Announcing the SPAH Award Nominations 2017!
Every year, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica (SPAH) accepts nominations for a few awards that represent great contributions to the harmonica, the music it makes, and the people who support it. Those awards include: The Bernie Bray Harmonica Player of…
The Harps and Gear I Used to Record “50 Grand”
“50 Grand” is the only piece on my record “The Lucky One” that has something close to a standard 12-bar blues structure. I broke up the 12-bar form with a vamp that includes a cool harmonica horn section, and the lyric structure–unlike a typical blues–does…
RIP James Cotton
“Make the Noise You Came to Make”: Lyrics from “The Lucky One”
I’m writing lyrics and music every day for the record I’m cutting in September, “The Lucky One.” These lyrics are for my song “Make The Noise You Came to Make,” and maybe later I’ll post the rough demo with music. In the meantime, enjoy these….
The Kickstarter Campaign for “The Lucky One” starts in a few days
As I work my way through writing and recording demos for my upcoming record project, “The Lucky One,” I keep in mind that making a record takes money as well as talent and dedication. On that score, within the next couple of days I’ll be…
A Little (Harmonica) Organ Music for Christmas
As I have for a while now, I’m exploring the sounds I can make with a harmonica and two amp modelers running in parallel. I recorded this piece with a Digitech RP500 running a patch that combines a Champ amp model with a rotary speaker,…
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…
Vidoe of the Day 25 August 2015: Jason Ricci: Fox Chase
Hot Jams at Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues
I was in London Sunday through Tuesday at Gartner’s Project Portfolio Management and IT Governance Conference, and as usual I made a point to get to either the Sunday or Monday jam session at Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues. The Monday night jam in particular,…
Video of the Day 7 May 2015: Carlos del Junco with Rick Fines
