The Leisurely Blogger

At eighty-seven years of age, legendary guitarist Doc Watson still maintains a touring schedule. Usually when a musician of his stature continues to perform this late into his career, he begins to be described as a “musical treasure.” Often, those are code words for “lost his chops.” I tell you what, Doc has certainly not lost his chops, although to be fair, his playing does not have the same sureness or consistency as it once had. Elisa and I saw Doc play in Albany, New York at The Egg on Sunday, August 1. It was the fourth time I’ve seen Doc perform. Unfortunately, Albany, a little over three hours by car…

My wife Elisa and I had decided to treat ourselves to a concert for Valentine’s Day, and while this show was two months removed, it was the one that we picked. It was our first visit to the Stockbridge Theatre in Derry, and we both thought the venue was great. Seating just under 900, there really isn’t a bad seat in the house, and every aspect of the place was very well thought out. Jerry Douglas, well known these days as a sideman in the band Alison Krauss and Union Station, opened the show with an amazing display of virtuosity on the dobro. I’m completely unfamiliar with Jerry’s solo repertoire and…

Thanks to a great Christmas present from my Son Adam, Elisa and I went to see David Bromberg perform on Friday, February 26 at the First Parish Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We’ve both seen Bromberg several times over the years, but since he started touring the northeast with his Big Band, we have been going to see that show when it comes to The Egg in Albany New York. We were both looking forward to seeing him in a more intimate setting. Bromberg opened with one of my favorites tunes from 1973’s Midnight on the Water, Summer Wages. The tune, penned by Ian Tyson (of Ian and Sylvia fame), included an…

For my birthday this year, Elisa bought me tickets to the opening night of ‘Loud and Rich,’ a multi-city concert tour pairing Loudon Wainwright II with Richard Thompson. It was my first time seeing Loudon Wainwright, so I didn’t really have any particular expectations, although I always look forward to seeing someone in concert that I haven’t seen before. I’ve seen Richard Thompson once before, around the time Rumor and Sigh was released, and I was looking forward to seeing him again. The venue was the Lebanon Opera House in Lebanon, New Hampshire. While I’d never been there before, mostly because it is almost a two-hour drive from my home, I…

I’m just a hobbyist when it comes to playing guitar, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like performing in front of an audience from time to time. For amateur musicians like myself, often the best venue for satisfying our thirst for public performance is a local open mike. Luckily, New England is full of them. Over the years I’ve played at several open mikes in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, including Keene, Mt. Vernon, Nashua, and Troy (in New Hampshire), and Fitchburg, Waltham, Westford and Westminster (in Massachusetts). Open mikes are a wonderful way to enjoy an inexpensive evening out with live entertainment, and if a particular performer isn’t quite your…