HB Beverly in High Point Last Night...

http://www.myspace.com/hbbeverlymusic

I was down in High Point last night to visit with friends, have some great seafood at Biminis, and listen to HB for a couple of hours.

http://www.biminisoysterbar.com/highpoint/

HB was on last night. He can play some really nice covers and he has some very cool original music too. If you go to his MySpace page you can listen to a few of his songs. You can catch him playing in Myrtle Beach so get out and see him if you are in town. He is a ton of fun to listen to and a very nice guy to boot! Can't wait to hear him again. "Nuff said.

A Nice Friday...

http://www.nativewatercraft.com/

Today I went by Pro Canoe as they were having a big sale. Not that I need anymore boats...ok I am am a sucker for the latest design on fun. I ran into Andy Zimmerman on the sales floor and we talked about his latest prototype standup paddle stuff. He also told me about his time on Jimmy Buffett's seaplane and his Outer Banks fun in the last few months.

http://www.margaritaville.com/index.php?page=obx

http://www.shopgetoutdoors.com/

Anyway. I am off on another river trip in the morning as life is short and I want to feel nature around me. As I write this I am listening to Marshall Chapman sing on my headphones. And I should mention my headphones are made in the United States...another tangent...http://www.gradolabs.com/frameset_main.htm A great company..support them...a great family owned business based in America.

Where is this post going? Well after a long day in the life I saw on the internet that my friends are still getting over another young friend leaving this earth and I feel for them. So my thoughts are with all of you who lost a friend this week. I lost a couple too. It is a small planet after all.

On another note...here is a link to a video of the late great Tim Krekel with Marshall Chapman and Tommy Womack. Just this past week Jimmy Buffett recorded a Tommy Womack song for his new unreleased cd in Nashville right before he performed at the Bonnaroo festival. Yes folks we are still alive....and it is all good. The next Buffett cd should be very cool as they all are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER52ZlkFtfg&feature=related

Hey I will see you down the road.

Tim Krekel.

http://www.timkrekel.com/

TIm Krekel has left the building. This is not news I wanted to hear. As I write this I hear Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson have died today as well. Wow life is so short and so precious. There is not a moment to be wasted. I knew TIm was not doing well from the words I have been reading on my laptop screen this week.

I will miss following TIm's career. I saw him perform several times and he was a friend of many of my friends. He had a very successful life and recorded with some giants in the music business.

Here is an excerpt from his web site outlining his working life.

Tim’s songs have been recorded by artists such as Rick Nelson, Lonnie Mack, Jerry Reed, Dr. Feelgood, Shakin’ Stevens, Canned Heat, Kathy Mattea, Jason & the Scorchers, Vern Gosdin, BJ Thomas, Delbert McClinton Aaron Tippin, Deana Carter and Kim Ritchey. Many artists have had great success with Tim’s songs. Crystal Gayle had a number one hit with Turning Away in 1984. Patty Loveless also went to number one with You Can Feel Bad, a song Tim co-wrote with Matraca Berg and that also earned Tim a BMI Country Award in 1997. Cry on the Shoulder of the Road, another Krekel/Berg penned tune was a chart topper for Martina McBride. Kim Richey’s version of Come Around, a song she co-wrote with Tim, was used in the 1999 Kevin Costner film, For Love of the Game.

There have been many people who have been thrilled to play with Tim Krekel. Some of them are well-known, but it’s also important to emphasize that Tim regularly encourages other musicians to join him for a song: His humility onstage makes it easy for those performers to do their best. They might be a little more nervous if they realized that Tim has played with performers like Jimmy Buffett, The Eagles, Billy Swan, Bo Diddley, Delbert McClinton, Skeeter Davis, Steve Forbert, Tracy Nelson, Pam Tillis, Marshall Chapman, Lonnie Mack, and Sam Bush.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090624/SCENE04/906240390/1011/rss05

I should add that I have lived through the time where I remember Tim touring with Jimmy Buffett and performing in the movie "FM." All of those concerts and that movie seem just like yesterday. No static at all...Sail on Tim. You will be missed.

Yeah, fifteen will get you twenty,
but that's all right,
'Cause they're rockin' and a rollin' on a
Livingston Saturday Night.

So won't you listen to the sound of the hot country band,
Boot heels shufflin' on the dance floor sand,
Hum song, play some pong, eat a deviled egg,
Temperature is rising, better pop another keg.

Fifteen will get you twenty, but that's alright,
'Cause they'll be rockin' and a rollin' on a
Livingston Saturday Night.

Best Wishes Steve Jobs...

I was reading this morning that Steve Jobs had a liver transplant two months ago. Well I knew he was off work for a while on medical leave. It sounds like he is doing better.

