Tips For Being a Lady's Man #14

Keep your lady's coach clean. Make sure where she sits in your vehicle NEVER has any trash in the floor.

Tips For Being a Lady's Man #13

Always make sure she has a drink.

Tips For Being a Lady's Man #12

Always offer words of encouragement when your friend doubts herself.

Free Music

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I spent Christmas Eve with the parents and my two boys, Elijah and Caleb, and my brothers and their families (I come from a rather large and close knit family). For my parents' Christmas gift, I decided to record some "blues'd up" versions of some of the hymns I grew up singing in church. I called the album "The Naked Truth" and it's available on SoundCloud.com/kevinwaide as a free download for anyone interested in that sort of thing. Leave a comment below telling me what you think of it, if you decide to check it out.

Tips For Being a Lady's Man #11

When with a larger group of friends, never put your lady friend in the back seat.

Tips For Being a Lady's Man #10

Never cancel an appointment to meet up, and, when unavoidable, make it up as soon as possible. Nothing is more upsetting to a lady than getting ready for an evening out only to have it cancelled at the last minute. Never, EVER cancel a date with one friend to spend time with another friend, because you might get caught and lose both friends!

Tips For Being a Lady's Man #9

Always offer your coat. Coats aren't cute and never seem to match what your lady friend is wearing. YOUR coat, however, doesn't clash with her outfit. If it is too cold to offer your coat, open the front and let your lady get close to your chest, wrapping the coat around her, too. Make sure your coat is a little big to accommodate another person somewhat. A warm trench-coat is always a good idea.

Tips For Being a Lady's Man #8

Notice other women, but always go back to her. She's no fool, she knows the type of person you are, but tonight, you are with her. And guys, NEVER get another girl's number when you're out with a lady friend. A little light flirting with another friend is acceptable, after introductions, as long as it is kept short. Immediately return your attention to your lady and offer an apologetic smile. This is also a great way to get your lady's undivided attention. Keep tip number 3 in mind and don't lose your true mark.

Tips For Being a Lady's Man #7

Point out her quirks. By doing this, you're telling your lady friend, "Yes, I pay attention to every little thing about you." Don't dwell on things she is obviously self-conscience about, but point it out when she snorts. Kid her about "that cute little snore." How did you know about her snoring? With a woman that beautiful beside you, sleep was the farthest thing from your mind.

Tips For Being a Lady's Man #6

Never miss an opportunity to flirt! Flirting keeps your lady friend on her toes. She never really knows how to take you. Just don't flirt too hard! You can send signals that can be misinterpreted, resulting in the end of the friendship. Not all the women you're with want to be that intimate, and you may not want to get that close to all of the women you know. If the feeling is mutual, she'll fire back just as hard. Proceed with caution!

Happy Mayan Apocalypse Eve!

Not that I'm saying I believe it, but just in case the world DOES end tomorrow, I wanna say thank you to everyone who has helped support me and the band for the last 5 1/2 years. It's been a HELL of a ride, and we've met some of the most incredible people along the way. We've played some of the coolest venues and festivals in north Mississippi and have shared the stage with some of our own idols. We could never have done this without you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and have a happy holiday season (that is, if we even MAKE it to the holidays, what with the Mayans planning our doom and everything).

Tips For Being a Lady's Man #5

As you start your night, and several times during the evening, tell her how attractive she is. Words like "hot", "sexy", and "fine" are perfectly acceptable at this time. If you treat your lady as the most attractive in the room, you will be rewarded.

Tips For Being a Lady's Man #4

Tell her how beautiful she is. There isn't a woman alive that doesn't want to feel beautiful, and the only way to make them feel it is to tell them. Don't use words like "hot" or "fine", as these words have a sexual connotation. Beauty is what makes us smile.

Tips For Being a Lady's Man #3

Give her ALL of your attention! Look her in the eyes as the two of you talk. Don't look away, ever! Your undivided attention is an aphrodisiac. The only acceptable time she doesn't have your attention is when her attention is elsewhere, in which case you should pay attention, too. A pop quiz is sure to follow. Each correct answer is worth 10 points.

