Musician and writer (both song and print) for over 30 years. Primarily interested in roots music (Americana, bluegrass, blues, folk). Current contributing writer for Fiddler Magazine, previous work with Metro Times (Detroit), Ann Arbor Paper and Real Detroit Weekly, as well as other various music and military publications. As songwriter, won the 2015 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (Bluegrass Category, "Something About A Train," co-written with Dawn Kenney and David Morris) as well as having work performed on NPR and nominated for numerous Detroit Music Awards.
I’m starting to get back into doing some small repairs on musical instruments again. I have a Yamaha acoustic guitar that needs some work on it that may take some time, so that one is on the back burner. Currently, I am working on getting a violin back into playing order.
While scanning eBay a few weeks ago, I came across a pink 4/4 size fiddle that needed some TLC. The cool thing was, the seller was actually only a mile or two away from my house. I contacted him to see if I could buy it direct, and we agreed. When I opened up the soft case, I saw that it needed a lot more work than anticipated, but nothing that I couldn’t handle.
The body and neck are fine, but it was missing the bridge and endpin. The tailpiece and chinrest were there but not attached. The bow was a complete mess and not worth re-hairing, so it will be trashed. I ordered a new bridge and endpin and got them a few days later. The endpin proved to be too large for the end hole, so I ordered a violin peg reamer and got it a few days ago. This tool is a worthwhile purchase for anyone doing work on string instruments, especially the violin family. It is basically a tapered file that slightly widens a hole where a tuning peg or endpin should go into an instrument. I was able to get the endpin here to fit in a matter of seconds with a few twists of the reamer.
The way that the violin is strung up, it relies on each component resting on another to get the best vibration with the wood. With the endpin in place, the tailpiece can be looped over it, but it is not secure unless the strings are attached and wound to the tuning peg. The strings also have to be resting properly on the bridge, which needs to be placed in the correct spot on the top of the body. The bridge is probably the most important part of the actual violin, as it transfers the vibrations of the strings directly to the body, working against the top as well as the soundpost directly underneath inside the body. Bridges found on beginner and student violins are very basic. Professional violinists and fiddlers usually have a luthier carve special bridges that have a certain thickness (as thin as possible), weight, height and curvature to get the best sound.
While I am not concerned with getting a bridge that will cost three or four times as much as what I paid for this violin, I still want to use this as learning experience, so I will be working on making the bridge that I purchased to be better quality than when it came to me in the mail. This will entail thinning the entire piece with sanding, as well as adding a slight curved face to the side facing the neck. Thank goodness that there are a number of videos on YouTube that give some advice on violin repairs.
I already ordered a new bow, just a student one for under $15.00, as again I don’t want to invest too much into this project. I’m not interested in making this thing a professional fiddle, just a playable one that will inspire some young girl to want to play the instrument. It also gives me a chance to learn more about the skill of working on repairing and maintaining stringed instruments, something that I wish I could do as a full time job.
I am not sure how many who read this blog have ever heard of the Foxfire series of books. The concept began in 1966, with a Georgia teacher named Eliot Wigginton having his students write essays on Appalachian culture. The students interviewed relatives and older neighbors about lifestyles and skills from the turn of the last century. The papers were later published in magazine form, then in 1972, The Foxfire Book was published, which received widespread critical acclaim and popularity. The book proved so popular that another edition was published every few years, with the last being Foxfire 12 in 2004.
Subject matter is varied, including home remedies, snake lore, gourd banjos, blacksmithing, religion, soap making, and gardening, along with biographies and histories of unique places. Every story is written by the students, and is extremely enjoyable to read. Along with the twelve volumes, additional books on cooking, Christmas, and toys have been published.
I first came across one of the Foxfire books at a used book sale over 30 years ago, and through the years have picked up an additional volume whenever I came across one at a book or rummage sale. Along with being interesting reads, a few stories have been inspirational to me for writing a bluegrass song or two. I currently own the first nine volumes, and hope to collect Volumes 10-12 in the near future. Note that these books, even used, are not cheap. Used copies in fair to good condition go for around $12.00 or more on eBay. A complete set of new copies can set you back about $400.00!
The Foxfire Organization has a website (http://www.foxfire.org/) where anyone can get more information on the books, magazine, merchandise, membership, and its podcast. The organization encourages high school students from around the country to submit articles containing interviews of relatives that lived in the Appalachian area during its rural history.