I usually keep my posts to music in nature...but without Steve I have a feeling my Macbook Pro, Itunes, Ipod, Apple TV, you name it would either be really different or not even exist. So I am thinking I want him healthy real soon. Rock on Steve.
Glad to hear you are doing ok...

Encore!

Donald Fagen. http://www.donaldfagen.com/

Encore. I didn't take many pictures of this show. First I left my new "concert ready super zoom, low light" Canon at home. Second I was just too taken with the moment to photograph anything with a camera. But my mind was storing all the memories I will never forget. It is all right here..(taps right side of head)

Steely Dan left the stage with "My Old School." I think everyone in the sold-out house sung every word of that song.

You want to know the downside of watching Donald Fagen from ten feet away at a Steely Dan concert? He completely blocked my view of Carolyn Leonhart!

http://www.carolynleonhart.com/

Come on Donald we need a platform for the background singers or something! LMAO.

'Nuff said. Until next time, I will see you down the road.

Steely Dan Leaves the Stage...

Click on the photo if you want more detail....

The show is over. After two hours and twenty songs non-stop Walter and Donald walk off the stage. The band plays the final vamp and it is done. Wow what a night. I need to go find some tickets for one of those New York shows.....

Before I go on I have to share a story from last week while I was hanging out with Robbin Thompson. There is more on Robbin in my blog from last week. I asked Robbin if he was going to be around for the Steely Dan show this week. No...He was booked up surfing in Nicaragua (rough life)

Anyway he was telling me a story of being in a studio with Gary Katz
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Katz and at the same time Donald Fagen was right beside him playing pinball on some game machines in the studio. He stopped Donald and said " Man that was some album you all just made. I have questions." (He was talking about "Royal Scam") Donald stopped and said "OK what?" What does that song "Kid Charlemagne" mean? And of course he told the story. I won't recite it here but this link does a good job: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kid_Charlemagne

I thought that was a very cool story. The title track "Royal Scam?" Well according to Robbin via Donald that was the deal they made with the record company to record in the Caribbean...go check those lyrics...anyway...here's to the Kid:

While the music played you worked by candlelight
Those San Francisco nights
You were the best in town
Just by chance you crossed the diamond with the pearl
You turned it on the world
That's when you turned the world around...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylr2D4Pwn58

More Walter.

Another picture of Walter and just before he took the microphone for "Daddy Don't Live in that New York City No More." I will admit I know every song lyric for most every Steely Dan song as well as every solo. I was so close to Walter I could see his eyes watching me as I just absorbed every note coming off the stage. At times I had to sing along with my favorites, and it was fun. Yes it was a blast. (You can click on the picture for more detail)

The Walter Becker Rant....

Walter. http://walterbecker.com/

Walter is fifty percent of Steely Dan. That makes him one of my music heroes. He is so hip with his rants. He reminds me very much of the gift Dan Ackroyd http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Aykroyd has for winding up before pitching something very cool.

On this evening Walter was winding up for the next song "Hey Nineteen" As he went through the presentation I was smiling ear to ear. I can't recite it word for word but the gist was: "In the 1970's we had this thing." "It had a hat and it was Hecho en Mexico." 'You know the song!" The crowd roared. I was grinning....yes. I know that song. What a night.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Nineteen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzfwtX2kgOA

Way back when
In sixty-seven
I was the dandy
Of gamma chi
Sweet things from Boston

So young and willing
Moved down to Scarsdale
Where the hell am I
Hey nineteen
No we cant dance together
No we cant talk at all
Please take me along
When you slide on down

Hey nineteen
That's retha franklin
She don't remember
The queen of soul
Its hard times befallen
The sole survivors
She thinks I'm crazy
But I'm just growing old

Hey nineteen
No we got nothing in common
No we cant talk at all
Please take me along
When you slide on down

The cuervo gold
The fine columbian
Make tonight a wonderful thing

Jon Herrington....

http://www.jonherington.com

I ran into Jon just before the show across the street near a restaurant. He was meeting some people he knew so I let him go about his way without my interruption. He was great on guitar all night. I have to say that I love that Hamer guitar he plays...


http://www.hamerguitars.com/

Donald Fagen in the Spotlight.

Donald Fagen on stage right after the seven minute band introduction.

As Walter and Donald came on to the stage for the first time we all rose to our feet and gave them a loud standing ovation. This was a moment that makes you feel soo alive. Donald had just started the show with an almost unrecognizable version of "Reeling in the Years." It was the start of a twenty song set that lasted almost two hours. It was awesome.

The Durham Performance Center!

http://www.dpacnc.com/

The brand spankin' new Durham Performance Center. Home to the first night of the sold out Steely Dan Rent Party Tour 2009! http://www.steelydan.com/

This place is very nice...I will be back.

