First, I have to say – the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise lives up to its’ name. The gigs, line-up, audience and atmosphere are fantastic. And that’s not just for a day or two, everyone keeps up this standard (and pace) for a WEEK. Nothin’ but a veritable ship of bluesin’ fools…
The Preacher and I started well; straight to the Lido deck bar to soak up the sunshine and bustling ambience over drinks with Aunt Carol and Ellie. Getting everybody aboard is an exercise in itself, but eventually the ‘boat to nowhere’ (explanations later!) left San Diego harbor shrouded in a sudden, spooky sea-mist.
Once at sea, next order of business is finding your cabin, working out your bearings and taking part in the lifeboat drill. Half-tanked, wearing bulky orange life jackets, we are all herded like cats into our correct emergency stations. The party vibe is palpable and God help us if we ever really need to evacuate! Unpack a few things in the cabin – very nice, with a door and view out onto the Promenade deck – then off to play my first shipboard gig, to a wonderful appreciative crowd in the Ocean Bar. Yippeee! The adventure has begun…
Things get crazy in the ‘alternate reality’ of the Blues Cruise…a week-long extravaganza of music, experiences, conversations…so I absolutely promise myself that I will (a) keep a daily diary and (b) pace myself by starting gently and going to bed reasonably early on the first night. After all, there’s a week of this madness and I’ve just flown from Australia, right? Ha! In the wee, wee hours, ‘tween midnight and day, I am in the piano bar with my trusty acoustic guitar. Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne’s invitation to jam had proved irresistible.
Day 2 (technically a ‘day off’ for me)
Hmmmm…yes – after several days I look at my diary and have written NOTHING – so we move now to jumbled recollections…
An uplifting start: Gospel brunch with Mel Waiters, Chandra Calloway and Mike Finnigan (Phantom Blues Band). Break out my electric guitar and go play at the Pro-Am Jam in the Crow’s Nest with Pacific Northwest trombone-meister Randy Oxford. Drinks and dinner with new friends! G’day Jimi the Chef, wife Leslie and mate Ken. It’s ‘Soul Blues’ theme tonight and these guys are dressed. Catch the smooth stylings of Mel Waiters in the show room, then Mavis Staples - what a wonderful feeling in the house! Tonight Tommy Castro is hosting the Pro Jam, by 3 am: I’m jamming with Debbie Davies, Lionel Young, Shane Dwight… 4.30am: I’m calling room service for a snack…time change…clocks forward one hour
Day 3 (Port of call: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico)
It’s too rough to go ashore. In fact, our Captain informs us that Hurricane Rick will shortly hit the Mexican coast where we are anchored. The ship will have to abandon its itinerary and turn tail northwards. *Thus, we become the ‘boat to nowhere’, cruising lazy circles in the calmest Pacific waters available for the next 6 days. With this news, we decide the best thing to do is to invent more gigs!!! The Preacher and I take over the Ocean Bar and put together a 4 hour jammin’ show with new friends: Debbie Davies (guitar), acoustic IBC winner Lionel Jones (violin & guitar), along with his band mates Jay Forrest Jnr (drums) and Kimet Stone (bass), a talented young cruiser Kyle Rowlands (harmonica), Kenny Wayne (piano & melodian), Leon Blue (piano), David Kide from Rod Piazza’s ‘Mighty Flyers’ on drums – whew!
Day 4 (I think it must be Tuesday – lost at sea)
Rescheduled show for me in Crows Nest venue. Play a ‘concert’ acoustic set to a very attentive, listening crowd. Wonderful! Bantering about young harpist Kyle before my saucy song ‘Young Rider Blues’, it was fitting to have his blushing harmonica accompaniment on ‘Old Time Ways’ (which I recorded with 96 year old Pinetop Perkins). First of the Lido deck ‘Autograph Parties’ today. The Preacher & I share a table with the delightful Little Joe McLerran and his wife, and have a grand time hanging out and chatting with everybody. Thank you, cruiser Mel for my lovely handcrafted ‘Blues Cruise’ necklace! Impromptu guitar jam with lovely blues-rock guitar slinger Laurie Morvan at the Big City Blues magazine booth – big fun!. Go catch some other acts – then, back to the Pro-Am Jam, tonight hosted by pianist Steve Wiggins, a friend from my Panama City Beach days...
