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Post by mccoyblues on Oct 3, 2006 8:39:11 GMT -5
...for me to discover Eva Cassidy. I'd heard her name for a long time so I finally picked up her live CD this weekend and it is wonderful. Not what I expected at all (I thought she was the singer/songwriter type) but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this record.
I went back to pick up a compilation of some of her other recordings.
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Post by billhammond on Oct 3, 2006 8:43:21 GMT -5
Mark -- Welcome to the Eva Fan Club. Make sure to pick up"Songbird" and "Imagine."
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2006 8:50:04 GMT -5
I like, "Live at Blues Alley" a lot too. Really, she doesn't have a bad CD. All of them are great.
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Post by mccoyblues on Oct 3, 2006 8:50:05 GMT -5
Bill, of course this is from a bass players perspective, but if you'd just buy a jazz box and add a rhythm section to your act....
Have you ever considered going electric?
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Post by billhammond on Oct 3, 2006 8:53:07 GMT -5
I think I will get a better feel for what Barb and I can accomplish musically later this month, when we record with Doug Young. We should have lots of instruments, including bass, available, and I want to experiment with all kinds of combinations. I also was very intrigued by Dave Wendler's electrocoustic guitars when I visited his shop in Kansas: www.acousticguitar.com/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=024556
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Post by mccoyblues on Oct 3, 2006 9:00:16 GMT -5
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Post by billhammond on Oct 3, 2006 9:04:08 GMT -5
I cannot afford (nor lift) one of those, though!
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Post by mccoyblues on Oct 3, 2006 9:21:35 GMT -5
That was an extreme example. Not too many of us can afford a top of the line archtop Gibson. But there are many fine archtop electrics out there. It wouldn't take much transition to move from acoustic to archtop electric.
I wasn't aware the L5 was that heavy. Of course the online catalogs don't list the "shipping weight" in the specs.
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Post by billhammond on Oct 3, 2006 9:24:31 GMT -5
Oh, I was just guessing about the weight -- they sure LOOK heavy. (Gibson says 7.88 pounds...)
But to be a little more serious for a moment, if you look at the bulk of the Barb/Bill playlist, an electric guitar would not sound "right" -- I mean, these are songs that for the most part featured prominent acoustic guitar when initially recorded, and I am most familiar and comfortable with acoustic guitars.
I just can't see myself slapping away on "Closer to Fine" on an archtop.
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Post by mccoyblues on Oct 3, 2006 9:44:15 GMT -5
Of course your current set list is structured around the acoustic guitar. Listening to the "Live at Blues Alley" CD just got me thinking. I wonder what that duo from up north would sound like with a band behind them. I wouldn't expect you to put your Goodall away, just put it on the stand every once in a while and pick up something different. Especially with a rhythm section behind you. With a great presence up front and a solid band behind you the possibilites would be endless.
It would open up a whole new area for jobs too.
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Post by billhammond on Oct 3, 2006 9:52:38 GMT -5
The last thing in the world I want is for Barb to get back into the smoky-bar world, which was wreaking havoc on her voice and her lifestyle. But I am not averse to using an electric on jazzier stuff someday. And I could see us with a bass player, but no more than that, please!
There is a great deal of fun and satisfaction in being a duo, riding together, combining gigs and vacations, keeping the money split as profitable as possible amid meager earnings....
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Post by mccoyblues on Oct 3, 2006 10:38:41 GMT -5
Hey, don't take this wrong. I'm not trying to lead you away from your comfort zone, just trying to shed some light on possibilities. Just because you're a band doesn't mean you have to play dimly lit smoke filled rooms. Those days (at least here in Georgia with the smoking laws) are long gone. We played a political fund raiser for the black tie crowd last weekend and made a month's salary on one show. We didn't play our usual set of gut bucket blues, we transformed ourselves into a suedo-jazz combo and boy did we had fun. If I could book gigs like that 3 or 4 times a year I'd be a happy bluesman.
