaster has struck – I have a cold and it’s starting in my chest! I was singing along and noted to my great dismay that the high notes simply weren’t there – DAMN!! While I had planned to stay for the night’s line up on the Magnolia Stage and then play around the camp fires to the wee hours I took the safer course and headed to the trailer to begin consuming cold remedies and get some rest – we’ll see what happens. I HATE colds!!



Consequently, I missed the rest of the evening main stage line up. The word I got was that the Mayhaws, in particular, were exceptional. I emerged from the camper again at about 10 p.m. to let folks know that I wouldn’t be out and about that evening. Everyone leaped to my aid, of course, insuring I had whatever I needed to fight off this dastardly cold. One of the vendors was close by (I hope I’m remembering his name right, Tom Brown) whose specialty is a wide variety of hot sauces, pepper jams and pepper glazes – really good stuff. He made sure I was equipped with the right pepper stuffs to keep my sinuses clear (not yet the problem) and provided me with honey and limes to go back to the camper and make a good old fashioned hot toddy (I had the whiskey, of course). I said my good nights and hot toddying I went, fingers and toes crossed for a good result.



Saturday, April 4, 2009


Not a good start – I am VERY deep of voice this morning and my first attempts to make musical sounds come from my vocal chords sounds more like a really bad attempt at producing sound from an out of tune fiddle. I load up on more zinc, Echinacea, green tea extract, vitamin C, B-12, Mucsinex, Zicam, Advil, eye of bat, toe of newt (yeah, I’m at the desperate point for sure). I mixed another hot toddy (who cares if its 10 a.m.) to supplement my coffee and the heat does soothe my throat loosening it just a little. Judy headed on out to catch some of our favorites on stage leaving me to wrestle the vox gremlins.



I restrung my guitar while imbibing the warm liquids and made my first attempts. It was immediately obvious that singing in my usual key was out of the question so I began a chordal Easter egg hunt looking for a key that my limited range would allow on certain songs. Assuming I’m able a accomplish this it complicates the performance because I will need to be mentally converting chords and changes to different keys than what I’m used to playing without really even thinking about it. A large task for a pea brain such as I. I knew certain songs were out due to the range they require regardless of where you start. I wanted to have Ron & Bari Litschauer and Dawn (d’Otter) DeWitt join me on Teppintine, Steam Train and Hemingway’s Hurricane so I worked those out first – very deep, Barry White sounding versions I might add. Then I attacked a couple of other tunes that I could open with before they joined me on stage.



Armed with a battle plan, I went over and ran the tunes a time or two with the gang in the new keys. It seemed to go reasonable well. However, I did notice that as I was singing in that low range my voice appeared to be loosening a little. They went off to attend to other tasks and I went back to the camper and continued working the tunes. My voice was getting a bit more high range! However, it was also losing low range. Uh oh – time to change keys again!! Back to the drawing board. I readjusted, staying with the same somgs and about 1 p.m. I went over and shared the news with the guys that we were changing keys. They are professionals, but not above complaining! So we ran another little session in the new keys.



Now, I didn’t go on the main stage until 4 p.m., but I had agreed to MC the stage from 2 – 3:30. I did my shtick making announcements and pattering while the stage reset between performers and then intro’d the acts as they came on. All the while I’m noticing changes in my voice – not getting normal, but changing in pitch and range. Oh boy!



About 10 minutes before we hit the stage I broke the news to my compadres that, yet again, there would be changes in key. With doubtful and somewhat trepidatious looks they focused on my directions, said silent prayers and off I went to open my set. As we set up my sound my friend Raven Stands Alone recited a powerful poem, I Am Florida, which made a great introduction to the songs I had chosen. The moment of truth. With a little warning to the crowd that I may sound like a frog caught in car door at times I launched into Withlacoochee Dreamer – a few little vocal “yodels” but not too bad. I followed that with Yellow Butter Moon – again, no real catastrophe. At that point I hauled they guys out on stage. The energy you get playing with a band tends to transcend your preconceived notions of limitation and I started to push the old voice and give in to the music. What a fun set! We worked those three tunes for all they were worth and I let the voice growl through those points where I might have otherwise babied it – caution to the wind. Stan Geberer even jumped in on the closing number, Steam Train, and added that magnificent harmonica punch he carries. Judging from the crowd response it was a huge success and my thanks to the guys & gals for backing me so gamely and professionally – what a thrill!



However, I knew with the closing notes of Steam Train that my vocal chords had just taken a serious beating and if I had to sing one more line I wouldn’t have made it. I let it all out there on the stage on that one and clearly put my set on Sunday in serious doubt. Again we’ll have to wait and see.



Roadside Revue followed me on the Magnolia stage (which was very convenient since they were already set up to assist me) and put on yet another bang up show. As part of this set they introduced a new Dawn DeWitt song, Withlacoochee Way, that she literally wrote on Thursday – quite brave to test drive it on stage so soon. It’s a great song and I predict will be a hot contender for the Will McLean award next year.



Mission accomplished for the time being, we repaired to the Roadside Revue enclave for some vittles. Sweet and sour chicken, roast pork, rice, black beans (with some of that great hot sauce from our friendly next door vendor), salad, brownies – we eat better camping that most folks eat when they have friends over for supper! Of course, libations began to be consumed. Ron & Bari remained more conservative as they had additional duties later backing Frank Thomas in his set and Amy Carol Webb in her Will McLean tribute set. Sated with food and drink we trundled back to the main stage to catch Frank Thomas (the grand master), Grant Livingston and others leading up to Amy Carol’s slot. I confess that I missed much of the music as I kept getting pulled aside by this one and that to chat and catch up. And, I kept slipping back to the coffee concession to keep some warm on my throat. However, I knew that I was not going to recover and did not want to bail at the last minute leaving the stage slot tomorrow morning up in the air. So, I went ahead and gave the news to Margaret that I was bowing out of my Sunday performance. Jackson Creek (Joe & Katie Waller) will fill in ably. I’m disappointed, but at the same time glad to have performed well on the main stage today and not have the pressure of waiting out my vocal condition over night.



Amy Carol Webb’s set was awesome, as always. She has a well perfected stage persona that energizes the crowd like few I’ve seen. In keeping with the “tribute” these of the performance she was variously assisted by Jeanne Fitchen, Mindy Simmons, Ron & Bari, Annie Wenz, Grant Livingston and others throughout the show. A magnificent set followed by another one from Rod MacDonald, one of the few with the chops to hold a crowd after Amy gets done with them.



Obviously, campfire singing and playing is not in the cards for me tonight, so I settled into the role of appreciative listener. Judy opted for crashing early, so I left her behind with her book and bed and wandered to this fire and that hearing new tunes and saying hello. I got to hear a new song from Doug Purcell that really is going to do well. I saw my pals Mike & Goody Haines. Wandering down towards the river I passed the Cypress Stage which, after hours, becomes a well lit song circle with Tom Ellis at the helm and I could see Glenn Smith in the group as I sauntered by. I was looking for the Blackwell / Still Friends compound and on the way ran into my buddy Ally Smith who was hanging at a campfire of mostly the sound crew entertaining them with her wonderful voice. And then I found the Still Friends crowd. Lots of good friends and folks I hadn’t seen in some time. I heard, unfortunately, that Carrie Blackwell was similarly afflicted as me and had retired early. But the rest of the crowd was there and kickin’ it proud.



But, finally, the cold and aching throat dragged me away and to the camper. I dosed up yet again and set to the task of dreaming next to my bride.



