Categories
Americana Music Country Music

Flaco Jimenez/Jeannie Seely RIP

Two musical dignitaries from different genres passed away this wee. It is sad that we are losing those that kept roots music alive during the past decades.

Flaco Jimenez, who passed away on July 31 at the age of 86, was the ultimate in Tex-Mex accordion playing. He could adapt his sound to just about any form of roots music, be it country, alt-country, or even the blues. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he learned button accordion from his father, who learned it from his father, who learned it from German immigrants. He played in a number of local Tex-Mex bands during his teens and 20s, soon being noticed for his style by performers Ry Cooder and Doug Sahm. By the 1980s, he would become an in-demand session musician, recording with Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Dwight Yoakam, and the Mavericks.

He would play with a number of Tex-Mex bands, his most famous being Los Super Seven with Sahm, Joe Ely and Freddy Fender. With Sahm and Fender he also formed the Texas Tornados. He won a total of six Grammy awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He also received the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

While I never got to see him perform, hearing his amazing accordion work on so many recordings that I hold dear, I can honestly say that his presence will truly be missed.

Jeannie Seely passed away August 1 in Hermitage, Tennessee at the age of 85. Her career as far as hit recordings spanned from the mid 1960s to about 1980, but she is best known for her reign as having the most appearances on the Grand Ole Opry. She was much more than a regular member on the show (her membership lasted 57 years) – she was a true matron, especially after the death of Minnie Pearl.

Born and raised in Titusville, Pennsylvania, she took a strong interest in country music at an early age, appearing on local radio and television in her teens. Once she graduated from high school, she work in a band briefly before moving to California to work as a secretary at Liberty Records. There she started writing songs for other artists. She soon moved to Nashville, signed to Monument Records, and had a hit with “Don’t Touch Me” in 1966.

After a number of solo hits, Seely teamed up with Jack Greene to record some hit duets, including “Wish I Didn’t Have to Miss You” from 1969 and “Lucky Ladies” from 1974. After a hiatus an automobile accident in 1977, she returned to performing, including an appearance in the Willie Nelson film Honeysuckle Rose. She also become the first female to host the Grand Ole Opry.

Seely’s recording schedule declined by the 1990s, with her last release coming in 2020 entitled American Classic. She would often host programs on the SiriusXM channel Willie’s Roadhouse. During her time at the Opry, she challenged many of the conservative standards by wearing contemporary clothing such as go-go boots and miniskirts. Her demeanor as wella s her music influenced many budding female artists such as Barbara Mandrell and Lorrie Morgan. She was married to country singer/songwriter Hank Cochran for 10 years, divorcing in 1979. During the Nashville flood of 2010, her home was destroyed along with almost all of her possessions. She soldiered on, and gained the moniker Miss Country Soul.

Again, a performer that I never saw live, but would listen to her on the Opry every Saturday night that I had a chance. She loved to motivate the audiences, and was singing from the heart until the end.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Jazz Music Rock Music

Ozzy/Hulkster/Chuck Mangione RIP

I will keep the first two brief, as the press and internet have been covering them abundantly, and I wanted to spend a little time on the third.

First, Ozzy Osbourne passed away on July 22 at the age of 76. He died just a few days after his final show with a reunion of Black Sabbath in Manchester UK. He had been battling Parkinson’s Disease, as well as having suffered a number of other ailments over the years. He was eccentric to say the least. He lived up to his nickname “Prince of Darkness” throughout his professional career. He was pretty much the ambassador of the heavy metal genre, and became a visual representation of the music when MTV was launched in the 1980s. His wife/manager Sharon help elevate his career even more through television appearances and working with his family on a reality show, The Osbournes. Add to that starting up the Ozzfest concert series, along with tons of other productions, Ozzy had his moniker on just about everything imaginable.

His passing will continue to have some controversy, as his death was not in either the US or UK, but in Sweden. All that I know is that “Paranoid” is still one of the greatest rock songs I have ever heard, and one of my go-to riffs when I pick up an electric guitar is the opening to “Crazy Train.”

Second, Hulk Hogan (born Terry Gene Bollea) passed away on July 24 at the age of 71. He was a larger than life character, bringing the world of professional wrestling entertainment to a level never before seen. Just seeing his massive muscular physique made one know that you should never mess with him. His extroverted image was just that, as he was a cordial and respectful gent when not showboating. He was a hero to so many kids in the 1980s and 90s, and could still draw a gigantic crowd of fans up until his passing just by showing up somewhere. The constant theatrical abuse throughout the years in the ring gave him tons of health issues, especially with his back and spine, which after a number of surgeries shortened his overall height by about four inches. His last major appearance was at the Republican National Convention in 2024, where he helped to nominate Donald Trump to the ticket, and motived the conventioneers with his performance just he had done with fans at the wresting arenas.

