Down in the Hole

Down in the Hole

 
I have most of my CDs stored in boxes and haven't even come close to ripping them all onto my home computer.  Somewhere tucked away in my basement is a store of Sugar Blue related disks.  Recently I added him as a friend on Facebook, and ever since, I haven't been able to get enough of his work with the Rolling Stones.  Down in the Hole is probably my favorite.  While the tune Miss You was the first song I tried to learn note for note (took a loooong time), this tune is all about tone.

Sugar has a very distinct tone and phrasing that is 100% Sugar....his use of the upper octave without overblowing creates a floating feel and creates a rollercoaster ride for listeners.  But on this tune, he shows the world that he can do it all.  This song is all huge, fat, menacing tone.  The amped tone is perfect for the tune and he adds a layer that the dueling guitar leads can't touch.  While reserved mostly to fill and a very short interlude, Dr. Blue makes this song one to remember.

Gig Gear

Here is a list of gear I typically gig with. I plan on getting more specific with this and creating regular posts on how using a small amp(s) is going.

SM 57

Greg Heumann volume control

Gepco XLR cable

Peavy 1/4" transformer

1971 Silverface Fender Champ
(RCA 12ax7-A, RCA blackplate 5y3, RCA blackplate 6v6, Weber Sig Ceramic S)

1980ish SF Fender Vibro Champ w/ blackface cosmetics
(JJ 12ax7, RCA 5v4, JJ 6v6, Weber 8F125)

Most of the time, I use both amps at the same time. I do this using a Kinder AFB+ as a "boost" and running a Y cable out of that. If I use delay, which is less and less, I use a BBE Two Timer.

I also have a pedal board which includes a Samson Wireless, Micro POG, and DLS Rotosim that also house the delay and Kinder.

If you visit NiteRail's MySpace page, the first few studio tracks are the Vibro Champ with the Weber Sig installed. I am also using the Two Timer. There are two different sounds. On some, I have the amp on 4 with the bass cranked and on the others I have the volume on 6 and bass and treble around 4.

No guitar? No problem!

NiteRail's guitar player, Korey Hicks , is down with the flu. We had a gig October 23, and I found out the night before that he wouldn't be making it.

To say I was freaking out would be an understatement. The venue, Savoy's in Mankato, had been heavily promoting the show, and we did not want to let them down. Rather than find another guitar player, we decided to do the show as a four piece (harps/vocals, bass, drums, keyboards). With no time to rehearse, I tried my best to create a setlist that would let us get by without guitar.

The show ended up going extremely well. As a matter of fact, the new faces at the club didn't seem to notice that a guitar player was missing! I wouldn't want to do NiteRail shows without Korey on any sort of regular basis, but it felt good knowing the show could go on without him...and not sound like crap...lol.

Lenny at Savoy's was kind enough to let us play 45min sets rather than our typical 1hr+ sets. Below is the setlist we used...note all the blues...we also had our regular sub on the drums, and I wanted to keep things as straight forward as possible.

SET ONE

C - FEELIN' ALRIGHT
Bb - LEAVE IT ALONE
F – THE JOKER
A – BORN IN CHICAGO
E - CAROLINA BLUES
G – MESSIN w/ THE KID
B – ROCK ME BABY
A - CROSSROADS


TWO

G - APART
C - FEEL SO BAD
A - LOW DOWN DIRTY SHAME
D - GOING DOWN
G - FURTHER ON UP ROAD
Bb – HAVE YOU EVER LOVED A WOMAN
A – HOOK
E – SWEET HOME CHICAGO


THREE

F - GREEN ONIONS/HELP ME
G - RUNAROUND
E – COCAINE
G – MAGIC CARPET RIDE
F – MUSTANG SALLY
Bm - WHICH WAY TO CHOOSE
Ab - CROSSCUT SAW
EM - HEY JOE
AM - BLACK MAGIC WOMAN

Blogging for Harmonica Players

My name is Mike Fugazzi and I am a harmonica player.  I started playing the harmonica in 2003 while I was in college.  After graduating, I moved to Southern Minnesota and began taking lessons with Clint Hoover.  My style tends to lean towards the contemporary side.  Some of my largest influences have been Jason Ricci, Chris Michalek, Adam Gussow, and of course, Clint Hoover.  For a harp player, I have a strong background in music theory and I play in various positions and liberally use overblows.

Currently, I play in the Minneapolis, MN, based roots-rock band NiteRail.  You can visit the band at http://www.niterail.com.  Several new studio tracks are available at http://www.myspace.com/niterailband, and we have some videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/NiteRail.

I created this blog to share some of my harmonica ramblings and hope to create resources for those taking a different path with the instrument.  In my experience, I have found tons of websites dedicated to blues harmonica from a mostly traditional stand point.  I would like to explore a more modern approach to blues harmonica, and the crossover of harmonica into other genres.  Hopefully I can share experiences that are unique to this blog.

Feel free to contact me via this blog as I love to talk all things harp!

Metta,

Mike