DianeB

In Pat's upcoming release "MoonDial" (July 26, 2024), we'll hear Linda Manzer's new baritone guitar with nylon strings. Of course, it's not conventionally tuned, either. That's Pat. The man is always exploring.

Tonight: Elkton, again with my pal Dave — now in view!

And the Oscar goes to ,,, !

Last night, my (well-obscured) guitar partner Dave and I played an 11-song acoustic set at an open mic in Elkton, MD, to an appreciative room of patrons. We opened with "Old Time Rock and Roll" and closed with "Long May You Run," more or less taking turns with vocals and solos. There were a couple of hiccups, but we had our moments, too.

Just by chance, last night I came across a stunning documentary on ABC: “The Last Repair Shop”. As the closing credits rolled on screen, tears rolled down my cheeks. The redemptive power of music has rarely been so eloquently documented. It's justifiably nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film. Available on Hulu, Disney+ and YouTube. 40 minutes.

From The Guardian: A Höfner bass guitar bought by Paul McCartney for £30 in 1961 has been returned to the former Beatle after a global search to find the stolen instrument. The distinctively shaped guitar, bought by McCartney before his rise to stardom and reportedly his favourite, was last seen around the time the Beatles were recording their final album to be released, Let It Be. McCartney paid £30 for the bass guitar 63 years ago, equivalent to about £800 at today’s prices. A search to find the missing violin-shaped bass, a German-made Höfner 500/1, was launched by the Lost Bass Project last year, and on Tuesday a student, Ruaidhri Guest, shared a photograph on social media of the elusive instrument…

@Nancy Lawing That's a good question for Steve on the Live Lesson, Nancy. By now he's probably the only one with any video from the Ustream, or earlier, eras. The old link has long been broken, as IBM acquired Ustream years ago. But I managed to snag a screen shot from (I think) October 8, 2013. I had been watching for just a few months, the late Pete Huttlinger was his guest, and Steve picked me to win one of Pete's video courses. Pete said, "Way to go, Diane," and you know the rest of the story.

Here's a 60 year flashback to the cusp of the British invasion. The Beatles' debut on The Ed Sullivan Show would be February 9. Each week, WGH, the principal AM station in the Tidewater, Virginia market, placed a stack of these wherever records were sold. The station DJs, of which there were about a half dozen, took turns choosing a newly released single they thought promising, the "Wax to Watch". I collected them from 1963–1965, asking my dad to steer us to a store where I could pick up the latest copy when we were out on errands.

Seems like something from "Brain Salad Surgery" would have been appropriate: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/22/florida-man-play-guitar-brain-surgery A video report from CNN: https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2024/01/23/man-plays-guitar-during-brain-surgery-tumor-affil-cprog-vpx.wsvn

I've been wondering about her! From Vulture and New York magazine, this link might be active only a short time. She has a brief Wikipedia entry. Back in October 2020, months after Diondre Cole dared to inquire “What up with that?” to viewers at home, a pink guitar beckoned from the stage as Saturday Night Live returned to its normal studio programming. There, just off to the right and in the back of the opening monologue frame, was guitarist Maddie Rice making her debut as part of the show’s live band. Young, hip, and barely 30 years old at the time, the newest addition of the Saturday Night Live Band was notable for a few reasons….

Watch Live Lessons on the Guitar Gathering YouTube Channel HERE. 7:00 pm Central Time US 2024 LIVE LESSON DATES JANUARY 2nd – How to Make 2024 the Best Guitar Year Yet 9th – The Chords You Really Need to Know on Guitar 16th - Strum Like a Pro FEBRUARY 6th – Creating Fills Between Chords 13th - From Real Book to Solo Fingerstyle Arrangement 20th – Guitar Progress Q & A MARCH 5th - How to Choose Your Next Guitar 26th - The Belmont Guitar Ensemble APRIL 2nd - Playing Sixths on Guitar 16th - To be announced 23rd - Trevor Gordon Hall Future dates and topics to be announced.

While reading about alternate tunings I was saddened to learn that musician George Winston died this summer, on June 4, 2023. He is best known for his solo piano compositions that helped define New Age music — although he preferred to describe his style as “rural folk piano”. He also played harmonica and acoustic guitar. I discovered George in the eighties and was fortunate to have a front row seat to see him perform in 2018. He was frail from his battle with multiple cancers, so I remember a poignant, graceful performance.

Update: It's a real treat: even better than its predecessor because the time frame is more recent with better footage, it has fewer subjects, and they're all still pals. Delightful interviews with Russ, Leland, Waddy, Danny, and a number of the artists they worked with.