New Videos From Stonefield Cellars Concert On YouTube

When you are a solo artist you have to wear many hats. No pun intended, but I do love my old hats. Not only do you have to work to improve your ability to perform and entertain, you have work to stay booked, you have to work to write and record original material, you have to keep a website up to date, you have to BLOG and other things to keep your website visible to Google and Bing, you have to set up and tear down, you have to drive and drive and drive and in the world we're in now, where videos are king, you have to be able to record and edit your own videos. In the past I have done OK with this. I've mostly used my iPad and Video One app to create OK looking videos. But I've wanted to do more with both video and recordings so as my laptop reached the end of her days I opted for a Macbook this time and after a few weeks of getting to know it I've begun to be very productive with my other Apple. :-) So for these 3 videos I edited them with iMovie. I had known the concert at Stonefield Cellars would be a good one because the crowds love me there for some reason and they are always lively and involved. So I had decided to make a remote live recording of the whole show in hopes of getting a new Live CD... more on that in another post. So for these movies there were 3 songs that were also randomly recorded by Lynn as a movie too. Small Town and Every Little Bit Counts by James McMurtry as well as the funny song Take It Out Back by Chuck Brodsky.

In hopes of helping my other performing buddies I wanted to tell you about my learning process... what works when trying to combine a song with a video and what does not. At first I thought my editor of choice on the Mac would be Finalcut X. It is so feature rich and is used by major networks to create shows like Leverage, etc. It also touts a feature of magically linking different clips together and syncing the audio/video to a magic timeline. After days of playing with this I finally gave up. I'm sure it works great for those smarter or more patient than me, but I found I was spending way too much time trying to learn a new tool instead of making something. So, I dropped back to iMovie 11. It was much easier. I was already comfortable with how it works because I had used it many times on my iPad. But the Mac version is so much more powerful.

In fact I found it could easily do everything I had wanted to do with my live show video. Which was have a consistent theme, good looking titles and trailers and be able to sync pictures and music as cutaways. It did take a while to get the hang of adding the song WAV file to the project. I bet others think as I did... drop it above or below the video track and it will be separate. Wrong. You have to drop it on the track and iMovie does the magic. Go figure. The theme selection and title work was pretty straight forward and while the number of themes is a little limiting, it works for me. Syncing the audio track and video after the fact was a little more difficult, but after zooming in as far as I could and showing both WAV forms I was able to match them on all three songs and not have it come out like a Godzilla movie gone bad. The movies were shot with an iPhone/4S without a tripod. We learned we need to invest in a tripod for the phone but the video for the phone was really good quality. In fact, using just the one video I was able to use features of iMovie to create multiple camera angles and pans and the quality held up great.

I also had to take some advice and put these it there even though they are not perfect. I mean they sound good, at least to me but, stupid me really screwed the words on the first verse of Hollywood up. Folks that love Jackie Greene as much as I do would have noticed... if not you may have just thought, that's interesting. :-) But the song is so cool and the vibe was there so in the end I decided to jut be open and say wow, sometimes I screw up in a live show. I love the songs I'm doing in my concert settings now... They are who I am right now and where I've ended up on this journey. Not to say there's not another destination for my music but where I am now is a fun place to be.

So here they are.

I hope you enjoy these videos and if you do, please do a few things for me. 1) Click Like on YouTube. It helps me get these things and my music promoted. 2) Leave a comment on YouTube. 3) Share via email or Facebook from YouTube. Thanks for checking in with me. If you are not viewing this from my website, http://www.OwenPoteat.com, I hope you'll visit it so see my pictures, upcoming events and much more.

 

 

Great Time At The Briar Patch In Winston Salem Tonight

I had a great time at The Briar Patch wine bar tonight in Winston. It was a 2-hour flat out, no rest for the weary concert. Even with the really hot weather they were packed to standing room only. Ask anyone who plays and they'll tell you, like me, they'd take a crowd that listens and responds over a party/bar scene anyday. It's harder work but if you are prepared you do your best and folks are actually listening and responding which makes you just give even more.

Thank you Briar Patch for having me be part of your monthly rotation. I look forward to playing there again from the time I leave until I get back. Speaking of which, will be August 16th.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Kerri Fest Was A Blast

What started out as a small gathering of friends at Jonathon and Andrea Byrd's home a few years ago has turned into a small festival of friends. Last night was the annual gathering of celebrities and celebrity wannabe's at the Byrd house. Although rain chased us into the garage right before dark, most of the night had us divided into two groups of pickers. I started out picking with my brother from another mother, Gray Burchette, who wanted me to play his baritone guitar that I had never played. We were joined by Bobby Billings after a few songs and the round-robin of original songs started flowing. We became a real "band" when Randall Couch joined us on upright bass. We were dubbed by those listening as the New Grass / Blues Grass group.

