Grateful Dead

Like your idea fourwinds but think it should include three more shows: Brent show, a vinnie/bruce and a vinnie show.

Dave's 47 is sold out. The great show from the Kiel in December 79.

Still available:
#46-72
#48-71
#51-71
#52-83
#53-76

Hi Crow - wellcome to our tiny Kingdom (6 mill.) - always room on the bus to 40 millions or so..

Bukka White does a "snap" thing, too, in case anybody's interested. He often uses an open E minor tuning (ie, E-B-E-G-B-E) and then 'snaps' in rhythm from that G to G#. Try it, it's fun.

And meanwhile ... I appreciate the posts from some of our friends living in Europe and elsewhere who are trying to see the good in my country, which I must admit has gotten difficult for some of us lately.

I also appreciate the offer made by some of our friends in Denmark, who have responded to US "offers" to annex Greenland by offering to take over California. I can only speak for myself, but many of us in Cali are bit tired of the lack of representation we receive in Washington (2 senators for 40 million people), and tired of taking abuse from people who don't seem to realize our single state is responsible for about 15% of the American economy, or that California pays more than $83 billion more in federal taxes than we receive in benefits, by far the most of any "donor" state. We'd be the world's fifth largest economy if we were a country, but we generally get treated like redheaded stepchild by most of the nation.

I think I speak for most Californians in saying that we share a lot values with the Danes: the rule of law, for starters. And I feel we've got some things offer in return: the US's biggest agricultural production, Silicon Valley, some of the world's greatest universities, hospitals, and research centers, the bulk of the music industry. Not to mention the beaches, Yosemite, and lots of places you Danes might like to vacation.

So I hopes the Danes can work this out. It's getting lonely out here on the Left Coast.

Maybe this delta snap is only bad for resonator guitars - dislodging the come or something. But maybe not that either - they are built to survive a war.

Another maybe....Al Wilson learnt from listening to old blues records, and when Son House was "re-discovered" in the 1960's, supposedly not having played a guitar for decades and having forgotten how to, Al Wilson taught him what he had learned from him earlier. Like a circular process, from House to Wilson back to House. But as you suggest - who knows for sure ?

Tinsley Ellis sounds worth checking out.

Bringing it back home - Mickey and The Hartbeats covered "Death Letter Blues" - at least once on 10/30/68 at The Matrix.

Dooood, what town do you live in? I'm on my way! Tell "Patty Boyd" I'm driving as fast as I can...

DR - the "snap" is indeed (what do I know?) a blues technique and if you just play "naked" -- ha ha, without a pick -- you can non-violently snap the strings in fingerpicking style to get that sound. Shouldn't be any impact on the guitar nor even the strings. Mighty satisfying on a summer night on the back porch with a cold one at hand...

Tinsley Ellis did relate that Canned Heat took Son House under their wing, but I kinda doubt that "Blind" Alan Wilson taught the man. I think it would have been the other way around. [Insert "what do I know?" after every confident assertion by HF]

Sorry incoming box idea!

Why not do a box of early Dead one show from every "Band Configuration" era?

(12/04/65 - 09/24/67) (09/29/67 - 11/22/68) (11/23/68 - 01/24/70) (01/25/70 - 02/18/71) (02/19/71 - 08/26/71) (10/19/71 - 03/23/72) (03/25/72 - 06/17/72) (07/16/72 - 10/19/74) (10/20/74 - 02/17/79)

He used to be in a great band, The Heartfixers. They released a couple of fine albums on Landslide records, "Live at The Moonshdow" and "Cool on it" (both on Spotify) as well as an album by Nappy Brown with The Heartfixers, "Tore up" on Nightflite records. After that his talents were noticed and he continued as a solo artist. Essential listening.

HF - I always enjoy reading your posts. I have never heard of Tinsley Ellis, but anyone who covers Death Letter Blues is obviously well sourced. I read somewhere that after he had been discovered, Al Wilson taught him how to play in the same "Son House" style he had done in the 1930's.

The last time I heard a Son House song covered live - not that it happens very often - was when I saw Larkin Poe a few years ago, in a trendy bar in London. They are both in their 20's and the audience was made up of young people. They must have thought I was somebody's dad. The ghost of blues rock past. Anyway, when the singer, Meghan, introduced "Preaching Blues" she told everyone that it had been written by Son House, and she talked about him for a bit. When she had finished she shouted "Lets hear it for Son House" and all these young people in this trendy bar cheered. Great.

Incidentally, one of my friends gave me a tip last year on how to play "Death Letter Blues " in open G, using the "Delta Snap". On the first note - that's the bass E string, tuned down to D, rather than play the note in the normal way, you put your thumb pick under the string, and pull it up hard, then let it go so it bangs down on the fret board. Then quickly move to the next note. I was doing this all the time, but then found out it wasn't too good for you guitar, so I stopped.

You probably know all this stuff already - but it just popped into my head while I was typing.

...had one of those artistic renaissances
the last time we had an "actor" serving the people
nyuk nyuk nyuk!

and lots of great music ensued

o' beautiful, for spacious skies
but now those skies are threatening
they're beating plowshares into swords
for this tired old man that we elected king