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molomolomolo wrote:Thanks for posting this, Jackie. I was wondering if any of our “Bruuucesters” were going to make it to MerleFest. I just returned from a few sunny, hot days on the beach in SC and a few glorious albeit kind of rainy days in the Blue Ridge Mountains and I have absolutely fallen in love with that
section of the country. Hope the weather was kind to you this week, I know there were nasty storms and tornadoes in parts of NC.Thanks for your concern,molomolomolo;it really means a lot to me. I live less than 10 miles from one of the areas that was hit hardest by the recent storm/tornado. The only disturbances I noticed were some loud bursts of thunder-I feel very fortunate.
About MerleFest: The mountain setting added much to the atmosphere and you’re right,it is a glorious part of the country. I had such a good time there I would go back again,even if Bruce wasn’t playing (and that’s a bold statement coming from me!) 😯
Jackie
Si,
The site looks great! Thanks for all you do to help keep us informed and supplied with great music.
Jackie
Jonathan wrote:Someone’s mobile phone rang here at work earlier and they had “I get the sweetest feeling” by Jackie Wilson as their ringtone. The tune got into my head and now I’m thinking it would be a great request for Bruce and the band. Any suggestions for what it could be combined with?How about “Halcyon Days” or the non-bluegrass version of “Mandolin Rain”? I know these are sad/contemplative songs,but I couldn’t think of a “happy” song that would fit with what I was hearing in the Jackie Wilson song.
Jackie
If I’m remembering this correctly, I think someone asked Bruce this very question in his guestbook. I believe “Candy Mountain Run” was a favorite song of the guestbook signer’s child. When the parent asked the little one what the song meant, the child said something like, “I think it’s about a nice man who gives people candy.”
Bruce’s reply to this question/interpretation was something like,” Close enough.” or, “Sounds good to me.” Does anyone else remember this particular guestbook entry?
My interpretation of the song? It’s about the kind of dreams Bruce’s sons might have had as young children. The My special candy taste good now/Every day I die a little, a little anyhow lines give the listener something to ponder amidst all the light-heartedness in the song.
Jackie
David and molomolomolo are right,Monday’s dose is wonderful! I admit,I’ve never met a “Defenders Of The Flag I disliked,album,live or video,it’s humorous and thought-provoking at the same time. Very few songwriters can combine those elements successfully.
Jackie
I like it! Shades of Billy Joel (“Disappear,” “All Will Be Well”) and Elton John (“Five More Hours”), which isn’t a bad thing.
One of my favorite songs on the Myspace page is “Till you’re Gone”-toe tapping music, great lyrics.
Speaking of great lyrics, I agree with you about “Further The Sky”; it’s the best song in that group of songs. By the way, do you know who the female vocalist is? What a clear voice!
Thanks for the introduction of some fine new music.
Jackie
rdiakun wrote:I’ve found that my participation in the past 2 cover version projects that Si has been so cool as to mastermind (Shadow Hands and Caesar Salad) have been major experiences in listening to songs with “new ears.” The versions of the various songs that people have done were interesting because of the different interpretations and styles that people have offered up. I’m still utterly blown away by the acoustic slide-guitar version of The Way It Is that Cruize Henderson contributed to the Shadow Hands project. I’ve also found that the work I did on Passing Through (from Shadow Hands), Line In The Dust (from Caesar Salad), and now The Chill (from whatever the new one coming up is gonna be called), have been educational experiences not only in the craft of recording a track but in hearing the songs and discovering things about the songs that are easily missed at first hearing. I’m looking forward to Daily Dose Day this year, so that I can hear what other people have found in the music. Good tunes, good people, good cause…. good stuff!You bring up a great point, Rich. I was originally thinking of songs performed by Bruce, but the tribute albums are excellent illustrations in finding new ways to appreciate these songs. The examples you cited are great ones; on my personal list I would add:
“Till The Dreaming’s Done” and “Song C” from Shadow Hands
“I Will Walk With You” from Caesar SaladI’m really looking forward to hearing your as well as the other contributions on the next tribute record.
Jackie
rdiakun wrote:I was running out of strange music lyric quotes, too, so I had to take a few days to recharge the batteries and get the polarization all out of whack
“Then a voice called from out of the darkness saying ‘Tear the system down! Tear it down! Down to the ground!’” – P. Cetera
I love those musical quotes! They give my brain a good workout.
Jackie
Re: Bruce,Ricky and Kentucky Thunder 3/26/07 Raleigh,NC
MVF wrote:And she did that WITHOUT the preprinted set listI’ll admit,I “cheated.” I did have a notepad and pen.
My memory isn’t bad,but 20 songs plus the parts of other compositions included within songs would be quite a challenge to memorize!Jackie
David Day wrote:Did you know the banjo player lives in Raleigh?
