Nick Edelstein

Posts Tagged ‘georgia’

Sweet Auburn High

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

When we arrived yesterday at Sweet Auburn Springfest, a nice big stage and first-rate sound crew greeted us. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, and everyone was out enjoying their Mothers Day. I knew that a killer show was in my near future I wasn’t wrong, but like everything else in Life it didn’t turn out as I’d expected.

After our fourth song my high “E” string broke (rarely happens; first break in 6 months). I kept cool, quickly retuned my remaining five strings and continued on to “PC Religion” without a hitch. We did five more songs before ending our set and exiting the stage, at which point Fred (drums) first realized my handicap. Andy (bass) had been standing beside me, stage left, and he hadn’t noticed either. True, it was a 32′ x 24′ stage but still…

It’s a small example of how I live every day: be happy, stay focused! Don’t let things you can’t control bother you! Be prepared for the worst. Let experience guide you through obstacles in a calm, professional manner. I guarantee everyone in that audience dug my solos and chord voicings and didn’t notice the missing “E” string – because I didn’t let them. In fact I’m really wishing we had a video of that show because some of my playing was really inspired and stellar, and our stage presence was spot-on.

Fred and Andy rocked. I met some great people-now-fans, like Tony and Nancy. On our way home I couldn’t help but think of how greatful I was for being able to enjoy that experience, instead of getting hung up on the negative aspect (broken string). Too often I see folks wading through their days in negative energy. Be positive, stay focused on the good!

Tags: atlanta, band, concert, dobbs, festival, GA, georgia, mothers day, outdoor, plaza, spring, springfest, stage, sweet auburn
Posted in Tour Diary | 1 Comment »

Concerts In Your Home

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Concerts In Your Home

It’s officially official now, after years of playing “private events” for my dearest fans and friends I am now advertising House Concerts! If you’re interested in being a host, or what hosting entails, there’s a TON of great free information and tips at http://concertsinyourhome.com. As you can see from the photo here, and their website, Concerts In Your Home is serious fun! :)

BTW, if you think I’m the odd man out here, you’re wrong … Edie Carey, Rebecca Loebe and Jackson County Line are just a few of the many noteworthy Atlanta artists who play house concerts! Join the party!

Tags: Advertising, atlanta, carey, concert, Counties, Edie Carey, events, georgia, home, hosting, Jackson, jackson county, living room, loebe, music, private, rebecca loebe, United States, Website
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GSPA ‘09 was “Most Successful Conference Yet”

Monday, October 5th, 2009

: Image via Wikipedia

I had the pleasure of returning to GSPA this year as their sole live performer / entertainment. I was very excited, having played the conference in 2007. The University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism hosts the Georgia Scholastic Press Association annually, in the Tate Student Center on UGA’s main campus.

Our trip to Athens was uneventful, as usual (hwy 316 can put you to sleep!) but the renovations to the Tate Student Center were eye-opening. It looked a million times more attractive than when I attended [school]. We set up our gear promptly, assisted by wonderful staff (thanks Karen!) and an intern from UGA’s Music Business program.

During the concert some journalism students snapped photos and took notes, then we did a Q&A session! An excellent article – written by the students – sums up the conference (click here to read the article).

Tags: Athens Georgia, Colleges and Universities, Education, georgia, GSPA, Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, journalism, MBUS, music business, Q&A, UGA, United States, University of Georgia
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Les Paul, R.I.P.

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Whether or not you play the famous Gibson model, guitarists worldwide owe a debt to the late Les Paul. Even if you’re an acoustic artist, the fact is that most of the melodies, chord voicings, and techniques we use evolved from the advent of electric guitar.
The ability to play thinner-guage strings gave way to techniques like “bending,” “hammer-ons” and “pull-offs” and all sorts of artificial harmonics (not to mention … the “whammy bar”)! Can you imagine what Eddie Van Halen’s music would’ve sounded like if he couldn’t do “dive-bombs?” And don’t even get me started on FX pedals (which never would have been invented if there were no electric guitars to use them). Not unlike Michael Jackson, the legacy of Les Paul will forever live in the History books.

