Topic: Is there anyone out there?

[eric]

I haven't found anyone in northern Nevada who's into country blues.  Some people have an idea what it is but that's about it.  Long ago I lived in Fresno, which had a very lively musical community, and a lot of credit for that should go to the late Gene Bluestein.  There was also Kenny Hall and not a few veterans of western swing.  There was also a guy named Harry the Hipster who made 78s, Mercy Dee lived there for a while, as did Crockett's Mountaineers.

If any of you are around the Reno-Carson-Truckee area, I wouldn't mind hearing from you.

[lindy]

If any of you are around the Reno-Carson-Truckee area, I wouldn't mind hearing from you.

Elder--

I just looked at the member map and saw two names in your area.

Just want to remind everyone that it's a good idea to stick a virtual pin in that map, because you never know, you might find out that someone in your 'hood also has a thing for Geechie Wiley, and would love to commiserate with you. It's a great little tool that Weenie offers for bringing people together, but you have to make your whereabouts known. If you've come in from the darkness of lurking and become a full-blown member of the Weenie brotherhood, don't forget to make a side trip to the member map and stick a pin.

Lindy

[Stumblin]

Returning to the original question:

I noticed in a recent Roll Call that the new member had"...no one to talk to about this kind of music..."

This comes as no surprise to me as I spent the first 20 years of my listening to blues without knowing anyone in my area into country blues (or any kind of blues). Even now the nearest couple of folk I know and see are 20 and 50 miles away.

Without weeniecampbell I would find it near to impossible to discuss,and see discussed, CB-related matters. Without the EBA here in the UK I would not have access to decent tuition face to face.

I just wondered how many other Weenies live, or have lived in splendid isolation regarding their love of blues?

I first became aware of "CB" when I was about 19-20ish. Nobody else in my peer, or indeed, age group was even remotely interested in, if even aware of, the existence of this music. Apart, obviously, from the (intensively eccentric and clever) guy who gave me my first hearing of Lightnin' Hopkins. The Gibmeister relocated to the Great Wen not long afterwards, and I was left utterly alone in musical terms, for almost a decade. There was a brief musical meeting with a lad who had a job & money etc. He played guitar & wanted me to help him. He gave me a copy of the Complete Robert Johnson, which had only just been made available, and he had a copy of the Woody Mann transcriptions. We spent a few months doing that. He moved out of town too. It was another twelve or so years before I met any other "Pre-War & Aesthetically Similar Post-War Blues" people. This is what the internet has done: it has enabled us poor, sad, lonely "Pre-War & Aesthetically Similar Post-War Blues" people to meet each other & play together etc. And I think it really is making a difference to people's lives. Sorry for being such a soppy bugger, but come on...
Actually, we have a sesh this Thursday, 20:30 onwards, Red Deer, 18 Pitt Street, Sheffield S1 4DD, bring a teachest, kazoo, knee-cymbals etc. 

[eagle rockin daddy]

There is so much in this post i can relate to:

Hi all,
I grew up musically having some contact with other folks who were fans of Country Blues (and Bluegrass and Old-Time), but more importantly at the time, with lots of opportunities to see musicians perform who came from inside the tradition, and were tradition-bearers as opposed to interpreters of tradition.  At the time, I wasn't equipped to understand how significant having access to these musical elders was ( I was in my early to late teens for most of that period), but I can sure see it now.

   

Me too, it took a long while to realize how lucky I was to have that experience, and learn to play this music in the way I did. Being young and ignorant, I thought everyplace was like this, and that everyone could play guitar like Paul Geremia.

If you've listened to enough of this music, you don't have to be aping a specific arrangement that some musician prior to you played in order to be speaking in the language.  There is so much to be said in this musical language that still hasn't been said, and it's every bit as physically accessible and hearable as the licks that we've heard a million times.  To find it, though, you've got to be willing to spend time on your instrument searching and listening for things that catch your ear that you haven't heard before, but that speak to you.  Stop worrying about being impressive and think more about just being musical.  And perhaps stop worrying so much about sounding like your idols and think more about sounding like yourself, and nobody else.
All best,
Johnm
   

This is so well put, and this is why I play so much, and keep trying, so I can develop the technique and familiarity with music I like, so I can express myself musically in this way.  I agree completely with this.  For me , this has been a lot of work, but soooo much fun.

Mike