My wresting fan experience was from a generation before. My heroes were Bobo Brazil, The Mighty Igor, The Sheik, Pompero Firpo, and Dick the Bruiser. By the time the WWF/WWE/WCW came to own the cable television airwaves, I had lost much interest in the stuff. However, there was no denying that The Hulkster, along with his cohorts like Andre the Giant, Jake the Snake, and Randy “Macho Man” Savage brought professional wrestling to a level never seen before. Hulk Hogan was at the helm, and with his appearances in other television and movies, he was the reigning king of the sport.

Now, I wanted to talk about jazz musician Chuck Mangione, who passed away on July 22 at the age of 84. He was best known for his flugelhorn-laced crossover hit “Feels So Good” in 1978. His parents were jazz fanatics while he was growing up, taking him to jazz concerts and inviting many big players of the 1950s back to their house for an Italian dinner. From his experiences, he soon learned the trumpet and piano, along with his brother Gap, and they formed a jazz band in high school.

In the 1960s, he played with Art Blakey’s band, and with his own sextet. During that time, he began writing music, which caught the ear of Cannonball Adderley. He attended the Eastman School of Music, where he took an interest in the flugelhorn. He recorded a number of album during the 1960s and 70s (30 in all of his career), and won his first Grammy in 1977 for Best Instrumental Composition with “Bellavia.”

By 1978, his song “Feels So Good” gained giant recognition, reaching Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. His song “Give It All You Got” became the theme for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, performing it live at the closing ceremonies. He also composed the soundtrack for the film The Children of Sanchez starring Anthony Quinn, which won him his second Grammy. He worked for many charities, including raising over $50,000 for the St. John’s Nursing Home in his hometown of Rochester, NY from his 60th birthday concert.

He also made a number of appearances on television, including Magnum P.I., and was not afraid to laugh at himself by appearing on the cartoon King of the Hill as a spokesperson for the Mega Lo Mart store. From that work, he wrote a song in 2000 entitled “Peggy Hill” for his Everything For Love album. He pretty much retired from the music business in 2015, around the time of the passing of his wife Rosemarie. He sold his music copyrights in 2024.

When I heard “Feels So Good” for the first time in my junior high school days, I was floored. Jazz to me was either the elementary stuff they forced on school bands, or the crazy compositions that had no continuity. It was cool, something that made you slowly rock your head back and forth. I am sure high schoolers and young adults found it to be a great make-out song (I was a bit too young for that at the time). But the song carried on in my heart for a long while. I bought a number of Mangione cassettes during my younger days (which have long since died), appreciating the music even though my musical expertise and performing interests were more rock and alternative. You knew that you could throw on a Mangione album for a relaxing few minutes. Even today, hearing “Feels So Good” puts me in a very good mood, and makes me reflect back to a time when my life was a lot more innocent.

Chuck, I hope that you are in Heaven playing your music on the trumpet that Gabriel has lent you.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Acoustic Guitars Musical Instruments

Signature Series Guitars: Are They Worth It?

Earlier this year, Martin Guitars released not one but TWO Billy Strings Signature Dreadnaught guitars, a D-28 and D-X2E. Both have the designs from and backing of Strings himself, and have many similar features while obviously differing in others.

Both guitars have a slightly shorter 25-inch scale, which Strings wanted instead of the 25.4 inch scale, basing it on Tony Rice’s Santa Cruz guitar, along with a 1.72-inch nut. The remaining features on the D-28 are based on Strings’ 1940 model that is his main instrument. This includes the rosewood back/sides, herringbone trim and bone nut/saddle. The D-X2E features a built-in pickup, soundhole string tuner, and high-pressure laminate back/sides. As expected, the prices are drastically different, with the D-28 going for about $3,799.00 and the D-X2E at about $899.00.

Signature series guitars have been around for decades, and Martin is not the only manufacturer to participate. Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, and others have produced numerous signature models. Martin has put out models name plated with artists such as Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Ed Sheeran, and Judy Collins among others. These are usually in limited edition amounts, and in many cases, become more valuable as the years go by.

However, are they worth it, just because they have a famous guitarist’s name on the label? That is highly debatable. In most cases, the features consist mostly of cosmetic differences. It seems to be a decision for purchase between a player (who will be sweating, picking, and grinding into the fretboard every day) and the collector (who will most likely never play it and just store it for investment purposes). But I highly doubt that getting one will make you play exactly like the artist.