What follows is Roger “Hurricane” Wilson’s article, courtesy of Atlanta Blues Society:
“Les Paul
Born Lester William Polsfuss on Jun 9, 1915 in Waukesha, WI
Died Aug 13, 2009 in White Plains, NY

We are all saddened by the loss of the legendary Les Paul. We know that he changed the world of music with his inventions of sound on sound recording, as well as the invention of the solid body electric guitar. Many know that he crossed many boundaries by winning multiple awards for his achievements, as well as inductions to various halls of fame. Many obituaries, tributes, and eulogies are being written about Les Paul. When I was in the broadcast news business, one of my bosses told me, “If you are going to write something, tell me something I don’t know!” Well here goes! It is true that for me, being friends with a guy like Les Paul would never be an unwanted attribute, but in my case, it was truly unexpected.

In September of 2003, I was on tour in the Northeast, and I decided I wanted to catch one of Les Paul’s weekly shows in New York City. A couple of friends and I decided to make the trip to the Iridium Jazz Club near Times Square to catch Les’ show. After paying the thirty or so dollars each to get in, we were there! I was really excited to be able to catch the guy in action that I had read about for many years, plus for the years of my playing the model of guitar named after him… The Gibson Les Paul! I had determined that I was going to make this night pleasurable and go easy on myself. I wasn’t going to try to get an autograph, or get on stage, or schmooze, hustle, or do any kind of PR or music business. It was just going to be a guitar lesson for me.

The lights went down, and Tom, the sound man announced, “And now the man that has changed the course of popular music for all of us, Mr. Les Paul and his trio.” It was amazing, and I was enthralled! There he was, in the flesh… the guy that invented multi-track recording, and the solid body electric guitar. I was savoring the moment and was oblivious to everything else around me. This was what I was waiting for. After about 3 or 4 songs, Les starting cutting up with the crowd and the band. It seemed that someone on the front row was talking to him, and had said something on the order of “I play guitar too”. Les replied, “so you play too, well come on up here and show us what you can do.” At that moment, a well dressed Middle Eastern Indian gentleman approached the stage. He strapped on the guitar that Les keeps on the piano for just such occasions. I wasn’t sure what was happening here, and I was trying to figure it out. The guy started playing the introduction to T-Bone Walker’s Stormy Monday… BADLY! Now I was getting worried! The hair on the back of my neck was starting to stand up. My friends, Bobby and John, knew I was starting to get restless.

I was trying to keep from turning green and to not have my clothes split off me like The Incredible Hulk. The guy played the one song, and he was off the stage. It really wasn’t a pretty site. By this time, I was fit to be tied, mainly because I couldn’t leave this night with that vision in my head. Les resumed his show and I did eventually calm down to enjoy the rest of the set.

At the close of this, the first show, the announcement was made that CD’s could be purchased from Les’ son, Russ. I immediately went to him, bought a CD, and asked him if that last appearance had been planned. He said that they had never seen the guy before. I explained to him who I was, and that I was on tour, and that I had my first Les Paul guitar when I was 18. Russ said if he had known I was there, he would have gotten me up to jam. I immediately said, “I’m still here!” He said OK, come on back and I’ll introduce you to Dad. I was caught off guard by his response and ecstatic at the same time! When I met Les, it was like talking to an old friend. I explained to him my situation, and he seemed pleased. He said to stand by the stage and he would get me up with him. I did that and was beside myself. In the next set, he called me up with no idea of who I was or what I could do. I introduced myself to the audience over the mike telling them my name and how honored I was to be there. I immediately launched into a simple version of “Everyday I Have the Blues”, with the band following. As I played and sang, Les was smiling. After that song, he said, “Well what else ya got?” I went into a slow B.B. King Blues classic, “Sweet Little Angel”. That was exciting since, I made it to the second song!” Les and I swapped some licks back and forth. He and I were having a ball! The first guy got the hook after the first tune. When I came off stage, I was walking on air. This was a day I would never forget!

