If you catch me this summer, you will likely hear a new sound in the musical mix. My middle son, Nate, is a percussionist and plays chimes (vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel) with Starkville High School’s marching band as well as Starkville Indoor Percussion (SIP). He is also the drummer for our family band, “Henry and the Dynamite,” and brings his electronic drum kit and/or his cajon to add some rhythmic backing to some of my tunes during my shows.
This summer Nate hopes to be able to add a bass line to some of my songs — I think we’ll start with “The Weather Riddle Song.” I’ve never played a bass guitar, but have always been fond of the look and sound of acoustic bass. I remember watching Murry Hammond (of the Old 97s) play during an episode of Austin City Limits decades ago (I recorded that show on VHS and played it over and over) — his acoustic bass looked so cool. With Nate’s sense of rhythm and feel for melody, he’s likely to be a quick study. I’m hoping that Nate will teach me some licks along the way.
One of my favorite Old 97s tunes is “Big Brown Eyes.” While I couldn’t find a recording of the ACL performance (from 1998), there is a recording of the band playing “Big Brown Eyes” at a SXSW performance from 1997. That brings back some musical memories . . . .
Hopefully you can make some musical memories with me (and at least one of my boys) this summer. If Nate (and his big brown eyes) are there, he might even let you pluck a few notes on the bass.