Now here is where it gets weird. A few months ago, while I was doing some searching over the internet for Foxfire books I still needed in my collection, I Googled the founder of the program, Eliot Wigginton. He was born in West Virginia in 1942, with his mother passing away 11 days after his birth. He was raised by his maternal grandmother, a professor at Vassar, and his father, a landscape architect. He received master’s degrees from Cornell and Johns Hopkins Universities, and began teaching English at the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in northeast Georgia in 1966, where he would begin his Foxfire legacy.
Wigginton was also a social activist. He collected social justice stories and published them in the book Refuse to Stand Silently By: An Oral History of Grass Roots Social Activism in America, 1921-1964 in 1991. However, in 1992 he was convicted of molesting a 10-year-old boy during a camping expedition on the Foxfire grounds. Although claiming innocence, prosecutors were able to gain testimony from over 20 people claiming that Wigginton had molested them as children between 1969 and 1982. He pleaded guilty to one count of child molestation, served one year in jail, and received 19 years probation. He was excommunicated from the Foxfire organization, and is living in Florida as a registered sex offender.
Yes, it seems strange, almost heartbreaking, that someone who had so much wonderful influence on children and young adults to take a passionate interest in the Appalachian culture, would also participate in an evil act with minors. Fortunately, the Foxfire organization and its educational program continue in a positive light. I encourage anyone wanting to learn more about the Appalachian way of life to go to the website, visit the museum, and if you come across a Foxfire book at a garage sale, by all means, buy it!
The March 2024 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited showed up in my mailbox a few days ago, and on the cover was a picture of a young Jerry Garcia playing the banjo. Inside were three articles on him, one dealing with the history of his bluegrass supergroup Old & In The Way, a second looking at his career performing bluegrass and acoustic music, and a third briefly covering the Grateful Dead’s delving into roots music
Ever since the Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Museum took over publication of the magazine, the editor/publisher has been much more varied in its bluegrass coverage. There have been a lot more articles on progressive bluegrass artists, which I find helpful. This coverage of Garcia coincides with the Museum’s upcoming exhibition of Jerry Garcia: A Bluegrass Journey.
Back in May 2020, I wrote one of my early blogs concerning why Garcia hasn’t been considered being entered into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame permanently (https://luegra.design.blog/2020/05/16/why-wont-the-ibma-recognize-jerry-garcia/). More than any other musical artist outside of the bluegrass fold has Garcia been a proponent of bluegrass music. Before his time in the Dead, he was an adamant player of the banjo, despite missing a finger on his picking hand. Even during lulls in the Dead’s recording and touring schedule, he was performing with bluegrass and old-time country music with so many incarnations.
It’s hard not to fathom bands and artists like Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings, Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Crooked Still even existing without being influenced by Garcia, if not musically then at least on approach to bluegrass. As much as he was experimental in overall band sound, he was still very loyal to original artists like Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, and Reno & Smiley. Mandolinist Jesse McReynolds was a big supporter of Garcia, recording a number of Dead tunes in bluegrass style.
I can only hope that this exhibition, as well as the dedication of these articles in BU, will push Garcia’s entry into the Bluegrass HOP even closer and sooner. He, through is influence with younger Deadhead audiences and guitar aficionados, helped bluegrass gain a wider and newer fan base than anyone else.
Two greats in the country/Americana music fields passed away this past week. One death got a lot of media coverage, the other went almost unnoticed.
Country great Toby Keith passed away this past Monday from a long-time battle with stomach cancer. I won’t go over his career here, as one can Google it and it is all over the internet. What I will say is that he was a burly guy, and to see his most recent photos made me hurt inside. The cancer was working hard on him, but he was fighting it to his last day. He gave us anthems that were truly appreciated by thousands of fans. He was extremely supportive of the US military, often visiting and performing at bases around the country and overseas.
One thing that bothered me during this past week is that Keith had helped start Taylor Swift’s career. He had her as a supporting performer at a number of his shows, and even signed her to his label Big Machine Records. Yet, as dozens of country stars have posted tributes to Keith, she has not posted anything on her social media sites. Is she more concerned with what she will wear to the Super Bowl? Kudos to John Rich for calling her out on his X account.
Toby, the people who knew you and loved your music will always keep you in their hearts.