Over the next few years, I would return to jam with Les and the band another 6 times. I became friends with the band and crew, Lou, Nicki, John, Tom, and Chris. Les’ son, Russ, and I would stay in touch, and during my trips to the northeast, I would attend his Sunday night jams at various locations around northern New Jersey, and then go into the city to see Les. The stories I was hearing from him were priceless. He told me how he got Mary Ford to speak into a mike down the hall, and when he heard her voice repeated on the extra tape head he installed, he knew he had found the thing that would change music recording forever. He told Mary to grab the laundry, throw it in the car, and that they were heading to Chicago. She kept saying, “What if it doesn’t work?” During that trip from California, by the time they were in New Mexico, he was wondering if it would work. He then said, “By the time we got to Chicago, I had convinced myself that it wasn’t going to work”. He was thankful that when they drilled the first hole in a new Ampex tape recorder in Chicago to add the extra record head, that “we didn’t screw anything up!”

During another of my visits, Les simply said, “Man, if I was to ever retire, I would just die!” He was 89 then! Another time, I was helping the guys carry some gear up to the street to put in the car. After 2 shows, he had signed autographs for a line of people that circled the inside of the club. He had signed everything from guitars to pictures, to records, to pick guards, to you name it! After signing every last item, Les was still downstairs in the rest room. As I headed back in, the manager at the door with keys to lock up said, “What did you forget?” I said Les is still in the club! I ran back down and got him. I’ll never forget Les Paul holding on to my arm as we climbed the stairs at 1 AM.

When he turned 90, it seemed that the world showed up to witness him. The crowds were lined up out the door at the Iridium on Monday nights. Interviewers from all walks of media were at the dressing room door for weeks before and after his birthday. I had the pleasure of sitting in with him 3 days before his actual 90th. The big event was a couple of weeks later at a star-studded event in Carnegie Hall.

My last visit with him was in November of 2007, at age 92. When my friend, Bobby Lyons, and I arrived at the Iridium early, Les was having his usual dinner in the dressing room. He was always eating his dinner on a turned on the side audio monitor cabinet. I always wondered why they didn’t get him a small table in there. This time, when I arrived, Les responded and waved slowly. It was a little disconcerting to me, be we left to grab a bite before the show. When I returned, I happened to be in position to help him on to the stage. He ambled to his chair, picked up his guitar, and as soon as the introduction announcement was made and the lights came up, “It Was Showtime!” He was back! I got to sit in both sets that night! After the second show, he came back into the dressing room, collapsed on the couch and said, “Man I’m Tired!” I said, “Les! Are you OK? I was really quite concerned about you earlier”. He said, “Oh yea, I’m fine. I’ve just been putting in these 14 hour days”. I replied, “14 hour days! What are you doing?” He said, “I’m still working on these guitars”. “What are you doing to them?” I asked. “I’m still trying to get that sound right!” I was amazed! This is why he would jump out of bed every morning to keep “chasing sound”.

The amazing thing about Les, is that, with as many important and well-known people that he associated and rubbed shoulders with, he would always remember the guys, like me, who loved to play guitar. He would sign guitars when I would take them in, and he would always write something nice. “Keep picking” was a favorite, but the night he wrote, “Those Were Some Great Blues!” I was pretty well knocked out. He actually confessed to me that since he was more commercially oriented, he didn’t know much about the history of the Blues. He asked me to explain it to him. I sat in the dressing room of the Iridium one night and gave him my basic simple interpretation of the origin of the Blues. He sat there listening carefully, really soaking it in. I couldn’t believe that Les Paul was actually learning something from me!

Just during the month of June this year, I attended one of Russ Paul’s jams in New Jersey. My plan was to go into New York City on the Monday afterward to see Les. Russ told me that Les hadn’t been able to make some shows in the last few weeks, and he had been in and out of the hospital. He had even missed his 94th birthday gig on June 9. I was concerned about it, but Russ said his Dad was doing better, and that he was itching to get back to work. If I knew anything at all about Les, I knew that was true. He said that his Monday gigs at the Iridium were just like celebrating New Year’s Eve every week. He proved to me many times that having a passion for something in life will keep one alive. For a guy like Les Paul, and with a life like he had, we can’t afford to mourn his loss as much as we need to celebrate his life. We need to “KEEP ON PICKING”!