Tips For Being a Lady's Man #2

Open all doors for her, buy her drinks, light her cigarettes, etc. If a lady is with you, make sure she feels like she's with you. Always keep a lighter handy. These little things make them feel special, and they will continue to come around.

Tips For Being a Lady's Man #1

When meeting up with your lady friend, always start at the toes and quickly work your way up. Women paint their toenails for a reason. It is perfectly acceptable to ask them to spin slowly around to take it all in. They know you're checking them out. Even your closest lady friend wants to know she's attractive.

Thank God For Venues Like Blue Canoe

I went to Blue Canoe in Tupelo last night for Alvin Youngblood Hart and Muscle Theory, and the title of this post was a comment made by a patron at the show. “Tupelo has needed a venue like this for a long time.” I agree.


First, I want to say if you weren’t there, you missed a HELL OF A SHOW! Alvin didn’t disappoint, and the rhythm section was right there with him the whole night. Thank you, Adam and Meredith, for bringing Alvin and ALL of the acts you’ve brought to Tupelo.


Bars/Nightclubs like Blue Canoe are getting harder to find. In this age of DJ’s and dance clubs, finding a place to enjoy local cuisine and ORIGINAL live music (both local and regional acts) is akin to finding Jimmy Hoffa’s body. If you don’t fit in the same mold as every other band on the radio (bleck!), the chances of booking anything other than your local Open Mic Night greatly decrease. College towns tend to be a little more enlightened and you can find a variety of music to enjoy, but in a town of less than 50,000 people, Cable and Internet Radio is about the only way to find new music, and even then, it’s heavily filtered.


Just this year, I’ve enjoyed the music of George McConnell, Lightnin’ Malcolm, Gary Clark, Jr., Alvin, and a host of other musicians that I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy before Blue Canoe. The music fans in the area have started taking matters into their own hands and are creating venues for original music, which makes me (and a lot of other, I’m sure) very happy.


Now, I don’t mean this as a slight to any of the other bars/clubs in the Tupelo-area. I patronize most all of the clubs in Tupelo, as they all have something of value to add to the local scene. Romie’s (both sites), Stables, Woody’s, The Spot, and Nautical Whimsey Bistro all have great menus and live music, most of which is local. Each has its own list of regulars you’ll find sitting there every day. All are open and accepting of original music, but none push for it quite like Blue Canoe. Thank you all for giving us “music fans” a place to sit back and enjoy good food and great music.

Gear Junkie (Updated)

(Updated April 17, 2013, as I have changed my pedal board layout. K-Dub)

Being a musician, I am a gear junkie. I want to know what everyone else is using and want to try it in my chain to see how it affects my sound. So, for all you gear junkies out there, here is my current guitar rig. 

Amp – Moreland BluesTone 50-H 

Custom built by Rick Moreland of Moreland Amplification, the BluesTone 50-H is, in my humble opinion, the best sounding tube guitar amp ever! It is a 50 watt, single channel tube amp with absolutely no frills, just pure tone. It features 4 knobs (Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass), one 12AU7 preamp tube, one 12AT7 phase inverter tube, 2 EL-34 power tubes, and a 5AR4 rectifier tube and has the perfect tone for anything this side of Screamo. It takes pedals excellently, and has enough headroom to be heard over anything. It is also the quietest tube amp I have ever come across. I run this head through a mid-1980's Marshall 4x10 slant cabinet with stock Celestion speakers. 


Pedal Board 

These are the pedals I use, from first to last in the chain: 

• Boss TU-2 Tuner – I use this pedal to power my pedal board, in addition to its tuning duties 

• Xotic Pedals BB Preamp – The best sounding overdrive pedal I've ever heard, the BB is turned on and never turned off. It behaves just like the front end of the amp: hit the strings softer for a cleaner tone, harder and it growls like a wildcat. Gain at 4, Volume at 5, Bass at 6, High at 4 (tones adjusted for each room). 

