New Fun In The Mail

My Jerry Rockwell books arrived and I am really happy about that. I ordered "Music Theory and Chord Reference For The Mountain Dulcimer", and a couple of song books of tablature, but it also came with a CD of some whacked-out electro-dulcimer experiments that are as boundary-pushing as anything out there in Dulcimerica. And that's right, I've coined the term "Dulcimerica", because it doesn't exist anywhere on the internet, and in about a week, the first times it pops up, my name will be associated with it.

God, I love the web.

And then I'm reminded of the naked pictures of me anchored somewhere in the blizzard of ones and zeros and then I rethink that whole "love" issue.

We don't live in a very bright house, in fact our cable connection is actually pretty stupid. Jae and I would very much like for the little green light second from the bottom of the modem to stop blinking slo-w-ly and stay the hell on so we can get some work done online. Right now, we're doing a bunch of work offline and then shooting it over when service is back up, which is every five minutes with breaks of twenty. Yeah. It's like that.

And I'm typing with a handicapped pinky, crushed by another cruel piece of electrician's hardware. In the past three weeks, I've fractured my right big toe, sprained my left wrist and then jammed my right pinky earlier today; both digits are swollen but the wrist is making a comeback. So, playing dulcimer right now has been an exercise in sheer passion. It's like, "what would you do for the revolution?"

"I'd practice injured!"

The First Of April.mp3

While diving into the music this past weekend, I decided to write some backing tracks for one of the MacJams.com guys, Leon Aguilar, to sing over. Leon's an up and coming writer/performer and I really like his style - so I cooked up "The First Of April."

Most of the sounds are dulcimer, including the long sustained, synthesizer-type notes that were created by using the EBow. The drums are edited loops, the bass is some edited loopage and some real-time input. The horns and strings at the end are sounds from my Roland Fantom keyboard and there are a couple of little effects here and there. It sounds, to me, a little like a David Bowie song - which is kinda cool. The odd song structure struck me as being "right" - with a big rocking bridge in place of a second verse and a large breakdown section with not a lot of drums. I'm eager to see what Leon comes up with - in the meantime, I've got some of my own ideas and designs about how this may translate.

Bing Futch - The First Of April.mp3

First Dulcitar Pics

As you can see in these pictures, the Dulcitar is starting to emerge from raw materials. The basic shape has been cut and the beginning stages of texture-placement have begun.

Vroom, vroom...

For the longest time, I just could NOT get this piece of sheet music printed out. It's been finished for a while, but there was some kind of error that was proving to be impossible - until today. So, here is another original tune ready for download in .pdf format:

This Road This Moment (.pdf)

This is the music for the final track on clear blue trickling. Right now, I've been notating the music into Sibelius and then exporting it to graphic form, dumping it into Adobe InDesign and then exporting it as a .pdf file. When it works. It's quite a process and I know there are easier ways - I'm just not sure what they are, besides TablEdit - which I'm working on getting. I'm pretty sure that the version that actually saves is a donation of some sort, and funds are kind of tied up and precious currently. So, what I've got to use is free - and that works for the time being, right?

EBow ROCKS!

Wow, this thing is pretty nifty! Now granted, it's made for guitars, even down to the string-spacing, so I knew that applying it to a dulcimer was going to be tricky - but within a half-hour or so, I was getting the most incredible sounds, from soft, woodwind-type hoots to mad fiddling action ala Beethoven. It requires a very delicate touch, and it sure is taking some getting used to - but a whole new avenue of sound has just been opened up to me - and hopefully, by the time the Dulcitar arrives, I'll have it down enough to really leap in with both feet. I'll upload some sound samples as soon as I've got something cool put together. Giddy fun! And speaking of the Dulcitar...

Dulcitar Update



Doug writes that the veneer for the topside will be a little different, as you can see to the right, it's "a wide deep curl rather than a quilt. Bookmatched down the center- sweet!" He also reports that "As of today, The body is cut out, sanded and top is veneered..starting to look like a dulcitar! Meanwhile, control/pickup cavities need to be routed and 'handle' cut out. That will keep me busy for a day or two. Then Dolphy is carefully shaped and inlayed into top. After first sanding, sealer is hand painted onto Dolphy but not wood- to protect the pearl from being stained. Corner of back and sides will be rounded off with half round bit, sanded and sprayed. The top/sides use a smaller bit and will have to wait until after staining and application of color- black for the back, turquoise for the top. Top and back are colored and sealed for protection from the router base from scratching the top. The results are a nice clean line all around needing little or no touchup. The final finish coats are then applied."

"Dolphy" refers to the mother-of-pearl dolphin that he's going to inlay into the top for me. This is truly going to be a one-of-a-kind instrument!

What really made my eyes pop is his description of how he's going to get the effect that's pictured here on this guitar. "To bring out the contrast in the grain, I will first stain the wood after light sanding using my finger tips, leaving the ripples. The a coat of sealer is then applied. Next the tops of the 'hills' are sanded off using a flat block, leaving the 'valleys' still sealed. Several more coats of stain are applied to the hills, making them darker than the valleys and so increasing the contrast. The pic below is what I'm shooting for... six parts emerald green to one part deep blue comes pretty close. Maybe a drop of yellow?"

She's gonna be one dreamy-looking axe!

Mucking Around

Dulcitar Progress Report

Doug writes that "this is the veneer I have ordered for a top laminate. The body wood has also been purchased. I hope to start cutting wood next week." I'm like a little kid on Christmas Eve. Already. A couple of days later, "Lexan template made, maple body blank sections laid out, rough shaped on band saw.
Next- body halves glued up and clamped today......expect veneer to arrive today or tomorrow."

There's a whole month of this left, I don't know that I can take it.

New Toy...Er, Technology

I went and picked up an EBow from Guitar Center yesterday. It's a little handheld device that produces an energy field that vibrates and sustains your guitar string; they call it Direct String Synthesis. I just call it Fun As All Get-Out. In the little brochure that comes with it (it's wrapped in a little velvet bag, like a bottle of Crown Royal), among the "fun things to do with an EBow" listed are "use with a slide", "violin-like bowing strokes" and "annoy the neighbors."

Which I'm planning to go do, right now.

Next?

The latest news is this: we're not going to Curacao. Sure, they still want us to play, but the terms of agreement have been changed. Originally, the Festival Curacao organizers were paying for each band's round trip airfare, hotel rooms for the week, issuing a per diem for meals and sending everyone home with a percentage of American ticket sales. Just recently, however, the organizers put out the word that they were hoping bands could cover their own transportation, room and board. Seeing as how we're all poor people, we simply couldn't rise to this particular occasion - so we sent along our regrets in not being able to attend.

Yeah, it's a bummer - I was looking forward to the trip if ever-so-slightly, because I always keep it in the back of my head that nothing's assured until you're there on the day of show going "wow, we're here." Usually.

But no frets and worries - those play dates would've fallen on Jae and I's second wedding anniversary, so this year, we'll continue our tradition of celebrating in Key West, where we were married.

I just put a deposit down on my Dulcitar and I'm super-stoked. It'll be the first production model made after the prototype, which is pictured here, and Doug's doing some crazy-great customizations on it, including:

4 string design Chromatic scale
Color- transparent turquoise/blue burst, gloss top, flat black back/sides, “routed binding”
Finish type- 2 part Dupont or Imron
Custom inlay- dolphin as specified, left/upper bout
LED Fret markers- green/blue 12th fret
Wood- plain maple
Fingerboard- rosewood
Tuners- chrome Goto mini buttons
Custom bone nut- Standard cut slots(doubled bass strings, 2 melody strings with extra slots for equidistant spacing
Electronics- 2 p-bass pickups with piezo saddle/bridge

It's gonna be sexy. As production pictures are available, I'll post them here - but suffice it to say that I'm drooling over mid-April, which is around about when I can expect this baby to be shipped! I told Doug if I really liked it, I'd order another one, this time with a traditional dulcimer fretboard (well, with 6+ and 3+ frets).

Patrick McKinney, who was the luthier behind creating Angelique out of a Cripple Creek acoustic kit, is ready to go for bout number two, during which we're going to fashion a solid-body hot-rod of a dulcimer with traditional fretboard to be played in the original style. Based on his suggestion, we're going to make it a real speciality of an instrument and offer up a few for sale online - a signature dulcimer. We're in the design phase now.

Man, 5:30 a.m. comes quickly - heigh-ho, heigh-ho, and all that fiddle-jazz!

Great Show

Fat Tuesday rocked - it was a great day for music and food, chilling with friends and celebrating life. The other bands were great, High Octane, which is Chuck Zayas' new band (he of Rocket 88 fame, as well as Nutrajet, for a brief and highly experimental time), Cosmic Sweat Society out of New Orleans, who really put on a hell of a show, and our friends Cadillac Recipe who put the crowd into the dancing mood.

The Mohave set was extremely pleasurable; it felt good, sounded right and was nothing but fun from start to finish. Mark and Rob truly stepped up to the plate and delivered home runs across the board and Uncle Charles really fired up the mix - it wasn't the first time I'd jammed with him, we'd done some big jam sessions at Hard Rock Live with about twenty people on stage, but we'd never actually had a chance to go one-on-one and it was really quite fun. At one point during "Caught", we were trading licks with each other during the break.

