If you like unusual instruments and musical experiments, you may enjoy checking out Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.  Bela Fleck plays banjo in all manner of styles, sometimes using tunings that he has developed specifically for a given song.  Their bass player, Victor Wootten, is a master of harmonics.  He can make his bass sound like there are two or three different instruments being played, or he can play a straight-forward, in-the-box bass line all depending on what is called for.  There is another band member, I think called Mr. Rhythm or something like that, who has developed his own electronic keyboard, drum machine that is worn rather than sat down to (sorry for the wretched grammar).  Bela Fleck invites a number of different guest artists who are skilled at a wild variety of instruments from a Japanese singer who can actually sing chords (yes, singing three notes at once) to Sitar artists from India to diggeridoo artists from Australia. 

- Zurf

How I miss those days.  Last time I had a "last day of school" where I had three months of rest to look forward to it was because I was fired.  But it was fun!

- Zurf

Oh Lena, when I camp I do not walk as gently upon the earth as once I did.  Two burner stove, 4 person tent for myself, inside is a cot with a mattress on it.  Overhead is a tarp to keep the dew and the rain off.  A nice tall table to nest around.  Look closely under that table.  You'll see a backup emergency cooler tucked away, filled to the brim with ice cold water and beer.  Those who camp with me camp in the lap of luxury and are well fed to boot.   You'd gain three pounds if I were merely to describe the breakfasts I serve. 

http://picasaweb.google.com/HalfFastPad … 3911506946

A picture of the song's hero (and a fine man he is too, truth be told):

http://picasaweb.google.com/HalfFastPad … 8013474178

- Zurf

Willie Nelson's been known to forget some lyrics.  I'm just saying.

- Zurf

It's a combination of character, genetics, influences, and habits.  Very sad.  I remember hearing an interview with Charlie Daniels and how when he first made it big he was partying a lot.  Then he said he noticed how it was affecting his energy at gigs.  Eventually, he decided that the gigs were his job and he had to do like everyone else in America with a job and show up ready to do it and do it well.  That meant sobor and rested.  So, he cut back to responsible proportions and made a strong effort to do what he thought was the right thing. 

I also remember hearing an interview with David Crosby, who credits being arrested on stage and sent to jail for narcotics possession and weapons charges with saving his life.  He said that pretty much everyone he used to party with died from it.  But when he was in jail, he was forced to sobor up.  When he was sobor, he decided not to abuse himself any more.  It's awfully hard in the middle of the self-abuse to recognize it for self-abuse instead of fun. 

Anyway, it is saddening.

- Zurf

Sadly G S E, I do.  I was trying very hard to forget Wind Beneath My Wings and One Tin Soldier but now you've gone and reminded me.  Oh well, back to therapy...

- Zurf

Welcome

Yeah, the brighter sound is what I want.  When I first got my guitar and was playing it by strumming with a pick mostly, it was too bright and I was looking for ways to mellow it out.  For that, I found that I like the D'Addorio Phospher Bronze.  That is my preferred string for when I strum/pick.  But mostly I finger pick, and since I have tried fingerpicks (the picks that slide on your fingers) and discovered that I hate them and they cut up my cuticals and hurt like a son-of-a-gun and therefore play fingerpick style with just my fingers, I need to brighten up a LOT.  So, I now prefer to have very bright sounding strings because the plunking with my bare fingers dulls the sound down quite a bit.  With the warm and mellow phospher bronze, too dull.  With bright sounding strings, much better.  It's especially important on the treble strings because those are the nails I can't keep long enough to matter.  My bass strings are plucked quite ferociously enough to keep phospher bronze, but the treble strings not so much.

That's why I say that for my style, my songs, my taste, I like them.  We are in complete agreement about their sound, it's what we do with the strings that and what we prefer that seems different.  And that's as it should be.  If we all played and liked the same thing, wouldn't that be boring?

- Zurf

$4/gallon here for regular.  My car burns premium.  $4.34/gallon.  Euro and $ are trading pretty equal these days.  Not sure how many litres per gallon.  I seem to recall it's a little more than 4, but am too lazy to look up a conversion chart. 

- Zurf

Country Roads - John Denver
Wreck of the Old 97 - Johnny Cash
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys - Willie Nelson
Battle of New Orleans - Lonnie Donegan
Duncan - Paul Simon
Ain't No Sunshine - don't remember just now
Rich Kid Doctor - Dirty Ed (DE's a friend of mine - I don't expect you to know it - you can find it here: http://www.michaeldsawyer.com/DirtyEd.html)
Fox on the Run - don't know
Paradise - John Prine
That's The Way the World Goes Round - John Prine
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere - Alan Jackson

There's tons more.  These are the ones I thought of just now.

- Zurf