where've ya been?

Life goes on, and as it does, it deals us some surprises.  Look out the window and there's a pile   of snow that dropped on us over the past few days.  The roads were slippery, visibility poor, but music continues to pile up.  Mark and I practiced a couple of new tunes to play in a week or two; we both have Garageband now and this may lead to some recording of our combined sound.  
Lots of new blues CDs for review.  Albert Collins Live at Montreux 1992, Samuel James, Moreland & Arbuckle, Eric Bibb, it just keeps coming.  I'll be reviewing these for GMR, but
believe me when I say...they're all worthwhile.  We're going to see Bibb in a month at the
intimate theatre at Brock University.  I'll tell you how that goes.  Last month we saw John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett at Massey Hall.  The drive was interminable (more than 2 hours to go the 40 miles to Toronto) but dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe was tasty, and the show was even tastier!
Sitting on chairs and using only acoustic guitars these two showed the reason for their success many times during the evening.  They alternated songs, first Hiatt, then Lovett, back and forth pausing only for a bit of humourous patter.  Sometimes John played a lead behind Lyle, sometimes Lyle added a harmony.  Lyle Lovett was headlined first but it was John Hiatt people were talking about when it was all over.  All in all...a splendid evening.  I bought the new CD (+DVD) from Arlen Roth.  Called Toolin' Around Woodstock it features  guest 
appearances from Levon Helm, Bill Kirchen and Sonny Landreth.  It's really a guitar 
album with some fantastic songs.  "Sweet Little Sixteen", Joe South's "Games People 
Play", a fiery take on Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man".  The DVD shows the recording 
sessions, and is fun to watch, but it's the CD you'll be playing over and over.  
Jackson Browne fans will be glad of Volume 2 in the solo acoustic series.                                
Live versions of songs from his long career, it's a beautifully recorded collection                        from shows from all over.