Music Stuff - Cool Stuff

You can skip to the fun stuff or read the boring stuff and the move on to the fun stuff. Whatever gets you movin!  :)  BORING STUFF Along with my recording and rehearsal studios, I own a small independent record label, Wild Falcon Records.  It is a small and very young record label.  By small, I mean that the label is not a cash flush label like many established and large indie labels and major labels. The big labels have big budgets and when they sign artists the label is the executive sponsor/producer (i.e. the people with the money paying for recording studio time, paying for artist development and management, and paying for all of the marketing and advertising). Wild Falcon Records works differently and partners with the recording clients of Haggard Studios and provides services (the grunt work and paper shuffling) to set up global digital distribution and to collect and distribute earnings to the artists.  Because Wild Falcon Records does not pay for ...

Rule #1 - My band does not play for free Rule #2  - The band will make exceptions for non-profits and some causes - not always though. So anyway, on Sunday, Feb 16, 2014, we played a show for RMC TV (RaleighMusic.com - aka  Raleigh Music Industry Association) and Live & Loud Entertainment at Deep South The Bar in downtown Raleigh NC.  The show is part of a project for Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau and the video may be broadcast on Local TV affiliates of major networks, and some local TV. What does that have to do with a band not playing for free, you might ask.  Simple, we were not paid cash for this gig. Say what, you played for free? Well, yes and no. Instead of cash, we will receive the video and audio of the performance that the Producers decide not to use.  The producers are going to select one of our songs to use, and we get the rest of the video footage and audio. To have that done with the quality of video equipment ...

Yep, not only do I own the place, but I am client too.  Here is recording that my band mates and I laid down this month (Jan 2014) at Haggard Studios. I wrote the rhythm guitar part about 15 or 20 years ago.  About five years ago the words started to come together during a blues jam.   The band has been playing various versions of this song live for about four years. Warm Me Up (studio version) - Jimmy Haggard Band The bass player, Rodney Winley, and I have been working on music together for about five years.  He wrote the bass lines for this groove. The drummer, Syneca Foster, joined up with Rodney and I about three ago. Syneca writes all the drum parts. The keyboard player, Sheldon Pugh, is a bassist most of the time, but he plays keys with the Jimmy Haggard Band for the recording sessions, and we are hoping more permanently.  Sheldon wrote the keyboard part for this song during the recordi...

I had a very surreal dream last night (this morning).   There was a unique device placed over the water just offshore (I don't think it was a sea or an ocean; it seemed like a freshwater lake).  The device looked like the combination of a work of art, a gyroscope and a satellite dish .   It was a lot different than this pic, but you get the idea. There were four individuals who all looked basically the same (like twins), but they were different people, and they were standing in the water and were going into the water for awhile and coming back up. For some reason, I decided to swim out into the water.  In a very short time I reached what looked like a small island, with a small cove.  In the small cove, there was a platform with a small building on it.  I climbed onto the platform and went inside (the front door was open).  I entered a larger room (but not too big) and I found what looked like the art work gyro satellite dish.  ...

I almost forgot to tell you the story about our experience at the 26th Bull Durham Blues Festival in Durham North Carolina back in September.  The Bull Durham Blues Festival is one of the oldest running Blues Fests in the USA.  The Jimmy Haggard Band was honored to perform at the Hayti Heritage Center ( www.hayti.org)  in Performance Hall, on a stage that the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. stood upon to deliver his message.  The Durham Blues Festival show started off with Jason Damico and the New Blue ripping it up with their brand of Texas style Stratocaster guitar slinging.  Then the Rhonda Robichaux Band (2012 Triangle Blues Challenge winner) gave the crowd a taste of her sultry, sexy and saucy blues, with her smooth New Orleans and jazzy grooves.   The Jimmy Haggard Band was in the middle of the show card.  Wow!  The guys in the band were tight and on fir...

It seems like forever since we last talked.  How have you been?  It has been kind of nuts for me. The Recording and Rehearsal studios are picking up steam and keeping me hopping.  The Recording side of the business is really picking up.  Thank God I am blessed with an ear and the talent to listen to artists and understand what they are trying to achieve (sound wise) with their music, and then translate that into getting the mix just right.  It always takes a little back and forth discussion, but we get there fairly fast.  I have my ideas on what I want something to sound like, and artists have their ideas.  From the perspective of the recording studio, it is important to understand what the artist wants.   After all, they are paying for it.  Well, if there executive sponsor is paying for it, then have to listen to the sponsor too.  Ya know what I mean?  It is my job to make it happen an...

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! ...