Keeping in Tune with SEMO Music
To stand up on a stage alone with an acoustic guitar requires bravery bordering on heroism.....bordering on insanity.
Richard Thompson
Welcome to CindyLouWhoMusic! My name is Cindy Lester & this is my second music website which I'll devote mostly to guitars. I give private guitar & piano lessons in Malden, MO in beautiful southeast Missouri. I picked up my first guitar around age 12, taught myself to play & have enjoyed it ever since. I majored in music in college & also play piano, flute and several other instruments. See the following pages for guitar and music related topics and email me at:
maldenmusic@myvcs.net if you have requests for anything specific or if you have articles and/or photos to post here. This site be a work in progress. Happy playing!
For info on private guitar or piano lessons:
www.maldenmusic.net
Click on the guitar below for MySpace page
Sweet Home
Chicago
26th Annual
Blues Festival
June 12-14, 2009
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the 26th annual Chicago Blues Festival and was not disappointed. The weather was great, except for a little rain Saturday morning, the food wonderful and the music-especially the music-was awesome. After all, it's why we were all there. Held in Grant Park, between Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive, this free event attracted tens of thousands of fans and numerous top notch musical entertainers. During the 3 days my husband and I saw such blues performers as Pinetop Perkins, Charlie Musselwhite, Big Bill and Mud Morganfield, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials, John Primer, Donna Herula, Fernando Jones, Eden Smith, Elmore James, Jr. and Jeremy Spencer. During the Saturday rain storm we walked downtown to Buddy Guy's Legends club and caught a 2 hour performance by Jimmy Burns and his band. It doesn't get much better than that! We are already planning to return next year.
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Donna Herula playing her National Resonator guitar during her tribute to Robert Nighthawk. Donna also played some very impressive slide guitar
(For more on Donna See Page 3)
Fernando Jones
Me meeting Fernando Jones, who is also a professor at Columbia College and head of the Columbia College Blues Ensemble
Guitarist Jeremy Spencer, one of the 1960's blues band Fleetwood Mac (no, not when Stevie Nicks was in the band but much earlier)
Blues singer/guitarist Jimmy Burns performing at Buddy Guy's Legends; he and his band gave a solid 2 hour performance
Some of the crowd enjoying Lil' Ed and The Blues Imperials
Grant Park and downtown Chicago
Elmore James, Jr., Lil' Ed, John Primer and Jeremy Spencer showing why they are considered masters of the slide guitar
The crowd who gathered to hear 95 year old pianist Pinetop Perkins
John Primer performing with his band The Real Deal Blues Band
Buckingham Fountain at the south entrance to the Blues Festival
Buddy Guy's Legends Club
At the end of Navy Pier looking west toward downtown Chicago
(Left) Me with beautiful Lake Michigan in the background
(Right) Butch and I at the Blues Festival
Let's Make Music!!
Do you play guitar and/or like to sing? I want to get a few musicians together for a semi-regular musical get together. Maybe weekly, maybe monthly, my house, your house, church basement or wherever. Email me and let's see what we can come up with. My only requirement is that you leave your ego at home and just have fun. Musicians of all abilities would be welcome.
maldenmusic@myvcs.net
Me & My Baby
This is me pictured with my Taylor Big Baby acoustic. I like the BB because of its smaller body size, about 15/16 the size of a regular dreadnaught guitar, which makes it much easier for me to play. I have Elixir Polyweb Extra Light strings on this one. I use Martin strings on my other guitars but the Elixirs sound especially great on the Taylor. This is an excellent little guitar for not a lot of money. (Maestro the cat seems less enthused about it than I am!)
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ENTERTAINING THE TROOPS!
(Pictured above from left to right, Al Mewhirter, Cindy Lester and Rev. Paul Williams)
During the ice storm of January 2009 which affected so many people in numerous states my church, the First Presbyterian in Malden, was fortunate enough to be able to prepare a daily meal for the people from Malden and other places who helped out during the crisis. For 7 days we fed members of the Malden Police Department, Malden Board of Public Works as well as power crew workers from Nixa, MO, Macon, MO, Kirkwood, MO and from the state of Minnesota in addition to members of the Missouri National Guard. After the meal on Feb. 1st Al Mewhirter, Rev. Paul Williams and I entertained the group with such songs as Somebody Touched Me, Amazing Grace, The Angels Rejoiced and other favorites.
1st Lieutenant Paul Leoni of the Missouri Natonal Guard Military Police borrowed my guitar and entertained the crowd with his rendition of Sweet Home Alabama.
In spite of the unfortunate circumstances which drew everyone together, it was an honor to be able to pay back just a small amount of the generosity which we received from our out of town angels of mercy. From what I witnessed Malden was blessed by the help we received from everyone! A special thanks goes to all the ulitity and power crews and police as well as Malden Mayor Ray Santie who was on hand everyday and helped keep morale high!
