In true fashion, I thought I was done. All the parts that I could do had been done… all guitars were played, all songs were sung. 12 sparkling, fresh, new tunes all ready to go.
Then, I had a writing session with Steve Mitchell and Liz Moriondo.
Now, I have one more song to do. Yes, I love the song that much, and so does the producer.
I think you’ll love it too – more updates to come!
My buddy Al has been in the music business for a long time and has had so many incredible experiences, including (but unbelievably not limited to) jamming with Hendrix (he played percussion on a version of “Room Full of Mirrors” recently released on a box set with such ferocity that he gave himself a wicked bruise and a charlie-horse so bad he limped for a week) and witnessing the legendary back-and-forth between the Who and Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival in ’67.
So the story behind the guitar is Al was backstage at a WHO concert in New York, 1968. Pete Townshend had just ’borrowed’ this SG from Manny’s that afternoon but reportedly wasn’t all that happy with the *’batwing’ pick guard, the trapezoid inlays instead of dots on the thinner neck and took that as reasons to smash the guitar into three pieces. After completing the deed, Townshend kicked the remains to the side of the stage that Al just happened to be on. With the blessing of one of the roadies (“TAKE IT AND RUN!”), he grabbed it and bolted out the back door to put it in his van.
It’s been lovingly reconstructed - one of the only scars that can be seen upon first glance is the substantial crack at the bottom of the body. The Bigsby was not standard issue and he’s done some modifications to the paint job, especially visible around the headstock.
Al is a like-minded individual - he too believes that guitars are meant to be PLAYED! He knew that I would be working on a project in the near future and was gracious enough to lend it to me – and I swear I can almost feel Townshend in there… Or maybe it’s Al making me want to play with such ferocity I’ll end up with a limp.
*The ‘batwing’ pick guard made its first appearance on SG’s on the ’67 models.
JOIN US, December 3rd at the National Underground!
On December 3rd, 9pm, I will be introducing new material with a full band show! Yes, brand new material!!!! I’ve been busy writing and recording! Yes, recording!! The National Underground is a new cool venue owned by Joey and Gavin DeGraw, downtown on Lower Broadway (between 1st & 2nd Avenue). See you there!
You can feel it in the air… The Americana Festival has taken over downtown Nashville and musicians like Steve Earle, Robert Plant, The Blind Boys of Alabama reign! Music is everywhere anyway, but now the music takes a turn for the eclectic – for the weekend, at least.
What is Americana? Well, to quote a friend of mine: “Americana is really good at telling you what it isn’t.” This explains it perfectly – by not explaining it. It is open to interpretation.
So what better time to introduce some of my new music? I will be playing at the National Underground on Broadway at 1st Ave in Downtown Nashville on October 15th starting at 5pm. There are going to be 3 performers in total: Ken Will Morton, Mitzi Dawn and I. It promises to be a great evening of Americana music – enjoyable, and open to interpretation.