Why listen to the Blues ???  Isn't that going to make me sad or put me in a bad mood ???  The answer is a simple NO...  Listening to the Blues won't be a downer unless that is your intent to begin with...  Here's a challenge...  Try listening to Coco Montoya, Joe Bonamassa or Anthony Gomes play the blues guitar and keep and open mind and an open heart...  You will find your heartrate speed up and your energy level increasing...  Seems like a physiological impossibility to feel down or depressed under these circumstances.

Simply put, the blues are a mood enhancer that is designed to communicate with your soul...  Try some slow blues by Eric Clapton or B.B. King and see how relaxing the blues can be... Sure, blues music features lyrics, some of which deal with some of life's toughest challenges...  But, I find listening to great blues music to be cathartic, a type of cleansing...

Try it sometime and you just might find you like the blues...   

Bob "Tichiganblues" Striegel  

Birthday Present of the Blues

For my 56th birthday, I asked for only one present; tickets for last night's John Hammond blues concert at the gorgeous South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center. I got my wish, and as a result I was present for one of the truly great live performances of my life... Although John Hammond was nominated for a 2010 Grammy for his latest album "Rough and Tough", his career has spanned 50 years. He has "paid his dues" by playing with many of the country's veteran blues performers including the likes of Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Bukka White and Sonny Boy Williamson... During his long and storied career he has collaborated with Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt, Little Charlie and the Nightcats and Michael Bloomfield who John credits for introducing him to the Chicago Blues scene as well as the legends that put Chicago Blues on the map.
This was my second time seeing Mr. Hammond in a live setting... He came to Milwaukee several years ago with his good friend Charlie Musselwhite along with Otis Taylor and Eric Bibb. That concert was memorable but did not afford each of the performers with enough of the spotlight to stand out. Last night was different as Mr. Hammond sat alone on stage with his favorite acoustic guitar, his favorite resonator to show off his amazing slide work, a collection of harmonicas which were nestled into a neck harness allowing him to alternate between tasty harp chops and mad vocals.
His concert started in a very energetic way due to his frenetic playing, animated foot stomping and intense harmonica riffs. However, as soon as he started his verbal musings of his life and 50-year career, he seemed to channel the mellow vibe of some of his mentors such as Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf. He recounted how he acquired his very first guitar, learning to play the blues by visiting his favorite New York City record store and his life-altering decision to move to Los Angeles as a teenager to follow his dream.
He reminisced about working hard at an LA gas station where he happened to meet up with a local musical legend that got him his first LA gig. That led to several more gigs and when he spotted the first "love of his life", a 1955 Ford Crown Victoria, he made a promise that his music would be the means to his dream. Soon he was driving the LA streets in his dreamy Crown Vic.
As he recounted the blues legends he came to know, he paid homage to them by deftly playing one of their iconic blues songs. This kept the night moving at a pleasant pace. Ninety minutes later, he thanked the audience for their indulgence and exited the stage to a raucus, and well deserved, standing ovation. He came back for one last crowd-pleasing song, thanked the audience again and exited while the lights came on signaling the end of his performance. Then he did something so rare among his contemporaries. He appeared in the lobby minutes later and stayed for over an hour signing autographs and talking with the lucky fans who wanted a chance to meet a true legend. I was one of those lucky fans. He autographed two of my blues harps joining the signatures of Charlie Musselwhite and Rick Estrin, leader of the Nightcats. He was a gracious gentleman to all without any commercial trappings.. He had no CD's for sale and he wasn't promoting any upcoming shows.
I came away in awe from witnessing an extremely talented person truly comfortable in his skin who has honed his craft to the point where he is respected by the traditional blues masters as well as the more contemporary and progressive artists. I am left with the sincere wish that more of today's musical artists would consider following John Hammond in walking the walk before talking the talk.
Here is a link to a review of Mr. Hammond's Grammy-nominated release: http://www.rosebudus.com/hammond/RoughTough.html

Little Feat Founding member dies

I'm still in mourning over the loss of Little Feat drummer and founding member Richie Hayward. Richie died at his home in British Columbia, losing a battle with liver disease that had been ailing him for awhile.

I am a huge fan of Little Feat and have followed this band since it's inception in 1969. Their "Earthy" approach to life on the road and rare blend of Folk, Blues and later Cajun "Funk" made a lasting impression on my eclectic musical tastes that range from Gospel to Classical and Jazz/Funk to Blues.

Some of you may know that Little Feat lost its other founding member and inspirational leader, Lowell George, in 1979. George's mean slide guitar and smokey, bar-room baritone voice gave early Feat almost a country-edge to their music reminiscent of early Greatful Dead. His guitar work shines on the Band's initial release, the Self-titled "Little Feat". This classic gave us the iconic "Willin".

