Topic: If You're A Viper/Buddy Bolden's Blues/Louis Collins

[Mike Brosnan]

Just decided to make a few vids for the heck of it this morning.  The first two are still works in progress.  Louis Collins is an old fave that I always enjoy.
We can move this if I'm straying too far from the CB world.

Viper: Last summer at the Port Townsend Blues festival I learned that: A) I'm playing the "wrong" chords in the B part of this tune; and B) It's 13 bars...? I guess I needed an extra bar to catch my breath and/or plant my fingers where I need 'em. Oh well, It's still fun to play and sing.


Buddy: This is a mix of some of what I learned from Steve James' DVD and some stuff I threw in up the neck. The Blind Blake style stumbled thumb roll is currently the bane of my fingerpicking existence. I'm not really even trying it here. Just stumbling in other ways.


Collins: All praise is due to MJH

[Pan]

Excellent work again Mike! Very nice to hear you do some more ragtimey stuff. Especially when it suits you so well.
Btw, has anyone told you that you've got a sporting right hand? 

Cheers

Pan

[Mike Brosnan]

Much thanks, Pan!  Yeah, I'm trying to get into a lot more early jazz/ragtime stuff.  I don't wanna do classic rags so much... I just wanna cover some old standards that are fun to sing.  Been working on things like "Winin' Boy", "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone", "Lazy Bones", "Harvest Moon", etc.  Gotta find some more obscure stuff and get away from the Leon Redbone standards...

[Parlor Picker]

Great stuff, Mike. With the slide numbers and this ragtime material, you have a pretty balanced and varied repertoire. Hope you can get out there and do some gigs.

[Norfolk Slim]

Yup- really very good indeed.  We've kinda seen you polish your playing before our very eyes Mike, and to great effect.  The work that has gone in is very evident, and the playing so confident and grounded in strong and syncopated rhythm.

Get out there and play for people, you are comfortably of the standard needed to do so with success.  I'd come to your gig if it was local...

[tenderfoot84]

aye, i can really only agree with the others.

really, really good stuff. may i also say i really liked the beat in the first two. they felt really quite strident and i liked that. i don't have an aversion to ragtime but i think some of it can become a bit doodley-go-nowhere but yours has a real pulse to it. who are your influences for this, aside from blind blake?

louis collins you've clearly nailed the understated, atmospheric quality i think that tune needs. it's really good. your vocals are particularly impressive though. on all three, but on louis collins there is a bit more nuance. you're singing within yourself and nothing is affected or forced which is a major pitfall for those of us of more limited ability. it reminded me in no small degree of slim duckett and pig norwood's gospel recordings. on those the vocal inflections are much more exaggerated but i think you'll really like them.

may i recommend 'sister mary wore three lengths of chain' and 'i want to go where jesus is' which is effectively amazing grace. they're both played out of C standard (as far as i can tell) and i reckon your voice could do them better justice than mine

if you ever come to scotland, i too will come to your gig

[Mike Brosnan]

Many thanks, my friends!  Yeah, I still remember how nervous I was when I first posted something on here so many moons ago.  As I've always said, praise from a Weenie is worth much more than praise from folks who don't know this music so well.  Much appreciated.
I do hope to get out there and play a lot more... soonish.  I'm just consumed by my day job and am still settling into a new house with my girlfriend.  So many projects left undone...  Most likely won't have much energy for self-promotion until the new year.  After that I'll have no more excuses....
TF84-Thanks!   Yeah, I often keep the same Blake tape playing in my car over and over again for weeks at a time.  As far as other raggy influences...  The usual suspects like: Gary Davis, Fuller, Pink Anderson, McTell, etc.  And more modern folks like: Stefan Grossman, Duck Baker, JERRON PAXTON!!, Ari, Pat Donahue, Mary Flower...  Anybody that makes me tap my foot I guess.
I just listened to both of those tracks you mentioned.  Great stuff! Thanks for the tip.  I'll see what I can scrape up.
If I ever get back across the pond...  I'll definitely let you fellas know!

[ArthurBlake]

Cannot comment on the first video as it has gone private but loved the Buddy Bolden tune, always loved that song from when I heard Jelly Roll Morton do it the first time. Louis Collins is a great tune, I am sure it is a tune in most repertoires amongst the Weenies here. I know it was one of the first tunes John Morris taught me and your version was spot on.

[Mike Brosnan]

Old school!! Thanks for the kind words. I dropped the Viper vid 'cause too many of my coworkers started looking around my youtube stuff and reefer songs like this one might be somewhat frowned upon by some of the mental health professionals I rub elbows with. It's really funny for me to watch it now since I've straightened it out (i.e. no extra bars any more). I'm famous for making straightforward tunes kinda crooked.

[BlueInGreen]

Both of these tracks sound fantastic!

[MissouriTiger]

When I try to watch this it says "This video is private."

[Mike Brosnan]

My old, weird version of "Viper" is temporarily deprivatized for anyone who still cares to hear a crooked version of an old standard. I haven't played it this way for a couple years now, but I still don't mind hearin' those extra beats in there.

[sustaireblues]

Thanks for opening this one back up Mike!
It was a pleasure listening to it again, it's got a lot of energy going on there. It just bounces.