Steve, the sound guy, was really on it, kept it sounding incredible out front (as evidenced by the video) It was good to be back onstage again, playing this music, good to see bodies dancing and smiling, bopping heads and making noise. It's a real good feeling to communicate the vibe and pass it around. That's going to be something I pay close attention to in the coming weeks. Developing stronger connections and rhythms to truly get inside of the music.

We should have some info about upcoming gigs soon - in the meantime, check out these photos from the show, taken from video shot by our Goddess of a friend, Tina DeMasi.

Thanks to all who came out to party with us - yes, we were hurtin' the next morning!

One For The Money, Two For The Show...

We're in our second night of back-to-back rehearsals before the show tomorrow evening and I'm finally letting myself get a little excited, a little pumped. Charles Stansell is going to be playing mouth harp with us and he's wanting to do a Delta-style version of "Gold Trails Hotel", which I think could get really out-of-control, so we're going to do it. I don't know what he has in mind, but anything goes. I just hope it warms up. It's not even 6 pm and I'm shivering in the studio at the front of our house. Given that we're going on at 10:30 p.m. on a school night after everyone's been boozing it up, please don't let it be cold too. Talk about a buzz killer.

Tonight's final run-through is going to play like the real thing, so it's natural to be a little keyed up. Performing, as opposed to rehearsing, is like letting ALL of the angels and the demons come to play in the same sandbox at the same time. Quite fun.

Schedules and schematics

We've got a week of rehearsals leading into the show next Tuesday. Playing as a trio again has been a blast from the past, since that's the original configuration of not only Mohave, but The El Reys as well. It takes a lot of mojo'in to make it work as a three-piece and Mark and Rob have delivered the goods in what would be an insane consideration for anybody; learning 90 minutes of material in a little over a month. That's psycho, but it's happenin' anyway.

I just finished working up a demo of "April Fools" that I plan to use in selling the song as well as teaching it to others. It used to be where I'd slap together a demo in a few hours using hastily programmed drum beats and a thin layer of production, letting everyone fill in the blanks later. Now, it's important to get the details right from the get-go, as a number of different musicians will be performing the tunes. Though the bulk of the show will be a traditional trio arrangement, there will be some special guests sitting in on a few tunes, adding to the party mood that we're gonna bring with us!

I've got a couple of new Irish fiddle tunes committed to memory and I've been practicing them every night, along with some other newer tunes that have found their way into my sheet music book. I ain't doin' so hot with the music theory studying, but I'm still getting adjusted to a new schedule that's killer, but super-odd for this nocturnal guy. I also got Joline back from the shop where she recieved much love and care from our man Patrick. She's been totally refretted and he even managed to fix the buzzing brace that's been sounding on some of her notes. She literally hasn't sounded quite this good in a long time, at least tuning-wise. As the frets wear down, the distances between points on the fretboard changes, making your notes sound not quite the way they should. But as Patrick was noticing when I brought her in, her sound is twenty times better than when she was new in 1994, just by nature of all the music (and other things) she's absorbed over the past twelve years, her voice has gotten quite exquisite.

Excitement in the air...

...as well as a cold that's quite bracing, especially for ol' tropical Florida. Long underwear sounds really good this week.

I was asked to write some tips on recording dulcimers for Mac owners over at Everything Dulcimer, and it's been posted here at the Dulcitunes links page.

Tomorrow night is the Dulcimer Central jam over at the Lippy's and I'm fully intending on making this one after missing the last few. Tonight, I plan on downloading a good amount of tablature to beef up my song book, a couple of numbers have been suggested by the members, so I'm on a hunt for those. Apparently, a couple can be found here at Tull Glazener's site.

I've been working on a demo for "April Fools" this week, recording drum, bass and dulcimer parts and adding a nifty banjo loop that I edited a bit in Garageband 3, which I picked up not too long ago. That's pretty much why I've been missing in action from the blog - been buried in the glorious playground of music recording!

That and dreaming of my future Dulcitar. I've been e-mailing about specs with the creator of the instrument, Doug MacCormack, and since each one is custom-made, I'm looking into the details. The big question is: do I want to go all chromatic or go with a slightly modified traditional set-up? (Meaning, in my mind, a 6+ and 3+ fret addition. Okay, maybe a 1+ too. Oh hell, maybe I'll just go chromatic...) I'm thinking that leaping into a chromatic mode will enable me to start writing in some of the other styles and keys I've been unable to deal with through traditional tuning. But then again, a standard fret set-up would be fine, given that I'll have to learn a whole different way of holding the dulcimer, playing it basically upside-down due to the configuration of strings. Unless I had it so that I could string it the opposite way. So many choices!

I still want to get a new acoustic, but the budget is saying "give me a break!" - so I put Joline into the shop to have Patrick re-fret her and also to see about fixing that busted support that keeps buzzing around. She's a perfectly fine dulcimer - been around the block a few times (okay, been around the country a few times) - so I'll hold off on getting a new acoustic for the meantime.

Gonna lay some vocals down now - we're set to rehearse this week on Wednesday and Friday - the show's getting close!

It's Been A Hard Day's Night

And I've been SO working like a dog. All the better to pick one of these puppies up.

Between working on some new material and the past three weeks of rehearsals, it's been quite a rush - but I'm excited to say that Mohave is sounding solid and ready for the show later this month at Wall Street Plaza. We'll no doubt have some guest performers to help sweeten the deal on various instruments, but it's been refreshing and quite a lot of fun to return to the band's original configuration as a three-piece. With Mark on drums and Rob on bass, this arrangement works out powerfully and some of the songs are getting a slight reworking thanks to their skills.

There'll be more to report - but right now, vocation calls....

This Just In....

Mohave will be the headlining act at the Wall Street Plaza's annual Fat Tuesday blowout on February 28th. Details are still coming in, but we know that Cadillac Recipe is also on the bill (Rob's going to work a little overtime that day) and our set begins at 10:30 p.m., running up until midnight. There's no cover - and if you're not familiar with Downtown Orlando, Wall Street Plaza is where Subway, The Globe, Slingapours, The Tuk-Tuk Room, Wall Street Cantina, The Monkey Bar and other club/eateries are located. We'll have more details soon!

I went down to the local Apple store to pick up a copy of iLife '06, which contains the latest upgrade to Garageband, and I'm as happy as a cop in a Krispy Creme.

Writing

I've been working on a piece called "Bomb", that is coming around very nicely, have a couple of rehearsals this week and though I missed Kentucky, there is a lot coming up that's quite exciting.

I updated the web site a bit - nothing too earth-shattering, but it's still a change over what was before. Let me know if you think those are winter colors, okay?

I'm A Multi-tasking Maux-Faux

While the Kentucky Music Weekend carries on up north, I'm keeping myself as busy as possible, working up song templates and getting material together on several different levels. The first original dulcimer piece that I've gotten together in print form is "From The Hills To The Sea", a sweetly sashaying little waltz with Irish and Appalachian influences. You can download a .pdf of the sheet music below:

From The Hills To The Sea.pdf

At first, I thought handwriting the sheet music was going to be necessary. After bringing myself back around from a dead faint, some time was spent mucking around with Sibelius, which turned out to be strangely both remarkably helpful and hopelessly irritating during the process. With boiled peanuts sending off a folksy aroma from the kitchen (put 'em on last night during rehearsal, more on that later) and the whole wheat bread starting to fulfill its promise in the bread machine, I managed to suss out how to edit existing tablature staves in Sibelius and thusly created a workable, if not slightly flawed, setting for mountain dulcimer in Ionian mode. The idea being, if I write out a song using Standard Music Notation, I can then copy and paste the music into the dulcimer tab with the numbers coming up where they need to be; which is the part that I haven't quite gotten right yet. It's a start, anyway.

Rob Soviero from Cadillac Recipe came over last night for a rehearsal (and also brought back the crock-pot we had let him borrow, so I could start a new batch of boiled peanuts) - we worked on "Black Indian" and "Come On With Me" which both sound really good already. The object here is to learn the songs from the new album so we can play them and support the release. At the same time, we'll be learning newer material and getting enough material together for at least 90 minutes of performance time. CD copies have gone out to Ed McCurdy of the Blues Rattlers, who's excited about the project, and Mark Janssen, formerly of Plain Jane Automobile and currently gigging with The Orange Blossom Trails. Everyone's aware that nothing's permanent and that we're approaching things with an eye towards scheduling. If one person isn't available, someone else will be called in; that way, no gigs are missed, turned down or otherwise chucked out the window. Rob's obvious selling points are that he's a great bass player, obviously dedicated to the craft and is also a full-time musician as well, so our calendars are already fairly matched.

Concurrently, while I'm knocking out printed music for my dulcimer instruction and some forays into publishing, I'm also continuing to demo out songs, which I'm posting on MacJams.com and have started to host them over at iCompositions as well. I've always made demos for the purpose of helping others to learn them, but now I'm also producing them with an eye towards pitching them to publishers and producers. Which means, I'm putting a lot of work into them, but not exactly with the intention of actually releasing or performing them myself. As Clint Eastwood once murmured, "a man has to know his limitations" and the only ones I have are physical. So limit my songcrafting to what I can personally recreate, when I have a much wider palette available out there?

