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Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Ah Ah AhChoooo!
Some people wax poetic about the virtues of Autumn.   The changing colors,  the crisp air........the new TV shows.
For me,  the Fall has always meant allergies.   From now until we get a good hard frost,  I carry around a box of Kleenex the way a teenage girl carries a cell phone.   Some days are worse than others,  and I seem to do a little better if I get a some distance from home,   but I never know when a run of 8 or 10 sneezes is coming.
Hopefully,  if you see me performing in the next few weeks,  I won't be blowing my nose on stage.   If I am,  I'll try to do it in tune.

Posted by westguitar at 4:21 AM EDT
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Thursday, 18 September 2008
Small Changes.....Big Results
 When you play every week at the same place,  and there is a somewhat limited narrow focus on one style of music at that venue,  it's easy to get bored.   A few weeks ago at Beale Street,   I declared that I was just sick of everything I play.  I was going to completely change my style.  Maybe take up polka music or learn to play the bassoon.
In the past week, however, I saw a couple of friends of mine give performances that started me thinking about it a little differently.   The first was at Ross's wedding.   He sat Laurie down and played a song for her.  It was a song that W.B. Blues has performed,  and truth be told Ross did it solo for quite a while before there ever was a W.B. Blues.   But Ross plays it differently than I do on guitar,  and the bass player from the jazz trio that was playing the reception joined in,  playing the bass lines just a little differently than Ross usually plays them with W.B. Blues.   I was probably one of the few people in the room that knew it was different,  but the subtle changes that I heard were like a breath of fresh air into a song that I've heard scores of times.
The other performance I saw was by my friend, Lisa Bigwood.   Her band played in Livonia the other night.   I've never heard her with the band before.  Only solo.   Her band consists of her on vocals and guitar, with a mandolin, upright bass,  and a second guitar player taking leads.   The feel of the group reminded me a little of Allison Krause.    The first song I heard was new to me, and I was impressed.  Then they started doing some of the songs that I've heard Lisa perform as a solo act.   I was really impressed by how just a little different instrumentation and some sparse harmonies changed the whole compexion of her songs.  
Both performances left me thinking that perhaps I don't need to completely reinvent what I do,  but just make some subtle changes here and there to some songs.   Maybe change the tempo,  or rearrange the chord changes.  
They say Bob Dylan never plays a song the same way twice.  I don't know if I want to go to that extreme,  but a fresh coat of paint may be in order to brighten some of my repetoir up a bit.

Posted by westguitar at 12:39 PM EDT
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Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Defining Moments in musical Taste
Evolution is usually pretty slow.  Drastic changes aren't all that common.  Such is the way with personal musical tastes.  You don't just decide one day that you're going to like jazz or country or gregorian chants.   Musical styles sneak into your consciousness subtlely and slowly,  and without even realizing it has happened,  you're an ABBA fan.
Still,  there are moments you can point to if you really think about it that drastically change the way you think about things.  You'll often hear musicians of a certain age talk about seeing The Beatles  on TV in the early sixties and having their whole perspective on music change at once.
I just rediscovered one of those moments,  thanks to YouTube.com.   Some time in the 80's,  there was a show on called Night Music.  I don't remember the details of when it was on,  but I think it ran opposite Saturday Night Live during one of their sucky periods.    It was hosted by saxophonist David Sanborne.   The show would pair up musicians who wouldn't normally play together for a set and see what they could do together.    I remember seeing bluesman Robert Cray  play with a singer/songwriter I had never heard of before named John Hiatt.   They did the old Sam and Dave soul classic "When Something is Wrong With My Baby."     I vividly remember at the time feeling goosebumps.   It opened the doors to blues,  soul, and the way a singer/songwriter can interpret someone elses song all at once for me.    John Hiatt is one of my favorite songwriters.  Robert Cray is a staple in my music collection,  and that Memphis horn sound is never far from my mind as I try to interpret songs.     Along with the first time my sister snuck me into a club to see B.B. King when I was underage,   and my trip through rural Mississippi many years later,   I think that four or five minutes of one show really shaped my entire taste in music.    It was nice to run across the clip and find that it lived up to my memories of it.