Since then the band has evolved into a pioneer of acoustic funk with a tinge of Jazz and Blues. The band has been a Road Warrior of sorts playing venues all across America as well as Canada. Their music is best enjoyed live and in person with a cold Adult Beverage of choice. A couple years back I caught them in Milwaukee at the Northern Lights Theatre where I had table seating within a few feet of the stage. The show was incredibly entertaining, made even better when I scored an autographed copy of Live from the Ram's Head, a two-CD live retrospective.

I mourn the loss of Mr. Hayward as I did Mr. George many years ago. Both were pioneers of a truly unique musical vibe that has brought me incredible enjoyment over more than 4 decades.

I invite you to give Little Feat a try.

Prost...

Unbelievably Cool Portable Guitar Amp

Recently I was browsing in my favorite local Guitar Shop, Gearheadz on National Avenue in Milwaukee. It is owned by a very talented Blues Harpster and Guitarist by the name of Ben Rickun. Ben knows his stuff and has a very interesting and eclectic array of musical gear all priced affordably for the gigging musician...

Anyways, I saw a small amplifier and asked Ben about it. He said it was the Crate Profiler and was a totally unique concept in portable guitar amps. I was intrigued and took it for a "test drive" using first a custom telecaster and then an Epiphone Acoustic Electric guitar. This amp showed some real byte for a small package. It has modest power rated at 2.5 Watts and has outstanding tone considering the twin 4" speakers. There are 11 different types of amps modeled with built-in DSP effects that include delay, modulation and reverb as well as a VERY COOL octave setting that makes an Acoustic Electric sound like a 12-string.

Very tentatively, I asked Ben how much he was looking to get for this totally unique amp. When he answered $50 including the optional 9 volt AC power supply I almost broke my arm reaching for my wallet. This amp is a valued addition to my modest collection of amps but is singular in it's potential.

With 6 1.5 volt AA batteries you get totally portable power either for your guitar gig or for your PA needs. Using the two tabs at either side of the top of this surprisingly light amp you can add a simple guitar strap and become a strolling minstrel. However, you can get some wild sounds from this small package which will melt the faces of the crowd...

I highly recommend you try one if you can find one... I have spent hours checking out the various combinations of sounds the Crate has included in the advanced DSP electronics. It also sports an AUX in, headphone OUT and USB connection for direct connection to a computer...

Best $50 investment that I've ever made... I've already had thousands of dollars worth of fun with this interesting amplifier...

Yours in the blues,
Tichigan Blues

The Death of Compact Disk ???

I was in Madison visiting friends when I stopped by one of my favorite used music stores on the East Side. I also brought in 10 "gently-used" CD's to sell them. It had been a good 3-4 months since I last visited this store and I was in for a bit of a shock with the changes that I saw during the hour or so that I was there. First thing I noticed was that the floorspace they reserved for used CD's was about half the size that I remembered from my previous visit. Secondly, I noticed that the price of the remaining CD's averaged less than $5 per CD with none priced higher than $10. On my last visit, most of the used CD's were priced at $5.99 to $7.99 each with the obscure, rare and out of print CD's selling for as much as $15.00. When I checked with the clerk on what they would offer me for my 10 CD's, he handed 6 of them back and said that he would purchase the remaining 4 for a total of $4. Meanwhile, I had no problem finding 4 "new 2 me" CD's with a total cost of $20. I asked about the lowball offer and the sales clerk said their store was "cutting back" on their used CD section and expanding their Video Game and DVD Movie sections. He went on to explain that they were only focusing on "mainstream" artists and avoiding the rare and obscure releases that were always part of this store's "charm". I asked him about whether anyone asked them about vinyl and he said that happens frequently and that their store on the west side of Madison did feature used record albums.
So, here's my question: Is this the sign of things to come ? A followup question is: Is there added value in the CD format as far as inserts and artwork ?? And lastly: How long before the Compact Disk goes the way of 78's, 45's, 8-Track and Cassettes ??? Let me know your opinion please...
P.S. I still have more than 700 select CD's for sale online at www.half.com so this is of prime interest to me and my cottage business...

Valuable Guitar Website

Here is one of my favorite websites to learn about musical instruments....

Welcome to the Planet Tichigan

Hello all fans of music... Here you will find topical information on all things music with a slant on guitars and amplification... We will also discuss topics such as How Do You Listen to your favorite music... Come back and visit often as our topics will change often... We will also be looking for your input as we move forward...

Thanks again for visiting...

Tichigan Blues