And that's a thought to muse upon as I retire to the kitchen, snap up a few of them slurpy-good peanuts, and begin preparing the cajun bean soup for tonight's supper.

Work, Work, Work, Hello Boys, I Missed You...

Guess the obscure quote from a comedic movie in the above subject line and win a free Mohave CD. By the way, huge thanks to the folks who have been going to CD Baby and picking up CDs left and right. We are now OUT OF STOCK, and have to send some more. That's a good bother.

I missed dulcimer jam tonight because of work - and won't be able to attend the Winter Dulcimer Weekend coming up Friday, because of money. Ironic, isn't it? But Nancy Barker, the organizer of the weekend and its much bigger and more famous cousin, Kentucky Music Week, emailed me and said there is still a chance I might be able to teach at the week long festival during the summer. That's encouraging - I really thought I had blown my chance.

In the meantime, I've been demoing like mad. Got a CD into the hands of another local drummer and the Backbooth in downtown Orlando is looking to book us. I'm thinking we might go out as a trio, just like the old days, until the full ensemble can get together. Many people forget the days of three Mohave members - but I see it like it was yesterday - in fact, it was, to a certain degree.

Bass player is coming over on Friday to groove through some material - and I found out that "Breaking News", the movie for which I wrote the song, is still in pre-production, but the writer is now flying to L.A. and meeting with an executive producer, so that's very good news!

The new version of the demo is on the Mohave MySpace account. It's a little different style of singing for me, but it was fun as all get-out to produce.

Demo, Demo, Audition, Audition

And that's pretty much all I'm doin'. Eating, sleeping and working enter the picture on occasion, but they are quite bashful about staying long.

As I complete some of these, they're going up on the MacJams site. The demoing of older songs that Mohave's played are for the purpose of auditions as I arrange some of the tunes differently. "The Irish In Me" is one that I'm working on now, along with "Neon Tiki", both of which I hope to have finished next week. This weekend, I'm passing off a disc to a local drummer that I've jammed with before. In a few days, it'll be five months before the South America show, so time is not only flying, it's booked a round-trip in coach!

Merry Christmas!

Yeah, Too Much Eggnog

It's my birthday. Actually, it ended about an hour ago, but I'm hanging on. Eggnog. Rum. Yum. You get the point.

I just uploaded a version of "Ventura" to MacJams.com - after going to Kobe near Universal with some friends, I've been working on it all day, part of my drive to get a bunch of songs demo'd for whatever purpose may suit.

Went to see Rob Thomas last Monday in Tampa. I'm not a huge fan, but I appreciate his music in a big way, especially "This Is How A Heart Breaks". We hung out after the show and, like a freakin' groupie, I got him to sign "Dee" - so, now I've got three Grammy winners signatures on her. Sweet.

Music is the only thing that can save me. I was talking to my step-grandmother about this today. A great quote: "If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you."

Jesus said that.

I've got some issues to deal with through my music. God gave me the gift, and as I can use it to cure myself, I can also present it to so that others can identify. Music that gives as it cures. Whatever the hell it takes - because I want to make music, but I've got to exorcise these demons.

My mom's death. My father's death. My grandfather's death. My aunt's death. My cousin's death. The death of the bond with my family. The death of my innocence.

I've got a lot of mourning to do.

And celebrating! To balance things out - there's so much to celebrate. The big jam we had last weekend, celebrating my birthday along with that of Rob from Cadillac Recipe and my attorney, Steve Belle - it was a massive love-in, of food, music and good times. It was beautiful, thank you Jae, and it also served as this catalyst for getting some new musical things done. The pipes are percolating.

My First Dulcimer Jam

I just got in from the dulcimer jam at The Lippy's; what a blast! Of course, it took me almost two years to attend after I first met David and Kim at the Central Florida Fair, where they performed with a couple of other dulcimer groups. They were very welcoming, as were the other members, and the first thing I noticed was how nice everyone's dulcimers were! I love my Joline, but she's seen better days - and her frets are so worn down that it takes some effort to nail the upper register. Nevertheless, she sang beautifully.

Soup and bread was served at 6:30 pm - a sort of roasted tomato bisque - and a lady named Erline brought pumpkin bread which was all kinds of delicious. Then everyone took a seat in their cheerfully decorated living room and we began to play. Of course, I didn't have any of the music that the circle called out, so I was given copies to read, and it was just about all sight reading for me, since the tunes were not familiar to me. Talk about a crash-course! Each member chose a song that they wanted to play, after we had gone through three Christmas tunes: "Hark The Herald Angels Sing", "Upon The Housetop" and "Joy To The World."

There was "Black Mountain Rag", "Southwind", "Farther Along", "The Boatman", "Edelweiss", "Chickens Crowin' At Midnight", an unusual piece called "Lame Tame Crane" that we played in a round, "John Stinson's #2", "River" (which had some hauntingly beautiful changes), a couple of tunes from Stephen Seifert's "Join The Jam" book ("Johnson Boys" and "Sugar Hill"), "South Callaway Waltz", a super-fun piece called "Nutfactory Shuffle" (don't you love some of these titles?), "Rocky Top" and we ended with "Amazing Grace."

When it was my turn to call a tune, I luckily had memorized "Whiskey Before Waltzing", and so we played that. When it came around again, I de-tuned to D-A-A (we'd been in D-A-D, pretty standard for most dulcimer folk) and called "Cripple Creek" - which was a different version than most of them played, which seems to be the case across the board; there are many different versions of tunes due to some of them being passed down by listening rather than notation. It was good to know how the group normally plays it, so I have a clue when jamming it with others.

David asked me to play an original, so I played my "Amazing Grace", which has been posted over at Dulcitunes.

It was a terrific time, and a total rush, since I had never heard 80% of the material and was sight reading as we went along. The sound of a room full of dulcimers is one of the sweetest things you'll ever hear. I'm looking forward to the next jam, which is on the 20th. This time, I hope to come armed with pages of tablature!

Practice, Practice

I've been nose-deep into dulcimer tablature, working through tunes and memorizing them. My goal is to have an hour-long set of instrumental music in memory by summer, so pretty much any spare moment I've got is spent plucking away. There are worse ways to pass the time!

Photo/Two Reviews

The Orlando Sentinel reviewed Cyndi Lauper's show today and Connections Magazine hit the streets with a review of clear blue trickling:

Mohave is a folky/jazzy band that reminds me of being on Bourbon Street. They have a really catchy sound and a steady rhythm throughout all their songs. There aren't too many bands like Mohave that are from Orlando. I love their use of horns and keyboards, and the first harmonica solo by Automatic John is excellent. The vocals of Bunky Garrabrant and Bing Futch are strong and potent, like they teach singing lessons for their daytime jobs. I was impressed with each song's different sound techniques and the synergy of the whole band. Definitely a CD worth picking up.- Kayla Anderson

Thanks Kayla! That sure puts a spring in one's step!

Yessss!

Well, I managed to pull it together and go to the show, which was phenomenal. She and her band put on an incredible show, during which the dulcimer took front and center stage on many tunes, including "All Through The Night", "Time After Time", "Above The Clouds" and "True Colors." Cyndi bopped, danced, rolled around on the stage, stood atop the grand piano, climbed speaker columns and sang like I've never heard her sing before - what an amazing voice she has! Her band was tight, and she seemed to keep them on their toes, changing up arrangements and guiding them through stops, starts and dynamics. Besides drums and bass guitar, there was a fiddle player and a guitarist (both of whom also played dulcimer at times) and a keyboardist/pianist. Opening act was Jill Sobule ("I Kissed A Girl"), who performed with only her guitar and captivated the audience. She joined Cyndi on-stage for a few songs, during which she proclaimed "Dulcimer is hot!" Cyndi also introduced the dulcimer to the crowd by saying "by the way, this is a dulcimer. I'm not supposed to talk much about that because people get confused. Are you confused?" She closed the show with "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", and as she said her final goodbyes and thank-yous, I ran outside to the truck, grabbed "Dee", the dulcimer that Willie Nelson and band signed a few years back, and then waited by the backstage exit along with some other die-hard fans for two and a half hours.

I'm happy to say that I had the chance to have Jill sign "Dee" (she strummed the strings as she signed) as well as Cyndi, who looked worn out at 1 am - and seemed torn between socializing and retreating to her tour bus, so she compromised and signed from within the bus, with her manager handing my dulcimer to her. Mission accomplished!



During the show, Cyndi passed out wristbands for the Matthew Shepard Foundation that were stamped with the words "Erase Hate." Showing her heart as a peace-loving person who believes we can still change the world we live in. If only more artists would use their music and their celebrity to convey such a beautiful message - we might get to that goal a whole lot quicker. It was a beautiful night - and a blessing to be able to attend the show.

True Colors

Dang, I wanna go! Couldn't afford a ticket though. But I'm definitely thinking about driving down to the House Of Blues and hanging by the backstage door like the drooling fanboy that I am. Just to see if I can get her to sign the same dulcimer that Willie Nelson and his band signed some years back. She's the most high-profile dulcist in the world right now, and she's doing so much to bring the instrument to the public's attention. Go, Cyndi!

