Sunday 8/21/11

Well it's been a while since I posted any earth shattering news on here, so I thought I'd check in and see if anyone is still out there.  I've been working on some tunes in the studio during the summer hiatus, I guess I'm probably going to put together a new disc soon.  No details as of yet, but as they say, bug me and it will get done.
   My brothers and I took off on a summer motorcycle adventure recently.  We journeyed up to Pennsylvania for the BMW rally in Bloomsberg.  Unfortunately we managed to have our journey coincide with a nasty heat wave that covered the entire north east.  It's just not funny when you leave Florida to seek the cooler northern climate and get shafted by Mother Nature.  Oh well, we did manage to have a laugh or two along the way in spite of the insane weather.
  Last night we made the short journey up to Melbourne to see our musical friends, String Theory.  A trio of folkies from the area, Bill Stewart on Guitar and vocals, Scott Taylor on violin, viola, mandolin and vocals, and Ken Parker on Bass.  They were playing at The House of Joe, a nice little venue right on US 192.  They did a great job and played some familiar and not so familiar tunes.  I'd say a good time was had by all.
   That's it for now, take care until next time.

   

                                                     
                                                                       
   

Monday, June13

   We put on our traveling shoes last weekend and headed out for high adventure.  My musical compadre' Paul G asked if I'd mind playing a little dobro and Hawaiian steel on his upcoming CD, and being the musical sleaze bag that most musicians are, I agreed to give it a shot.  We rendezvoused at a secret location and  made our way to the studio in the woods.  Things went well and we were treated like royalty by our hosts.   It's been my experience that people involved in artistic persuits are the best folks in the world.  I'm sure there are a few exceptions to this rule, but they are few and far between.
   After we accomplished our recording goals and said our goodbyes to our hosts we headed for our weekend hide out in Gold Head Branch State Park.  A great park I'd never visited before, great hiking trails and I imagine at one time some beautiful lakes.  The sad state of the water shortage in Florida is painfully obvious by looking at all the dried up lake beds in this part of the state.  This area is supposed to be the recharging point for the states aquifer, if that's true, we're in worse shape than I thought.  It's a great place to visit just the same, and checking out the ravine is like going back to the stone age.
     We had some folks renting the cabin next to us who thought that all the nature was just a little to quiet for them, so they cranked up their boom box with some urban wildlife noises of their own.   We played it cool and let the party continue until it burned itself out, that or the ranger finally showed up and made them turn off their booty caller.  Just amazing!
   Until next time, keep your sense of humor intact!

Thursday 5/2/11

I have finally recovered from attending the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs and thought I'd post a short review of the event.  It was great!  Is that short enough?  Just kidding.  This years headliners were John Anderson, of Seminole Wind fame, and Billy Dean.  Both great performers and song writers, however I managed to miss all of their sets, I heard they were good from reliable sources.
   The one thing about this festival is that you miss more acts than you see.  It could be the heat, or the distance between stages, or it may just be that you get so busy having a good time you forget stop and smell the roses.  We caught up with all of our friends from around the state and managed not to get heat stroked, that was a challenge.
    Our missing bass player returned from her extended sick leave, and it was great to have her back.  We have been playing without her since November of last year, and hearing her sing harmonies with us again was just fantastic.  We're hoping she continues to improve over the summer, and is ready for the fall festival season.
   Until next time, don't let your strings rust!

Wednesday 5/25/11

So my compadre Norm got me this fantabulous guitar stand about a year and a half ago, it holds three guitars securely by grabbing the neck when you put the guitar on it.  It's called a Hercules Stand.  Well, one of the grabbing mechanism's went haywire on me and it wouldn't open all the way or close securely. So I tracked down the e-mail for the Hercules company and made some inquiries about getting a repair part.  No I didn't have the reciept, it was a gift. No, I didn't know where it was purchased.  So after a couple e-mails with the good folks at Hercules, they said "we're going to send you a RA #, ship the stand back to us and we'll send you a new one".  So I did, and within a weeks time I had the new and improved supersonic triple guitar stand back in hand.  I have always loved the way this stand works and I'm sure a few other folks have ordered stands based on seeing how awesome mine worked.  So I'm glad to report that this company stands behind their products and has received my official seal of approval.  If you'd like to see this amazing stand in action we'll be playing at the Florida Folk Festival Memorial day weekend inWhite Springs Florida.
  Until next time, Keep on Plucking!

