Going Down South (Bringing the Blues to Kingman)

Once again I am starting my blog! I sadly lost all the previous blogs, but no worries. I plan on doing Throwback Posts to look back on some of the

cool memories and experiences as well as what is happening now.

The 4th of July is always a fun time of year. I always have a gig, and usually a gig that stands out from many of my others. This year was no different.

For the last 6 months, I have been playing consistently with a blues band called Mean Red Spyder. It has been an awesome journey with my old friend Brad

Beckwith on bass (who I have known for many years) and my new friend Vince Bellon on the slide guitar and gnarly vocals. I have always enjoyed playing

with Brad, him being such a virtuoso on the bass. He always pushes me to an elevated level and inspires my creativity. What a guy! Vince has become a

good friend of mine, as well as a teacher in the often overlooked art of the blues. He is a wealth of knowledge, the kind of guy who has really studied

his art and has it in his soul; a kindred spirit.

Before I joined with the band, the guys worked briefly with a harmonica player, Garth Gardner, before he moved to Kingman, Arizona. They enjoyed playing

together and kept in touch. Garth then arranged a private party with some of the "movers and shakers" of Kingman and managed to hire the 4 of us to lay

some heavy blues on them for the event. This was an exciting idea for me; I had never been to Arizona or Nevada.

So, we started our journey on the 2nd of July. We went from Idaho to Arizona in about 14 hours (beautiful drive, painful on the back!) On the 3rd, Garth

took us around the area, showing us the casinos of Laughlin and Bullhead. We then went to Oatman, which is an old mining town on the old Route 66 road.

This town is full of wild burros that walk the streets, enter the buildings, and you can even feed them (if you are brave enough.) The scenery was

exquisite! I am not much for deserts, but the beauty of the red rock hills and mountains and the stark nakedness of the terrain was beautiful!

That night, we set up shop at a local mans home who was ready to party with an open bar, tons of food, some local friends, and now a blues band to enhance

the vibe. We played a great show, went to bed, and traveled back home on the 4th. I will defiantly be going back to that area, either to play or just for

kicks.

I hope everyone had a good 4th, remembering our freedoms and appreciating the way of life we have here in the USA.