This past Wednesday, one of the craziest performers to ever grab a guitar passed away from a heart condition. Mojo Nixon was bigger than life, to say the least. Obnoxious as any person could be, you could not help but laugh when he was around talking his schtick. Nothing was off limits to his insults. I first saw him live back in the late 1980s when he performed with Skid Roper at a dive called Paycheck’s Lounge in Hamtrmack. He packed the place, and I can still remember his 15-minute rendition of his song “Stuffin’ Martha’s Muffin,” an ode to MTV VJ Martha Quinn. His only real hit was “Elvis is Everywhere,” which people my age still sing out loud every time something about Elvis Presley appears on TV or in the news.
He served as a DJ on the Sirius/XM channel Outlaw Country for a number of years, spouting off hillbilly philosophy between songs like a cartoon preacher. Every time he played a Patsy Cline song, he would tell the listeners that she was built like a brick shithouse. He recommended that anyone that wanted to learn rock-n-roll guitar should get a copy of the Rockpile album Seconds of Pleasure and learn from it.
His other project included the alt-country supergroup The Pleasure Barons with Dave Alvin and Country Dick Montana, as well as notable movie roles in the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire and Super Mario Brothers. Whatever it was, he never stopped being Mojo Nixon.
I would run into him every year at the AmericanaFest in Nashville pre-pandemic. He was usually MC-ing a showcase, but would be typical Mojo at the mic or in the green room. Two memorable run-ins with im were giving him a fifth of homemade peppermint schnapps that he worshipped like a goddess, and another time when I had him talk to my buddy Ken over the phone, basically saying to him, “Where the fuck are you? Fuck you!” and hanging up. That was Mojo.
I still have this feeling in the back of my mind that he is not really gone. Like Joe Strummer for me, he will appear again when you least expect it and do something that will make you love him all over again. He had that type of impact on people like me.
Mojo, if you are in Heaven, it’s only because God knows that you can beat the Devil at his own game. You will be missed by so many who grew up during the late punk/early new wave period and took a dump on the synthesizer bands.
I got back from Nashville and the SPBGMA conference a few days ago, and I will go over some of the notable high and low points that I experienced. These will come about at random, whether good or bad. There will also be thoughts not only about the conference, but about the city as well, since it has been over four years since I last visited for a music conference.
Networking – one thing about bluegrass artists that one doesn’t see with much other formats is that they are very approachable. Pretty much all of the bands showcasing on the main stage will also set up a merch table and enjoy talking to the fans. They are also more than willing to talk to someone like me who is looking to shop some songs for the band to record. Once a band or its members get to know how dedicated you are to the craft, you get to be closer to them. Some of the bands that I got to know better and developed a relationship with during the week were The Kody Norris Show, Nu-Blu, and The Edgar Loudermilk Band.
Article Material – I was able to talk to a number of fiddle players for future articles in Fiddler. One of these article I hope to complete is a coverage of The Violin Shop, a music store on the outskirts of the city (more on this later).
International Band Championship – About a dozen bands that are not A-list bluegrass performers compete for a large cash prize and SPBGMA promotion at the next year’s conference. A few were OK, but most were at the top of their game. You could tell that they work hard not only on their instruments and vocals, but also a rapport with the audience. The two bands that impressed me the most eventually took First and Second Place (Sylamore Special and Off the Rails, respectively). The complete list can be found at https://bluegrasstoday.com/sylamore-special-wins-2024-spbgma-band-championship/ .
Rhonda Vincent – There is a reason she is called The Queen of Bluegrass, A fantastic performer, wonderful singer, and totally personable with her fans. On Saturday, she filmed part of a new video (covering the old Olivia Newton-John song “Please Mister, Please”) with a number of young bluegrass pickers backing her up. Sorry for the blurry photo, it comes from a screenshot of the video I did and wasn’t able to upload the video.
Jamming 24/7 – Not sure if this is good or bad. This is what a lot of people attend SPBGMA and IBMA for — many of them don’t even bother to register for the conference. From Thursday through Sunday, there were at least five jam sessions going on in the main lobby of the hotel during peak hours, Moreover, there were jams going on in a number of hotel rooms throughout the night and into the morning hours. Now I am an early riser for my job, so even though I was on vacation, I was hitting the sack pretty early, and with the time difference (Central Time, and I live in Eastern Time), I found that I could not stay up too late to enjoy the wandering festivities. Thank God that I brought some good earplugs with me so that I could get some sleep. Heck, when I would get up in the morning, you could still hear some people jamming down the hallway. Of course, you wouldn’t see much people at the conference morning sessions. But if you are into listening to live music at all hours of the day and night, this is your weekend!
