Oh Well!

We had practice last night at Bob’s as usual. Bob and I started jamming while we were waiting for Henry to show up and Bob suggested that we learn “Oh Well”. This song was written by Peter Green and recorded when he was a member of Fleetwood Mac; the pre Lindsey Buckingham era. It was covered by Kenny Wayne Shepherd, which is the version that Bob prefers, (I prefer the original, but it’s Bob’s song and I’m OK with that).

After listening to the CD, we had a portion of it worked out when Henry arrived. After several tedious attempts at figuring out the arrangement as well as the individual parts, we got it to sound pretty good. It’s a complicated song, but one I’m sure you’ll enjoy next time we see you. Good times!

Booking a Gig

Booking the band is a hard job. It takes a considerable amount of time, dedication and dumb luck to get a gig. A lot of time is wasted driving from place to place, talking to empty-headed barmaids, and getting the cold shoulder, look-you-up-and-down stare from non-committal bar owners.

I came up with an idea that I have been working on; I got a couple biker rags that have an untold number of ads for bars and events in them. I am putting together a database of all I can find and then I am calling each place to find out who is in charge of booking bands and when they are most likely available. I am hoping that this narrows my contacts to get to the “right” people so we can talk business. I have also found that many places will tell you that they are not hiring bands now, but will be at a later date… another time saver.

I have also printed a master song list, a sample of concert posters, business cards, and created a demo CD which I’ve packaged in a blue folder. This is my promotional package, or promo pack, that I present to prospective keepers-of-the-gig. Since I have a lot of time and effort, not to mention some money tied up in these, I try to leave them with people that I think are serious about hiring us. It’s my impression that this makes a statement that we are a professionally minded, quality group worth hiring.

Please, if you know of a place or event that we might play, let us know. We’ll see you there. Good times!

Merry Christmas!

Hey Y’all,
We were back at it in the studio on Sunday night. We laid the drum tracks down for two songs, “Garden of Love” and “Ride On.” Again, it’s quite a task to walk in and lay down some quality work within a few hours, but Bob-the-drummer did a tremendous job. This was our last time together before the Christmas holiday and to me, it was important to reach this point. We can now get the rest of the tracks laid down during this busy season and free up some time to get out a book some gigs right after the New Year. Merry Christmas Y’all!!!!!!!!

Always, Always

I just returned home from the recording studio. We worked on a song I wrote this week called Always, Always. Bob laid the drum tracks down and did a fine job. Then it was my turn to record the rhythm tracks with my acoustic guitar, but I just didn't have the mojo. It's a tough thing for three guys that work full time jobs and have commitments and responsibilities to jump in and get everything just right in few hours. We are used to doing it and most times it works, but its a fragile affair. We'll continue to make magic on Tuesday night and we'll see how it turns out. Good times!

Bleu Voodoo Cocktails

The cat's out of the bag. All involved have been cleared of any improprieties. We had an after party at Club Inferno last friday night. Too many Bleu Voodoo cocktails were consumed and things got out of hand, but more on that in a minute. We danced, we sang, we drank, we danced and danced some more. There were some lovely young ladies there that knew how to throw down on the dance floor and a good time was had by all!

Our friends Sharon and Skip hung out with us all night long. It was Sharon's birthday weekend and shots were drunk in celebration. We played some good ol' rock-n-roll before packing it up and heading to the club; that's when we started drinking Bleu Voodoos. We closed the club and headed to Denny's to get some breakfast. Here's a lesson kids; when you drink too much let someone else drive. Dirty Hank was way too inebriated to drive so he gladly got into my truck and we headed up the road to the restaurant. Bob the drummer on the other hand, staggered to his truck and drove home. Oh, we tried to stop him and get him to ride, but he wouldn't hear of it. Thank God he made it home safely, but I don't know how. At the restaurant, Henry managed to order breakfast just before passing out in the booth. Imagine if he had been driving? We took him home and he slept it off. I talked to him the other day and he said he was still drunk on Sunday morning! Wow, that's drunk! But that's rock-n-roll baby!

We'll be back in the studio this week and it will be a blast. I can't wait! Good times!

Cracked at Cracker's

Hey Y’all,
We played at Cracker’s Tiki Bar in Crystal River last night; our first time back in there since last summer. It is always fun to play music, and the few people that were there were great! But what is going on with that place? They are only booking bands on Friday nights, there was hardly anybody there and they say Saturdays are worse. Is it the place? Is it the economy? I have always wished that they did more advertising. The almighty sheriff coming in there to shut things down with his almighty attitude is a killjoy. Anyway, I’d like to know what y’all think so drop me a line.