If I had talent like yours I'd want to use it in as many different situations as possible. We're in this gig to make money and the money ain't in coffee houses and small bars.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2006 11:24:10 GMT -5
Let me tell you a little about myself....I had been gigging pro for around 28 yrs ,doing the north UK club an pub circuit.Hard work but great fun and quite profitable. One night i looked out at the crowd ,mostly middleage\pensioners,and only really there for the bingo ,and thought this is not why i picked up a guitar .Long story short i walked away from EVERYTHING ,home ,friends ,familly and went on my travels. Cut to today 5yrs later .At last i have my love for music back ,i LOVE playing ,only at open mics or jam nights as we call em.Its great cos i get to play ,sing joke ,anything I want ,not for money but for the joy i get and the joy i hopefully give . The joke is that people constantly come up to me and say "with your talent you should be making money ".thanks but no thanks .Much rather play than work. Ive just read this through and it sounds terribly egotistical,sorry :-/but i'll post it anyway .
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2006 11:32:11 GMT -5
Oh, I quit. I don't know why the heck I can't post pictures on this board.
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Post by mccoyblues on Oct 3, 2006 12:25:50 GMT -5
not egotistical at all timmy. I've been there too. I've retired twice, but always come back for the love of the music. Being a bluesman is not profitable by any measure.
I am not in this business for the money but a good payday sure helps.
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Post by billhammond on Oct 3, 2006 12:31:58 GMT -5
For Barb and me, the money issue is twofold -- One, we can use it and we need it to offset expenses of gear and gas, etc., associated with the gigs themselves -- and two, we have grown and worked to where we KNOW we are worth decent money in terms of our sound, our appeal, and our ability to enhance the venue's atmosphere (so long as I watch what I eat that day -- HA HA HAAAAA) ...
In other words, we are through with being insulted by places that want or expect us to play for nothing or for a pittance. We tell them that you get what you pay for, but we say it nicely and with a smile.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2006 12:46:46 GMT -5
"Why did it take so long"
Sadly the music industry is not very well tuned to much of the great music. They're more concerned with who they can market, control, and make a lot of money on. Nothing wrong with making money but there is a considerable percentage of execs who turn out a "hit" and suddenly know everything about what the public wants. I've witnessed much of this from the "sidelines" and some from the inside. What really gets me is when the truly greats get ripped off or pushed to the side in favor of the glamour and glitz crowd. So you'll have people like Eva Cassidy who gain some degree of notoriety but remain unknown to most of the public while the less talented (if they have any talent at all) have their digitally processed voices pumped out over the air 24 hours a day. In recent years my contacts have been mostly in the Christian Music industry and sad to say it's not a lot different there. One friend (and this is a two time grammy winner and seven time dove award winner) told me how so many gifted writers and performers are shelved in favor of the "flavor of the month".
Another friend, in Nashville, was ripped off for 75K in royalties and was told he could purchase his 'masters' for 50K. He threatened to sue and they let him have them for $4,500.
Another friend just moved back here from Atlanta. He's a performer but has a degree with a major in music marketing and production. He left because the drug use (and a variety of other vices) were not only tolerated but encouraged.
You think politics and big business are corrupt? The Music Industry is no better.
Some of the best musicians, singers, songwriters, etc. are people you'll hear very little or nothing about. Some were used by the industry and some decided to get out of it before it ruined or killed them.
Sorry if this sounds like a wild rant but I think most of us share a love of music and I'm sure most can sympathize with the obstacles involved with just being competitive/good enough and then to face the inside politics of the business can be a bit much.
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Post by gbacklin on Oct 3, 2006 13:09:14 GMT -5
"Why did it take so long" ...Some of the best musicians, singers, songwriters, etc. are people you'll hear very little or nothing about... And that my friend, is why I got back into recording. To allow all this music to be preserved... Take Care, Gene
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Post by mccoyblues on Oct 3, 2006 13:17:35 GMT -5
thanks for taking this thread back to where it started. Eva Cassidy is one of those extremely talented individuals who was passed on simply because record execs couldn't put a narrow label on her.
Her estate is finally benefitting from the recognition she deserved during her oh so short career.
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Post by timfarney on Oct 3, 2006 13:38:32 GMT -5
...for me to discover Eva Cassidy. I'd heard her name for a long time so I finally picked up her live CD this weekend and it is wonderful. Not what I expected at all (I thought she was the singer/songwriter type) but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this record. I went back to pick up a compilation of some of her other recordings. I thought she was a singer/songwriter type too. What type is she? Tim
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