Sunday, April 5, 2009



Good call on giving up my slot – I’m sick as a dog. I couldn’t sing if my soul depended on it. I’m afraid that the Singer’s Saving Grace I was squirting in my throat yesterday simply numbed it up (it’s largely alcohol) and deadened the pain letting me sing when I really shouldn’t. That’s the thing about pain – it has a purpose and when you mask it artificially you expose yourself to greater injury. In any event, my throat feels tight and swollen and my chest is turning into a brick.



So, we’ll probably just go ahead, pack up a little early and head on home. It has been a wonderful festival though. Terrific weather, warm but not uncomfortably hot during the day and cool at night. The rain has stayed away this year (it poured on us Saturday night last year). It has been an ideal 20th anniversary of this great festival and I’m already looking forward to the next one. As always, the entire staff has done a magnificent job under the direction of Margaret Longhill with the assistance of her sister Chris Lyle and a cadre of others. A production of this size is no small endeavor and they pull it off without a hitch.



We went ahead and got things organized to depart, then headed over to the main stage to catch Still Friends, Larry Magnum and Mike Jurgensen before hitting the road. It turns out I’m not the only one ailing – Carrie Blackwell – Hussey also lost her voice as did Clyde Walker. So, the crud is going around, watch out! After great sets from Still Friends, Larry Magnum and Mike Jurgensen we finished our preparations, said our goodbyes and hit the road.



Judy and I celebrate 25 years of marriage this month (April 21st) – it has been 25 wonderful, happy years for me (though only about 4 for her!). We will take a week to get away to the Caribbean to relax and reflect. Next stop musically is the Barberville Spring Frolic – hope to see you there!

Notes from the Road – Cracker House Concert @ Tisa & Raven’s

I headed to Jacksonville Friday, March 13th, for a house concert hosted by Tisa Noble and her beau, Raven Stands Alone. If you’ve frequented the Florida festival circuit you’ve often seen Raven, sometimes in Native American garb, ably backing various performers on the flute. About a year ago, shortly after the Will McLean festival he managed to capture the lovely Tisa’s heart and she soon moved to Jacksonville to be with him. The have a lovely house in a quaint neighborhood a little Southwest of downtown Jacksonville.

I’m spending the weekend with Lis and Lon Williamson at their Gatorbone encampment near Keystone heights, so I went there first to drop off my camper, say hello and settle in, then headed on to Jacksonville up Highway 21 early enough to beat most of the rush hour traffic. Most – I caught a particularly clogged part right where 21 hits I-295 and that took about 15 minutes to creep through. Other than that, smooth sailing.

I had not been to Tisa & Raven’s before and this is a new house concert series, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was in for a real treat. Though the house is quite small, they have a large covered wood desk on the back which adjoins the long, double wide driveway along the side of the house. It was immediately obvious that this is where they spend all of their time. There’s counter space, Raven’s prized stainless steel grill, a refrigerator that stays fully stocked, couches, chairs, tables, plants – the works. Very homey and inviting. In fact, Raven allowed as how their friends sometimes drop by the house, find them not at home and hang out on the deck anyway – it’s that kind of place. The perfect place for some food, friends and acoustic music.

We had reservations for about 40 and given the arrangement of the deck, etc. I didn’t need to set any sound amplification. Totally acoustic, just the way I like it! Folks started filtering in around 7 p.m. for a little pot luck, treats from Raven’s grill, etc. We soon had a full house and at around 8:20 Raven commanded silence to start the music.

What a GREAT crowd! Listeners, as you always want at a house concert, and enthusiastic. There was an old friend I had not seen in over 10 years, Wilbur Wood, who brought a party of 4 all the way up from the Gainesville area. Ron Johnson was also in attendance and brought a buddy along. There were a few others I recognized from the festivals or the Jacksonville area, but for the most part the rest of the gathering were folks new to me – also something I love!

I played for a little over an hour and included, as one always should, a couple of requests by the hostess, Tisa – Mournful Eyes and Colors, her favorites. I also had a request from my old pal Wilbur for one of my more obscure tunes – an off beat little humorous number titled Port-O-Let which recounts the meeting of one’s true love in the most unlikely of places. I closed up the program with Steam Train and yielded the stage to a fervent jam session lead by Ron Johnson – Rock On!! There was a young 13 year old there playing fiddle that I was particularly impressed with – I’ve got her name written down somewhere, but Raven will pipe in here and fill it in. She’ll be one we’ll be seeing on the festival stages soon.

What a terrific night. Thanks so much to Raven & Tisa for inviting me in and I’m looking forward to staying in touch with all the new friends I made. Watch for the next show in the Cracker House Concert series – it’s going to be a great series that will grow stronger and stronger!

Notes from the Road – Folk Alliance 2009 Day 4 [2/21] and Leaving Memphis

Last day – unlike festivals where you are really all about playing music, enjoying the camaraderie of the other artists and soaking up the atmosphere, as a performer here you are all about making an impression, putting your best foot forward, getting the right people to see you perform, making contacts and strategizing. In other words, though you do get some (emphasis on the lesser quantity implied by the word) chance to visit with artists and friends from across the country / world, this is WORK and you have to approach it as such. Those artists that attend something like this and stay in their comfort zone, i.e., just hanging out with people / artists they know, sitting in their room when not performing and waiting to be found as opposed to making sure they get found, get little or, more likely, no benefit from attending. As a consequence, if you are really working at it, by the last day you are major league EXHAUSTED – and, I AM!

I was up and at it by the crack of 11 a.m. – hey, I’m old, give me a break!! Much like yesterday I started with CAFFEINE then moved to E-MAIL then focused on personal hygiene. I’m a folkie, but I’m not an animal – a shower a day is not too much to ask. I had a protein bar (yum . . . NOT) and got my stuff together for the Exhibit Hall. I needed to go out and get another batch of bottled water so I wanted to hit the set up period for the Hall, then take the trolley up to the local grocery.

An aside, just to satisfy my desire to serve the consuming public. The Marriott Convention Center here is perfectly situated and designed to host this event and, I’m sure, will remain the venue of choice for this conference for years to come. Furthermore, what I’m about to say is NOT a criticism of the Folk Alliance Board’s choice of the venue (or the FA Staff’s). However, Marriott, as a business enterprise, is, in my humble opinion, vastly over rated and charges far too much for what they provide? I say this not based just on the experience here in Memphis, but everywhere I’ve stayed in a Marriott around the country. As far as this week, here’s the deal. The rooms are ‘discounted” for the event to about $140 per night, which all things considered is not too bad of a rate. BUT (and it’s a big BUTT) everything is designed to suck more dollars out of your wallet. For instance, at Marriotts you are not allowed to use a lobby luggage cart to bring in your bags. To use a cart you must be assisted by a bellman who, of course, expects a tip for his efforts that you didn’t need or want in the first place. They tell you it is for “insurance reasons”, but it’s odd to me that Comfort Inn, etc. have no such insurance issues and provide as nice or nicer rooms at half the price. Where other hotel groups provide free wireless internet, the Marriott charges $12.95 a day. Where far less expensive hotels have parking available at no charge, Marriott charges $12.00 per day to park (not valet – park it yourself). And forget about food and beverage in the hotel – a bottle of water is $3.00 (which is why I go buy a case of water for $4.99 up the street). By the time its all said and done with taxes, fees, etc. the actual cost per night is more like $200. Consumers have the ultimate power in a capitalist economy – I suggest we start using it wisely in these troubled economic times. For my part, Marriott will not get any business from me except in those circumstances like this where I simply have no choice.