Sequins – I swear, with the exception of one band in the aforementioned championship competition, all of the females in those bands were wearing sequins. It tended to look tacky. It made me think that the bands cared too much for the looks and that they were auditioning for Las Vegas or Branson, Missouri rather than a bluegrass festival. It just doesn’t look good in my opinion.
Songwriter Workshop vs. Showcase – One of the seminars was listed as a Songwriters Workshop. This consisted of four bluegrass songwriters (Daryl Mosley, Johnny Williams, Jeanette Williams, and Raymond McLain). The performers each performed a few of their original songs, and talked about where the inspiration came from. To me, this is more like a showcase than a workshop. A songwriter workshop would entail successful songwriters working with aspiring songwriters on improving on their craft, such as discussing subject matter, arrangements, and even taking an idea and making it into a song together. I hope that SPBGMA considers how to promote this or create an actual workshop next year.
Hotel Parking – The Sheraton Airport Hotel has been host to the SPBGMA event for a number of years, and I would think that they would have a little better control of parking. They did have an extra lot about a 1/4 mile away that would have shuttle service, but it seemed that they still allowed non-hotel guests and non-conference attendees to park in the hotel lot until it was full, so if you were registered at the hotel and went off site for a while, you didn’t have a spot to park when you came back. There was a person at the gate entrance telling people about the shuttle service, but his suggestion only seemed to work when the hotel lot was completely full. I found myself walking a long distance twice getting back to the hotel while carrying some baggage. A better way to handle it would have been unless you had a hotel room, you should be forced to park in the supplemental lot and take the shuttle in.
Waffle House – We don’t have them in Michigan, so I hit one every chance that I get going south. Fortunately, there was one about two blocks from the hotel, so I was in Heaven. You can bet that I was there every morning that I stayed down there. The breakfast bowls with hash browns, cheese, and egg and choice of meat (my preference was sausage) are to die for.
Jack’s BBQ – Another favorite place of mine in Nashville. Now that downtown is pretty much ruined by progress, I don’t visit that location, so I go to one southwest on Charlotte St. The brisket and Texas sausage are cooked to perfection, and they have some amazing sauces, with the Carolina being my favorite.
Elliston Place – Another favorite restaurant, although I didn’t go to it, and probably never will again, because of …
Downtown Parking – The days of parking meters, even in areas like Music Row and the Gulch, are gone. I understand paying a king’s ransom in a lot downtown, but in the street in front of Elliston Place (and other areas), the meters have been replaced with signs showing a QR code. You have to scan the code, then enter your credit card number in the app. I feel sorry for anyone, especially from the older generation, who doesn’t understand this technology. Nashville central has made itself into a tourist trap. A candy bar is $3.00, and so is a 1/2-litre bottle of soda.
Hotel Food – Just as bad is the cost of the hotel food. It knows that a lot of the guests won’t venture away from the hotel, so it was charging $8.00 for a hot dog, $14.00 for a hamburger, $12.00 for a ham sandwich, and $3.00 for a banana.
Exhibit Hall – While not nearly as big as the one found at IBMA, there were a few interesting vendors. I did pick up a great t-shirt with the US flag but the stripes are violin bows. There were some nice new and vintage guitars, as well as banjos and a fiddle table. They had a second room for exhibitors, but it was almost empty with the exception of two music schools having tables. It would be great if more vendors would show up for this, as people do take an interest in buying bluegrass-related swag as well as trying out different instruments.
Nashville Music Stores – Because of the gentrification of downtown, long-time businesses have either closed up or moved away from there. Carter’s Vintage Guitars is still near downtown, so you have to pay for parking to visit. Fortunately, two of my favorite shops, Gruhn’s Guitars and The Violin Shop, have moved to the outskirts of town and have ample free parking. Any guitarist visiting Nashville has to make a stop at Gruhn’s. It is pure Heaven in there, although everything has a high price. Same with The Violin Shop and fiddlers. However, both stores know that a lot of people come in to just admire the selection, and you can always buy a t-shirt or keychain to prove that you were there. Grimey’s Record Store also moved out of its original location to the East Nashville area, but I wasn’t able to get to it this time.