As a guy who primarily plays on an island by myself, it was a refreshing and rejuvenating evening of music to get together with friends and family and pick just to be picking... with guys who love music as much as I do. Later in the evening a few of us went upstairs to Jonathon's guitar shrine room and played some serious music... Gray made a few videos so hopefully they'll be out soon. One of those guys was Reggie Harris of The Harris Brothers. For those of you who have not heard the story, Reggie is the reason I play drums with my feet. Many years ago I sat in with them at Twiggs in Blowing Rock and I was in awe with how Reggie could play and sing while stomping on a kick pedal hitting an old suitcase. So when we got home I setup a kick drum and thought, I should be able to do this. The next 4 weeks were the worst 4 weeks of my musical life. I was so bad at it and so discouraged by how hard it was that I almost sold everything and quit. For me it was kinda like when Eric Clapton heard Stevie Ray Vaughn for the first time while driving. I remember reading a story about that in his autobiography that said he pulled off the road and listened in awe and didn't want to touch a guitar again for months because as he put it what's the point? I felt the same way, but kept trucking on. Eventually I figured it out. Like many things in life it was easier if you just quit thinking about it. After a few months I added the snare and then the hihat. Last night I got to say thanks to Reggie and play a little music with him again. So Reggie, thank you. Because of you I started down this road of all live with foot drums and haven't looked back. I'm in awe of your talent and can't wait to get to see you again.

And to my buddy, Gray... sorry I broke your capo pal. I swear the Kyser guy told me Friday that you could bend it down to give it more tension. Maybe I'm just too strong. Andrea and Jonathon, thank you for hosting this get together and thank you for your friendship and love and support of music. Cedar doesn't stand a chance of being a normal person... but being normal is highly overrated. :-) Can't wait for Kerri Fest 2013!

 

Played the coolest "little" guitar today

Played the coolest "little" guitar today. My buddy Gray Burchette, of Burchetteguitars.com, brought his new invention, a 12-string octave guitar by.

This thing is, as Gray would say, feeaking awesome! I just bought a cool Burchette Grand Arena that was made from the same wood as Zac's guitar, but I have to say this Gray Mini Me is about the coolest guit I've ever played.

Gray and I went over to Merlefest to help our friend Jonathon Byrd get his sales area ready for selling a ton of guitars this week. After we got everything ready we took turns playing the little guy. It was awesome. If you're going to Merlefest later today on Thursday I'd encourage you to go by and play it. Don't wait until Friday... it will probably sell tomorrow.

Here's a little clip of me playing it today. Man I love this little guitar!

Some folks just know how to live life

Some folks just know how to live life to it's fullest. Last night I had the pleasure of playing for Judy and Sonny Walker's 50th wedding anniversary celebration in Hudson, NC. I dont know how many folks live in Hudson, but most of them had to be at this party last night. I have to say Judy and Sonny are two of the most loving, caring, down to earth, fun people I've had the pleasure to meet and perform for. The setting was so cool... tables around the pool, my old friends from Woodland's BBQ in Blowing Rock catering and me setup in the gazebo. When it comes to playing for these events you just never know what to expect, especially when there's no alcohol involved... for some reason I always sound better when folks are drinking. :-) But last night that didn't matter... these folks, especially Sonny and Judy, had a blast. Dinner was laid back with me strumming pretty songs on my new Burchette. But afterwards they moved tables and chairs and started dancing. And they danced the night away, literally. I have a feeling that Sonny always enjoys life but recently he has had surgery and planned this celebration around going back in for some very serious surgery, but he never stopped smiling, laughing and dancing. He danced with his wife... he danced with his daughter and granddaughter... he danced with friends... he even danced with his grandsons. In the coming days I'm striving to be more like Sonny... put the stresses and worries of life aside and when life gives me music... dance! I encourage each of you to do the same thing. Thank you Tammy and the whole Walker family for choosing me to be part of this special event in your family's life. And thank you Sonny and Judy for teaching me that life is too short to sit and listen to music when you can get up and be part of it.  

Update: I wanted to post an update. Only the sauce came from Woodlands. Tammy cooked forever to get this ready. It was great and I'm amazed that she did all this work. Tammy I had a great time.

