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Yo quiero, Twang Alliance!

Yo quiero, Twang Alliance!

This summer has seen the formation of the Twang Alliance of Central Ohio (TACO). Credit goes to John Joseph, lead singer of Harvest Kings, for making it happen. He and I, along with Paul Painter (Cowboyhillbillyhippyfolk) got together in June for the first official meeting of the newly-minted Twang Alliance. We’ve had a couple of meetings since then and we’ve been joined by some of our “twangy” friends in the Central Ohio region. Among them:

• Outlaw Deluxe/Sweet & Lonesome
• Matthew Hoover & The SuperSaints
• Shotgun McCoy
• Al Smyth & The Free Beer and Chicken Coalition
• Scott Miracle
• Heartbreak Orchestra
• Bob Ray Starker

This is a new association of area musicians, promoters, and various other entities interested in supporting and promoting the regional music scene as it relates to “twang” or Americana/alt-country/roots music in any of its divergent incarnations. As John says, “If YOU think you belong here, you probably do.”

On September 19, 2008, we will host a “Meet The Twang Alliance” show at Ruby Tuesday on Summit St. in lovely Columbus, OH. If you’re curious about what the Twang Alliance will look like or want to talk to someone about it, or maybe you’re ready to join… come on out! Several (6-8) of the artists listed above will be playing 30 minute sets to introduce themselves. It promises to be a fun evening.

To sort of kick things off (unofficially), Harvest Kings, Shotgun McCoy and I got together on August 9th at Andyman’s Treehouse in Grandview. It was a very cool night of twang and rock all mixed together. I’m glad I got to share a bill with them. I’d seen Shotgun McCoy at ComFest but I hadn’t met them. And I’d met John from Harvest Kings but I’d never seen them play. Those two bands had never met. Now, Jeff German, Shotgun guitarist, is filling in for Harvest Kings on the 19th. See? The Twang Alliance community is already working!

There’s talk of a quarterly show being sponsored by the Twang Alliance as well as a bi-weekly jam session/writer’s night. If it happens, it will be held the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at Andyman’s. That might prove to be a very cool thing. Stay tuned for details.

Thanks for stopping by. Come out and see us on the 19th!

H

Here comes the su... mmer?

It's coming, boys and girls! Summer AND the new lineup of the band! It looks like the pieces are coming together. Let's review, shall we?

Barry (B'Ray) Hensley - acoustic guitar
Jeff (JPass) Passifiume - electric guitar
Jimmy Castoe - drums
Pete Remenyi - dobro/harmonica
Ben Lamb - bass

All of these guys bring loads of experience to the table. If you've been to many shows on the Columbus music scene over the past years, you've undoubtedly heard these guys play several times. As one person commented recently, "If you'd been in town for 10 years, you couldn't have put together a better band!"

We're putting the word out that we're just about ready to begin making inroads on the scene. If you know of a band that would make a good co-bill, let them know about us. We need to be in front of some folks before too long.

Once we get up and running, be on the lookout for appearances in Nashville, St. Louis, Chicago, Lawton (MI), Dayton, Cleveland, Buffalo, Toledo, Indianapolis, Louisville, Lexington, and somewhere very close to you!

But, before all that takes off, I'm heading to the bluegrass state! That's right! Kaintuck Territory!

On June 7th, I'll be in Morehead, KY to serve as a judge at the Clack Mountain Festival band contest! I know one of the other judges will be Grant Alden, publisher/editor of the nearly departed NO DEPRESSION MAGAZINE. I'm not sure who the others will be but I'm sure we'll have a blast!

In April, I visited the Third Thursday gathering of the Wild Goose Creative. They're an art collective in Columbus that is really supporting a variety of artistic expressions. In their own words, "Wild Goose Creative is about a lot of things. It’s about sustainable partnerships and artistic collaborations. It’s about giving artists resources and facilitating their work. It’s about creating a space for people to experience art and engage each other. Mostly, Wild Goose Creative is about building a vibrant community of people who care about art and who want to change the world."

On this particular night they were featuring a music writer. Andy Whitman writes for Paste Magazine as well as many other publications. He spoke passionately and with much humor and insight about appreciating a wide variety of music. At the end of the evening I overheard him speaking with Morgan Foster, a nice guy from Chicago who is in a band called Common Shiner. Morgan happened to mention John Prine who just happens to be one of my favorites and a guy I consider a friend. I was leaning a little too close in an attempt to eavesdrop on their conversation and Andy noticed my Bad Livers t-shirt. We started talking about them and it came up that I'm a singer (Mark Rubin, BL's bassist/tubist/musicologist had played bass with me for a few shows when I was in Austin a few years back).