In the case of the D-X2E model, the standard model goes for about $699.00 at various outlets, and an internet search shows them going for as little as $449.00 used. The $200.00 extra for the new Billy Strings model will include the shorter scale and the built-in tuner. Looking at prices for various used Martin X models, they tend to stay the same over the years, if not lowering a bit. I was fortunate enough years ago to sell my DXM model for the same price that I paid. Actually, I see that the DXM is going for more than I paid nowadays, but this could be that the model was still being made at the Nazareth, PA factory. Today’s X models are mostly being produced in Mexico. With Strings’ name on it, we can only wait to see if there will be any collector value on it. However, both Martin and Strings have stated that this is meant as a roadworthy guitar that will see a lot of picking.

As for the D-28, just about all models through the years have gained value, as long as they are well maintained. Prewar models can easily go for over $100,000.00, even if not in tip-top shape. A new model will go for about $3,000.00, give or take a few hundred dollars. The few features on the Strings’ model may not justify the nearly $3,800.00 price tag, but again, while a few players with money to burn may consider buying it, the majority of purchasers will be the collectors.

There’s no doubt that Strings has had an amazing impact on the guitar world, especially in the bluegrass field. I am sure that he has inspired hundreds of young people to pick up a guitar and start forming chords. I do see the D-X2E being a decent seller for Martin, and even the D-28 selling some to collectors. As much as I love and respect Strings, would I consider purchasing one of these models? Highly unlikely, unless I got an unbelievable bargain on one. My acoustic guitar arsenal is already packed. I have my treasured 1991 Martin D-28, the Sevillana 2208, and the Blueridge BR-OS that serve as my most-played models, along with a Blueridge BR-OM that has a pickup installed in case I do any solo performances. Add to that a few Yamaha and Jasmine acoustic guitars that I have gotten at garage sales and have fixed up to sell off. I also have the Cirrus dreadnaught that I am having specially built for me with a shorter scale, similar to these Strings models. So another acoustic guitar in the house is right now out of the question. But I won’t say no to anyone wanting to gift me one!

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music Musical Instruments

The Music Link Closure: Are Tariffs to Blame?

The big news in the bluegrass instrument field this past week is the closing down of The Music Link Company (https://themusiclink.com/), producers of Recording King guitars and banjos along with Loar mandolins. While this news has not been covered in regular news, and not even much in the music industry news, it has been widely discussed on bluegrass-related chat groups and podcasts.

The company employees were handed their termination papers on July 7, with only a few office staff remaining to clean things up. One of those employees, Greg Rich, helped establish The Music Link in the US while working with instruments coming out of China through the AXL factory. He currently owns the trademark names of Recording King and Loar, and at this time, there is no word on if these brands will continue to be produced.

Recording King and Loar had proved to be quality instruments at generally affordable prices, especially for bluegrass jammers looking for something that can hold up better than beginner acoustic guitars, banjos, and mandolins. I have a Loar Honey Creek F-style mandolin I purchased about a year or so back (https://luegra.design.blog/2024/01/20/so-why-did-i-buy-another-mandolin/) that I totally love because of its warm bite when playing chords. I have played Recording King acoustic guitars and have been impressed for the price going, especially the Dirty 30s line. Basically, these brands were in direct competition with the Blueridge/Bristol guitars and Kentucky mandolins marketed in the US by Saga Music.

While the current tariff war going on between the US and other countries, particularly China, may seem like the main reason for this closing, Rich has stated that it was only the final straw, as poor management through the past decade is mostly to blame. And while tariffs can be to blame for the rising cost of guitars in recent times, it is hardly the main reason, as prices have been rising over the past few years and tariff laws have not fully gone into effect, if at all.

Over the past few years, plenty of brick-and-mortar music stores have closed down for good. Sam Ash is probably the most well-known of this dilemma, with hundreds of mom-and-pop independent stores also closing across the US. There are a lot of factors. During the COVID shutdown earlier in the decade, stores were forced to shutter by local health ordinances, while people being shut in their houses were looking for something to do. Thus, they ordered instruments from the internet, and companies like Wal-Mart and Amazon, as well as music-specific online companies like Sweetwater, flourished. Fender and Gibson soon got into the online-order business (that is how I purchased by Fender Meteora a few months back [https://luegra.design.blog/2025/06/07/the-fender-meteora-has-arrived/]) and have continued this sales process with success, even with the pandemic scare long over. Adding to that, a lot of those sales during COVID are probably being sold on Craigslist or at garage sales because now people are back outside and have lost interest in learning to play a guitar, so the used market is a bit saturated.

