All Amped Up with Shaw

I just returned from my buddy Kevin Shaw's shop. Every time I go over there I get in a heap of trouble. Kevin's amplifiers are so beautiful and sound so great; I usually return home infatuated and start dreaming of a new Shaw acquisition!!

Kevin and I have been talking about a Marshall JCM 800 type of an amp configuration. I've been looking to acquire one which majors on classic 70s Marshall crunch tones. I am a Foreigner/ Mick Jones fan, and also appreciate the guitarist in Loverboy and his killer tone ("Turn Me Loose," "The Kid Is Hot Tonight"). So, Kevin took the challenge and created this purple beast for me. Mr. Shaw is a genius! My son Josh and I went to the shop this morning, plugged in a humbucker guitar and cranked it up. WOW--it was all there: the beautiful harmonics and overtones were inspiring!

I am currently doing several recording projects in my studio: some for me and some for other folks. This new monster adds the ingredients to the soup that, so far, I've only gotten from using pedals. I am back to just a guitar, a cable and an amp for my Marshall tones...just like the old days when I first started playing in a band!


Here's Kevin's own description from his Facebook page of this yet-to-be-named beast:

"I just finished a custom amp for Jamie Harvill: a JCM800 preamp (with a few tweaks) feeding a 6V6 power section. He wanted some high gain crunch without killing the neighbors. This one measures out a little less than 20 watts. I added a 6 position tone contour switch in the preamp, which is amazingly effective at high gain, and a second stage "fat" switch. Sometimes I feel like Burger King where you can "have it your way!" Now it is off to shop to finish the case."

Thanks Kevin! Check out his website. I am going to do some audio samples of this amp in the next few weeks. They will be posted on Kevin's website at SHAW AUDIO.

A Trip Through the Heartland

Its been thirty years since I lived in the Midwest. Last week, Brenda and I made a loop from Nashville to Columbus, Ohio, then to Cleveland, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and back home.

Taking the trip helped confirm the affection I've always had for the heartland, ever since I first arrived in Columbus in January, 1980. The hard-working, clean-living people of the this part of the country left an indelible imprint on the heart of a bright-eyed 19 year old from southern California. When I first came to Ohio (our production company was based in Columbus) to play music, I was not only enchanted by the beautiful farmland that rolled on forever, but I was also impressed by the generosity of the people. I was astonished at how these tough folks could endure the unpredictable winters they were given, year after year. I learned several things during my three-year stay in Ohio. One of the most valuable was: don't let challenges define you, but allow difficulties to refine you and make you a better person. I witnessed a tough, resilient people make a beautiful life out of struggles with the earth, the weather and the gamble inherent in farming.

Even when we would travel through the Canadian heartland back in the day--to play fairs and exhibitions in the remotest of places one could imagine--the people were so gracious. I remember that Canadians, especially, would be very reserved during our performances but would stun us afterward when they gushed and expressed how much they loved our music. They adored country music, especially the old stuff.

Our trip last week was unforgettable. I am pleased that I could share the experience with my bride--I had yet to meet her until 1983 when I relocated to Mobile, Alabama to play with the group, Truth. Brenda took some great photos and is as impressed with the beautiful Midwest as I am. Thanks to our dear friends Wes and Heidi Turner, and my old boss, Gary Henley, for showing us such generous hospitality while in Columbus. We'll be back!

Show Biz Days in Columbus, Ohio

I had a great evening with an old road buddy last night here in Columbus, OH who has opened up his photo archive to let me do some scanning. I unearthed these photos displayed here. I can't believe its been over 30 years since these photos were snapped. Notice the Eagles-esque picture of our First National Band. It was during the Urban Cowboy craze. The other photo is the show group called Life. We were going overseas to Germany and Iceland in 1980 with the USO and this was the promo shot. My friend Wes gave me one of these funky flowered costumes that one of us guys wore to take home with me. Lots of fun and memory lane walking here in Columbus, Ohio!

Gone Too Soon

I used to wince growing up as my family watched TV and my dad would point to the old black and white TV and say, "That movie is full of dead people!" He was raised in the 1930s and 40s, and all of his movie heroes were getting up in age by the 1960s. He'd also look at old photos like Lincoln's 2nd inauguration and say something similar. The eerie thing about Lincoln's photo is that every single person walking and breathing in that picture is truly dead--no exaggeration!

