A blissful St. Patrick's Day

The Ramblers are emerging from the studio for an evening of music tomorrow night, March 17, at Bliss. Not only are we celebrating the green, we're welcoming a friend into the third decade of her life.

The last time on stage for us as a band was at the Stevie benefit at the Living Room. It was a busy evening that saw many acts grace the stage in support of a friend in need.

Despite some confusion over the status of this gig (it is open to the public), we're expecting friends new and old to come out and celebrate the evening with us.

We're starting at 10 P.M., and the amps will be turned off at 12, but the music will probably last longer.

See you at Bliss.

Turning the Crank

Oy! Is this thing on?

It's another beautiful night here in Taipei, the tip top of Taiwan, and we're damned glad to be here tonight to entertain you, from the Muddy Basin, Taipei County.

It's been a while since we've started a show, but I believe it goes something like that.

The Ramblers are still on their hiatus from the stage while we concentrate on getting our very best sound recorded for a future album.

We're breaking the silence on the blog now to let you know that Dave and Conor are in Memphis 2007 International Blues Challenge (IBC). The Blues Society on Taiwan (BSoT) chose these lads to represent Taiwan in the duo competition.

They'll be taking Taiwan's blues back to Beale Street.

Progress on the Coming Album

Many of our dear fans are asking, "When will your CD be finished?" Rest assured, friends, it will be soon. However, it might be after Christmas, so don't bank on Muddy Basin CD's for stocking stuffers. Sorry folks.

We are getting close, however. Just last Sunday we met at the Sandcastle to lay down some tracks, and with the help of Max the Soundman, we just focused on playing the music, and the recordings sounded pretty good. And this is a very important step in making our CD especially.


Our CD will take time because we are making these recordings in the old way, live with all of us playing together. Most bands go to studios and lay down single tracks, instrument by instrument, and then they mix the tracks together to make a song. Although this would speed production time and make us sound awesome, it just doesn't seem to fit what we are trying to do. So when we record, we all play together, and we've got to play as perfectly as we can.


One other difficulty that we face is that amplifying or recording the Muddy Basin Ramblers is really challenging. With so many unusual instruments, we need at least seven to ten dynamic microphones for a good sound, and fourteen is better. We can also use two or three condenser microphones, but that means feedback and a whole different slew of problems for the soundman. At one gig a while ago, the soundman just retreated from his soundboard and hid backstage on the verge of weeping. He was really new to the job so I can't blame him, but even veterans are challanged by the task of getting that sweet sound we love. (Thanks, Max and all other soundmen who have helped us out!)

Another reason for us getting our CD out so slowly is that we've been busy working on several other Muddy Basin products that we hope to have available for the holidays.

If all goes well, we'll be offering Muddy Basin Gift Certificates which can be used at all Muddy Basin Rambler Retail Stores to purchase all sorts of cool Muddy Basin Rambler gear, like: fully poseable action figures complete with hundreds of authentic Muddy Basin Ramblers hats, outfits, and of course, instruments that really work!

There will also be Muddy Basin Ramblers DVD's, comic books, video games, trading cards, bottle openers, screen savers, stickers, stationary, action figure playsets, belt buckles, seat covers, lunchboxes, furniture, bookbags, and my favorite: comfy Muddy Basin Rambler flip-flops that you only wear inside your house.

If we can't get these fine products out by the first of 2007, we'll shoot for Chinese New Year, and that'll give us another two months.


And if our cool plastic stuff isn't manufactured in time for you to buy Muddy Basin Rambler gifts for the holidays, you can always just send some money to a good charity, or spend some time doing good things.

Blues Bash 3

Hsichih/Xizhi, however you want to spell it, is lucky to have the Dream Community, and so are fans of the Blues in northern Taiwan. The DC welcomed DC and his Blues Bashers on November 4 and 5, 2006.

We were scheduled for a twilight show, and we finished off our afternoon with a warm-up jam near the Dream Community dance studio/classroom. When it was time to get up on the stage, we did, and we didn’t let the lack of a sound check dampen our enthusiasm.

DC gave us a gracious introduction, and we launched into a ripping set. Actually, it sounded like something was ripping, or shorting out, once in a while. The sound system was making itself heard above our own noise. The audience was appreciative and got into the spirit of our jug band blues sound. It was good to see so many of the Taipei music community come out to support the show.

