From the streets to the stage

Violinist Geoffrey Castle used to play violin, albeit amplified, on the streets of New York. I don't know if he had a permit, because police generally are quick to shut down anyone playing with an amp.
Anyway, he's now made the leap to the stage. I've never heard him, but according to this advance article, he uses a loop sampler, which is used to record a short line of music and then repeats. The musician uses the loops to build layers. Sometimes, loops can result in self-indulgent, self-absorbed ventures for musicians. I hope Geoffrey avoids that; it appears that he actually plays melodies, which helps.

Saving a piece of history

Gertrude "Ma" Rainey built a house for her mother in Columbus, Ga., and she herself lived in it until her death in 1939. Over time, the house began to crumble, and the city, in a split vote put up the funds to stabilize and to to restore it using matching federal funds.
The New York Times, in a notes from Columbus feature, notes: Mr. (Frank) Martin, a white trial lawyer elected with a large part of the city’s black vote, said he was motivated in part by a sense of racial equity. “You could always promote white tourism,” he said, “but when it came to something black, people were, like, ‘Why would you do that?’ ”
The house has been restored and is now open to the public.

T for torture, T for Tennessee

The ever-expanding list of cruel and unusual punishment.

Oh, Savannah

How I'd love to be in Savannah, Ga., on April 3.
Jerry Douglas, Bob Brozman, Derek Trucks and Debashish Bhattacharya will be presenting "The World of Slide Guitar" as part of the Savannah Music Festival currently under way.
All are certainly masters in their field. Perhaps other promoters will book the quartet for a unique presentation.

Blues Zealand

A review of the first Coromandel Blues and Roots Festival, featuring Keb' Mo, Xavier Rudd, Wilco, Buddy Guy and more. The reference to "a late summer day" was enough for me.

Hank lives on

Hank Williams died 54 years ago, but a lot of folks are working to make sure that he is not forgotten.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch interviewed Hank's steel player Don Helms and looked at some of the other activities this year.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville has installed a special exhibit: "Few families have had such a major impact on country music as the Williamses. This 5,000 square foot major exhibition examines the personal lives of Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr. and explores the dynamics that inspired some of the most influential country music ever recorded."
I hope that the display, which opens March 28 and runs through the year, doesn't waste too much time on Hank Jr. or Jett Williams.
The Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel is promoting the Hank Williams Trail, from Andalusia, where he married Audrey, to Birmingham, where he spent his last night alive.

Don't these guys know that studio time is expensive?

The new ad for Viagra. It's better than the Free Credit Report.com ads, which I mute or turn down the radio whenever one airs.