Yesterday I saw that Clarence Clemons, the iconic sax player for Bruce Springsteen, succumbed to a massive stroke over the weekend. He was 69. The beginning of June carried some sad news to many, myself included, that singer/songwriter Andrew Gold, 59, died of a heart attack in his sleep. Gold was a musical hero of mine and is best known for writing "Lonely Boy." I followed him years before as he became the wunderkind multi-instrumentalist and vocalist for Linda Ronstadt's band in the 70s. Just a few years ago another personal hero, Dan Fogelberg, passed away too soon at 56 from complications relating to prostate cancer--an illness he had been battling for some time. I am understanding my father more and more lately as I witness the demise of folks from my generation.

It makes one think about mortality and the promises we heard in school like "we can be all we want to be." The sad thing is most of the folks who pass away relatively young probably weren't ready to go; they had more dreams to fulfill and more songs and records to record. One thing I know for sure, we are never promised tomorrow. Some of us, like my dad, are blessed to live long lives (85 this year!). My grandmother lived to be almost 100. Sadly, my mother passed away at the young age of 67. No one knows the day or the time.

Life is finite...at least here on earth. I believe in eternal life after death, though--that God exists and a real heaven awaits those who are redeemed in Christ. I know that seems old-fashioned to some reading this, but I really have a deep, anchored trust that when it is my time, I will pass into eternity with my Lord. A Christian isn't guaranteed a longer life than a non-Christian. But the Bible does teach that if we live good, faith-filled lives--trusting in God for our future and being content in Him--we can make provision for our lives and enjoy the resultant health benefits of a positive attitude (Proverbs 17:22, 1 Timothy 6:6).

Even with all that being said, I am saddened when I read of the deaths of life-long heroes. Most of my musical mentors are 10 years older than me; that puts them in their sixties these days. But even as death is real and possibly eminent, I want to live my life to the fullest, even to the end.

Thanks for the music Clarence, Andrew and Dan. Your lives have certainly enriched mine!

In Hot Water

There's nothing worse than getting into a shower, ready for a rejuvenating 20-minute sauna experience, only to find there is just enough hot water available to fill a tea cup. The next sucky thing is that the pressure coming off of the shower spigot is about as powerful as a vegetable irrigation system at the local grocery store. I like to travel, not because I adore crowded planes and shuttle buses, but for the fact that most decent hotel rooms have hot water and pretty serious water pressure. In other words, to get a good shower, I have to leave home! That's just plain wrong.

Because of this serious problem in our home, growing increasingly worse over the past two years, it was finally time to get my beloved shower back in working order. A few years ago I had a plumber come out and survey the problem. Of course when mechanics, electricians and plumbers see me coming, their eyes usually light up with matching jackpot symbols like a Vegas slot machine (they put two and two together: musician equals idiot with zero fix-it skills). They immediately start to plan their Redneck Riviera vacation at Gulf Shores as they add-up the potential financial damage they'll be creating for me.

The plumber who came over on this occasion let me off fairly easy and suggested a simple water heater flush. "Okay?" was my ignorant reply (he could have said "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!" from Mary Poppins and I would have said, "Cool..sounds great!!"). He proceeded to hook a garden hose up to the water heater sitting in the back corner of my garage. After the better part of an hour, he bled that cylinder dry (what he did while the water water was draining is still a mystery). When it was through, the guy pointed to the runoff in my driveway: I couldn't believe the amount of sand that made its home in my water heater over the previous eight years. Its bowels were exposed, transforming the concrete drive into what looked like the Sahara Desert!

He snapped a bubble on a huge chuck of pink gum then proceeded to suggest I get a new water heater. After tallying-up the charges, he plopped a piece of paper into my palm that read: $750. "And we'll even haul the old one away," he said offhandedly while simultaneously checking text messages on his cell. Snapping his flip-phone shut, he zoomed-in for my idiot-musician response. I surprised him with, "Maybe next time..." He shook his head with disapproval, rolled up the garden hose and threw it in the truck. It landed right next to the brand-new water heater that he hoped to offload on me.