Thanks to all of our friends that partied with us all night. Be sure to check out our crazy pictures of the entertaining evening. In the meantime we’ll keep playing music and looking ahead for the next party. Peace.

Edge of Sunshine

Hey Y’all,
I’m sitting here doin’ my best couch potato impression, playing my guitar and watching Monday Night Football. I thought I’d take a break to tell y’all we had a blast last night at practice! We decided to do some recording of original stuff and we got the tracks laid down for “Edge of Sunshine”, now it’s up to Dirty Hank to work his magic. The session was lubricated with some good ol’ American Busch Light and a few snifters of Royal Crown. Let’s just say that Bob-the-drummer was loose as a goose and feeling no pain. He got his hands on a camera and took a few pictures; check them out on our photo page (click on the Sets link).

We got a call from Cracker’s Tiki Bar to play on Friday night. Its short notice but we took it; hey, you can’t look a gift horse in the mouth. (huh?) Well, anyway, come out and join the party; the weather is going to be great!

An Original

I mentioned original music in the last post and it got me thinking; we played an original live for the first time last weekend. It was “Edge of Sunshine” that we’ve jammed on a few times during practice. At Henry’s suggestion and encouragement we played it as the last song at the end of the first set and it was so cool to look out and see people grooving to it. As we ended the song I heard a few approving whoops and applause. I have to tell ya, when you create something and it connects with another human being, it’s a special feeling. I think we’ll keep it in the set list.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hey Y’all,

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Some major changes have been made to the Bleu Voodoo website and I’m real happy with what is happening with it. We now have a video clip on the homepage of the band playing at Shea’s Lounge thanks to Gail shooting some video for us. This just goes to show you that it takes team work to produce a quality product.

When you click on the pictures link, you’ll now be taken to the band’s photostream on Flickr. Now you can browse each picture or watch a slideshow by clicking on the link in the upper right corner of the page. We encourage you to leave comments and have fun (note: meanness will not be tolerated).

We have also added a poster page so that venues can print them and post them for our upcoming gigs. They are created in the spirit of the vintage concert posters of the 60s and 70s. Look for the collection to grow over the next few months.

Lastly, we have a link to our myspace.com/bleuvoodoo page. We will be adding some original songs here, hopefully soon; but I’ll tell you all, the recording process is very time consuming. I hope y’all will be patient. The best thing about the myspace.com/bleuvoodoo site is all of our friends! We have been able to meet some great peeps and the best part is hanging out with y’all at our gigs. Thanks for the fun and friendship!!

Shea's Lounge

Check out Bob the Drummer with the ladies!

Bleu Voodoo rocked the house last night at Shea’s Lounge in Mt Dora. It was a fun night with some good friends. Special thanks to Ed & Gail, Kelley & Kelly, and Brenda for hanging out with us all night! It was great to be back on stage creating that unmistakable Voodoo sound. We were a little rusty from the time off but after a few songs we were hooked up. Sure, Bob The Drummer was out of shape and at one point managed to give himself a double Charlie Horse, but all in all he was very solid. Henry never ceases to amaze me with the creative bass riffs and it was fun to look over and smile because we know the mojo.

Oh, the Voodoo streak of at least one person hitting the floor stayed alive as a “couple” danced and as the dude dipped his victim, they continued right on to the floor. In a valiant effort he struggled to hold himself up off of her so as not to crush her; his drunken body looked like a he was caught dangling in one of those large nets used in the jungle that spring up from sprung trees to catch tigers. It quickly became obvious he was losing the fight and one of the brother Warlocks at the bar stepped in and plucked the drunk off of the little lady still prone on the floor. Once free she popped up and after a laugh and a few high fives, it was forgotten.

Special thanks to Cliff who introduced himself as a former member of a 1970’s band and offered to not only clean up our sound by adjusting the levels on our PA, but to also get up and sing some blues because he was in a band in the 70’s and was really good. He assured me over and over that he wouldn’t embarrass us and that he was really good and the patrons there know him and they all like him and that he was really good. Unfortunately for Cliff, the night ended early and he never got his chance to get up on stage, mess with our equipment, and “sing” some blues. Bummer.

But the night was fun, the music as good, the beer was cold and the girls were pretty... life is good!

