The Real Memphis Mike (don't settle for imitations)

"Close enough for jazz..." That was a running joke between friends 35+ years ago. Its a phrase I still use today. Musically, I use it for whether I get a musical phrase right but more often, I use it in regard to tuning my instrument. Most would believe that being in perfect tune is important. To that, I say BULLSHIT. I have a deep and abiding love for old blues, jazz, and hillbilly records. A lot of those are nowhere near concert pitch unless a piano was involved. Even then, its questionable. Why? Back in the day, electric tuners weren't a thing yet. If you wanted everyone in tune together, you'd all have to tune to the one instrument with set pitch...like a piano. I remember doing that at home when I first started playing. Hell, I think I played guitar for almost 10 years before affordable electric tuners were available. Tuning forks were readily available but not exactly useful for solidbody instruments. Sure, I could have spent $300 (of 1980s money!) on a goo...

If you've been playing along with the home version, you should already know this. You should also know that I am, if nothing else, a creature of habit. That said, It's Thanksgivus Time!!!!! Thanksgivus: that's what she called it. The 'she' in question would be a very short, loud, middle aged black woman with retardation who I supervised for years. Her name is Omega...fitting because she truly is THE END! Omega didn't exactly have a speech problem but I think her hearing wasn't 100% on the mark, as certain words would get slurred together such as "Thanksgivus". Another fave was her version of Social Security, which often sounded more like "sociable secretary" (of which I've known a few). Thanksgivus (which is what I now prefer to call the US holiday Thanksgiving) is the last Thursday of November (this is for my overseas friends who may not be fully knowledgeable of the subject). It is the holiday where we Americans give Thanks to God...

It's called 7 More To Go. Its a running personal joke about cats having 9 lives and how many I might have left. Since you're here (presumably by choice) let me tell you about it. The initial tracking was recorded in 2007. Brian Francis, the drummer who worked with me in Australia, was up for a visit. He'd never recorded before, so I decided to change that. I called my friend and fave engineer Dave Granati and scheduled a few hours of studio time. What happened next was a testament to how well we all work together. In a matter of roughly 3 hours, we recorded 16 tracks. Most, Brian had never heard nor played before. Basically I told him "It goes like this" and away we went. One track actually took 3 takes! Damned prima donna drummers. The rest of 2007 didn't go so well for me. I was able to finish two of the tracks (with bassist Rob Jacob) to be included on our 2008 release on Cracked Piston Records 'LIVE In Australia' but life had become too insane ...

To most folks, its known as Toad In The Hole . Its an old school, tradition British dish made with sausage and Yorkshire Pudding batter. Served best with a nice brown, onion gravy. Thanks to my friend Grace, it will now forever be called Snake In The Cake . If you know me, you know I love to cook...possibly even more than I like to eat. Contrary to popular belief, I like trying different stuff. When I first went to the UK, I couldn't wait to try the different, authentic, traditional dishes. Some I was not going to try. I have no desire to eat kidney. I'm not big on organ meat, as a general rule. I'd had a taste of heart, brain, intestine, etc. growing up. Some things aren't made for a repeat performance. Yorkshire Puddings One thing I fell in culinary love with in the UK is Yorkshire Pudding. Americans think of 'pudding' as a sweet, gooey, dessert mess. Chocolate pudding, tapioca, banana, etc. Yorkshire Pudding is nothing like that. Its somewhere between...

"We're going to send you to London with a hangover!" , he said half-jokingly. It came across almost like a thinly veiled threat. Leggs, w/ Crazy Cavan & Co. with big shiny records,  at a  Welsh newspaper office.  The "he" in question was my friend Paul "Leggsy" Barrett. If you're a fan of rockabilly, Teddy Boy music, that sort of thing...you owe him a hearty Thank Ye Kindly. Leggs passed away earlier today. As his missus put it, he collapsed and died. It wasn't sudden. He'd had health problems in recent years. He was 78 and had spent most of his life in and around the music business. Puts a lot of extra miles on the chassis. I could go into great detail about his life and career but you can find all of that online yourself. Instead, allow me to give you some personal memories of the Grand Potentate of Penarth. In 2002, I made my first trip overseas. My friend 2Tone had managed to drum up some interest in my music over th...