So, two years later, its time to replace that dinosaur in my garage. My buddy Kevin is coming over this morning to help me. No, let me rephrase that...Kevin is coming over and I'm gonna help him...errr...get in his way. Hopefully, after the problem has been corrected, tomorrow morning I can lean up against the corner of my shower to let that scalding hot water cascade down my back and wash another "honey-do" off the list. Next item: the upstairs air conditioner drain isn't working. I guess I better see if my buddy's available...

Ralphie's House

So, where else do you go when in Cleveland other than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Ralphie's house from "A Christmas Story." Yes, it still stands, as well as many of the other sites that were used in the filming of the movie, including the Chinese restaurant and Higbee's Department Store (pictured: Ralphie's house today).

Since the movie opened in 1983, it has snowballed into a must-see Christmas movie for many Americans. It is surprising to learn that when it was released a week before Thanksgiving in 1983, the movie was received to moderate success. By Christmas, a few weeks later, it was only being shown in a few theaters across the country. Because of television reruns, the movie has had a chance to percolate in people's hearts, enough so that by December 2007, AOL ranked the film their #1 Christmas movie of all time.

The movie is endearing to me because it depicts an imperfect family, quirks and all. Even though the characterization of many of the people in the film are cartoon-like, their faults were redeemed by the end of the movie. The father's "cuss like a sailor" dialogue and the mother's overprotecting qualities made it real for many. I wasn't raised in the mid-west in the 40s like Ralphie, but I grew up in the 60s in Orange County, California where many of the same characters were scattered throughout my neighborhood: bullies, wild dogs, mythical school teachers and best-buddies. The biggest character in the movie was Christmastime...and we all love that time of year. Thanks to Ted Turner, "A Christmas Story" is always on during the holidays.

After the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Brenda and I are going across town to pay a visit to Ralphie's house. Christmas will come a little early this year.

J.D. Souther

I have said it before: songs from our youth are like soundtracks to our lives; when hearing them as older people, we are transported back to those days--the feelings, sights and smells all come rushing back. No group is better than the Eagles at contributing to the soundtrack of my generation.

The songs that came from the Eagles truly bathed my life with the wonders of the American West. They painted images of the desert--replete with cactus, mountains, and mesas--along with mythical mansions where you can check in but never leave. All of these pictures created a fantasy that I longed to set out and find like a musical Don Quixote. When I left home and started my musical career, I eventually realized that those images were all marketing ploys. But man, do I ever love the thought that somewhere out there a place exists where all of those fables are true!

Isn't it crazy how we are transfixed by songs from our youth? I fell in love with the music of America, Dan Fogelberg, Linda Ronstadt and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young for the same reason: they sang of a place where I wanted to live. I wanted to join them--sing and play along-side them. The dream sort of crumbles when you find that your musical heroes are made of flesh and blood--that they can sing out of tune--just like you.

But sometimes the magic is suspended for a few moments, just like it was Friday night when Brenda, my brother Jon, his wife Beth and I saw J.D. Souther in concert at Work Play in Birmingham. Many may not recognize his name, but J. D. Souther helped the Eagles sculpt those images as co-writer on many of their songs. "New Kid In Town," "Best of My Love," "Heartache Tonight," and "The Sad Cafe," to name a few. You probably remember his voice on James Taylor's "Her Town Too." As a performer, his own recording charted #7 on the pop charts called "You're Only Lonely." Souther's voice and writing also graced Linda Ronstadt records with songs such as "Prisoner in Disguise" and "Faithless Love." J.D. is a powerful performing artist in his own right.

I was looking at new releases a few weeks back when I saw that Souther had a new CD coming out called "Natural History." The recording covers several of the songs mentioned above in a stripped-down, acoustic fashion. The CD is certainly one to purchase, especially if you are a fan of Ronstadt and the Eagles. I searched online and noticed that the concert in Birmingham was just weeks away. I had to go see him.

So, as we sat there in that booth Friday night watching him sing those songs live, I was carried back to my teen-aged years of unbridled dreams and musical passion. I still have that drive to play and sing, but I'm wise to the fables that my musical heroes spun back in the day. After the concert my brother bought the new CD, exchanged words with Souther and procured a silver autograph. I walked away from Work Play that night full--full of great memories and the passion to get back to writing the songs that are waiting to be birthed in my own heart.