Elixir Strings. I became a fan of Elixir Strings about three years ago. I use them on all my Taylor guitars as well on mandolin and bass. They sound great, are easy to play & last a very long time. Generally I use light gauge strings .012-.053 but occasionally I'll even go lighter than that, down to an .011 on the first string. The lighter the better as far as my fingers are concerned! Narada Records. I'm happy to say that Narada Records has been my label for the past three years, and they have an impressive lineup of musicians including World Music, Celtic, Jazz and New Age titles. Check out the Masters of Acoustic Guitar series on Narada (which I produced) with excellent CD's by Laurence Juber, Don Ross and Alex de Grassi.
Homespun Records and Tapes. Happy and Jane Traum created Homespun Tapes three decades ago and the company grown into one of the world's largest (and most respected) instructional music resources in the world. With over 400 video and audio tapes in their catalog (including instructional tapes by Donald Fagen, Levon Helm, Pete Seeger, Tony Rice, Bela Fleck) this is the site to visit if you're looking for ways to improve your playing.. My most recent Homespun videos are Essential Riffs For Acoustic Guitar on DVD, and Essential DADGAD For Beginners. Tony Levin. This is an entertaining and always-changing site, full of late-breaking news and photos. Tony Levin is perhaps the most famous bass player of our time, having performed and recorded with Peter Gabriel, John Lennon, King Crimson and dozens more. His latest CD "Waters of Eden" (which I co-produced) is available on Narada Records. Tony's "World Diary" is available fHearts" Robbie Dupree has been a force in pop music for over 20 years. Robbie has recently produced some jazz tracks for me and he has been touring nationally as a duo with David Sancious - joining on piano/keyboards. Robbie Dupree. Known for this Top 10 hit songs "Steal Away" and "Hot Rod Hearts," Robbie Dupree has recently been touring as a duo with keyboardist David Sancious. Robbie recently produced some cool jazz tracks for me, including "Cafe Paradiso" (unreleased) with Bill Harris (sax) and Don Harris (trumpet), Warren Bernhardt (piano/electric piano), Dean Sharp (drums) and Tony Levin (bass). Cindy Cashdollar. Cindy Cashdollar is a brilliant dobro and steel guitar player who has recorded with Asleep At The Wheel, Bob Dylan, Leon Redbone, The Woodstock Mountain Revue and dozens of other artists. Cindy appears on all of my CDs and plays awesome solos on Letters From Joubee and South of Lafayette. She's got a charming website that's well worth a visit and her newest CD, "Slide Show," is now available. Highly recommended. Jay Ungar and Molly Mason. These are the ultimate acoustic musicians. Molly Mason is one of my favorite bass players/guitarists. She plays with a high level of musicality and is a wonderful vocalist, especially in the swing/old time music style. Jay Ungar is famous for his Civil War theme "Ashokan Farewell" and is a major threat on fiddle and mandolin. Make Believe Ballroom. I do all of my recording at The Make Believe Ballroom, a comfortable, mostly-analog studio tucked away in the hills of West Shokan, New York. To get there, you have to cross the Ashokan Reservoir, with its stunning views... and when you arrive Tom Mark will have the cappucino machine fired up for your first jolt of the morning. Tom is an award-winning, highly-respected engineer, who has worked with the Isley Brothers, Jack DeJohnette, Michael Franks, Robbie Dupree, Abby Newton, Karla Bley, Steve Swallow and dozens of other top recording artists. A great studio! Jerry Marotta. Jerry is a phenomenal drummer and one of the most creative people I've ever met. The list of people he's recorded with -from the Indigo Girls to Peter Gabriel - reads like a who's-who of contemporary music. Check him out! Livingston Taylor. I feel lucky to have co-produced two of Livingston Taylor's albums (Life Is Good and Our Turn To Dance) and I consider him the ultimate performing artist. Not only is he a great writer, guitarist and vocalist... his stage presence is the best of anyone I've ever seen... and that's saying a lot! Larry Campbell. Larry played with the Woodstock Mountains Revue in the good old days (Happy and Artie Traum, Pat Alger, Jim Rooney, Bill Keith, John Herald etc) and is currently on tour playing with Bob Dylan. He's an awesome instrumentalist on fiddle, pedal steel, guitar, mandolin... you name it! Authentic Sicily - a tour group that takes visitors on escorted tours of Sicily. It looks like they really go beyond typical tourist spots and into the homes (and kitchens) of real Sicilians. Summersongs - songwriting camp. Penny Nichols started Summersongs two years at the Ashokan Field Campus in West Shokan, NY. This is a great place to study songwriting with instructors like David Roth, Steve Gillette, Cindy Mangsen etc. Radio Margaritaville - a hip alternative to corporate-controlled radio. Jimmy Buffett's web-based station, led by the programming skills of Steve Huntington, plays a mix of blues, singer/songwriters and even a rare collection of vintage vinyl. A fun site.
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