The 2015 Battle of the Bands is Over, and It Was a Blast
Scott Albert Johnson’s “Going Somewhere” is a Brand New Rock n’ Roll Trip
Scott Albert Johnson’s new record “Going Somewhere” literally starts with a bang–a big drum groove–that is soon capped with feverish amped harmonica whose lines pay homage to the blues tradition without ever directly invoking it. Throughout this record, on every track of which Johnson sings…
Recording My First Country Session With the RP360XP
No, this isn’t about recording my first country session, just the first one with the Digitech RP360XP.
Now That I’m Playing Loud Rock & Roll Again, I’m Blowing Out My Seydels
I’ve been playing mostly acoustic music onstage and in the studio for a while now, and my harps have held up very well. But in the rehearsals for the Battle of the Bands in Cleveland, I’ve been playing loud rock and roll, and it’s showing…
Adventures with JamSync: It Gets Better
In my latest post I mentioned that Digitech’s JamSync works: I can sync my JamMan Solo XT to my JamMan Express XT, no problem. Now I’ve discovered that it does something I hadn’t expected and that I’ve wanted for a long time.
A Multi-Colored Piece for Harmonica as Organ
I recorded this improvised piece in my home studio last month. I wanted to try something where the structure of the piece is defined as much by changes in tone as by changes in harmony, and it worked nicely in this case.
First Impressions of the JamMan Solo XT and JamSync
After two false starts, I finally succeeded in acquiring a working used Digitech JamMan Solo XT looper from Guitar Center. I’ve had it up and running for a few days, and I’m getting used to the differences between the Solo XT and my previously preferred…
Power Adapter Craziness with the Digitech Jamman Solo XT
I wrote a few weeks ago that I was getting set up to test a new looping setup involving a Syncman, a Yamaha drum machine, a Digitech JamMan Solo XT looper, and a JamMan Express XT looper. What travails have ensued since then, you may…
“Blue Monk” on the Country-Tuned Harp: It’s All About the Chords
I last recorded Thelonius Monk‘s “Blue Monk” (which Monk originally released in recorded form in 1954) for my solo acoustic CD “The Act of Being Free in One Act” in 1994 as part of a medley that included Jimmy Reed’s “Let it Roll” and “Bright…
Amp Modelers Really Do Sound Better Through Keyboard Amps
I jammed this weekend with my old friend guitarist Tom Gage. I brought about half of my rig: a Digitech RP500, iStomp running Swing Shift, and JamMan Stereo looper. I didn’t bring my Peavey KB2 keyboard amp because Tom had a Fender Deluxe Reverb available…
