Musings

Field trip before heading home: Roger Landes and I drove 100 miles up to Clovis, New Mexico, to take the tour of the Norman Petty Recording Studio, preserved in a state of 1954–64 originality for the last forty years.

Just got into Lubbock and rehearsed with my rhythm section. Of course, being in Lubbock, I threw a couple of Buddy Holly songs into the set.

My friend Steve Soest said he was in “purge mode,” clearing out some stuff at his house, and told me to come by and pick up some things he wanted to gift me.

True story, my surf band the Untamed Youth opened up for Coolio once. Talk about a weird billing! It was for a college gig at the University of Missouri, sometime in the 1990s.

I just got Jimmie Widener’s Epiphone Emperor back from being properly refretted by Ryan at L.A. Guitar Works. I’ve written about this guitar before, but I’ll tell the story again—this guitar has more history than you can believe.

I got stuck on a Creedence Clearwater Revival kick riding my bike today. I mean, CCR were before my time, and they were always THERE, you know? They still are; it seems like a CCR song is always in some commercial or movie.

Chad Kassem owns several businesses in Salina: Acoustic Sounds mail-order Audiophile records, the Analogue Productions high-end record label, the Quality Sound vinyl record pressing plant, and the Blue Heaven recording studios.

Some of you vintage house nerds may have seen the real estate listing that’s been making the rounds of an incredible midcentury modern house in Salina, Kansas.

I spent half the day today trying to track down relatives of this gentleman here, Joe Cihla of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In the mid-1950s, Joe and his brother invented the “Speakatar.”

Thanks again Chris for the photos! Thanks to the Tinglers for backing me up! Thanks to all those who came out to rock with us!! We’ll do it again!