Guest Book

Good ‘ol Sunday afternoon, watchin' football by the fire, slept late today, got to bed at 4 AM after a wonderful night of New Monsoon and Moonshine Still at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia. Ron Currens, Bill Ector, Rob Johnson, Jeff Faith and I just had to smile big ones when we walked into the venue with memories from New Years Eve with the dTb, Susan and Gregg! It was my first time to see New Monsoon and they were everything I hoped they would be. It’s a seven piece band with two drummers, percussions, keyboards, lead electric, rhythm acoustic. I always have loved that combination of electric and acoustic and they had the sound volume just right so that you could hear all of the nuances. It was SO pleasant to have a lower volume! Check this band out if you get a chance – they were music to my ears. Jessica was the encore, which the Hot'lanta crowd loved! Moonshine still captivated the crowd with their first headlining show. These guys have come a long way since I first saw them at the Fusionfest in Macon back in 1999. Their style is different from most music that I listen to, but I enjoy it for how good it is. Observing the evolution of music is a wonderful thing! These boys from Maconga are the real deal! Speaking of evolution, a few post back it was mention how the dTb band is no longer the instrumental jazz band they were back in the late 90’s. How true! They are that and so much more, now. I think they have, in Mike Mattison, the best possible vocalist. He can growl the blues, he can sing falsetto for this band in their old school R&B tunes…he just kills me. The Derek Trucks Band has everything in place to have a watershed year in 2006. When you hear the new CD that comes out in Feb you are going to go crazy over it!!! While there were several instrumentals recorded for the CD that didn’t make the final cut, this new CD is unmistakably Vocal with musical hooks and melodies that are at times so strong and other times so subtle. The new Derek instrumental and the tunes he wrote the words and music to will blow you away - he is really coming into his own. I can’t wait for the world to hear what we already know! Props to Rob Johnson for all his work towards the HTN/Terrapin Jamfest. 17 more shows to go! Props to Terrapin beer for having incredibly good beer – just ask Hophead – and good taste in music! It sure was fun guys… JNB