Enough carping. My errands accomplished the Exhibit Hall opened. Though less crowded on the final day and less intense it was still a very productive day. Lots of opportunities to get in front of folks I had not yet talked to, hand them a Sampler CD, etc. Needless to say I will not be hauling home any Chexmix or tangerines – every single scrap scarfed! And by the time 6 p.m. rolled around I was most definitely ready to be down with the booth. Three days is quite plenty thanks so much!! I packed it up quickly and efficiently taking the gear directly to the car [no need to haul it twice] and headed back up to the room to get my feet up for a few minutes.

At around 7:30, David Russell and I caught the trolley up to Union and then wandered down to 2nd to get dinner at the Flying Fish. Outstanding! Ice cold oysters on the half shell, catfish, shrimp, red beans and rice – oh boy. And all washed down with a cold beer. Heaven.

Then back to the hotel to work up a couple more songs for the night’s last showcase. David is backing me again and giving me a bigger sound to help draw folks on in. Tonight I’m in Bill & Kate Isles’ room and, as before, had the folks I wanted to see show up to hear a quick set. David and I went a little more laid back for this set, in keeping with everyone’s energy levels and the winding down vibe. We pulled out some of my older tunes, This Old House and Annie’s Chairs, plus my Memphis inspired Sinner’s Song and finished up on the up tempo of Yellow Butter Moon. Gloria Holloway was in the room for this set (thanks Gloria!) and a couple of new contacts from the Texas and TN areas. Fun set – and now it’s MILLER TIME.

Though I was dog tired I deposited my guitar back in my room, got a drink and wandered the performance halls to catch a last minute showcase or two, say some goodbyes, etc. The end of these four days of madness is always bittersweet. You are SO glad to be done, yet disappointed that the energy high is over.

Wrapping Up and Loading Out

I was able to drag myself out of bed by about 10 a.m., probably about 6 hours of sleep, and start gathering my stuff that was strewn about the room. When you come to one of these conferences the most important item to retain is the conference program which contains in it the full address, email, etc. of every attendee, who the showcase presenters were, etc. It is a gold mine of information for the future. Once I made sure I had that in the bag, everything else was easy.

I made a couple of trips to the car to get all my stuff there. Bellmen were running about like ants trying to make the most of the torrent of departing attendees. Even if I had wanted one I couldn’t have gotten one. Beautiful weather out for the drive home – cold, in the 30’s to low 40’s, but clear and sunny. Very Nice. I was out of the hotel by a little after noon and headed over to Westy’s for one more bowl of Gumbo then homeward bound. See you next year Memphis.

There are a couple of folks who always deserve high praise and much thanks for this event – Folk Alliance Director Louis Meyers and Staffer Cindy Cogbill. There are other staffers as well, but I don’t have as much contact with them and don’t know them by name – thanks to them too. The FA Staff works absolutely, positively non-stop for the entire conference. ANYTHING that someone needs no matter the time day or night is attended to quickly and graciously. Cindy, in particular, has always been a “make it happen” person for me and I can’t say enough about the job she does, always with a smile as big as Tennessee pushing at her cheeks. Louis and Cindy, my sincerest thanks!

So, its back to Florida I head with lots to do (the follow up is, of course, the truly critical work so that all done so far isn’t for naught) and much learned. See you soon.

Notes from the Road – Folk Alliance 2009 Day 3 [2/20]

Well, after being up until 4 a.m. I THANKFULLY slept in until after 11 a.m. I grabbed a little lunch and picked up my second shipment from DiscMakers (the CD jackets) at the front desk. The sampler really looks nice – thanks go to Beth Thomas for the great design. If you need graphic design work I highly recommend her so feel free to ask for her contact information. I burned discs and put track labels on the jackets while I restrung my guitar. Then, I went down and attended a couple of the panel discussions (music biz stuff), but before too long, it was time to hit the Exhibit Hall again.

Another VERY busy, high traffic day in the hall. I made some extremely good contacts with house concert presenters, venue owners and promoters. My chexmix is, as always, a huge hit and, with my picture and showcase schedule on the label, really gets my name around. The tangerines have also been a very nice addition. Amazingly, I will be out of both before too long on Saturday. I had over 180 bags of chexmix and a bushel of tangerines. The chexmix is essentially gone – I’ve got less than a dozen bags left – and I’m down to one table basket of tangerines. Unbelievable! The Hall is a vital element of the marketing I do here, but it’s a grueling three hours each day. By 5:30 all you want to do is push the hands on the clock on up to 6 and get out of there!

I wandered over to a popular local eatery (the name of which I’m too brain dead to remember, which is embarrassing because I eat there every year) and had, what I think, is the best Gumbo outside of Baton Rouge. I sat with Clint Bear and his wife, custom guitar makers from Indiana, and had a wonderful meal with excellent company. A couple of draft beers didn’t hurt things either. But, too short as I needed to get back to the hotel and start preparing for the night’s showcases.

I had two showcases Friday night, both “important” in the sense that they were the ones best situated in terms of time and location and I knew I would have pretty good attendance for both. David Russell and I got together at about 9 pm and spent an hour or so working up the 5 or 6 songs I would be presenting. With David backing me I made sure to keep the mix fairly high energy to make the best use of his guitar chops. We ran Teppintine, Steam Train, Yellow Butter Moon, Hemingway’s Hurricane, On the Other Side and This Old House and got good solid arrangements set for those. We also touched on a couple of others, just in case the situation called for something a little different.

The first showcase was in the suite of Soona Songs, an independent record label based in Austin. We had a nice group of listeners when we started, but as David and I really cranked up the energy we soon pulled a very nice crowd in from the hallway. With all due modesty we WOWED ‘em! Great set. Then we pushed our way through the crowded halls up to the “epicenter” of the private showcase network – Ronda Barton’s collection of three showcase rooms that are probably the most coveted slots at the conference. We were in the SOS Annex and, as we had an hour earlier, gathered a crowd with a high energy set. It was a lot of fun having David on board to back me – in fact he’s going to do it again Saturday night in my final showcase. Excellent results for the entire day.

Man, am I beat! I want some quiet, a little brown liquor and some serious shuteye. It’s a little earlier than yesterday – I’m going to be horizontal and out by 3 a.m.! Tomorrow is another day, the last full day, so a little rest is essential. See you tomorrow.

Notes from the Road – Folk Alliance Day 2 [2/19]

Thursday – Today I have my first showcases, the first full afternoon of activity in the Exhibit Hall, the Folk DJ reception and more. Wish I had slept better. I woke up at 7 a.m. (that’s only 5 hours of sleep for those who didn’t read yesterday’s entry) worrying about my shipment of CDs from Discmakers. Since I was awake, I went ahead and labeled 20 CD sleeves that I planned to put the discs in when they arrived. I also practiced some, thought about set lists and looked at the showcase schedules. At 10 I could wait no more and I went down to the front desk to check on the delivery – thank goodness it was there!

Disks in hand I went back t the room to burn the CDs. It went smoothly, but it was time consuming burning the discs one at a time. I practiced some more while I fed the CD drive on the computer and stuffed the discs into their sleeves. I did 30 so I would have some for the DJ reception and for the booth in the afternoon. They will go quickly to DJs and presenters so I’ll have to burn more tonight – sure wish they were in the nice jackets I ordered with them.

There was a snafu in my scheduling – I ended up having a showcase during the first part of the DJ reception. With all that was going on, attendance at this first showcase (Concerts in Your Home) was light. But, it got me rolling and that’s the main thing for an afternoon showcase. Afterwards I hustled over to the DJ reception and mingled with the considerable crowd handing out Samplers and talking about the upcoming release of Welcome Home. I got genuinely excited response to the description of the project and those involved – surprisingly, some already had heard “the buzz” from various sources prior to the conference! That’s ALWAYS good news.