Conor finally found the time to run the rapids of the Red River, but all too soon, our time in the bright lights was over, and we retired to watch the rest of the performances.

At eight o’clock, the Bash’s finale Superstar Jam took place. All of the musicians who were willing to jam the stage for a final, all inclusive jam, got up and did their thing. It was a hell of a good time, with all sorts of contributions being made.

One of the guitarists on stage for the finale was Joel Blumert, and although I didn’t go to Capone’s after the show and jam with him there, as some of the Ramblers did, I got to play music with him just the same. It turns out he liked our sound and wanted to play with us again. So, we joined him Hsichih at the DC for an evening of music.

Joel is a native of New York with an interesting and odd family connection to the Blues. His playing is great, and singing extraordinary, and generally seems to be a hell of a guy. We were all a bit surprised to hear that he spoke some Chinese, but then he explained that he was a long-time Sinophile with an interest in martial arts, philosophy, and alternative healing.

After a great meal at the café, we accompanied Joel for two sets of music. He and Dave sat next to each other while the rest of stood around them. TC was missing due to filming requirements, but his tub was there, and Dave played it to back up Joel several times (or maybe once).

We recognized many of the songs that we played with him, but the verses were often different from those that we had learned. We surprised him a bit when we all launched into the backing vocals for KC Moans. DC was there as well, and I specifically remember him being called up to join Got My Mojo.

The last song we played, Death Letter by Son House, is one of my favorites, and I know I had a great time cutting loose and channeling a bit. We hung around a chatted a bit after the show, and before leaving, we all received mini loaves of sourdough bread.

Thanks to Doug and crew for the BB3, to all of the hep cats at the Dream Community, and to Joel Blumert for inviting us to share an evening of music.

Night at the Circus

We showed up at the CKS plaza for our Saturday evening gig, and we learned that a quality performance was required. While waiting for our sound check with Maestro Christoph, we watched a team of ace diablistas expertly tossing their spinning, oversize yo-yos back and forth across the stage. They had raised the bar high.

At one o’clock it was our turn on the stage, and we worked through an hour-long test of the sound system that worked out all of the bugs and left us with just the right amount of monitor mix on stage and an even balance of our own microphone levels for the audience later that evening. An appreciative crowd of early-birds snapped up our juicy worms.

Then it was into the backstage area, in the bowels of the National Concert Hall, to store our instruments and grab a quick lunchbox meal courtesy of the promoters. This was followed by a warm-up session along the walkway that runs along the inside of the wall around the CKS plaza. We attracted a crowd of locals and several Spanish circus performers with our acoustic jamming. After an hour or so, we all felt that we were ready for the performance on stage.

Sandy and Conor went home to relax and get changed, while TC and Will and I found a quiet corner of the park for a picnic. Two hours later, when we made it back to the Concert Hall to get dressed and grab our instruments, the Betel Nut Brothers were on stage. We hung out to the side of stage and looked at the large audience that had assembled. They completely filled the steps in front of the stage. Dave accompanied the Brothers on their last number. And then it was our turn.

Emcees usually figure that we are ready to start performing long before we really are, and the young woman hosting this show was no exception. To keep the audience entertained for a few minutes while we got everyone plugged in and sorted out, Will began a little tap dance number on his board, and then Dave and I jumped in to play along. While we were busy at that, the emcee finally made her final announcement, and we were on.

The next hour went by in a blur, at least from my perspective now. Things were right and tight. We started off with Walk Right In (I know this because I watched this video) and we finished up with the Taiwan Song. The Betel Nut Brothers were up there with us for the finale song, and it went down in a fine style.

There were fans who wanted photographs with us (and our instruments) waiting at the rear of the stage, so we spent several minutes posing with them, and signing a few autographs. (Okay, I signed one.)

Then, we returned to the backstage area to eat another free meal and grab our stuff. We wanted to hang around the plaza because there was an after-party for the performers that we thought would be interesting. TC headed off with Jojo to a Harbin-style restaurant while Conor, Slim, Sandman, and myself had another picnic in the park. When it was time for the party, we went up to where it was being held.

Trees had laid out a buffet of sorts (I limited myself to fruit) and there was a crowd of musicians, circus performers, stage hands, and others mingling and talking. I spoke to several people, including one Belgian gentleman who manages several world music acts, including one of the MBR’s favorites, Tarif de Haidouks, a band of Roma. I also chatted with Christian, the director of the Cirque d’ Baroque and several of its performers.

