Just a quick note/rave on a song that I've been trying to learn for years – "Mississippi Blues" by William Brown. Ordinary title, ordinary name, but extraordinary song. As I understand it, William Brown is not the "Willie Brown" that sang the M&O blues or the one Robert Johnson mentions in one of his recordings of "Crossroads".

So I guess William Brown is a bit of a mystery, but you can catch a bit of him speaking and the two songs he recorded for Alan Lomax, which is available on a CD called Deep River of Song: Mississippi - The Blues Lineage. (You can find and listen to it at Amazon.com) The other song he recorded for Lomax, "Ragged and Dirty" has been recorded many times by many musicians since, including good 'ol bob dylan.

The song itself is a wonderful piece to study on the guitar --- I think he plays it the key of C, A position (capoed at third fret). Brown plays with a technique that has inspired so many fingerstyle guitarists today, picking the bass lines and the melody at the same time, as if the guitar were a piano.

Although the song has a typical blues structure, Brown plays an unusual melody against the bass that sounds almost like it's a ballad. It gives the entire song a gentle, lilting feel.

I'll have to go back and re-read the liner notes, but I think the song was recorded in the early morning before daybreak, at least that's what a picture in my head when I listen to it. It's just a sublime recording, and it's a song I'll be learning for the rest of my life.

Hope to see you at Canada Day, eh?

From Peace to Patriotism

After a blast of two days of awesome music and fun at the first ever IF Festival and then the Hoping for Peace Festival, the Ramblers head into another two-day blast of music and fun at the Canada Day Celebration, in Da-An Park, and then the American Fourth of July Celebration, at the American Club.

Celebrating patriotism is always dangerous because patriotism breeds that "us and them" feeling. However, with that cool peace feeling that the Ramblers got from last weekend, we can try to bring out the best of patriotism: a sense of pride in who you are, where you came from, and what drives your gears to make the world a better place.

It's all good fun...

Mud Bloods, each and every one

Last year at this time, we were fully engaged in the Mud and Water Tour of Taipei’s live houses. This year, we are keeping busy with outdoor events.

This last weekend we took part in a combined birthday party for Athula and Dave. Dave only mentioned it was his birthday once we were at the party. Athula, on the other hand, has been talking up this party for over a month. I believe that most of the people at Chris’s place were Athula’s customers/friends from the ‘Tan, the way he wanted.

Athula catered the event with his delicious Sri Lankan food: two varieties of rice, chick peas, several meat curry dishes, a potato curry. Even Slim had two plates. That is saying something. I was fortunate to have another plate of food the next evening at the Sandcastle. S and J took a bunch of the chicken curry and rice home from the party at Athula’s urging.

The weather cooperated, at least in the sense that it didn’t rain. It was warm and humid, but that is a given when it should rain but doesn’t. Some people told me the atmosphere on the balcony was so close that they had to go to the bridge in order to breathe some fresh air. I was sporting the oh-so-fashionable dish towel around my neck so I could wipe my sweaty face

There were lots of great people there. I especially enjoyed talking with one Bi-tan gent about his past life working for the Canadian forestry department, his thoughts on forest maintenance, and the sorry state of low-land forests in Taiwan. Interestingly, his adult son is also in Taiwan, teaching English in I-lan, I believe. Two-generation ex-pat families are the next big thing.

This coming weekend, we are performing at two separate events. The first, on Saturday, June 24, is the IF Festival at Hua-shan. Sunday the 25th, we’ll be at Hoping for Hoping in Lungtan at the Kun-lun Herb Garden. We’re on during the heat of the afternoon. I think we’ll be trading in our blues-suits for something more relaxed, probably tropical wear.

The next weekend, we’ll be playing July 1 at Da-An Park in celebration of Canada Day and then at the American Club for the Am Cham 4th of July celebration on July 2.

And when it pours...

Hoping for Hoping has been postponed due to the heavy rain that has been pounding northern Taiwan. The new dates are June 23 to June 25. I believe we'll be performing on Sunday the 25th.

On the 24th, we'll be at Huashan in Taipei. I haven't got the name of the event we're performing at, but it was sold to us as a wedding celebration for two of Slim's former colleagues. Judging from the proposal that we were shown, it will be quite a shindig. More on that later.

When it rains, it pours.

I mean this in the best possible sense. As mentioned previously, this weekend is Hoping for Hoping. We play Saturday afternoon, June 10. That’s the “rain.” It’s a gig. Gigs are good. Two gigs at the same time is when it “pours.”

On Saturday, June 10, the San Francisco Guitar Quartet is performing two shows at Taipei’s National Theater. This is the group’s first international tour; last year’s performances in Guam don’t count as international for these Americanos.

According to the band’s website, they play music from “traditions including classical, world and ethnic traditions, and improvisation.” Tickets are available from www.ticket.com.tw

My connection to this band is that Christoper Hanford, one of the founding members, was my high school classmate back in California. He and I got together yesterday evening to reminisce about the old days and catch each other up with what we’ve been doing in the intervening 23 years.

Greetings from Dobrofest in Trnava, Slovakia...first moment i've had all week to get to an internet cafe. Been a fun week, as you might imagine. Where do I start? unseasonably cold weather (think rainy day during Chinese new year in taipei) I've heard a lot of good music, been jamming a lot, meeting and playing with great musicians from all over the world, mostly the US and Europe. Bluegrass has an enormous following in the region, more than half the bands at the fest have either come from Slovakia or Czech republic. Also a few great groups that are not bluegrass or blues...Lots of singing of the semi-offical "Dobro" anthem (dobro...dobro!!...DOBRO...DOBRO!!!) and drinking a local gin-type licqor called bobrovinca (sp?) affectionally renamed "dobrovinca!" Makes a hell of a martini.

Taken lots of pictures, you can expect a fuller report with video and photos when I get back to taipei -- I gave two performances -- one at a house-turned-museum that Beethoven used to visit in the countryside. Apparently he would visit there because he was sweet on some Count's niece. Another performance on the main stage, which went all right. I also had the pleasure of playing for representatives from Taiwan's official representative office in slovakia, whom Peter invited to attend the festival.

And Peter "Bonzo" Radyvani is as crazy as ever -- and did a great job in organizing this festival, now in its 15th year. at in on a few songs for his set last night, which turned into a late night/early morning jam.

Heading back to Taipei tomorrow night after a day in Vienna. See you soon.