Harp wizards

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. I hurt my back playing hockey and haven’t been able to sit for long periods of time.

About a week ago, I fulfilled one of my life’s ambitions, which was to play harp for a rock band. I played a couple of songs with Buck Naykid (No, I am not making this up) at a club in Worcester, Mass. Despite not having rehearsed at all, things went well and it was a lot of fun.

If there are any bands out there that need a harp player, I’m available.

Jimmie Fadden, an absolute master

Which brings me to a brief discourse on big-time harp players. Who’s the best?

You need to take into consideration that the scale is built into the harmonica. So people who basically breathe into the harp (Bob Dylan comes readily to mind) are not in this discussion. I’m talking about folks who know how to make it sing.

The absolute best I have ever heard is Jimmie Fadden of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The tone and clarity he gets on his notes is nothing short of incredible.

Magic Dick of the J Geils band is very good, as are John Sebastian and Huey Lewis. Among the folksingers, Jonathan Edwards is one of the best.

Bob Dylan, not in the discussion

Do you have a favorite?

MUSICIAN TIP
What kind of harp do I like? I use the Special 20 by Hohner. It has a nice clean sound and has plastic reeds, which seem to last longer and clog up less. There are other makes that also use plastic reeds.

Who’s in Miami?

The Who - still alive and kickin'

Yes, they are. The question is why.

We’re talking about next Sunday’s Super Bowl and The Who are the halftime entertainment. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m a big Who fan from way back (I won’t tell you how far back). Love their stuff.

But c’mon now. They’re a British band and I’ll bet they think this is a soccer game. “Football” is “soccer” across the pond. Or is it the other way around? You think Roger Daltry knows what a post pattern is? Right. Those guys don’t know the difference between a nickel package and a nickel bag.

It would have made far more sense to bring in some good ol’ American talent. I’d do it for a fraction of what The Who are charging.

I could use the exposure and would love to get back on the stadium circuit.

What probably happened is the NFL Entertainment guys saw I was booked for Feb. 5 and 6, and figured that I wasn’t available.

They should have called. I could’ve made some arrangements.

Donations to Haiti

I started this with my Jan. 16 gig at the Gypsy Café and it’s going to continue at least through the end of the month. All proceeds from my CD sales will be donated to Haitian relief efforts. You can order through CD Baby, directly from me or come down to one of my gigs.

To order a CD through CD Baby, click here.

If you’d like to order directly from me, send me an e-mail and I’ll forward my address along with payment information. The best bet is to come to a show and fork over the cash in person. Here’s my schedule.

Donations will be forwarded to Partners In Health.

Thanks for participating. Think of it as a nice donation and a free CD.

Media alert: Nashua Telegraph story

Read all about it

There was a nice story written about me by Rick Dumont in today’s Nashua Telegraph. Technically, it’s in Encore magazine, which is an entertainment section of the paper. You can read it by clicking here.

Shameless self promotion? Absolutely. Is there any other kind?

The story, which includes a photo and a video, runs in conjunction with an upcoming show at the Gypsy Café in Pepperell.

I’ll be there this Saturday night, Jan. 16, from 7-9 p.m. Hope to see you there.

The Gypsy Café is located at 112 Main St. in Pepperell. For further information about the venue, call 978-433-3331 or visit the restaurant’s Web site at www.thegypsycafe.com.

Rather than going on and on (which I could do very easily), just read the Telegraph piece. Or go to my Web site: www.howienewman.com.

MUSICIAN TIP
If you’re a solo or play in a small combo, you probably do a little between-songs banter (if you don’t you should). It engages the audience and encourages them to listen. I’d recommend practicing your shtick just as you’d practice your songs. When you hear them out loud, you’ll get an idea of what the audience is getting and you can tinker the words accordingly. You can always ad lib if the mood strikes but if you have something prepared, things will go much more smoothly.

Viewer’s guide to Fenway hockey

I guess this blog is supposed to be about music and comedy but I’m going to wander a bit this week and write about watching hockey outdoors. No, I didn’t go to the Winter Classic (hey, I’m a musician; who can afford that?) but I did attend a hockey game at Fenway Park.

Jen and me - REAL hockey fans

I opted for the Legends Classic on Jan. 2. I figured the tickets were cheap enough ($10-25) and it would satisfy my curiosity about how good or bad the viewing is for hockey at the ancient ballyard. I bought a couple of the $10 seats, which I assumed were going to be terrible – and they were.

But I also assumed that most of the other seats were going to be almost as bad, which was not the case at all. In fact, unless you’re in the very low rows of box seats, there are plenty of good places to watch.

Right field seats

From the fifth row of the field boxes, however, we could only see a sliver of the ice surface and nothing below the players’ waists. They could have been playing without a puck for all we knew. So we walked back to the grandstand and stood for the first period (the view was great), then snuck into the Pavilion boxes for the rest of the game (even better).

Pavilion box view

There are actually a lot of good seats for hockey. Anything in the infield and left field is good, as long as you’re relatively high up. As you go to right field and the bleachers, you’re pretty far away. All in all, it was a fun day and didn’t cost much, which made it more fun.

MUSICIAN TIP
When shipping CDs or mailing out press kits, you can save a lot of time by buying a small postage scale and putting stamps on your packages at home. A two-pound scale goes for about $23 and will save you the aggravation of traveling to and waiting on line at the post office. Go to www.usps.com to view the rates. Just remember that anything above 13 ounces must be mailed at the post office.

