Nashville 2009-11-30

Hello all,

Thanksgiving in the States has come and gone and we're on the fast track to Christmas. I can't believe how quickly this year has sped by. It's been a very busy autumn with various recording projects. One of particular note was the beginning of an album with Canadian folk singer and songwriter Dave Francey. Wonderful songs and this guy can really sing, the kind of a voice that a microphone loves. Our mutual friend Kieran Kane is producing and playing on it as well. Recorded in a similar way to Kieran's record I mentioned earlier in the year, completely live with Kieran and I handling the guitar duties, Fats Kaplan on fiddle and Lucas Kane on percussion. When the take is over....that's it! Great stuff.

I'm off to London for a week of recording with Delta Maid, a cool, rootsy female singer and songwriter signed to Geffen Records. I'll spend the week before Christmas in Old Blighty then back in time for the holiday. Great way to end the year.

This past month I put a serious push to finish my record and I'm pleased to say...it is done and I'm very pleased with how it's sounding. We're looking at a February 2010 release and I'll keep you posted right here on the web-site.

There is a wonderful radio show that originates from Nashville called "The Guitar Show" with Andy Ellis. Two hours weekly of all kinds of interesting guitar music and interviews with great players both above and under the radar. He interviewed me several weeks ago and seems like we talked for hours. The show has aired and is now archived on line at www.theguitarshow.com. Scroll down to the bottom of the Interviews page and click on my name. Along the way you will see plenty of those who are above the radar that will interest you. The program streams live at this site as well and is well worth your time.

I had the most ridiculous accident the day before Thanksgiving. My wife and I decided to get as much stuff prepped as we could before the big day. My job was to roast, peel and mash the sweet potatoes. After an hour in the oven I took them out and tested each with a long bamboo skewer, the kind you use for shish-kabob. When I was satisfied they were all sufficiently done, I put the end of the skewer between my teeth while I grabbed a knife to slit the potatoes open. I took hold of the first potato, burnt my fingers and drew my hand back very suddenly impaling it on the pointed end of the skewer, simultaneously ramming the end that was in my teeth into the back of my throat. After the bleeding stopped I looked up in there with a flashlight. Pretty sore but didn't look all that bad, so I went on with things until mid-day when I could no longer swallow. Got out the flashlight again and it all looked like a bad B-movie in there. Off to the doc. After he shook his head at my stupidity he took a look at it. I am not kidding when I say he gasped. Not what you want to hear from your sawbones. He determined there were no bits of the skewer left in the wound, gave me a tetanus shot, antibiotics and something for the swelling and sent me packing. Needless to say, my Thanksgiving dinner consisted of only the mushiest of side items which included the sweet potatoes that started the whole thing. As of today, the throat's still sore but on the mend. The upshot being: never, EVER put a skewer in your mouth. As I flounder round the final months of my fifth decade you would think I'd have already learned that. Still, it was a wonderful Thanksgiving and we have much to thank our lucky stars for and hope the same for you.

Richard

Nashville, Tennessee