First off, I see what you did there, my friend!
Just a few comments: I found the playing and music presented very pleasing and ...... amazing. The finger picking on #1 especially. I will have to click on more of Mr. Graham's work. Same goes for #2, That guy keeps that thumbnail nice and long which makes for a very nice percussive sound to complement those he makes with his other fingers.
[short note on this post: I am writing my comments as I listen or just after in case the reading of the post sounds a little disjointed to you. ]
3. Do I know this guy sorta "personally"? Gee Whiz, Doug! I never even knew I was "speaking" with a virtuoso guitarist. At my age and given my history with music, I've often thought there's nothing new to be heard for me, but here you come with no warning of what I was about to hear and see, and whammo, I've found what I thought was gone or had eluded me. I have no superlatives, Doug that you haven't heard or read before, so what I plan to do is visit your site, buy some of your work, ask if I can have an autographed picture for my "My Wall of Fame", and tell folks they're listening to a "virtual personal friend of mine" and hoping they skip over the word virtual in
hearing me say it.
Adding the expletive "WOW" to "Gee Whiz" is about the best I can do, my (virtual) friend. I'm totally amazed. Thank you!
4. Beautiful. I've heard "Water Is Wide" before and it isn't hard to imagine a river with Mark Hanson sitting on the banks playing this.
5. Never having heard "Ebon Coast" and lacking the expertise of some of the commenters, I can't really speak intelligently enough to critique the song, Doug. It's beautiful to hear and when I found out that the baritone guitar by Greenfield is $14k, I almost croaked. Plus, now I have the added "Burdon" of comparing the rest of all these guys' playing to yours!
6. I agree with one of the comments: The person wrote "this feels like walking through a city at night". One can hear the "frantic" sounds of a city in the performer's playing. Can you tell I'm big on tone poems? I love The Moldau from Pictures At An Exhibition and my all-time favorite, "The Grand Canyon Suite".
7. "Ocean" looks hard as hell to play, Doug, but to a drummer it all looks hard to play, so most of us are satisfied, during a performance, just to stick with the bass player and pray he has a good sense of "time". That guitar looks like it's had its share of beers and then some, doesn't it, but so does Willie's. Doesn't distract from the sound, though.
Thanks for sending these to me, my friend. I thoroughly enjoyed every piece I listened to and plan to make a playlist. Especially one of that Smith guy!
Bill
Epiphone Les Paul Studio
Fender GDO300 Orchestral - a gift from Amy & Jim
Rogue Beatle Bass
Journal: www.wheretobud.blogspot. com