Thursday, September 20, 2018

When you find The One!

 I was about 9 years old and it was summer in Tennessee. My mother, probably having run out ways to entertain me and my brother, loaded us in the car and took us to a nearby KOA campground that had a swimming pool. There were only two other kids in the pool, a boy and a girl. My brother and I made fast friends with the boy and didn't give the girl much notice, since we were 9 & 7. I had no idea then, or for years later that that girl was my future wife!
 Fast forward 7 or 8 years and I'm a junior in high school. I despise school ( I don't use that term lightly at ALL, I despised the entire scholastic institution and all it entailed) and just wanted it to be over and get out. I have no idea what I want to do or be but I know that school isn't answering anything for me on those fronts. I sign up for an elective art class, figuring that it'll be an easy "A" and I'll be one step closer to scholastic freedom. The first day of class, I actually fall in love at first sight. (Yes that does happen) The most beautiful girl I've ever seen walks into class and I (having absolutely no game when it comes to girls) decide that I must meet, date and marry this girl. We became friends. I languished in the dreaded "friend-zone" for, what seemed like, ever! I chased her, I begged her, I told her all about my undying love for her and I eventually wore her down! We dated and I asked her to marry me, she said yes and we are now celebrating our 27 trip around the sun as husband and wife. She's my best friend, my most trusted companion, my spiritual compass. She's still the hottest woman I've ever laid eyes on and she still laughs at many of my jokes (not all but I'm still working on her). Thank you Buffy Venable Holt for making all of my dreams come true, every time, all the time. I love you more than you'll ever know.


Thursday, July 05, 2018

The Future

 So, we’re winding down the 2018 Blues U camp for kids at The MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, MN. I can’t say enough good things about this program, this facility or this city for that matter. So you know, this camp is a week long adventure for kids that allows them to be put into a band with other kids, they spend a week learning and rehearsing a set of songs (usually blues but that can be negotiable) and then the camp culminates with a Friday night performance at Famous Dave’s here in Minneapolis. With funding and grants, no child is turned down because they can’t afford it. 
 The first thing you notice when the camp starts is the fearlessness of these kids. They are totally open to the experience of self expression through music and the mechanics of being a supportive member of a band. I’ve yet to see an ego or any sign of anything but full on support and encouragement for their fellow bandmates and campmates. They sing and play with conviction and allow themselves to be coached and instructed so openly that it gives you added faith in our future if these are the kinds of folks that will someday take over!
 The instructors, Charles Fletcher, Jimmy “Prime-Time” Smith, J.D. Steele and myself take our groups through the week and simply guide them to the performance that we already know they are capable of and to see the look of discovery on their faces is the biggest reward, I think, any of us receive. 
 The real heroes of the camp are Jack and Lisa Campbell. The incredible husband and wife team that host the kids (all 30 of them at times!) in their home for the duration of the camp. Hey parents, here’s a challenge; host 3 teenagers for 1 night at your home…now multiply that by 10 for a week and the Campbell’s are willingly and eagerly doing that! Jack is tireless in his fundraising and in riding herd over the camp to make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be, that they’re all fed and all safe at all times. If there aren’t medals for this kind of service, there should be!

 I was blessed a few years ago to be invited to visit the camp for a day and fell in love with the project! I told Jack to count me in from then on and I consider it a blessing to be invited back each year. In a city like Minneapolis, where art is so strongly and fully supported, it only makes sense that a camp would exist that nurtures the Blues in the youth and encourages kids to pick up this art form and make it their own. I’ve got a tremendous amount of gratitude to Jack & Lisa, their talented sons, the amazing musicians who make up the coaching staff and the kids that make this camp a tremendous blessing. Thank you guys once again for letting this Tennessee guitar player feel like Minneapolis is another “hometown”!

Sunday, February 04, 2018

If Your Ears Knew What Was Good For Them...

 A few days ago I wrote about my latest music discovery, the awesome Johnnie Taylor Live At The Summit Club. It's still in heavy rotation in my universe but I stumbled on something equally jaw dropping; Isaac Hayes / Black Moses. This record is a revelation. The arrangements are incredible and it was obviously made in an era when an artist could succeed enough commercially to earn a degree of autonomy in the studio. Released in 1971, radio at that time required songs to be a commercial friendly 2:30-3:00 minutes max. There's not a song on this record under 5:00 minutes and if one second is displaced you would lose everything! THESE ARE GROOVES! The first track, a Jackson 5 hit; Never Can Say Goodbye, is an epiphany. The second song is (They Long To Be) Close To You. Originally a hit for the Carpenters only a year before! This arrangement and performance sounds like a different song! This is Isaac Hayes at the peak of his game.
 My strong advice is to set aside some time, get yourself some headphones and listen to this record in it's entirety. LISTEN