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

So, I went to my former fave watering hole this eve. Damn...the old place sure has changed. Without naming names, I'll tell ya this much: my granddad, who passed on in 1957, used to drink there. It was pretty much always a small time, neighborhood, old man bar. When I used to drink there, they still refused to have a juke box. Instead, the old TV was usually on A&E or Court TV. Drinks were unbelievably CHEAP! For Pete's sake...the place had a pachinko machine! I remember when my friend Jimmy and his then girfriend were in for a visit. We stopped at my little neighborhood bar to prime the pumps. I bought the first round...smirking all the while. When Jimmy went for the next round, he came back suggesting that they had "undercharged him". I told him, with some personal glee, that no they hadn't; the prices where just that cheap! I stopped going there after I was filmed there for an interview for a documentary on rockabilly music. It took me 5 hours to get out o...

I guess you could say that June 2010 was my month. I kept busy for sure! For starters, I finally settled my artist endorsement thingy with Republic Guitars . Just about a year ago, my good friend Sean Chambers (Sean Menscher & The Rhythm Kings, The Rowdy Bovines) contacted me about Republic and how he was trying to hook me up with an endorsement. Anyone that knows me knows the past couple years kicked my ass, so simply put, I just couldn't be bothered. Well, now that I have it and I have 2 new Republics (a Tricone and a reso uke) I'm kicking myself for not hopping on this earlier! They make truly excellent gear! I've also been working some insane hours at "the real job"...so much in fact that I finally took a vacation!!! 1st one in 15 years! And you know what? I enjoyed it! I might actually take another one! LOL While on vacation, I got to visit my dear friend Dez, my baby cousin Lulu and my old friends Hayden & Georgia, who were kind enough to feed me...a...

People make me sick. Literally. I watched a PBS documentary this evening on vaccinations. It amazes me just how stupid, uneducated and uninformed some people are and choose to remain. It seems that just because they see a video about something on YouTube that they take it as gospel! For Pete's sake folks...look at the source! This level of idiocy is part of what is making all of us sicker. These parents who choose to not have their children vaccinated are also choosing to increase the risk of disease for everyone else. By not having your child vaccinated that leaves your child open to contracting any number of illnesses...illnesses which are, in fact, still around, like polio, dyptheria, whooping cough, etc. Most young mothers these days were never exposed to the types of dangers that these diseases pose. They think that because they don't see it in their own back yard that its not a threat. Well guess again folks. We live in a global society. People travel to and from one coun...

OK, I'm 44 years old now...so I guess that officially makes me old enough to remember when. I remember when most Americans made a decent living, owned their own home, weren't completely saddled with credit card debt, paid their bills on time, weren't worrying about foreclosure and laughed at the thought of buying a Japanese TV or car. Those days really weren't that long ago! Here it is 2010 and what do WE as a country have to show for it? Not much from where I'm sitting. "American Made" usually means overpriced and poorly made (in the eyes of the global economy which we are now a part of, whether you like it or not). Look at everything you own...how much of it was made overseas? Look at your car, your TV, your cell phone...hell, look at your clothes...where were they made? Sure, you saved some bucks...but at what cost? How many people do you know who's job has been "outsourced"? If you know one, that's too many. Sure, people in other coun...

I used to hate recording. Once upon a time, it seemed so damned tedious. Start, stop, start, stop...as a younger man I was far more interested in the immediacy of the live performance. As I'm getting older, I'm enjoying recording more now. I can capture a moment in time and save it forever. I think that all recording artists have a different style of recording. My good friend and mentor, Alan Leatherwood, has a unique style of piecing his albums together. I learned a lot about recording from him! I also learned that its best to do things however one is comfortable doing them at the time. I usually like to work really fast. Sam Phillips once explained to me that recording is all about capturing the 'right' moment. So what if there's a minor flaw in it provided you capture the energy of the moment. This latest CD (working title "7 More To Go") of mine has by no means been a quick production! It started 3 years ago. At the time, my aussie drummer, Brian Franc...

I just turned down a bunch of shows. Why? Simple: if you ain't talking money, don't talk to me. That said, allow me to clarify. There are some bands/musicians who are "hobbyists". They're cool with going out and lugging a few hundred pounds of gear around and making noise for free...it gives them something to do, I guess. I'm not one of them. I can play my guitar anywhere for free and not have to lug spare guitars, amps, a PA system, etc. around to do it. Times have changed and not necessarily for the better. It used to be that if a venue booked bands, they understood that the risk was theirs. The band showed up, did their job and hopefully the audience was there, enjoyed their show and all were happy. Bands were an enticement for patrons to come out. The trick was, if your band was unknown or didn't draw, you didn't work. (note: I say "work" because it IS work) Nowadays, the venues that still have bands now put the risk onto the performers. ...

OK, I went out and bought a new bike today! Why you ask? A) I seriously need to get back into a shape other than "round" B) Pittsburgh has some absolutely AWESOME bike trails! C) It sounded like a good idea at the time! LOL I just got back from my 1st ride....in over 25 years! KEEEEEEEEEEE-RIST!!!!!!!!! If you ever want to feel foolish, try hopping on a mountain bike when you haven't ridden a bike in decades. Add to this having to start on a hill and you start to get the picture! I wobbled like mad at first...then realized my legs were about to rip apart! Who the hell needs 18 gears on a bike?????? 10 speeds were confusing enough for me! LOL Anyhoo, I "zipped" up the street and around the church a few times. I can't tell you the last time I was this out of breath! It's maybe 50 degrees out and I'm sweating like a pig in a sauna! BUT IT FEELS GOOD!!!!!! I really need to figure out these gears...the bike almost seems to have a mind of its own just yet...