Bigger music stores like Guitar Center have had to revamp their sales strategies (https://luegra.design.blog/2025/03/16/guitar-center-times-they-are-a-changin/), and the only smaller music stores to continue tend to be ones that have a great reputation with customer service and repair history. Online companies like Glarry have risen their prices gradually even before the COVID pandemic. When I purchased the GT502 acoustic guitar about five years ago, it was $45.00. Today, the guitar sells for $90.00. All of the company’s products have gone up drastically over the past few years. When I purchased the guitar, the internet was filled with positive reviews of the Glarry products for the price. Now, I rarely see any mention of Glarry in any musical instrument chat groups.

So far, products from Saga Music have not seen too much of a rise in price since the end of the pandemic. That is not to say that they have not become more expensive. I have seen the price of Blueridge acoustic guitars nearly double in the past decade. For example, I purchased a Blueridge BR40 about eight years back new for around $225.00. Today I did a search online, and the cheapest price I could find was $399.00. The more expensive models have seen a similar jump in price. This is most likely why Saga brought in the Bristol brand to try and get the beginner customers.

As for the DIY kits that I have taken an interest in recently, there has been little change in price, although there have been a very slight increase. Moreover, I do not see the big discounts in brands like Glarry and Ktaxon instruments on Amazon that I saw about a year ago. Also, a recent search on Wish.com for “electric bass guitar” produced about one-fourth the results that were there a year ago, and prices jumped about 25%.

So will the tariffs have a big impact in the near future on foreign-made instruments in the near future? Only time will tell. I believe that there will For a feature interview with Rich, go to https://bluegrasstoday.com/greg-rich-talks-banjos-and-the-demise-of-the-music-link/.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Lutherie

The Fesley Guitar is Finished!

A day late, but I have a few excuses. First off, because of the holiday weekend and I chose to stay home, a friend asked me to watch her dog while she went to her cottage. A big dog, so I couldn’t bring her to my house, so I was over there a few times each day to feed her and take her outside.

Secondly, I spent the little bit of free time to finish my kit guitar. Yes, after months of plodding along doing a little at a time each weekend, this weekend I put all of the hardware on, mounted the neck to the body, and did the whole set up. This was the Fesley Stratocaster kit I purchased back in May of 2024. I really didn’t start working on it until this past January, and had a few bumps in the road with finishing the body. The final finish has a distressed look with shades of light blue.

After putting the hardware on, which was relatively easy, especially with Fesley providing a thorough instruction manual, I got into the set-up, which I have always enjoyed doing with all of my guitars since I started playing over 40 years ago. For anyone starting off playing guitar or any other stringed instrument, you will never realize how important a good set-up is until it is performed. On an electric guitar, this includes neck bowing adjustment, string height, and intonation/adjusting the bridge saddles. I have discussed guitar maintenance before, and I highly recommend anyone even a little bit interested in playing guitar regularly to be familiar with what goes on, Watch YouTube videos as well as secure a good guitar maintenance/repair book like Guitar Setup & Maintenance by Chad Johnson (Hal Leonard Publishing ISBN 978-1-4584-1824-1).

Once fully set up, I plugged her into an amp to test her out. This kit happened to be pre-wired, so the pickups, switch, volume/tone controls and wiring was already complete – all I had to do was drop the wired pickguard into place. The pickups give off a good Strat sound, although are a bit noisy when a single pickup is switched on. I plan to take the pickguard off soon and line the body cavity with some aluminum foil tape to hopefully suppress some of the buzz. In the 2 and 4 switch positions, which combines either the neck/middle pickups or the middle/bridge pickups, the noise cancels out, and it was a nice warm sound. These two settings have always been my favorite on a Strat, giving off a glassy tone.

Speaking of which, I have never really been a fan of the volume/control configuration for most Strats. This consists of one volume and two tone controls (one for the neck/middle pickup and one for the bridge pickup). Tone controls on most electric guitars are passive, meaning no amplification is there, and the controls only act as cutting back on the tone, namely the high end. Rarely do guitarists mess with the control and usually keep it at 10, since cutting back on the treble also means cutting back on the output of the pickup. In my younger days when I really experimented with guitar wiring, I would often mess with the tone control by re-wiring it to a low-cut control or adding a switch to turn the tone control completely off. Perhaps with a later kit, but this one I just wanted to get it together and see/hear the finished product.

As an added touch, I named the project an Ambertone. I always like the color of ambertone (sort of a honey color, just slightly darker than a natural finish), and Amber is also the name of a co-worker that does a lot of woodwork who has taken some interest in this project.