Potholes – Now here in Michigan, we grow potholes like Hawaii grows pineapples. They are everywhere, so we are used to rough pavement. Sometimes, our road commissions will get out there and fill them so there aren’t too many damaged wheel rims and axles. Two weeks ago, Nashville had a big snowstorm, and as the snow melted, it caused a fair amount of potholes, especially on highways that usually don’t experience these problems. The city’s solution? Just post highway signs that say “Rough Road – Please Use Caution.”
Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge – I used to love hitting The Station Inn every time I visited Nashville. However, it is completely surrounded by high-rise apartments, and parking, even pay-to-park, is next to impossible to secure. It’s not worth the fight. Fortunately, two bluegrass artists were doing shows at Dee’s in Madison (a northern suburb of Nashville). The place is a dive to say the least, but is perfect in my eyes. While it is not strictly bluegrass (band bookings include jazz, R&B, rock and country), a lot of bluegrass artists that live in the area hang out there no matter who is on stage. I have found my favorite bar down there!
Frugal MacDoogal’s – If you ever crossed a large department store, a dollar store, and a liquor store, this would be it. An absolute amazing selection of beers, wines and liquors, and prices are very good. This is another place I visit any time I am in Nashville.
The Kody Norris Show – Kody is a true entertainer, combining Jimmy Martin, Bill Monroe, Porter Wagoner, and George Jones. He and his band dress to the nines in Manuel suits, but the charm is how tight the band is when performing. Kody, his wife fiddler Mary Rachel, and the rest of the band are extremely friendly to their fans, and Kody went out of his way to catch up with me and talk business during some downtime.
Vickie Vaughn – seeing Vickie the night before I was scheduled to head back to Detroit was the best gift that I could ask for. I first met Vickie in 2014 at a Leadership Bluegrass meeting, and since then we have remained great friends, even though we don’t get to see each other much. I have always called her my “kid sister” because of how our personal paths have paralleled. Since I have known her, her career as a bluegrass bassist has bloomed to playing with High Fidelity, Della Mae, and winning Bass Player of the Year this past September at the IBMA Awards Show. She is truly one of the most beautiful ladies and wonderful people that is in my life, and I will always love her.
I had a few minutes break from the SPBGMA conference here in Nashville. So far it’s been great! I’ll post more about it next week. Here’s a quick pic of the Edgar Loudermilk Band performing a showcase. Until next week, stay safe!
So back during the pandemic days, I received a $400 debit card from the government. It was the last payment to me before I got a job, and I am not sure why they put it on a debit card instead of the usual sending the money straight to my bank account. Anyway, I completely forgot about it since I was now working.
Fast forward over two years, and while cleaning out my wallet a few weeks ago, I came upon the debit card. I went online and it still had the full amount available, but it was set to expire in about a month. Well, I wasn’t bound to let $400 slip away, but to be honest, I really didn’t know what I would use it for. I am pretty well set as far as basic necessities like food, paying utilities, and clothing. My thought was to treat myself to something special.
I didn’t want to splurge on an expensive meal. No, I wanted to get myself something to last me for a while. I first thought about a pizza oven, but I knew that I would probably use it once or twice, then it would gather dust in the garage. I also considered getting myself a handgun for protection at home, but because it was government money, they would probably deny that purchase the way the current administration is trying to suspend the second amendment.
My choice was then something in the musical instrument field. I have way too many acoustic guitars, and $400 wasn’t going to get me anything as good or better than I already have. The same goes for the bass. I have a banjo, dobro, and fiddle that I work with, but nothing to inspire me to get something more, again not for $400.
I always wanted a F-style mandolin, but the price was always out of reach. I have a decent A-style mandolin which I played regularly until I switched over to fiddle a while back. However, recently I saw that The Loar company (a stringed instrument manufacturer out of China) was marketing a LM-310F model, retailing for $400 through Guitar Center.
(WARNING: If you do an internet search on the The Loar LM-310F, you will find that a number of retailers are selling this model for $100 or less. DO NOT BE TEMPTED! These are international criminal rings that get your credit card information, keep emailing you about a delay in shipping, then after 30 days, you will never hear from them and you get nothing in return. Often these thieves will also sell your credit card information so that you will be REALLY screwed, and it will be difficult to get back your money, unless you have a really good credit card bank).
The GC near my house actually had a LM-310F at the store, and after trying it out by playing a sloppy version of “Bluegrass Stomp,” I knew that I wanted it. Since it was the floor model and they didn’t have any stock in the store room, I got a nice discount, and was able to pick up a heavy-duty gig bag for the $400 plus some change.
