ThE SLacKs are now back in full force again with two new members. With a new shitty 4-track recorder, a practice space in QCA's old cassette duplicating room, some weird experimental tunings and some inspiration which came out of nowhere, she is now back in the land of the people who are writing songs and making love with their electric guitars. ThE SLacKs were formed because I thought if I changed from acoustic to electric and added some pedals, the sound would jar something in my brain and force me to write and hear music differently. I also went back to my blues roots -the music I listened to as a kid and teenager while everyone bought Duran Duran records (ugh) and that I learned to sing by and practiced along with usually no less than 5 hours a day. I also wanted to learn to play slide guitar so revisited my dusty collection of Blind Willie Johnson and the like. The first song I attempted to play was "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground". In less than an hour I came sort of close, played it for Ric and PJ who I then started to get together regularly with, forming the 3 piece band and recording a handful of songs on an ancient 16 track analogue machine. It did help me in every area and so was born my debut CD HONEY as well on the singer/songwriter side of my brain. Like I said, I was buying Ella sings Cole Porter Songbook records, Bessie Smith, listening to records passed down to me from my musical mother like Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Jerry Butler, Janis, CCR, and all the GOOD old country folks (when country was actually good) and very old Blues compilations I bought from the famous Record Bar with the likes of Butterbeans and Susie. I always say it was my mother who made me want to sing but the real turning point for me was the movie Coal Miner's Daughter and then my subsequent obsessions with Patsy Cline and Loretta. When I started showing influences of bands like Black Sabbath, Big Black, Led Zeppelin, Sonic Youth, Shellac and The Stooges, it was news to me. People had to tell me because I didn't know I was doing it and shamefully had never purchased any of their music except Zeppelin of course. Like I said, I was into the old blues stuff and the blues/jazz singers. I wanted to learn to sing right but it seems now I am interested in being the raucous guitar player in the background with my head buried in the amp and my back to the crowd. I don't know, I go back and forth so that is ok by me since it is about the journey and not the destination. As far as electric guitar, I still don't know what I am doing at all but thankfully I have not lost my hearing and so have a good ear. All the songs come from stumbling onto them or what sort of day I've had when I get to the practice space along with just following my heart with it all. I am pretty sure I drive Drew and Sara crazy because they usually never know where I am going but it seems to have worked out somehow. This site is dedicated to keeping current both "Jekyll and Hyde" of my music personality.
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