Arizona Live Music Cooperative October 2, 2023

Omar: Cajon… Kenn: open D slide… Walter Fretless Bass

We did a 7+min.cover of Can’t Find My Way Home that was simply wild or as someone said “groovy”

photo by Gwen TY !!!

this was the second time ever I performed c slide/ both due to

a hand injury/ the last time was 30 years ago… although very

cumbersome ie no easy click… AZLMC 10/2/2023 148:48

With Rob Quinn at Tempe Center Tempe Center for the Arts 2/28/24

Rob is a percussionist, from Colorado (also Competitive Mountain Biker, and has his own Ad Agency, and visits Arizona frequently, and knows Walt from a long time ago) He sat in on the East Patio on a (for Arizonans FREEZING night with Cold and Wind and more Cold… note he is wearing shorts and a T shirt… and I think he brought his own weather with him from near the Red Rocks in Colorado… We were on the East Patio, in a kind of wind tunnel… with a lot of Jets Flying in to Sky Harbor…

Elephant Rising’s version of White Rabbit (at Red Rocks Amphetheater, several years ago and Molly Tuttle’s current line up of what I consider prog/bluegrass/jazz infused band created the backdrop for my version. If you want a treat listen to and watch Grace’s, Bonnie’s, Molly’s versions on YouTube…

If you told me a year ago that I would be playing WHITE RABBIT on a tripped up (Seymour Duncan Humbukers gold hardware and Leopard pickguard and black vintage Cabronita Fender Squire Tele electric at an open mic a year ago… well, I would not have believed you… I processed it with a Zoom A4 Electric Violin Distortion setting and a Tre-Verb Fender c 57 Spring and slow tremolo and it was Sooo much fun to play. I call this guitar “Karma” for obvious and other reasons.

Can’t wait to have Rob Quinn back in Az, to sit in again.

Walt & Kenn May 2023

Walt Richardson with Jonny Felasco at Board

5/15/2024 TCA with Robby Roberson

Walt runs the Walk in Wednesday’s Open Mic at Tempe Center for the arts which is the longest ongoing program at the facility x 15 years and counting… He is legendary in Arizona, a great human being who ushers first performers of any age, to seasoned players thru the experience and keeps the room alive during set changes with reggae etc See other sections for how to park/play etc

Walt Richardson with Jonny Felasco at the Board Jonny is an amazing person and great musician guitar,voice and percussion and tirelessly works to make everything set up right at TCA

His Jazz Version of Brian Wilson’s Wouldn’t it Be Nice was a gorgeous arrangement and performance.

Walter Davies & Kenn 2023

FInalists in the West Valley Country Music Association’s October 15, 2023, 5th Annual Songwriting Competition, at the Main Branch of the Glendale Library/ which was a ton of fun… front row black hat…of course… my entry was “Wild Horses Anymore” from the Desert Stories album… check out Music Page for sound…

May 15, 2024 at TCA with Robby Roberson on National Resonator Mandolin

Robby is an incrediblly talented musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer songwriter and human being… and a friend since the mid 80’s… when we met at open mics, and any chance you get see him play solo, with his band, or in a duo with Eric Ramsey, or backing up Walt Richardson… Check his www for further information, sound clips etc.

So the past few weeks at TCA was kinda like the pre-covid festival days in Flagstaff and Prescott… over a few decades where, and when re’ scheduling worked and always just on the spot… I would ask him to back me up, let him know the key, and with zero practice my songs always sounded better… with his understated elegant playing… and tones.

I remember thinking at that time that it looked like Robby was having so much fun playing this instrument, and it sounded so good…and because of this as well as getting to hear another musician friend up in Flagstaff who also backed me up, who played a Webber Built vintage Flatiron mandola… I started investigating taking up another instrument… and learned alot on youtube, and eventually got a starter mandolin and then a carved archtop, Webber mandola and after about18 years am still very much enjoying the tones of the mandolin family of instruments FYI mandolin/kinda the violin, mandola viola octave cello, mandocello bass… so that’s how I became a mandolin player and backup harmony vocalist for the Mitzy Ward Experience… bluegrass, Americana band… and guest in Lon Austin’s Mexican Beaded Lizard Band and we had so very much fun playing the Glendale, Flagstaff and Prescott (Sharlott Hall Museum) Festivals. And then I started composing on the mandola… and now go back and forth from guitar to keys to mandola when composing and sometimes the interplay makes it all so much better than just using one set of tones and playability on any one instrument. It has also changed my ability to play guitar and in some senses simplified and therefore made more pure tone/and minimilast approach to compositions or playing… Mandolin/Mandola is kind of like upside down guitar with different sets of chords and fingerings and tones…

Kenn & Odie at Abcat… I’ve been recording and mastering with Odie since Songs from the Hacienda… released in 2000 and everthing since…

After a while, the language of how to do this is learned and since we’ve done it on so many projects, it becomes second nature. The equipment and software has evolved so much in the past decades, it is hard to believe that back in the day in the 1980s for Year of the TIger recorded at Nestone Studio with Joe Corrao on 4 track large tape format with editing done by cutting spicing actual tape… and thereafter thru Computer programs DAT and CDs and Servers… and an unreal ability to record multiple tracks and edit with clicks and copy past and tools to correct pops/noises tuning issue and a myriad of effects… and processors and programs that are staggeringly and simply amazing!

But at the core of all this is the song, the poetry, the idea, the story, and the instrument, the ability to play, and song-craft, without which none of the Techy advantages will help… You need a good song, good lyrics, good playing, singing and arrangement, and feeling/passion, ie the ingredients to work with… then you need someone who gets it, knows what is… “ok”or a slow contemplated “good“ …. which means NOT GOOD/start over ) good, which is not ok, or when Odie says it is Awesome, that’s it… done did etc… Rarely on take 1, although occasional magical first takes or epiphanies occur, or more likely take 3-5-7 depending, and then infinite patience to allow Odie the space/time continuum to work the programs (cathedral, vs small room reverb,) etc to make it more heavenly. The trust and almost unspoken or coded communication… sample the Am… reverse then past in on a different track to see it it works with the other voice/guitar/harmonica/harmony tracks with a taper triangle over 18 seconds… too loud cut the db down 2… etc, etc, etc… and after a few decades it is much easier and fun to do.

Epiphanies happen… the song was good the track still rolling, and something is pulled out of the ether… KOA on Amadeo CD late night recording… or EREV on Hacienda from a minimal riff I’d been toying with for a week or two, and then in real time playing creating recording all at the same time… KOA sounds like an Taoist KOAN but is short for Kenn & Odie at Abcat. These are the type of things Keith RIchards speaks about the songs being “out there” and all you need to do is to be “the antenna” that can grab them when you can… Keith Jarrett would do this in real time all the time…

Odie is an actual engineer, and can fix, design and do anything. He can play Jimmy, SRV, or ALL rock and roll, fretless bass, and is always working on his own music/band etc… He is humble and a really great human being, and and a great friend… and the reason my music can get out of my head and hands voice, and heart into reality. He is a genius at this stuff…

Otis Francis ABCAT Recording Studio Glendale Arizona

Odie is kinda my North Star in the Studio and so very appreciated!!!