December 2016

December has been a really fun and diverse month of recording and performing.

I just wrapped up two days of sitting in on Kentavius Jones’ (KJ) public recording session at the Academy Art Museum in Easton. I dropped by with my pedal steel Sunday morning and met up with Kentavius and Shea Springer (recording Engineer, Sweetfoot Studios). As drummer, bassist, and guitarist trickled in Kentavius informed us that we would be playing a New Orleans style song. I dialed in some overdrive and did my best Robert Randolph impersonation. Later I got to chat with the backing band and it turns out they’ve all been playing together for over 10 years as the Guthrie Matthews Method. No wonder the groove was so strong!

I showed up Monday morning to find KJ with an acoustic guitar. He played me a song he wanted to track that day that very much reminded me of Neil Young. We played through the song just the two of us and I could hear the live audience audibly gasp at the beauty and elegance of the song and our treatment. Mike Elzey (Guitar) and Ray Ramesh (Bass) showed up and started learning the tune. KJ announced that the scheduled drummer wasn’t going to make it so Shea adeptly manned the drum kit playing a simple yet highly effective train beat with brushes. We recorded the tune maybe four times through as a group and everyone seemed extremely pleased by the expansive and open vibe we had captured. I was especially gratified by my own playing and tone.

Jess Newell captured a little footage of us playing along to KJ’s scrach Vocal and Guitar track. We come in around 10 minutes in:

It’s December so I performed quite a few holiday events. I played Classical guitar at the Annapolis Collection Art Gallery for “Midnight Madness,” and again for a Birthday party and also played at the Metropolitan for a Lawfirm Holiday party. I played bass at the Galesville Square Dance with Gary & Leah. Did a Country Christmas gig on Pedal Steel with Peterbuilt at a Church. Black Rhinoceros played at a neat book store in Riverdale with Boss Company. I played at 49 West a few times with Gary & Leah, Luke Alexander (Big Hoax), Nate Lanzino, and Erin Schweers. Did a marathon two day recording session at my place recording all of Shea’s guitars for the Pony Bones album. Pony Bones played a fun gig at Treehouse Lounge DC. I also booked some upcoming session work some of my favorite songwriters, and also booked an in studio recording session/video session with an amazing rock band and a mobile recording session with a supergroup trio!

This is the first year ever that I’ve had a gig on New Years Eve; I’ll be playing guitar with Mend The Hollow (Jimmi Davies of Jimmi’s Chicken Shack) at the Eastport Democratic Club – where Pompeii Graffiti used to play diy shows.