Anyway, I wasn't going to impose my music on Andy. I thought it was bad form and he'd been pretty clear that his favorite music leaned more toward punk and rock. Nonetheless, he said he'd been told about my music (I'm assuming that came from the Wild Goose folks) and asked if I had a disc to share. Well, I do usually carry some in my car so I retrieved one of each from my trunk. A couple of days later he wrote a very nice blog entry about our meeting and my music (although his memory of it is a little different than mine; he seems to think I asked him to listen to my records but if that were the case I wouldn't have had to go to the car to get my discs - not that it matters). I'm honored by his words.

We've since shared a lunch and he is a very nice guy and we have some crossover interest in old Christian music. We even discovered that the "Dave Perkins" with whom he'd been communicating about blues music was none other than my old friend from Chagall Guevara (one of the greatest unknown bands ever). Six degrees...

However, all is not well. Unfortunately, I do have some sad news: Gospel songwriting legend Dottie Rambo was killed in a bus accident on May 11th. Her music is part of my musical DNA. She's written literally thousands of great southern gospel songs. Her songs have been recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley, Andrae Crouch, Barbara Mandrell, Dolly Parton, Mel Tillis, Whitney Houston, Dottie West, Lily Tomlin, Porter Waggoner, Hank Snow, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Monroe, Vince Gill, Larry Gatlin, Crystal Gayle, Alison Krauss, CeCe Winans, and hundreds more. I recorded a version of her song "Too Much To Gain To Lose" on my second record. She was a musical giant and a legend in her own time.

Well, I've outdone myself with hyperlinks in this entry. But there's a lot of good stuff there! Don't take my word for it. Follow the links. You'll be glad you did!

Until we meet again, I leave you with two last hyperlinks. One takes you to a video of one of my favorite (if not my absolute favorite) songwriters of all time. Mark Heard was another taken-too-young artist. I absolutely encourage you to seek out his music. You will thank me later. Enjoy: click here

Take care. Thanks for stopping by. Leave a note so I'll know you were here. Go listen to live music.

Hayseed

Souvenirs

“Memories they can't be boughten
They can't be won at carnivals for free
Well it took me years
To get those souvenirs
And I don't know how they slipped away from me”

- John Prine “Souvenirs”

Well, if the start of 2008 is any indication, this is gonna be a year to remember! Having lived in FL and upstate NY since February 2002, I hadn’t been able to spend any time in Nashville and that, as you know if you know me at all, is a crime against my nature! But that’s all about to change!

In fact, it already has! I was able to spend a week there during the holidays. I started it off on December 29th by catching a Tommy Womack show at Norm’s River Roadhouse. Now, that place didn’t even exist when I was in town. Anyway, Peter Cooper opened the show so I got to reconnect with 2 friends immediately. And, as if that wasn’t enough, Nancy (Campbell) Godek and her husband, Bob, met me for dinner earlier in the evening and went to the show with me. Nancy was on the scene back in the halcyon days of Guido’s Pizzaria in the mid-‘90s. She, too, has just moved back after living in FL for a few years. You can catch her singing with Jerry Hager around town. Tell’em Hayseed sent ya!

Jon Weisberger invited us out to a New Year’s Eve bluegrass jam in Ridgetop. Even though he took a last-minute gig and didn’t show up til after midnight, it was a fun night. I don’t care who ya are, sittin’ around listening to Roland White, Larry Stephenson, and David Grier jam in the living room is a great way to kick off the year! Nancy, Bob, and my friend, Stephen Bryant, accompanied me to that one and, as they say, “A good time was had by all!”

And that set off a week of reconnections and my driving around town almost constantly saying to myself (out loud), “Hey! That wasn’t there!” or “Man! What did they do to The Gulch?!” (For the record: I ain’t a fan of what they’ve done to the neighborhood around Station Inn.) There were a few places in town that, had I been plunked there blindfolded, I wouldn’t even have known in which city I was!

It was awesome to see long-time friends’ smiling faces and give’em a big ol’ Hayseed bear hug. (“Yeah, I missed you. Deal with it!”) The biggest change was the kids of some of my friends. In the life of a child, even a few months can bring tremendous change but when you compound that by years… well, it’s astounding. Having been away for so long, there was no incremental change for me. It was massive and sudden! Some of those kids have kids of their own now!