Posted by westguitar at 8:25 AM EDT
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Stage Fright.....and affirmation
Every Sunday night in the summer,  there is a free concert at Vitale Park on Conesus Lake.  It's practically in my back yard.   They get some local acts,  but they also get some larger, regional acts to play.   The concerts run from 6PM to 8 PM.   There are usually hundreds of people,  maybe even thousands on a nice night including those who listen from their boats.   It's a great way to end the weekend.  
     I've always had this thing about not wanting to perform in my home town.   I've been asked before,  and I usually make up some excuse.  I guess I feel like if I play in front of people I don't know and they don't like me,  I don't have to see them again,  but if I play in front of family, friends, and neighbors and they don't like it,  I still have to live here.   Irrational,  I know,  but I think most performers have some insecurity,  and that happens to be mine.
     This past Sunday,  about 5:15 PM,  I got a call from the town supervisor.  The band they had booked broke down in Pennsylvania and wasn't going to make it.  There were a lot of people already at the park,  and they were in a real bind.   Was I available?   I hemmed and hawed for a minute,  then said I'd do it.   I promptly went into panic mode.   How could I do this whole show alone on such short notice?  I needed some support.  I tried calling the boys from W.B. Blues,  but Ross was out of town and Tim had been playing another gig all day.   Pete Collin had been working all day,  and just wasn't up to it.  I tried my old friend Bill Brown.  He said he would,  but he didn't think he could get there in time.  I even tried a few of the guys from the Son House Blues club at Beale Street.  No answer from anyone.   I was on my own.
     I got there,  and after an announcement from the supervisor that the band they all thought they were going to see wasn't coming,  he introduced me.  There I stood in front of the microphone with my guitar.  No set list,  no preparation, and no idea what the people wanted to hear.  I started with a Keb' Mo' song that I've played thousands of times.  I can play it in my sleep,  which is a good thing since I was on autopilot at that moment,  just trying to control my nerves.  That went ok.   The next song was well received,  and I started to loosen up.   I played some old standards which the older people seemed to like,  and some blues that appealed to the younger crowd.  By the end of the show,  I was feeling pretty good.  I was hearing some people actually whistling and cheering my name.  When I said goodnight,  there were calls for an encore.  For as nervous as I was,  I have to say that it was one of my best moments as a musician.  And it happened in my own home town.

Posted by westguitar at 10:13 AM EDT
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Monday, 18 August 2008
Working for a Living
 I am a fortunate man.  For the most part,  I am able to support myself doing what I love.  I'm not getting rich,  and I have no delusions that I'll ever be famous,  but between performing and giving lessons,  I'm able to get the bills paid.
Every now and then,  I must admit it feels like work.   After my gig on Saturday,  I will have played 9 gigs in 11 days.   That's a lot of singing.   My voice is starting to feel it a little.   I need to be extra diligent about making sure I warm up properly and take care not to strain too much.
This week,  I've been painting for my sister.  While I don't mind the work, I can't exactly say I'm enjoying it.  It feels like a job.   I can tell you that it is a nice reminder that making your living by doing something you love is a great way to live. 

Posted by westguitar at 8:59 AM EDT
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Friday, 8 August 2008
Pure Musical Joy
My friend Deborah Herbert is in town.  She comes to visit family and friends about once a year from Denmark, where she currently lives.  Over the years, I've been lucky enough to have her trust me to get a gig or two and find some backup musicians so she can put on a show while she's home.   This year, we're going to be playing at The Big Tree Inn on Main Street,  Geneseo on Saturday, July 26,  and again on Thursday July 31. 
Deb is just a wonderful singer.  I dare you to watch her perform and not leave with a huge smile on your face.   You just can't do it.
This year,  Gary Holt will be playing bass,  Dave Sharman will be on guitar,  Andrew Lawton will be on drums,  and I'm going to doing my best to keep up on guitar and harmonicas and maybe a vocal or two.  I'm not too proud to say that I'm the weak link, musically speaking.   If you know what to look for,  you'll probably see a Milli Vanilli moment or two from me.  It's just a privledge to be on the stage with these fine musicians.
Here's a link to Deb's myspace page where you can listen to a sample of her.  http://www.myspace.com

Posted by westguitar at 7:33 AM EDT
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Saturday, 26 July 2008
Some Random Thoughts
There's a lot of things that I've been wanting to write about,  but haven't put anything into a cohesive thought patter,  so I'm going to just ramble here....
  • Everyone who works at the Wilmot Cancer Center at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester should get a direct pass to Heaven when they die.  In dealing with them recently, I could not have been more impressed with how caring and supportive everyone is.
  • How come when you're running late,  there always seems to be someone on the road in front of you driving just 2 mph under the speed limit?
  • Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me,"  while a beautiful song, is the most agonizing thing in the world to listen to if you're anywhere close to the end of a relationship.  Doesn't matter which side of it you're on.
  • People who stop in a busy doorway to have a conversation (at Wegmans, for example)  should be given a mild electric shock to keep them moving.
  • Smell is a powerful memory trigger.  I got a whiff of someone wearing the same perfume a former girlfriend wears,  and it brought back all kinds of memories.  Kind of a strange feeling.
  • My friend Deborah Herbert is in town for a couple of weeks.  I've lined up some great musicians,  and we'll be doing a couple of gigs.   You don't want to miss them.  Stay tuned for details.
  • I attended a wedding recently.   I like being comfortable,  but every now and then it's nice to see a crowd of people dressed up and looking pretty.
  • I believe if they didn't allow political candidates to declare which party they belong to,  we'd have a much more informed electorate.
  • We're all too busy.  Every weekend throughout the summer, there are at least four events going on.  Festivals, fairs, concerts, parties, etc.  It's nuts.