Ricky mentioned this when he introduced the banjo player. He said something like, “From Raleigh,North Carolina,where they grow baksketball players and banjo pickers…”
Jackie
I can’t seem to find out about a replay for this portion of the interview.
However,I did hear that part 2 of this interview will be played Saturday April 5, at 10 am Eastern time and again on Sunday April 6, at 8 pm Eastern time.Jackie
This was an extremely enjoyable show. It took place in the Meymandi Concert Hall in downtown Raleigh as part of the Pine Cone Music Series. The venue is very modern, featuring a shoebox shape, narrow sides, shallow balconies, no proscenium and (best of all) excellent acoustics.
The musicians and the audience were very relaxed. Audience members weren’t shy about expressing their enthusiasm and the performers interacted with them throughout the night. As the musicians took the stage, a female fan shouted, “We love you Ricky!” His reply, “Oh Lord!”
As Bruce walked to the edge of the stage to pick up several written requests, Ricky quipped, “Mail’s in.”
A little later in the evening, Ricky explained this is what bluegrass would have sounded like if Bill Monroe had a hot piano player.
There were lots of outstanding musical moments, especially during The Way It Is. There was some great back and forth playing between Ricky and Bruce in the beginning of the song. Also excellent mandolin and guitar solos-and even some two hand independence from Bruce during the song.
While introducing The Dreaded Spoon, Bruce did a great imitation of a gospel preacher; Ricky and the band joined in by shouting, “Amen!” and “Yes!”
When someone in the balcony wanted to dance on stage, Bruce replied, “You bought the wrong seat!” The dancers (including our own MVF,who actually got the stage dancing started by placing a teddy bear with her dancing request on the stage) were enthusiastic and fun to watch. One of the ladies was an especially talented clogger; Ricky said, “She stomped my guitar out of tune.”
White-Wheeled Limousine featured the fiddle playing the part Bobby Read (saxophone) usually plays during this song. Ricky performed a wonderful solo during this song.
Bruce sang a couple of verses of Uncle Pen-very cool.
I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I took my seat. Would Bruce’s sound get “swallowed up” by the bluegrass? Would improvisation fall by the wayside? Of course, the answer to both questions was, “No.” I should have known better.
Jackie
Miss Virginia Former wrote:Hey, maybe we’ll get to dance together on stage like last time. That was a hoot!It’s always fun to see our Bruuuce.com buddies live and in person.
I’d love to do a +repeat performance” of stage dancing but this will be a bluegrass show; I don’t know how to clog!
I’d also like to say hello to other Bruce fans,hope to see some of our forum friends there!
Jackie
babytweety2yo wrote:Here’s a cute little video I put together on YouTube…got my kids and my parrot all dancing to Swing Street…its a must see!What fun! It looks like your little girl is a future musician and your little boy will be one of the “get up and dance” people at concerts/shows!
Speaking of dancing-your parrot is quite the dancer. The bird dances better than I do! 😳
Thanks for sharing the pictures and the video.
Jackie
rdiakun wrote:- What will or has this done to the state of the art?[/*:m:9c794]
- Is it good? Is it bad?[/*:m:9c794]
- Does it make even the slightest bit of difference that they have eclipsed all of the “traditional” music companies?[/*:m:9c794]
- Why did the “traditional” music companies get eclipsed? Is it because of online music piracy, the lack of new blockbuster acts, or just sheer lazy marketing on their part?[/*:m:9c794]
- Does this open up a huge void that new indie music companies are in a position to fill?[/*:m:9c794]
- Technology has certainly changed the distribution channels for music, and thus the flow of money. WIll it help or hurt the ability of an artist to create music and retain those legal and commercial rights necessary to finance more art creation? Has the old copyright paradigm been rendered obsolete?[/*:m:9c794]
In short, where are we now? And where are we going?
As usual, Rich, a very thought-provoking topic.
The Hannah Montana craze seems to be a fad, much like the “boy band” music phase several years ago. How will Ms. Cyrus affect the state of the art? Who knows? Some people saw the British Invasion as a fad, yet it had a tremendous impact on popular music. I think the jury is still out on this question.
Is this trend good or bad? Good for Disney and similar companies-bad for smaller record labels and independent musicians.
Does it make a difference that Disney has eclipsed “traditional” music companies? Is there such an animal as a “traditional” music company anymore? Aren’t most of the large, older music labels also owners of video game companies, movie studios, etc? It seems as if the conventional record company that exclusively sells music has gone by the wayside-except for the indie record concerns. Are there many traditional companies left for Disney to eclipse?
If the answer to the last question is “yes,” then I would say the reason Disney eclipsed these firms is “sheer lazy marketing on their part.”
I think independent record companies/musicians have a great chance to fill the need for talented, creative artists who aren’t solely interested in having the #1 iTunes download or the #1 ringtone on the Billboard Hot Ringtone List.