But I was in heaven! I could hardly stop grinning the whole time I was in town! Breakfast at Hermitage Café, a cheeseburger on sourdough bread at Rotier’s… oh, yeah!

Living in Columbus now has put me within driving distance of Nashville and my family in KY and IN. I think I’ve seen my family every month since I’ve been back in this part of the country! That’s good stuff. No more family reunions or b’day parties without me (“Happy 80th, Uncle Denny! Happy 50th, Brent!”). I’ve even been able to reconnect with some childhood friends… the folks who have known me since I was “knee-high to a grasshopper.”

I got to see my cousin Jeremy preach on Sunday morning and it brought tears to my eyes (ok, ok... they were running down my cheeks). He’s got a lot of my dad’s mannerisms and preaching style. Pops would be proud. Sitting in O’Charley’s with Jackie (Kennedy) & Richard Freeman and Misty (Morel) Coffey after how many years? And I spent 4 hrs (!) catching up with Regina (Adams) Heller after not having seen her in about 17 years! My face still aches a little from the laughter. Of course, we had to call Renee (Leslie) Buckhoff so I could rub it in that I was hanging out with Regina! (Wish you could have been there, Renee!)

So, should you learn anything at all about me, it’s likely to be this: If you knew me at any point in my life, there’s a VERY good chance that your phone will ring one day and I’ll be on the other end! I love those reconnections; those threads running back through my life. Everybody has a story and I like keeping mine alive.

Hence the John Prine song I quoted at the start of this blog. Souvenirs. It’s the experiences we pick up along life’s journey that make it so rich. All of the ‘heart scars’ and ‘character-building’ that we go through makes us unique. All of that stuff informs who we are today. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Thanks for stopping by.

Take care, hug your loved ones, and call an old friend today. Tell’em Hayseed sent ya!

Hayseed

Where it stands

OK, OK... no more promises that I'll blog more frequently. I've accepted that I'm not a blogger. I seldom enjoy reading blogs so I don't have a desire to really have my own. It's only fair, right?

Anyway, here's the update: I'm still settling into a band. Barry Hensley (HensleySturgis/Big Back Forty/The Razers) is anchoring things on the acoustic guitar. I'm holding him to a tough standard since he played those parts on the first 3 songs of "In Other Words..." which was started in his home studio back around the turn of the century. I'd done a few shows using HensleySturgis as my band. We just extended the working relationship to the beginning of a new recording and... well, you can own the result if you visit the Music or MP3 pages.

But Barry is also known for his stellar pedal steel playing. So my quandary is: "How do I use that to my advantage as well?" Aha! I need another guitar player in the band. So a mutual friend (Matt Benz) told another guy in town that I was here and looking. Enter the second multi-instrumentalist.

Meet Jeff Passifiume. Jeff has been around the block a time or two with the likes of The Lost Continentals, Hank McCoy & The Dead Ringers, and the Okra All-Stars. He spent some time in Hotlanta before landing back in Columbus. He's strapped on the electric guitar but may, from time to time, put it down in favor of the acoustic or even a bass. Who knows?

A few other positions are still being filled but I hope to name some names before the end of the year. If not? By Spring...?

I ventured out to the Rumba Cafe` for a Writers In The Round with Jason Quicksall and Jesse Henry a couple of months ago. Just wanted to stick my toe in the water. I hope to make it back there sometime for a more settled showing.

Next up...? Thursday, November 15th, I'll be visiting the Wild Goose Creative for an evening of music and conversation about songwriting. I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of the gang. I had dinner with Ryan and Jacqui Hoke the other night. Enjoyed meeting them and I appreciate the invitation to share my art. I'd send you to their MySpace or their website but... they're not active yet.

In the meantime, hope ya'll have a great Thanksgiving!

Make sure to sign the guestbook so I'll know you were here!

Take care!

Hayseed

A different world

Well, well, well... I've done it again! I let months go by. However, there's been a lot happening.

The largest has been that I relocated! I'm now based in Columbus, OH. I've often considered moving here and it's finally a reality. It's interesting that I came here several years ago to start my second record and I'm now back and hoping to finish my third record.

In the year 2000 (imagine that guy from Conan O'Brien saying that with the flashlight pointing upward from his chin), I started my second record, "In Other Words...", in the home studio of local musician, Barry Hensley. At the time, he was in a band with one of my best friends, Jason Sturgis. HensleySturgis was signed to Blue Rose and had 2 great records ("Open Lanes" and "Cabin Fever"). They both fired the opening salvos on that record. It's good to be around them again.

