Some Kinda Summer
Anybody still out there? I’m a little embarrassed that it’s been well over a year since posting an update. Sixteen months in fact. All’s well on this side and hope the same for all of you.
I’ll begin where I left off the last time with The Volcano Brothers, the Hawaiian group I play with. We play 1920s through 1930s jazz influenced Hawaiian instrumentals. We were just getting started back in the Spring of 2024 but we are now a fully formed high flying unit. We play gigs regularly around town with two just last week. The band always has a good crowd and plenty of musicians, Nashville’s finest, coming by to hear what all the fuss is about. The Volcanos have an article in this month’s Vintage Guitar Magazine written by the great Jim Carlton. And…. we’ve just recorded an album, 18 songs done over three afternoons, seated in a semi-circle in the studio, no headphones and no overdubbing. We simply played each tune until we all felt we had a take and moved on to the next. By 4 o’clock of the third afternoon we were raising cocktails and toasts to a well made album. Steve Dawson who heads up the group is mixing it now and I’ll let you know when and where it’s available.
I received a call out of the blue last Autumn from a musician and record producer in Memphis named Scott Bomar. He explained he was in charge of the music for a film called Song Sung Blue and might I be interested in coming to Memphis for a few days to do it? The film is based on a true story that came out as a documentary of the same name back in 2008. It’s about a guy and girl who form a group called Thunder and Lightening and perform Neil Diamond’s music. They fall in love, get married and then things begin getting pretty dark. The movie stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. The director wanted Neil’s music to sound as close to the records as possible and that’s why I got the call. Any chance I have to go to Memphis, I take. Since the two main actors would be singing the songs themselves, we first had to record all those songs to be in the film. I have to say everybody on the sessions really hit a home run in that department. When the filming was finished and edited, I went back for another day of various other music cues and scene linking music. Craig Brewer who wrote the script and directed the film told me they had a test screening in LA and it received a 95% approval rating which earned it a Christmas day theatrical release. Having only seen bits and pieces of the movie, I can’t vouch for it but I’m sure proud of the job we all did with the soundtrack. So if you’re at loose ends this Christmas……Song Sung Blue from Focus Features.
It’s been some kinda summer, hey wait a minute, that’s the name of my brand new record, Some Kinda Summer. I finished it all up last Winter but there’s just been a little delay releasing it in order to do so in a coordinated way with interviews, press and the like. I’m really very pleased with how it all turned out and proud of the tunes I wrote. As October 24th gets closer I’ll let you know how to get a copy.
Some Kinda Summer
Available as CD, Streaming & Digital Download October 24
Back to summer, it’s been a good one and I’m enjoying these late summer days, cook outs, a couple of weeks down on the Gulf of Mexico and feeling like a very lucky guy all around.
OK, I’ll be chiming back in soon with more details about the Some Kinda Summer album. Meantime, here’s wishing you all a good autumn.
Be well,