I may jump into the next kit soon. I have another Strat, a Telecaster, and a Precision Bass kit waiting in the wings. I know that for the bass, I plan on doing a lot more customizing by adding a second pickup, so that one may have to wait for a while. For either the Strat or Tele, I am interested in finishing the entire body with only the Tru-Oil finish (https://luegra.design.blog/2025/05/10/tru-oil-for-guitar-finishing/). I also still want to attempt to finish one of the guitars with a special green stain dye that I ordered sometime back.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music Music Instruction

Bluegrass University in Kentucky for Youth

I caught this article on the Bluegrass Today website a few days ago:

Bluegrass University opens in Winchester, KY

This program at the Leeds Center for the Arts in Winchester, Kentucky is intended to help middle- and high-school students with learning and performing bluegrass music. The program will take place one evening per week, and is headed by Jayd Raines and Zach Combs, two long-time touring bluegrass musicians.

I have not had a chance to fully check out the syllabus or content yet, but it sounds like a fantastic venture. Equal amounts of fun, learning and discipline, and capture teenagers at the most productive age while gitting them away from the iPhones and tablets for at least one evening per week.

For years, I have always wanted to do such a program in my area. Back around 2000, a friend and I found the perfect building to start a non-profit music education program. The building had a sign on the front that read “Americana Music Studio.” The history of the building was that a Polish immigrant couple after World War II moved to the area and converted the building to a studio that the husband would teach piano and violin, while the wife would instruct ballet. There were practice rooms and a small recital room. Eventually, they passed on, their children had no interest in pursuing the work, and the building’s neighborhood began to crumble around it.

It would have been perfect for our idea. Teaching kids folk, bluegrass, and other roots-music, like a miniature Old Town School of Folk in Chicago. Unfortunately, we could not find financial backing, and the building was eventually sold to a medical clinic.

As you may already know, recently I have been working hard with the Southeast Michigan Bluegrass Music Association to reward scholarships to kids aged 12-18 so that they can receive live or online instruction of bluegrass and other roots-oriented music on stringed instruments. However, we are not as fortunate as areas like Kentucky and the Carolinas where bluegrass music is part of life, and young people pick it up naturally. Since the scholarship program started a few years ago, we have really only sponsored about a half dozen kids. While most of those kids have continued to pursue the music, a few have lost interest, just like any other hobby for kids after a while.

As SEMBMA is a non-profit organization, we have to be extremely concerned on how we use the scholarship money. We have received many applicants, but some have been not what we are striving to fund. Once parent asked if we could provide funding so that the child could record a CD. Another requested scholarship help for a student learning electric rock guitar. We have broadened our scope a bit to help interested youngsters by providing instruction in folk and Celtic, but we also have to limit it at a certain point.

I have posted an advertisement for the scholarship on the local Craigslist. The only response that I have gotten in the past few months has been someone who is 35 years old and requesting money. Really? I also post flyers at music stores around town, but the Association gets very few bites.

Last week at the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival on Saturday morning, SEMBMA set up its “petting zoo,” where we put out guitars, banjos, mandolins and dobros for kids to try out. It is great to see young ones picking up instruments and learning an easy chord, then an easy song. While most kids are there as a pseudo babysitting service for parents to drop them off for an hour, one or two kids do take an interest in playing a stringed instrument. With Billy Strings performing on Thursday, it is great to see younger people getting involved in bluegrass music.

But at this time, it seems that we need more. If parents and grandparents are into bluegrass music, they need to show their kids and grandkids how fun bluegrass music really is. Get them off of the iPhones and interacting with other kids face-to-face by jamming together. Show them not only the younger successful artists like Billy Strings, Sierra Hull, and Wyatt Ellis, but some of the rising unknown bluegrass musicians that are all over YouTube. Schools have music programs, but they are dedicated to orchestra and marching band music. A motivated teacher may be smart to start up a Folk and Bluegrass Music Club (similar to a Chess Club or Drama Club), teaching instruments, jamming, and maybe showing videos of bluegrass performances.

I leave you with a video of my favorite 14-year-old fiddler, Hollace Oakes. At this year’s Abingdon Fiddlers Convention in Virginia, she recently took 1st Place in the Adult Old-Time Fiddle competition, 2nd Place in the Adult Bluegrass Fiddle competition, 3rd Place in the Youth Mandolin competition, 3rd Place in the Adult Flatfoot Dance competition, and her band Denim & Plaid won the Youth Band Bluegrass competition. This is what I would love to see with another hundred 14 year olds!

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

Charlotte Bluegrass Festival 2025 Wrap-Up

Wow! What a weekend this has been at the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival. It was memorable to say the least, and in some ways, there are things that I hope never happen again at that festival. Let’s get to the highlights:

Billy Strings – As this was pretty much a last-minute booking on one of Billy’s off days during his tour, he wanted to play at the first festival that he attended when he was four years old. The show was phenomenal. As Billy can read a crowd extremely well, and he knew that the regulars at the festival want to hear to old standards (while the Billy-goats will dance to anything that he plays), the extended set consisted mostly of songs by Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, Jimmy Martin, and Larry Sparks. He did throw in a few originals, such as “Dust in a Baggie” and “Red Daisy,” which have a classic bluegrass feel to them. His stepfather Terry Barber came up for a few songs, and Junior Sisk came up to sing a beautiful duet of “Love Me Darlin’, Just Tonight.”