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For more photos of the ice storm go to:
www.crowleysridge.net
Singer, songwriter and guitarist LucindaWilliams was born in Lake Charles, LA in 1953, the daughter of poet Miller Williams and an amateur pianist. Her father worked as a visiting professor in Mexico and different parts of the American South before settling at the University of Arkansas. His daughter started writing when she was 6 years old and showed an affinity for music at an early age, and was playing guitar at 12. Williams's first live performance was in Mexico City at 17, as part a duo with her friend, banjo player Clark Jones. By her early 20s, Williams was playing publicly in Texas. She moved to Jackson, Mississippi, in 1978 to record her first album titled Titled Ramblin'. She followed it up in 1980 with Happy Woman Blues, which consisted of her own material. Neither album received much attention. In the 1980s, Williams moved to California, (before finally settling in Nashville,Tennessee), where she developed a following and a critical reputation. While based in Los Angeles, she was briefly married to Long Ryders drummer Greg Sowders. In 1988 she released the self-titled Lucinda Williams. The single "Changed the Locks," about a broken relationship, received radio play around the country and gained fans among music insiders, including Tom Petty, who would later cover the song. Its follow-up, Sweet Old World was released in 1992 but Williams' biggest success during the early 1990s was as a songwriter. Mary Chapin Carpenter recorded a cover of "Passionate Kisses" (from Lucinda Williams) in 1992, and the song became a hit for which Williams received the Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1994 (Chapin also received a Grammy for her performance of the song). Williams had garnered considerable critical acclaim, but her commercial success was moderate. Emmylou Harris said of Williams, "She is an example of the best of what country at least says it is, but, for some reason, she's completely out of the loop and I feel strongly that that's country music's loss." Harris recorded the title track from Williams's Sweet Old World for her career-redefining 1995 album, Wrecking Ball. Williams also gained a reputation as a perfectionist and slow worker when it came to recording; six years would pass before her next album release, though she appeared as a guest on other artists' albums and contributed to several tribute compilations during this period. The long-awaited release, 1998's Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, was Williams' breakthrough into the mainstream and received a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Containing the single "Still I Long for Your Kiss" from the film The Horse Whisperer, the album received wide critical notice and soon went gold. The single "Can't Let Go" also enjoyed considerable crossover radio play. Williams toured with Bob Dylan and on her own in support of the album. An expanded edition of the album, including three additional studio recordings and a second CD documenting a 1998 concert, was released in Williams followed up the success of Car Wheels with Essence (2001). This release featured a less produced, more down-tuned approach both musically and lyrically, and moved Williams further from the country music establishment while winning fans in the alternative music world. She won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Performance for the single "Get Right With God", an atypically uptempo gospel-rock tune from the otherwise rather low-key release. The title track includes a contribution on Hammond organ by alternative country musician Ryan Adams. Her seventh album, World Without Tears, was released in In 2007, Williams released West, for which she wrote more than 27 songs. In the fall of the same year, Williams announced a series of shows in Los Angeles and New York. Playing five nights in each city, it was the first time a major artist would perform her entire catalog on consecutive nights. These albums include the self titled Lucinda Williams, Sweet Old World, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Essence, and World Without Tears. Since these shows, other artists have imitated this idea in different variations, but to date no else has accomplished this exact feat. Each night also featured a second set with special guest stars. Some of the many special guests included Steve Earle, Mike Campbell, Ann Wilson, Emmylou Harris, David Byrne and David Johansen. In addition, each night's album set was recorded and made available to the attendees that night. These live recordings are currently available on her website, lucindawilliams.com, and at her shows. In the spring of 2008, it was announced that the next album from Lucinda Williams wrapped recording in March. The new album is titled "Little Honey" and was released on October cfl
Lucinda Williams
See Page 2 for Spring Music Recital
CARING FOR YOUR ACOUSTIC GUITAR
Now that you own an acoustic guitar one of the things you need to do, besides learning to play, is learning a few simple things to help care for it.
Your acoustic guitar is made of thin wood and the wood is affected by heat and humidity. These two things are probably the most important factors to be aware of when it comes to your guitar. Most guitarists/luthiers recommend an average humidity in the 45%-55% range and temps between 72 and 77 degrees.
In addition, any rapid changes in heat/humidity aren't good-a rapid increase in humidity can make the wood swell and too high a temp might cause glue to loosen under the bridge allowing it to fall off. Increased temp or exposure to cold could cause "checking" which are small cracks that develop in the lacquer finish.
Too dry a climate is also bad news for your guitar and may cause the guitar to develop cracks. If your guitar has been exposed to freezing temps, the best way to warm it up is to leave it in the case, set indoors and allow it to warm gradually. Never set your guitar near a heat source-vent, fireplace, etc as this can cause over drying and too high a temp. Don't expose it to direct sunlight or leave overnight in your car.
Some experts recommend keeping your guitar in it's case with a humidifier at all times when you aren't playing it. I have to admit that I DON'T follow this advise for two simple reasons. First, a guitar left in it's case is less likely to be played and practiced. Secondly, in our southeast Missouri environment, we almost always have enough humidity and I've never had a problem with this. I always keep my guitars in their stands or better, their wall hangers. I like wall hangers because it keeps them up off the floor and away from our dog and cats. When I lived in the Colorado Rockies where our average humidity was about 20%, I did keep my guitars in cases more often with a humidifier in each one. Guitar humidifiers are small, cheap and come in all different kinds. As far as having too much humidity around here, if you have your guitar inside in an air conditioned environment, your guitar will probably not suffer.
I also clean the wood on my fretboard (fingerboard) every time I change strings, which for me is about once a month. I use lemon oil on the fretboard as well as the entire guitar when it needs a little cleaning. I've been using D'Andrea Lemon Oil for years and it lasts forever and doesn't cost much. Warning-use it very sparingly with a soft cloth-a little goes a long, long way. There are hundreds of guitar care products available today and you don't have to spend a ton of money to properly care for your acoustic guitar. Just a little common sense and a little cleaning will help keep your guitar sounding and looking good. One more thing, if you aren't going to be playing a guitar for a period of a few months, loosen the strings a bit before putting it away. This will help avoid too much tension on the neck. Happy playing!
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For more info:
www.hsus.org
www.HSMO.org
In Memory
Boomer
1995-2008
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