If nothing else, I can smoke a couple of Sosa Family cigars, play my dulcimer and freeze my butt off. (Okay, it's not that cold, but there's definitely a chill in the air.)

Auditions

I was talking to a musician today about the concept of Mohave and how it's rooted in this little dusty town called Nowhere. Another bit of mud came off of the crystal ball as I rubbed it.

Some folks look at the desert and think "gad, who'd want to live there?" Dusty, hot, miles and miles of empty spaces. But the people of Nowhere don't think so, else they'd leave. Because as desolate as their town might be, it seems a lot better than moving into a bigger city like Reno or Las Vegas with all its glitz and glimmer, concrete and hoardes of people. The simpler life seems...well, simpler.

Besides, the denizens of Nowhere don't have to go Anywhere. The road that passes by the town serves as a two-lane conveyor belt that brings the world to them. All sorts of people from all walks of life with all kinds of stories to tell. They pop in, have a drink or two, get directions or make a phone call, then go along their merry way. The folks of Nowhere, Nevada live vicariously through these Travelers, and after the door slams and the wheels crunch in the dirt and dust as vehicles take their leave, they say to themselves. "Wouldn't want to be them." Luckily, Nowhere is so uninviting that no-one arrives, takes a look at the place and says "I'd like to live here." So, the population stays pretty much the same, give or take a few deaths and births.

This guitarist and I and also talked about the concept of Knowledge and what it means to humanity. If you're a believer in the story of Adam and Eve, they had it all in the Garden of Eden, everything they could possibly want was there within their reach, including the Tree of Knowledge, which was forbidden fruit. But mankind had to go there, just had to know what it didn't know already. Typical, ain't it?

And with that desire to know more, our eyes were opened to things that we probably could have done without, but nevertheless - here we are. And that's just one side of the story.

Nowhere is a dusty eden of sorts. Its locals don't have to eat any apples. The apples speed up in shiny cars and then leave again. They describe how they taste. What it's like to be an apple, they reveal. And then they go away, with the folks behind them simply taking their word for it. If only it were that simple. One doesn't have to put a finger in the fire to discover that fire burns. You can watch someone else put a finger in the fire and watch as they draw back quickly in pain. But yet, there's something about mankind that just has to know firsthand (or first finger) the sensation that they've witnessed..

Thank God this isn't the case with all such phenomena!

The Jams Begin

With our eyes upon the Festival Curacao in May of this year, the process of auditioning musicians has begun. We're in contact with players from as far away as Nashville, folks who have tour experience and are making music for a living. Not wanting to duplicate our most recent instrumentation, I've taken the music back to its most basic structure. Starting with the drone of the dulcimer and the simple arrangements. With that as a foundation, I've opened the door to one instrument that I had previously said wouldn't be a part of our sound: the guitar.

In a battle of sound between a dulcimer and a guitar, the guitar would own - simply because there's a bigger voice box (in the case of acoustic) and more strings. But if the guitar is played in a certain way, the two elements blend together with each one shining through the arrangements. I'm not certain that guitar will end up in the mix, but I'll be jamming with a guy this Thursday who's opened for the likes of Pat Travers and Iron Butterfly; someone who's seen the band, knows what we're about and loves the concept.

I'm also talking to 2005 SSA Pianist/Keyboardist Of The Year Ed McCurdy, whose soulful blues stylings on piano and organ are quite simply tasty.

The focus will be on getting a supporting ensemble together for this show, while also making plans to play out regionally in the state and elsewhere. Each show may feature different people, and that's how it sometimes is with blues music. With cats staying so busy, sometimes you can't always get who you want (but you can try to get who you need. Sorry, just had to say that.)

It's a very exciting time as we move forward, with every indication that the next time Mohave performs, it will be a powerfully positive experience that'll clear the way for what's to come. And I'll keep you posted on how that's going.

In the meantime, dreaming of Curacao and the exciting destinations that are just over the horizon. Hell, I already bit into the apple. And this Black Indian is ready to finally go on walkabout, in search of the big blue ocean.

*drooool*

Santa, never mind my last gift hint. THIS will do just fine.

Sa-wheeet!

What a nice couple of days this has been! Spent all day Thanksgiving working on a couple of demos, one for a tune called "The Liar Of Maxwell County" which I wrote a few years back and another for a song called "Silent Running", which I actually released on the "Kansas" album back in 1987. Last night, feeling sort of spunky, I guess, I came up with an agressive rock riff on the dulcimer, one that would be doubled by an equally aggressive bass line at some point in the song. Using Garageband (which I do for most of the demos), I punched up a very gritty and balls-to-the-wall rock song that doesn't have lyrics yet, but MAN, is it crunchy. That new version of Garageband looks sa-wheeet! Maybe Santa will bring it? (Note to Santa: I've been a very good boy this year, despite all the rumors.)

Tonight, Jae and I went to a function of the Friends of Florida Folk over at Mark Fodor's house, the site of a Mohave performance for the Sierra Club in May of this year. Mark's a real prince of a guy, a true music lover, and he kindly offers up his expansive and nicely landscaped backyard for concerts. Tonight's act was Something Special from Sarasota, minus two members. Still, Carl Wade and Barbara Shaffer were a delight to hear and see. True folkies, they both played guitar, Barbara on rhythm and Carl adding layers and textures with chords and leads. Their choice of songs was wonderful, from extremely funny (and timely) tunes to beautiful and moving love songs and ballads, all performed with sweet harmonies and humorous stage banter; highly entertaining. (I only wish more people had come out to the show - it was a lovely night for it, too.)

Later on, we sat inside the house and had a little jam along with Frank Julian, who had opened up the musical evening playing guitar for his pre-teen daughter (like 9 or 10), whose name is eluding me at the moment, but she sang like an angel and had a pro's stage presence! We all traded licks and songs, which was very educational for me, because they were switching keys and so-forth, prompting me to find some very creative ways to stay in the game. It's this kind of learning-on-the-fly that I'm really looking forward to. We had a lot of fun, Frank's original songs are just a hoot - and he asked me to record with him and his daughter on their first release.

All in all, a busy couple of musical days - and I also bug-bombed the house, which was no small feat. Do you know how much stuff you have to cover? Still, gotta nip this flea thing in the bud. They're not bothering us, but the animals have been giving us dirty looks.

I'm looking forward to next week's dulcimer jam at The Lippy's. I had a chance to sit in with their dulcimer circle of about 25 players at the Central Florida Fair a couple of years back and have wanted to find out where their group meets. Tuesday the 6th of December, I'm gonna find out!

Back To School

I'm excited to be heading north for Kentucky Music Week in January, which is actually the winter version of the popular festival that takes place closer to summer. There will be some dulcimer workshops and performances - and I'm looking forward to meeting Nancy Johnson Barker, who organizes these two events. The possibility of teaching dulcimer workshops at the summer event is a possibility, so I've been teaching myself some dulcimer solos out of the Dulcimer 2000 Mel Bay book that Ken from Everything Dulcimer gave to me, to strengthen my repertoire. The majority of my twenty years playing dulcimer has been spent focusing on rhythmic cords for accompaniement - so it's back to school to pick up some eja-ma-kashun.

Of course, "school" is anywhere that there are fellow dulcimer players willing to share a secret or two.

whoa, th a's deep!

Neon Tiki
© 1997 Fajita Musik/J.O.B. Entertainment

been a long time comin', no doubt, can't wait no longer, give me tiki
I've searched this world throughout for a thing that gets me wild and freaky
to the desert, to the oceans, it's a myth that stalks my head at night
in the limestone, beneath the lava, maybe I'll get lucky, huh?

on every street in every town, standing on a corner, lookin' for a bit of the light
they say, "hey man, get on with your life", but I can't relent the search for neon tiki
in the city, out in the country, in a book or an egg or a voodoo doll
dripping sweet from a poison grapevine or a message on the wall

I'm looking for a neon tiki (you will never find this tiki)
auwe-ah, yes I will

it came to me in a dream, now I find I gotta have it or I think I'm gonna forfeit my mind
in the words of a muse or the eyes of an angel, a tear from a painter's brush
it's the whim and the joy and the glee, it turns my brain to mush
to the racetrack, down in the subway, upon a jet leaving Tuesday night
without a care for the cost or the consequence, I'm there in coach, watching movies in flight I hate flying

I'm looking for a neon tiki (you will never find this tiki)
auwe-ah, yes I will

I wish I had a way to show you
what it's like, why it's here, where it hangs, what it sees, how it lives
how it breathes, where it grows, how it glows, watch it dance and know why I need it

I've been demoing this song for the past day or so; it's an oldie - been played out maybe once, I think. It's actually the first song structure that I ever wrote, probably back in 1982, when it was called "Out Of The Darkness." Some years later, I cannabalized it, changed the lyrics, swung the arrangement and dubbed it "Neon Tiki" - 1997.

Over the years, the song has been about that unquenchable quixotic thirst - the one thing that you're really looking for, that always seems to elude you. And though naysayers may tell you that you won't find it - you push ahead, because dreams do come true, after all.

Don't they?

