VA Harmonicafest Comin’ Up
I’ve packed the gear in the van, and I’m ready to start the drive to Williamsburg, VA. Should be there around 9 PM tonight. Looking forward to seeing the other players, especially Adam Gussow and Dennis Gruenling. See you there too, I hope!
Sitting in with Chet Cannon and the Committee in San Diego
I was in San Diego last week, and on the recommendation of John Frazier, a harp player based in SD, I went to the blues jam hosted by Chet Cannon and the Committee at the Harp bar. I brought along 14 harps, half of them…
Cleaning up the stage rig: more power, less mess
I posted a little while ago about my stage setup, and noted that the audio and electrical wires were out of control and the mixer was on the floor. Well, I’ve done some work on that, and the new setup is up and running and…
RP Tip #7: Stompbox mode is amazing
If you own a Digitech RP355, keep reading, because this is about a feature that doesn’t exist on the RP250/255/350. If you don’t own an RP355, keep reading if you want to see what you’re missing. The RP355 has a “stompbox mode” that you access…
Video of the Day Feb. 27 2011 part 1: Richard Hunter, Chris Michalek, and Brendan Power in a Psychedelic Jam at SPAH 2009
Chris and me on harmonicas, Brendan doing a lot of percussion. There’s some great stuff in here, but Chris and me could not stay connected on the grooves–I think that’s why Brendan started doing the beatboxing thing. Brendan and I had two interesting things happening…
Video of the Day Feb. 27 2011 part 2: Richard Hunter, Chris Michalek, and Brendan Power in a Psychedelic Jam at SPAH 2009
This recording took place at a seminar on effects that I did for SPAH at Sacramento in 2009; Chris Michalek was a late addition to the official program, and Brendan just showed up. I was glad to see Brendan. I got upset with Chris after…
Video of the Day Feb 23 2011: Howard Levy interviews Bart Leczycki
A harmonica master who came of age in the 1970s interviews an up-and-coming master. The interview begins with Bart playing a little bit of Mozart on the diatonic harmonica with a killer vibrato. The duet on “Now’s the Time” that starts around 4 minutes in…
Heavy Metal Harmonica With the RP350/355
I had an idea for a song last week, something slow and heavy, inspired in part by Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced”. I put a drum track, synth drone, and bass together quickly, then recorded a few harp parts over it. I still need to do…
Charlie Musselwhite’s “In My Time” is one great recording
I had a long drive yesterday, so I went through my car CD collection looking for something to pass the miles, and came across Charlie Musselwhite’s In My Time. This recording was released in 1994, and I haven’t listened to it for at least 10…
Video of the Day Feb 18 2011: Sonny Boy Williamson, “Nine Below Zero”
One of the great blues harp players, singers, and composers of all time, Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller), singing and playing his classic “Nine Below Zero”. Just look at the way he takes his place behind the microphone–is this guy cool, or what? The…
