Hot Damn.

Ladies and Gentlemen, for your enjoyment, Mr. Phil Baugh:

So you wanna learn to play the guitar?

Continuing along with the 'things we like' category, here's the best $35 you can spend if you or someone you know is trying to learn to play swing guitar. 'Chordination' by Whit Smith of the Hot Club of Cowtown is a new DVD which breaks down the harmonic side of playing over older style swing/fiddle tunes.
Now before I go on, I should mention that this DVD is probably not for beginners -- you'll need to have spent a bit of time thinking about and learning some basic moveable chord shapes and have played enough of these styles of music to see some of the basic re-occurring song forms. A good teacher can help you jump these hurdles.
So, on to the DVD. There's so much here to learn! Every time you watch, you'll pick up something new, some new way of thinking about chords and chord movement within a basic song structure. There's no TAB or chord charts -- you just watch and learn (this is a good thing). If you've ever watched a great guitar player play a tune you know well, and they're playing all these great-sounding moving chords to your one D7 that lasts for 4 bars and want to learn what they're doing, then this is your Rosetta Stone.
Whit's explanation of what he's doing is very clear, very logical and he also comes across as the humble, really funny guy that he is. This DVD is just honest, plain good work. It's available on via the Hot Club of Cowtown website (www.hotclubofcowtown), and needless to say Xmas is coming! (For those of you wondering what to get me since I already own a copy, an 40's Epiphone Triumph would be great (a blond one) -- thanks!)
Alright, I better get to practicing. Got a big gig tonight!
PK

Like Western Swing? Check this out...

What ever did we do before the internet? I guess we spoke directly to each other over coffee, wrote letters longhand and looked for the ubiquitous payphone. When I think back to touring with a band in the late 80's/early 90's I am amazed at the confluence of events that got me from Portland to, say, Albuquerque in the middle of winter and onto the stage of a punk rock club on the right day and at the right time, despite being unable to reach the booking agent via rest stop payphones along the way. That someone was there to meet us as well as direct us to a good parts place so we could patch up the Econoline was just icing on the cake, not to mention a good tip on where to get some great Mexican food (BTW, is that great restaurant in Albuquerque called Garcia's ?? The one with the amazing red sauce? Family joint...)
Anyways, back to my original point. The internets constantly amaze a technophobic Luddite like myself. Like for example, this blog:
http://westernswing78.blogspot.com
This truly amazing piece of work has so much rare, fantastic music (and is designed and run with such reverence and love) that it is truly inspirational (if you like this sort of stuff, like I do). Hundreds of recordings from the golden age of Western Swing by just about every obscure artist you can think of. Back in the day, it would have taken you years to hear/learn a quarter of this stuff. Bless 'em.

The Stolen Sweets with the Hot Club of Cowtown

Howdy All,
Last night the Stolen Sweets (the Portland Playboy's larger ensemble) had the honor and pleasure of playing a gig with perhaps our favorite band around, the Hot Club of Cowtown at the Aladdin Theater in Portland. Special thanks to Carrie Baldwin-Sayre for hauling our collective butts out of the fire.
What a show! We left the arctic chill outside and warmed up nicely, thanks to the Hot Club's greatest-hits filled set. That haven't visited the Rose City for a long time (too long), but the show was a smash hit and the band looked like they were having a ball. I personally enjoyed watching my band mate's jaws drop to the ground about mid-way through each of their tunes.
If you haven't had a chance to check them out, DO.
www.hotclubofcowtown.com is the website.
They have a bunch of CDs out, all of which are great (Xmas is coming, btw), but my favorites are their first Cd 'Swingin' Stampede' and the live disc 'Continental Stomp'.

But the real thrill was heading across town with David to play with Whit and Jake (from the Hot Club of Cowtown) at Whit's Dad's house earlier today! It's a very surreal experience to have a casual jam session with your musical heroes, believe me. What a pleasure, and what a bunch of nice folks as well.

OK... gotta get ready for the weekly Monday Night Swing Dance at the Maiden Bar!
Pete