Good morning! 10:16 on this sunny Friday, 24 degrees out there. Cold but not bitter cold. I can do cold weather if I have to, but I usually defer to my inner Cold Weather Wuss. Remembering a couple occasions with Cicero Slim and WWIII, whom I played with back in1980-81. Stranded in St Louis for a couple days due to snow. Enduing 40-below temperatures in Rock Island- instant Hypothermia. Definitely material for a blues song or two. "If it wasn't for bad luck and trouble, I'd have no luck at all." Whoever wrote that lyric probably got stuck someplace himself...
Music news. My CD The Sam Crain Quartet goes 'live' this coming Monday. It's a live recording from two gigs back in 2004. It'll be available through Spotify and so forth as a download, and through Amazon--and CD Baby, who is reopening their warehouse- you can get a physical CD. And through me, of course. And there's another one, which is a mixture of live and studio cuts, called A Walk on the Mild Side. I'm pretty sure I've finally jumped through all the hoops CD Baby has put in front of me. They nitpick you to death, but once approved, they send your stuff everywhere.
My Mom worked for awhile for the State Board of Education, at an information desk. She described it as like the Thalamus in the brain, which works as a 'relay system', sending information all over the brain. CD Baby is like that, sending your music to several dozen digital companies. My Mom was very smart, with one hell of a knowledge base. She was quiet about it, but would still amaze you. every so often.
Doing lots of guitar playing here in the Music Lab, and lots of taping. I've hit a nice stretch where my chops are cooperating a bit more. There are some things on the guitar which I'm finally getting together- thinking of a similar line from the great cellist Pablo Casals. More to come on YouTube.
And that's all I've got on this Winter Friday. I feel like it's time to get going on another project here in the Lab. Not sure what form that will take but something new.. I'm enjoying the musician posts on Facebook, people creating new stuff in their own Music Labs. As ever, thanks for stopping in and reading. Happy Friday to you, especially if you've worked all week. For now, ich bin outa here. More later.
PS Today's pic was taken at One East Market in Taylorville. January 2011, playing with Bob Katt and the Missing Lynx. Nice place to play and a good place to eat. We always hit Bill's Toasty Shop on the way out of town.