Extreme makeover, Web-style

New and improved

You know, I think I forgot to mention that my Web site (www.howienewman.com) recently received an extreme makeover. I tried out a new software application and redid the whole thing.

Being that I put so much work into it, you should check it out. C’mon, it’s the holiday season. You’ve got plenty of time. There’s all kinds of new stuff, like a video page, four pages about the Music in Melrose Coffeehouse, music samples … even a list of the cover songs I do.  If you think this seems overly self indulgent, you’re right on the money. So take a peek (click here) and I promise not to ask again.

Bill McQuaid at MIM Jan. 14

By the way, our next Music in Melrose Coffeehouse is Thursday, Jan. 14, with Bill McQuaid as the feature. Bill plays a 1931 National Steel guitar. And he can really play.

MUSICIAN TIP
When publicizing your gigs, remember that no event is too small. I’ve heard a lot of musicians say, “Well, it’s a low-key gig in a small place. It’s not really worth doing much for it.” Wrong. Look at every gig as an opportunity to get your name out there, even if you’re not playing Carnegie Hall. Plus, you want people to come, right? I’d recommend sending press releases and photos for all shows.

Holiday gift guide

Ideal gift, trust me

Let’s face it: the gift of music is always special. It’s even more special when it’s my music because you’re really giving three times. One, you’re giving a unique gift to a friend or loved one (or maybe just someone on your “under $10” list). Two, you’re giving me some hard earned cash. (You think it’s easy making a CD? Just try one yourself.) And three, you’re giving yourself the satisfaction of furthering the arts (A bit of a stretch? Absolutely).

To that end, I’m making my CDs more affordable than ever. My 13-song extravaganza, Trust Me, You’ll Like It, is now just $10. All the others, including my two baseball CDs, are only $5. I also have Trust Me, You’ll Like It T-shirts for $9, $5 with the purchase of the TMYLI CD. Shipping is free with the purchase of two or more items. You have to admit it’s a pretty good deal. Click here for details. Send an e-mail to order directly from me.

So think twice before investing your holiday dollars into socks, gift certificates or anything else that doesn’t have my name on it. Give the gift of (my) music this holiday season.

Happy Holidays to you all.

MUSICIAN TIP
Re-use those CD mailers. It saves you money and reduces trash so it’s good for the environment. Unless you’re mailing a CD to the president of Capitol records, it will be fine. As a matter of fact, small community radio stations (where most of your airplay lies) will probably appreciate your efforts.

Don White’s comin’

Don White

With Don White appearing at our Music in Melrose Coffeehouse next week, this might be a good opportunity to talk about a couple of my favorite funny songwriters. If this appears to be a blatant plug for the coffeehouse, well … of course it is. But only because Don is a very special talent and well worth seeing, especially for $4. Come on down to Music in Melrose on Thursday, Dec. 10. The open mike part of the show starts at 7 p.m. and Don goes on at 8:20.

For further details see the Music in Melrose Web page and Don’s Web site.

Don is combination songwriter and stand-up comedian, culling much of his material from his family life. If you have (or at one time had) a teenage daughter, his show should be required viewing. The tunes are sometimes hilarious, sometimes touching but his between-song stories are what set him apart from the rest. Trust me, you will enjoy this evening.

Steve Goodman

One of my other favorite songwriters is the late, great Steve Goodman, whom I got to know fairly well. Most of his songs were of the serious variety (he wrote “City of New Orleans”) but he’s recorded a whole bunch of great zingers like Vegematic, Talk Backwards, A Dying Cub Fan’s Request and more. His later stuff, after Asylum Records dumped him and he went indie, is the best. Check out his Web site.

MUSICIAN TIP
Well, I’m new to this blogging stuff but people are telling me to keep it brief. So I’ll finish up with my musician tip of the week: If you’re mailing CDs in bulk, consider using Media Mail. It’s a flat rate of $2.38 for one pound, $2.77 for two pounds, and up and up. It may take a few days longer but can save you some serious cash.

Free guitar strings

OK, now that I’ve received your undivided attention, let’s make a deal. I’ll tell you how to get $40 worth of free guitar strings and you’ll agree to read the whole blog (c’mon now, it’s only four paragraphs).

The deal is through Daddy’s Junky Music, which has stores in all the New England states. You buy an Accessories Discount Card for $20 and that entitles you to $5 off any purchase per month. In the store I use, Martin acoustic guitar strings are $5. So I go in each month, get a set of strings and it costs me nothing. After the first four months, I’ve broken even and then I’m entitled to eight months of free strings. All right, one month I got a $5 capo for free.

Now that I’ve helped you out, please check out my Web site: www.howienewman.com. I play solo (guitar, vocals, harmonica) around New England, performing my own original funny songs, doing short comedy bits and involving the audience as much possible. I even throw in a few serious songs and some covers here and there. It’s not really folk music but it is a fun interactive show. Song topics include baseball, Boston drivers, intergalactic garbage collection and middle age dating.

Once in a while, my son, Keith, will accompany me. He plays flute, sings and does percussion. We have a new Youtube video available.

Thanks for reading. I’ll have some more stuff in a few days.