Sheik In The City, pt. 2

Geoff Muldaur beat me to WQXR where I found him tuning a gorgeous, signature model Martin and chatting with NY Times Popcast host Ben Sisario about the death of radio, and the rising popularity of live performances online. He taped "Cairo" in one take ("I messed it up real good for ya" - Geoff) and spoke with Ben about the custom Ed Ruscha cover art on his latest record 'Texas Sheiks,' and recording with the various Sheiks, including late Texas songwriter Stephen Bruton, to whom the album is a tribute.



We stopped briefly at Geoff's daughter's polished West Village studio, where Jenni Muldaur solicited her father's advice on artwork she might invest in and answers to a crossword puzzle (a passion they share). An accomplished musician in her own right, Jenni has backed Lou Reed and David Byrne, and has a record out titled, 'Dearest Darlin'.'



SIRIUS Radio was my last stop with Geoff. We joked about Michael Moore's crazed personal assistant (he was undoubtedly there in support of Capitalism: A Love Story), then quieted as Geoff warmed up for the interview. As he strummed through a couple chords he muttered, "What was that?" - and turning to me said, "That was a pretty new chord." Imagine that, Geoff Muldaur discovering a new chord.



Here's a photo of me and Geoff with the hosts of FreeWheelin' (Sirius Road Dog Trucking Channel), Meredith Ochs and Chris T:





Left to right: Miya Hannan, Chris T., Geoff Muldaur, Meredith Ochs

Me and Gary Go are out and about in NYC this week

Fresh in from touring the US on a radio promo tour, Gary Go arrived in NYC this weekend and it's been nonstop ever since.

Yesterday, Gary performed at the Apple store in SoHo (photo above). He performed several songs from his self-titled debut album on just his iPhone alongside Andreas Larsen on acoustic guitar. He also showed his self-produced videos and played his iTunes single of the week "Wonderful."

Today, Gary and I (photo below) traveled to Weehawken to visit the studio where he recorded the album with News 12 New Jersey. Then following a great interview with ABC News Now - where Gary was told his single could make a great theme song for "Grey's Anatomy" - we stopped by Sirius XM to check out a performance by David Gray in the space Gary will takeover tomorrow.

Gary - with Andreas, his iphone and a few surprise props to ensure the "Go" experience - will perform a private showcase at Sirius XM at 6:30pm.

Hit me up if you'd like to come!

Barbara Orbison Relates to the Cuz

Earlier this month, Barbara Orbison made a trip to Sirius Satellite Radio to meet Cousin Brucie and talk about the definitive Roy Orbison anthology 'The Soul of Rock and Roll.' After listening to several never-before-released songs - including "Precious" a romantic serenade that was written for Ms. Orbison and offers a rare solo acoustic performance by Roy - Barbara shared stories of Roy's inspirations, hardships and legacy.

Tune in this Wednesday, November 5th at 5pm EST to hear the interview on "Rockin' With The Cuz" on Sirius's 60's Vibrations Channel 6.

Bishop of the Blues

Blues legend and Delta Groove recording artist Elvin Bishop, his guitarist Mighty Mike Schermer, and I hung out on Friday while Elvin got a few interviews done.

We went by SIRIUS Satellite Radio where Elvin played guest DJ, choosing cuts by Ray Charles, Muddy Waters, and Clifton Chenier. Here's SIRIUS blues DJ Liam Davenport, Elvin, and Mike.



We ran into Louisiana pianist Marcia Ball at SIRIUS!



Here's Elvin speaking with Tara Gore at MLB.com, presumably talking about the size of a fish he and Dusty Baker caught (this big!). The bluesman and the baseball manager are fishing buddies, having met years ago at John Lee Hooker's house.



Elvin knows Japanese. I asked him why and how he learned Japanese. "Persistence!," he declared. Here's my name, as written by him: