Johnny Winter.

My May issue of Guitar Player arrived in my mailbox the other day.

There it was an article about one of my favourite American Slingers
Johnny Winter.

I remember the first time i heard one of his songs from the Radio in Athens,
i believe it was from the classic two records set but three sides recorded "Second Winter"

Of course i had to buy that album immediately but i had to wait till my sister
brought it to me from her first trip to London.

I was very difficult to get albums like this one in Greece those days.

Then a friend of mine bought "The Progressive Blues Experiment"
from a record store in Athens`s old town Plaka where they were
getting records from Americans serving at the then existing American Base!

I was hooked!

I`ve never heard anyone playing like he did with such a power and
raw conviction.

This guy not only looked different but he had an amazing vocabulary
of Blues Licks that he would soon adapt them into powerfull Rock ones.

You didn`t have to look any further if you were studying guitar and
wanted to become an accomplished Blues-Rocker!

Johny Winter had all the chops you were looking for.

He was a living encyclopaedia of the Blues.

I had the privilege to see him Live once in Stockhom,Sweden,
and on his comeback "I`m A Bluesman" tour last year at
B.B.King`s

He is currently recording a new album "Roots"
with guest appearances from Dr.John,Billy Gibbons
and his brother Edgar.

I can`t wait to catch him Live next time he will be in N.Y.C.

Joe Bonamassa.

Last night Kathleen and I went to B.B.King`s
for to listen to Joe Bonamassa Live!

The show was almost sold out but we manage to get very good seats
overlooking right on the stage.

The opening band was the New York Blues Devils playing traditional blues
with a horn section a very good harmonica player and a singer who acted
and sounded like he came out of the 30`s with a devilish kind of look!

He reminded me of Tom Waits which was cool.

At precisely nine forty five Joe and his band took the stage and had us
under the spell of his guitar playing for one and a half hour.

The guy has it all in one package!

Licks that burn, good looks, a good and convincing bluesy voice,good songs,
many guitars that he was changing according to the need of the songs
and he is equally good on electric and acoustic.

The bass player was very good as was the drummer and the trio
sounded very tight with the overall sound being really GOOD!

He played two British Blues-Rock masterpieces for the 70`s.
"Walk in my shadows" from the first Free album
titled "Tons of Sobs"and "A new day yesterday" from the first
Jethro Tull album with the same title!

He covered songs from his three CD Releases and judging from
the amount of people lined up to buy his latest one,
he left a very good impression!

Monday Night Jam.

Spring is finally here!

I went for a walk at Central Park
where the air smells like spring and
people are wandering happily around now that the winter is finally gone.

Met a couple of friends around
Columbus Circle
which made me feel even better and i decided there and then to go to tonight`s
Jam session held at Scotland Yard Bar.

So after i finished my teaching schedule i grabbed my Brian Moore
and took the Path Train to Hoboken.

It was quarter to ten when i arrived and the band was doing a medium tempo suffle.

Big Ed Sullivan who is hosting the Monday night jams there,
was playing some hot licks on his canary yellow Tele
while Matt Moussaeu was keeping a steady beat on the drums.
On the Bass and the second guitar was two very good players but i can`t recall their names.

I signed my name on the list of musicians who were there for the jam and ordered a
Guiness from
Christine behind the bar.
Dave Gross came in with his girlfriend
Mike Torres too and lots of other very good musicians who are regularly there for the jam.

I did three songs as usual!

"Before you Accuse me" "Torn Down" and "Crosscut Saw"
and signed up a birthday card for Matt Moussaeu before leaving
around twelve thirty in the morning!

Humidifier!

Spring time again after the long cold winter.

Spring time comes with neck related problems.

Neck related problems on the guitars that is.

Both my Gibson 335 and my
70`s Fender Strat got a slightly bend neck this year.

It didn`t bother me so much because i took them to Guitar Man
and Aaron took care of the problems right away.
They both play and sound better than before so i am happy.

The real problem though occured on my Guild acoustic.

The plastic binding around the body got loose and a plastic pad on the back
between the neck and the body too !

This change didn`t happen overnight but gradually over the last two winters.

So i took my guitar over to Jimmy`s and he said that
the wood is dried out and in desperate need of humidity,
which meant that i have to leave it there so he will place it in
a humidified room for two to three days,
and then gradually glue the binding together with the body
so i could have it back in two to three weeks.

A Big and costly job that could be avoided if i had regularly used a humidifier.

Now after a long search i found out the best ones are called:
Oasis Humidifiers.

Brian Moore Guitars.

I `ve got a call the other day for a private gig with my trio.

I wanted to use an electric and an acoustic guitar and instead of carrying two
instruments with me, i took my beloved Brian Moore.

I used two guitar amps and i sent my signal from my Brian Moore to both amps
via a Y Cord.

This way i could play electric on one amp and acoustic on the other
and whenever required i combined the two sounds together
mixing them with two separate volume contols on my Brian Moore Guitar!

One volume for the magnetic Seymour Duncan pickups
and another for the piezzo ones!

The sound was superb and got everybodys attention to my playing.

And that`s very cool!

I`ve been using my Brian Moore Guitar for almost two years now
for both "Live" and "Studio" gigs with great results.

I am no longer depending on a keyboard player to lay down tracks for me
because i do that myself.

I play the bass lines on my Brian Moore,i add the pianos,strings,sax,flutes
and whatever fun sounds i need by simply playing my Guitar.

Using my IGuitar
my PowerBookG4 and
Garage Band software
I have a whole Studio right in my living room!

I record everything the way i want to, in my own pace ,experimenting
with drum loops, different sounds, i can sent mp3 files to other musicians
burn a CD and have all my ideas perfectly worked out before going to
a studio and lay down the final tracks for an album.

Canned Heat.

Mike is a guitar student of mine.
Mike works at E.M.I.
Mike can get up to six cds per month free of charge.

The other day proudly gave me a CD Worth Checking Out!

The very best of Canned Heat !

Now who remembers Canned Heat?

I certainly do!

Canned Heat is THE Woodstock band and their song "Going up The Country"
one of the band`s biggest hits became the "theme song" for the Movie.

"Future Blues" the album with the wired cover picture of them as astronauts,
placing the American Flag on the Moon kept me good company in my early teens.

I must have at least three of their albums back in Athens but this was my
beloved one featuring Harvey Mandel on lead guitar.

Harvey Mandel together with Canned Heat`s bass player
Larry Taylor play on the adventourous
John Mayall`s album titled "U.S.A Union"

What a great album that is!

The way Larry keeps the beat without a drummer and the guitar sounds
Harvey achieves on this recording made it instantly a classic and one of my
favourite Mayall albums.

But Canned Heat was and might still be one of the best Boogie Bands ever.

Elvin Bishop.

On a cold Friday night in January 20th of 2006,
me together with my bass player and good friend Margey
went to B.B.Kings in
Times Square to listen to
Elvin Bishop and his Band!

My student and P.R person for the club, had put my name on the Guest list
and we were lucky enough to get two seats on the left side of the stage
for perfect acoustic and visual enjoyment.

Now i was familiar with his music and guitar sound from the days when
he was playing in Paul Butterfield`s Blues Band and i have his "Big Fun"
album on Alligator Records , back in Athens
in which his humoristic lyrics and guitar playing shines through.

Margey Knew of him, but she had never heard his music and never seen him
Live.

We were in for a Big Treat!

He was touring and promoting his latest CD on Blind Pig Records,
titled "Gettin' My Groove Back" and man we did get our groove back
right from the start of the show!

The band was fabulous,they were tight, they were all singing
lead and back up vocals,they were playing different instruments
and they all remained true to Elvin`s motto to entertain.

Catch them "Live" if you can.

You gonna get your Groove Back!

Robin Trower.

I was having my coffee reading the music section of the Village Voice
when i got a glimpse of Robin Trower`s name under the Eddytor`s Dozen
section.

Robin Trower "Living Out of Time"
Live {Ruf heavy boogie album}.

Now i do own the "Living out of Time" album but in it`s studio version which was released only in the U.S.A.