The crowd was twice the size usually found each year at the festival, which meant there was a lot of security, which the regulars are not used to. Add to that we were told the gates would open at 8:00 am, but the couldn’t get in until noon due to the soundcheck. Additionally, the park had let people come in a week early to set up chairs under the pavilion without letting people like me who purchased a three-day pass of that, so we sat in the far-away bleachers or planted lawn chairs ain the mud (yes, it rained all the night before up until noon, so it was like a miniature Woodstock). Moreover, when Billy came on, everyone that was sitting in lawn chairs had to remove them and stand. It was a clusterf**k, to say the least.

While the show was fantastic, it ended on a sad note, as Billy’s mother passed away the next morning. I ask you to keep Billy and his family on your prayers.

Junior Sisk – One of the best traditional bluegrass artists out today. The Billy-goat crowd (by the time Sisk came one, the Billy-goats were crowding the front of the stage) were appreciative of him, whooping and hollering after each song like the older bluegrassers usually do. Sisk put on a great show as well, and the best part was when he announced on stage “If anyone here has a problem with Billy here, they have to talk to me first!”

Red Camel Collective – This is Junior Sisk’s backup band, and play great bluegrass on their own as well. Vocalist Heather Berry Mabe has a wonderful voice, and I recommend anyone looking for a fresh female voice in bluegrass to check her and her band out.

Edgar Loudermilk Band – Another great live band, Loudermilk’s material leans heavily on cowboy and western stories. I have gotten to know him good through the years of playing in the Michigan/Ohio area, though his band is from Georgia, and he loves to talk about fishing, hunting, and songwriting. His parents run the festival merchandise table, selling the special t-shirts for the event, although Billy Strings had his own commemorative shirts for the occasion (I had to snag one, of course).

David Mayfield Parade – What more can I say about this group of fun-loving and talented musicians? From the first time that they appeared at the festival back in 2023, they have been a festival favorite, and never fail to get the crowd motivated. They are also great guys to talk to, and I am glad to be their friend. I implore you to check out the band videos on YouTube, and get some of their CDs or vinyl! The band’s latest album Go Big and Go Home is phenomenal! You will not be disappointed.

Tennessee Bluegrass Band – Old-school bluegrass stylings, to say the least, which the regulars truly appreciate. The band wear matching red sport jackets, which makes them look like the ushers at a church or movie theater. However, their musicianship is excellent to say the least.

Kentucky Just Us – A bunch of younger musicians, I first saw them in January at the SPBGMA conference. While the vocals still needed some strength, the musicianship was wonderful.

Things like extra porta-johns and vendors were brought in because of the expected crowds at Billy’s show, and that was truly appreciated. Wes the promoter of the festival is attempting to book another bigger name bluegrass act for next year, but I have to be honest – I really appreciate the laid-back atmosphere of the previous years. Either way, I will be going next year no matter who is performing. It is my one musical escape from my job in the summer. Of course, with Billy performing, a lot of people were jealous of me.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

Billy Strings Is At It Again (+ Bluegrass At Work)

Next weekend is the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival, so my blog may be later than usual or shorter, or both. I have enjoyed going to this festival west of Lansing for a few years now, but this year will be extra special.

Last week, there was an announcement that the Thursday evening concert will be headlined by Billy Strings. His touring schedule had a few days gap, and he has stated in a press release that Charlotte was the first bluegrass festival that he ever attended when he was a lad, and that he wanted to perform at it one day. I am not sure if he will be playing solo, with his band, or with his dad. It doesn’t matter, you can guarantee that it will be an amazing show.

Pretty much just hours after the announcement, tickets for the Thursday show were sold out, and the three-day pass sold out soon after. Of course, I purchased my tickets a few months back, so I was safe for getting in. However, I did contact my hotel and reserve Wednesday night as well, mainly so that I can get to the fairgrounds extra early on Thursday to set up my lawn chair.

I have tried talking friends into going to this festival for years, and as expected, no one has followed up. Now a few of them, including my nephew, are asking if there is a possibility of getting tickets. I have to tell them that these festivals are not like other concerts that you can maybe find a scalper to get a ticket from. You buy the pass and get registered online at most of these festivals, and the pass can only be used by you. I expect that with this show, it will be followed even more carefully.

