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I believe the last time I was in the desert the van died and an Iranian loaded all of the band’s gear into an open-bed trailer hauling all of us in his SUV to the nearest car rental station an hour away.  Seemed like a fair trade for the van…

I took this photo with an iPhone at 75 miles an hour somewhere in Utah after watching a documentary on Mormonism.  The beer there clocks in at 3 1/2%, the beauty – 100%.

Since my last post I’ve watched an Italian sun go down over the Mediterranean, driven the German autobahn, and played Paradise on a stage in Scotland with Mr. John Prine.  All of this is to say that I haven’t been very diligent with my posting.

Austin is lovely this time of year.  Y’all should pay us a visit.  I’ll be home thru the holidays…

All the best,

Luke

Recording Projects

I’ve spent the last month and a half busy with two fantastic recording projects.  The first involved some new friends that I met with Carrie Rodriguez while touring in Europe last fall.  Erik & Sanne have been performing together and singing beautiful duets since the early 90′s.  As national celebrities in Belgium, their appearance at one of our smaller shows was a complete shock to those who had come to see us perform.  After our performance Carrie and I got to meet and exchange information with the hope of staying in touch.  That sentiment quickly grew and within weeks Erik & Sanne were trying to convince us that Carrie needed to co-produce their next record and that I needed to play on it.  We agreed, they flew over, and we recorded their album in Austin, TX at Cedar Creek Studios.  The band included Lloyd Maines, Glen Fukunaga, and Brannen Temple with appearances by Earl Poole Ball, Ian MacLagan, and Joel Guzman.  Carrie Rodriguez and I will be touring and performing with Erik and Sanne in support of the release over in Belgium this September.  Can’t wait.

The second project was Carrie’s.  Her recording was out in Berkeley, CA at Fantasy Studios.  Fantasy, with its rich recording history and its amazing facility, was a dream to record in.  Producer Lee Townsend along with engineer Adam Munoz were amazing to record with, and the band, including Don Heffington, Hans Holzen, and Kyle Kegerreis, were awesome.  Keys genius Erik Deutsch added some beautiful textures.  The entire experience felt like the right group of people in the right space and time.  I’m excited for this one to get released.  Look for it in early October.

SXSW 2012

I had a great time playing music with both Carrie Rodriguez and Chip Taylor during SXSW this year.  Chip had sets at the G & S Bar and Opa’s along with a fantastic showcase at the Saxon Pub that included Shooter Jennings and Billy Joe Shaver.  He was promoting his latest project “F**ck All the Perfect People.”  If you haven’t heard the title track yet, check out this beautiful video:

You Tube

On Wednesday night Carrie and I played the Continental Club for No Depression’s SXSW Showcase.  The 1am set time felt a little late for a midweek show, but I enjoyed playing many of the new songs we will be recording in April.  Then on Thursday we took the duo show to Jovita’s for a daytime Twangfest party.  The music was fun, the people were great, and the beer was cold – everything one could ask for on a beautiful Texas spring day.  Later that night we played two Woody Guthrie tunes at a tribute organized by Woody’s daughter, the lovely Nora Guthrie.  Nora’s brother Arlo made an appearance to close out the evening at St. David’s Episcopal leading everyone in a sing-a-long version of “This Land is Your Land.”  If Woody were still with us today, he would be 100 years old.  The message of his music feels timeless…

Thanks to all of you who braved the the Austin city streets and supported the music.  Hope to see you down the road…

Italy

I still can’t quite believe that I was playing music in Italy last month.  The experience was like participating in a Fellini movie where the cast and set are in constant colorful motion.  It was a whirlwind of food, wine, beauty, and song.  From the Mediterranean to the Colosseum, I was completely overwhelmed.  THANK YOU to all of my new Italian friends for their gracious and sincere hospitality.  Hope to see you all again next year…

ciao.