Day 5 (still lost at sea – Elvin Bishop’s birthday – ‘Day of the Dead’ theme)
Take part in the Blues Songwriting presentation in the main venue. All participants play an original song & discuss aspects of songwriting. It’s a fascinating insight to the creative process. And I got to hang on stage with Tommy Castro, Jeff Turmes (bassist with Mavis Staples & Janiva’s husband), Susan Tedeschi, Rod Piazza and Mel Waiters! It’s the first time I’ve met Susan and I really enjoy her playing and sassy attitude. We’re invited to Michele Lundeen’s birthday dinner (she’s one of the Blues Festival Guide party folks). Tonight I start my gig with Debbie Davies & me on electric guitars, Larry Fulcher (Phantom Blues Band) on bass – and me kicking my trusty ‘stomp’ box in lieu of a drummer! It’s great to play again with Larry; that’s him playing electric bass on my ‘Lucky 13’ album… I finish up the show solo acoustic – then run like hell to see the end of the Phantom’s set on the back deck where I DANCE…(yes, I‘m not usually much of a dancer. Generally I do that musician thing of sitting sagely at the bar carefully observing.) Too much fun already? NO! Straight off to see Susan Tedeschi in the main venue…
Day 6 (still lost at sea – going delirious – ‘Mardi Gras’ theme)
Thing are really getting sketchy now…some of this might have happened yesterday – or tomorrow. I know I saw Elvin Bishop’s cooking demonstration – hilariously droll! Also, the cruisers’ outfits for both these theme nights are fabulous. You really need to check out Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise’s website for some visuals. Yes – I will post some pix too! I know I was part of the musicians dinner with ‘Captain’ Roger Naber, and sat next to the handsome guitarist Olivier from Buckwheat Zydeco’s band. DANCED like crazy to Buckwheat’s set…had the second autograph party somewhere in there. Late in the night I have a great jam with Coco Montoya, Debbie Davies and an extended horn section…what is superlative about the cruise is the chance to meet, hang, jam and be musically inspired by all the other fabulous musicians!!! Acoustic jam with Little Joe McLerran, ditto… Waaaaay too little time in bed…time change, clocks go backwards? And when exactly was that 'Tequila Tasting Party' hosted by Aunt Carol in her ocean-view stateroom?!
Day 7 (is that…..land?!!! Port of call, Ensenada, Mexico)
Almost crack of dawn photo shoot with Robert Jnr Whitall & Sugar Mae, from Big City Blues Magazine, who manage to round up some of the considerable female talent aboard: Susan Tedeschi, Roach Carruthers (Café R & B), Laurie Morvan, pianist Taryn Donath, the beautiful Cookie Taylor (Koko’s daughter) and myself…
Then – after so many days at sea – let’s go ashore! The Preacher & I have never stepped foot in Mexico, but we are taken in hand by ship comptroller Mardi Silva, along with ‘Scrap Iron’ (a veritable character, and Little Miltons’ road manager of 31 years). We hit a restaurant and feast on fish tacos, octopus and prawns, whilst being serenaded by a semi-toothless trio of local musicians. Even Scrap Iron is impressed….’’what….they don’t got no dentists in this country?!”
After lunch, Steve and I wander and even do a little shopping before heading back to the Boat, and our lives’ purpose – more gigs! Quick slashin’ electric guitar guest spot with Shane Dwight’s band (more fun!) before I run off to my last show in the Ocean Bar. More jamming with Little Joe and Debbie Davies – I just love both these guys, and have really enjoyed getting the chance to meet and play with them. It’s a late night (no kidding?) and there’s barely time to pack and grab a little sleep before the 7am customs and disembarkation call for we non-US citizens! Eventually we find ourselves, vaguely overwhelmed but strangely blissed, wandering around the San Deigo airport awaiting our flight ‘home’ to Portland…
To finish the story – I ‘teased’ you in the last blog with a special outback Aussie purchase that was destined for the Silent Auction aboard the Blues Cruise. I felt it was important to have something a little different…something that the folks wouldn’t get at home…so, my offering of a beautiful little leather pouch fashioned from a tanned kangaroo scrotum turned out to be quite a hit!