I am sure that next weekend’s blog will be filled with highlights of the festival, especially with Billy’s performance. I apologize that it seems that every other blog has something to do with Billy, but you have to admit, he is in the music news a lot, he is a humble guy, and he has put bluegrass music on the map again, the first time it has been this popular in over 20 years, since the release of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack.

In related news …

Two people at where I work are now getting into bluegrass music (sort of), which was quite a surprise to me.

First, my supervisor, who unfortunately just secured a promotion in another city and moved away, was someone who listened mostly to hard rock and metal-oriented rock, as well as bands like Dave Matthews Band. A few days before he left, he asked me if I ever heard of Bela Fleck & The Flecktones. I just about fell off of my chair!

I explained to him that I have been following Bela for decades, as he played banjo in one of my all-time favorite bands, New Grass Revival. He told me that it came up on his Dave Matthews Spotify playlist, and was knocked out by the banjho playing. So I made a suggestion for him to delve into other jamgrass bands like Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band, and String Cheese Incident. Well, he can’t seem to get enough of Leftover Salmon, and I followed up with more artists that were early jamgrass purveyors, such as NGR, Tony Rice, and David Grisman.

I told my buddy Ken about this, and his response was, “Well, it’s a start.”

Another co-worker and I were recently talking. She and I both do a lot of woodworking, though mine is lutherie while she builds and refinishes furniture. I told her that I would be on vacation for a few days for the bluegrass festival, and that Billy Strings would be headlining one day. Her response was, “Billy Strings! I love his song ‘Dust In a Baggie’!”

I got right into it, telling her if she’s into his music, she would be into a lot of other bluegrass artists such as Molly Tuttle, Tony Rice, and a few others. She never heard of the other names that I mentioned, so I quickly showed her a short video of Tony Rice performing “Church Street Blues,” and she seemed hooked. The next day I gave her a bunch of duplicate CDs that I had of Alison Krauss, Sam Bush, and the OBWAT soundtrack. We shall see how she reacts. I have invited her a few times to hit local bluegrass shows with me, but while interested, she never seems to follow up. Perhaps when she gets more into the music, she’ll change her mind.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Electric Guitars

The Fender Meteora Has Arrived!

Well, the Fender Meteroa that I ordered directly from the company a few weeks ago finally arrived. I should have been here last week, but FedEx kept making up excuses on the delay.

So let’s get to the guitar. It came with a durable gig bag, which I would expect from Fender, as the Squier line usually does not, unless it’s the higher end models. When I pulled off the wrapping, the high E string was broken, so I had to replace that. It was already factory set up, so the string height and intonation were excellent (although I prefer my string height a bit higher from years of endurance). The neck has a good feel, but the fingerboard is made of Pau Ferro, which looks like rosewood but has a density of maple. I am assuming that it is an inexpensive alternative, as Fender and other guitar manufacturers are using it more often.

The tuning gears are locking, which I have never used before, and can be confusing, but other users tell me that they are great to have. The alder body has that non-traditional shape, sort of a more-radical Jazzmaster style. It gives the overall appearance a longer look, even though it is the standard 25.5-inch scale most Fender guitars carry. One review video on YouTube that I saw states that this is comfortable, but as for me, it will take getting used to after years of playing Stratocasters and Telecasters.

The pickups are Fender exclusive Fireball humbuckers. They have a great sound as-is, but what makes them special is a push-button switch on the volume control (more on that to follow) that changes both humbuckers into single-coils. This gives it a hot Telecaster-like sound when needed. However, I would have liked to see individual coil-tap switches for each pickup to gve even more choice of sounds. The pickup selector switch is a three-way toggle similar to that found on Gibson guitars, and is positioned similar to where it is located on most Les Paul models.

The controls are a bit confusing at first. With three knobs, I would have assumed that it would be two-volume/one tone like that found on a Fender Jazz Bass. Instead, it is configured as one-volume/two tone (one for each pickup). The volume knob has that push-button coil-tap switch built into it, which is flush on top and there is no way of telling if it is on or off unless you are listening to the change through the amplifier.

Finally, the bridge is a six-saddle tremolo found on the modern Stratocasters. I have seen on online discussion groups that some players would have liked to see a Jazzmaster/Jaguar style whammy bar bridge, but in my opinion, those are not as easy to maintain, not as reliable for heavy whammy bar use, and would not bode well with the style of the guitar.

Sound-wise, this guitar has a lot going for it. The pickups in the humbucker settings are high output and clean throughout, although you can get some drive from them when the volume pot is on 10 and the amp being used is set right. In single-coil setting, the bridge pickup has a great bit to it, like a Tele or Strat. One thing that sounds good is that, when adjusting the tone pots to be more bassy, there is no drop in the high-end bite that happens with most passive-wired guitars. Overall, this is a worthwhile Fender guitar, especially for its going rate under $700 direct from Fender.