I've also been reconnecting with other friends on the local scene (Trent Arnold/Lilybandits, Bob Ray Starker and Matt Benz/Sovines, Tim Easton/Haynes Boys). I'm still looking to meet up with Mark Wyatt from 1 Riot 1 Ranger. I went to the Community Festival (Comfest) last weekend and saw some great local talent. Among my favorites: X-rated Cowboys, The Woosley Band, The Spikedrivers, Megan Palmer, The Wahoos.

So I'm looking forward to getting a band in place and making my presence felt in the Midwest. I'm within reach of NashVegas so I'll be making somewhat of a re-entry on that scene. And I wouldn't be surprised if I were to pop up in Chicago or St. Louis from time to time.

Stay tuned!

As always, leave me a message in the Guestbook so I'll know you were here!

Take care,

Hayseed

Silence ain't always golden

I can't believe I've been away from this blog for so long! Forty lashes for me!

Well, in early December we made a return trip to Somerville and played with our friends, Lucky 57. They were releasing their very good new record, "Seven Mile River". It does come "Hayseed Recommended". It also marked my first visit to the The Abbey Lounge.

On personal note, I got to visit the family back home in KY for 11 days over the holiday break. That was a long time coming and way overdue. It had been over a year since I'd been back and that just can't happen again.

I've been taking a bit of a sabbatical. I haven't booked anything for a while. I'm not sure when that's gonna change. I am in talks with Sarah Craig at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY regarding a summer booking there for old time's sake. I like that place. Lotta history. And always good music.

Some good shows coming our way in the next few weeks. I'll recommend Carrie Rodruguez (her bio is not to be missed - *grin*) who'll be appearing with excellent all-female bluegrass band Uncle Earl, Bruce Cockburn, and Lucinda Williams (of course). Go see'em and tell'em Hayseed sent ya!

For the record: This post contains more hyperlinks than any of my previous posts here.

So, the message for February is "go see live music"! It's a good thing. The winter hasn't been TOO bad this year so it's a little easier to be out and about.

As always, make sure you sign the guestbook so I'll know you were here!

Take care,

Hayseed

Fall comes to New York

Well, I've done it again. I've gone past my self-imposed limit of posting once a month. I missed all of October. I guess it's the end-of-the-year rush. Here's the latest:

On November 4th they held the 2006 Just Plain Folks Awards at the Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana, CA. Below are the results for the Americana Album of the Year:

Americana Album Nominees  /   Artist  /  Location

Winner:     The Back Fields / Tim Grimm / IN
Second:     Sparks In The Fields / Jim Photoglo / TN
Third:          Happy Face / Kim McLean / TN
Fourth:        Melic / Hayseed / NY

My initial reaction was to throw my arms in the air and yell, "WHAT???" Oh, wait... that was Faith Hill; not me.

I'd like to thank all my supporters and congratulate the winners. It was an honor to be nominated and really an honor to finish so well in a crowded field.

I've got one more show booked for the rest of the year. On December 2nd I'll be in Somerville, MA at The Abbey Lounge. I'm appearing as part of Lucky 57's record release party. I've done several shows with them and it's always a good time.

I hope to have a couple of announcements soon but it would be premature to mention them now. I'll just say that my new venture is fun and I like the possibilities.

Have a great Thanksgiving and remember to sign the guestbook so I'll know you were here!

Take care,

Hayseed

September Surprise

Surprise, surprise, surprise...!

I was pleased to find out that MELIC has been nominated for Americana Album of The Year and "Between The Lines" has been nominated for Americana Song of The Year at the 2006 Just Plain Folks Music Awards.

The funny thing is that I didn't know anything about it until I read a congratulatory post on the Bandzoogle music forum. Tim Tibbitts, from Guelph, Ontario, Canada, wrote me a nice note congratulating me on the nominations and that was the first I'd heard of them.

I think I have the CD Baby folks to thank. I know I gained membership in that organization through them and I recall them asking permission to submit my record. I figured that would be the last I heard of it. Who knew...?!

So, I don't know what it means. I need to do a little research. If anyone out there knows anything about this, please bring me up to speed.