Monday, May 16

We now resume our previous posting.
   We got up early enough on Sunday to meet our obligations at the radio station,  or so we thought.  We decided to go out for breakfast before we headed out for WFIT in Melbourne at one of the local breakfast spots.  I guess we forgot it was Mother's Day, we couldn't get a seat for some time and the clock was ticking.  So we decided to head home and I whipped up some eggs and bagels before hitting the road for the radio interview.  We got to the station right on time and our host Fred Migliore was ready for action.  Fred's Program FM Odyssey is syndicated and he has had the pleasure of interviewing tons of great musicians.  Him and Kat hit it off pretty quickly and before I knew it they were telling some tall tails about me being a great guy considering the years I had spent in the Big House.  Lies I tell you, all lies!
    We headed home after the interview and before we knew it it was time once again to hit the road for the Shamrock Room to set up the sound system and get some grub before show time.  Everything went well and we managed to get a good crowd for the show.  The Shamrock Room is a little piece of musical paradise for the performing singer/songwriter.  I'm looking forward to the next event to be held there, whatever it might be.
We made it home around 10:00, and were pretty well exhausted form the days activities.  We shot the breeze for a while and hit the sack.  A great weekend indeed, now back to the real world!
    Until next time, here's your daily dose of wisdom:

 Tell me what you need and I'll tell you how to get along without it. 
                                                                                                   Author Unknown

Monday May 9

Another weekend slowly fades into the distance.  We had the pleasure of hosting a concert for our Seattle compadre Kat Eggleston on Sunday night at a little place called The Shamrock Room in Cocoa Village, Fl.  We have kind of made this a traditional stop over for Kat when she comes to Florida, she's a lot of fun to hang out with and a great performer.  Kat and her accomplice Robby, arrived Saturday afternoon and the first thing we did was scrub the love bugs off the front of the car.  If you don't know what a love bug is, then you've never spent the summer in Florida.  I'm pretty sure this is why many folks leave the state before the summer fun begins and don't return until October.
   So I prepared my extra special double secret formula lasagna for dinner, and it went over like Hershey Kisses at a weight watchers meeting.  That means they liked it.  We then gathered our energy and went down to the river for a stroll and to take in some local flavor.  We stopped at Suzy's Tiki Bar, the flavor doesn't get any more local than that, and had a beer to celebrate Mother's Day Eve.  The DJ was playing all sorts of horrible music and we suspected from his smooth mannerisms, he was most likely an unemployed construction worker trying to make some money in this awesome economy.  By the time we had finished our beers and were headed out he was starting to slur a little bit.  Fortunately, most of the folks there were to wrapped up in their corn hole games to notice.  Yes, Suzy's has corn hole.
   We arrived home after a short drive and Kat and I traded a few tunes before we called it a day.  A good time was had by all.
   To be continued..........
 

Monday 4/18/2011

This past weekend the Ashley Gang played at the Barberville Spring Frolic, we had a great time.  We  arrived Friday evening around 4:00, the advance team had already selected our site, and seeing as I don't like controversy, I went along with the plan.  We got parked and set up our home base pretty quickly.  Hung the chinese lanterns on our awning and broke out the forty seven chairs we had packed.  Cindy had prepared a gigantic batch of macaroni salad as our contribution to the pot luck dinner, it was excellent.  After dinner we played a little music and socialized.
  The weather was warm Saturday, but at least there was no rain.  We only played once on Saturday, but the set went really well.  there's nothing quite like seeing a barn full of folkies singing along with Yo Ho (The Pirate Song).
   Saturday evening some cooler weather blew in and Sunday morning was just glorious.  We had two sets to play on Sunday and we had good crowds at both of them.  They were probably hoping we'd do the Pirate Song again.  It was a great weekend with the best folks in the world.  We can't wait to do it again!
  Until next time, here's your daily dose of wisdom:
      
    "I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.' "

— Bob Newhart

Monday 4/11/2011

We had a rare opportunity to see one of our favorite singing songwriters Sunday evening.  Slaid Cleaves was playing in cocoa village at the Shamrock Room.  It's a small venue that seats maybe fifty, a great place to see performers up close and personal.  Slaid was accompanied by  Michael O'connor on guitar, man he had the golden touch.  Very subtle and right on the money, he added a lot without playing to much.  Slaid was just great, his writing is really top notch.  And he did a great job of playing all the songs we wanted to hear.  At one point someone requested a song he hadn't done in some time, when he flubbed the second verse the person that had requested it gave him the first line to the verse, that got him back on track.  He took it all in stride, I think he enjoyed the evening as much as we did.  He had some friends from Maine in the audience, even his grandmother was there.   It was a great evening in a great room.  I can't wait to see who will be playing there in the future.
  Until next time, here are your words of wisdom for today:

