Something Blue Chat

Sunday, September 13, 2026 at 02:00:41

Striding The Blast playing In The Loft at The Edge. Click for the photo.

at 02:51:31

Ten minutes!

at 02:55:17

Time for Something Blue.

Now listening.

at 03:02:45

Striding The Blast, Pretty Girl From Down The Road

An original song.

at 03:03:14

OK, I’m here. Had trouble finding the chat.

at 03:03:44

I started listening on time, but lost the plot at finding the chat. :D

at 03:04:48

No worries. This chat is working better.

at 03:05:51

James Carvell is on the first song. He’s playing in #jazz #blues #fusion.

at 03:06:38

Stackabones, Poncho & Lefty

at 03:06:54

Sorry about last week. I was ill and basically living in my bedroom and the bathroom.

at 03:07:37

This is a link to the concert.

at 03:08:55

This sounds like folk/blues fusion to me. Am I huffing paint thinner?

at 03:09:10

To post a link put the anchor text in the Name: field and paste the link into the Web: field. Type anything else in the chat box.

at 03:10:52

Pancho & Lefty was a hit by Willie Nelson. Written by Townes Van Zandt.

George used to sing it with me all the time. Great song.

at 03:11:47

This is Striding The Blast again. I recorded it In The Loft at The Edge.

at 03:14:02

This has a really attractive folksy vibe. Like a ’60s-era folk group branching out into blues. I like it.

at 03:15:29

The band name, Striding The Blast, is from Shakespeare.

at 03:17:29

Macbeth, Act I, Scene VII

And pity, like a naked new-born babe,
Striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubim, horsed
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind.

at 03:18:31

I love the harmonies and the songwriting. This version of the band had two guitarists and they are working well together.

at 03:23:07

Working so well together I didn’t realize there were two guitarists, just one very good one. :-o

at 03:23:44

Yarn, Don’t Break My Heart Again

at 03:24:48

This picture that I took at the gig is a trip.

at 03:26:11

All of these bands play at least some country blues.

at 03:27:46

That lead would have felt at home in a country song or a blues song.

at 03:28:19

Where are they from?

And the guitarist(s) doing fingerpicking perfectly. Like Mark Knopfler levels of perfect.

at 03:29:03

Break time

at 03:31:16

Striding The Blast is from Jonesboro. They are good friends of mine and James Carvell and I cowrote Solar Flares and Polar Bears, I think I wrote the lyrics this year.

at 03:31:35

Playing again

at 03:32:25

Stackabones, Live Like Louise
Stackabones, Far Away From Here

this set

at 03:32:27

Where is Jonesboro? From the accent of the singer, it’s got to be in the south somewhere.

at 03:34:28

This link is to their show so you can listen to the whole thing later.

They were really popular at Blues Fest often attracting a younger audience that loved their sound,

at 03:35:24

Jonesboro is in Northeast Arkansas, one hour from Memphis, Tennessee.

at 03:36:12

Their sound is almost timeless. Nice blend of classic technique and a slight modern lilt on it. I can see why the young-uns would like them.

at 03:39:10

I’m glad you like them. I’ll tell James. We’re closing the KASU Arkansas Roots Stage next Saturday at the Beatles At The Ridge Festival in Walnut Ridge.

We play from 6:00 to 7:00 with no other music in that time slot and then after us it’s Liverpool Legends on the main stage.

at 03:40:43

A bit of the Grateful Dead sound on this Stackabones song.

at 03:41:18

There’s some serious virtuosity on that stage. The keyboard solo sounded effortless and laid-back. It was NOT effortless! 🫢

at 03:41:54

The Grateful Dead also did a lot of country blues.

at 03:42:12

I still haven’t (knowingly) heard a Grateful Dead song.🤭

at 03:42:46

Stackabones and Yarn are both professional touring bands with their own audience.

at 03:42:57

And now the guitarist is playing games with the volume pedal. Interesting effect.

at 03:43:21

Yarn, Sioux City Gypsy
Yarn, Wake Up

this set

at 03:44:51

I think you’re right. This whole show has a country blues vibe.

at 03:45:51

White boy jams

at 03:46:08

I’m very picky with country music. But country blues seems to be my vibe.

at 03:48:04

Damn, guitar is wailing like crazy! It doesn’t sound complex … until you pay attention to what’s going on under the dominant chord.

at 03:48:20

Yarn personnel

Blake Christiana - vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Rotating - guitars, vocals
Rick Bugel - bass
Robert Bonhomme - drums

Two guitars.

at 03:48:38

A good solo needs real compositional chops.

at 03:49:01

Some slide guitar too.

at 03:50:06

A lot of soloists just do stuff to show off without any attempt to blend in with the song or the backing instrumentation. Good soloists build on the song’s building blocks.

