The Tao of Walking Ridge

Liam Nelson to Bob Dylan in the early ’60s in Greenwich Village:

Remember, Bob, no fear, no envy, no meanness.

Dave Van Ronk sang this traditional song during Dylan’s early years in Greenwich Village. Dylan recorded it before Van Ronk did, including it on his first album. It became so well known that Van Ronk had to stop playing it, as everyone assumed he’d copied Dylan. Later, when the Animals covered the tune, Dylan had to stop playing it as so many believed that he had copied the Animals. It is a great song that can be interpreted in many ways.

The House of the Rising Sun at the Raven Coffeehouse, Port Huron Michigan, Nov 2008.

The piano at the Raven Coffeehouse in Port Huron is left to fill the house acoustically.  It creates a nice acoustic feel, and blends well with the amplified vocals.

Brian Kelly at the Raven Coffeehouse, Nov 2008

This week I played my original “Smoke in the Mirror” on acoustic.  I liked the sound, and played around a bit on the dark side (Windows MovieMaker) to try and give a bit of a 60s black and white film feel.

In the Apr/May 1996 issue of Blues Revue magazine was an ad for a harp holder sold by Blues Tools.  It used a gear lock system and looked to be very stiff, allowing for expressive blues players to be able to play the harmonica more aggressively than the standard wire harmonica braces.  Apparently the $60.00 price tag was a bit high for the limited audience, and in 1996 I couldn’t spare the coin.  Ah, but now I can and I have not been able to find one for sale!  If anyone has one for sale, please contact me.

The Raven Coffeehouse in Port Huron Michigan is one of the coolest gathering places I’ve ever seen.  Great coffee drinks and a menu of great foods.  I love their “Ragged Mountain” salad with an organic herbal mate.  I had the opportunity to play a short set there Sunday evening and captured some video and still images with my Canon G9.

Gray Sky Gold Leaves Video

The stage is set up in a 2nd floor corner (upper right).

The stage gives the performer a spectacular view.  It also provides a private space for the musician, while at the same time it feels intimate.

When I saw the moon over the Bluewater Bridge in Port Huron I knew it was a unique opportunity to try and capture the moon, a twilight sky, and the lights on the bridge.

I was walking along the St. Clair River in Port Huron when I noticed this reflection of buildings across the river in Sarnia, Ontario.  As I moved about to hide my reflection and line up the buildings in the mirrored windows, it eventually occurred to me that anyone in the building must have wondered what I was up to - until I finally pulled out my camera for the shot.

I’ve long been a fan of Lee Oskar harmonicas. So when I started trying to play in a brace, I tired the Lee Oskar brace. Though wire, it is fairly firm. Plenty firm enough for folk riffs. I find that with a hand to help hold the harp, some aggressive blues licks can also be played. This trick works well when playing guitar with open tuning, where a free hand can occasionally be used to hold the harp.

I’ve tried a few braces, and I found the Lee Oskar harp brace to udjust well and hold its position well.  The wing nuts are easy to use and readjust if necessary as I’m playing.

I did learn something the hard way.  I had bought some Hohner Special 20 harps, figuring that they might be better for folk and take a little more abuse if I blew too hard while concentrating on strumming.  I understood the comments I found online that the harmonicas were hard to get in and out of the Lee Oskar brace, but I still thought overall it was worth it.  Then I put a Lee Oskar harmonica in the brace and discovered it isn’t exactly the same size!  Lee Oskars are just a bit smaller, and they pop in and out easily.

So if you want to play harp on a brace, I can highly recommend a Lee Oskar brace, especially if you are going to use it with Lee Oskar harmonicas.  An additional advantage is the availability of minor key harps from Lee Oskar.  Though tone may be the deciding factor, I’ve grown accustomed to the blend of chords and the ability to precisely select higher notes that are crisp and cut through the mix.  I also find the Lee Oskar harp bends more easily.

To celebrate the Baldwin Cafe in Lake Orion, Michigan (3010 Baldwin Rd, at the corner of Waldon) becoming a no smoking cafe, I offered to create a painting for the restaurant. The owners were appreciative, and offered to frame what I painted.

A wall and furniture in the diner style restaurant is red, so this formed a cornerstone of the color palette.  Along the way, the pale blue against the warm tones created a sort of art deco effect that I really liked.  The theme also had to capture the feeling of sitting at the bar watching the cooks prepare the food right in front of you.

The painting evolved as I painted it.  The original sketch was only of the dining counter and stools with patrons.  But the right side of the painting had too much empty space so the booths were added.  Then the left had too much empty space so the cook and grill were added.  There was probably more that could be added, but you have to stop sometime and I wanted to keep it simple and bold.

Baldwin Cafe - Brian Kelly, 2008 - acrylic on canvas board, 16″ x 18″