On that note I leave you, fair reader. More news soon!!!
Photo album for this blog here.
The Preacher and I started well; straight to the Lido deck bar to soak up the sunshine and bustling ambience over drinks with Aunt Carol and Ellie. Getting everybody aboard is an exercise in itself, but eventually the ‘boat to nowhere’ (explanations later!) left San Diego harbor shrouded in a sudden, spooky sea-mist.
Once at sea, next order of business is finding your cabin, working out your bearings and taking part in the lifeboat drill. Half-tanked, wearing bulky orange life jackets, we are all herded like cats into our correct emergency stations. The party vibe is palpable and God help us if we ever really need to evacuate! Unpack a few things in the cabin – very nice, with a door and view out onto the Promenade deck – then off to play my first shipboard gig, to a wonderful appreciative crowd in the Ocean Bar. Yippeee! The adventure has begun…
Things get crazy in the ‘alternate reality’ of the Blues Cruise…a week-long extravaganza of music, experiences, conversations…so I absolutely promise myself that I will (a) keep a daily diary and (b) pace myself by starting gently and going to bed reasonably early on the first night. After all, there’s a week of this madness and I’ve just flown from Australia, right? Ha! In the wee, wee hours, ‘tween midnight and day, I am in the piano bar with my trusty acoustic guitar. Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne’s invitation to jam had proved irresistible.
Day 2 (technically a ‘day off’ for me)
Hmmmm…yes – after several days I look at my diary and have written NOTHING – so we move now to jumbled recollections…
An uplifting start: Gospel brunch with Mel Waiters, Chandra Calloway and Mike Finnigan (Phantom Blues Band). Break out my electric guitar and go play at the Pro-Am Jam in the Crow’s Nest with Pacific Northwest trombone-meister Randy Oxford. Drinks and dinner with new friends! G’day Jimi the Chef, wife Leslie and mate Ken. It’s ‘Soul Blues’ theme tonight and these guys are dressed. Catch the smooth stylings of Mel Waiters in the show room, then Mavis Staples - what a wonderful feeling in the house! Tonight Tommy Castro is hosting the Pro Jam, by 3 am: I’m jamming with Debbie Davies, Lionel Young, Shane Dwight… 4.30am: I’m calling room service for a snack…time change…clocks forward one hour
Day 3 (Port of call: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico)
It’s too rough to go ashore. In fact, our Captain informs us that Hurricane Rick will shortly hit the Mexican coast where we are anchored. The ship will have to abandon its itinerary and turn tail northwards. *Thus, we become the ‘boat to nowhere’, cruising lazy circles in the calmest Pacific waters available for the next 6 days. With this news, we decide the best thing to do is to invent more gigs!!! The Preacher and I take over the Ocean Bar and put together a 4 hour jammin’ show with new friends: Debbie Davies (guitar), acoustic IBC winner Lionel Jones (violin & guitar), along with his band mates Jay Forrest Jnr (drums) and Kimet Stone (bass), a talented young cruiser Kyle Rowlands (harmonica), Kenny Wayne (piano & melodian), Leon Blue (piano), David Kide from Rod Piazza’s ‘Mighty Flyers’ on drums – whew!
Day 4 (I think it must be Tuesday – lost at sea)
Rescheduled show for me in Crows Nest venue. Play a ‘concert’ acoustic set to a very attentive, listening crowd. Wonderful! Bantering about young harpist Kyle before my saucy song ‘Young Rider Blues’, it was fitting to have his blushing harmonica accompaniment on ‘Old Time Ways’ (which I recorded with 96 year old Pinetop Perkins). First of the Lido deck ‘Autograph Parties’ today. The Preacher & I share a table with the delightful Little Joe McLerran and his wife, and have a grand time hanging out and chatting with everybody. Thank you, cruiser Mel for my lovely handcrafted ‘Blues Cruise’ necklace! Impromptu guitar jam with lovely blues-rock guitar slinger Laurie Morvan at the Big City Blues magazine booth – big fun!. Go catch some other acts – then, back to the Pro-Am Jam, tonight hosted by pianist Steve Wiggins, a friend from my Panama City Beach days...
