When You’ve Lost That Friend

When You’ve Lost That Friend

Losing a treasured pet is really, really hard. I’m a dog guy, but I understand cat people and horse people, too; any warm, usually furry, friend. We’ve lost many over the years, and a couple of dogs back I wrote a song about them. It’s a little bit...

The Past as Prologue

You’ve probably heard that vinyl is now outselling CDs in the US. The reasons—besides the fact that there are much more convenient ways to carry music than on discs, so long as you don’t care about album covers & liner notes—are pretty audiophile-y, and...
Highway 61 Blues

Highway 61 Blues

One of my favorite recent gigs was at Teddy’s Juke Joint in Zachary, LA, near the famous Blues Highway 61. Teddy’s is a true blues joint, with a rich history, full of decades-old memorabilia and stories (mostly told by Teddy—Lloyd Johnson, Jr.). My wife was a little...

My Most Embarrassing Gig

If you’re a performer, this has happened to you, usually early in your career, when you’re young, impressionable, nervous and usually stupid. Your embarrassing gig probably isn’t this bad, but I’ll bet you cringe (or laugh) whenever you remember it. It was April...

I Love House Concerts

I love house concerts. (I like playing festivals, blues clubs and sleazy bars, too, but this is different.) You almost never get heckled when you play in someone’s living room, or on their patio. If people are eating, it’s in a different room. There’s a lot less gear...