Unplugged

    It was a sunny but cool February day and I had a gig at a place with an outdoor deck, where I usually play but, thinking it was too cold, they had me set up inside. Then people started arriving, but chose to sit outside where it was actually pretty comfortable in the Sun.

    I was all alone inside, faced with the prospect of playing to an empty room. 

    I decided to unplug and go outside and play without a PA system. At first I felt a little awkward, but as I got into running through some songs it felt more natural. It started feeling like I was playing in my living room. I realized that while I liked playing through a system, it does have some constraints. For one thing, it can feel detached, like you're in your own bubble.

    

When I first started playing solo I resolved to not use a lot of support, just a minimal PA. Simple, but after a while I started adding effects, which were "effective" at embellishing the songs. To be honest, I felt some pressure because other acts were doing some of the same things and I felt the need to be more competitive. As my setup become more complex I found I liked the challenge of arranging and performing with the added choreography. On the other hand, it did require that I essentially stay put behind the microphone, and as I became accustomed, it became comfortable...maybe too much so.

    There is a broader issue to consider here, which has to do with how dependent we are on technology. It has come to be in every part of our lives, and it's amazing how inventors are applying it in areas that never occurred to us previously, like talking toasters. It's been suggested that it's a good idea to step back and disconnect occasionally and experience reality without the filter of all our gadgets and I see the value of that, perhaps now more than ever. 

    Some years back I regularly attended an open mic where they didn't use a PA. It was a small group and we would sit in a circle and everyone did a song in turn, but more importantly everyone listened. It was demanding in that you really felt like you wanted to perform at your best, and make a good impression. People were paying attention and it was intimate and exhilarating. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that, and some of that pleasure returned as I did "unplugged" versions of my song list. 

    After about 45 minutes the Sun moved off the deck, a breeze kicked up and it cooled down. Some folks left, but others picked up their things and moved indoors. I did too, my hands were getting cold! What I learned was that it's good to unplug once in a while and keep in contact with the simplest and most basic presentation: just me and my guitar.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Singer/Songwriter Rick Millward lived and worked on the West Coast until moving to Nashville in 2000. He was part of the Music City songwriter community, collaborating with other artists and producing projects in his boutique studio, including two EMMY nominated soundtracks. Now in Southern Oregon, Rick has discovered a vibrant local music scene centered around the many tasting rooms. 

His records: "Limited Edition", "Home for Good", and “Loveland” are available on Spotify and other streaming platforms. His new recordings, "Astronomy", will be released later this year.

LOVELAND ON SPOTIFY

Midwinter Blues

 I recently finished a demo of a new song that just might be the title track of my next project. 

    It's a straight ahead Blues number, a genre I don't write in very often. In fact, I only have a few Blues songs, with most of them falling in the "country Blues" category. It's possible the reason I have revisited this form is related to spending more time upping my game as a guitar player, in particular honing my guitar solos and improvisation. It's been said that no two guitarists play the Blues the same, and I think there's some profound truth in that. It's a very personal style, even when I try to emulate one of my heroes. The opportunity for personal expression is available with every note, with the aspiration to evolve a signature style all your own. The simple fact is that I could easily spend all my time exploring traditional and contemporary Blues styles, there is that much to learn. It would be time well spent.

BB King     

    A friend once had an original BB King record, probably released in the 50s, and when I heard it everything I knew about the Blues took on new meaning. Prior to that, I had heard "The Thrill is Gone" but not too much else. These recordings were not so polished. The feeling I got was the musicians were expressing their passion without reservation and the raw emotion came through loud and clear.

    The Blues are a uniquely American invention, a genre that came from the deep South and is a reflection of the African American experience.  There is a thread that goes from today's rap and hip hop right back to the Blues artists from the early 1900s. It's a telling of stories from a unique tradition, one that shows the spirit as well as the pain. 

    The Blues are the foundation for all the genres that followed; Chuck Berry's rock and roll was Blues based, and the Rolling Stones were a band that paid homage to the American Blues artists they admired. You hear the Blues in everything from Beatles to Beach Boys to Beyonce. 

     "Workin' On It" was inspired by the title, with the rest flowing from there. With it I explore well established themes; a hard life and lost love as well as a sense of hope with a touch of the spiritual. It's the first track I've done in my new studio space and was a fun shakedown of the setup. One of the cool things on the track is the sparkling guitar work of Gary Dunsmoor and I appreciate the collaboration along with Paul Sandberg who mastered the track.

"Workin' On It" is available on Soundcloud. 

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Singer/Songwriter Rick Millward lived and worked on the West Coast until moving to Nashville in 2000. He was part of the Music City songwriter community, collaborating with other artists and producing projects in his boutique studio, including two EMMY nominated soundtracks. Now in Southern Oregon, Rick has discovered a vibrant local music scene centered around the many tasting rooms. 

His records: "Limited Edition", "Home for Good", and “Loveland” are available on Spotify and other streaming platforms. His new recordings, "Astronomy", will be released later this year.

LOVELAND ON SPOTIFY