Live from New York!

Been doing a cool thing the last couple of weeks... resurrecting an old album for this fellow musician, guy named 'Johnny Irish.'

Met him at this bar (where else) and figured 'just another stage-door Johnny.' Nice guy though, a master carpenter & cabinet maker. Good enough that he outfitted the woodwork on Hatteras yachts. It wasn't long before the conversation turned to music, and I thought, Hmm...this guy knows his stuff.

And not long after that, the proverbial cat popped out of the bag - Johnny had been a musician in his 'other' life. Well, this got my pea brain a'ticking... I had a gig coming up...

...and needed some assist.

So I dragged poor Johnny - kicking and screaming - out of retirement.

Tough luck for him, but I needed a 2nd guitar played, preferably, by local talent. Johnny was my guy, like it or not (for a little shit, I'm pretty persuasive). Turned out he did a pretty mean Johnny Cash, too... an unexpected bonus.

I did say 'mean,' didn't I?

He glowered and pissed and moaned. He swore he'd hate every minute, going back on stage and enduring all the 'misery' that entailed.

Well, Johnny, if you strap the guitar to your tongue, of COURSE it's miserable...

But au contraire! That old Show Biz Bug surged right back into his blood, fairly coursing through his rusty old veins (well, not that old!). And lo and behold, he started showing up, guit in hand...

... and even, miracle of miracles, started practicing again.

Then one fine afternoon, Johnny confides to my little buddy - kind of embarrassed-like - that he's got this old recording - a live performance in New York - he's trying to turn into an album. He'd sent it out 2 1/2 years ago but nothing ever happened.

*Sniff, sniff (sorry, I godda code)...*

And my buddy says, why nod give it to Viv?

My buddy, Hef

And I guess (having not been there) Johnny was pretty skeptical at first. You know, talking to a buddy and all. But I played him the rough cut today... and suddenly he's the kid who Santa Claus finally remembered.

Quite a job, it was. But fun! This old recording was long before the days of digital, plus it was a live performance, recorded on a very simple 'antique' tape recorder.

Johnny's state of the art recorder... in the '50s

There was no spacing between the songs and one of them started on one track and continued on a totally different track...a mess.

And, of course, it came complete with all the hissing and scratching and magnetic noise for which we've grown (unaccountably) nostalgic.

But now (patting myself on the back) it sounds pretty damn good.

Me trying to overcome my world renowned modesty

When I get it reformatted (so it will play on something besides my editing software), maybe I'll upload a snippet... give ya' ll a trip down mem'ry lane.

That last line sounded pretty southern, didn't it? C'mon... didn't it??

Sigh...

Okay, fine, maybe Quebecers can't sound southern. Maybe I should quit trying... just wake up and smell the damn coffee. French roast, if you please.

Now wouldn't THAT just roll your ol' socks up?

☻ Viv ♥♫♪