Out in the Guitar Garage after Hurricane Irma

Well, today I woke up and the sun was shining and I was driving over to JAX Beach for a meeting. There was debris all along the way, but the cleanup is well underway. What kind of mode must Florida be in now? JEA did a great job of getting the power back on at our place, and I know they are working overtime to get everyone power. They even gave me a robo call this morning to let me know the status. I was impressed but maybe we have gotten cynical about customer service over the years. For awhile now I have been using Amazon Music. It plays via Bluetooth into my car stereo, into my Andriod phone, my laptop and my Tablet. All of this was unheard of just 20 years ago. I am from the days when the big deal was CB Radio. My handle was El Paso Flash....and so it goes. I hit search in Amazon Music, and went for someone I miss very much, Warren Zevon. And I went for a very old LP which I have in vinyl out in my Guitar Garage. Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School. It has incredible sounds created by some of the best musicians LA had to offer back in the day. Some are still around. It is a mix of sonic sounds unheard at the time. It is twisted up emotion with political intrigue and spurts out just a bit of love for all. That was Warren Zevon, the late, great. If you can check him out on YouTube especially his last visit to David Letterman. Dave loved Warren. Plain fact. And Dave does not seem to love much...but Warren had what Dave needed and will never have again. We are all like that, those who cannot forget Warren. So have a listen on your way to getting your house and life cleaned up after Hurricane Irma. Send lawyers, guns and money as Warren would say..... Peace, out Guitar Lamar

New Guitar Student

I do not get many guitar students. But when I do, I am happy if they have that same passion and curiosity that I have about playing the guitar. The type of guitar is not so important. The style of music is not so important. Just playing becomes the most important focus. With a guitar, a player can evoke so many moods and memories, and timeless moments that recall how that world was and how it can be with universal, eternal sounds. Making a start is the initiative of the student, and then commitment to learning, and being open to being taught. I have a new student, who has like many, already gotten started playing on his own, taking some lessons at various times in his life. The call would not leave him alone, and it calls him to study the guitar at a deeper level. A few other times, I have had students like this. Most recently, was a guy in his 20s back home in the DC area. His company had sent him to work in the area, and he was ready to go, having purchased one guitar, but not the best quality, so a newer, better built guitar was needed. He also traveled for his job a lot, so he also bought an electric travel guitar. And best of all, he practiced on his own. So giving a weekly lesson was a breeze. Of course, it also means I have to be prepared. And, so I like teaching because I keep my saw sharp on all alspects of guitar playing. Another student was also equally motivated to play guitar. His guitar had quite a warped neck, so he also need advice on how to select a better build guitar. Once done, we set off on lessons that he was always prepared for. He made good use of Youtube as well. I really like that, and its now pretty well populated with good quality guitar information and lessons of most every style. So, one good thing about teaching guitar is that it also remindes me that I am still a student, too!

Rest In Peace Gregg Allman

Well, this is a hard loss to take. Any loss is hard, but I have been a fan since I was in my early teens. I first heard about the Allman Brothers Band when I was in 8th grade at Washington Irving Intermediate School in West Springfield, VA. A kid used to carry the first few albums to school in a paper bag, and whisper their name like a top secret. I suppose he tried to play them at friends houses after school. Back then I doubt the librarian would let you play "Southern Rock" on what little audio equipment they had. Well, Gregg kept the band going in several incarnations after Duane passed away, then Barry, then Lamar, and so on. Life is like that. No one gets out alive. The music was great, even when it was not the original band. I could not stop listening. I wore out turntable needles, vinyl LPs, and even CDs listening to Gregg with the Allman Brothers Band or even his solo efforts. I cannot really pick a favorite because I could go a long time without listening to any other music in my car or on my home stereo. I used to see them every year that they came to the DC area, and even run up to Baltimore to see them. I almost ran away after 9th grade to see the band at Watkins Glen at that huge music festival. I still do not remember how my mother kept me from getting out. All I had back then was a small dirt bike! Well, I know this the fans have been incredible in their tributes. No one is perfect or an angel, and I am sure Gregg knew his limits, and they turned up in his song lyrics and also in the emotion with which he played those songs. Many fans could indentify. He lived up the road an hour or so from where I live now, a bit close to where my Dad has retired. Dad even saw Gregg out a few times at some local eateries the past 10 years or so. Kind of cool that he got out that whole LA lifestyle when he did. A real southern man for sure. Rest in peace Gregg Allman. Thanks for a lifetime of great music, that kept me a fan forever more. A nice photo of Gregg with former President Carter. Peace, Guitar Lamar.

RIP Evan Johns

I still miss Evan Johns. It has been a few months since his sad passing in Austin, TX. I was able to chat with hip via Facebook in the last few months of his life about our shared experience with the Carl Perkins. Of course, Evan open gigs with Carl back in the day. I was just a young impressionable fan of both. A few of my buds were close to Evan since they went to same high school in NOVA. All that has changed now and the DC area is like a big wave has washed over the place. Tommy Keene's song "Place That Are Gone" is really appropriate there now. I do miss all the live music the area once had, especially in Georgetown, where all in one night, a guy with a little bit of cash could see hot local bands and national groups playing in as many as 3 venues within walking distance along M Street and Wisconsin Ave. I had been away for 10 years, and when I came back in 2010, I found that the Bayou is now a TD Bank Building, and there is a multiplex movieplex in the same block. There is also now a waterfront park with a really nice fountain, with families hanging out there. The place seems pretty upscale now, but back in the day it was the best hippie dive that could be, without going all the way to San Francisco! Peace, Out....