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.  ~Confucius

Monday 4/4/2011

Happy Monday!
   I was invited to play at the Wellington Songwriters Showcase this past Sunday down south in the beautiful Village of Wellington.  The event took place in the sparkling new Wellington Amphitheater, a truly glorious venue.  My good friend Jordan Cherkinsky, Dentist by day, musical dynamo by night, was in charge of this event.  At least we let him believe that.  Another long time compadre, Pete Rimmel was running the sound, and it sounded awesome on the stage as well as out in the cheap seats.  There were seven songwriters playing seperate sets from 12:00 until 4:00, but I think it may have run a bit later than that.  I'll do my best to squeeze everyones name in here.  Mary Beth and Chris Campbell, Rick Seguso, Bobby G, Shauna Sweeney with her sister Nicolet and brother Austin, Yakkov Thompson, and me.  If I forgot a name or screwed anyones up I apologise, my brain can only handle five names at a time.  It was a great time and I enjoyed getting to meet and listen to everyone.  The Songwriter’s Showcase is a free concert series presented by WEI Network, Peter’s Livingroom, the Village of Wellington, and sponsors.  And it's free to the public.
It just doesn't get any better than that!
  Until next time, here are your daily words of wisdom:

"Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow." --Swedish proverb

Wednesday 3/30/11

Last weekend we played the Sarasota Folk Festival, what a blast!  The weather was superb and the music was everywhere.  We closed the stage Saturday afternoon for the dinner break and had more fun than is usually allowed in the retirement state.  Our Bass Player is still dealing with some health issues, so we drafted our friend and latest accomplice Carolyn Dunn to fill in.  This woman has nerves of steel, to get on stage with us after only an hour of practice and familiarizing herself with our tunes, just amazing!  She did so well we brought her back to play with us on our Sunday set.  We  owe her big time. 
    Our good friend Mindy Simmons was in charge of the festival, it's good to have friends in high places.  With her army of volunteers they put together something really wonderful.  We hope to be invited back next year to further pillage the lovely community of Sarasota. 
  Until Next time, here's your daily dose of wisdom:

Make somebody happy today. Mind your own business. ~Ann Landers

3/22/11

Back to the music.  After my ramblings on the sate of the world yesterdayI thought I had better get back to
a topic I actually know something about.  Then I realized, there is no such subject.  So I'll tell you of my weekend adventures instead.
     Cindy and I went into the big city of Vero Beach Friday evening to catch a south Florida musician who happened to be passing through.  Joel Zoss was playing at  a place called Bodega Blue,  a funky little place with good food, 400 different beer varieties, and lots of noisy folks.  Joel did a fine job of entertaining the few folks who were actually listening to him.  He's a great player and has some really fine tunes up his sleeve.  To bad some of the people there weren't considerate enough to tone it down and listen.  Oh well, the life of a traveling musician aint for sissies.
   Saturday evening we headed for the Sebastian Inlet where they were holding there Night Sound concert series.  We had the pleasure of being entertained by Rod MacDonald and Tracy Sands, in honor of the St Patrick Day festivities.  Rod is one of my all time favorite song writers and I had never heard him with Tracy before.  They are really great together, they did a lot of Irish material and Rod managed to squeeze in some of his tunes as well.  The gigantic full moon rose up out of the mangroves around 8:00 directly behind the stage, it was a magical evening indeed.
  Until we meet again, here are your daily words of wisdom:
      
The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.
Hunter S. Thompson:

3/21/11

Hello out there!  It's been a while since I enlightened the universe with any of my observation, so I thought it was about time.
    Since we last talked the world as we know it has continued to slide further into the abyss.  We had an earthquake off the coast of Japan that has seriously compromised a nuclear power facility, good thing that stuff is so safe.  I've heard that Al Gore sprinkles nuclear waste on his morning granola, and you've seen how great he looks lately.  I guess there's a lot of calories in that stuff.
    We had a revolution of sorts in Egypt, which now seems to have spread all over the middle east.  It's no wonder there revolting, you'd be pissed too if you had to live in that sand trap.
    Since we can't resist a good fight,  our illustrious leader has decided to shoot some missiles at our old nemesis Gaddafi in Libya.  Granted that Gaddafi character is a real nut case that should have been taken out a long time ago, but let the rebels take care of him like in the good old days.  We shouldn't be getting involved in every skirmish in the world when we can't even take care of ourselves.  I heard Ron Paul on the radio today, that man has got his shit together. He tells it like it is, not that BS the politco's would have us believe.  If they ever hold real elections in this country he's my man.
    Well that's enough off my plate for today.  To be continued.
Oh yea, the daily words of wisdom:

The enemy isn’t conservatism. The enemy isn’t liberalism. The enemy is bullshit."        Lars-Erik Nelson, political columnist