After enjoying the big party for a while, Will and I took it upon our ourselves to entertain the affable Cirquists. We found the rocky shoreline of a fishpond and set up a camp of revelers under the moon. There were several runs made to a nearby convenience store for more supplies, and we passed several more hours in good spirits. By this time the square was empty and the moon was hanging low in the lightening sky.

We bid our new friends adieu, and before we knew it, a quick taxi driver had Will and I in Hsindian. Willy got out by the swimming pool, I headed up onto the mountain for a few hours of sleep.

Coming up next: Blues Bash 3

Rambling in the Basin

Here's your musical invitation to the festivities this weekend.

We had a practice last Sunday evening. It felt like we would have our act together for this weekend’s shows, and it didn’t sound too bad either. We worked on some of our standards and some we’ve only played a few times. Dave sent around a play list of 15-20 songs that we’ll select from for the shows on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday we’ll be performing at the 2006 Open Air International Arts Festival, Taipei; Spotlight on New Circus. We won’t be under the big top, or on the big stage; a smaller stage will in the square will be our launch pad. That’s where we’ll be at 6:00 for our 50 minute set. Sound check is much earlier, so we’ll all be in the park somewhere for most of the day.

Sunday will see us out in Hsi-chi for Blues Bash 3. We’ll perform from 4:30 to 5:00 P.M. BB3 is the product of DC Rapier, a musician who doesn’t just lead a band, but leads the Blues Society on Taiwan. If you run into DC at the show, let him know you appreciate his effort. This is a free show for the benefit of blues lovers in Taiwan.

Following the harvest moon

It feels like the Ramblers are awakening from hibernation.

We've got an event this weekend, but I really can't tell you much about it. It's a celebration, in Bi-tan, on Saturday night. We'll be performing. Satisfied?

Our big musical weekend is only two weeks away.

Saturday, November 4, the MBR will be at, well not "at" so much as "in front of", the National Theater at the CKS Memorial. I believe we'll have about an hour on stage. According to the latest word, we'll be on at 3 P.M. I can't track down any on-line promotional material at the moment, but we'll get something up here for you soon. I happened to be looking at the November issue of the National Theater/Concert Hall events schedule and found our name in tiny print on the page introducing the gig.

We'll be playing at the Blues Bash 3 in Hsi-chi on Sunday, November 5 at 6 P.M. We'll be on from 3:50 to 4:20. According to the Grape-Net-Vine, Conor will perform a special 30-minute version of Red River.



Make it down to one of these shows if you can. Good times are on the way.

There's music in the air, ... and pom poms

Last weekend's DP Day was a smash. There was a nice, healthy, music vibe in the park at Treasure Hill. The MBR thang didn't go down due to personnel/personal issues, (the details of which were announced several times to the audience by the emcee, Bone?). Our thoughts were certainly with Dave and his family. We all regret their loss.

It was great to see JRing's two bands. Sky Burial was without their guitarist, Brian, who was off in Russia, but they had an amazing keyboardist sitting in with them. If you hadn't been watching him playing the keys, you'd be forgiven for thinking there was a guitarist on stage. I haven't seen anyone do that so well in Taiwan for a long time (ever?).

The second band John plays in, Crossroads, featured Barry, the owner of Bliss, on lead vocals. Most of the songs they played were Rolling Stones numbers, and Barry does an inspiring Mick Jagger impersonation.

Sandy and I ended up leaving before the final act came on. Our appetite for rhoti's was just too great.

Props to Sean and his crew for putting on a great event.

There's a lot to do this weekend.

Conor is having a Moon Festival BarBQ on Friday evening over at Bobwundaye's that's promising to be a rollicking good time.

The Migration Music Festival, organized by our friends at Tree's Music, is also taking place this weekend at Da-an Park. There are shows Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings, along with workshops during the day. The workshops on Saturday and Sunday, during the day, are being held at Huashan this year. If you get the chance, go to any of the workshops. They are much more intimate than the amphitheater, and you'll come away with an increased appreciation of the music and musicians.

Our very own Dave is performing with the Betel Nut Brothers on Sunday evening. I'm sure most of us will be up on the grassy hill at the back of the amphitheater enjoying that show.

