New Life!

A resurgence of energy has unexpectedly come along. As things were drying up and enthusiasm waning, people quitting; I jammed with a couple new players and it was great! This new situation is going to take the music in a different direction. From now on, music will finally be played for the sake of the music. Since the focus is taken away from playing in barrooms, there is no longer a need to play the same old, tired classic rock radio hits. We can now play the deeper album cuts and not be limited by a genre; a good song is a good song--lets play it. This is an exciting fresh start and new life to look forward to.

Travelin' N. Florida

Living on the road my friend was gonna keep you free and clean
Now you wear your skin like iron and your breath's as hard as kerosene
You weren't your mama's only boy but her favorite one it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye and sank into your dreams - Townes Van Zandt

Bleu Voodoo is home. Wore out, rode hard and put up wet. After a 4 1/2 month tour of north Florida, it’s time to unwind, decompress, rest and relax. My travels have taken me to places that were surreal, at times I thought I must be on a movie set but I wasn’t; I was in a swamp and it was a blast! As previously blogged, the experience has inspired BV to write and record some great new songs for the upcoming CD. But enough about that; the afore mentioned travels took us to the grave sites of Alan Collins, Leon Wilkeson, and Ronnie Van Zandt near Jacksonville. It was oddly unplanned and oddly unexpected in a sense of closure; healing a scar that was not recognized for more than 30 years.

In the same vane, I was reading the book, “Skydog” by Randy Poe, which by the way is a must read if you’re a Duane Allman fan. The Allmans spent a major part of their childhood in and around Daytona Beach. The book stated that their mother had a house at 100 Van Ave., Daytona Beach, FL. As if the universe reacting to my reminiscent energy, I later wound up in Daytona Beach on an unrelated gig. While killing time one day, I took a lazy daydream filled drive on A1A and remembered the Duane Allman story. I was able to find the house and it wasn’t hard to image Duane tearing up the neighborhood with his motorcycle or Greg and he hanging around. Again, it was some strange connection that has since elevated my spirit to a new plane.

Peace out

Falling Over You

Here it is August already; man, time does fly when you’re having fun. I apologize for not writing sooner. As you know, the band is busily recording a CD and currently has 5 songs complete and one in the mix down phase. Bleu Voodoo has spent the soggy Spring and Summer in North Florida, which has had a tremendous influence on this project. Thanks for patiently hanging out with us and we look forward to seeing you out on the road. Good times!

Garden of Love

Lately the band has been working extensively with Producer/Engineer, Pete Wainwright on the recording of Garden of Love. After a few short takes and many hours of engineering a pre-release version is available on www.myspace.com/bleuvoodoo.

Garden of Love is a haunting song about unrequited love. It is evocative in its simplicity and Bleu’s vocals are full of emotion. There will be a final EQ mix down prior to burning it onto the CD, but give it a listen; we think you’ll enjoy it!

The Vibe...

We all have to make choices. Many of mine are based on the successes and failures of others as examples (why reinvent the wheel?). I weigh things and consider my own conscience. I do not like owing anyone anything... ever. I made the decision a long time ago that music would be my muse not my vocation. Why? Because my wife and family comes first and the music industry is not a family friendly business. I am happy with my choice and can easily live with it. With that said, I found out today that due to my “real” job, I will have to travel away from home for the next two months. This reoccurring situation keeps my bills payed and food on the table, but makes it impossible to commit to gigging. So in the interim we will continue to record and post songs on our MySpace page.

Thankfully, I have a good friend in Henry that continues to stick with me through these difficult times. My life’s philosophy is to keep moving ahead with grace, and integrity, and I choose to follow my heart and look forward to every new day and every new opportunity. That’s the Bleu Voodoo vibe! Party on!

Always... Always On My Mind

Hey Y’all,

I know it’s been a while, but ain’t that life? After much deliberation and wringing of hands we’ve posted our original song, “Always” on www.myspace.com/bleuvoodoo. Hope y’all enjoy it.

Cowboy Songs

What can one say but a great time was had by all. Playing at the premier of the Florida Cattle Ranching exhibit was an honor. Special thanks to Ken Crawford in assisting in setting up and checking sound. Bob Stone and all of the good folks that work at the museum made the event go off with out a hitch. The cattlemen and their families passed through the exhibit with smiles and small talk. They were very complimentary about the music, and there was just a tremendous sense of goodwill.

