Spinning

It has been quite awhile since I last blogged. I can't say that there is really a whole lot going on in my music world right now. The cover band(s) have a few weeks off and I don't have any solo stuff going on at all. I do have a show with The Woeful Ones tomorrow night at Tre Amici in Ybor! I am, however, trying to be better about promotion and keeping people up to date about what's going on, even if that isn't very much, so in an effort to be more active I'm going to post about a new song that I wrote.

My wife will tell you that all my songs are about girls. She's not entirely wrong but but I do venture of the subject occasionally. That being said, this one is kind of about a girl but not really. On the surface it is written about a girl but really it's about a speaker. I know, I'm a geek. That's okay. For those that don't know there is a speaker called a Leslie Speaker. It isn't as popular as it used to be but some people still use it. Of course, it was designed to be used with Hammond Organs but guitar players fell in love with it and started using it with guitars. Jimi Hendrix did it. So did David Gilmore. You can hear it used with guitar in Pearl Jam and Temple of the Dog songs. Stevie Ray Vaughn used it. Gov't Mule does too. The reason it is so cool is that the speakers inside either spin or are directed through a spinning part which makes a wonderful sound thanks to the Doppler effect. Have a listen to Temple of the Dog's "Say Hello To Heaven". The beginning of the song sounds the way it does because the guitar is running through a Leslie.



One of the best known uses of the Leslie speaker with a guitar is Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing".



Back to my new song. The song is called Leslie. To the average listener it is about a girl but it's really about the speaker. I love the sound of a guitar through a Leslie. So yeah, it's a love song.

I wrote the song with the intention of playing it with a band and using an electric guitar through, you guessed it, a Leslie speaker. I did play it a few weeks ago acoustically to positive reviews. Well, I should probably say review. There was a girl there that said it was her favorite song that I had played so far.

Anyway, here's the lyrics:

Leslie

She spins around my head – dizzying
& I have no place to hide
Don’t remember the words she said – admittedly
But still she lets me inside
Want to take her everywhere I go – take her with me
But she’s heavy like a word can sometimes be
I want to close my eyes when she talks to me
But I’m afraid she’d vanish from in front of me

Spin around me like a hurricane
Spin around me like a wheel speeding toward a cliff
And when your sadness makes you want to be still
I will keep you spinning – Leslie

She spins around my head – dizzying
& At that moment I need nothing else
In my head I know her love is fleeting
But I’m keeping that to myself



I’m keeping that for myself

Getting Back on the Horse

So, up until that little gig sitting in on July 15th I hadn't played a set of solo music, cover or original, since last November. I've been preoccupied with the two bands that I'm playing with. Sometimes it's nice to just sit back and play guitar. Not to mention, booking shows sucks. But, I've been itching to do some of my own shows so I've sucked it up and started trying.

I love playing in bands. Always have. There's just something about throwing on the Stratocaster & cranking the ol' Fender Twin up to some blaring volume and let a few power chords go. I think that's when I'm the most happy playing music. I feel at home with that Strat under my fingertips, playing a riff that's a little bluesy, a little rawk. I will say though that there is something powerful about standing up in front of a crowd, big or small, and there's just you, an acoustic guitar & an honest, emotional song. This is probably where I'm the most comfortable as a singer. I like to belt it out as much as the next guy that grew up listening to Led Zeppelin & Jimi Hendrix but I think when you strip everything away and get down to the core of a song and it can still move you, mind, body & soul, that's saying something. I'm really looking forward to playing acoustic shows like this again.

Of course, having booked shows, I had better get to practicing. It's time to get to know my own songs again. We've been away from each other for awhile. I have my work cut out for me, the first gig is this Friday, July 23rd at Sacred Grounds in Tampa. It's a good night of music. Myself, Steve Vaclavik, Kirsten Campbell, Vanessa Brown & Richard MacLemale will be doing a sort of "in the round" kind of thing. That's good. Start slow. Three or four song sets. Sacred Grounds is located at 4819 E. Busch Blvd. Tampa, Fl. 33617.

I'm also really excited about a show that I managed to weasel my way onto in August. I was lurking in a corner of Facebook in the wee hours of the morning when I noticed my good friend Geoff's Evil Twin's status. It read, "Geoff Ford has nothing of consequence to report." The second comment was from an incredibly talented musician formerly from the area & now living in Atlanta, Geri X, taunting him to play a show with them at The Globe in St. Petersburg when they're in town. Geoff & I had been trying to set a date for a show there anyway & I'm a Geri X fan so I decided to see if I couldn't get myself on the bill. Just in case, I offered to supply the P.A. Geri, who also is apparently an insomniac, replied quickly with a "heck yes dude" and we proceeded to harass Geoff on Facebook while he lay in bed dreaming sweet dreams or whatever he was doing. The next thing I know I get a flyer emailed to me and not only are the three of us playing, but Dean Johanesen of area favorites Human Condition will also be there. Now I'm really stoked. And then, a correction to the flyer comes. Rebekah Pulley is in as well. Really? What a show. If you are a fan of Tampa Bay area music, heck just a fan of music in general, you don't want to miss this one. The Globe is at 532 1st Ave. N. St. Petersburg, Fl. 33701.



Last but not least, and actually this would be the first one that I booked, on Thursday September 2nd, I'll be at Tre Amici in Ybor City. It's their weekly Songwriter's Night, often referred to as the best in the bay. When I first started playing acoustic shows, this was one of the few places that I played. There has always been a good crowd. A crowd very receptive to original music. You're not just background at The Bunker. The Thursday nights here are so good that when I released my cd in 2008, I decided to have my cd release party at one of their Songwriter Nights. Yup, on a Thursday. Probably the best idea I had all year. Tre Amici is here: 1907 N. 19th St. Ybor City, Fl. 33605.

I hope to see you out at a show. Or all of them.