From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V12 #175 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Wednesday, July 5 2006 Volume 12 : Number 175 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Who is Richard Leo Johnson? (Who isn't he?) [Paul Blair Subject: Who is Richard Leo Johnson? (Who isn't he?) Last Wednesday for the first time I saw Jill Sobule play, at Joe's Pub. I'm pretty lukewarm to the whole girl-with-a-guitar-singing-funny-songs thing, but one pretty cool thing did happen: She mentioned that she'd made a number of friends while touring, and that one of them was there that evening... she had us believing that Jennifer Worley was coming on stage (who?). The person who did come on stage looked kinda familiar, but it took for Jill to say it explicitly for me to realize it was Cyndi Lauper. So, anyway, after Jill's set we wound up hanging around and the next act came on. It was this guy doing the most amazing things with a guitar... I was thinking: Could this be Leo Kottke and I just don't recognize it? Nope, it was a guy named Richard Leo Johnson. His latest album is called "The Legend of Vernon McAlister"--apparently, Johnson9s neighbor in Savannah introduced him to a mildewed National Duolian steel-bodied guitar dating from the early 1930s. Johnson heard the guitar, and discovered the name 3Vernon McAlister2 scratched into its side. "Who was Vernon? What kind of music did he play? What did he look like? Where did he live? I could find nothing about the man or the origin of this guitar. A myth of sorts emerged, using this wonderful instrument, and its damesake, as the nucleus.... Every sound on this recording comes directly from the Vernon guitar." Boy, though, it sounds like all sorts of weird electronics. Which might make him sorta ecto, except that there's no vocal. You can read the legend and more about the guitar at http://www.vernonmcalister.com Another character, Charlie Shoe, was supposedly taught by Vernon McAlister: http://www.charlie-shoe.com/ Johnson's "own" website is at http://www.richardleojohnson.com/guitar/ and his blog is at http://rljblog.blogspot.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2006 00:14:11 EDT From: SpiritWe@aol.com Subject: **RACHAEL SAGE & TRINA HAMLIN CO-BILL THIS THURS! (NYC)** HEY Y'ALL! Rachael will be making a special hometown appearance on Thursday, performing songs from her new CD, "The Blistering Sun" at one of her very favorite venues, MO PITKIN'S. Joining Rachael will be the fabulously talented & stylish Dean Sharp on drums, & the oh-so-passionate, innovative Russ Johnson on trumpet. As of this emailing, the theme for this week's show will be: "Belated Independence". **Sharing the bill will be the charming and always charismatic Trina Hamlin!** Trina & Rachael will each play 45-minute sets (undoubtedly with some spontaneous musical surprises, woo hoo!)...Full details below - & hope to see you there :) xoxo & light, Team MPress === **RACHAEL SAGE & TRINA HAMLIN** Thurs. July 6 MO PITKINS, 9:00-11pm (8:30 Doors) 34 Avenue A New York, NY advanced tix: www.mopitkins.com (212) 777-5660 *Also please spread the word and/or check out Rachael on the rest of her U.S tour! (for complete details, visit www.rachaelsage.com AND www.myspace.com/rachaelsage) === RACHAEL SAGE ON TOUR NOW - VISIT WEBSITE FOR UPDATES! Bookings: www.sectalentgroup.net * elizabeth@sectalentgroup.net New CD "The Blistering Sun" in stores, at radio & on i-tunes now... === www.rachaelsage.com * www.myspace.com/rachaelsage www.trinahamlin.com * www.myspace.com/trinahamlin ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V12 #175 ***************************