Another great show at Pinetree last night

I have to be the first to admit it... sometimes I get carried away but last night I about had to be carried away literally. Playing drums with my feet and putting on a high energy show is quite a workout. But, I do it so much I'm in pretty good shape, for the shape I'm in. But last night at Pinetree Bar and Grille in Winston Salem was one of those extra energy shows. Performers will tell you that we all pull from the energy of the crowd and it's that feeling most of us are addicted to. The crowd last night was high energy and in concert mode. All the love pushed me to new limits. I finished my first set ending song but just kept going and ended up doing a 3 1/2 hour show with no break or even slowing down. In fact I only remember taking a sip of something to drink just once. Counting the medleys it looks like I did 48 songs. Wow!

So when I got off the drum to start doing what I get paid for, tearing down, my left leg was cramping and hurting like a mutha. This morning it's a little better but still sore. Lynn did most of the teardown last night and has told me several times, you need to take breaks you dummy. Kay said the same thing last night too. Maybe I need to listen. I have another 3-hour show tonight so I'll try to stick to 80 minutes and then a break, but we'll see.

 

Very busy but great few days

This past weekend our granddaughter fell and broke her arm in 2 places and the days before leaving for this last trip we spent worrying and trying to see her. She's a trooper and is doing as good as one can when you lose the use of your primary hand/arm.

Then Thursday we set out for Charlotte to play in the Charlotte Music Awards Americana Showcase at Puckett's Farm Equipment. It was such a great crowd and venue. My 30 minutes of fame just flew by. In fact when I finished my last song I remember thinking I must have skipped a song. I was honored to be selected and man, the bands that were there were all pros and sounded great. I don't know why I'm crazy enough to keep competing against bands, it I do. It worked great in Roanoke but usually doesn't. I keep telling folks that a single great musician can't put out as much quality music as 4 really good musicians. And the last few competitions I've entered has really proven that point. We were packed up and ready to leave by 11:30 and hit the road, literally to drive to Myrtle Beach that night. Got in and got in bed around 3:45 and slept in on Friday morning.

Then Friday night we drove to Holden Beach to play at The Provision Company for a Wedding Rehearsal Dinner/Party for Daniel and Jamie, who are now Daniel and Jamie Hurley. Many of those in attendance had seen me at other events like this as many as 6 times. This one was a PARTY! I mean a PARTY! We were out on the deck and there were so many people dancing and packed in that space that it was literally rocking and swaying. My 4-hour show turned into a 6 1/2 hour sing-along, dance-along party and I'm just now today starting to feel normal again. I was totally worn out by the time we crawled in bed early Saturday morning, again around 3:00.

So now we have a few days of R&R at the beach before heading back to play shows closer to home next weekend. Jake, our 4-legged-son is happy we're now in vacation mode. Here he is bouncing his beach ball. It's his favorite thing in the world and we are always amazed at how good he is at bouncing his ball.

 

Choosing the right songs for the CMA Americana Showcase...

Man, it's hard to select songs for a competition. Thursday I am honored to be taking part in the Charlotte Music Awards best Americana Artist of the year.

 

I have it nailed down to 30~ songs that I think will fit nicely. But... I have to narrow it down to 6-7 songs. Crap, how do you do that? It's like impossible to pick my favorite songs. Finding the right 1st song is the hardest part. Got that nailed down... I'll be starting out with Paul Thorn's "Long Way From Tupelo".

Then 6 more of my songs, ending with my song about our famous Wilkes citizen, Tom Dula... or as some call him Tom Dooley.

We have a great sound man there at Puckett's on Thursday and I'm looking forward to great a great sound man makes you... sound. There were 3 other great groups nominated for the award and I can't wait to hear all the cool music.

2nd Place in Fox Icon

It seems to me music recently has been a competition, which just doesn't make sense. Music is so subjective... what is good for me, like a little Bonnie Raitt or John Mayer, might be no good at all for someone else. Over the last few months I have been competing in the ongoing Fox Icon in Winston Salem. 2 weeks ago I made it to the finals and then last week I gave it my all and came in 2nd place overall. As my sweet granddaughter said in a way only a 7-yr-old can, a least you didn't come in 3rd, 4th or 5th. :-)

But, man each band there was great in their own way. Unlike the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, this competition allowed any type of music and that was reflected in the finals. It had a young duo singer songwriter group, a trio acoustic group, an electric trio in the likes of Led Zepplin, a local party/funk band... and me. :-). 2nd place got me some free studio time, a few gift cards and a few gigs. Thanks to all that came out and supported me. I appreciate it greatly.