Technology could both help and hurt musicians. An artist can get his/her song heard on YouTube if they have been unsuccessful in getting it heard in the more conventional fashion. However, if the musician doesn’t have the means, time or inclination to protect their music before sharing it on the internet, this could lead to much heartache. When the artists do all they can to protect their music from being stolen, it still happens all too frequently. What can be done to stop this? Would telling family, friends and acquaintances how illegally obtaining music really hurts the musician help? Do stronger measures need to be taken?
This topic has created more questions than answers. But that just makes it all the more interesting!
Jackie
nicos1331 wrote:I did not get any music for Christmas, but below is an abbreviated list of what I have been listening to recently on my iPod:Stan Getz: ‘Getz/Gilberto’
Miles Davis/Gil Evans: ‘The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings’
Miles Davis: ‘Miles in the Sky’, ‘At Carnegie Hall’
Tony Bennett: ‘The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album’
Richard Hawley: ‘Coles Corner’, ‘Lady’s Bridge’, ‘Lowedges’
MGMT: ‘Oracular Spectacular’
John Coltrane: My Favorite Things
Branford Marsalis & The X-Men: Live 12/31/90 Oakland Coliseum
The Cure: ‘Disintegration’, ‘Wish’, ‘The Cure’
Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers: Live ’08/02/02′
Herbie Hancock: ‘Possibilities’ & ‘River–The Joni Letters”
Band of Horses: ‘Cease to Begin’ & ‘Everything All the Time’
Artic Monkeys: ‘Whatever Poeple Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’
Van Morrison: ‘It’s Too Late to Stop Now’, ‘Hard Nose the Highway’, ‘The Philosopher’s Stone’
Bill Evans Trio: ‘Waltz for Debby’
Red House Painters: ‘Old Ramon”, ‘Down Colorful Hill’, ‘Shock Me’
Air: ‘Pocket Symphony’-Nicos
What a cool, eclectic list, Nicos!
That 2002 Biltmore show is amazing, isn’t it? (The Walk In The Sun>Hey Baby>Walk In The Sun and Jacob’s Ladder>Pig In A Pen>I Put A Spell On You>Jacob’s Ladder—wow!)
Happy listening…
Jackie
rdiakun wrote:Si, got any t-shirt ideas for this year? We could get all geeky and wear something identifiably “Bruuuce” to make meeting up in a crowd easier. Just a thought.Si and Miss Virginia Former are the experts when it comes to t-shirt ideas,but what happens if all the characters from Bruce’s songs are all used and there are extra sirts?
How about: “It’s A Bruuuce Thing…You’ve Gotta Understand!”
Jackie
Victor,
Once again,I’m assuming the begging position (one knee on the ground,one knee used to balance the keyboard).
“Please tell us your story,Victor! Pretty please with sugar,whipped cream and peaches (the Colorado state fruit) on top?”All kidding aside, I am really interested in your new adventure…
Jackie
I believe I heard something relating to this during the Greensboro,NC meetup this past summer…Whatever the reason:
To Victor-
“May the wind be at your back and may your aeries be near you.”
-J.R.R. Tolkien (loosely quoted)
Jackie
David Day wrote:Check out daily dose January 13, Stander on the Mountain! That is without a doubt the very best rendition of Stander on the Mountain I’ve ever heard!
Do yourself a favor! Check it out! You will like it!
Well David,you were wrong on one count; I don’t like it,I love it! 😆 😆
Take a listen to Sugaree from that same show. It’s also excellent.
Jackie
1. Bruce playing for the halftime show…an interesting idea! It might even entice me to watch the whole game instead of drifting away from the TV sometime during the third quarter, which is my usual pattern.
A set with the Noisemakers would definitely be in order to enhance the party atmosphere surrounding the game.Songs-1.Big Rock Candy Mountain>Candy Mountain Run 2.Gonna Be Some Changes Made.3.Walk In The Sun>Hey Baby
Friends-I would love to see Debbie Henry and/or Joe Lee on stage with Bruce. Why should the folks at Biltmore be the only ones to hear this treat?
2. Speaking of Bruce’s friends, wouldn’t Bonnie Raitt be an excellent choice for the Super Bowl halftime show?
Jackie
Jonathan wrote:I got the recent new album from The Eagles. I’ve only listened to it once so haven’t really fromed an overall opinion, but it has some nice sounds. Unfortunately I’ve not listened to much music at all recently having had a horrible cold with added blocked-up ears. It makes everything musical sound out of tune.Is it possible to catch a cold over the Internet? Because I have the very same symptoms! Would I be correct in saying no one could devise a more insidious torture for a music lover?
Get well soon, Jonathan and when you’re back to normal, please let us know what you think about that Eagles album.
Jackie
However,I did hear that part 2 of this interview will be played Saturday April 5, at 10 am Eastern time and again on Sunday April 6, at 8 pm Eastern time.