A Truly Beautiful Night

The powwow went off wonderfully - and I could write three blogs about it - but I'm still savoring the afterglow (and the smell of boiled peanuts that I've got cooking in the kitchen.)

There'll be more - but I sure want to thank everyone who made this show such a rousing success! Especially Jae, for all her hard work with the organizing and food for the pre-party, Amy and Tony from AKA Lounge, Dave from Connections Magazine, The Eight-Fold Way and Snackdaddy - who both put on fantastic shows - DJ OG, who kept things moving for us - Perego, just an amazing light show, Kelly and Barbee with their art-in-progress, Dani-Oh for the spoken word, and the artists, Carl, Heather, Chad, Liz, Diana, Amy, Daas and Kristian for all of your incredible work - to Chris Johnson, who curated the show, to all the helping hands and significant others and especially to everyone who came out to share all of that love energy! We love you much - there's new stuff happening all the time.

But more on that later - I spent all day re-organizing the studio, moving furniture and chasing dustbunnies - it's now time for some Willie Wonka action.

til next time, Mahalo - we are very blessed!

Bing

The View From Here

To quote the greatest rock band in the world, "it's a beautiful day!" And ten points to yourself if you correctly guessed which rock band I mean.

Time Over The Waterfall
Music and lyrics by Bing Futch

Make some bones about it, digging in the dirt,
I'm starting from scratch
scraping at the clay, shaping the day
and the image is clear; it's what we're doing here

got one shoe on, the other's in the grass
the sky's so blue, water's like glass
it's early in the morning and late in the week, yeah
not thinking 'bout Monday, don't even speak it

Make some bones about it, digging in the dirt,
I'm starting from scratch
scraping at the clay, shaping the day
and the image is clear; it's what we're doing here

time is of the essence, essence is the soul
and the soul is timeless, so what you runnin' for?
take a giant step back, when you're up against the wall
steal time, forget time, lose time over the waterfall

Caught fillin' time, killin' time, Valentine
stretchin' time til the big-time show-time
Wastin' time, any time for a good time
savin' time, all the time, for the back nine

© Copyright 2005 J.O.B. Entertainment Inc. (ASCAP)

I'm looking forward to tonight - it's going to be one of those heavenly, enlightening evenings.

Next

Don't Make Me
Music and lyrics by Bing Futch

I'll write a happy little song to make you cheerful
I'll pen a silly little ditty to make you smile
I'll sing a lovely tune for you my darlin'
if you don't make me dance
or make me take off my pants
don't make me take a chance on you tonight

safe to say the night is young
I just came here to have fun
we've got many ways to play
tomorrow's just another day, in theory

this is where 'goodbye' begins (goodbye, so long, auf wedershen)
where it ends, well that depends (time out, come again)
paper thoughts and hearts aflame
a match to candlesticks in the rain
I can see it so clearly

I'll write a happy little song to make you cheerful
I'll pen a silly little ditty to make you smile
I'll sing a lovely tune for you my darlin'
if you don't make me dance
or make me take off my pants
don't make me take a chance on you
don't make me take a chance

© Copyright 2005 J.O.B. Entertainment Inc. (ASCAP)

Before This Moment Passes

before this moment passes
music and lyrics by bing futch

Do you remember the days left dry
in the blink of a century, in the wink of an eye?
do you remember the days when life was hell
and hell was a lot like life?

Hey, hey the band will play, can you recall?
heigh-ho, the merry-oh, anything at all?
hey, hey the band will play, can you feel the pain?
heigh-ho, the merry-oh, unless you fall

went to sleep in the land of the free
woke up; the world's enemy
I cry to the sky, "we are but rain"
we fall to the Earth and rise again"

hey, hey the band will play
everybody look and find a partner
heigh-ho, the merry-oh
everybody raise your glasses

hey, hey the band will play
allemande left til you look into the sunrise
heigh-ho, the merry-oh
before this moment passes



© 2005 J.O.B. Entertainment Inc.

I didn't see this one coming at all. Well, that's a lie.

The first verse was written on August 5th at 12:22. That's 24-hour time. I don't know why I go by 24-hour time, or so-called "European" or "Army" time, it helps keep my days and nights straight, no piddling about with this AM and PM thing.

The second verse was written in May of this year, best I can tell - didn't date that one.

It's an odd little bugger, ain't it? It's got a wacked out tribal groove that's part First Nations, part Celtic and a little Nine Inch Nails. The groove and music came last night - the idea to put them with these words came today. The bass and drums are loops in my Garageband library - there are a couple of other atmospheric loops and a whole lot of voice dubbing.

Queer as a quiet Saturday night in Times Square, but it's got something going on -

Video!

"Slowly blossomed, slowly ripened in Siddhartha the realisation, the
knowledge, what wisdom actually was, what the goal of his long search was. It was nothing but a readiness of the soul, an ability, a secret art, to think every moment, while living his life, the thought of oneness, to be able to feel and inhale the oneness." - Herman Hesse, Siddhartha

I've got two hours of video edited for the CD Release Powwow; it'll run on two screens in the bar, one screen in the Big Picture room and two screens on the stage. Coordinated with the events as they take place throughout the evening, the video features images that tie all of the elements of the powwow together, including visuals from the art exhibit "out of the clear blue", which we hung last night. I'm going back tonight to help Chris Johnson, curator and participating artist, hang Barbee Cain's photography and a piece by Carl Knickerbocker, who's getting ready to show some work at Disney's Festival Of The Masters next weekend (Nov 11-13) - so I'm stoked that he was able to be a part of this!

The video will also show vintage footage of the original Mohave trio as well as all the musicians who have graced the tribe over the past six years. It's not really a main attraction production - more of a collection of digital atmospheres that switch up and change depending upon the action onstage. Very psychedelic, in a 21st century kind of way - you'll see what I'm talking about.

It Has To Be Said 2

EXT - EL REY DRIVE IN - NIGHT

The marquee is lit up and proclaiming a double feature that we can't quite see. A trickle of cars pull up to the ticket booth where E-Z DANIELS collects money from each one. Most of the cars are full of teens, but one car has a mid-thirty-ish couple in it. DARRIN HUNTER is a fairly clean-cut man while his lady friend ABBY LANG is a bit on the Riot Grrl side.

DARRIN: Wow. Simply and incredibly, wow. [laughs] That's a Mike Gilroy mural.

ABBY: Gilroy was here.

DARRIN: Yeah, Gilroy was here. Wow.

ABBY: Is this the place with the stage?

DARRIN: Yeah.

ABBY: Nice!

INT - CONCESSION STAND

A tall, skinny man is behind the counter, his almost waist-length hair tucked back behind a backwards baseball cap. HIPPIE goes about the business of running the snack bar. A middle-aged man wearing a John Deere jacket and suede boots grasps a tray of popcorn, drinks and cotton candy as he steps away from the counter. JOHN SEAVER and DARK almost collide and they look up at each other.

Hurricane Brett was storming towards Corpus Christi, Texas just as we got into San Antonio, so we didn't stay long. Getting back to Orlando on this day was out of the question, so a more realistic goal of Houston was set. By the time we got home, there had been seven songs written on the road, "Interstate 10 Blues" being one of them, and for damn good reason, too.

I made demos of the songs with just voice and dulcimer, put them on cassettes for Mike and McGyver, asked David Schweizer if I could bring two friends along for my already-scheduled slot on August 31st at the House Of Blues, and we rehearsed for two hours before playing that show.

It was nuts. Nuts, so you would not believe.

And we started working pretty often. Very next year, The Orlando Weekly nominates us for an Orlando Music Award in the "World" category along with Seven Nations and Umoja. To be in such company! Umoja deservedly won.

During this time, the whole Mohave thing started laying voodoo on me unsuspectingly. Songs tying together, personalities extending outside of single songs, images of a tangible place with a tangible spirit and energy, yet remaining intangible. The town Nowhere surfaced out of the boggy depths of one of those plastic snowglobes, only instead of shimmering white and silver bits of confetti, it's filled with washed out rusty oranges and browns, the faded golds of yesterday's glory veins. Murky, rolling clouds that begin to settle and reveal this dried-up old prune of a town sitting there.

Like picking up a crystal ball caked with mud. Not just any mud. That good old, clay-thick, red stuff that comes from the floor of the southwestern desert, like natural warpaint. And you rub that crystal ball in various places, you rub to beat all hell, and it still takes an unusual amount of energy, and your sleeve, to clear away enough to see what's inside. I work on polishing the ball a little every day, and what I've been blessed enough to see so far has been wild.

Okay, This Is Just Spooky

This is the legend of the Haunted Shack.
Around about the time of the big silver strike in Nevada,
seems a prospector called Slanty Sam and his wife, Shaky Sadie
lived and eventually died in this old shack.

Strange stories are told and re-told about fantastic goings-on around the old place.
Some say the shack rested directly over the center of gravity.
Folks near and far came to believe that the place was truly haunted by the ghosts of Sam and Sadie.

The Haunted Shack stood there, spooks and all, in Esmerelda County, Nevada. Until we brought it to Ghost Town in 1954.

Lurking there are mysteries that are amazing, amusing and confusing.
You will doubtless remember your experience in the Haunted Shack for a long, long time.

