The Stories Behind the Stories - Gone Bad Blues

I had just gone to bed one night when I got a phone call from some friends (around 12:30 am) about an after-party at a one of their friends house and I needed to get my @$$ out of bed and get dressed, they would be by in just a few minutes to pick me up. Oh, and bring a guitar!

I got dressed, tuned my acoustic, and put it in the case. Once on the road, Ryan informed me that his friend, Ric Clayton, was associated with the Minerva Festival, and this was an excellent opportunity to get on the bill for the 2010 Festival.

Once there, I saw what was really going on. Ryan was invited to the party as long as he brought some music (a stipulation placed on a lot of people in that group of friends, as I soon found out). We were all sitting around on the back porch drinking when I was asked to play something on the guitar for a guy to rap over! I played a couple of pieces for him and he was definitely a talented rapper, regardless of my dislike of the style. My friend Naomi asked me to play something she and Farley could dance to, and we moved the pool table (sitting in his dining room where a table should be!) to give them enough room to dance.

I had this piece of slide guitar music, written in Open G a few months before, and I started playing it. Someone asked me what it was and I replied that it was a piece I was working on and it didn't have a name. The rapper, chompin' at the bit to rap over it, asked if it had any lyrics, and I said sure, not knowing WHAT I was going to sing over it (I was ready for something other than Rap).

I played through the music a few times while Naomi and Farley danced around the pool table, trying to think of something to sing over it, when the first line of Robert Johnson's "Love In Vain" came to mind:

And I followed her to the station

With her suitcase in my hand

Well it's hard to tell, hard to tell

When all your love's in vain.

I didn't want to steal it, so I started thinking of ways to change it and make it mine.

I went down to the station

With a suitcase in my hand.

Had to leave my baby,

Messin' with another man

For the other two verses, I used the same idea and just changed the words a little.

I went down to the station

Left my woman standing there cryin'

Lord, that man she's been lovin'

Livin' on borrowed time.

I went down to the station

Sheriff on my trail

Catch the first thing smokin', I won't

Spend my life in jail.

The rapper dude would rap a little in between verses (and over the solo section), and I really wish it had been recorded. I was proud of the way it sounded, everyone at the party loved it, and it became a permanent part of my repertoire. Thank you, Naomi, Ryan, and Farley, for calling and waking me up.

The Stories Behind the Stories.

I quit playing music completely in 2000. I had 2 children and was going through a divorce, and I really wanted to make it work, so in a last ditch effort to save my family, I cut my hair, went to school, and got a good job. The four of us moved to Walls, MS, and made one last go of the relationship. There would be no secrets (except for the fact that I had NOT sold my music equipment, I just hid it in the pawn shop for 5 years!) and we would see if we could salvage any part of our relationship. Things just didn't work out, and in September of 2005, we went our separate ways.

I started writing music again then, with the idea of putting a blues band together with me as the vocalist. I had always wanted to sing, but was told by every band I was in that my backing vocals were ok but I would not be allowed to even sing one song, and I was determined to find my place as a singer. I put together a 3 piece blues-rock band called "Sugar Ditch" and started doing it.

I was sitting at the bar at Hooter's in Horn Lake, MS, one night and was scribbling gibberish on the back of a napkin. Anything that popped into my head got written down:

I've been thinkin' 'bout going

Insane

Maybe rearrangin'

My brain

Jump in front of a train

Try on a little pain

After this rain.

I was alone for the first time in my life, alone in an apartment, in a town where I really didn't know anyone, 127 miles away from all my friends and family, and it was beginning to get overwhelming. I had started getting out to meet people and had a small group of "friends" that I would talk to at the bar every evening. One of the guys reached for the napkin I was scribbling on and read it out loud, which caused a bit of a discussion, but "If you think you're insane, then you're actually sane. An insane person will go to his grave thinking he is sane," was the gist of it. I was just irritated they were taking my lyrics so seriously.

I stumbled home that night after a couple of pitchers of beer (I forgot to mention, I lived in an apartment right behind Hooter's. How convenient!) and threw the napkin on the coffee table, a pile of napkins from previous nights at the bar (yes, I was one of the regulars, too). I really didn't give it too much thought.

A few nights later, I watched the movie "Crossroads" for eleven millionth time, and was sitting on the sofa strumming a small acoustic guitar bought for my boys. It was tuned to open D, and the slide of Ry Cooder on the soundtrack inspired me to play a little slide myself, which resulted in the opening riff of "Ain't Got You," and it was recorded in 2008. Originally, there was a bastardized verse of "Amazing Grace" before that riff, but Foosh talked me out of recording that part, saying the song was long enough as it was.

Things Have Been Going On!

