Search options (Page 75 of 279)

It's true.  I'll pitch in if you need it, shoveling snow, moving heavy things from one place to another, and pouring bourbon or wine.  Looks like we're in for another dump late Sunday into Monday.  I'm heading up to Gettysburg, PA today for dinner with an old friend.  There's somewhere you should check out.  It's only a three day march or a little over an hour's drive away.  Maybe 2 from where you are.  And Harper's Ferry.  You need to go there.

I think you probably ought to keep buying guitars, Topdown.  I have designs on your Gibson, Robert was looking over Roscoe's 12'er, Amy wants your Breedlove, and I saw Beamer drolling over your composite.  Soon, all you'll have left is your Alvarez 12 string, and that only as long as Normtheguitar stays on his side of the ocean.

So, yeah, great weekend.  Jeff is a gracious and generous host.  There was a comfortable place to play, music stands, guitars, food, drink, and good people to share it all with.  I'm not sure how a host does a better job than that! 

A quick run-down: Amy and I both were flying in on Southwest on Friday.  Both of our flights were delayed and we arrived at the pickup area within minutes of one another.  Jeff and his friend Robert picked us up and took us back to Jeff's apartment, where we partook of a bite to eat and something to drink.  Then the music started and kept going and going and going.  We broke for dinner, where Dirty Ed surprised me.  At 2AM we quit, but I was so jazzed up to be there and had so much fun playing guitars from 5:30PM to 2AM, that I didn't get to sleep until about 4AM. 

I woke a little after 6 on Saturday.  Our host was still audibly asleep, so after a quick washup went for a walk in search of coffee.  I found a 7-11 where I was able to get a good cup of coffee, a donut, a very large Gatorade, and as Jimmy Buffett suggested some Juicy Fruit to wash away the night.  I then walked to the beach where I enjoyed all of these items.  There was a heavy mist obscuring the view, which made for an absolutely stunning break of day as the mist slowly thinned and rose.  When I returned, Jeff was preparing queso for the Saturday jam but said he needed no help.  So I played all of his guitars (especially his new Gibson, which despite all of our sympathy over the theft of his Martin, is in extreme danger of being stolen by ME).  After we set up the clubhouse for Saturday's jam, Amy and I went back to Jeff's condo and napped.  Robert stayed at the clubhouse and warmed up. 

The Saturday jam was epic.  11 pickers.  When it turned into a random jam rather than a circle jam, I couldn't hang in.  My theory and playing over a chord progression wasn't up to snuff.  I went out to the patio and Dirty Ed was out there.  He got to talking about song-writing and running rivers with friends and more song-writing.  He's got a great perspective, and a good method it seems.  "Tools, not rules" is his song-writing motto.  He's put a great deal of work into learning the song-writing process, and was in a sharing mood.  I was in a learning mood and greatly enjoyed that special time with him.  About 11:30, I was done in and went back to Jeff's condo to crash.

Sunday was a little souvenir shopping, and a bunch more playing of all of Jeff's guitars, then the London Bus Pub jam.  To me, the London Bus Pub jam was like a really good dessert after a first class meal.  Just the Saturday jam would have made the trip worthwhile.  However, the London Bus Pub jam was equally, if not more, satisfying.  I have always thought that my voice was my weak part, but I had three different people I didn't know telling me that they enjoyed my singing.  That really meant a lot.  Then, because he liked my style of finger-picking, Jeff's infamous friend Roscoe Jones invited me to join him on a song he wrote with Bill Monroe (and I actually kind of knew from hearing it at bluegrass concerts).  The rest of the talent that was in that circle was...outstanding.  Yet, here are these folks that any of us would gladly pay good money to hear in concert tossing breaks and verses over to no-names to keep us all included in what was going on, all around a picnic table back by the dumpster of a hole-in-the-wall bar kind of near the beach.  Flat out crazy fun.  I think some of the most fun came late when Robert and Beamer and I were finding songs where we could duet.  It was great fun singing with them, and added a whole new dimension of challenge to songs I had been practicing alone for so long.  Like the Big, Bad Wolf's huffing and puffing, Beamer and I about knocked over the walls of the London Bus Pub when the "Oh my my, Oh hell yes, you've got to put on that party dress" lines in Last Dance with Mary Jane came around.  Singing with Robert on Seven Bridges Road was a blast.  He followed my lead on speed - which I purposefully change three times during the song, and he didn't complain when I messed up the guitar solo break.

I haven't been able to let Boomer sit in the stand by my desk today.  I haven't started to pack any clothes or medicine yet, but I've got spare strings, flannel cloth, string changing tool, tuner, capo, and song sheets sitting in Tiny's case waiting to be closed up.  Despite Topdown have 2/3 of the contents of a Guitar Center acoustic room in his condo, and Topdawgz bringing the other 1/3, I just like the feel and sound of my own guitar. 

I think the right word for this feeling is...stoked.  Very excited to see Jeff, Wayne, Liz, and Amy again, to meet Beamer in person and shake his hand, and to meet Topdawgz.  It's a shame Per had to drop out.  That would have been a real treat.

I couldn't say anything better than Amy did.  Put my name down with hers.

Looking forward to it!

Blended whiskey, home made whiskey, rot gut store bought whiskey, consecutively.

My mother-in-law went slowly and had time to prepare her spirit.  Our pastor was young when she went.  It was his first church out of seminary and ordination, and he had not had to deal with a matter-of-fact woman telling him what the topic of his message was going to be at her memorial service.  It rather freaked him out, but it made things much easier on the family.  When she went, she was ready.  In fact, to this day I consider it a modern-day miracle.  She had been slipping slowly away mentally from pain meds.  Just as the family had to make the hard decision of whether or not to discontinue medical intervention, she woke up completely in sound and clear mind and made the decision for herself.  Given the medicines she was on, and what she was suffering from, that shouldn't have been possible. 

Though the pain is fresh, it will be a salve for your spirit in years to come that she was able to deal with those issues.  It was a great gift that she gave to you.  She seems like a wonderful woman.  God bless you Deadstring.

If it's to correct a cartilage tear, you'll be glad you did. I had my done six or so years ago. While the recovery was a drag, the end result has been great.  I can row, paddle, swim, raise my hand, exercise, anything I want.

Oh man. That sucks. I'm sorry you've been given this to go through.

Cool.  Happy NGD.

I also think the intro and chorus licks on Funk #49 work darned well.  The intro sounds like someone kind of coming to a realization, then the chorus riffs sound kind of like a "so there" after the telling off in the lyrics. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbmtW31oAj8