6 December 2003
Partly to prepare for a class I'm teaching in January on the Harry Smith Anthology, and partly because it seemed like a fun thing to do, I've been learning how to play the banjo. Gary Snyderman caught me with one backstage at the Music and Dance Theatre Chicago opening last month:
MP3 update
27 September 2003
Music downloading has been in the news a lot lately, thanks mainly to the RIAA's new strategy of suing individuals who distribute recordings without permission. It's too bad it had to come to this, but I must say, it seems that people are finally figuring out that distributing another person's work without their permission is wrong. No strategy will eliminate the problem entirely, but changing the basic assumptions people make about this issue is a worthy goal.
By the way, one statement I often hear is that the record industry is hurting itself by "alienating its own customers." That's rather amusing when you remember that people who download unauthorized recordings rather than paying for them aren't, by definition, customers of the record industry.
I Fought the Law
5 August 2003
Well, the teaching gig is going well, and in addition to two regular classes, I've been participating in various other events around the Old Town School of Folk Music. For example, I'm about to teach a class called "Outlaw Songs," where we'll learn over a dozen songs about bad guys and bad girls, by artists ranging from the Carter Family to the Clash. The class is open to any skill level and costs $10 at the door ($5 for OTS members). If you play guitar, come jam with us! (That's Friday, August 8, 6:00 pm at 909 W. Armitage in Chicago.)
Apple for the teacher
28 April 2003
I've been a big fan of the Old Town School of Folk Music ever since I moved to Chicago, but I'll soon be experiencing its special vibe from a different perspective. I was recently offered an opportunity to teach a weekly guitar class there, so I'll be teaching Guitar II Repertoire on Sunday afternoons starting next weekend. If you're in the area and want to jam with us, sign up!
Sweet little rock 'n roller
2 March 2003
My New Year's resolution to finally kick the acoustic habit and get back into electric rock music got a big boost this week with the arrival of a new guitar I bought on eBay. It's a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Junior, and it looks and sounds delicious.
"It is, if you like, the Fender Telecaster of the Gibson line: the guitar for the player who is fed up with all those over-complicated instruments out there and instead seeks heads-down no-nonsense boogie." -- Tony Bacon, 50 Years of the Gibson Les PaulAll right! I'm ready to rock!"I'm going on record here as saying that the 'fifties Les Paul Junior is the best-sounding electric guitar ever made.... The most important element of the sound is the wood itself. Where did this timber come from? Why is there no more of it? Even Gibson themselves don't know!" -- Dave Gregory, guitargonauts.com
"It's got lots of vodoo vibe ... this guitar survived over 4 decades of rock and roll in action and not up in grama's attic." -- Steve V., eBay listing