The Haunted Shack at Knott's Berry Farm theme park in California was one of those gravity-houses where water runs uphill and people walk on the walls. As a tour guide there in 1986, I had easily memorized the pre-tour recording, intoned by a somewhat bored-sounding announcer, and routinely use it for sound checks at Mohave shows. I never really made a connection with Nowhere. That is, until the day that I discovered Goldfield.

Nowhere had begun to show up like magically reappearing ink blotches on a tattered canvas. It wasn't until early this year that I finally plumbed the depths of what happened with the town. It was similar to what happened to the town of Goldfield, Nevada. Was once a booming town fueled by the local discovery of gold, then quickly abandoned when the mines went bust. A few descendants of hold-outs remain, but they're not even sure why they're there. With no industry in town and the closest larger town more than an hour in each direction, there's not much to do there except drink and think about drinking.

Goldfield had gotten decidely more upscale than Nowhere ever aspired to be. Tourists don't even go to Nowhere. They just stop in the bar and have a drink, maybe two. Maybe three if they've got something to get off their chests, and then they leave, always to return. There's just something about the place that's polarizing in that regard.

While looking at the page, I noticed that Goldfield, Nevada was in Esmerelda County.

The Haunted Shack is now but a concrete slab at an ever-modernizing amusement park that's all but forgotten its rich history. But in this case - a sense of crazy completion and connection was another cactus rose and a bit of the crystal ball allowed a clearer peek inside.

It Has To Be Said

It'd be pretty hard to read the entries posted here in the past thirty days without noticing a sudden change of tone and mood, even for the newcomer. Except for the official announcement that was posted on the Mohave web site and sent to the mailing list, there's been no commentary about the circumstances leading to the recent departure of Randy, Bunky, John and J.D.

To be fair, I won't get into the reasons here because there are, as the song goes, "two sides to every story" and everybody involved has a valid point of view, not to mention that I'm not sure exactly what caused this fragmentation other than the fact that perhaps it was a long time coming. Everyone walked of their own volition. I wanted to play our remaining scheduled shows; two at Lake Eola, one in Hernando County and the CD Release Powwow. I'm intensely disappointed that we're not playing these shows and I know that many of our extended tribe are as well.

A good number of you have asked me privately about the situation, thanks for that, and the question is generally: so, now what for Mohave?

No question, Mohave's continuing forward. And to explain that, I'm going to try and shed some light upon how this southwestern world came to be.

THE EL REY DRIVE-IN

The rows are, of course, empty--they are lined with speaker stands that undulate along with the rolling waves of grey speckled concrete. There is a small stage at the front near the movie screen and the only other structure in the fenced-in area is a vaguely art-deco looking building that houses the concession stand, bathrooms, offices and projection room. The Impala pulls up to this structure and the young man steps out and looks around before walking up to a door and knocking sharply.

INT - EL REY OFFICE

VICTOR SIERVNEY is the owner/manager of The El Rey. He is Russian, in his 50's, and speaks English well. He pulls back the top half of the door with one hand, leaving a bottle of vodka in the other as he confronts the young man.

"Showtime's at dusk. You've got a couple of hours. Come back then," he says blearily, squinting into the sun. The young man smiles slightly.

"Actually, Vic. I'm looking for a job."

INT - CONCESSION STAND

Victor walks over past the candy counter and soft drink machines to a closet and pulls out a handyman's coverall. He holds them up with a rueful shake of his head and hands them to the young man.

"I used to fit in these, imagine it. They are still too big for you, but will keep you from getting stained. Everything is in here, it's a horrible mess. They've been trading off janitorial duties, those two. I am sorry that this is the only offer of work that I have. Some homecoming. Let me be the first to say 'welcome back.' And the ladies toilet on east side is problem. Wear the waders."


Mohave Oil: The Seed

In either 1997 or 1998 on a trip to Disney/MGM Studios, a trip to Catastrophe Canyon yielded the sight of the words "Mohave Oil" on the side of an exploding gas pump. The word "Mohave" slides across my mind.

I had been wanting to bring the mountain dulcimer into a new groove while maintaining deep love and respect for traditional roots music. Late spring of 1999 after a Strobe 7 show at The Social in downtown Orlando, bassist Mike Burney pressed a doob into my hand, told me that he liked my columns in Jam Magazine and that he wanted to jam together some time.

As I talked out the idea of putting the dulcimer into a rock situation, it became apparent that my internet radio show producer, McGyver, was also an accomplished drummer. So, there were the elements of this stew already sort of floating around when I hit the road on a summer tour later that year.

Mohave County: An Ephiphany

Now, the next part of this "Behind The Music" trip sounds like bull hocky. But it's not bull hocky. So if you're disinclined to entertain anything remotely resembling bull hocky, then go running madly, screaming away and I'll wait for you to go before I continue.

Okay, they're gone. So, we're in Kingman, Arizona heading towards Las Vegas and it's hotter than hell and it's only seven-thirty in the by-God morning. Suddenly, we're pulled over onto the side of the road and I'm running butt-ass naked down the side of the highway. Sneakers on, of course, because I'm not a complete nut-jobber.

The word "why" might be floating around in your cerebral cortex and, to be honest, I don't blame you a bit. See, that's exactly what I was wondering as the trucker drove by with his air-horn blaring and a sprint back to the car revealed that every glory-holin' bit of butt-nakery was caught on video. Replaying the moment, literally, it can really only be chalked up to pure abandon, no peyote necessary. At the root of it was just a simple, primal desire to get natural; to be unafraid and unadorned.

Just outside of Kingman, Arizona. This is critical. I'll explain later.

On the way back east along Interstate 10, which is the longest goddamn road in the universe, several new songs were born. "Moment Of Hell" came in Phoenix; "Ring-A-Ding" in Houston. The seeds for "Down To Earth" were planted in Las Vegas, not long after the ass-happy dance just outside of Kingman. It was coming back through that corridor when we discovered Kingman, and that stretch of road subject to streaking, was located in Mohave county.

There was that word again. Now, there was Mojave with a "J" in California. But Mohave with an "H" was Arizona. Both were First Nations peoples, which sounded a deep drum within my spirit. At the heart of Native American music is a tribal rhythm that pulses, that sets a groove for living, not as distraction or as product, but as an expression of flesh and spirit. The Scots-Irish roots of the dulcimer share much in common with the music of First Nations and African performers who keep one foot solidly in the soil when they create.

And this is all swirling in my head on the road to Phoenix, where we promptly blow a tire at six in the bloody morning. What is it with early on this trip?

Cactus Rose: Thar She Blows!

Anyone who's fixed a tire only to discover that you not only didn't fix it, but you went so far as to cause further damage, can attest to the fact that it's humbling. It's also a stinker of a way to start a 1200 mile lope across three states in a vain attempt to reach San Antonio before a hurricane hits, but you pick your battles. And we hit a Midas and they send us on our way, there I'm staring out the window at these huge fields of cacti. Tall suckers. Ten, fifteen foot, some of them. They looked to be arranged almost symmetrically. Dark-to-pale green with variegations and striations of yellow to murky brown all along their prickly arms. Dozens and dozens of them, streaming past like troops under review.

Thinking about dulcimers and tribal roots, of the sudden energy burst in Mohave county along Highway 93, of a drummer and bassist that had suddenly made themselves available, of the music that had been pouring forth on this tour, inspired by the different people and places throughout the southwest, and then I saw the red bloom.

Stark, crimson red, beaming from the center of a cactus that was smack dab in the middle of a cluster of cacti. Just one red cactus flower. I kept my eyes wide open at watched the passing shapes for any more signs of seasonal bloom on red cactus flowers and I'll tell you directly, there were none. I watched for twenty minutes and then gave up because my eyes were plotting a revolt; not another red bloom to be seen.

The word "why" stuck its head in and said 'hey.'

There is beauty in the desert.

What the hell kind of new-age crap was that? When all of the above sort of came crashing together and melded into one simple core of existence, it sounded like the inner fold of a Hallmark card. But in time, I've come to decode what it sort of means. And that's what makes Mohave work.

Dulcimeris Interrupti

Well, hell. I was all set to attend a dulcimer jam tonight, but my schedule got rear-ended, now the next one isn't until December 6th. Guess that gives me some more time to brush up my hammer-on's.

I've been talking with Kerry over at Gila Mountain Dulcimers about a custom southwestern-style model and we're going over specs for the instrument (the most notable spec - "how much is it gonna cost me?") And it's looking like I'll be taking a part time job at the mall or something. As a packing/gift-wrapping elf.

I leave you with these vital words,
which I've plucked from the vault;
if we don't learn that fire burns,
it's not the fire's fault! - 12-21-03 12:57

© 2003 - 2005 J.O.B. Entertainment Inc.

Playing, Writing, Planning

Been working in D-D-a-d tuning, which is different.

A snippet of song lyric from the 29th:

Well, I'm heading out west
just a little depressed
have some things I want to get off my chest
gonna do it on the road

I need to clear my senses
and take a little ride
let the beauty of America
cleanse the pain I feel

well the mountains were tall and the ocean was wide
but the Santa Ana winds left me cold
when it came time to move along
a voice offered these words of gold

if you can't find what you're looking for here
then you probably don't know what you're looking for

© 2005 J.O.B. Entertainment Inc.