Let me tell you, this thing has a great bark to it when strumming those bluegrass chops, and the tone is nice and warm, way more closer to what a bluegrass mandolin usually sounds like instead of an A-style. It has a solid spruce top, a narrow V-cut neck (which is great for my smaller hands), and a nice satin finish. The main difference one can see compared to a standard Gibson F-5 mandolin is that the fretboard ends at the 20th fret. There is no upper extension of the fretboard over the body that made the Gibson model famous (along with a guy named Bill Monroe using it as his main weapon).
I have fallen in love with the mandolin all over again. I enjoy messing around with it while watching television, but I do plan on practicing on it more once I return from the SPBGMA conference next week in Nashville (NOTE: I may be late on next week’s blog, or even miss it entirely, due to the conference, but I will give a full review when I get back).
I would definitely recommend this mandolin for those moving up from a beginner A-style model but still not having the cash to afford a more costly F-style model (https://www.theloar.com/)
A few disappointments for me over the past 24 hours. The first one was that I missed the John McEuen show at The Ark due to a really bad snowstorm here in the Detroit area Friday night. The second one I just learned about as I was beginning to write this blog.
Audie Blaylock passed away earlier this week at the age of 61. While he was not a household name in the bluegrass industry, he left an indelible mark on the bluegrass music scene. Although born in Texas, he grew up most of his early life in Lansing, Michigan, playing in local bands and being a regular face at Elderly Instruments. Professionally, he started out playing mandolin for Jimmy Martin in the early 1980s, and went on to work with a number of other artists, including Red Allen, Lynn Morris, Chris Jones, and Rhonda Vincent (where I first met him). He then started a solo gig with his band Redline, as well as worked with fiddle master Michael Cleveland.
His home base was Auburn, Indiana, so he was a regular performer at bluegrass festivals in the Indiana/Ohio/Michigan area. I became good friends with his one-time fiddler Patrick McAvinue, whom I still talk to and recently wrote an article on for Fiddler. Audie was always friendly to his fans and fellow musicians. Learning a lot from his time with Jimmy Martin, his band was always tight when it came to performances, especially song arrangements.
His crowning achievement came in 2004, when he helped coordinate the Grammy nominated album A Tribute to Jimmy Martin: The King of Bluegrass. The recording gathered up some of the best in bluegrass, including J.D. Crowe, Sonny Osborne, Paul Williams, Kenny Ingram, and Michael Cleveland. He always had a high regard for Martin, and continued to perform many of Martin’s songs live and on recordings.
I went to see Audie and his band many times, as he was more than happy to do gigs in the Detroit area outside of bluegrass festivals. Talking with him was like talking to your next-door neighbor. He was interested in everything, be it music, musical instruments, automobiles and hot rods, farming, and woodworking. He proved to be a great bandleader, in that his bandmates always had great respect for him even after pursuing other projects.
I am sure now that Audie is performing once again with Jimmy at that bluegrass festival in the sky. You will be missed down here, sir.
This coming Friday I will be skipping my company’s holiday party to go to a concert that I know that I will enjoy much more. John McEuen of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band fame is doing a solo show at The Ark in Ann Arbor. If there has ever been a complete entertainer in the Americana realm, it is John McEuen!
I have always been a fan of the NGDB, and thought that McEuen was the ultimate in cool with that grizzled beard and dark stare from his eyes. Any true fan of roots music, particularly traditional country, folk, and bluegrass, has a copy of the classic 1972 album Will the Circle Be Unbroken, in which the band brought in country pioneers Merle Travis, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Roy Acuff, Vassar Clemens, Jimmy Martin and Mother Maybelle Carter to record country and folk standards. This three-record set continues to be popular with Americana audiophiles, and spawned two follow-up albums in 1989 and 2002.
McEuen joined the band when it was starting out in 1966, performed on some of its most iconic songs (“Mr. Bojangles,” “House at Pooh Corner,” “Fishin’ in the Dark”), playing guitar, banjo, mandolin, and fiddle, and was in the band when it was the first US rock band to tour the Soviet Union in 1977.
NGDB would shorten its name to The Dirt Band during the late 1970s and early1980s and adjusted its sound to be more pop-oriented. They had a hit in 1980 with “Make a Little Magic” and appeared on a number of television specials, including one with long-time McEuen friend Steve Martin. They were even the back-up band for Martin’s comedy hit “King Tut.” McEuen left the band in 1986 to pursue a solo career. He would produce and perform on Martin’s 2009 solo album The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo. He would rejoin NGDB in 2001 for a number of anniversary celebrations and recordings, only to leave again in 2017.