But this live version ,which was recorded in Germany
for his 60th birhtday anniversary and which also came out as a DVD,
must be a killer, judging by Chuck Eddy`s Eddytor`s Dozen pick for the CD
and by Guitar Player`s editor Michael Molenda`s review for the DVD,
in the magazine`s March 2006 issue!

Which brings me back to the golden Robin Trower days
and his first Live album which was recorded in 1976 in Stockholm Sweden.

What an amazing live album that is!

When i was living in Stockholm i had the privilege of listening to
the unmixed live tapes and they sounded even better than the final product!

I have to check this one out ASAP.

Maplewood.

My wife went to stay at our friends house, who traveled to Paris,
in Maplewood, on a long weekend writing mission.

And to baby sit Zoey the cat.

After one day`s separation i too left the city , Saturday afternoon ,
for the suburbs of New Jersey.

Everything was familar since we have stayed at their place
a couple times before, with the exception of a Brand New Stereo System!

Since i had been informed about the new addition i brought with me
the new David Gilmour cd titled "On An Island"
for a new listening experience.

I immediately liked the new looks of the Nad
L73 DVD Receiver and the Quad Speakers
and after opening a bottle of Woodbridge
Cabernet Sauvignon I placed myself right there in between facing the two speakers on their valuable stands.

I spent hours listening to CDs and Records and enjoying the sound.

I suddenly realized how much i miss my stereo system
that i spent so much time and money building it up
and that now stands all packed up and stored at
My Parents House in Athens.

Guild.

We guitar players love our guitars.

That`s a fact!

Now some people love them more than others.

I recently met this guy who told me that he wanted to be burried with his `60`s Strat!

I have never thought that far ahead, but i love my guitars and i take very good care of them.

We guitar players for the most part are also obsessed with our sound.

This guitar sounds best with this amp , this stompbox really brings out
the harmonics of my strat,this one really compress the signal and so on....

It`s a never ending search for the Holly Grail and that`s your unique own sound!

You might love Santana but you don`t want to sound like him.

You adore Eric Clapton but you don`t want to sound like him and so on.

So I find myself spenting hours upon hours trying to fine tune my pedals
till i get The Sound I hear in My Head.

And by now i have a very precise idea of how i want my guitar to sound like!

But when i want to write a new song i realize that the acoustic
guitar works best for me.

First of all i can take it with me everywhere!

No need for amplification frees my mind and spirit.

When i write a song i mostly concetrate on the harmony and the melody
and the acoustic guitar is perfect for that.

The warmth,the intonation,and the overall sound of my
Guild is always as inspiring as the fisrt time i brought the guitar home.

Gibson Les Paul.

When i think about Gibson Les Paul guitars,
My mind goes back to the golden British Blues Era and the guitarists who defined it.

Eric Clapton was the first one to capture the sound of a Les Paul
through a Marshall combo on the first
John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers album which was released in 1966
and it`s now best known among guitar afficionados as "Beano".

John Mayall had the talent and the ear to discover very talented young British
Blues guitar players, so after Eric left the band for to form Cream
he was replaced by Peter Green with whom he recorded
"A Hard Road" released in 1967.

Peter was also A Gibson Les Paul Man and his sound on this one is kind of similar to Eric`s.

After he too left the band to form Fleetwood Mac he was replaced by
a very young Mick Taylor with whom he recorded two albums,
"Bare Wires" and "Blues from Laurel Canyon" both released in 1968!

Mick then left to join the mighty Rolling Stones .

Meanwhile another British Guitar Prodigy also armed with a Gibson les Paul
recorded the first, in my opinion, Blues-Rock album called "Truth"
featuring a very young Rod Stewart on vocals
and Ron Wood on bass guitar and was also released in 1968.

And for to complete the Gibson Les Paul through a Marshall combo
or stack love affair of the late 60`s in England, the name of Jimi Page
who formed Led Zeppelin
and who switched from a Fender Tele
to a Les Paul Standard on their second album has to be mentioned!

Peter Green.

It always feels good to introduce young guitar players to the ones
that greatly inspired me.

