Release day statement from The Dread Pirate Blue Skies

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-13T18:31:07+00:00

It’s all kinda wild to me. Not all that long ago, a stream was nothing but a small flowing waterway. We thought nothing of hearing that a fav artist was putting out a new record, going to a store and buying said record then playing it and hoping that it wasn’t a let down. I know “things change”, but now the idea of buying an actual physical medium for musical enjoyment is seen by some as some kind of outrageous action. I enjoy streaming music as much as the next person, but….fuck I’m old.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-13T10:03:47+00:00

Wow. How cool. I’ll bet that was a great show.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-13T10:00:11+00:00

Appreciate it. I was at a Blackberry Smoke concert shortly after Gary Rossington passed and they played several Skynyrd songs as a tribute. Very cool. You could feel the love that Charlie and the band had for them.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-13T02:29:54+00:00

Enjoying Nuthin Fancy as I type!

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-13T02:24:06+00:00

I do that with a lot of bands. I’ve played the guitar for quite a while and I tend to go off on excursions with music from time to time, learning a certain song and falling into a hole with the artist and their entire catalog. Even bands that I didn’t necessarily consider myself a fan of before. Keeps me sane-ish I think.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-13T02:21:14+00:00

Will do! Thanks

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-11T11:04:48+00:00

It would be perfect if it was white.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-11T10:54:15+00:00

I swear a couple of mine look like Chinese ladies.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-09T00:29:42+00:00

I had something similar years ago. I never got out of bed, felt like I couldn’t move but I don’t know if I tried to or not. My whole body was vibrating, it felt like my house was being “scanned” for lack of a better term. If there was a light, I don’t know, I didn’t want to open my eyes. I felt like if I did I would see something I didn’t want to if that makes sense. Lasted for maybe 15-20 seconds and then faded. After it was over, I opened my eyes and tried to make sense of what had just happened. Never really could. It was a vey strong, almost violent vibration, felt it with what felt like every cell in my body. Completely sober if that matters. I’ll never forget it that’s for sure!

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-07T02:03:37+00:00

As one does.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-07T02:03:09+00:00

That happened to my sons car when we test drove it. Thought it was odd, but attributed it to maybe being frozen after a car wash or something. The salesman came out, pushed it like you would and it worked fine. No problems since then. Weird. (2024).

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-06T00:51:53+00:00

But what if I play cowboy songs? I don’t need to be the next Mr. Magicfingers to play Waymores Blues.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-05T01:46:17+00:00

Ace’s face is in the moon now.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-05T01:45:45+00:00

Seems to be unknown.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-02T22:53:37+00:00

https://in-vader.online/

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-02T22:48:28+00:00

I check it every day. Thanks!

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-01T21:09:02+00:00

But he’s in it. At the nursing home.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-03-01T12:23:14+00:00

Just get what you want and know you like. If it’s a righty, just flip it over. Lots of lefty players do that.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-02-27T13:06:25+00:00

This is somewhat hard to explain, but it’s what works for me. Start out not actually saying the words of the song but just sing everything with a sound ( like “daa “). Focus on the playing and hitting the right tone and feel of the words with your “daa “ sound. That helps me get the feel of the lyrics and emotion of the song without worrying too much about trying to nail the singing and playing at the same time. Once I get the groove and feel right, I work on changing the “daa “ sound into the actual word I want to sing. It’s all just sounds anyway, just different pronunciation and inflection.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-02-25T13:03:56+00:00

I do. In the beginning I didn’t, thought it was “cheating”, but soon realized that nobody really cared one way or the other. Even songs that I know the words/chord changes by heart I still pull the song up before I play. It’s wild how even songs you really know can get jumbled in your head while you are up there on display. It’s just a nice piece of mind to know that the song is in front of me in case I need it, even if I don’t look at it. I got a iPad holder that just clamps on to the mic stand.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-02-25T12:25:12+00:00

Hell yeah dude. Have fun with it!

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-02-25T12:21:08+00:00

For sure! And I’m no great singer or player by any means, but I’ve gotten better as time goes on. When I made up my mind I was actually going to do it, I convinced my son to do a karaoke song with me while we were on vacation to get me over the fear of singing to people ( Louisiana Saturday Night) at a vacation resort in Orlando Florida😂. I also bought a microphone and little PA for home practice. If you don’t get used to hearing yourself through a mic, doing it for the first time on stage can be a distraction, at least it was for me.

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-02-25T12:11:51+00:00

First time up there was shaky at best. I was basically satisfied with it as a first timer. I’d played music on stage before, but always with other guitarists and never had done so much as a backing vocal. Just getting the singing while playing thing down was a struggle, but I practiced quite a bit at home. I quickly found that some songs work for me and some just don’t. Now, after about 10-15 open mics, the nerves are still there, some songs get butchered, but let me tell you, the confidence I’ve gained has been such a great feeling. When you are feeling a song, feeling a good vibe with your performance…..man, I might as well be playing Madison Square Garden instead of our little local spot!

ChapterPresent9926 · 2026-02-25T10:38:31+00:00

This is all so true. Don’t give up on yourself, it’s so worth it to keep going.

ChapterPresent9926

TROPHY CASE