• Dunlop Crybaby Wah 

• Xotic Pedals EP-Booster – Clean boost. +3db boost switch on, bright switch off, knob pointing to the top left corner.

• Voodoo Labs Micro Vibe – UniVibe clone. Used whenever we do Hendrix or Pink Floyd

• DOD VibroThang – A gift from Johnny Wiginton, used for the Ry Cooder tremolo-slide sounds. 

• Boss DD-3 Digital Delay – All knobs set at 5 for a short delay with a slight repeat. (Rarely used)

An unorthodox layout, I know, but it works for me. I like the Wah between the BB Preamp and EP-Booster because I can kick it on and get a volume boost from it without having to dance around stepping on pedals. 


Guitars 

• My Number 1 - A stock 1998 Fender American Standard Stratocaster, 3 color sunburst with rosewood fingerboard and Delta Tone Control System. The only modifications to this guitar were the bone nut and the 4-ply tortoiseshell pick guard (to replace the original 3-ply white). All 5 springs in the back, bridge adjusted to sit flat on the guitar body, strung with .011 gauge D’Addario strings. Tuned to standard pitch. 

• Red – A stock 2000 Mexican Standard Stratocaster, Midnight Wine with a 4-ply pearloid pickguard. Replaced the bridge pickup with a Seymore Duncan JB Junior humbucker and added a mammoth bone nut. Slightly higher action for playing slide guitar, all 5 springs in the back, bridge adjusted to sit flat on the guitar body, strung with .011 gauge D’Addario strings. Tuned to Open G. 

• Johnson Swamp Stomper Resonator – A stock Johnson Swamp Stomper Resonator, black, with a mini-humbucker in the neck. Strung with .012 gauge D’Addario electric strings (plain 3rd). Tuned to Open D. 

• Blondie – A cheap Strat knockoff (New York Pro), this guitar belongs to drummer Chris Fooshee and is rarely used anymore. 


Picks – Dunlop Totex 1.00 mm (blue) 


Slide – A Dunlop Chrome slide cut down to a shorter size.

On Songwriting

I don’t consider myself a songwriter. I don’t write songs, I just write them down. God, the Universe, whatever is out there pulling all the strings sees fit occasionally to throw me a bone, and within 10 minutes, it’s on paper for the whole world to see, for good or bad. The songs I actually “write” (meaning agonize over for months or years before they are considered finished) tend to pale in comparison to these “Gems from the Universe” as I like to call them. I’m thankful for these nuggets, for without them, well, you know what I mean. 


There is an art to songwriting that has almost been forgotten. People seem to think you can just throw a few words together over a mediocre piece of music and it’s a song, but there’s just more to it than that. For me, a song is like a short story, a brief glimpse into the life of the writer at that precise moment in time. Most of the best songs follow this formula. 


I prefer writing with a partner, someone I can bounce ideas off of and get feedback. A songwriting partner can inspire you to write by saying just the right thing at the right time. A partner can also help fill in the blanks in the storyline and polish off the rough edges, help with music, etc. I don’t get to write with a partner that much anymore, and trying to find my way alone has been an uphill climb. 


I can’t tell you how many times I’ve lost a song sent by the Universe because I didn’t have a pen and paper handy. Now, I keep a scratchpad on my iPod Touch for jotting down ideas as they come to me. I keep a notepad and pen in every room of my house (yes, even the bathroom) so that I always have something to write with and on in the event I become “inspired.” Most of the things I write down never see the light of day, but I have them if I’m ever looking for a line. Many times I have pulled out old notebooks and flipped through, only to be inspired by something I had written years ago and presto, someone fills in all the blanks for me. 


A good song will make a connection with you; make you feel what the writer was feeling at the time. Love, joy, pain, sadness, anger, all these emotions can be triggered by a good song. A good song can take you places you’ve never been, make you see things you’ve never seen, and you never have to leave your seat.