On to the Exhibit Hall – what a mad house!! It was wall to wall folks from 3 to 6. I had figured on getting some time to chat with Kelly & Danna (Still on the Hill) during the day, but even though we kept rubbing butts (talking back to back to booth visitors in close quarters will do that to you) we barely got to exchange more than a smile. When 6 came I was EXHAUSTED and ready to get a little down time before the evenings showcases.

Back at the room I checked my email, practiced a little, made some “to do” notes, burned some CDs, ate a vastly overpriced room service salad and coffeed up for the long evening to come. I had reconnected with an old acquaintance during the day, David Russell. David grew up in the Orlando area and I knew him 20 years ago through a service club we belonged to. He was a contemporary and guitarist with Gamble Rogers, Paul Champion, Jim Bellew and many others and moved to North Carolina many years ago, dropping out of the music scene. Now he’s getting active again and we chatted for a while in the Exhibit Hall catching up. I may get him to back me on my showcases on Friday – we’ll get together after my last showcase tonight, pick a little and see if we fit well.

My first showcase of the evening was a writers round with Ben Bedford and Bill & Kate Isles – great fun. I always like the give and take of that format and this was a great group for it. Then, on to my next showcase, a full solo set in the Kari Estrin Suite. This was a later show, 1:30, but we still had good traffic in the hallways. I had the son of some friends in Florida come to that one and it was fun getting to play for the “next generation” of the home folks. By 2 a.m. I was deadly tired, but still “jazzed” from performing. David Russell and I retired back to my room for a little bit ‘o the Irish and some tunes. David is one hell of a guitarist and has not lost his chops at all. We picked for over an hour and then exhaustion set in. David’s going to join me tomorrow night and we’ll get together to run the tunes a few times early in the evening beforehand.

Well, 4 a.m. is late enough for this old folkie – G’night!

Notes from the Road – Folk Alliance Day 1 [2/18]

And so it begins. The crowds have gathered, the elevators have slowed to a crawl and the folkies have seized control of the Memphis Marriott. I rolled out at a reasonable time and set to getting prepared for the marathon of the next few days. First I checked and found that I STILL had no reply from DiscMakers about my Sampler – Stressed Out!! I sent an email to my main account manager who, though he has nothing to do with the “short run” department, has always been able to make things happen for me in the past. Unlike his cohorts in the department working on my project he got right back to me and promised to get to the bottom of the problem. So, I’ll have no samplers to hand out today for the opening of the Exhibit Hall – Damn!

I practiced for part of the morning which helped my mood some then went down and checked in when the official registration opened. You get a big package of material, the most important part of which is the program with all of the schedules the roster of attendees, etc. You get a lot of sampler CDs from the record companies (and some independent artists), flyers from local restaurants hoping to cash in on the crowd and various other goodies of varying interest, value and use. I sifted through the pile, kind of like sorting your mail to get rid of the junk, and was soon down to a manageable collection of worthwhile material.

At 1 p.m. I went on down to load in at the Exhibit Hall. I’ve got a great booth location with a great booth mate – Kelly and Donna of Still on the Hill. We’ve got a corner location on the main isle as folks filter in among some of the highest traffic exhibitors like Martin Guitars, The Roots Agency (who represent my friends The Claire Lynch Band, etc.), etc. Kelly and Donna were MIA for this part, so I arranged our tables and set mine up. Looks pretty good – I’ll have to post some pictures. I put out my chex mix and tangerines and immediately began to draw visits from the other exhibitors – glad I brought a lot. The electronics gremlins struck again. Even though I had tested all three CD players before I left Orlando, only two worked, so I’ll have to schlep up to Walgreens for another one just like last year.

I’m running into all kinds of folks now – friends from all over the country, musicians, DJs, presenters alike. It’s a little dose of old home week before the major “selling” to new folks starts. After setting up I slipped out to get that CD player and grab a late lunch – Napoleon’s on Main Street. Wonderful soul food – rib tips, collard greens, okra and pan fried corn bread. Not exactly heart healthy, but what the hell.

I went back up to the room to check on DiscMakers and my Samplers. As usual, Matt Warnicki, my main account manager, got some results. Turns out part of their equipment broke down and the jackets for the CD blanks weren’t ready. However, he’d “put the spurs to it” and the jackets will get here Friday morning. In the meantime, the discs themselves are ready and were being shipped out separately so I could start burning the music onto them and just use CD envelopes for Thursday’s events. Not the best situation, but something at least thanks to Matt.

At 5 p.m. the Exhibit Hall opened and the onslaught began. One of the first faces through the door was my Tampa Florida buddy, Gloria Holloway. Hugs are one of the BIG perks of being a folkie!! I circulated through the crowd saying hello while keeping an eye on my booth to assist those stopping to hear some of the music. Roger Wise, a radio DJ from out west, stopped by to say hello and to give me the great compliment of saying that he’s including one of my songs (How’d You Know) in a special one hour love songs program he’s working on – very nice! I also met some new friends from the Austin area who showed serious interest in getting me out that way for a house concert – also very cool. The Wednesday “pre-view” of the hall is usually very low key, but this time around I think it was as productive and many of the regular days in the past.

At 7 pm I headed back to the room to rest a little and get ready for the evening’s music. Since I didn’t book any showcases on Wednesday night (thinking I’d be working hard burning CDs) I mapped out who I wanted to catch. I started with Jack Williams and Still on the Hill at 9 pm and from there caught: The Malvinas, Wil Maring and Robert Bowlin, Bill & Kate Isles, Jeff Talmadge, Randall Williams, CJ Crowdery, Freebo, Ruth and Max Bloomquist, Cary Cooper (with her husband Tom Prasado-Rao assisting) and, finally, Stevie Coyle. Wonderful shows by all. Enjoying the music is only part of the purpose in attending others’ showcases – it’s also where the presenters, DJs, etc. that you want to meet are at as well. So, I was well armed with showcase schedules (on my chex mix of course) and was disseminating my propaganda whenever possible (NOT during a performance of course!!).

By 1 a.m. I was way past pooped and headed back for some shut eye. Tomorrow promises to be a hectic day burning CDs, attending some of the panel discussions, the DJ reception (always a mad house), the exhibit hall in the afternoon, three showcases and more. Think I’ll load up on some vitamins and let them do their magic whilst I snooze.

Notes from the Road – Arrival in Memphis [Tuesday, 3/17]

For some reason I didn’t sleep well in Jasper – too much on my mind I suppose. So I was up early and working on various stuff, both Folk Alliance stuff and non. It was kind of ugly outside – cold, overcast and gloomy. I had some breakfast then hit the road. Only about three hours to Memphis, so no real rush.

From where I started in Jasper it’s an easy, but boring drive – Rte 78 northwest through Elvis’ birthplace, Tupelo and straight into Memphis. Tuned in Kate Campbell’s song “Tupelo’s Too Far” on the iPod – “I wish I could take Route 78 and be there in no time, rest beneath the sweet gum trees and leave all my cares behind – but Tupelo’s too far.” – very cool. Lots of iron ore scars in the landscape (and listened to Kate’s “Deep Tang” for that – man, that girl’s soooo good!) and road construction as this is the future route of I-22 through Alabama and Mississippi. I had a sound like sand hitting my windshield which I first thought was coming from a truck up ahead. However, looking closer I saw it was ice, very small hail or big sleet – yuck! Then patches of rain, not hard, but enough to make you concerned about ice on the road. So, take it easy, turn the iPod up and chill (literally).

Just before crossing into Tennessee outside of Memphis I stopped to get some lunch. There was wireless available so I signed on to check on my Sampler discs being shipped from DiscMakers – nothing. Uh oh!!! The order shows “scheduled” and was planned for shipping yesterday (2/16), but if that had happened it should have some tracking info for the delivery. I emailed everyone involved. I need those BADLY for the conference and they are blank, so I’ll need to burn them on my computer which is a time consuming process. Ok, blood pressure is up.