I've had a lot of irons in the fire lately trying to promote the Project and the album. Doing all of this myself isn't exactly easy, but at least I know it's getting done, giving me the ability to sleep a little each night. One of the main things I've been working on is making it easier on everyone to hear and purchase the album with the least amount of effort. That being said, I have some good news for everyone.

"Lost In Mississippi" by the Kevin Waide Project is now available on Spotify, iTunes, and Google Play. You can still Buy Direct From Kevin Waide at www.kevinwaide.com if you'd rather support us that way, and can get an actual CD shipped to you.

I would also like to take a moment to recognize my good friend and band mate Jason Carter for his feature in Jacked Magazine this week. Jason is the smoothest and most tasteful slide guitarists I have ever had the privilege of making music with. Attached is a copy of the article. Congratulations, Jason. It's all well deserved.

Can you believe it's been 6 months?

It's crazy! Six months ago today, I made the decision to become a full-time musician.

Going into it, I was terrified. Being a musician is hard enough, especially in these tough economic times, but going full-time as a "Root's Music Musician" is not exactly a smart move financially! I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep enough work scheduled, but was determined to give it my best attempt. At 40 years old, my chances of being "discovered" (for whatever that's worth!) are quickly drawing to a close, so I knew it was all on me to keep it going and quickly went to work booking as many shows as I could find, which led to a three month house gig at Vanelli's.

The Vanelli's gig help me grow as an artist and also helped the Project grow, both in technique and execution. So many special guest shared the Vanelli's stage with us during this time, forging new friendships and working relationships. The shows also helped us build a larger fan base, with visitors to Tupelo from all over the United States, and even a few from overseas. We had a lot of fun at Vanelli's, made some great music, and met some incredible people. I'm inclined to declare the time successful.

Other shows from the last six months worth mentioning would be the "Don't Be Cruel Barbecue Duel," our trip back to Indianola and 308 Blues Club, and Kudzu's Bar & Grill in Memphis. The BBQ Duel was a lot of fun and I got to hear my friends Scott Chism & The Better Half (twice in one day!) while hanging out with my sons. Indianola was a post all to itself and was fun despite all the crap that was thrown at us. That night was both a Birthday Celebration for our friend Rick Moreland and marked the passing of our long-time friend Tim "The Milkman" Hopkins from his fight with cancer (F#@K Cancer!). Kudzu's marked the first full show with Gavin McGee on bass and my son Elijah Waide on drums. It was also my first show in Memphis in 7 years, and was more fun that I thought it could have been. The show was recorded by Mary Moreland on her iPad 2, so I cut it apart and released it as a free download here. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

Going into the next six months (one section at a time!), we already have some great shows lined up, the biggest being the 35th Annual Prairie Arts Festival in Wests Point, MS! I'm working on more shows in the Memphis-area, along with moving south into Columbus, West Point, and Starkville.

And if you'd like to see us come to your area, contact me with Venue Info and I'll see if I can make it happen. This post is running a little long, and I know you've got work to do, so I guess I'm done. :-)

We'll see ya on the road.

Kevin

New Bootleg Album for Free Download

I just wanted to take the time to let everyone know that I've uploaded a new "Bootleg Album" for free download. Just click here and download away! The bootleg was recorded by Mary Moreland on an iPad 2 and sounds pretty good for a room recording. This album has the new song "No Time To Cry" written by my son, Michael, along with some other originals and popular covers.

I've also uploaded a couple of new videos on YouTube from the show, including my reggae version of "Free Bird". I have more video to upload in the next few days, so subscribe to the channel to get updates as I make them.

I also would like to remind you Android users out there to download the Kevin Waide Android App here. It's free of charge, and you can keep up with the latest goings-on with the project as well as check the show schedule or stream "Lost In Mississippi" straight from the web for FREE! How cool is that?

Work on the new album is about to start back up, so hopefully I'll have some snippets for you to hear in the coming weeks. We have some solid song and a solid lineup for the studio, so keep your fingers cross that everything falls into place, but I don't think that will be a problem. The great thing about seasoned players is they're already seasoned and ready. ;-)

Movin' On Up!

Well we're movin' on up, 

To the top 

To a deluxe apartment in the sky. 

Movin' on up 

To the top 

We finally got a piece of the pie.

~ Movin' On Up - Jeff Barry & Ja'net Dubois

We have reached number 77 on the ReverbNation Blues charts for US.( http://www.reverbnation.com/kevinwaide) Thank you to everyone that has supported us by coming to the shows, buying the album, recommending us to friends, and/or promoted us both on and offline. We couldn't have made it this far or this long without you helping to spread the word. If y'all keep this kind of work up, we'll reach the number 1 spot in no time at all. If you could take the time and ask 3 of your closest friends to check us out in the next week, that should do it.

Again, thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.

Kevin, Jason, and Foosh