This Day in Music – March 5, 1951 – The First Rock"n" Roll Recording?? – "Rocket 88"

Rockett 88So on this date March 5, 1951 several months before I was born, Ike Turner recorded the song “Rocket 88″ a song that many musicologists regard as the first rock”n” roll record!! The song was recorded for Sam Phillips at his Memphis Recording Service, which would later become Sun Records, in Memphis , Tennessee.  The record was credited to Jackie Brenston and his Kings of Rhythm but that band did not actually exist! The song had been put together by Ike Turner… From Wikipedia: Read More

This Day in Music – March 5, 1951 – The First Rock”n” Roll Recording?? – “Rocket 88”

Rockett 88So on this date March 5, 1951 several months before I was born, Ike Turner recorded the song “Rocket 88″ a song that many musicologists regard as the first rock”n” roll record!! The song was recorded for Sam Phillips at his Memphis Recording Service, which would later become Sun Records, in Memphis , Tennessee.  The record was credited to Jackie Brenston and his Kings of Rhythm but that band did not actually exist! The song had been put together by Ike Turner… From Wikipedia: Read More

The Budrows – The Budrows!

The budrows 3

100% Foot Stompin’ Cigar Box Rock n’ Roll from Laguna Beach’s – The Budrows!

So I like musicians like Seasick Steve and Ben Prestage and others, who make music on handmade instruments. Now you can add the name Jason Farthing to that list. Jason is one-third of the band The Budrows, who classify their music as “Home Made Cigar Box Swamp Rock and Roll” or “100% Foot Stompin’ Cigar Box Rock n’ Roll”. Farthing set out to build his first cigar-box guitar after seeing a picture of one in an antiques magazine. First he got a cigar box from a friend and then he gathered what he thought he needed and set about making one – instructions were not included! He was surprised, when the first one worked, and soon he was making another and perfecting his craft! After making a few guitars, the Drawing and Graphic Design student (at Colorado State University) came out in him, and he realized, that he could use the box top as a canvas and create playable art and that’s just what he did!! Here’s an example of his work!! You can see more here at soundboxguitars.com
IMG_0212When he began showing the guitars at art galleries, he would also play them, to show people that they were actually playable. This was the beginning of The Budrows. Soon after he started to build and play the guitars, he encouraged his step-daughter Macarena Rivera to sing along to some of Jason’s favorite songs and before long they were writing and playing their own songs, as they were showing the cigar box guitars. The final third of The Budrows, Jesse Boden joined the band, after being a star student, in Macarena’s mother.Spanish class.Jesse wanted to meet and hear Jason and Macarena because he was a musician, too. At an impromptu jam session at Jesse’s house, which was just around the corner from the Farthing’s house, Jesse pulled out his flute and began playing along, soon it was discovered that Jesse could also play harp and thus he became the third member of The Budrows!!So now The Budrows were complete with; Jason playing cigar box guitar, gas can banjo, suitcase kick drum/tambourine;. Macarena adding vocals, washboard, tambourine,and shakers; and Jesse Boden providing harmonica and flute and the result for me is a true “Americana” band (so what if Macarena was born in Argentina!).The Budrows albumTheir self-titled début album is full of great homemade music and I for one love it!. Who can’t help but love music with song titles like “Blood, Guts and Gasoline”, “Last Likker Run” and “Pass the Whiskey”.The album even ends with an instrumental  “Campfire Song”!Watching a few of their videos, it seems that the band has a good time playing their home-made swamp rock ‘n roll! Here they are playing the aforementioned “Blood, Guts and Gasoline”….

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100% Foot Stompin’ Cigar Box Rock n’ Roll from Laguna Beach’s – The Budrows!

The budrows 3So I like musicians like Seasick Steve and Ben Prestage and others, who make music on handmade instruments. Now you can add the name Jason Farthing to that list. Jason is one-third of the band The Budrows, who classify their music as “Home Made Cigar Box Swamp Rock and Roll” or “100% Foot Stompin’ Cigar Box Rock n’ Roll”. Farthing set out to build his first cigar-box guitar after seeing a picture of one in an antiques magazine. First he got a cigar box from a friend and then he gathered what he thought he needed and set about making one – instructions were not included! He was surprised, when the first one worked, and soon he was making another and perfecting his craft! After making a few guitars, the Drawing and Graphic Design student (at Colorado State University) came out in him, and he realized, that he could use the box top as a canvas and create playable art and that’s just what he did!! Here’s an example of his work!! You can see more here at soundboxguitars.com Read More

Sunday Thoughts about Pete Seeger, Abiyoyo and grandbaby Oliver Edward Karn

AbiyoyoSo sometime this month, my wife and I will become grandparents for the first time, when my son Andrew and his wife Meaghan have their baby, Oliver Edward Karn!! Well, it’s actually Meaghan doing all the work right now and Andrew just gets the congratulations!! A couple of weeks ago, they had Meaghan’s baby shower.and Oliver’s gifts from Andrew’s brothers and sister and my wife and I were books and not just any books, but ones that were special to us.The kids picked ones that were read to them and my wife and I picked either ones that were read to us or ones that we read to the kids! After my wife, whose idea it was first announced the idea. Peter immediately said “I’ll get Where the Wild Things Are” – though Bossy Boots may have been a better choice! What surprised my wife and I, was the first book that Elizabeth picked, which was Abiyoyo! The picture book based on the Pete Seeger song…. Read More

Book 5 of 2014 – Theodore Roosevelt and the Assassin – Gerard Helferich

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John Wilkes Booth

Ok so which of these men do you recognize?? I know that I would probably have a hard time identifying any of them. Each of these four men disrupted American politics between the years 1865 to 1912. Three were successful in their assassination attempts and assassinated an US President, while the fourth made an unsuccessful attempt to kill a candidate for President. They are clockwise from 3 o’clock – Charles_J_Guiteau assassin of President James Garfield, John Wilkes Booth – President Lincoln, Leon  Read More

Rod Picott – Hang Your Hopes on a Crooked Nail!

Hang Your Hopes on a Crooked Nail - Rod Picott

Rod PicottRod Picott has been friends with Slaid Cleaves since they first met in the 2nd grade in the Maine town of South Berwick where they both grew up. Slaid left South Berwick went to Tufts University and eventually ended up moving to Austin, Texas with wife Karen in  1991, where he has lived and recorded since then. Picott left Maine and spent a few years in Colorado, before moving to Nashville in 1994. Where spent several years playing at local clubs and sharpening his skills as a songwriter, he wrote songs for the likes of Fred Eaglesmith and worked and occasionally opened for Alison Krauss. Read More

2014 Americana – Rod Picott – Hang Your Hopes on a Crooked Nail!

Rod PicottRod Picott has been friends with Slaid Cleaves since they first met in the 2nd grade in the Maine town of South Berwick where they both grew up. Slaid left South Berwick went to Tufts University and eventually ended up moving to Austin, Texas with wife Karen in  1991, where he has lived and recorded since then. Picott left Maine and spent a few years in Colorado, before moving to Nashville in 1994. Where spent several years playing at local clubs and sharpening his skills as a songwriter, he wrote songs for the likes of Fred Eaglesmith and worked and occasionally opened for Alison Krauss. Read More