Rolled on into Memphis to the Marriott and checked in at about 1 p.m. – nope no shipment from DiscMakers shipment. Gggrrrrrrr . . . The Marriott was in the process of being decked out by the Folk Alliance staff and volunteers – banners, signage, registration area, etc. There weren’t many folks here yet, but those that were had their hustle on. The Marriott is one of those hotel chains that charges you for EVERYHING – very nice and we got a decent convention room rate, but nevertheless pricey once you add $12 per day for parking, $13 a day for internet access, etc., etc. And, you can’t use their luggage carts for “insurance reasons” – funny how none of the cheaper hotels have insurance issues with me using their baggage carts. Could it be mandatory tips for the bellmen? Everybody has to make a living, but not at gun point. So, in protest, I simply parked in the garage and made three trips to bring my stuff in – so there!

All settled in I wandered to see who was in a scope out the layout this year. Everything was about the same except that this year they banned posters by the artists (thank goodness). In the past you tried to get here as early as possible so you could run around with 30 – 40 posters and try to find prime, visible space throughout the conference area to display your showcase times, etc. It was a mess and very ineffective. This year they went to a video poster system. Anyone wanting a display paid $25 (much cheaper than the posters) and there are 15 video monitors running 24/7 throughout the conference center. Ads come up on the screen for about 10 seconds each on a rotating basis. Looks good, much easier and, hopefully, more effective.

I said hello to the FA staffers that I’ve come to know well, a few artists who had arrived early as well and then headed back to the room to work on my materials (and stress about my sampler CDs). I worked, rehearsed some songs that I’ll be performing in my showcases, etc. Since there really wasn’t anyone that I had seen that I could have dinner with I opted for room service and kept plugging away. About 9 p.m. I went down to the early arrival party in the bar. My manager / consultant, Kari Estrin, had arrived. I chatted with her and several artists that had finally flowed in. A very nice, relaxed time reconnecting and having a couple of cold drafts. Everyone seemed to be on the same page – last night to get a reasonable night’s sleep before the madness starts full force tomorrow!! So, by 11 p.m. I said my goodbyes and went back to get horizontal and carefully examine the inside of my eyelids – aahhhhhhhh . . .

Notes from the Road – Folk Alliance 2009 – Traveling to Memphis

PRELUDE

It’s February and time to head to Memphis. I’ve made a personal commitment to attending the North American Folk Alliance Conference each year and establishing a presence there. This year I am committed to six showcases, a ½ page ad in the program, a video ad displayed on 12 monitors daily around the convention center, a sponsorship in the Folk DJ reception, a ½ booth in the Exhibit Hall and, of course, the time and energy to work the conference to its fullest start to finish. It’s a TON of work, but it’s the way for me to broaden my audience and my touring range, so here I go again.

For those who are unfamiliar with Folk Alliance, since 1989, Folk Alliance has served as the headquarters for North American Folk Music and Dance. With over 2000 members worldwide and an annual conference that is one of the five largest music conferences in North America, Folk Alliance continues to grow and mature. Over the years, Folk Alliance has grown to include record companies, publishers, presenters, agents, managers, music support services, manufacturers and artists that work in the folk world. Folk Alliance has six regional affiliates that provide the grass roots efforts in their respective markets. This primary national conference is a gathering of all of the contacts that a touring folk artist needs to get in front of the desired audiences.

I’ve been getting ready for several weeks – it’s a lot more than just showing up. I began promoting for showcase opportunities about six months ago. I’ve got six very good private showcase slots – Concerts in Your Home (the principle source for house concert presenters and performers to network), Soona Songs (an established independent record label from Texas), Bill & Kate isles Present (Bill has been the point man for the private showcase effort since the beginning – being part of his showcase is a plum and I’ve got two slots), Kari Estrin Management & Consulting (the leading folk music career consultant who I’ve been working with for the past year with great results) and Ronda Barton’s SOS Annex (Getting a slot with Ronda is the brass ring at folk alliance – she runs three showcases that are the best attended here). Six quality showcases was my goal – more than that seems to stretch into a quantity over quality issue both in the terms of attendance and performance. This gives me plenty of performance time without it getting stale.

In addition to setting up the showcases, the booth is a major commitment. I have a “half booth” meaning that I am sharing a booth with another artist. This year I’m very happy to say that my booth mate is Still on the Hill - Kelly Mulhollan and Donna Stjerna. I am a big fan of their music and we have many friends in common including Jack Williams and Steve Blackwell. In the booth, I have a 6’ table on which to create an interesting display for the 1500 attendees who will cycle through. I have a full color banner as a back drop, sign boards for the table surface with quotes and info, three CD players with headphones that will have my Break Some Stones album, a special three song sampler of new material created just for this event and studio rough mix clips from my new album, Welcome Home, that will be released in the spring. In addition, there are post cards with my showcase schedule, business cards, a guest book, etc. I will be giving out copies of the three song sampler in preprinted CD jackets that have a bio and contact information on them. The CD jacket and disc imprint were designed by Jason Thomas’s wife, Beth, and are being shipped to me at the Marriott in Memphis by DiscMakers. The discs are blank and I will burn the samplers as needed – that way the marketing piece can be used later in the year at the SERFA and FARM conferences too. More bang for the buck.

A key element of the booth is food – folks here are foraging constantly for snacks. Jack Williams advised me my first year out to come up with a good, portable snack – something unique and regional, if possible – that will not only get folks to linger for a moment at your booth, but also make them remember you. I’ve managed to kill a couple of birds with one stone. My mother has a special chex mix she makes using standard chex mix, plus mixed nuts, worscheshire sauce, butter, pepper, chilli powder and other top secret ingredients. The mixture is baked (toasted) and has a real tasty kick. I’ve made my own modifications to include a little more kick (!!!!). I’ve cooked up about 35 pounds of the stuff and have 200 baggies to dispense it in. The baggies will have a 3 x 4 mailing label on each one with my picture and my showcase schedule on it and a business card will be inside – slick, huh?. As a plus this year, I picked a over a bushel of tangerines off of my backyard tree yesterday and have lugged them along – I suspect those will be quite popular!

The other key aspect is communications. Folk Alliance posts a list of attendees who have registered for the conference. For those folks who I particularly want to meet and have see me at my showcases (mostly presenters, media folks and radio DJs) I send hand written invitations with my showcase schedule, my exhibit hall booth location, etc.

Thankfully, all of this work is now over – time to load up and go!

Monday, February 16

I had actually intended to leave on Sunday and swing through Nashville on my way west. But after spending all day Saturday driving to West Palm Beach and back for a recording session I realized that I was trying to cram too much in. It really took me all day Sunday to get organized and ready to go and even then I still had to pack my clothes, etc. Monday morning. But, I eventually got it all done and was on the road by about 9:30 Monday morning. I took the Turnpike to I-75 north, but was delayed by a serious accident on I-75 near Ocala. The south bound lanes were completely closed and traffic was being funneled off to detour around the wreck that involved several cars and had required an air ambulance to land. While it had no actual effect on north bound traffic, the rubber neckers couldn’t help themselves and traffic slowed to a crawl for many miles.

With the delay it was well after lunch before I hit Georgia, the land of cheaper gas ($1.72 as opposed to $1.99 at home). My Lady of the Dashboard (my infamous and wicked GPS) took me west at about Tifton and I wandered through the west Georgia back country. The cotton fields have all been chopped, the dirt stilled littered with the cotton leavings. The peanut farms have all been plowed and planted it seemed and there are fields of late winter crops that are dark green, but I’m not sure what they are. The peach orchards are brown, leafless and barren. There are a lot of interesting old home places and grand houses along the way. A very enjoyable drive actually.