Me and Joline

Joline
Originally uploaded by dreadmon.

We sat around for a while today and explored some different textures. In the Dulcimer 2000 book that Ken laid on me, the first tune is in D-A-A#-D - a very minor and discordant tuning that's better suited for fingerpicking than open-strumming. Still, the darkness of the notes and a set up that allowed me to lock in bright major thirds on the bass and treble strings made for a fair ramble through emotional territory.

Then, I tuned her down to D-A-A and went off. Jigs, shanties, classical, the rhythmic chordal stuff that I really love getting into because it's like melodic percussion. You're hitting rhythms and you're hitting this minimalist series of notes, like The Edge of U2.

It was a good day for caressing Joline - she's got a bad bracing inside somewhere, knocked loose on one of those "oops, didn't see ya there" kind of falls, now she buzzes at certain frequencies, but that's just a little something in her personality that I've learned to live with.

Over-Exposure

Song idea - recorded Friday night. No words yet - but they'll come soon.

Show Cancelled

Our Miami shows are cancelled - thanks to Wilma. Thanks for nothing! But in the local area here you can still catch Mohave on Brighthouse Channel 98 at 11 pm on Friday, October 21st. The Livewire episode will debut just after midnight tonight at 3 am.

To everyone staring down the barrel of yet another hurricane, we pray that she slows down and chills out - please be safe out there!

Here We Go Again....

We are the rainmakers, bringers of rain. Cripes. From the looks of things, our two Miami shows this weekend are being threatened by Hurricane Wilma (I don't care how big a wind it's packing, there's just something so very un-scary about a hurricane named Wilma) and we're set to make a call on whether we're going or not by tomorrow night.

I'm really glad that I decided to cancel our trip to Key West, because we would've had to start traveling down that way right about the time that Wilma is knocking on all the doors down there. Again, I pray that everybody will be okay - we sure know the drill here in Florida by now - and all I can say is BRING ON THE END OF HURRICANE SEASON FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

More news to come...

A rockin' day and night

And we were up late watching video from last night's show at Hard Rock - then slept in a bit today in preparation for the trip out to Flagler Beach for tonight's show. (well, officially last night's show, since it's morning time now. Oy.)

It was a quick trip, 90 minutes or so. Did the radio interview with Uncle Mike from WHOG 95.7 FM in Daytona, which went smoothly over the cel phone, though I wish the whole band had been there. We were supposed to do the interview yesterday, and right about the time we would have received the phone call, all of us would've been present. Sa la vie, I squeezed as much into the bit as I could - and from what I can gather via those who heard it, it came out great - we'll have some tidbits up on the website and blogs once we encode the copy. Uncle Mike was very cool and said he'd be down at Finnegan's Beachside for the show.

We had a nice dinner at the Flagler Beach pier, in a cool restaurant with windows overlooking the pounding surf - then made our way back over to the club to set up. Fred, the sound guy, showed up about fifteen minutes before our start time and we had done a little microphone placement and sound checking before then. The vibe from the club was telling us "rock it out" and being that WHOG is a classic rock station, it was sort of a no-brainer to cut up the edge a bit. Fred said not to mic my amp cabinet, which is the first time I've ever done that - so I had to cut way up on volume to fill the room - but we were going for "rock out" - so everything about the set was pretty aggro - we opened with "Flip Side" and ended with the Ryan and Stacia trilogy, where I got out and danced with a lady during the break in "Caught."

The band was phenomenal - everyone adapted once again to our environment and the crowd was really very encouraging. Sold a couple of CDs afterwards, and Crystal, one of the managers on-duty definitely wanted us to come back and play again on the upstairs stage, which was a sweet thing to hear. We also met another guy named Caesar who wants to book us in Daytona and St. Augustine - and Pete and Lynn, who we gave a CD to, because they requested something that they could play for all the bars that they know. Pete is a bass player and a sound/light engineer - so given that the band has allocated a number of CDs for that kind of promotion, it was a no-brainer again to give them one. Jannette drove from Orlando to see the band, proving beyond all shadow of a doubt that she's one of the band's truly devoted extended tribe members. How can I explain just how dear it is to us that someone would drive 90 minutes to come to a show? That's incredible - and we're glad to have spent time with her last night at Hard Rock Live and tonight (last night, there's that looking at the clock goin' "ohhhh shit....it's early") in Flagler. Many props to you Jannette!

And now, at 2:42 a.m. - I'm going to get a head-start on my Monday work, because nothing would please me more than getting caught up on business so that I could record a new demo tune this week. That's the goal. Much love and thanks to everyone who came out to Hard Rock and to Finnegan's Beachside - huge thanks to Uncle Mike and WHOG - it was nice meeting him after the interview - special props to Dan and his band Stemm Cell - also the Flying Popes that went on last - the bar was wonderful, the people incredible - we're just super-blessed to have these kinds of gigs - and I can't wait until next week when we hit Miami for the weekend. Six hours of music-playing stretched out over two days. Sweet! These little 45 minute sets are just a tease compared to being able to stretch your legs out over a three hour block of time. That's when we really get to have some serious fun.

Peace and unity, y'all - be thinking about November 11th - reserve that time, drink tickets are ready, we're going to pick them up tomorrow. We'll send them to you! It'll still be five dollars to get in, but with these tickets, you'll get a free drink when you get inside - which means that they're basically free tickets! (Given the price of drinks these days.)

But for now - g'night and God bless!

Spo-Dee-O-Dee

If you get the reference in the title line, then you know what's to follow. Sort of.

Just got back from the Hard Rock Live show and I've got to say that we had a blast. As a band. This was a step-above from the last HRL show, and I wish Vision TV had taped this show and not the last show, but that's what we tend to do - we get better, and don't really go backwards. It was a comfortable night, comfortable on that stage with our material, and everyone felt it. Yesterday, Bunky called me with a provocative question: "what are you wearing?" Actually she wanted to know what the band was wearing, but she played it like Bunky does - fresh as a morning muffin. Anyway, I thought of the angels wings that she had sewn and rigged for our now-cancelled Key West Trip, so I thought that wearing the wings at Hard Rock, during Halloween Horror Nights at Universal out there would be a sort of pre-Halloween bit of fun. We had discovered at last week's Deland festival that wearing a solid unified color really worked well for our stage show. So that, plus wings would definitely set a surreal tone.

We're the band that makes you think "what the hell?" We're comfortable with that.

I tugged my rig down to the dressing rooms after we loaded in, wanting to dial in my tone for the night and not try to do it on the fly after the first band was done. The wings were a subject of brief discussion, from trying to figure out how they would work without getting in our way in technical fashion - to comments about how they would stylistically either be cool or dorky (I'm cool with dorky - and it covers all the bases.) In the end, we all ended up wearing them, though Randy couldn't get his set to agree with the outfit he was wearing (logistically, pinching, chafing and otherwise crowding of digits and limbs would be a no-no for a costume.)

It all worked out to great effect, having just watched the video. It was a brilliant addition to the show, thanks Bunky!

The set went great - I tried to find the balance between leaping-about for show, and applying restraint and technique to the deliverance of music - a happy balance. Everyone delivered magnificently - John adds so much in his delivery, answer-backs and leads that identify our tunes - as I said during the show, Randy is M.V.P., providing more than he seems to be - Bunky is a dynamo, J.D. deserves his new title and laid out incredible rhythms. I escaped unscatched - I'm happy with the progress I've made vocally, and also presentation-wise. Goddamn being a late-bloomer, but it's interesting to see how I'm trying to catch up.

The vocals on "Positive Vibes" were insanely good - we moved at a good pace - and it's always great hanging with the HRL crew, especially my old friend Bob and Megaphone guitarist Paul Smith. It's a small circle, Orlando - but full of interesting and talented people. Tomorrow, we head out to Flagler Beach for a show - and WHOG will be interviewing us for the 8pm show. I don't have particulars here - I'm still coming down from the dang show, and can't find *&@%#%$^! So, more tomorrow - until then, peace, love and beautiful energy to everyone who came out, bought a CD and hung out with us for the set. We missed those who weren't there, and hope to see you at the November 11th powwow at AKA Lounge. We're already providing rides to people who don't have cars to get there. Let us know if you need a way there! It'll be a great event for everyone, and we hope that connections will be made between many different tribes that night.

And on that note - to the pillow, Marcus! Talk to y'all soon!

Peace,

Bing

A Sweet Day

We knew it was going to be a long and exciting day, we just didn't know how long and how exciting. Our first set at the Deland Original Music Festival was scheduled for 2 pm, but got pushed back a bit due to a late start. No worries - we're always flexible when it comes to festival shows - and we knocked out four songs before our set was cut short, due to either weather (it was starting to rain) or a desire to catch up the schedule. We knew we had another slot later in the evening to lay out some of our material - so we packed up our gear and hung about until the awards ceremony at 7 pm.

snackdaddy took the first award for "Best Video", which stoked me - since I directed it! The guys like to give me a lot of credit for the video, but without them, there would've been no music, no inspiration, no palette to work with. They were the divine guidance and I'm terribly happy for them!

