GregoryLygon.com :: Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter, Teacher, Performing Artist, Recording Engineer, and Voice-Work Artist based in Culpeper, VA

I belong to a "Breedlove" guitar users group on Yahoo, and one of the posts I put on recently included a link to my blog. In response to this post I got the email, shown below, from Gregory Lygon. Very nice compliment concerning my Podcast 4 "She brings that to me"
I responded to this email, very casually and didn't think too much about it but then I went to Gregory's website and was floored when I listened to his music..
what a great compliment from a great musician! I will have to thank him a with a little more compasion.

Andy,

Concerning . . .

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Check out my latest blog!!

http://frostfamily.blogspot.com/

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Very pretty tune! I was listening to "Cold Cut Recordings PodCast 4 (Sep 19, 2005)" (She
Brings That To Me).

Can you tell us about the guitar and small-condenser mic you used?

Of soul, spirit and song,

Gregory Lygon
Ravenwood Music Services, LLC
http://www.gregorylygon.com

AAA/Contemporary Folk Singer Songwriter
Nominated "Best Instrumentalist" Contemporary Folk by WAMA, 2003

Played a lot this week!

This week in update, well it was pretty busy at work, we had a "big wig" in town so we all were scrambling to get it all "right", I am sure you know how that goes.

On the personal side, Tues night I went back to "Haven" coffee house and performed. There were a lot of great performers that night, it seems like when I first go to a place to check out the talent, there is a slow start to it, but then within a couple of weeks the place is just crawling with great musicians. I think everyone must be doing the same thing I am doing, out there searching for places to go, once they find it the word spreads and the place just grows and grows.

This week went much better than the first time. I am still having a bit of stage freight, can't quite loosen up to the full extent that I am at when I am playing at home... this is my ultimate goal.
By the time I got up to perform there were so many people there and the line behind me to perform was pretty long, so the host asked me to speed it up just a bit, so I chose to do only two songs. I did "She brings that to me" and "Solace from the Pain".

I don't think I was imagining things but as soon as I started to play the place got very quiet, I noticed everyone was listening, even the people in line to get coffee and the person who owns the place also. This was probably the best compliment that I could get. Finished the first song, got a big round of applause, then I did Solace, and the reaction to that song was tremendous. I think my mellow stuff is more appropriate for coffee houses, I think that is what people like to hear there.

There was a guy who played cello with another guitarist there who really wants to do a string arrangement for solace, so he gave me his email address.
There was a person who talked to me and when we were done he said to his buddy, "were meeting a lot of great musicians in Portland" nice compliment.
Then there was a lady who was sitting down where I was sitting who thanked me for my performance (always one of the nicest compliments to get) I made eye contact with her during "solace" I could sense her reactions to that song.

and finally when I was leaving the owner of the coffee house thanked me for coming down to play. She is very nice and went out of her way to call me over to her before I could sneak out the back. Didn't want to be rude by not staying to watch the final acts. I had to stop in at work for preparation to the "Visit"

The week was topped off by my performing at Kim's house for a select group of friends and their families.
That was an absolutely wonderful way to finish the week. I played for over an hour to a really great audience of friends, the response was great. I pretty much stayed mellow, mixing it up with a few "bluesy" type songs , just to break up the mellowness of it.

I made a mistake of telling the story behind the song "Sometimes" which made it very tough to play.. I almost lost it during the song.

anyway, the food and atmosphere was great, I liked doing that and it was great of Kim to host that event, again. I hope she realizes how much I really appreciate her doing that for me.
I would go into a lot more detail on what transpired at Kim's house but I already have written the longest blog that I have ever done at this point.
Let's just say, it was great to be so appreciated by people I really can call my friends.

One last thing, I can't tell you about the new guitar I got, I am already in hot water over that.

Andy

Another Open Mic Night

I went out and played this evening at another open mic night. It was much more difficult than playing at the green room. I think it was because of the small room and people right there in front of you. At the "Green Room" they have the lights shining in your eyes, you are up and away from the audience, it's a little less personal.
I don't think I did all that well this evening, I did okay but I wasn't loose and relax, and I made more mistakes. I seemed to be more focused on my distractions and my nerves rather than letting it flow smoothly etc.
I think it went over well, I believe that the people who were still there by the time I played enjoyed what I was doing.

There was a very good group of musicians playing tonight. It seems to be that way every time I decide to play.
The evening started out with this 10 year old girl who was absolutely impressive. She was playing a full sized guitar and playing bar chords. She played 3 songs that she wrote, she wasn't even nervous, here writing was great. She was about where I was when I was 20 years old.

The second person was extremely deep and very good, can't remember her name. I won't go on with all of the details.
I think I will go back next week for the practice of playing in front of people again, it was good, even though my hand was shaking, and I forgot the words to one of my songs that I have been singing for 20 years... geeshhh! I think it may have been humbling karma.. which I think I needed, I was getting a little cockey! and had no right to be.

See you soon,

Andy

Not much activity on the home front....

...and not many emails coming around. I am not sure about anywhere else but here in the Pacific Northwest, it was almost instantaneous the change of weather when it actually turned Autumn/Fall. We in the Portland area have gotten a heck of a lot of rain in the past 3 days. It seems so gloomy and it definitely affects people, but, I still kind of like it when it goes into rainy mode.
I am sitting in the nook looking out into the back yard and off into the distance, it's dark because of the clouds but the greens are shimmering from the dampness and some of the colors that are starting to turn to their harvest oranges and browns, are quite pronounced, the contrasts and blendings are quite nice to see.
Some of the differences in looking out in to the distance now are the amount of houses that have gone up around our location in the last year. The changes are staggering, anyone who has visited would be amazed. In one spot relatively close to us thy have literally "moved a mountain", and quite honestly it doesn't look safe.
They have changed the beautiful natural face of many of the areas around here.
We knew it would happen eventually and luckily we are in a neighborhood that is pretty much set. The houses behind our house and in our main view have been there for quite some time, I am supposing that nothing will change there until the people there know leave the earth and their houses to their children who will then sell them to some land developers.. and then hopefully by that time, we will be ready to move or do something.

Nuffa Dat!

see you all soon,

Andy