 

National 1155

I’ve gone silent for awhile…

Two months ago after playing with Carrie Rodriguez and her band outside at Threadgills here in Austin, TX I had two guitars stolen from me.  I stopped after the show for a bite to eat on Austin’s east-side and left them covered in the backseat of my car.  It had been a LONG hot day of set-up, sound-check, tear-down and I was feeling exhausted.  Too exhausted, it seemed, to carry my two irreplaceable guitars into the restaurant…  Total mistake.  When I got back to my car I realized the rear window had been smashed out and both guitars were gone.  All I could do was sit on the curb and try to swallow back the sickening feeling.  I’ve filed a police report, visited pawn shops, searched ebay and craigslist faithfully since the event to see if anything would turn up.  So far there has been no sign of them.  I’m attaching a photo of the 1953 National Flattop Acoustic.  I loved this guitar.  It was made by National when they contracted with Gibson back in the 50′s placing their own hardware and necks on a Gibson J-45 body.  There aren’t many of them out there.  This one had that magic “intangible” factor that made it ring out in the sweetest way.  The other guitar was a 1967 Guild Starfire VI semi-hollowbody electric.  Again, not many of them were made.  More than likely I’ll never see these guitars again.  Since the event I’ve had time to digest and process the notion that these are “only things,” and how I’m grateful for my own personal well-being as well as that of those around me.  A friend told me that the music resides in us as musicians and not in the instruments we play.  ”The music,” he said, “is in YOU.”  I think he’s right.  There will be other guitars.  Since this happened to me I’ve heard numerous other musicians relay similar stories.  Let me just add what others have said and what many of you know:  If it can’t be replaced and you don’t want to lose it – CARRY IT IN WITH YOU – no matter how inconvenient it may seem…

I’d also like to thank those who have helped me out the past couple of months in lending gear allowing me to do what I do for a living.  Falcon Valdez, Hans Holzen, and Ben Kyle have all generously let me use their guitars for various touring runs I’ve had this summer.  Thank you guys!  I hope to return the favor in any way that I can.

Swing West Tour

The “Swing West Tour” with Carrie Rodriguez and Pieta Brown is about to get under way.  I’ve really been looking forward to these shows for quite some time.  Both Pieta and Carrie are fantastic songwriters with beautiful voices.  And if everything goes as planned my new Show Pro pedal steel will arrive the day before we leave on tour!  Check out the dates here.  Hope to see you at one of the shows.

Bonnie Whitmore & Graham Weber

Tomorrow night I’ll be starting a short run of dates with Bonnie Whitmore and Graham Weber.  The evening will be a collaborative effort with the same band backing both artists.  After today’s rehearsal I’m really looking forward to their performances.  Hope to see you at one of the shows…

Texas Custom

With Easter quickly approaching I’d like to submit my own sort of resurrection story. The boots pictured here had been with me for quite some time until finally suffering a couple of seam tearing blowouts along with their worn out soles. They were on the brink of retirement, another pair of boots lost to toil and trod of everyday living. Enter in Noel Escobar. With a smile and nod Noel and his team down at Texas Custom Boots assured me they understood the sentimental nature of men and their cowboy boots. “Call me in a month,” he said. When I went back to the shop I couldn’t believe my eyes:  The new soles and patched seams had been expertly tailored.  My boots were like new – cleaned, conditioned, and made ready for the abuse of the next 10 years. Thank you Noel.

Carrie Rodriguez Woodshed Series

If you’re in Austin this month come on out and catch Carrie Rodriguez performing at Threadgill’s.  I’m excited to be playing the entire residency with her and she’s promised some other special guests as well.  New songs, old songs, & more…

See you there!

SXSW 2011: Leslie Stevens & The Badgers

I had the pleasure of playing pedal steel with Leslie Stevens over the SXSW festival here in Austin, TX this year.  Leslie is a singer songwriter working out of L.A. with a beautiful voice that reminded me of Patsy Cline among other country artists from a half a century ago.  She fronts a band called Leslie & the Badgers and her latest release carries the same name.  Click here to see what you think…

Down here in Texas the weather has been perfect and the music has been incredible.  If you haven’t been to SXSW, you should.  Especially all of my friends living up in Minnesota who inevitably  find themselves a bit crazy in middle March, stuck in winter longing for spring…