Two afternoons ago in Durham, North Carolina

http://www.americantobaccohistoricdistrict.com/

This area is a fabulous place to walk around in on a glorious Summer afternoon. This waterfall leads into a very wide stream of water that winds through the complex of offices, bars, and restaurants...I spent some time here before the Steely Dan show across the street.

Three Amigos.

Me, Robbin, and Kevin at mansion462 in Chapel Hill before the show. Thanks to Karen for taking this photo.

Kevin was in from Phoenix for the show and we got to chat a while about how you do a music tour of Europe which is his specialty. He is working with some very cool people right now. Robbin is one of them...Very interesting this music business.

http://www.kennedymusicpromotions.com/

I had a blast last Tuesday. Nice people and a great place. I could go and on but one thing is clear. I will tell you to get out and enjoy live music. Life is short and if you need a break there is nothing like a night on the town with a great artist on stage to clear your head. Nuff' said.

See ya down the road. Oh...Standby I have a very cool report coming next week.

Robbin with his Gibson....

I asked Robbin what he was up to as we walked in the sunshine on Franklin Street. He told me he is working on a show for PBS. He is also working on a very interesting project where he will take wood from all over Virginia and build two guitars via a famous luthier from this area. He already has wood donation pledges from Appomattux Court House, Monticello, and Mount Vernon to name a few. The idea is a full documentary to film the collection and even cutting of the wood as well as building the guitars. This project will take some time as there is some significant budget dollars involved but it really has legs at this point. I can't wait to see the results of this one!


http://www.nps.gov/apco/

http://www.monticello.org/

http://www.mountvernon.org/

Robbin on Stage.

After the sound check I walked with Robbin over to his hotel across the street. Man what a nice place! The Franklin Hotel. http://www.franklinhotelnc.com/ For a little while we exchanged stories and he broke out his beautiful Koa Taylor guitar I carried over for him. Let me interject the point that I really have a thing for guitars...I think I own nine or so now myself and I never tire of holding them and adoring the craftsmanship that goes into each one.
Anyway I had heard Robbin say something about wanting to "work on something." As we sat there talking about how great our daughters are doing in school he started to play a new song. Before I go on, his very beautiful daughters are now at the PHD and masters degree levels. He showed me the pictures of his girls on his cell phone. My daughter is in high school in honors classes with something very close to a four-oh! average. Can you say a perfect 100 score for a Latin semester? I don't like to brag but I always tell my friends if you are gonna' brag let it be about your friends and family. We are both very lucky....
Back to the story...Robbin was using the lyrics to an older song he wrote and playing two sets of chords to the song. It was very nice. Later that night he played that song for the first time on stage. I thought that whole thing was extremely cool.

Brad working the sound board.

Brad Waycaster.

I called my pal Brad over at Mansion462 who told me my other pal Robbin Thompson was getting ready to do a sound check. In three minutes also known as two blocks I was parked 20 feet from the back door. I went inside and straight for the elevated sound booth. Brad shook my hand and we proceeded to listen to Robbin play on stage. Man the sound is good in this place! The wool carpets hanging on the walls and on the floor were absorbing the sound and the PA sounded really sweet. Let me just stop and say if I ever own a music venue this is one excellent model. I love this place. Intimate, very clean, comfortable, and well decorated. It feels like you are in an upscale listening room with a big bar. I love a music venue with leather couches. Very nice.

Robbin's guitars are very cool and they were real nice in this room. I am loving the acoustics in this place.

http://www.robbinthompson.com/

http://www.myspace.com/robbinthompsoncom

Mansion 462, Chapel Hill

http://mansion462.com/

On this past Tuesday afternoon I had the pleasure of being in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on a glorious early Summer day. The sun was out and you could feel the humidity in the air. Franklin Street is a cool place to be anytime but today, well I was on a mission.
I arrived about 4:30 and stopped by my favorite Carrboro Mexican place...Carrburritos.
http://www.carrburritos.com/ After about 6 minutes I had a to go cup of ice tea and a really nice Chorizo burrito. Normally I grab a fish taco but I thought I would take a walk on the wild side...

Koko Taylor

Koko Taylor.


http://www.kokotaylor.com/

I heard from Shannon Curfman a few minutes ago that Koko died. Well, the internet is very fast...80 years old. She had just had surgery and I guess it didn't save her. I really don't have much to say except I am fortunate that I saw her perform live several times.

As I write this an image is in my mind of a show she did at the Bull Durham ballpark in Durham, North Carolina. Frankly, she kicked some major ass. Every time we lose a blues artist I get this bit of sadness that a real star has left us and cannot be replaced.

People like Joe Bonamassa are doing things like "Blues in Schools." Somehow I think that has most of the blues artists are making this happen, where ever they are.

http://www.blues-in-the-schools.org/

http://www.jbonamassa.com/

Thanks Koko, You rocked. I saw it. And I won't forget.