Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 01:52 PM
OK. It's been a while. Life gets thick sometimes. For the one or two readers who may happen upon this spot, I just wanted to let you know that I am alive and well. I was in Chicago recently performing with the Highwaymen (who, by the way, have a brand-new cd - 'When The Village Was Green' - check out originalhighwaymen.com). My plans for the year are to record another collection of solo guitar pieces, mostly original compositions. I haven't been exactly prolific in the creativity department lately, but have managed to come up with a few things that sound like music. The Often Ensemble also has plans for a another collection of flute and guitar music. So, there you have it. Stay tuned![ 49 comments ] ( 154 views ) | permalink |
( 2.9 / 587 )Thursday, September 14, 2006, 09:02 AM
I'm writing this morning from Rhode Island, having arrived last night via Albany, Baltimore and Louisville. The Highwaymen have had a series of shows, mostly in folk clubs - one college date in Hanover, Indiana - and we're now getting ready for two nights at the Blackstone River Theater in Cumberland, Rhode Island. We'll be recording both shows for a new live album to be released later this year. Stay tuned!
The shows have been, as usual, a lot of fun. A definite highlight was playing the Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, New York. The 'Lena' is THE classic folk venue. Literally everybody has played there. The place opened in 1960, and history, as well as pictures!, fill the place - including a pic of the young Bob Dylan singing there their opening year!
A few days ago I learned that Michael Deeds, the music critic at the Idaho Statesman reviewed my most recent cd, 'Bringing it Home'. I'll get a quote or two in here later on, but for now I'll just say that he liked it!!! He even used the word 'elegant', among others...
That's it for now. I'll continue when I get home next week...
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( 3 / 97 )Friday, August 18, 2006, 09:46 AM
Hey - I've just come back from a mini-tour of New England with The Highwaymen. We did two shows at the Guthrie Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts and one at the Shaker Village in Enfield, New Hamshire. It had been a while since we had performed, so it felt good to get together again. We rehearsed for a few days in Rhode Island before the shows, even learned a few new tunes, including a powerful medley of Waltzing Matilda and The Band Played Waltzing Matilda. The latter tune is a scathing comment on war by the singer/songwriter Eric Boggle. If you don't know the tune - FIND IT and LISTEN! Or - The Highwaymen will be recording a new live album next month at the Blackstone River Theater in Cumberland, Rhode Island. I'm sure the medley will be on it. Stay tuned...
I had a question from Calliope about where the idea for my new tune came from (pardon my ending a sentence a preposition with!). Wellll.... It was one of those things without any obvious inspiration. I picked up my guitar, thought to myself: 'I wonder if I could write something in f# minor?' And that was it! I know, I know. Mundane. But there you go. I was just grateful that something was THERE!
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( 3.1 / 902 )Monday, June 5, 2006, 12:25 PM
Ah, June! The sky is blue, the temperature is rising, the garden growing - and odd gigs keep sprouting! One of the latest entries in the Weird Gigs column was playing the grand opening of a Toyota dealership in Ontario, Oregon. What can I even say, except the people were nice, the speeches short and the compensation appropriate...
Had a new piece show up the other day. My ideas have been a little thin lately, so it was gratifying to have an entire piece show up! It doesn't have a name yet, but I like it. It's in f# minor, slow, has an augmented dominat chord and the B-section root movemnet describes an almost-complete descending chromatic scale, from D all the way to E. I'm sure my theory prof from college would be proud... June
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( 3 / 1395 )Wednesday, May 31, 2006, 01:43 PM
Bringing It Home
The new album is finished, and the feeling around JoTown Records is that this is the best one yet! 'Bringing it Home' is another collection of original songs, as well as some original arrangements of traditional songs. Lawson Hill, as susual, did all the drumming, and long-time friend Russ Martin added some stellar solo work on two of the songs. The entire CD can be heard at - and ordered from! - cdbaby.com/johannhelton
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