A fantastic read is McEuen’s autobiography The Life I’ve Picked: A Banjo Player’s Nitty Gritty Journey. He talks about his life of working at Disneyland with Martin, teaching Martin some banjo licks, the ups and downs of being a member of the NGDB, the thrill of recording the Circle masterpiece, the tension while touring the Soviet Union, and working with his kids in musical projects.
One of my favorite stories from McEuen I read in a biography on guitarist Duane Allman, Skydog. McEuen relates to a time when the NGDB and the Allman Brothers Band were both waiting at an airport, and Allman told McEuen to pull out his banjo and play some tunes. McEuen was reluctant, thinking people would be annoyed, but Allman snapped back that anyone that didn’t appreciate banjo music was pretty much un-American. McEuen relented, and Allman was happy.
I first met McEuen when the NGDB was performing a showcase at the AmericanaFest back in 2015. I remember introducing myself to him, and he stared me down saying, “Do I owe you and money?” He has a fantastic sense of humor, which show during his solo performances. I have seen him a few times, and I know that this upcoming performance will be just as good if not better. I hope to get a chance to talk with him quick for a possible interview on his fiddle playing for Fiddler.
So if John McEuen is touring in your area, make sure to check him out. Like John Hartford and Doc Watson, McEuen is an American musical treasure, with tons of stories to tell. I leave you with some great McEuen videos.
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and will have a safe and pleasant New Year. This was my first Christmas alone, as mom passed away last January and I was not in the mood to spend the day with anyone. I basically sat home, did a little writing, and watched some football games.
I did, however, buy myself a Christmas present. Since I had no one to spend some money on, I decided to spend it on myself. I didn’t want to break the bank, but I did want to get myself something that I would enjoy. About two weeks before Christmas, Fender had an online sale for a few of its guitars at 40% off. I looked at the list, and saw that there was a Squier Affinity Stratocaster, regularly $249.99, going on sale for $149.99!
Now, I haven’t played much electric guitar in the past 10 years or so, and have been selling off a lot of my unused equipment, including guitar amplifiers. I have two electric guitars left in my collection (a 70s-era Guild Starfire hollowbody and a 90s-era made-in-Mexico Fender Strat that was my workhorse during my final electric band days). The Affinity series for Squier/Fender used to be the low-budget line back in the 90s. I had an Affinity Telecaster from that period that was OK at best, as the tuners and bridge/saddles were cheap and the body was cheap plywood with hollowed out cavities that were filled with styrofoam. I paid about $100.00 new for it and junked/modified it for a few years until I sold it off with my house cleaning. However, the Affinity series seems to have been upgraded by Fender, with its Sonic series being the new lower-cost series.
The Affinity Strat looked to be a bargain for the price, and they had it available in a cool Surf Green color. Total cost was $158.99, and it came via US Postal to my PO Box in a little over a week.
I have to say that I am really impressed with the workmanship. Yeah, it’s made in China, so that probably has a lot to do with the lower cost. The body is solid and has some heft to it. The hardware is good, and the pickups are typical Strat sounding — not hot but not weak either. The neck has a matte finish to the back of it, which needs a buffing with some OOOO steel wool to smooth it out a bit. The fingerboard looks like rosewood, but is Indian Laurel, most likely a cheaper wood that the Asian market uses on mass-produced guitars.
I have always loved the sound of a Stratocaster, especially that switch position of neck/middle or middle/bridge pickup selection. It’s a glassy tone that Stevie Ray Vaughan used so well (although he had some hot-rodded pickups). Plus, I always enjoyed playing around with surf instrumentals by The Ventures and Dick Dale. I haven’t tried out the tremolo bar yet. The bridge looks a bit different from other Strat whammy bar systems, so I hope that it doesn’t crap out after a few bends.
All in all, it is a really good guitar for the price. Checking the Fender website, this guitar is on sale again at 20% off, or $199.99, until supplies last (https://www.fender.com/en-US/8-days-deals/affinity-series-stratocaster/0378000557.html). That leads me to believe that they may be getting rid of either this model or the Affinity series completely. So I would recommend that, if you are looking for a solid beginner electric guitar, or a reliable backup, you order this model while you can. It is backed by Fender, so it does have some good reputation.
Luegra 