Of course everyone is familiar with the name of Eric Clapton,
who was one of my big influences.

But not so many young guitarists have heard of another amazing blues player,
who replaced Eric in John Mayall`s second Bluesbrakers line up,
after Clapton`s departure , for to form the first supergroup ever!Cream.

I am talking about the amazing Peter Green!

"A Hard Road" is the name of the album he recorded with John Mayall
and his playing shines through.

After that he, together with bass player John Mc Vie ,
left the Bluesbreakers for to form Fleetwood Mac ,
later known as Peter Green`s Fleetwood Mac ,or The Early Years,
before they bacame a very successful pop group!

Any recordings from that period are evidence of his guitar virtuosity,
his blues song writing and his nasal very emotional voice that sends chills down your spine.

Check them out.

They are a must if you are a blues lover and guitar player.

Saugerties.

Saturday was a georgeous day.

I took the bus from Penn Station to Kingston,Upstate New York.
My dear wife was waiting for me at the sation where she picked me up
and drove to our friend`s house in Saugerties.

This is a sacred place to us because it was the place she brought me
on my first visit to New York and we spent some fabulous days and nights
rediscovering each other after a three months separation!

Our friend`s house is an amazing house up on the hill full of light
and open space all around it.
I felt in love with it and with the good carma of the place.
Our friends are cat people and they now have three adorable pussycats
that we are taking care of everytime they go away,giving us the possibility
to get out of the city and clear our minds and spirit.

It is a very spiritual place too!

I remember on my fisrt visit i was so keen to visit Woodstock!

I`ve never thought i will be visiting this almost mythical place
where the Concert took place and was so much related to music.

Hell everybody had been there to find inspiration!

Brian Jones from the Rolling Stones ,
George Harrison from the Beatles ,
Eric Clapton from the Cream,
and of course that whole trend started by Bob Dylan,
and the The Band,
after their acclaimed album "Music from Big Pink" was recorded there
and totally changed the music trend of the time.

I myself always find inspiration there and this time i wrote a very nice song
which i dedicate to our friends Nancy and Martin,
owners of this amazing house.

It is called "Saugerties"

On An Island!

The other day i went by Tower Records and got me
the new David Gilmour album titled "On an island".

Now i have always been a David Gilmour fun and his first solo album
released in 1978 is one of my all time favourites.

I was all excited on my way home and the first thing i did was
to put the cd on my new stereo system.

The sound landscape Gilmour creates is one of a kind!

Although i live on an Island his sound always brings pictures
of a Greek Island I love. Crete!

Agia Roumeli to be more specific on the south coast of Chania.

The first instumental is called "Castellorizon" which is a Greek island
near Rhodes where he keeps a house for himself!

At least he did way back when i met him there in person hanging around!

The production is superb and i love the vocal harmonies
on the second track "On An Island" by David Crosby
and Graham Nash.

Once again David you got me hooked!

Roadhouse.

On Wednesday night i finally decided to go to the Roadhouse
to the Blues Jam hosted by my friend Big Ed Sullivan .

When i got there around 9:30 pm. the place was packed with people
who were digging the house band ,which included some amazing musicians,
beside Big Ed Himself on Guitar and Vocals.

The second guitarist on stage was mr.Pete Pantelis, mr.Arthur Neilson
on bass, and on drums mr.Matt Moussaeu.

I immediately felt at home,knowing everybody and
when i aproach the stage to sign my name for the upcoming jam
i had the chance i briefly greet everyone.

Mr.Pantelis sung some songs and it was the first time i ever heard him sing
which was a welcoming surprise.

After the fisrt break Arthur took out his goergous Gibson 335
and played an instrumental from his latest cd with Big Ed on bass.

I was privileged to be there and listen to it for the first time performed on stage.

It was a very nice evening with great musicians taking the stage
every three songs and jamming up there for the first time with such good results!

I played "Long Grey Mare","Howlin`for my darling"and a very fast version of "Croassroads"

I left around 12:30 am.while the band on stage was playing a slow blues and people were still grooving!

Beano.