Roger “Hurricane” Wilson
August, 2009″

Tags: acoustic, artist, atlanta, atlanta blues society, bending, chords, dive, eddie van halen, electric, GA, georgia, gibson, guitar, hammer-on, les paul, melody, michael jackson, musician, NY, obituary, pull-off, roger wilson, strings, technique, waukesha, whammy bar, white plains, WI
Posted in Press, Tangents | No Comments »

How to spend your leap-year-day!

Friday, February 29th, 2008

What’s the best, most coolest awesome-est way to spend your leap-year day this 2/29? easy – tune into WUGA 97.9 FM or www.wuga.org from 4-5 PM this afternoon! I will be performing LIVE on the air, in the studio, with bandmates Andy Margolis, Nathan Hevenstone, and John Bell. That means 3-part vocal harmonies for all y’all who’ve never been to a live concert before. See ya on the airwaves! ~NE

Tags: Athens, Friday, georgia, harmony, leap year, live, NPR, radio, university, vocal, WUGA
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WUGA videos uploaded (finally!)

Saturday, January 26th, 2008

Dear friends and family, apologies for it taking so many months to upload these videos. The truth is we were waiting on having the editing done. Not that there was THAT much to edit – on the contrary we did very little editing (basically just added a splash page and did fade-outs for endings). No, we just were so busy that we didn’t begin the editing process until last week. So here they are – all four songs which I performed live on the air on October 12, 2007. Enjoy ~NE click to watch on YouTube

Tags: 97.9, Athens, classic, FM, georgia, live, Live In 2007, North, NPR, radio, university, video, WUGA, YouTube
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First Live Radio Experience

Friday, October 19th, 2007

I had hoped to write this upon returning to Decatur – while the excitement was still fresh – but unfortunately that did not happen. Other obligations got in the way, as they always do. My good fortune to always be occupied is also my misfortune. So, you read correctly! I was live on WUGA 91.7 / 97.9 FM on Friday, October 12, 2007!!! The first time a song from my debut album aired was back in 2005 (wow!), and I have gotten a lot of airplay for my music since then, however this was the FIRST time I ever appeared live on a station! WUGA is the official NPR station for Athens-Clarke County (GA, USA). It’s known as “The Classic” station because of its NPR affiliation, however WUGA plays a lot of non-Classical music including weekly Jazz and Blues programs. I appeared on a show called It’s Friday which is a weekly program airing on Fridays from 4:00-5:00 PM. This was not only a great opportunity, but also a great time slot, as 4-5 PM is the start of rush hour! I can’t imagine how many new fans I made as eager listeners tuned in on their way home from work and school (Athens is home to the University of Georgia, hence the station’s call letters).

       When I arrived I was promptly greeted by the program’s host, Robb, who is a great guy and very pleasant company. He made me feel right at home in the recording room. It was a room too, not a booth – quite larger than I had expected with 20-foot ceilings and cement block walls. There were dozens of lighting cans hanging from the rafters. I later learned that the room was a television studio before the radio station took over (which also explained the ’green screen’ cloth backdrops and scattered ficus trees). Heather Purdin, who now lives in Boone, NC but used to live in Athens, went on before me. Well, actually I played an instrumental improvisation on my guitar during Robb’s opening remarks and then Heather proceeded with her interview. She performed three songs very beautifully. After the 30-minute mark it was my turn, and I felt very comfortable. I encourage all of you who missed the live broadcast to listen to the audio feed posted here. Comment! I thrive on fan feedback and criticism. Oh, I have video too but have not yet figured out how to convert it to a managable file size. Looking forward to your comments   ~NE

download these podcasts or use the streaming player on NEbula
Intro
Song 1
Song 2
Song 3
Interview
Song 4