Yes Folks.... I left my first lesson playing a song today!!! "You Are My Sunshine". Yes... what I play is even recognizable. I didn't have a chance today to go find a good traveling case for the banjo. I'll be carrying this thing to Arizona. It is a full size, very heavy banjo. I'm going to take it flying with me. this will be a labor of love and determination. If you see a Flight Attendant wheeling thru the airport with 3 bags and a banjo..... yes.... it will be me. I was concerned about the volumn while practising in my hotel room... Alan told me I could place a cloth under the bridge strings. I learned some rolls and chords. This is going to be fun.
Earlier today I met up with my long time friend Paul Sanford. We were discussing "the next project". He is unboard and will be co-writing the story and songs. More to come on this.... Readers Digest Version: This album will be a factual/fictional story of the Mining Country in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It will be a narrated story, supported by songs. There will be much research and investigation. I'm also finding out stories from people I'm meeting along the way. Paul is a fantastic story teller and adventerous soul.
Later I went to the MVD to renew my tags... No lines at the Green Hills MVD folks!!
After the banjo lesson, I went to a writers night hosted by Debi Champion. She puts on a 1st class writers show at the Commadore Lounge/Holiday Inn Select, over by Vanderbilt. Tonight Tommy Barnes was the featured writer. He wrote "Indian Outlaw" (Tim McGraw) and "My Love" (Little Texas). He of course has written many other steller songs as well. He's a true county grit singer/songwriter. I told him how much I admired his work and appreciated him doing this true country music (what I think country music is), he said that his style will be back in style soon. He's profound and dead on. I don't think anyone could ever let the air out of his tires. He's tireless and his creativity endless.