Road Trip

Been on the road recently..... traveling to spend Christmas with my wife's family in Minnesota. Back home now and recharging the batteries. Will be returning to posting shortly.

Dreaded Vocal Overdubs (repost)

More from the Dead Dog Express. This entry was originally posted on August 28, 2004.

We spent the next week fawning over the dub tape we had from our first recording session. I had worked on trying to edit the lyrics and make sure they were a good blend with the music tracks.

We returned to Bob Goodsite's studio the next Sunday to wrap up our first demo tape. There were a couple of minor re-takes that needed to be done on one of the lead guitar sections so we did that first. This went quickly and Bob began to set up the vocal mics we would be using. I was getting so nervous because singing was just not something I was very confident about and it really showed once I began to sing the first line. Oh man. It was horrible! I felt so self-conscious and became very frustrated by how unprepared I felt.

I opted to take a break and let Todd work on his vocal parts (Cruisin' Down The Road) first. He did a great job and I quickly ditched my attitude as I enjoyed the performance. He was able to get the keeper track after only 2 takes! I was very excited again and, with words of encouragement from Todd, I once again set upon the task. One of the songs I was to sing was a love ballad (I Need Your Love) and the other (Stand Up) was more of a rocker. I chose to sing the second one first in hopes of building my confidence for what would be a more lyric featured song. Good thing too. (I am listening to this tape now as I am writing and, believe me, I am almost reliving each painful note.)

Personal agony. That is the best way for me to describe it. I had gone from feeling so good about the music we had recorded to be extremely discouraged by my contribution on the vocals. I tried to get Todd to take the vocals on all the songs but he wasn't rehearsed to where he felt comfortable. He kept telling me "c'mon Dave, you wrote those words. Remember how you felt when you did? Just let it out. You can do it". Thanks Todd. You have been a good friend but perhaps never more than at that moment. Of course, HE WAS LYING!

Blues/rock soloist captures Rockin' the D guitar competition

The Detroit News Online:

"Blues/rock guitarist Al Carmichael wowed the crowd and judges Saturday night at the iLounge in Pontiac to win the Rockin' the D guitar competition, taking home a one-year lease on a Volkswagen and a First Act guitar.

The crowd of more than 200 was full of enthusiasm as electricity ran throughout the entire competition, during which 10 Metro Detroit guitarists played their hearts out on the iLounge's stage. Some play several times monthly at area clubs; others hadn't stepped on stage in a decade."

Michigan's Musical Connection: Marv Weyer

Though it has been sporadic lately, due largely to holiday travel, here is this week's edition of Michigan's Musical Connection. Today's artist spotlight takes into the genre of Rockabilly music. As a form of musical expression, Rockabilly is a hybrid between traditional country music, early rock and roll, swing music, and "doo-wop" musical flavors.
It's origins can be traced to the late 1940's to early 1950's. Here's a link to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame web page that includes a list of many artists that played a definitive and significant role for the genre.

There are several names that figure prominently in Rockabilly history that hail from Michigan. Our artist profile today is guitarist Marv Weyer. As there is limited online biographically information, I will offer a brief summary of his background from information I read at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame web site.
Marv Weyer was born in Pontiac, Michigan and grew up in a musical family where his father was a local bandleader. His earliest musical inspiration was classical guitar icon, Django Reinhardt. In high school, Marv played with The Jaguars who eventually went on to record on Motown's Tamla record label. Marv Weyer made several television appearances on local dance shows.

As his star began to rise, Marv decided to join the Marines where he served a tour in Vietnam and later based in California. He resumed his musical career and soon became something of a journeyman eventually heading to Nashville where he played with the likes of Bud Issacs, Merle Haggard, Ray Price, and Barbara Mandrell. In the early 1970's, Marv Weyer returned to Michigan and played in several jazz and country groups in the area. He partnered with fellow Michigander Eddie Jackson, another key figure in Rockabilly music. This association lasted until Eddie passed in 2002.

Rockabilly has been experiencing a revival, for lack of a better term, that saw this genre surfacing in the mid-1990's. A new and younger audience were "groovin'" to the music of Brian Setzer of Stray Cats fame and this allowed the legends of Rockabilly their long deserved due.