Here is a list of the cowboy songs that Bleu performed during the exhibit:
Amarillo By Morning – George Strait
America the Beautiful
Back in the Saddle Again - Gene Autry
Big City – Merle Haggard
Cattle Call - Eddy Arnold
Cool Water - The Sons of the Pioneers
Cowboy Man – Lyle Lovett
Dixie
Don’t Fence Me In
Don't Take Your Guns to Town - Johnny Cash
Down In The Valley
Ghost Riders in the Sky
Git Along Little Doggie
Goodbye Old Paint
Happy Trails - Roy Rogers
Home on the Range - Gene Autry
I Can Still Make Cheyenne - George Strait
I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry – Hank Williams
Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys - Willie Nelson
Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) - Garth Brooks
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys - Willie Nelson
Rawhide!
Red River Valley
San Antonio Rose – Marty Robbins
Searchin’ For A Rainbow – Marshall Tucker Band
Should've Been a Cowboy - Toby Keith
Sweet Baby James – James Taylor
The Cowboy in Me - Tim McGraw
Tumbling Tumbleweed – Sons of the Pioneers

Yee-Haw!!

Yippee-ti-yi-oh Dude!

Hey Y’all,
Bleu has been invited to play music on March 11th for the Florida Cattle Ranching: Five Centuries of Tradition exhibit in Tallahassee. This traveling exhibit explores the long history of cattle ranching in Florida and how it has changed through the years. It is at the Florida Museum of History Main Gallery. It starts at 3:00 pm and admission is free!

To change it up, he’ll be performing classic cowboy songs from the likes of Roy Rogers, Gene Autry as well as more modern classics by Willie Nelson and Marty Robbins to name a few. Bleu is honored to be involved in this once in a lifetime opportunity.

A Jam

Hey Y’all,
Henry and I got together with a couple of cats a few nights ago and played til the cows came home. Chris “Tequila” was on drums and Franky two fingers on bass, and Henry was playing rhythm guitar and singin' country tunes. This was the first I met these cats and it was refreshing; they were two of the nicest people I’ve come along in a long, LONG time. We made a racket; a true jam session. But it is good for the soul.

God Bless Billy Powell

God bless you Billy Powell. You became a roadie for Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1970, eventually promoted to keyboardist and a full fledged member of the band. You were the consistent, solid, beautiful melody buttressing the line of guitar heros that took the spotlight before you. What a life; you played on some of the best Southern Rock recordings ever made, you survived a plane crash... a plane crash in McComb, Mississippi in 1977! And you were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. So many accomplishments for a young man taken from this earth at age 56. Rest in peace and tell Ronnie, Steve, Alan, Cassie and Dean we miss them all, and keep rockin’! God bless you Billy Powell. You brought me great happiness and contributed to the theme song of my life.

God speed!

Still Rockin'... Always!

The rumor of our demise has been greatly exaggerated; we have been in the studio! Tuesday night we put the finishing touches on the song titled, “Always”. Now our resident producer, Henry, as to work his magic and put it all together; beautiful, balanced. The moment it’s done we will post it on myspace.com/bleuvoodoo for our enjoyment! In the meantime we will continue to record tracks of our original music so we can share it with you.

Two Highways

I woke up with an ol' Ricky Skaggs tune playing in my head:

Two highways lay before me
Which one would I choose?
Down one lane I'd find happiness
And down the other I would lose
There is no one that I can trust
I must decide alone
My decision is an awful one
Which road will take me home?

There has been a change in the wind, I guess for a while, and that wind has whipped up a storm. I've never really asked a musician why they play music. I just always assumed I would get a different, personal answer. After so many years I could give 50 answers myself and they would all be true. I love music, I love the creativity, I love the challenge, etc. But in playing in a band I love how each part fits together to fill up a rich blend of sound. It's like having a thoroughly meaning full conversation, when each participant is in sync and all walk away feeling fulfilled... like it mattered and the universe is a better place because of it. Selfishly, I have also desired to be apart of a brotherhood, and band of rogues who live and love and laugh because we are a part of something special. OK, I'm a little slow and I live in a fantasy land.

Let me just say that as musicians, Henry and Bob are two of the finest I ever played with. They understand the structure and foundation of music and are accomplished craftsman. In all honestly, I am probably the weak link in the band when it comes to musicianship. I tend to live in the moment and play what I feel; but there again, for me that is the fun of the creative process. But a band is more then that; its a a group of people behind the instruments, human beings; each with their own personality, thoughts and feelings. A band is a relationship and relationships need healthy boundaries to thrive or they die.

So as I was saying, I'm a little slow. Over the years I've come to realize that all things come with a price. Like a heroin addict, I am chasing that great high that I'll never catch. The only thing that doesn't change is change and the wind blows as much on a stormy day as a sunny day. I don't know what the weather will be tomorrow, but let's see what comes in on the breeze...