Reserving judgement

​I HAVE to get back to regular posts on my little blog, said Gene to himself. Lots has happened since the last post, perhaps of interest, perhaps not. But if nothing else, putting down some thoughts and ideas about guitar playing, the music biz and suggestions to help us all weather the societal storm that is raging all around us with music can't hurt, right?
So I'll dive right in. I know my site is primarily about acoustic guitar but here's a suggestion for something that may brighten your day. Bad habit of mine: being "late to the parade" when I discover a group or artist that I instantly love but who's been around for a long time. I try to keep an open mind and do a good amount of research but I often depend upon friends and relatives to turn me on to people making great music. Often, it's my son Matt who I'm proud to say has very eclectic tastes in music but often steers me in a direction I would not have considered. While we will never agree on certain things (his occasional recommendations of some hip-hop "artist") and my love of bluegrass/newgrass but a few months ago he strongly recommended singer/songwriter MJ Lenderman and as it happened, I was teaching a recent song by the alt/country group Waxahatchee called "Right Back To It" that featured him as a guest artist singing harmony. Love the song, excellent lyrics and a catchy chord sequence over a solid melody (check it out!). 
Anyway, I did my due diligence and checked out MJ. He's a bit too much of the "shoe gazer" variety of younger musicians but some of his songs caught my attention and I'll be spending more time getting to know his stuff. 
I am proud to say that way, way back I used to play a mix tape (remember them?) on our long-distance camping trips when Matt and his sister Joanna were kids. Matt credits that old tape with helping him discover some music from his dad's misspent youth that he really liked. It included songs by Santana, Traffic, Beatles (of course!) and the long, live version of the Stones "Midnight Rambler" recorded at Madison Square Garden in 1969. If you haven't listened to that one in a while I strongly endorse giving it another go. Whew, barely controlled chaos by the Stones at the height of their pure power. 
But back to my recent discoveries of music and artists I should have paid attention to a long time ago. The group Los Straightjackets just released their first album of totally original material in over eight years, called Somos. They are unabashed carriers of the spirit of pure electric guitar twang ala Dick Dale and Duanne Eddy, sometimes called surf music back in the day. BUT.....thanks to modern recording technology and the fact that they are all virtuoso players they surpass anything done in the 1960s. All the 15 songs on the album are instrumentals and only one clocks out at barely over three minutes in length but wow, wow, wow. Some of the songs feature strong melodies at moderate speeds and one reviewer said: this is what the Beatles would have sounded like at the Cavern in 1962 if the Beatles were much better players with much better equipment. And I agree 100%. However, the majority are straight-ahead rockers and if your foot isn't taping after the first few licks you'd better check your pulse! You can buy the album to download or download-plus-CD from Yep Roc records where you'll find MANY other great artists. This album has become my go-to when I want to forget the latest news from Washington, at least for a few minutes and have my soul rubbed clean. Oh, and all the band members wear Mexican pro wrestler masks when they perform. Why? Why not!
My own performing over the last couple of months has been more frequent than I thought it would be. After my 13-year tenure at the Daily Brew ended I did beat the streets a bit in hopes of finding a similar gig but nothing came of that. Finding gigs has never been my strong suit anyway; I very much admire musicians who brush off rejection almost immediately and continue their efforts. I have never been that guy, nor will I ever be. I don't deal well with rejection and that is pretty much what it comes down to. But thankfully and for reasons no one really understands, when people are looking for a guitarist to play a wedding ceremony or for a private event here on Cape Cod my site seems to come up frequently. Thanks, Google, I guess.... (!) So over the past three months I've played four wedding ceremonies, a couple of them included the cocktail hour, two private parties and two more of the wonderful Music at the Table events that I wrote about earlier this year. I'll be doing another one of those next week. For the second year in a row, back in August I played the North Falmouth Porchfest accompanied by my friend and sometime-student Tom Austin. It was great fun, the weather was picture-perfect and the crowds were estimated at twice what they were last year and they were very enthusiastic. In spite of a couple glitches in PA system at our location Tom and I were very pleased with our performance and some people we know said it was the best they'd ever heard us. I absolutely LOVE playing with Tom. His pure joy in making music is infectious even to this old musician. The best part for me is that I can totally depend on Tom to be there on the chord changes and better yet, he adjusts when I go a bit off the tracks.  
I also had the opportunity to meet some very good local musicians who played Porchfest at our location and I'm hoping to get together with a couple of them in the coming weeks to try some tunes in a slightly different setting than I'm used to. 
Which brings me back to what I said at the beginning of this blog entry. We are in the middle of an existential moment in history. Every day it seems there is a new crisis that seems to challenge the very existence of our democracy. No matter which side of the political fence you inhabit, try hard to not make instant judgements (and for me personally, that is very hard to do sometimes). Gather as much information as you can, from as many sources as possible. Don't fall for easy answers to complex problems. And for me anyway, the best way to channel emotions is via that wood and steel contraption sitting on my leg. It doesn't pass judgement although at times it will challenge my honesty - my honesty with myself. More than anything, it offers an escape where you can rebuild your strength.
 
Peace & good music,
Gene