But back to my main point, I think all the singing competition shows are good... but is music meant to be a competition medium? I can remember being in battle of the bands competitions back in high school, so they've been around forever. So, was I better than the guys that finished 3rd? At my style and music, yes, but not at their style. Same goes for the acoustic trio and the Zepplin-like all-original band. I love music and I love performing. Competitions force me to practice, practice, practice and I'm better for it. The pressure you feel when it's your time has to make you better prepared to entertain when it's just you. I have two more major competitions this year in Charlotte, so these gut-wrenching moments are not over yet this year.

Location:Winston Salem, NC

Old, Paired With New, Is A Great Combination For Me

Last week, due to my own stupidity, I had to do without my iPad for almost a week. I was "jonesing" for it by the end of the 2nd day. If you've seen my show then you know I use a lot of old stuff as well as some "new" stuff. My iPad helps me plan for gigs, holds my set lists and even words to songs for the times I need to "pump the gas" to crank my old brain. I use it to respond to emails, research everything from equipment and restaurants to venues to play... I plan our trips with it, keep track of our expenses on it, do our banking on it as well as do all my morning/evening reading on it. So while on our trip to the coast it refused to restart to say I was lost is an understatement. When we got back home it was pretty simple to restore a backup and I was back in business.

As for "old stuff", besides me, I use an old hand-made Brazilian Box Drum to predates the popularity of today's Cajon drums. It has more dings and scratches than me but never, ever fails me.

Then there's my new best friend I purchased from my friend Jonathon Byrd... My 1965 Gibson acoustic. This awesome instrument was born in the US just a few years after I was... It is old enough to have been my first guitar, but I could not have afforded it then. I also have to thank my good friend and favorite luthier, Gray Burchette, for repairing this old Gibson. It made it nearly 50 years with nothing but scratches but made it less than 24 hours at our house. I left it in the case in the hallway and our excited granddaughter tripped and fell into the case... cracking the top of the guitar and the bottom of my heart. But, my buddy Gray patched her up and she plays even better than before.

Its funny how all the new things like my iPad and my Bose sound system pair up so nicely with all the old things in my life. Of all the old things in my life though, the one that's the most precious is my 4-legged son, Jake.

Jake and I spend a lot of bonding time snuggling on the couch and are literally "joined at the hip" most of the time. :-) He goes to shows with us, stands guard over the equipment or the car and generally is just thankful to be wherever we are, no matter where that is or whatever we're doing. I find I spend a lot of time and love trying to be the man Jake thinks I am and fear I fall way too short... but you'd never know it by his love for us. :-)

 

2012 Memphis IBC Thoughts ... jiggling, fiddling and sweating...

I was so lucky to get to represent the Blue Ridge Blues Society in the 2012 International Blues Challenge in Memphis this past February. After competing last year I wanted to go back and use what I had learned to hopefully do better... my goal this year was to make the semi-finals. So very early on Tuesday morning Lynn and I headed from the mountains of NC to Memphis, TN. We left on time and made it almost to the NC/TN border only to find I40-W closed due to a rock slide. After an almost 4-hour detour we made it to Memphis around 10:30 that night. We were exhausted from the trip but vowed to not give up a night there and headed down to Beale Street to listen to a little music and sample some of the great food.

We were glad we did. Heard some great music and ate more food than I probably should have. Last year my system was all screwed up by eating all the spicey things I could find. Lesson Learned: This year... no spicey foods until after the competition

Wednesday we attended the mandatory orientation meeting, where I learned that my venue again this year was going to be the famous Mr. Handy's Blues Hall and Juke Joint. This is an awesome venue and each year is packed to standing room only for the IBC shows and this year was no exception. It's loud, rowdy and fun... just like I like it so I felt right at home. This year the venue had some great volunteers working. I became friends with most of the workers in my venue, especially the time keeper and her husband and the sound engineer, whom I learned later was a local radio DJ and who has since been playing my music.

If you don't know, each act plays on Wednesday and Thursday night in the same venue for different judges to determine if you make it to the semi-finals. My shows on both quarter-final nights went about as perfectly as I could have expected. I started on time and ended on time. Played all original songs that were steeped in blues and were right off of my just released Blood Red Moon CD. After my set on Thursday we took all the stuff back to the hotel and then went back to Beale Street to wait to hear the results, hoping I'd made it to the semi-finals. I was off the charts excited when I learned that I had made the semi-finals and would be playing on Friday night this year instead of being a fan. What a feeling!