TC, however, will not be there. Checking in over at Planet Poagao, I see he is off to the PRC for an adventure. Let's see what a warm welcome they give to this exceptional Taiwan compatriot.

By the way, the pic at the top is of a group that I happened to catch today as I walked through the NTU campus.

Daniel Pearl Day of Music 2006

We haven't been on stage in a while, but we haven't been slacking off. Work on the CD is coming along, and we've got several performances coming up.

The first is the Daniel Pearl Day show at Treasure Hill in Taipei on September 30. I believe we'll be starting around 4 or 5 P.M., but come early to catch the other acts. We're at the smaller stage at the art studio/cafe.

We've taken part in the Daniel Pearl Day of Music several times now. Besides being a great chance to see live music in Taiwan, it's also a day to reflect on Daniel Pearl, a journalist and musician, who was executed in Pakistan in 2002.



Update: An email brought a copy of the flyer for this weekend's event. And here's a schedule of when the bands will be performing.

Main Stage
2pm To a God Unknown
3pm Minstral
4pm Anglers
5pm Sky Burial
6pm Sons of Pablo
7pm Crossroads
8pm Public Radio
9pm Sound Clashes

Acoustic Stage
3pm Kevin Smith
4pm Mister Green
5pm David Chen and Muddy Basin Ramblers

Lightning blues

We'd been planning to do a riverside session/gig/practice down at Bitan on Sunday, but that afternoon a thunderstorm rolled in and dumped heavy rain on Xindian. I called David; he said if the rain stopped we'd still be on. At 6 or so, it stopped, so I gathered up my stuff and went down to Athula's. I ordered a couple of delicious rohti and was just chomping into them when it started to rain again, accompanied by lightning and thunder.

Since we were all there, (except for Conor, of course), we decided to go down and find a dry place to play. We walked carefully through the lightning and thunder, carrying as we were such lightning-friendly things as a long wooden pole and a metal guitar. We ended up under the highway bridge, a massive concrete X-shaped structure looming over the river where, not too long ago, the Karaoke Bastards ruined many a night's tranquility in the area. We were about to do the same, but with better music. David had brought me a Muddy Basin Ramblers T-shirt to replace the one I misplaced at Zoe's house.

As we began to play, the rain increased in volume and strength; rivers of water streamed down the bank where we were playing. We moved our stuff around trying to find someplace dry. Amazingly, several friends showed up, despite the weather, to hear us. The sound echoed under the bridge, and I was sure everyone across the river could hear us. Occasionally a scooter or vendor would trudge by, sometimes stopping to listen. I'd brought my pocket trumpet and for some reason, possibly the weather, the valves were sticking like crazy. I managed somehow anyway, playing very deliberately. At least the tub isn't affected by the rain. It even makes a nice umbrella if need be.

We played until about 11:30, making it an early night due to the fact that everyone had work the next day. The rain turned to drizzle as I walked back home across the bridge. It was a good time. We should go down there more often.

Desktop Blues

If you're Jonesing for some blues during the MBR's mid-summer hiatus. Here's a link you'll have fun with.

North American Music Weekend

If we’d been thinking ahead, the MBR experience for 2006 would have included a show to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and completed the trifecta of North American patriotic holidays.

Coming on the heels of the IFfestival/Hoping for Hoping weekend, our performances at Canada Deh and the 2nd of July at the American Club of China made for a busy fortnight of gigs.

It was great to be back at Da An Park for another free show open to the public; we were a younger, smaller band the first time around, at the 2003 Migration Music Festival.

Unchanged was the oddly inspiring mix of local and foreign music fans that congregated in the amphitheater and on the grassy slopes.

A backstage highlight was the air conditioning, which went some ways toward increasing the camaraderie of the performers, as did the mojitos (eh, TC?).

We had a grueling sound check in the afternoon, not so much from the length, but because of the searing heat on stage. The sound crew were on the ball and did a good job of accommodating our wall of sound, although I think I heard someone say that they wouldn’t mic Slim’s tapping because it “wouldn’t sound good.” Little do they know.

Not having a mic for his feet might have been the reason that Slim spent so much time dancing with the crowd (okay, it was a crowd of two--Scott Cook and a two-year-old lad).

I thought our set sounded great. Unlike the rest of the bands, we even had our own sound guy, Max, sit at the board during our performance and monitor our sound.

