Sam Cooke

Watch this. Was there ever anyone like Sam Cooke?

Frankenbass

Back in the summer, I built a bass. I guess it's not really a Frankenbass, since I didn't use various found parts, but ordered a kit from Carvin. In any case, it was a lot of fun, there weren't too many major hitches, and I added a new bass to my stable for not much money. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. It plays pretty well, though not as nice as my Watts 5-string. It sounds pretty much like I had hoped...single coil, Jazz-bass kind of sound. And it looks...OK, if you don't look too closely. I've used it a number of times at church, and most recently at the picnic where we played some old rock songs. I've been happy with it all along. Next up...Carvin also makes a Strat kit...!

EC Was Here

I took my spouse and kids to see Eric Clapton at the new John Paul Jones arena in Charlottesville last week. The kids (ages 14 and 16) were not nearly as excited as D and I were. However, I think Eric won them over. It was a very well done show. Eric, at 61, can still rock. I had a bit of a sense that they were going through the motions, but not too much. They've been playing the same set list with tiny changes throughout this whole tour, of which Charlottesville was date 51. This makes me wonder if a live disc is in the offing. This was a totally new band for Eric. The rhythm section of Steve Jordan and Willie Weeks was rock solid. Two keyboards, two backup singers, and two hot young gunslingers on guitar, Doyle Bramhall II and Derek Trucks. I think having the young bucks on guitar works well for EC. They keep him young and on his toes, and he gets to share his wisdom with them. Trucks is a highly talented kid who played slide most of the night on a cherry red SG. He's not quite as lyrical a player as Duane, but is still young and very very good. Bramhall looks a bit like the guy who played Tony Almeida on 24, and has pretty serious chops. Highlights were Got To Get Better in a Little While, Anyday, Layla, Crossroads, and Motherless Children. Robert Cray opened, and joined EC and the band for Old Love and Crossroads.