Music Stuff - Cool Stuff

Yea, okay, so don't get excited or anything.  Stop it please, not everyone at once.  Please, you are too kind.  Thank you so much.  You are wonderful. I am diggin' ya. Super cool.  ------------------------------ Seriously though..... (was that a lame line or what?).  I would like to thank the St. Joseph's Historic Foundation / Hayti Heritage Center for inviting me to join them on ABC 11 TV, and especially thank Angela Lee, the Executive Director, for inviting me. The ABC 11 show was "Heart of Carolina Perspectives" and we were there to talk about the 26th Annual Bull Durham Blues Festival in Durham NC.  We also talked about the deep blues roots in the Triangle and in Durham in particular. Man, was that a blast! If you are ready for it, here is a link to the program segment that aired on August 11 at 11:30am:  http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=9198406&pid=null Until next time.... Enjoy the Music! ...

Like many other guitarists in the world I am always in search of "the tone."  You know, that perfect sound - that amazing sound - that pure ecstasy sound - ear orgasm sound! Part of that quest has been to try a lot of amps over the years, a lot of guitars and a lot of different speaker combinations. Since this little post is about speakers I will save you the sad stories about the amps and guitars I have had and traded or sold over the years.  BEFORE THE SPEAKER CHANGES So, I picked up this Fender Blues Junior amp for about $300 a few years ago.  It did not have the sound, but I could hear the sound lurking somewhere inside.  Now, how do I get the sound out.  I did an online search and read about a bunch of resister and capacitor changes that you could do to the little Blues Junior.  So, I bought a bunch of electronic components and dusted off my soldering gun.  The changes helped a lot, but did not quite nail the sound. Next, I p...

A lot of artists say they must have a click track to record.  Others don't want any kind of click track.  There are good arguments both for and against using a click track.  Of course, my preference is the proverbial, "it depends." But, it depends on what?  Some musicians who have come into my studios will speed and slow down for no reason at all, and sometimes it messes up the song.  In these instances I will throw a click track into the mix. On occasion I have sent musicians back to rehearsal with the guidance to download a metronome app to their smart phone or computer and practice with a metronome. There have been times when I've put a click track into the mix and told musicians to play a song through a few times with a click track, each time making the click track softer in the mix, until finally the musicians are laying down the song with no click track.  By the time they get to no click track, the tempo is ...

Ok, so my day job starts around 1pm and isn't over to 1am, what can I say?  That's the music recording studio and rehearsal studio business.  Sometimes my day starts around 10am, but not often. Anyway, the other night my day was wrapping up after several great sessions and I had a chance to break off and shoot a short video. Late Night at Haggard Studios! Until next time my friends... Enjoy the Music! Jimmy

What a great night!!  It started with Robin and I enjoying dinner at Shuckers in Wake Forest NC (she got started with a Peach Bellini-Tini and had a Manhattan on the rocks with a splash of cherry juice).  Then to Odwyer's to shoot video of the No Limits show. They rocked the house!  Up next - audio enhancement and video editing - news at 7 - later ya'all...

The recording session last night wrapped up at 1:30am... man, some serious Reggae vocals were laid down last night by Carl Meeks.  I didn't get out of the studios until after 2am.  Not complaining, just saying... Today I rested all day :)  and then made it back into the studios to get setup for the next bands rolling through.  Tonight, we've got Full Wilson tearing up some heavy metal grunge punk.  Heavy stuff folks.  

Today started off crazy, jump out of bed, in the shower, in the car, haul ass from Raleigh to Durham in order to be on time for Guitar Summit 2013 at Griffith Theatre at Duke University.  Luckily, I had time for a breakfast burrito and coffee!  Thanks to Kevin Wilson for putting this annual event together, which attracts some of the best working guitarists and inspiring guitarists from around the world for a day of sharing tips, tricks, experience and philosophies.  #GuitarSummit