I crossed into Alabama and made my way northwest toward Birmingham. My goal was to get past Birmingham before shutting down for the night to avoid big city traffic in the morning. I made it to Jasper, about ½ hour beyond Birmingham by about 8:30 Central Time, found a hotel right on route and crashed – I’m beat!!

Tomorrow – on to Memphis!

Studio Diary – The Welcome Home Project – Nashville Sessions (Sunday)

After not getting to sleep until 3 a.m. you can bet that morning came WAY too early. I was always up before Jason, but then with his touring schedule, etc. he’s more used to sleeping in than I am. Once the light starts coming in around the curtains I’m awake and there’s no going back. So, I went down and got some coffee and little “continental” (i.e., free, cold and available) breakfast in the lobby. We stayed at a Comfort Inn not far from Missy & Ben’s for economy, a feature I’m more and more fond of in most things.

Once sleeping beauty (NOT!!) arose, we headed on over to the studio to work with Rob Ickes on dobro and lap steel. Rob is one of those “child prodigy” types that has been high in the music scene all his life. He was one of the founding members of Blue Highway roughly 15 years ago and remains with them today. If that name doesn’t ring a bell with you then you need to go check out www.bluehighwayband.com. Rob has 10, count them TEN, IBMA dobro player of the year awards between 1994 and 2008. He has played with every major artist you can think of including Merle Haggard, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, David Lee Roth, Toby Keith, Reba McEntire, Ricky Skaggs, Patty Loveless, Earl Scruggs, Steve Wariner, Marty Stuart, David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Marty Raybon, Jeannie Kendall, The Oak Ridge Boys, Claire Lynch, Lynn Morris, John Cowan, Harley Allen, The Cox Family, and Mary Chapin Carpenter – and NOW, Doug Spears!! He is recognized as one of the most innovative dobro and lap steel players on the scene. I can tell you that he is a lightning quick study and the material he laid down to compliment the themes of the five songs we worked with him on is absolutely magnificent.

Something I’ve learned and come to genuinely appreciate is that the truly great players come to a project like this to contribute to the song, not demonstrate what a hot player they are. They are interested in the story behind the song, the mood or feeling you are trying to convey and look for ways they can make that come through – even if it means that they need to lay back, lay out or just serve as a foundation for other instruments or the vocals. While all players of this stature have an ego, they tend to leave it in the gig bag. They take direction, criticism and correction EXCEPTIONALLY well and are committed to giving you the best they have. In fact, it is typical for them to play a part, have everyone in the control booth giving it the thumbs up and have the artist say “nope, I can do that better – let’s run it again.” In any event, Rob’s parts on the project cover some very bluesy, rockin’ HOT HOT HOT material as well as some very deft, delicate, melodic pieces – you are going to be blown away I promise!!

After we finished Rob, we went back to working Missy. We kept her at it on another 4 songs until around 11 p.m. Man, this girl can play!! She epitomizes what I said above – she settles for nothing less than her best on any given piece no matter how many times she has to play it, how long it takes or what time it is. I genuinely don’t know how she maintains the energy that she does. I am just so thrilled and honored to have her on this project. And, not only that, but as we were working on the last song it occurred to someone that we’d never taken a supper break – OOPS!! Never fear, besides being a stellar musician Missy is also a magnificent cook. Rooting around in the fridge upstairs she whipped up some deviled eggs, hoppin’ john, cask iron skillet corn bread and green beans which we inhalled like air in a sinking submarine. Plus, Ben makes a mean martini which we garnished with some jalopeno stuffed olives. We sat, chatted, petted kittys, told jokes, told lies, laughed and relaxed until I suddenly realized that, again, it was nearly 2 a.m. Man, I’m getting too old for this --- well . . . maybe not!!

It was another thrilling, fun, educational day. There is so much to learn about the interplay between instruments in arrangements and how to plan for the “space” for each without leaving gaps in the mix; about how to deal with issues that come up between what you originally envisioned and the realities of what you are hearing in the studio; about diplomacy in the relationship between artist, producer and engineer; about the capabilities of the equipment, when to use it and when not to; and on and on. It is a privilege to get to participate in the process and get the benefit of the experience these guys have. To get to do it on a project of my own material is just indescribeable.

Tomorrow we get to work on harmonies with Grammy nominated Claire Lynch, one of the most coveted voices in the biz. So what that I’m only getting 5 hours of sleep a night, I can sleep when I’m dead --- just hope I’m not drawing closer to that than I think!!

Studio Diary – The Welcome Home Project – Nashville Sessions (Monday)

Well, roll out, shower, coffee and back at it. We grabbed some breakfast sandwiches on the way and actually got to the studio a little early – Ben hadn’t even come down to unlock yet. We’ve got Claire Lynch coming in this morning to do harmonies on 5 songs and I have meetings set up after lunch with my career consultant, Kari Estrin, and the graphics designer for the project, Nancy Terzian. So, a full schedule before we catch our flight home at 5:30.

I always make the mistake in judging studio time to think that vocals take less time than the instruments. It’s actually the opposite. With the vocals you end up working line by line, sometimes phrase by phrase, getting the harmony just like you want it. A pro like Claire works faster than most, but its still a grueling process.

In case you aren’t up on Claire Lynch you should check her out at www.clairelynch.com. She’s been in the biz since the mid 70’s and has really done it all. She has fronted bands from Hickory Wind to The Front Porch String Band to the current Claire Lynch Band. She is an accomplished songwriter with cuts by Patty Loveless, the Seldom Scene, Cherryholmes, Kathy Mattea, the Whites and Stephanie Davis. I was quite flattered that she complimented my songs and my “intelligent lyrics.” As a session vocalist. her exquisite harmonies have graced albums by as Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Patty Loveless, Pam Tillis, Kathy Mattea, Jesse Winchester, Sarah Watkins and Ralph Stanley. She is a Rounder Records artist and has two Grammy nominations to her credit.

Claire hit the studio door right on time in a blur of wavy blonde hair and energy. Coffee was high on everyone’s agenda and Ben had us all set up shortly. We got lyric sheets ready and started running the songs. An hour and a half into the session we had only finished one song and it was immediately clear to me that I was not going to be able to keep the post lunch appointments I had made – calls and apologies were made in a break. Kari Estrin decided to come on by the studio to get a flavor for what we were doing, say hello to Ben, Missy and Claire, meet Jason, etc. And, we pressed on. Claire was the consummate pro insisting on perfection in her parts. We stayed lazer focused right up to the fail / safe time to leave for the airport and at that point we left Ben with Claire finishing up the harmonies on the last song. Hugs, pictures, goodbyes and out into the cold, wet Nashville air we went.

It wasn’t until we were in the car rental return that I realized I was hungry – and for good reason since we’d managed to forget lunch and work straight through!! We got our bags checked and wedged into one of the airport eateries for what I was sure would be awful BBQ. Not so, quite good actually and the Sam Adams to wash it down didn’t hurt anything either. Nashville’s airport is unique in that the little restaurant and some of the gate lobbies sport live music, mostly guys in boots and big hats doing their Garth, Keith and Hank imitations. Not sure that’d be my idea of a great gig. With only a slight delay due to equipment issues we were wheels up by 5:45 and headed back to the State of Dreams.

