I’m a Bloodhound on the scent of a trail
I’m a Bloodhound on the scent of a trail
Crying Lord, O’ Lord - don’t let me flail
The single that never was. There was one more in the pipeline, but due to circumstance and personal reflection, I decided my solo recording career would cease forthwith. A fan of the boogie I thought there could be one more for the road. I was more than happy with my two single releases, Locomotive Weave and Ruffled Feathers and how they were received by my radio and music friends. There was no need to go to the well again.
The Ol’ Dawg of Frog Hollow is now living high on the low hog blowin’ boogie harp on the back porch.
Here is part of my rough and raw demo for your scrutiny (with all my breaths) as a dance mix. I had made a few changes since this demo was canned and I also thought it might sound pretty groovy with a wee bit of drumming, like ZZ Top’s La Grange – with the rhythm struck on the metal rim of the snare drum. I wasn’t going to use the drumming term! I was always told to keep myself nice!
Here’s the Dance Mix. What ya reckon Duke?
BTW, I’m still available for session work. Check out if you haven’t already All Your’n with Jon Collins and yours truly in a brief live comeback.
Please check home page for copyright details
Harmonica Riff Raff 
Hiya Shep.
Been travelling about and picking up my guitar, visiting family, etc. So, sorry I’ve arrived a bit late to this. Smiled when I saw you had uploaded an audio bar. Your third single rumination? There’s something satisfying about having 3 captures. It’s like when you get married and then you have a little addition to the family that goes on to become a priceless gem. Rimshot on the metal band and a ZZ Top boogie rhythm would suit this harp display down to the ground. My brother Steve loves the ZZTop sound. The tempo is the big decision. Have you got a metronome. I sometimes use one I got from a charity shop. One of those beautiful wooden German makes. There’s something satisfyingly awesome about playing along to a click beat like that. You tend to find you play with the beat and then rhythm dance play around it. It becomes dangerously zone out country and your mind and spirit go to strange comforting places. Mind you, your speed here on your audio bar seemed spot on. I marvel at your ability to breathe in time without interrupting elongated flow. I felt breathless listening. It’s like singing along to Harry Nilsson!
My equivalent. Holding a plectrum in place when hitting the strings. It slips out of position and the rhythm then goes awol. Much discussion exists on such matters for guitarists. Supergluing finger to plectrum? Nah! That’s just stupid. But the human experience of slippy fingers is nowhere near the impressive skills of breath duty.
Session playing? Not sure of the dynamics of your local surroundings musician wise. My local rural area is musician tumbleweed land. Or the ability to share over long distances with new technology. Those Covid days where musicians were all playing separately from their own homes was fascinating. I still can’t exchange my song files to my brother who is 140 miles away. Just cannot work out Airdrop at all. Technophobia is a constant pain in the butt. It would be grand if I could send you something to work on that suited a specific song style. I remember talking to my brother Steve a year or two back. He worked for a while with a young guy who blew Harp. Steve had him join a couple of sessions with his ‘work band’. They boogied. Early Pete Green Fleetwood Mac, Van Morrison, Dr. Feelgood type sounds. He said the harp guy was phenomenal. Grabbed various harps and slotted into the rock vibe with ease. Only played a few times with them, then left the company. Steve loves a harp inclusion. He is now retired but has started playing again with his old work colleague who is on bass and vocals. Also with my old buddy John who played drums in our band Team 23. They’ve got an open mic gig soon. The guy who is organising these events is my old buddy from the Team 23 days too. Jim went on to play in the band King. John did too. Nice to know that love of playing music has never left them both.
I can imagine you yourself joining such a party and having a real blast. ‘Scuse the pun. It’s always a pleasure hearing you play Shep. You’ve got soul vibes leaping out from them there lungs. When you’ve truly lived a glorious musical life? What you produce can never hide itself away. It always comes out to play.
Cheers for sharing. 🙏🏽🍁🍂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey Gray. You’re way too kind. It was your blogs with audiophiles of songs in their infancy that presented the idea for Bloodhound Boogie to be uploaded. Happy to be blowin’ the Mississippi Spit Wagon on the back porch. I’m just a studio musician I’ve never tried for fame, you’ll never know my name, as Barry Manilow sang. Gotta say, to have all the harps in every key is a costly exercise these days. Probably cheaper to have one guitar! All the best to you Gray on your rejuvenated music journey. 🤘🎸🫁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cheers Shep. The ‘beginnings’ files were born from having a fascination for both the TRex and Marc Bolan audios of around 180 songs of his early songs being tried out at his home on a cheap tape system. Then of course, The Beatles anthology CDs. Even now, watching Get Back on Disney (for the third time now) the early rough working out initial dynamics to their songs are fascinating. It gave me confidence to just ‘go for it’ and share too.
Fame? Initially it was a ‘mates’ collective when we were all young. As you do when a fickle teenager! We met a guy who saw us live and so we met in a cafe for chats about him being a manager of the band. He said we were all ‘pretty’, the girls would love us and he could make us superstars. But……session musicians would have to be used for recording the songs. We just laughed at his spiel and walked out.
Weird in how you believe if it is important or not into seeking fame really. I had a phone call about joining The Fun Boy Three. They knew me from when we toured with The Specials. I suppose my inner soul just wants peace and feeling content. Writing songs? I also had Kevin Rowlands brother trying to get my songs for other bands. I just said No. We heard that The Vapor’s (Turning Japanese) wanted one of our songs to record. Again….No. So fame in any form, like yourself, wasn’t truly important in the end. A love of music and just songwriting for songwriting’s sake has always been the most precious aim.
Been giving it a lot of thought recently as to ‘Am I bothered where I go with this?’ Write these ditty’s and where to take them all. The conclusion is that I am not really that bothered. BandCamp isn’t really an ambition now. No platform is. Just daily musical, fountain pen, reading books, etc. actions that provide therapy. Even WordPress is a place that has no ‘numbers’ ambitions. I love the fact of being able to exchange to the few of you guys who can bring a smile to the face. The music is a great calmer. It keeps the brain ticking over nicely.
You know all this too Shep. Is there a day you don’t have some music in your life? I do sit and chat to people and can express more through speech exchanges as to the deeper side of finding contentment. And fame isn’t one of them. Your radio shows are ideal for you yourself to exchange how music has affected your life. And to find similarities with others who join you. That must be heart lifting.
By the way. My Hohner Les Paul sounds great now. Can’t wait to record on it. The G string is notorious on these Les Paul guitars for playing sharp or flat. I can live with that though.
Cheers Shep. 🙏🏽🍁🍂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amen brother in(trinsic) music. SD
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wrote down a thought yesterday to include in a hoped for poem called ‘Winter Miracles follow the Frailty of Autumn’.
‘You can witness the light of a star. Or you can belong to the light within it’.
I’m hoping no-one else has written similar. 🤞🏼
We both, alongside music, intrinsically belong to the light within Shep. Amen brother indeed.
LikeLike