Last night Carlo came for his guitar lesson and he brought me two cds.

John Mayer Trio Live and John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers .

We listened some tracks from the first one, which is ok,
a little too polished for my taste,it lacks this raw feeling i am after.

Then we put on the second one which is one of my all time favourite blues record.

The first Bluesbreakers album ,featuring Eric Clapton .

This is a trully amazing album that got me hooked the first time i heard it
way back when i was in high school in Athens Greece.

It blew me away and it was the album that changed my life and it made me
decide that, that was exactly what i wanted to do for the rest of my life!

Play the Guitar!

I spent so many hours listening to it trying to figure out every guitar lick
Eric was playing.

It was his sound, his vibrato and his musical taste that had an enormous
impact on me.

Now this album is known to guitar players world wide as the "Beano"
album because of the comics magazine Eric was reading on the cover.

The amazing distorted sound he achieved, playing a
Gibson Les Paul through a Marshall combo ,

and for the fisrt time ever captured on tape, is now a standard reference
for the Gibson Les Paul- Marshall combination.

When Carlo left my studio after showing him the solo intro
and the rhythm guitar from the first song of that album ,"All Your Love",
he was in seven heaven!

As i was, many years ago when i figured out how to play it myself.

My 70`s Fender Strat.

Sometimes it is hard to explain a situation.

You see both guitars i brought from Greece lately, back to their mother land
U.S.A, got the same neck problem the same week with two days difference.

I first brought back my Gibson 335 , in the beginning
of September 2005 and later in November my sister brought me
my old companion from the 70`s my beloved Fender Strat .

Both of them got a bend neck by the end of the previous week.

Now i am very well aware of the impact the sudden weather changes can have
on the wood, but both guitars were indoors and in case when that occured.

Last night i returned home from my visit to Guitar Man ,
where Aaron did his magic on my Gibson,
adjusting the neck and some other minor details
and the guitar plays now better than before.

It really sings.

The neck feels so good ,it`s easier to play, with more sustain,
the intonation is perfect and i just fell in love with it again!

Thank you very mach Guitar man!

Now i have to make another trip to Orchard str.
for to give my Fender Stratocaster the same treatment.

I can`t wait to feel the results of this new adjustment!

Slinky.

On the first Eric Clapton album titled simply "Eric Clapton"
The one with the photo of him pealing an apple ,
it`s an instrumental i love called "Slunky".

My friends rescued a young adorable male cat from the streets of Harlem
the other day and when we were suggesting names for the new member
of their family i proposed the name "Slinky" which they loved
and named him after.

Last night we visited them for a delicious vegeterian dinner
prepared by Allan himself ,to watch the Oscars together
and to meet Slinky for the first time.

Needless to say he was the focus of our attention
and we spend most of the evening playing with him.

To our surpsrise the movie "Crash" won the "best movie" title.

But it was little Slinky who won our hearts instead!

My Gibson 335.

While the temperature drops outside, the heating elements are cranking up
to provide a cozy indoors heat!
But it also sucks away the moisture out of the air which is very bad
for the wood and especially for your guitars if you happen to be
a guitar player like me.

Most people in the city they don`t have the means to control their inside
room temperature and it can get pretty hot and dry.
That`s when you really need a humidifier to keep a healthy ammount
of moisture indoors at all times.

Now we happen to live in a loft that have thermostats on each
heating element and that way I can control the heat
which I usally keep at around 72 degrees F.
I also put a plate of water on each element which slowly
evaporates and moistens the air.

But the other night with an outside temperature at 16 degrees F.
and dropping,i forgot one element on and in the morning the room
temperature had risen to almost 80 degrees F and my water plate
was totaly dried out.

Later on i picked up my Gibson 335 out of it`s case
and to my surpise it`s neck was bent.
The strings were higher than normal which made it harder to play,
but the intonation was intact.

I wanted to get another opinion so i called
my guitar-bass player, teacher and luthier,
long time friend and music colaborator Leo,
who now lives in Toronto- Canada and we tried to figure out
what might have `caused this phenomenon.