Friday night was frought with technical difficulties. I had almost gone over the alloted setup time both nights before and decided to streamline my electronics at the hotel that day. To be fair to Lynn, she told me so... don't do that... no way to check it out... but no, stubborn me... anyway, that night I was setup and ready for my brief soundcheck in under 2 minutes. Check, 1, 2... nothing!!! E chord on old Gibson... nothing! Oh crap! Frantic I starting jiggling, fiddling and sweating. But no matter what I did, no sound. So with just a minute to spare I plugged my old Gibson into the house PA, plugged my harp into house amp, stuck a SM57 on the kick drum and started my first note of the first song, Blood Red Moon, with 10 seconds to spare. Lesson Learned: 1) Listen to Lynn... she's my sounding board and is usually right... 2) See rule #1. Turns out if was the house PA's mic cable that started the whole thing... but by the time we figured that out it was too late. My friend, Dave Harrison from Roanoke, later said that he was amazed at how perfectly I pulled off my set that night in light of the frantic way I was trying to get setup. I used 5 of my extra 10 seconds, honestly, to take a deep breath and focus... I thought I'd get docked for taking too long to set up and knew I had to nail the 30-minute set in order to make the finals... and I nailed it. Blew me away how much I nailed it.

But, when we gathered that night to hear the results, I learned that I had made the Top 12 but not the Top 8, who got to perform for the finals. To be honest I was bummed, exhausted, confused but content. I knew I had given everything I had those 3 nights and I knew I had done my best. I will not be going back in 2013, not because I don't want to but because I cannot compete 3 years in a row, unless they change the rules. If you have a chance to be in Memphis during the IBC I highly recommend it. You would not believe the level of talent from all over the world that gathers and pours their souls out during this week. To the guys at the Blue Ridge Blues Society in Roanoke, VA... thank you, thank you, thank you. You were so supportive both financially and emotionally. Dave, I guess it's time for me to get my Lucky 9 pick back. :-) I was so honored to be selected to compete in your band competition as a solo and just as surprised as you were that I won it.

I hope all of you know that all the love and support from everyone who helped me get ready could never be repaid but is appreciated from the bottom of my heart. So, until 2014, when I hope to get to compete again in Memphis I leave you with the words you hear most on Beale Street... "The Blues Ain't Nothin' But a Thang"

I Love It When People Love My Music

I have to admit there are days that I wonder why I do this...this music thing. But it's really easy when it comes down to it... it's the folks that get a kick out of my music that make me keep working and striving to get better and better. As I sit here tonight I realize that this time next week I'll be packed and ready to go compete in the International Blues Challenge on Beale Street in Memphis, TN again for the second year in a row. I had a blast last year and learned a lot... about what to play, how to play and how great the players around the world are. I can't wait to get back to Beale Street and show my stuff again. I can't wait to see old friends and make new friends. It will be great to see my new friends and supporters from Roanoke as they cheer me on.



Next week Beale Street will be crawling with thousands of blues fans and some of the best blues players in the world. I'm honored to be considered worthy to be one of them. The guys in this picture were so cool! They had such a great time with my music and this toast to me was one of my favorite musical moments. Next week on Beale Street will be another one of those moments... with the chance to be an even bigger moment.

Location:North Wilkesboro,United States

The Friends I've Made With My Music Are The Best Friends

During the last several years I've made the best friends with my music. Fans have become family. Fellow musicians have become brothers. Here's a pic of my friend, Ricky Teal from Lake Wylie, SC. I can't remember how many times he's come to see me play or how many private parties at his home I've played at. The friendship we've grown over the last 5 years is special to me. Heck, he's the reason I've let my hair grow. A few years ago he came to one of my shows and as usual loved it... but said I looked more like a rock star's accountant instead of a star/musician. He came to see me last weekend in Morganton and finally my hair is longer than his. :-)



Then there's my latest brother-from-another-mother, Gray Burchette. I met this awesome musician and luthier through a mutual friend and just over the last several months he's become one of my biggest supporters and my main goto resource for all things related to my recordings, recording equipment and mixes.

What I've learned from this is music lovers and musicians make the best friends. To my friends I want you to know how very much I appreciate all you do for me and with me. My life wouldn't be the same without you.

Location:Little Mountain Ch Rd,North Wilkesboro,United States