Milk, on the other hand, didn’t come for a sound check, had no one at the mixing table, but knew how to make the party rock. The smoke machine that anemically belched a few poorly timed blasts of violet-scented fog during our set was working overtime for Milk.

I knew we were in for a good show when Kevin opened the first set up with the slightly teetering piano theme from my favorite Canadian television phenomenon, the Trailer Park Boys.

As always, Milk was curiously costumed, with masks featuring prominently. The lead singer and the female go-go dancer wore demonic leather masks; the male dancer had on a mask that might have come from lacrosse; and the bassist had a hockey goalie mask.

Not content to let the night end when the music stopped, Conor, Slim, and I headed over to JB’s for the England v. Portugal match. In the taxi, Conor predicted, accurately, it turned out, that no goals would be scored during the two halves or the overtime periods, and that the game would be decided by penalty kicks.

He did not predict that England would end up losing. Honestly, though, the crowd at JB’s, with a few notable exceptions, did not seem particularly surprised at the game’s outcome. England did not put on a good performance, in my opinion. But, hey, I'm American. What could I possibly know about footie?

Feeling sporty after the game, Slim and I got into a 3 A.M. broad jump competition in a pocket park just behind the Buxiban pub. That boy has got some legs on him.

If you’ve already read TC’s account, you know that I was absent from Sunday’s performance at the ACC, so I can’t say what happened at that gig. I will venture that the music was excellent, and the people were unprepared for the audio onslaught that the MBR foisted upon them.

Maybe one of the other Ramblers could post a lowdown on the hoedown. (Edit: To avert a showdown, the lowdown on the hoedown will not go down.)

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.

Chuffed Squirrel ...

As wet as the weather is now, you might not believe that the Muddy Basin Ramblers are planning to keep busy over the next month performing at outdoor music festivals. To get the season started, we turned a rain-cancelled hiking trip into an excuse to get together in the Hsintian hinterlands and do some improvisational jamming.

Probably we had all thought it would have been more like a Muddy Basin practice, but it turned into an evening more similar to the Big Drum sessions of old. We were on the porch, just winding the weekend down to its natural conclusion, passing the instruments around.

“Open the Gate!” Mother was licking the floor, a squirrel (NSFW) was hanging upside-down rocking to the brass, and the neighboring dog was answering the trombone. On the bed, under the canopy, the doctor inserted needles, but no water flowed. Just the rain, always the rain.

The smell of travel was in the air. Fingers was in town, on his way from South Central to South China. And Dave was packed and ready to roll off to the DobroFest in Trnava, Slovakia.

Trnava’s bluesiest booster, Bonzo, annually hosts a global gathering of guitar gypsies who celebrate the music of resonant guitars in the hometown of John Dopyera, the “Do” behind Dobro.

We met Bonzo when we shared the bill with him at the first BSOT Blues Bash in Taichung last spring. A few days later, we attended his show at the LR (hearing the same jokes) and then joined him on stage for a set, climaxing in a stirring rendition of G-L-O-R-I-A in front of a mystified audience.

That was then, and this is now. And right now, this very minute, the world’s best resonant guitar players, Dave included, are making their way toward a small town in Slovakia. Dave will perform from 12:50 to 1:20 P.M. on Saturday, June 3, on the main stage at the Museum’s Garden in Trnava.

... Fancy Goat

You have to seriously love the Blues to travel halfway around the world to perform for half an hour. According to the notes for the 2005 DobroFest, the informal jamming lasts late into the evening, so I don’t imagine those thirty minutes will be the extent of the guitar slinging for ol’ Dave.

Dave might even drop us a post if he’s able to leave the music long enough to spend a few minutes in a cyber café.

Keep the weekend of June 9-11 free. Hoping for Hoping is just around the corner. We’re on Saturday in the late afternoon.

I was listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" today, and the marching band riffs reminded me of that part of my past. Also, I dreamt last night that I was wandering around my brother's old high school, Clear Lake High in Texas (home of the Falcons). I hadn't gone back in time, it was still present day, but I was just walking around the hallways and ended up outside as a tornado approached. "Do you think it's dangerous?" a sandy-haired student asked me.

"Are you kidding, look at those explosions!" I said, pointing at the blasts coming from the now towering school. It had only been one floor before. Then I woke up.