2/21/11

We had a great time at the Rally for the Rivers in Palatka on Saturday.  The weather was perfect and lots of folks showed up to enjoy the music and gardens.   We played the evening event with our friends Bob and Joline Patterson and their Friends of Mine Band.  They fed us a fabulous meal and then took some time to acknowledge a few folks for their commitment to the cause.  Then Bob and his band took the stage and really did an awesome job.   We  were up after them and I have to say, they were a hard act to follow.  But we did our best and everything went well.  We had our bud Ron Spencer filling in on the bass for us, our usual bass player and Queen of Harmony has not been in the best of health lately and couldn't be with us for the show.  We ran through the set list once with Ron and that was all he needed, he did a great job.
I guess that's about it for now, until next time, here's your daily dose of wisdom:

"Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon." 
Doug Larson

2/14/11

Happy Valentines Day to all you hopeless romantics.  I picked up an orchid for the little lady at Publix on my way home from work.    It was a pretty scary scene in there, flustered men wandering aimlessly around the aisles looking for romantic grocery items to bring home to their ladies.  I'm pretty much anti Valentines, only because I don't like holidays created strictly to prop up the greeting card companies.  As my wife said to me just the other day, "Everyday is Valentines day when your married to a guy like you!"  Well, maybe that's not an exact quote, but it's close.
    We had a splendid gig in Orlando on Saturday at the Orlando Folk Festival.  The festival is held at the Mennello Museum of American Art.  This year the weather was perfect and the crowd seemed to be enjoying the day strolling around the booths and listening to the music.  We were missing a couple band members who couldn't make the scene, but we forged on and did our level best to make some noise.
   Next weekend is the rally for the Rivers at Ravine Gardens State Park in Palatka.  We'll be playing the evening event with our friends Bob and Joline Patterson and their band.  It should be a lot of fun and it's a great way to bring some awareness to our troubled waterways in the state.
  Until next time, here's your daily dose of wisdom:

     Filthy water cannot be washed.

West African Proverb

1/27/11

The kleenex is flying here at Renaissance central, the misses and I seem to have contracted a rare form of folk flu.  I've still managed to work all week, but I've been slightly grumpier than usual.  I know, it's hard to believe!  This works out perfectly as I had set a side some down time for just such a disease to run it's course.  I should be back in the saddle in time for the next gig.
      In the "what have our elected officials done for us lately department" here are a couple tidbits to ponder.  Our legislators have banned the sale of bath salts in the state of Florida.  Thank God, how long were they going to let such outright disregard for the proper use of personal cleaning products go on.  Apparently kids have been snorting this stuff and getting quite a buzz, with some dangerous side effects.  There was a time when stupidity was it's own reward.  Before lawyers ruled the world the stupid would methodically kill themselves off, leaving more real estate around for those of us who chose not to snort bath salts, ahh, the good old days.  
    I also heard one of our elected knuckle heads has proposed a law to ban texting while walking.  This after a goofy chick stumbled into a mall fountain while texting.  I don't think I can stand all this protection.
Why doesn't someone propose a law to ban laws that protect people from the consequences of their own stupidity.  There's a law we could live with, well, some of us!
   Here's your daily dose of wisdom:

This is an actual law in the state of Florida - Having sexual relations with a porcupine is illegal.
"Not to mention a really bad idea"

1/24/11

The Ashley Gang played at the world famous Yalaha Bakery on Saturday.  This gig is an afternoon event, and usually draws quite a lunch crowd to this off the beaten path destination.  The morning was cloudy as we headed from Sebastian to the booming metropolis of Yalaha,   But as if by some divine intervention the sky cleared and the sun came out in full force just as we arrived to set up.  The not so divine part was that a cold north wind settled in also, and the temperature seemed to drop a little more with every set we played.  By the time we wrapped things up at two o'clock we looked like six folk popsicles.  In spite of the weather issues, the place was a bee hive of activity.  I would say that this country is in the throes of a serious bread addiction epidemic.  If you've never made the trip to the Bakery your missing out on some serious gourmet bread and pastries.
   Until next time here are are your daily words of wisdom:

"How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?"Julia Child  

  

1/18/11

Hey I'm back!  After a long holiday hiatus I believe I'm ready to once again join the living.  The awesome responsibility of becoming a grand father has finally settled in, I think I can handle it now.  The new member of the family is doing well, it's amazing how quickly he's growing.  He stopped by this evening with his parents and was just eyeballing everything, I know what's going through his mind, he can't wait to get his hands on all the cool stuff lying around here.  Here he is imitating me.
                                            
I'm working on some new tunes and arranging some older ones while trying out some of the new skills I've learned recently.  I've almost finished this Apple Pro Training series, lots of good info to try and absorb.  A real challenge for an old dried up brain like mine.  But I feel as if I'm making progress.
   Until next time, here's your daily words of wisdom:

My grandfather gave me my first guitar, an old acoustic with palm trees and dancing girls painted on it.
Dan Fogelberg