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Previous 5 Posts
Concho
re: 2005 SPAH Aug-29-05 8:27pmI did not see any of the new Bushman harps. I went to the Harp Depot stand hoping they would be there but no luck. I did see someone with the new Hohner Marine Band Deluxe…he did not care for it much, but I noticed his other harps were Filiskos which are about the best you can get.
As far as equipment goes, I think I was most impressed with Mr. Microphone’s amps and mics ( www.mrmicrophone.com ). He had some great vintage amps and hand crafted custom mics. I had seen some of his stuff at last years Bean Blosssom but since he lives in Kansas City, he brought a better representation of what he has.
BlindBob
re: 2005 SPAH Aug-27-05 10:25amGreat reporting Chris..Denver next year huh? Wonder if you saw any new gear to talk about?? Were the new Bushman harps there? The wood comb ones are what I mean...
Concho
re: 2005 SPAH Aug-24-05 12:59pmIt will be in Denver next year.
bear
re: 2005 SPAH Aug-24-05 6:54amChris, I really envy you my friend. I'd give just about anything to be able to attend sonething like that. Your one lucky fellow.
Concho
re: 2005 SPAH Aug-23-05 8:38pmI wanted to give a report of the 2005 SPAH conference. With a new baby at home, limited funds and work duties, I was not able to attend the whole conference…but I did go to Jason Ricci’s Blowout at a local blues bar. I also went to the last day of the conference (Saturday).
This was my first SPAH experience and hopefully not my last. It was a harp lovers dream come true.
Jason Ricci’s Blowout
Jason Ricci’s Blowout was held at the Knucklehead Saloon the first night of SPAH. In addition to Jason Ricci and New Blood, the original bill had Lee McBee, Chris Michalek, Dennis Gruenling, Joe Filisko, and Pat Ramsey. However, Lee McBee and Chris Michalek could not be there. They were both out for medical reasons. That was the only disappointment of the night (except my MD recorder battery died ½ way through the event). Lee McBee is an extremely underrated player and was a big influence on my playing and I was really looking forward to hearing Chris play.
Jason and his band were on fire as usual, Joe Filisko got up and played solo for an hour or so and then several players in the audience got up on stage and jammed with Dave "Elmo" Bailey, a local singer, on vocals(this was to fill in for Lee and Chris). I was especially impressed Nicholas “Froggy” Forquet from France and Jimmie Meade (a local.) Following that set, Dennis Gruenling with Gina Fox, a vocalist, got up and put on one hell of a show. Dennis has a different sound than the other harp players. He sounds more like a horn than a traditional harp sound.
Last - but definitely not least – Pat Ramsey kicked things up another notch. I think I was most impressed by Pat. I had never seen him play before and was completely blown away. I was so impressed that I bought 2 of his CDs later in the week. I can easily hear his influence on Jason's playing.
They closed the show down with Jason, Pat, and Dennis all on stage trading licks. Words are not enough to explain how incredible that was. There were other tapers there and I hope they can get the show on archive.org soon so everyone can enjoy this incredible set.
Saturday at SPAH
Saturday morning started off a little slow. I guess everyone was tired from the evening jams. I went to a harp repair class put on by 2 reps from Hohner. It was a decent class but was geared for a big audience and I personally did not get much out of it. I then went to the Country and Bluegrass Harmonica Workshop taught by Charlie McCoy, PT Gazell, Kirk “Jellyroll” Johnson, Cara Cooke, Tulsa Reed, and Tony Eyers. I just wish this workshop lasted longer. I recorded it and hope to get more out of it in the future. I will also be going over the handouts and trying to learn as much as possible. What a privilege to learn from the best in the country/bluegrass harp business.
I then went to Joe Filisko’s teach in where several great harp players were stationed around the room giving lessons and pointers out. Some of the teachers were Peter “Madcat” Ruth, Dennis Gruneling, Allen Holmes, Kirk “Jellyroll” Johnson, Pat Missin, Jimmy Gordon, Jim Conway and I know I am leaving a few out. I got a lot to work on out of this session.
After the evening banquet, Charlie McCoy got up and showed us why he is the master of country harp. Talk about fast riffs…this man can play em.
As far as jams go, I sat in on 2…one in the afternoon and one Saturday night. I have never played with so many great players. Some of the people in the jams included Joe Filisko, Jimmy Gordon, Pat Ramsey, Jellyroll Johnson, Jimmy Lee, Winslow Yerxa and many other great players. It was intimidating yet inspiring to jam with so many great harpers.
That’s the summary of my short time at SPAH this year. I know I missed one hell of a good time the rest of the week. Including hearing Howard Levy play. I hope to go to the full event in the future.
[edit][ Edited: Aug-23-05 2:46pm by Concho ][/edit]