Tired doesn’t even start to describe it – nor does satisfied, excited or many other adjectives I can think of. I was still running the songs in my head and checking off what was left to do on which ones during the flight home. We really knocked a big hole in what remains of the studio work and actually got more done in Nashville than we thought we might. Soon we’ll be at the point where we are just doing minor “fixes” and fills. Then on to the mixing and mastering phase. Ron Litschauer just added some new mastering gear, spurred on by the promise of this project, that really is top of the line allowing the finest polish to the finished mix. He’s been breaking it in on mixes of Yellow Butter Moon which is complete and ready for that end of the process. I’ve heard the most recent and it is a fine piece of work.

Jason’s wife Beth and 5 year old son Jacob met us as we left the secure area of the airport here in Orlando. Though I’m glad my child rearing years are over I do miss those exuberant home coming welcomes! Jason comes and goes a lot and will actually only be home for a couple of nights before flying out to New York to play dates there and in Philadelphia. Consequently, Jacob was fairly well glued in his arms soaking up the available Daddy time. We chatted while the bags were brought out and then I left them to go get my car, get home to Judy and get horizontal – SLEEP!!

So, with Nashville behind us we move on to the next steps in the process. Stay tuned.

Wow, so much packed into a couple of days! This will be a bit of a long one so read it at your leisure in such amounts as you like. I’ll post it in pieces and see how we do.


Jason and I flew into BNA (Nashville) Friday night on Southwest – cheap fares and very musician friendly. It was a full flight and there was not so much as a stutter about my guitar. Much appreciated. We got in and headed to catch some dinner, talk about the sessions, etc. A good meal, a couple of drinks and off to the hotel where I watched the end of the Sugar Bowl (sorry Bama) while Jason worked up track charts.


“Track charts,” for the uninitiated, is a measure by measure, bar by bar chart of the song using the “Nashville numbering system” that allows the studio musician, engineer, etc. to know what’s happening where at all points in the song. It’s the roadmap for Jason’s direction as to what he wants to hear from each instrument and where. It makes things much more efficient and, since in the studio time is money, cheaper.


Saturday morning we got to The Rec Room Studios at 10 a.m. to get rolling. Ben Surratt is the owner / engineer and had coffee, muffins, water, the whole deal. Rec Room is in the spacious basement of Ben’s home that he shares with his wife, the ultra talented Missy Raines, whose band, The New Hip, is the newest addition to the Compass Records label. They share their home with a small menagerie of cats including the senior member of the corp, Kitty Boy, who even has his own MySpace page myspace.com/kittyboy_eugene . The studio is spacious and wholly self contained – about 1200 square feet with a sizeable control room looking into the main, very large isolation room, 3 additional small isolation booths, storage areas for gear, a separate sitting area with couches and chairs, a kitchen area, bathroom – very nice. Since it’s in the basement, below ground level, with stone walls, etc. it’s a very quiet space with no distractions. Excellent mics, preamps, monitors, etc., together with the best ProTools digital gear make this an ideal spot to work on a high quality project. It is a favorite spot for various acoustic artists in the area including, of course, Missy, The Claire Lynch Band and many more. Ben has been often recognized for excellence in trade by the Nashville recording establishment. You can see more about the studio and “Bengineer” at http://www.myspace.com/therecroomstudio.

We got started with Missy on bass. By way of background, you can check out Missy and her work at www.missyraines.com. Missy is undisputedly one of the best stand-up bass players in the country and has been featured in numerous prominent acoustic bands over her years in the business. Her new band is The New Hip and their debut release on Compass Records will come out February 10th. They’ll be in Florida at the Gamble Rogers Festival in May. Please check her out, sign the guestbook on her website and tell her I sent you! You’re going to really love her bass tracks on seven of my songs on this album. She is high energy and very animated in her approach – some very tasty stuff!

We worked with Missy and got 3 songs done by about 2 pm and then headed out for a quick bite to eat at a nearby deli. By the time we got back Jim Hurst had gotten in from his home in Kentucky about 1 ½ hours away. Jim is a big barrel chested guy with a good old boy trucker demeanor – in fact Jim used to drive trucks in between his musical endeavors. It’s hard for me to fathom a guy that plays guitar like he does ever doing anything else. He is a two time IBMA guitarist of the year, in the 1990’s he did extended stints as guitarist for Holly Dunn and later Tricia Yearwood’s and is now the lead guitarist and banjo player in The Claire Lynch Band. I’ve seen quite a number of hot players in my time, but Jim resides in a different stratosphere. What impresses you immediately in the studio is how immaculately clean and precise he is and what solid tone he produces in the mic. He adds a deep groove and inventive energy to everything he touches. Jason had some ideas for the feel he wanted from Jim on various songs and Jim took that direction expanding it into some very special pieces. He added very unique fingerstyle parts to four songs in styles ranging from straight folky to blues to some real funky / rocky / jazzy licks. Jason then had him pull out the vintage Gibson electric to add some backing work to a fifth song. It was truly stellar material and was meticulously arranged by Jason. We worked with Jim from about 3:30 p.m. all the way to 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning!! Then Jim loaded his gear into his car and disappeared into the darkness back to Kentucky – but not before we got some pictures and stuff. Please, Please, Please!!!! Check out Jim’s music at his website www.jimhurst.com and, again, sign his guestbook telling him I sent you. His newest solo release, Box of Chocolates, should be in your collection.

Even in a long, grueling session like Saturday (10 in the morning until 2 a.m. the following morning) the studio is a light hearted and energetic place. It really adds to things when the folks involved love what they do and find a common chemistry not only in the music but in their other interests. This group shared a wicked and whimsical sense of humor which at times had us taking a break due to crippling laughter over some comment, story, studio faux pas in front of the mic, etc. It was a crowd that a lifelong committed smartass like me felt immediately at home with.

Let’s take a break here and I’ll turn to Sunday’s session in the next entry.

Okay, so a bit more about the project and our preparations for the upcoming Nashville session this weekend. First, some detail on the “non-music” aspects of the project. The photography for the project is being done by Bob Patterson in St. Augustine. With the title “Welcome Home” Bob has selected an outdoor location with features that suggest “home” themes that also captures the interior native beauty of Florida. Bob’s photography is well known and some of the most memorable images of his good friend, Gamble Rogers, were the product of his sharp creative eye. Another great piece of the puzzle on a project like this.

The graphic design will be done by Nancy Terzian of Bucking Horse Design in Nashville. I was introduced to Nancy by Kari Estrin, a career management consultant I’ve been working with, and I’m very impressed with her portfolio of prior CD projects. At this point we’ve only corresponded by email, but I plan to meet with her while I’m in Nashville on this trip. She is used to working with DiscMakers, my preferred manufacturing source, so it is an all around good fit.

As I suppose is obvious, the budget for this project is larger than previous efforts. However, Kari Estrin will be handling radio promotion after it is released and even in this more frugal economy the CD should be financially viable. The trick is to keep an eye on that budget and produce a top end product within its confines. That can be a sensitive subject, but fortunately everyone involved here understands the math. There was a very interesting article in Kiplinger’s Magazine recently about independent music projects like this. It is an interview of a friend of mine from Nashville, Tom Kimmel, about the economics of releasing an independent CD. If you are interested, the link is http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/2009/01/my-story-tom-kimmel.html.

The last little mundane detail is that I’ve formed a new record label to release this CD – Cypress Moss Records. Once I get the website up and running you may get an email from that domain – it’s not spam, just me. Jason’s wife Beth is also a graphic designer and she’s working on a logo for the new label.

Back to the music. We have a couple of tracks that are largely complete. Yellow Butter Moon is ready to go to the final mix stage as is the new recording of Banks of the Old St. Johns. Both of these feature Lis and Lon Williamson, Gabe Valla and Jason Thomas backing me and are really stellar cuts. The rough mixes are up on my MySpace page so you can test drive them and let me know what you think. Also, Welcome Home is largely complete with the wonderful contributions of the Still Friends clan, though we may add some fiddle and guitar work to that one to “fatten it up” some.

