Untitled

[a-musicman]

Jazz, Blues and Honky Tonk Brews is the development title for a small group (8-10 people) tour of US Southern Musical history that I will be hosting in April 2021. (Why so long a tinm away? Becauae it will take that long to develope, market, sell and confirm from the bottom of the world).

Based on our 2018 US road trip the tour will take in Texas blues in Houston, the jazz of New Orleans, Mississipi Delta blues up to Memphis with a side trip to Tupelo, Memohis rock’ n’ roll, gospel and soul finishing up in Nashville for a wild weeknd of country and honky tonks.

This is a 17-21 day excursion designed for music lovers from New Zealand and Australia, but there is no reason American enthusiasts can’t come along. Cost will be in the region of NZ$8-9,000 (US$5-5,500) plus airfares to/from Houston. This will include travel, accomodation, activities and most meals.

The concept is currently with a professional travel broker and, depending on his final recommendations, could extend to St Louis and Chicago.

More to come in the following weeks.

[a-musicman]

Jazz Blues and Honky Tonk Brews.

This is the name of a small group (8-10 person) 17 day tour of southern American music that I will be leading in April 2021.

While primarily for New Zealand and Australian tourists there is no reason why Americans cannot come along and enjoy the experience.

Starting in Houston there will bebTexas Blues. After 3 nighta we will hwad to New Orleans for several days of jazz and Southern History before spending several days driving up the Mississippi Delta for more blues.

With stops in Jackson and Tupelo we will hit Memphis for rock’n’roll, soul and gospel before spending four final days in Nashville experiencing the best country kusuc (and Honky Tonk bars) the city has.

Right now the project is in the mid planning stage. The dates and itinerary have been set and now the logistics of how we travel and where we stay are being set.

Marketing and sales are expected to start April 2020.

[mmguitarbar]

Rrroooosseeeewwooood #wontstopcantstop #Fender #FenderTelecaster #Rosewood (at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/B20RfOIAN5n/?igshid=bk650bk9584x

[a-musicman]

Beautiful

[a-musicman]

The US Road Trip book

A book about our US road trip last year has now been published on Amazon.

“Murphy in the back” details the how and why we made this trip as well as provides a day to day commentary, a bit more detailed than my postings here at the time.

The book is Subtitled 2 Kiwis, 7434 miles, 15 States, 37 days.

Murphy, of course, is that irrascable Irishman who is always around when things don’t go quite as planned. He makes regular appearances throughout the course of our 5 week travels.

It is available in both e-book and printed versions and a brief look can be found inline at Amazon.com in the books section.

[a-musicman]

Walls of guitars

The orevious post if the wall of Gibson Les Pauls reminded me of these two photographs, both taken at the Houston Sam Ash Music store last October.

First up a wall of Fender’s

Followed by a wall of Gibson’s

Oh to have been able to buy.

[mmguitarbar]

Les Pauls arranged by burst gradient? Indeed. #GuitarBar #Gibson #MikesOCD (at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Zki8yA3Ea/?igshid=ijrrk00ihvpi

[mmguitarbar]

Power trio of super saturated 1980’s Cherry Sunburst Gibson LPs with a 1980 Heritage 80 - 1984 Pre-Historic (rawr!) R9 - and 1982 Standard. #Gibson #LesPaul #CherrySunburst (at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0AH-U1gqUr/?igshid=11rk8vr77k4f

[a-musicman]

Nice shiny Les Paul Cherrybursts.

[a-musicman]

Anyone visiting Memphis, TN, should take the time to stop in and visit the Stax museum. It is so full of soul and gospel memorabilia including a replica of the old Stax recording studio.

And let’s not forget Ike Turner’s guitar.

[mmguitarbar]

Pair o’ cherries 🍒 And a background designed to distract #Gibson #Epiphone #EpiphoneCasino #ES330 #Cherry (at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz_bH2PnbIm/?igshid=1jat203bruubl

[a-musicman]

Simply beautiful

[a-musicman]

My parents first dance band

And their second one mid 60’s

[mmguitarbar]

It’s such a beautiful, barky, lightweight, snappy gem of a git. All of the feels for and all of the sounds from this (yes-it’s-very-legit) 1952 Fender Tele #Fender #Telecaster #vintageguitar #1952 (at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/By6pkxVg_4-/?igshid=k71visq6p6io

[a-musicman]

I just can’t go past a natural coloured Tele.

[a-musicman]

My Route 66 guitar.

Here is a pic of the white Squire Strat that I took along on my US road trip last year decked out in its Route 66 decals and the signatures I collected on the back.

[a-musicman]

My musical legacy

When sorting through some of my mother’s effects after her passing I came across this photograph of my grandparents playing an Auckland Saturday night dance gig in the 1950’s.

[a-musicman]

The Hollies The Road is Long Tour 2019

Just found our seats, three rows back, for the Bowl of Brooklands show for this years Hollies tour.

For a band now in its 6th decade it is a very nice venue. Last time I was here was in 2011 for the Fleetwood Mac show. A 19,000 capacity crowd for The Bowl. Expecting quite a few less tonite.

[a-musicman]

Goodbye USA

Today is our last full day in the US. Tomorrow we will have an easy morning, check in for our flight, return our rental car and then return back to the airport to go though screening. I. 24 hours from now we will be in the air back to New Zealand.

. It has been a packed 5 weeks where we have driven over 7200 miles through 15 states. We have seen so much and met so many people that individual events are a bit jumbled.

Musically we have experienced so much and after I get home Friday morning I will have to find time to go over everything and make some more notes for future reference.

My biggest regret is being unable to buy one of the Gretchen hollow bodies on sale at the Country Music Hall of Fame. But we have so much excess baggage now another bag just wasn’t possible.

While it is goodbye US for now something tells me that at some time we will be back to experience much more.

[a-musicman]

In twenty 18 we took a little trip,

To see where Colonel Jackson went, down the Mississip. We didn’t need the bacon and we didn’t need the beans, we ended up visiting the town of New Orleans,

Jazz city. Where there is music on every corner.

One place we were not allowed to photograph was Preservation Hall. A small room where about 100 people at a time crowd in four times a night to see a genuine old time New Orleans jazz band play.

If you are ever in New Orleans Preservation Hall is a must do activity.

[a-musicman]

Tupelo, the birthplace

of Elvis Presley.