The Great Rat Hunter

So we were just getting to sleep last night when we heard the dogs rustling around at the foot of our bed. I turned on the light and when I did, Lauri discovered a rat by her side of the bed. A RAT!, A RAT! And the chase was on! 
The chihuahua and the retriever managed to run him down the hall and into the living room, with mom and dad close behind. We must have woken Hannah with all the whoopin'  and hollerin'  . . . She found a flashlight and Lauri went to grabbing brooms and blankets so she could trap and pulverize the little thing. I went to the garage and retrieved my trusty Benjamin pellet pistol, a gift from a friend many years ago. The dogs were still on the scent, and indicated the culprit might be under a chair. As I pumped up the Benjamin, Hannah shone the flashlight under there, and sure enough, we spied two beady eyes staring at us. I took careful aim . . . (actually I couldn't see the damn sights on the pistol, so I went back to the bedroom and grabbed my glasses) . . . and POP! He ran for about two feet and dropped. I whacked him with the broom for good measure, but that was more for show. He was already assuming room temperature. Roxy, the retriever, did what good retrievers do, she picked him up.  Ewwww.
The rat is now in the trash bin, Roxy and Chili have been duly rewarded for their valor, and Hannah went back to bed and stuffed a towel under her door just in case . . .Lauri tossed and turned most of the night, and I slept with a loaded pellet pistol on the night stand. After church I might carve a notch in the handle.

Working in the Music Industry

My digital distributor, Smashwords.com is running a summer promotion. For the month of July, you can download a digital copy of my book, Working in the Music Industry for $5.99, a 25% discount. WhoooWhooo! Just click on the link below and enter

Coupon Code: EA65E

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/14666

Rollin’ on the River with John Fogerty

There are always some defining moments to most of the TV specials that I work on, and one such moment occurred last night. John Fogerty graced our rehearsal room in preparation for his performance on “Girls’ Night Out,” a CBS special to be aired April 22nd. Wearing a flannel shirt and a gentle smile, John stepped up to the microphone and took us all back to 1969 as we performed “Proud Mary” with him. But this was not an attempt to claim something that had been lost to youth, it was John Fogerty as I remember him sounding when Creedence Clearwater Revival took over the airways in the late 60s and early 70s. I don’t know how old John is, but he still sings and plays with the same energy and clarity that made him a legend. We were all knocked out with John’s performance, and charmed by his humble attitude and enthusiasm for his work.

I’ve played “Blue Skies” with Willie Nelson. I recorded “She Believes In Me” with Kenny Rogers, and taught Donald Sutherland how to sing a song for a movie. Admittedly small moments in music history, nonetheless they are indelible moments in my career. While they don’t define who I am, these memories certainly leave me with a smile. And now I have another.

The NAMM Show and Brian Auger

Bob Lefsetz http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ talks about how real success in the music business is about putting in 10,000 hours of rehearsal time in order to become really good at what you do. That came to mind at the recent NAMM show in Anaheim. The NAMM Show (National Association of Music Merchants) is the music business’ annual trade show, featuring hundreds of musical instrument manufacturers. I was walking through the exhibits when I heard the unmistakable sound of Talent. In one of the booths, all by himself, was a guy just wailing on a keyboard setup. Playing to tracks, but with a fervor and level of expertise that not only drew a crowd, but got rousing ovations at the end of each number. I didn’t recognize him at first, but as I drew closer I could make out his name tag – “Brian.” Then he launched into “Freedom Jazz Dance, ” and I finally figured out this gray-haired chap (who was, by now, working up a sweat) was the legendary Brian Auger. Yep, as a keyboardist, I grew up listening to him. Real talent does not need lights, dancers, smoke machines, or sub-woofers.

http://www.brianauger.com/

Working in the Music Industry – A new book by Edgar

I started Working In The Music Industry over twenty years ago while I was still traveling with Kenny Rogers. I put it on the shelf after some false starts by major publishers. It finally dawned on me that I didn’t need a major publisher to get this title in print, and there still was valuable information in the pages, so I picked it up again a couple of years ago and headed for the finish line.

Working In The Music Industry was written primarily for young people, high school to college age, who are curious about the various job opportunities in the commercial music business. My book is not the first to address this topic, but in this book my descriptions about music careers are followed by interviews with people who are actually working in these occupations, and they have a good bit to say. It’s a short, but informative read at about 100 pages. While I don’t expect many of you on my “music alert”  list to run out and order a copy, maybe you know someone who is thinking about music as a career and could benefit by reading this. If so, please send them my way.

For more information click here.

For a text-based sample or to buy a digital download in any of the major formats, click here.

Brooks and Dunn: The Last Rodeo

Rehearsing for the Brooks & Dunn Tribute

This Sunday evening, May 23, please look for “Brooks & Dunn: The Last Rodeo” on CBS. We taped this show a few weeks ago in Las Vegas, and if you’re a country music fan, you shouldn’t miss this one. Arguably the most successful duo in country music history, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn are calling it quits after 20 years together, and this show is a celebration of their success.

Dick Clark Productions and the Academy of Country Music  called in all the top artists in county music to participate, and the show has some amazing performances and some very entertaining moments.

The photo above shows me and Reba as we ran through her number, “Indian Summer.” Below are some more photos from rehearsal and the show.

Working with Darius Rucker

Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott and me

Hannah (my daughter) and I get a steel sermon from Rev. Gary

The Brooks & Dunn Band and Singers

Tim McGraw rehearsing "That Ain't No Way To Go"

Farewell Faroes

At the studio in Torshavn

With a successful recording session, a well-attended music business seminar, and two great live shows under our belts, we departed the Faroes on September 2. I haven’t had a teary goodbye in years, but the whole family was emotional when it came time to get on the plane. I can honestly say this is the best overseas trip I’ve ever made, and we all look forward to returning soon.