Day 5 (still lost at sea – Elvin Bishop’s birthday – ‘Day of the Dead’ theme)
Take part in the Blues Songwriting presentation in the main venue. All participants play an original song & discuss aspects of songwriting. It’s a fascinating insight to the creative process. And I got to hang on stage with Tommy Castro, Jeff Turmes (bassist with Mavis Staples & Janiva’s husband), Susan Tedeschi, Rod Piazza and Mel Waiters! It’s the first time I’ve met Susan and I really enjoy her playing and sassy attitude. We’re invited to Michele Lundeen’s birthday dinner (she’s one of the Blues Festival Guide party folks). Tonight I start my gig with Debbie Davies & me on electric guitars, Larry Fulcher (Phantom Blues Band) on bass – and me kicking my trusty ‘stomp’ box in lieu of a drummer! It’s great to play again with Larry; that’s him playing electric bass on my ‘Lucky 13’ album… I finish up the show solo acoustic – then run like hell to see the end of the Phantom’s set on the back deck where I DANCE…(yes, I‘m not usually much of a dancer. Generally I do that musician thing of sitting sagely at the bar carefully observing.) Too much fun already? NO! Straight off to see Susan Tedeschi in the main venue…
Day 6 (still lost at sea – going delirious – ‘Mardi Gras’ theme)
Thing are really getting sketchy now…some of this might have happened yesterday – or tomorrow. I know I saw Elvin Bishop’s cooking demonstration – hilariously droll! Also, the cruisers’ outfits for both these theme nights are fabulous. You really need to check out Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise’s website for some visuals. Yes – I will post some pix too! I know I was part of the musicians dinner with ‘Captain’ Roger Naber, and sat next to the handsome guitarist Olivier from Buckwheat Zydeco’s band. DANCED like crazy to Buckwheat’s set…had the second autograph party somewhere in there. Late in the night I have a great jam with Coco Montoya, Debbie Davies and an extended horn section…what is superlative about the cruise is the chance to meet, hang, jam and be musically inspired by all the other fabulous musicians!!! Acoustic jam with Little Joe McLerran, ditto… Waaaaay too little time in bed…time change, clocks go backwards? And when exactly was that 'Tequila Tasting Party' hosted by Aunt Carol in her ocean-view stateroom?!
Day 7 (is that…..land?!!! Port of call, Ensenada, Mexico)
Almost crack of dawn photo shoot with Robert Jnr Whitall & Sugar Mae, from Big City Blues Magazine, who manage to round up some of the considerable female talent aboard: Susan Tedeschi, Roach Carruthers (Café R & B), Laurie Morvan, pianist Taryn Donath, the beautiful Cookie Taylor (Koko’s daughter) and myself…
Then – after so many days at sea – let’s go ashore! The Preacher & I have never stepped foot in Mexico, but we are taken in hand by ship comptroller Mardi Silva, along with ‘Scrap Iron’ (a veritable character, and Little Miltons’ road manager of 31 years). We hit a restaurant and feast on fish tacos, octopus and prawns, whilst being serenaded by a semi-toothless trio of local musicians. Even Scrap Iron is impressed….’’what….they don’t got no dentists in this country?!”
After lunch, Steve and I wander and even do a little shopping before heading back to the Boat, and our lives’ purpose – more gigs! Quick slashin’ electric guitar guest spot with Shane Dwight’s band (more fun!) before I run off to my last show in the Ocean Bar. More jamming with Little Joe and Debbie Davies – I just love both these guys, and have really enjoyed getting the chance to meet and play with them. It’s a late night (no kidding?) and there’s barely time to pack and grab a little sleep before the 7am customs and disembarkation call for we non-US citizens! Eventually we find ourselves, vaguely overwhelmed but strangely blissed, wandering around the San Deigo airport awaiting our flight ‘home’ to Portland…
To finish the story – I ‘teased’ you in the last blog with a special outback Aussie purchase that was destined for the Silent Auction aboard the Blues Cruise. I felt it was important to have something a little different…something that the folks wouldn’t get at home…so, my offering of a beautiful little leather pouch fashioned from a tanned kangaroo scrotum turned out to be quite a hit!
On that note I leave you, fair reader. More news soon!!!
Photo album for this blog here.