On the 19th, I'm participating in yet another tribute show. Following a showing of "Fallen Angel", a documentary about the life and music of Gram Parsons, a few of us on the local Americana scene will pay tribute by performing some of his songs. I've chosen "In My Hour Of Darkness" and "Farther Along". The latter is a more personal choice since I recorded it as a duet with Emmylou Harris who first came to fame as Gram's duet partner years ago. So, it brings us full circle. The show will be at The Sanctuary For Independent Media in Troy, NY. It looks to be a great night.

In addition, I've been reunited with my old friend, Larry Winchester (formerly of Coal Palace Kings) as the guest vocalist for a couple of gigs with his current band, The Sidewinders. It's been fun learning/singing some cover songs. I did that once many, many years ago but this time is definitely more my speed and I'm having fun. Make sure you come out to see us at The Garden Grill and a couple of weeks later at Valentine's in Albany. We'll shoot out the lights!

Leave me a note so I'll know you were here!

Take care,

Hayseed

Summertime

Well, I've gone and done it again. I've let way too long pass before updating the site. One of my chief complaints when I visit other folks' sites is that everything is outdated. I need to see some recent action.

In June we played the show at Cafe` Lena. I must admit that I was afraid we'd have the place all to ourselves. That weekend was the Old Songs' Festival as well as the Jazz Fest in Saratoga. But, bless your hearts, you came out to see us! We had quite a crowd. I was pleased and impressed with you. I was very happy that Rebecca and Ken opened for us. Just wished they'd played longer. (I tried...)

Then, in July we played in front of the largest crowd ever to witness a Hayseed show. On July 26th, we opened for The Charlie Daniels Band on a large outdoor stage in downtown Albany. It was sponsored by the New York State Office of General Services. Afterward, they estimated that between 25,000 and 30,000 people were on hand. That was a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone who made that happen and to the folks who came over, bought merchandise, and introduced themselves. I look forward to visiting with you again in a more intimate venue soon.

We've been enjoying the sweet sounds of Todd Nelson's electric guitar lately. He's on loan from The Rumdummies. He's really added a whole new dimension to our sound and we (I) really appreciate it.

It goes without saying that I appreciate the solid contributions of my usual guns: Red, Sohn, and Diego. And it was nice to have Kevin Maul back in the fold. Since we were playing with the Fiddle King, I had to have my own fiddle queen to match so I brought in a secret weapon: Morgan Eve Swain. We met her in late April when she bailed us out for a few shows in Rhode Island and it was nice to have her onstage with us again. She's one to watch!

But that's it for now. I'm on haitus from playing out for a bit. I know, I know... I play so seldom that you likely won't notice the difference. But it's a conscious decision. I need a break. Not from playing but from life. Preparation for live shows just ain't in the cards right now. I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, check out the pix from the CDB show. I added quite a few. Thanks to Joe Putrock for some nice shots!

So, I hope you're having a great summer. Make sure to leave me a note so I'll know you were here!

Hayseed

Father's Day 2006

Wow! Has it really been that long since I posted something here? I guess it doesn't seem like it because I'm on here a lot tweaking things.

Well, as you can see, I've added a new feature to the site. I know that a lot of folks have iPods these days and other folks just like to collect songs and make their own compilations. So I now offer songs individually. That's right! For less than a buck (ok, not much less) you can own your choice of the songs without having to commit to the entire record.

That's the biggest change to the site. I also continually add pictures. The most recent additions are more personal. I added some pix of my stepdaughter, Emily Rose. She's a great kid and makes me very happy. I guess I just wanted to show her off.

The last couple of months have been pretty tough for me, personally. I've had a lot of changes in my life. Sometimes change is for the better but it doesn't feel like it during the change. Other times, the change is for the worse and it feels exactly like it. I guess only time will tell which these are.

As I write this, it is Father's Day. I haven't seen my father in 5 1/2 years. It's still very tough. I'd like very much to talk to him and get his counsel and comfort regarding the things happening in my life right now. He was very good at that. I'm thinkin' of ya, Pops! I miss you and love you.

I've got a show at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY this coming Friday. I'm really looking forward to it. I hope we have a good crowd. I really like that place. It has such history and tradition. I'm proud to be part of the story.

I'll have the usual guys (Red, Jeff, Diego, Jimmy) but I'll also have Todd Nelson (The Rumdummies) sitting in with us. He's added a lot to our rehearsals lately. He's really getting the feel for the music and his solos are quite tasty. Come out and hear what it all sounds like!

Well, I guess that'll do it for this time. I'll try to be more consistent with these posts. Thanks for stopping by. Make sure you sign the guestbook so I'll know you were here!

Take care,

Hayseed

Hayseed speaks