That was a good soloist. Like a really good one.

at 03:50:35

I agree on the composition of solos. There has to be an arc. It has to tell a story or at least have a direction.

at 03:51:08

Exactly.

at 03:51:11

That Gypsy song was really good!

at 03:52:13

This session started off laid-back and pleasant for me. It’s grown over the hour into one of your best shows. Very well assembled, Larry!

at 03:52:27

So is this one. Topical. Wake up Get up Get outside.

at 03:54:31

Thanks. I work at it but a lot of it is subconscious. I never really know what I have until I listen to the whole show. It’s primarily quality control (catching problems or mistakes) but I call it blessing the show for air.

at 03:55:03

More of that electric guitar duo.

at 03:55:47

Bass solo.

at 03:57:10

As you know I’m a complete sucker for good guitar work. And this one they took the themes of the song and ran with it like a runaway freight before finally calming down to let the front man work the crowd.

And now a bass solo. Wow. That’s not common.

at 03:58:12

And now a drum solo. Because of course. :D And a bass/drum duet.

at 03:59:19

And then the bass and drums showed just how they lock. I think the bass was playing 16th notes.

Then their trademark two guitar sound.

at 03:59:24

This crowd is incredibly tight. The drummer is right in the pocket. The bass is driving the drummer with extra frills and decoration. And the guitarists are just rollin’ down the track faster and faster. This is the kind of band I’d kill to see live.

at 04:00:57

Both of the featured bands tonight were really good for different reasons. The first had virtuoso laid-back playing style that concealed the talent until you paid attention. The second has a lovely guitar-forward sound with a tightness that is like a jiu-jitsu grip!

at 04:01:05

A good show. I made it in 2024 and it’s a repeat while I’m on vacation from radio production while I’m in my festival season. I really like featuring local musicians.

at 04:03:24

Local music culture was killed in the ’90s with big productions and ever-increasing Internet-facing hype. I really liked the local music scenes in the ’80s. But it all kind of dried out with the music bars and live houses just fading away.

It’s nice to hear that they survive in pockets (and maybe are having a comeback?).

at 04:05:15

Here in Wuhan there’s a thriving punk and metal scene courtesy of Vox Livehouse (formerly Vox Music Bar), a venue set up by a local punk band that made good and gave back to their community. Vox isn’t just a venue, it supplies practice rooms and even tutelage for people who aspire to music.

at 04:06:28

I’m in the middle of a really busy weekend. I had 4 things today. Food Pantry Distribution in the morning. Immediately followed by Library Game Day where I play tested my new dragon fighting rules. Then we went to Beetlejuice children’s theater tonight and last, but not least, Something Blue Chat tonight.

Tomorrow church, cooking class at 2:00, and music at 7:00.

Monday school.

at 04:10:24

I agree about the importance of local music. It’s thriving in Jonesboro right now which I am glad of. I worked and worked to get people in Jonesboro to realize that music tourism is big business but all they could think about was factories. Now we have a downtown scene with music in several clubs as well as outdoor festivals and concerts.

And we also have the Delta Symphony Orchestra, directed by Neale Bartee, trombonist and vocalist in Jazz Buskers.

at 04:11:30

Well … I think I better .

Thanks for the fun chat.

at 04:13:46

Well … I think I better go to .

Thanks for the fun chat.

Sorry about the correction. I am posting with no privileges so I can’t edit.

at 04:14:31

go to

I don’t know what going on there.

at 04:15:23

Well … I think I better go night night

Thanks for the fun chat.

Sorry about the correction. I am posting with no privileges so I can’t edit.

at 04:15:58

Now I lay me down to (hmmmm)

at 04:16:46

It’s deleting the word s-l-e-e-p.

Weird.