Second Life Concert Video Catches HondoMesa Dancing

I discovered this video on YouTube last night. It is concert footage of Bara Jonson, a Swedish singer songwriter performing in Second Life (SL). As soon as the camera turns to the audience you can see my SL avatar (HondoMesa) dancing. I'm on the left dressed in black and wearing a cowboy hat. Bara mentions me at the end. Too much.

Randy Travis Turns 49

Randy Travis turned 49 yesterday. Happy Birthday Randy. We love your music here at Hondo Mesa Records. And we love running into you just about every time we go to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It has happened so often that we wonder if you are stocking us or if we are stocking you.

We typically fly into Albuquerque, rent a vehicle, then head north towards Taos. On the way up we always stop at Tomasitas in Santa Fe -- one of our favorite New Mexican restaurants.

While waiting for a table, Randy, his wife and a couple others walked by us as they were leaving the restaurant. The next afternoon, we were hitting the art galleries on Canyon Road and Randy and his wife came walking by again. Coincidence? I don’t know. We started to get suspicious. The next year, it happened again. Only this time, we were walking out of Tomasitas and Randy and family were walking in.

We love you Randy. See you at Tomasitas.
Regards,
Dennis

Larry Hoyt Fans in Japan

YouTube fan, user name "mitaka5tulip," posted a video of Larry Hoyt playing "The Last Thing on My Mind" with Japanese Lyrics. Check it out:

SubCat/Aux Records Taste of Syracuse Stage Lineup

Music fans,
Look out. The big news is Aux Records and SubCat Studios are rockin' (and jazzin' and bluesin' and...) Syracuse, New York again this summer. Twenty-five acts in two days means music, music, and more music. Long live independent music! Below is the lineup from the Aux Records blog. I'll see you in downtown Syracuse on June 6 & 7:

Friday, June 6, 2008

12:00 – 12:25 p - Caleb Micah
12:30 – 12:55 pm - Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
1:00 – 1:45 pm - Steve Wolf & Blues Express
2:00 – 2:45 pm - Chris Lizzi
3:00 – 3:45 pm - The Barrigar Brothers
4:00 – 4:45 pm - Kh’ Mi
5:00 – 5:45 pm - Caesar Fadari
6:00 – 6:45 pm - The Action
7:00 – 7:45 pm - Mat Burke
8:00 – 8:45 pm - Huela
9:00 – 9:45 pm - Mike Brindisi & The New York Rock
10:00 – 11:00 pm - Torment The Vein

Saturday, June 7, 2008

12:00 – 12:25 pm - Pirate CNY Contest Winner
12:40 – 1:05 pm - The Andrea Doria
1:20 – 1:45 pm - Vapor Aevum
2:00 – 2:25 pm - Fairway
2:40 – 3:05 pm - Fazeshift
3:20 – 3:45 pm - HondoMesa and Midnight Mike
4:00 – 4:45 pm - 3rd & Main
5:00 – 5:45 pm - Grey Tide
6:00 – 6:45 pm - The Icon And The Axe
7:00 – 7:45 pm - Honor Bright
8:00 – 8:45 pm - Anorexic Beauty Queen
9:00 – 9:45 pm - Rocko Dorsey
10:00 – 11:00 pm - Merit

Find the artists online at:
3rd & Main – www.3rdandmain.com
The Action – www.myspace.com/bandtheaction
The Andrea Doria – www.myspace.com/theandreadoria
Anorexic Beauty Queen – www.myspace.com/anorexicbeautyqueen
The Barrigar Brothers - www.myspace.com/thebarrigarbrothers
Caesar Fadari – www.caesarfadari.com
Caleb Micah – www.myspace.com/calebmicah
Chris Lizzi – www.chrislizzi.com
Fairway – www.myspace.com/fairwaymusic
Fazeshift – www.myspace.com/fazeshift
Grey Tide – www.myspace.com/greytide
HondoMesa and Midnight Mike – www.hondomesarecords.com
Honor Bright – www.honorbright.net
Huela – www.myspace.com/huelamusic
The Icon And The Axe – www.myspace.com/theiconandtheaxe
Jeffrey Pepper Rogers – www.jeffreypepperrodgers.com
Kh'Mi – www.myspace.com/khmi
Mat Burke – www.myspace.com/matburke
Merit – www.gomeritgo.com
Mike Brindisi & The New York Rock – www.thenewyorkrock.com
Rocko Dorsey – www.myspace.com/rockodorsey
Steve Wolf & Blues Express – no website
Torment The Vein – www.tormentthevein.com
Vapor Aevum – www.myspace.com/vaporaevum

Photo of Corn-Bred at NAMA

This photo from Indian Country Today, by Shannon Burns, was taken at last year's Native American Music Awards (NAMA). Corn-Bred's Hondo Mesa Records release won "Best Blues Recording of the Year." The boys are looking good. They didn't have a new release for this year's NAMA, however they are heading back into the studio. Expect to see them at next year's NAMA.

3rd & Main's "K 'n' D" on ReverbNation

Hello cool noir jazz fans,
Hondo Mesa Records just put up 3rd & Main's cool recording of their original, "K 'n' D" on ReverbNation. You can listen to the entire tune. And speaking of tune, stay tuned for some exciting news about a special summer (free) 3rd & Main gig in Syracuse, NY. Syracuse is the boys' home town and they are excited to be playing a free summer concert for all their fans. For now... enjoy a listen to K 'n' D:

Star Spangled Banner -- Larry Hoyt

Larry certainly has a distinctive sound. Here is his version of the Star Spangled Banner:



Nicely done Larry.

This Old Heart of Mine

Hey guys,
Remember this... Rod Steward and Ronald Isley. A favorite of mine:

R.I.P. BUDDY MILES

Another great one is gone. Buddy Miles played with Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, and others. Late in life he got his second wind and was coming up again. God Bless you Buddy. Here is a video of Buddy Miles and his pal Carlos Santana playing "Them Changes" live.

Jazz Trio Live From Japan

I'm sitting in the Hondo Mesa Records studio (East) in Syracuse, NY. It is 10:00am on Sunday morning. I am logged into Second Life and listening to the Ashiya Jun Trio, live from Japan. The time in Japan is 11:00pm. The trio is made-up of all Japanese musicians -- Ashiya Jun on Acoustic Piano, Hatsune Nishi on Electric Bass (she kicks ass), maxmax Miles on Drums. Fantastic. The photo is a shot of their avatars. As they stream the live sound, the avatars are on on stage playing.

Ulf Oesterle featured in Jerk Magazine

My friend and fellow indie record label owner, Ulf Oesterle, is featured in a Jerk Magazine story this month. The story, "For the Record," written by Liam McCabe and photographed by Katie Dalrymple, Maren Guse and Nick Ruggiero describes how Aux Records was formed. A big part of the story is devoted to how Aux Records and the SAMMY award-winning band Merit hooked up. It's a good read.