I started playing trumpet at 11, in sixth grade. I'd lost interest in both violin and piano after years of lessons, and I looked up to my older brother Kevin's exhalted status as a band member (he plays the flute). So when we went to Seabrook Intermediate School to the band room filled with tables and instruments, all seeming quite shiny and complicated -there were so many buttons and valves!- I picked the trumpet after falling in love with the sound and the versatility of the instrument (and the fact that it only had three buttons and didn't mind getting wet). My parents, wary of yet another loss of interest, took me to a pawn shop, where they rummaged around the back and fit together a patchwork cornet, with silver and gold pieces that clashed underneath thick tarnish. It would do, and did. I started playing in the marching band after we moved to Florida at Maitland Junior High School the next year. I picked the instrument up at an average rate, perhaps a bit faster than others, but my range and power were both abysmal. Still, I loved playing and saved up for a silver-plated Bach Stradivarius, the instrument I still play today. It had a beautiful tone and facilitated fast, complicated riffs and sonorous melodic soloes, but of course in marching season, none of that mattered. What mattered on the field was projection, mainly. "We got the beat" wasn't exactly Hummel.

It was fun hanging out with friends from band, and making interesting patterns on various football fields, even dancing about out there, but I didn't have enough pure volume to be effective on the field back when the law of the band was the higher you could play, the better you were. It was really just that simple. I recall in one practice session, for regular band and not even marching band, another trumpet player, disgruntled because he had a lower chair, interrupted me, yelling, "Just play a high C! Just try to play it!" to somehow prove his point that I shouldn't be talking about trumpet playing. It was indeed a rare day I could easily hit that note.

"Just play anything well!" I shot back, but his point was made. I could play many things better than anyone there, but for pure power and Chuck Mangione-type screaming high notes, I was complete crap. A friend of mine who many considered my arch-rival, Jim Engle, had me every time when it came to range, though I did learn to play loud when the music called for it. Sometimes, anyway. I nearly ruined Romeo and Juliet squeaking through a high loud bit, but for the big garbonzo closing of Samson and Delilah I was the loudest damn thing in the orchestra. Jim and I traded off on solos and seats; he was typically first chair for marching season, while I'd take over for concert season.

Back then, I was quite defensive about it and tried to compensate with a certain amount of arrogance about my playing. "Good luck next year, TC, and try not to be such a jerk about your trumpet" was an oft-repeated reminder in my yearbooks. Really adolescent, when I think about it now.

So I looked on in envy as Jim and other trumpeters marched up to the front of the stands during shows and play solos into the cheering crowds. I knew that I'd make first chair again after marching season for concerts and things, but it still seemed like a defeat.

When I was 13 I got braces, not the thin wire type, but the whole-tooth-encompassing type, which I thought was the end of my trumpet playing career. After building up enough caluses inside my upper lip, however, I found that I could still play reasonably well. When they came off four years later, not much changed. I could still play, just about as well as before.

In high school, wearing the thick black wool uniforms of the Winter Park Wildcats in the hot Florida weather didn't help my growing dissatisfaction with marching band. I did the usual low-chair marching season/high chair for concert season shuffle for a couple of years. In the end I dropped band completely my senior year, electing to play instead with the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra. The school band conductor, Ken Williams, went to the symphony board to try to get me kicked out of the FSYO based on my reluctance to be in the school band, but he failed when my dad showed up at the meeting and challenged him to give a good reason why I couldn't play in the orchestra, except pure spite.

I continued to play in college, both at Washington & Lee and at Tunghai University. Both had orchestras, but neither had a marching band, much less a group as impressive as the marching band my brother ended up playing in , Texas A&M's world-famous Corps of Cadets. I'd pretty much plateaued, in any case. Further playing hadn't helped my range an iota. Once, at a gig in the Bahamas, I just ran out of steam and had to drop part of a mariachi solo down an octave, which was so embarrassing I got sympathy pats afterwards. I did, however, get my first taste of jazz and blues playing with my pal Boogie in a little jazz trio at a local sandwich shop, which was fun while it lasted.

The next marching experience I'd have would be in the army, and the only music involved there was singing army marching songs. I put the trumpet aside, and years passed. I didn't pick it up again until I got invited to play with the Muddy Basin Ramblers a couple of years ago.

Finally, I thought when I first sat in with the group, finally, I've found a place where I can play pretty much what I like for the crowd out there, Chuck Mangione be damned.