Withlacoochee Dreamer is an interesting and somewhat embarrassing story. I’ve had that song for a couple of years and it was a top 10 Will McLean entry (#6 I think) a couple of years ago. When Jason and I met after he had listened to rough tracks of all the material on Withlacoochee Dreamer he commented, “isn’t that the melody from Gordon Lightfoot’s Home from the Forest?” Ewww, I hate hearing something like that!!! I’m a HUGE Lightfoot fan, but haven’t heard that tune in years. I went and found the CD and . . . oh boy!! It wasn’t the whole melody, but the first three lines of the verse melody were dead on. ARRGGGG!!!! So, back to the drawing board. I reconstructed the verse melody around the same chord pattern, deleted a verse and added a bridge. The result (once my embarrassment faded) is a much better song. We’ve put Lon Williamson’s bass work on that along with some fabulous Lis Williamson harmonies and a really nice fingerstyle guitar accompaniment by Bob Rafkin. We’ll add some Rob Ickes dobro to that and we’re all set.

Jason and I met last night for a couple of beers and some track planning for the Nashville sessions. The challenge in a trip like this is to plan who is going to do what on which songs so that you efficiently use your studio time and don’t have folks sitting around twiddling their thumbs in between. In addition, Jason has some definite ideas for what he wants to hear on the various songs we are working with so he’s working up track sheets for each player to give them some direction. He’s off with The Claire Lynch Band now playing dates tonight and tomorrow night in the Carolinas and will have a chance as they travel to talk with them some about the weekend’s work.

The biggest problem I have at this phase is choosing between options. With players of the caliber that Jason has lined up here it’s rare that I hear anything I don’t love! I feel a little better that Jason confesses to much the same weakness. What a luxury to have absolute confidence in the musicians to take the direction given and maximize it for the benefit of the song! We’ve talked a lot about the story behind each tune and the emotion being conveyed looking for the right instrumentation and approach to compliment each one. We’ve chosen to pick up the tempo on some tunes and slow it on others for similar reasons. We’ve also added some transitional dynamics to make the melodies and instrumentals more lively and interesting. Jason’s guidance has been invaluable in really looking much more critically at the material and how it’s presented. I can’t wait to hear (and for YOU to hear) the results!!

That’s enough until Nashville. We fly out Friday afternoon and I’ll let you know how we do!

Hey!

Hope you are all recovering nicely from the Christmas festivities and are looking forward to turning over a new leaf on Thursday. Challenges though there may be, 2009 promises to be an exciting new year.

As some of you may know (or may not), I’m in the studio phase of a new CD project titled Welcome Home. The CD will have 11 – 13 of my songs on it, all with Florida themes and including a wide range of rather amazing musicians / singers. This “studio diary” will be my way of letting you know where we are in the process, what’s involved and give you a glimpse of what it takes to put out a significant project like this. I hope you enjoy these entries as much as many of you tell me you enjoy my “notes from the road.”



The original concept for this project was to collect my best “Florida” material all onto one CD. The final number of songs is not yet determined simply because we want the flexibility to “reject” cuts if in the end a song doesn’t seem to fit with the others. A few of the songs have appeared on previous albums, but have been rearranged and / or rewritten so that everything is a fresh take on the song even if it has previously been recorded. These songs include Steam Train, Teppintine, A Mother’s Tears, Banks of the Old St. Johns and Marker 26. These are all new recordings of these tunes with new instrumentation and, in some cases, revisions to the lyrics and melodies.



The other songs on the CD have never been recorded. They include: Welcome Home (for Steve Blackwell), State of Dreams, Yellow Butter Moon, Hemingway’s Hurricane, Big Bald Cypress, On the Other Side, Withlacoochee Dreamer and Okeechobee. I’ve been performing most of these tunes in my shows and at festivals for varying periods of time, but even these have undergone some scrutiny and revisions to both lyrics and melody. Consequently, everything on the project has a “fresh” feel.



I began recording tracks for the project in August. I have worked for a long time with Ron Litchauer at Acoustic Music Productions in West Palm Beach. Ron does a superb job and I saw no reason to change that successful piece of the puzzle. I do my tracks in a “live in the studio” fashion, meaning that I record my guitar and vocal simultaneously. Many artists (probably the majority) record the guitar and vocal separately. This makes it much easier to “fix” mistakes by going back and simply redoing the small part, sometimes just a note or two, that weren’t performed correctly. Doing it the way I do “fixes” are much more limited because the vocal mic is picking up some guitar sound and the guitar mic some vocal (called “bleed”). Consequently, I can’t go back and just fix a guitar part without also singing the vocal and vice versa. As a result, fixes are rare and only when absolutely necessary. In most circumstances when I fix something it involves “puching in” just before the error and then playing the song out from there fresh. Punching back out so that what is happening with both guitar and vocal matches exactly what exists on the original take is very difficult so it usually just requires, in essence, a new take of the song from the part I want to change forward. Though it is more cumbersome, to me it gives the recording more of a “performance” feel with respect to my lead vocals and rhythm guitar.



New for this project is a producer – a guy who listens with a critical ear, decides on arrangements, sets the sequencing of the songs (the order they appear on the CD) and, in general, assures the best possible performance from everyone involved. I have an excellent producer here, my friend Jason Thomas who many of you know as the fiddler / mandolinist for the Grammy nominated Clare Lynch Band and, here in Florida, for Gatorbone. Jason’s training and skill as a musician have blessed him with an amazing ear for arrangements and a steadfast insistence on quality in all musical aspects of the project. In every planning or recording session I learn something new from Jason and its exciting watching him direct the progress of the studio work.



At this point we have done a lot of work at Ron’s studio in West Palm and at Gatorbone Studio’s in Keystone Heights. I am THRILLED to have Lis & Lon Williamson and Gabe Valla of Gatorbone appearing on many of the songs. They are just some of the most talented musicians of the many Florida has to offer, the real cream of the crop, and I can tell you from the early rough mixes that their contribution here is stellar .



Another very special aspect of the project is that the title track, Welcome Home, the song I wrote for Steve Blackwell when he passed a couple of years ago, features the members of Steve’s own band, Steve Blackwell & Friends. Carrie Blackwell-Hussey, Dan Leach, Japhy Blackwell and Andy Leach all contribute to this very special part of the album. Dan, Carrie, Japhy and Tiffiny Coffey (who also contributes wonderful harmonies to the song) continue to perform as Still Friends and if you get the chance you should not miss them!



Other Florida artists who will appear on the album include Jason Thomas (of course), Bob Rafkin and Billy Varner. More may be added as we put on the finishing touches, but those are the ones we’ve already got committed at present.



Coming up next weekend is a VERY exciting component of the project. Jason and I fly up to Nashville for three days of recording at Rec Room Studios where we’ll be working with (drum roll please) Claire Lynch (twice IBMA vocalist of the year and Grammy nominee), Jim Hurst (multi-time IBMA guitarist of the year), Rob Ickes (many time IBMA dobro / slide player of the year) and Missy Raines, leader of the award winning group The New Hip. This brings the best of Florida together with the best of Nashville and we are looking to produce something truly special with this amazingly talented team.



That’s more than enough for now. I’ll post more information about other aspects of the production (photography, graphics, manufacturing, etc.) as I go along. I’ll also let you know how we do in Nashville this weekend. We are shooting for a release date of April 3rd, in time for Will McLean in Dunnellon. Stay tuned!!