Another explanation was that before i put the Guitar in it`s case
last time i`ve played it, i had tuned it 1/2 step down, played it
for a week like that ,then tuned up to normal 440 pitch and placed
it in it`s case.
That combined with the weather change might have caused the
neck to slightly bend.

What can you do.
Keep in mind that the wood is breathing entity and it`s very
sensitive to changes and sometimes even minor ones can cause
things like that to happen.

Tomorrow i am taking it over to the Guitar Man,
to check it out.

Mc Sorley`s.

My sister was here in December, visiting N.Y.C for the first time.

I couldn`t spend every day with her so we decided that she would do
all of the museums by herself and i would be her guide in the sections
of the city where i love to hang out!
But i soon found out that she knew more about these places than i did.
She is a much better traveler than i ever was and she is used to carrying
with her a guide book at all times.

Sometimes i got impatient while waiting for her to read and
find out precisely where we were,if there were any important
buildings to see,about the history of the area and so on.

But i must admit that while walking with her the streets of Manhattan
i discovered more about the city than i had done on my walks the last two years.

We were hanging out at St. Marks Place one day,
when we got hungry and thirsty,and were wandering where to go
for to satisfy our appetite,when she took out her
precious saurce of information she turns to me and says:
Let`s go to Mc Sorley`s !

Entering this Old Ale House at East 7th street and Third Avenue is
an experience like no other.
The history of the place greets you as you cross the front door
and you stand there surrounded by the smell of Ale,
the people and the loud voices.
It was around two in the afternoon and the tables were almost
full.
It felt nice and warm as we headed for the second and bigger room
where we sat with together other people with whom we became friends
instantly after the second round of homebrewed dark and blond beer!

My sister`s Chilly Con Carne was delicious and so was my Burger with Fries.
We both felt in love with the place, the service and the people and after
my sister left it also become a place full of precious memories
from the two times we spent there.

Needless to say i have become a regular myself, especially after my last visit
when i witnessed two customers bringing in their dogs and being allowed to stay!

And that added charm too!

The yard.

There are not so many blues-clubs left in the city!
Six clubs have closed since my first visit here in 1997.
It`s the same story.
Their lease is running out and they can`t afford to renew it.
Manhattan is changing fast,becoming a place for the rich and corporate.
Artists are forced to move out.

That`s why they say that the best blues-club in N.Y.C
is in Hoboken New Jersey!
Scotland Yard Bar is the place to go if you want to
listen to the best Blues Bands around.
They have Live music six nights of the week and on Monday nights
the Blues Jam hosted by Big Ed Sullivan ,
has become a must see and hear event where you can meet
the best blues-players from New York, New Jersey and the whole country!

Everybody is friendly and the audience is into the music ,
making every musician feel good and welcome.

I have been there many times myself, either with my band SOUKIS ,
or joining the jam session with different musicians,or as a listener and it always feels great!
But i didn`t know what my bass player and dear friend Margey Peters told me
last night that in January they had their 30 years celebration.

Thirty years of Monday Jam sessions no wonder why the place has become legendary!

Now you yourself can get a taste by clicking on:
Margey Peters and read her well written document of
this trully amazing place.

Enjoy and come visit!

I ain`t superstitious.

But that black cat is crossing my trail!

Kalo Mina we wish in Greece, in the beginning of each month which
means literally "Good Month".

But i also read about my zodiac sign at Susan Miller`s brilliant astral prognosis of the month!
Just to be on the safe side and avoid any huge mistakes.
Especially when you are dealing with two major eclipses on
the 14th and the 29th of March.
And judging from my experience i can tell you it works!

I am not going to sign any major deals this month,
I`m gonna wait until the beginning of April when
things are clearing up and the future seems brighter.
After both eclipces have occured and i stand on safer ground!

It doesn`t really matter much if i am supertitious or not.
I always find it very interesting to read my monthly horoscope
and learn more about myself, my zodiac sign and how i am
affected by the cosmos that surround me.
After all i am being loyal to my Greek ancestors who could
read-say=logos, the astra=stars.
Astrology!

Check it out!
It`s worth your while.