Bleu's Blues

The Beverly Hills compound was rumbling last night as the band thundered through a few songs. The boys have been in a number of unproductive yet exhilarating jam sessions. Bleu has had the blues since returning and these sessions have helped in the healing. In the end he has realized that its time to take the reigns and get on with learning and practicing songs. We will have a few gigs soon enough and we need to tighten up so we’re ready. And the beat goes on...

Deja Vudoo

Hey, I’ve been away; lost in the corn fields of the Midwest, but I’m back!
The power trio got back together Tuesday night and had a jam session. We played music, drank and few beers, stood outside and looked at the stars and talked about our dreams, our history and the possibilities of our collective futures. We all agreed that the music must go on and that this is a great time for a new beginning. Stay tuned for revamped version of Bleu Voodoo…

BoDeans

All right y'all, I'm stuck here in the corn fields of Indiana in a nice town (city? They call it a city, but I'd say it's a town) of Columbus. The folks here are really nice and proper and know how to behave. It's a thriving community and Tony Stewart's hometown. John Mellencamp's hometown in Seymour is 20 miles south, just a rip down interstate 65. Twenty miles to the west is the little town of Bean Blossom which is home to the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum.

So I get off of work at 6:00 pm and head back to the hotel that I currently reside in, which is right downtown. There's many folks parking in neighboring vacant lots and walking to the riverside park across the street with lawn chairs. So I change into some shorts and a t-shirt and join them. It turns out that they are rockin' the park with 2 bands; The Why Store, and the BoDeans. Never heard of The Why Store, but they weren't bad. Heard of the BoDeans and…they weren't bad. Both played what I would call adult contemporary rock.

The cool thing about the BoDeans is that they're keyboardist, Bukka Allen, also tears it up on the accordion. In my opinion they don't use this sound and flavor enough. The uncool thing about the BoDeans was Sam Llanas (vocals & acoustic guitar) whining into the mic about the heat, how hot the lights were among other things. Dude, shut up! No one cares. We were there to forget about the heat and enjoy the vibe. Besides, do you realize how lucky you are to be up there on stage?

Luckily, they were staying in my hotel and I hung out with Bukka and drummer Kenny Aronoff for a while in the lobby after the show. They were very nice and humble fellas. Bleu Voodoo wishes the BoDeans and The Why Store all the success and happiness this life brings.

Floods!

We in Florida know all too well how quickly Mother Nature can strike and how devastating it can be to our lives. We hate to think about it and hope it will never happen, but the truth is, it does. Our brothers and sisters in the Midwest have been drowning in a sea of their own troubles caused by Mother Nature: floods. For weeks and weeks these poor souls have been fighting for their homes and their lives. Fortunately we live in a country that cares enough to respond to our own.

I am honored to have a job that provides a service to those in need. I hope and pray that by paying it forward, when our time comes to face our own challenges that we come out of our circumstances blessed. I would love to stay here and play music with all of my friends and family, but for a short time I will be doing something of value, serving others. I am sorry to disappoint the bar owners that have scheduled us to play this summer. They have been nothing but gracious and understanding about this situation. I apologize to our friends that may be disappointed that we’re not around for a short while, but we will be back to pick up were we left of before you know it.

Until then; all the best, enjoy each moment, make good choices, and party on! Good times!

June 22, 2008

Saturday was an on again, off again rainy day. It had subsided by late in the day and I was pleased to see quite a folks enjoying the evening when I arrived at the Tiki bar. We set up and began to play and immediately connected with quite a few people; they were into what we were laying down. I am always a little nervous before we start and usually during the first few songs I am listening to the mix and volume levels, as well as the tone of my guitar to make sure that we sound satisfactory. It was about the fourth song that I looked up and saw some friends of the band sitting in the far corner. It was nice to see some friendly, familiar faces smiling back at us.

Ed and Gail H. showed up and gave each of us a DVD that they made; it was of the band’s performance the night before. It was a very thoughtful and generous thing and we are blessed to have great people like this in our lives.

On the crazy side, we witnessed one dude that snorted salt and lime (yep, up his freakin’ nose!) before taking a shot of Tequila! God, that’s gotta burn!

All in all it was a good night of music. There were some very pretty ladies that got up and danced. A large group of college friends hung out, had fun, and were very respectful; a welcomed experience. I’m thankful to have had the entire experience and can’t wait to do it again.

June 21, 2008

We were back at Crackers Tiki Bar on the water last night. It had been some time since we’d played there and I’d forgotten how scenic it is. I’ll be the first to admit that it ain’t easy starting early in the evening while the sun is still high in the sky; its much more difficult for the mojo to creep up on you, but to look out on Kings Bay with the pallid boats moored on the greenish glass-topped water, the aquatic bird life and the long shadows are inspiring.