The Faroese people made all the difference. It was a delight to spend time in a country where life is a little slower and perhaps more enjoyed. Our kids ran free, even into the night, without worry of harm coming to them. The kids in the high school that our children visited all came out to hug them the last day we were there – even the teachers.

We were flown to Copenhagen by Olaf, senior pilot for Atlantic Airways, who was a guest in our house twenty years ago when he was receiving flight training in the states. He changed his schedule to be our pilot that day, and I got to ride the whole flight in the cockpit jump seat

After a evening poking around Copenhagen’s Tivoli amusement park and a decent sleep in a too-expensive room, we traveled for 24 hours from Copenhagen to Los Angeles without incident. We landed at 4:00, but it was 6:30 before we got home because – you guessed it – traffic was bumper-to-bumper. Welcome home…

More Faroe Islands

Well, the jet lag has just about worn off, and we are enjoying a completely different way of life here in the Faroes. This is a beautiful place – quite laid back and relaxed. The people here have such an affinity for this place, and it shows. Lauri and I both noticed that as the plane was making its final approach, the passengers all came alive with excitement as the islands came into view. There was a noticeable change in the whole atmosphere in the plane from quiet boredom as we flew over the water from Copenhagen to excited anticipation as we neared the Faroe Islands airport. I can’t say I’ve ever experienced anything even close to that flying in to LAX:)

Tomorrow, the musicians arrive from Nashville. They’ll have a day on Monday to sightsee, and we all go to work on Tuesday. There are sessions scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, then a Music Business Seminar on Thursday. Friday we rehearse for the concert, and Saturday is the performance. I’m told we are close to selling out.

I tasted whale blubber for the first time in my life…..I can honestly say that it’s doubtful I will put that on my list of favorite foods, but it was interesting. We also had some dried fish last night that was pretty good. One of the things that my kids and I enjoy a lot is that it’s OK to have a thin wafer of chocolate on your breakfast roll. Yes!

The Faroe Islands

In 1989, I got a call from a guy with a distinct european accent, who said his name was “Jacob,” and he wanted to produce a country album in Nashville, using real Nashville session musicians. He asked if I would help him put that together, and of course, I said “yes!” (You never turn work down, right?)  And that phone call was the beginning of a twenty-year friendship and business association with Jakup Zachariassen, and a chance to meet and work with some of the most talented and nicest people on the planet – all from the Faroe Islands. In 1989, I had never even heard of the Faroe Islands – most folks from the USA are not aware they exist. In fact I have a small speech memorized when someone asks me about the Faroes:

“They are a group of 18 Islands, 17 of which are inhabited, and there are about 50,000 people total that live there. They are north of Scotland, west of Ireland, and east of Norway. They are ruled by Denmark, but whatever you do, don’t speak Danish there “

Now my family and I have the opportunity to travel there and participate in a celebration of that twenty-year association. We leave August 19 and return on September 3. Also joining me there will be some of the best county musicians on the planet – from Nashville, of course. John Hobbs, Paul Franklin, Brent Mason, Brian Sutton, Paul Leim, and David Hungate will be arriving in the Faroes soon to record some tracks with a Faroese Artist. Then all of us will be delivering a Music Business Seminar on August 27. On Saturday, August 29, these musicians will be the all-star band that will be backing many of the artists that I have helped produce over the last twenty years. I am so looking forward to this time!

If you can read Faroese, you can find out more about this event by going here:

http://nashville.fo/

Route 66

My daughter Hannah and I arrived in Ludington, MI Saturday, June 27. We had a long, hot drive from California in our 1963 Dodge Dart GT convertible with no A/C. There was, of course, a heat wave over much of the South, but despite the heat in Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri, we had a great time. We traveled along the old Route 66, using the “EZ 66 Guide for Travelers” as our map. Most of the old route runs parallel to the Interstate, and during those times we kept to the big road. But there were many occasions when the old route (or “Mother Road” as it is affectionately called) veered off through unknown countryside and towns, and in those instances, we usually veered as well. The experience was truly wonderful for me, although the 12-year-old couldn’t have cared less about old gas stations and one-horse towns. But she went along with my agenda so long as I kept her in hamburgers and cream soda as we traveled.

There are many valid arguments in favor of bypassing the small towns that dot the old Route 66, but many of these communities – that had no other real economic base other than tourism – became ghost towns when the interstate system replaced the old highway. There were countless abandoned motels, restaurants, gas stations, and other storefronts along the Mother Road. These artifacts were fascinating to see, but I wondered if something of value was lost as a result of America’s push for speed and productivity. Again, I am not arguing the efficiency of the Interstate system, nor the need for it. But something was compromised in that transaction: The heart and soul of small town life, and the human connection that is unavoidable as one passes through. At times it made me well up as I observed a way of life that is seemingly lost and unrecoverable.

As a nation, we depend on the expediency of our Interstate system to move people, goods, and services and provide an infrastructure for the self-defense of the nation. And that is well and good. But I feel a real sadness as community is often sacrificed for commerce. This is especially evident where we live in Los Angeles where things are always moving close to the speed of light. Life is so urgent, so stringent. I miss walking down Gaylord Avenue and stopping to chat with neighbors sitting on their front porch. I miss pulling into the Pure Oil station on North Main in Scottville and having Don Butler ask, “Check the oil?”  Thoughts and feelings that have been rattling around in my heart for a while now were exacerbated by the experience on Route 66. As my family and I navigate life, I wonder if we should be paying more attention to quality, community, and calmness, and less attention to commerce?