Not long after the announcement, stage power went out, then after a short while, it returned and the award for "Drummer of the Year" went to our very own J.D. Fosse! He was very stoked, pumping his arms in the air and giving Erica a kiss before heading off to collect the award, a very slick black music note on a wooden base. I believe he totally deserved the award - he energized Mohave upon joining in October of last year, so he's certainly made a difference in this band. It was a nice anniversary gift, I think. (His first show with us last year was the Deland Original Music Festival.)

We were finalists in ten categories, and they whipped by us one by one, so I began to think that maybe one award for the Mohave crew would be the end sum - and I was fine with that. Regardless of whatever notices we might have gotten, ultimately the proof is in the music that we take on the road with us.

And then we were announced as recipients of the "2005 Band Of The Year" award and my mouth dropped open. Given that it's a people's choice award, the effect was very humbling, yet mixed among the "oh my God's" and "unbelievable's" was a fair amount of celebration as the band walked up to the stage as a unit and paused for the cameras.

Our second set was longer and slightly more satisfying, rounding out to about 45 minutes and ending the evening for some of us, while others (well, Jae and I) continued to trek around the festival. We ended up at the Artisan Inn, hanging with funkUs as they brought the party on, and I joined them on-stage a couple of times to sing some blues along with June Watts, the widow of Noble "Thin Man" Watts.

A couple of folks I met through the day had commented that they saw me playing dulcimer and wanted to get back into the instrument, which warms my heart more than getting any kind of award. The mountain dulcimer is such a great instrument, I think everyone should have one. So when people get inspired to follow-through, I feel like my work's properly been done.

It was a beautiful day and evening - always a little like a high school reunion, seeing old friends from old and current circles - partying on and hearing great music. We sold some CDs and passed out tickets for next week's show at Hard Rock Live. By the time we got home, it was something like 4 pm, lord have mercy!

But well worth every minute.

Back From Seattle

Jae and I are back from the Pacific Northwest where we've been on working vacation since last Saturday. It was a beautiful time and the city was lovely, all sunshine and blue skies, nothing like the weather that you're always hearing about. I took my walnut dulcimer Angelique with me and walked from one end of Seattle to the other, playing on the steps of the courthouse across from our hotel and taking her into Kells Irish Pub, where I did a little impromptu jig-playing display for Hamish, the bartender, one of the owners and a couple of servers. (I was encouraged to come back and perform with one of the regular acts, but we had a full plate of activity that evening.)

Upon returning home last night, we hit the ground running and have stirred up quite a bit of new activity for the band, while more than likely cancelling our appearance at the Fantasy Fest parade in Key West. We've just picked up two shows in Miami, October 21st and 22nd at Tobacco Road and Titanic Brewery respectively. This double-shot of shows begins on the same night that Brighthouse Channel 98 debuts the Livewire program at 11pm that features Mohave at Hard Rock Live, with a repeat four hours later at 3 am. By then, we should have our DVD of the performance in hand, so it's not a terrible bummer that we'll be hours away in another city, unable to view it.

There are some other developments coming down the pike, which I'll confirm as we know more. Right now, the band is set to gather tomorrow for a rehearsal and a photo shoot, also a chance to distribute goodies that we brought back for everybody. It's good to be back!

CDs are HERE!

The title says it all!

Excitement is mounting....

As of 8:47 a.m., clear blue trickling had been scanned and loaded onto a UPS truck destined for my doorstep. I'm trying not to be anxious, but every deep roar or rumble sends me scrambling to the window, peeking through the blinds in search of that familiar chocolate-brown truck. It took a little longer than we expected to get here, but the wait is pretty much over. Starting with our next show in Deland on October 8th, Mohave will have its first new album in four years available to the general public. Not a special "advance" copy - but the real deal.

And then, things are going to pick up, pace-wise. We send some of those CDs to CD Baby, where they will be made available through the store and also through an extensive Digital Distribution channel which will have the album in Apple iTunes, Napster, MSN and other places where a song can be bought ala carte. Review copies are being sent out to the local media, finally, and Jae and I are taking some to Seattle with us this weekend. A few more local stores will also have them in stock, so we're stoked!

The band will also be excited tonight when I show up with an armful of jewel cases. The requests have been staggering - seems like everyone wants a piece of this one!

Tuesday night's rehearsal was a great turning point: I told everyone that since J.D. came on board, we've been working to build our potential set list back up. We now know enough tunes to play well over three hours, pushing towards four. With that benchmark behind us, the next plan is to fine tune the songs we've got, even as we push forward with new material. So Tuesday found us working on "Breaking News", the theme song for a movie of the same name that begins shooting soon here in Orlando. We also worked on "Monsters At The Garden Wall", a song inspired by the July 7th attacks on London, demoed earlier here and already requested by some of our extended tribe! Both songs sound killer - I can't wait to debut them for an audience! We also worked on "The Miner and His Music" and "The Irish In Me", detailing harmonies and arrangements. This is where the work gets gritty, as we deconstruct the music and tighten up the loose bits. I told the band that I was pushing myself, demanding better of my performances, and I expected the same from everyone. By seeking improvements, I said, I was by no means criticizing anyone for what they were doing, in fact, every person in the band has risen to the occasion in co-arranging the songs. But, like an athlete in training for the Olympics, what you did yesterday is probably just a small step towards the shape you hope to be in. And it was generally agreed that we're in training for the big leagues right now. Time to "get game."

Planning for the CD Release Powwow is speeding along as I'm beginning to hear from some of the artists who will be providing thematic paintings to coincide with our event. On board so far are Diana Ferguson, Barbee Cain, Kelly Muniz, Liz Watkins and possibly Carl Knickerbocker! The art exhibit, which will convey images of the southwest along with spiritual and tribal essences, will run from November 4th through the 18th with a meet-and-greet with some of the artists on the night of the event, November 11th.

And planning for our participation in the Captain Morgan Fantasy Fest Parade continues as well. Once again, if you have any ideas for our float, themed "Angels and Devils", please send them to us! If your idea is used, you'll win two V.I.P. passes to the pre-Powwow media gathering!

That's all for now - we'll have some more exciting news shortly - thanks for coming back to read this blog - remember, there are four other blogs from the band members, links are located in the column to the right!

Speedbumps On The Interstate

Can we add four hours to the day? Don't make me manage this. I'm ADHD and I just stopped taking the medication in an attempt to engage the issue holistically. Making it to the end of a sentence is a chore, but the rewards are far greater at this point than the piles of flaming mental dog poo that I step in from time to time. Hey, if I can't learn to function without those pills, then what happens when the pill population dries up? You've gotta depend on what you got.

The band had a nice, busy weekend that was hurricane-free. Ophelia backed away from the coast, leaving the Daytona Beachside Live festival mostly indoors on a beautiful day, but still a fun time. I love all the people that showed up, stayed, left, came back and brought friends. One person even pitched us through their LiveJournal. It was a really good show for us, the second since getting back from summer break. Since there was a gap after us, we were encouraged by the crowd to go thirty minutes past the end of the set, which was awfully sweet of them. I put new strings on Halycon Friday then stored her mostly in air-conditioning because we'd be playing inside. If we're playing outside, I try to keep her at the same temperature so that there's no expanding and contracting of strings, which causes chaos if you don't have a spare handy.

Problem was, I guess, that I was playing next to a big bank of lights, which heated things up a bit, meaning I spent the bulk of the night asking the band to cover for me while I played the tuning game (thankfully not audible). Other than that, I think the show went great. Everyone was truly masterful and dynamic - it was one of the best sets we've ever played!

Leu Gardens was likewise, beautiful, with just a wee bit of tuning issues. Lisa Firestone was wonderful, it was good to see old friends again and some of our extended tribe. The set went off terrifically, J.D. knows how to work it quiet as much as he can rock it - we played with joy, restraint and artfulness. During "Nine One One" though, I must've channeled more emotion than I was prepared for and I lost it to the point where I knew I couldn't hit the note, had to wait until I had forced composure again. I kept my eyes closed, I don't know what people were doing, but it was a sudden, glaring emotional note in the middle of a pretty risk-free set. Bunky said she sort of lost it too, and then I asked her to solo. This brought a giggle - I wouldn't have tossed her a solo if she was all choked up too - that's just wrong.

We're being played on Celtic Music News Podcast #35 this week, that's pretty cool - I wonder how they heard about us?

Nominations for the 2005 SSA Awards have been announced and voting is now open!

Mohave received nominations in 22 categories including Song of the Year, Band of the Year, Most Unique Style of the Year (after taking home the trophy last year in this category) and Recording Artist of the Year! To everyone who nominated us, Y'ALL RAWK! The awards presentation will be held on October 8th at the Deland Original Music Festival.

We're still waiting on the CDs to return from duplication; I know. We're sucking our teeth and getting a little agitated too. Called down to Total Tape Services today and spoke with the head of the company - who said that they should be shipping today, so keep your fingers crossed that they'll be here. Before the next show.

J.D. alluded to some drama in his recent blog post and there has been some friction of late; no doubt in part generated by my newly discovered drugless state. But our circle of love is strong when we're playing the music and all always seems and feels and is well when we're there.