There was a good crowd on hand and most of them hung around all night. I over heard several groups of people mentioning that they had seen us on TV and were anxious to hear what we were all about. I hope they weren’t disappointed.

After dark we got the vibe and really started playing well. People were dancing and singing along and we were feeding off of that. It’s an awesome thing when group consciousness gets in sync and we all—the band and the crowd—feel like we’ve been friends forever. If beer is a gauge for appreciation, then we had a lot of appreciative friends last night.

Dirty Henry came up with a nice, tasty, refreshing prototype for our signature Bleu Voodoo cocktail. We are excited to be able to present a finished version to you all soon.

A group of us ended up laughing over Moons Over My Hammies in Denny’s. A special thanks to Charlotte and Wes for picking up the tab. If you missed it, come out tonight; we’ll be doing it all over again.

Booking Agent

Bob the drummer told me that a friend of ours, Ed Hernandez, is interested in working with us as a booking agent. I have stated before that the business behind the scenes of playing live music can be objectionable, so it is an enticing thought to have an agent intervene and tackle that unenviable task. It will be interesting to sit down with Ed and here his ideas.

In an impromptu discussion about it during our last recording session, Dirty Hank brought up some good points that I hadn’t considered since he has some considerable experience in the band promotion arena. But for now, I prefer to take it one step at a time and see where it leads us. I’ll keep y’all posted.

Gig Dates

After a few rounds of phone tag I finally spoke to Penny from the Oasis Tavern who had been trying to reach me about our upcoming gig dates. Seems like she was a bit concerned about or arrangement but I told her we’d be there at the end of the month as planned and we were looking forward to it. I hope to see some friendly faces there and I’m sure, meet some cool new folks. I hope y'all will join us!

Quackers

I got a call from Carol, the manager at Crackers Tiki Bar and she asked about some dates that we might play later in the year. I booked the gigs contingent on whether the rest of the band can make it. It’s good to have a professional working relationship with some of the venues where we play. The band business can be unseemly because of history of many irresponsible performers and unscrupulous bar owners. It is Bleu Voodoo’s contention to act professionally and responsibly and we understand that we are only as good as our last performance. It’s a thing of beauty and a joy forever.

Goin' Down

Another week has gone by and we find ourselves slithering down the sand roads to Henry’s backwoods studio. It was a rainy evening but for me, it added to the swampy vibe that I was hoping to relate in our music. Bob the drummer was all ready setting up his cymbals on Henry’s Dirty studio set of cans. We set up all the equipment and jumped right into a vibe, running through “Going Down” for the first time. After several times through we started laying down some scratch tracks; just raw recordings that we can listen too and work on. We got one we could live with about an hour later. It was getting late, but I wanted to try a quick take on “Garden of Love.” The rhythm pattern changes several times in this song, so it was no easy task. After two or three attempts we recorded a few scratch versions and called it a night. Bob and I packed our gear, the rain had stopped and we snaked our way back out to the hard road for the long drive home. It felt good to reminisce over creating art in the past few hours with the camaraderie of good friends. Life is good!

Henry’s Studio

Follow the sugar sand roads that wind beneath the looming live oaks draped in Spanish moss to Henry’s studio. We will be there tonight recording some original music. Three faithful warriors of the musical kingdom will be concocting compositions late into the night. There will mostly be laughs, sighs, and repeated attempts at perfection; definitely beers and handshakes. The walls will rumble and the thick air will pulse and in the end it will make one a better person.

Another Lucky Weekend

It was another lucky weekend at the Shamrock Lounge. We played so very well with the subtle, tasty vibes and then powerful overdriven mojo. It had been some time since I laughed that hard while playing.

Crazy Highlights:
The big, bootylicious, curvy, white girl literally dancing out of her very little blue dress.
The barking dog-man running loose in circles around the bar.
There was the brother of ZZ Top in his flowered shorty shorts, rubbing his ass while sexy dancing at the jukebox
All the many requests to play some Skynyrd!
And let’s not forget those crazy Bleu Voodoo mixologist prototypes.

As usual we hung out with some really cool people like Kelly and Liz. The wedding party; Debbie too, thanks for the beers! Everyone was very nice and appreciative of what the Bleu Voodoo experience is all about. We appreciate all of you and can’t wait do it again!