A little history regarding the Meteora model. It was originally designed in 2011 by Fender designer Josh Hurst. It first appeared as a limited-edition model in the Parallel Universe series. Jim Root of the band Slipknot played one, but it never really received any heavy artist endorsement. In 2018 it was introduced as part of the Player Plus series (made in Mexico), and is also available as the American Ultra II model as well (made in USA).

I have seen talk of either discontinuing the model, or a large overstock, leading to the recent cut in price of the Player Plus models. I would not be surprised with a discontinuing, as I do not see a lot of these being played by well-known artists (I may be out of the loop, though). It probably would have been a big success if it came out 20 years earlier, grunge bands and nerd-rock bands like Weezer would have played them easily. It is a great guitar, but I definitely do not see it as a competitor to the Strats, Teles, or even Les Pauls. Like I mentioned in my blog a few weeks back (https://luegra.design.blog/2025/05/24/fender-meteora-hh-on-sale-this-weekend/), it may go the way of the Marauder or Muiscmaster, and could be more collectible in a decade. I will be honest, I purchased it with that primarily on my mind, as I don’t play electric much at all any more, and have my Strats and other electric guitars to band around instead.

I didn’t do any test-drive video of the guitar, as there are plenty of them on the web. Here are a few of them for viewing

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Rock Music

Rick Derringer RIP

When my buddy Ken texted me last week that Rick Derringer passed away, I was floored with sadness. He was always one of my music heroes, not just guitar heroes. Yes, he could play guitar, but he had such an ear for music, he was a top producer in the pop and rock genres.

Rick left us on May 26th at the age of 77. Ironically, a few days earlier, I had just finished setting up a Fender Stratocaster and the first thing I played on it was the opening chords to “Free Ride,” which he recorded with Edgar Winter. He was with Winter’s band during its heyday in the early 1970s when “Frankenstein” was also getting heavy airplay on rock stations.

His first big break came when his band The McCoys had a huge garage-band hit with “Hang On Sloopy” in 1965. That song was a Number 1, keeping The Beatles’ “Yesterday” off of the top spot for a few weeks. As that band started to lose its drive, Rick and a few members soon became the backup band for Johnny Winter. It was during this time that his songwriting skills came into play when he wrote the classic “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” for Johnny as a rock/blues crossover song to help boost Johnny’s career.

Due to Johnny Winter’s increasing drug problem, Rick moved to working with Edgar Winter, appearing on the aforementioned hits as well as handling production duties. In 1974, he decided to go solo, and re-recorded “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” for his first album, All American Boy. The song had a much more rock feel to it, and it became his biggest solo hit, reaching Number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming a staple on classic rock radio stations. For me, it is the production that he did on that song. He played all of the guitar parts, as well as the bass and tambourine. He layered each guitar perfectly to have this perfect wall of sound. The riffs and licks on that are what every young aspiring rock guitar player wants to emulate.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he produced or played guitar for a number of artists, including Steely Dan, Todd Rundgren, Air Supply, Meat Loaf, Cyndi Lauper and Barbra Streisand. Through his work with Lauper, he produced The Wrestling Album for the World Wrestling Federation in 1985. He also wrote several of the album’s theme songs, including the theme song for Hulk Hogan, “Real American.” The song was used for a number of campaign stops by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump.

He was also well known for producing six of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s comedy albums, receiving his only Grammy award during that time. He began to step away from the production end, claiming that he did not want to be thought of as a comedy record expert.

In 1997, Rick became an Evangelical Christian, and with his wife and children, produced four Christian music albums. He also worked for a while in the early 2000s with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice. During his later years in the 21st century, he toured with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band and Peter Frampton’s Guitar Circus.

Just last week, he died peacefully in his sleep after being taken off of life support from medical complications.

There is so much that Rick had his hands in when it came to music. You could tell from his history that he was passionate about it. His production work aside, I think that his guitar work was rock and roll perfection, the way that Keith Richards’ work is perfection. Nothing flashy, but just enough movement to make the solo fit perfectly into the song.

I could go on, but I leave this with one last thought. I remember seeing a photo of Rick on stage, probably taken in the late 1970s, where he is playing a BC Rich Mockingbird guitar. I thought that he looked so incredibly cool, and to this day, I would love to get myself a Mockingbird guitar specifically because of that photo.

Rick, I know that you and Johnny Winter are now jamming out up there in the sky. You will always be one of my guitar heroes.

Chew on it and comment.

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