Well,  I could go on like this forever,  but I suppose I ought to wrap it up.  I'll have something more cogent soon.   In the meantime,  keep supporting live, local music.

Posted by westguitar at 12:07 PM EDT
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Saturday, 19 July 2008
the band
It started simply enough.   I mentioned to Tim Brinduse that I'd love to have a band that played acoustic blues.   I wanted to do Delta Blues.  Real down home stuff.  He was in.   We recruited a bass player to play upright bass,  and got ourselves a gig.   Then the bass player dropped out.   I knew Ross Bracco as a very talented guitar player,  but I knew he could probably handle some simple bass lines.   We did that first gig at the Canaseraga Hardware and Coffee Company in March 2005 under the vague name of the sw blues band.   That was mostly because I had told Al we had a band,  but no name.   We later tossed around a few names,  and decided we'd just use our initials.  WBB Blues was too much "B" sound.   BBW,  it was learned is an abbreviation in the personal ads for fat women.   We thought the crowd might be disappointed when they saw us under that name.   We settled on WB Blues.    We set out on our musical journey as a trio.
Ross decided to buy himself an upright bass and learn how to play it - very well, I might add.   We modified our original dedication to strictly Delta Blues to include some other types of blues,  including our own arrangements of some not so traditional blues songs,  while remaining true to the acoustic sound we started with.
Three years later,  after a lot of rehearsals,  some great gigs,  a few nights of playing to empty seats,  a disagreement or two here and there, and a lot of fun later,   W.B. Blues is changing directions.   That is to say,  we're taking a break.   We haven't really said we're breaking up.  One never knows what the future may have in store,  but our respective lives and careers have gotten busier and it's more difficult for us to do the band the way it deserves to be done.   We don't want to half-ass it.
This week there are a few more chances to see us before we put the act on ice for a while.   I hope you can make it out to give us one more listen.   I know I speak for Ross and Tim when I say we genuinely appreciate all of the kind support that we've received.   To be sure,  you will see us out playing in one form or another.   I continue to do my solo performances,   Tim can be found sitting in with one band or another all the time,  and while Ross will soon be sporting a ball and chain,  his betrothed is quite a music fan,  so I'm sure you'll see him out and about,  guitar in hand.
Thanks so much for giving us the chance to do what we love.

Posted by westguitar at 12:18 PM EDT
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Monday, 7 July 2008
Independence
As we celebrate our nations 232nd birthday,  I want to take a moment to thank God that I was born in the United States.  I have lived overseas and spent time in countries where the citizens are not afforded the same freedoms and opportunities that we have.  What makes our country great is not that the government takes care of us,  but rather that we are afforded the chance to take care of ourselves.   We are not told where to work or when to work or what work we must do.   We can vote for the candidates we like,  we can speak out against those we do not like.   It's easy to take that for granted or not really appreciate how important that is.   When you've seen it from the other side,  you begin to realize just what makes the USA special.  

Posted by westguitar at 3:43 PM EDT
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Thursday, 3 July 2008
Local Music
I send out an email about once a week telling people about the upcoming gigs I have.  You can sign up for it below if you like.   Usually, toward the end of the email I say "Remember to support local music,  or it might just go away."    I got reminded this week just how true that is.  A place that I was scheduled to play several times this summer called and cancelled the gigs.  In fact,  they were closing the business.
I can't tell you why one place succeeds and another fails.  I've seen owners who work their butts off fail,  and others succeed despite their ineptitude.
As a musician,  I hate to see anyplace that has supported live music go down.  Over the years,  I've seen a number of great places close their doors.   Sooner or later somebody else will give it a try.  Some win,  some lose.   I'd like to encourage you,  gentle reader,  to give them a fair shot.   Support the businesses who support local musicians.    Yeah,  I'm being self-serving in saying that,  but in the larger sense,  we all benefit from having an outlet or two for creativity in the private sector.

Posted by westguitar at 9:16 AM EDT
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