[Harp-L] Update on things.

[Jason Ricci <jason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey Everyone I'm Home from the last tour it was wicked long and I'm glad to
be home unfortunately though I'm home earlier than scheduled but more on
that in a bit.
 first buckeye was great!!!! I made so many new friends even if I didn't see
as many old ones as I do at Spah. Al and Judy were there though and were
amazing!!!!Al was sick and Judy fell ill too...nobody knew at all! I had to
hug them both after their shows despite Al's warnings. Both the Hot shots
and Harmonica Junction blew touched me very deeply. After three years of
attending harmonica conventions I have been growing more and more a fan of
harmonica band music and I am gaining ever more respect for those players
and a deep love for that sound. Harmonica junction's rendition of the waltz
from the God father was devastating and very innovative
modern,emotional,passionate and exciting. Everyone was great I'm going to
leave people out....sorry, Chris Buar has the most amazing chromatic tone
(Lip Purser) sorry....and Pt Was so smooth and his intonation on all those
jazz standards both on the bends and the valved bends was impossible to
believe. Rupert was so funny,knoledgeble, My buddy Dave I me at Gindick
camps was there too, A new friend named Kenny played really well on diatonic
at the after jams, I didn't want it to end up until listening to this
impromptu harmonica hallway band at 4:00 am amazing!!!!!!I'm so getting a
chord harp to and my Bass player Buck weed already has a bass harp and is
learning...hoping to jam with some bands at Spah. Buck eye!!!!! Great!
The road other wise was great high lights Buzz's Blues Bar I mean Bill's in
Evanston rocked I think I played great and had the best Time with Mr. G who
sat in and blazed the crowd with some great chromatic and on and offstage
insanity. Buzz Miss you already...we need to see more of each other. I saw
Roscoe in Michigan, had a great time at my favorite club in the whole world
Martha's Mid way Tavern In Mishawaka IN. Any way this is stating to sound
cheesy and like the mutual admiration society but I do mean all of this and
just don't have time to really get all eloquent and original like with this
entry here's why....Wait ..one more..Thanks Ron and Wally in the keys for
everything and Elizabeth and booby from bhf!!! Love you guys...Ok here's the
real deal of why I'm all crammed for time more than usual....:

 The cancelled gigs have been posted and we will be back in action by this
weekend. Here's the story...Steve's (our Drummer) eye sight isn't so great
and he slipped outside of our hotel in Valdosta just before the first gig of
our weekend at Loozie Anna's. He broke his wrist and maybe a rib as well.
We'll have to find a drummer/drummers to cover all of our dates including
Europe for at least the next eight weeks. Steve has a new myspace account
and would love to hear from you all either there or on the guestbook of my
site while he's out of commission. This is definitely going to be tough on
all of us but at least he's ok relatively speaking and all. If you know a
drummer let me know...but not to sound arrogant or high brow etc... but I
will probably be less responsive to suggestions regarding drummers that are
your brothers, kids, dads, moms, sisters or in general have not been on the
road with a national act that I have heard of in the last ten years or
so...Sorry to have to say this but in the past when replacing band members
either temporarily or permanently the influx of phone calls and e-mails were
overwhelming and it became very difficult for me to distinguish between
potential candidates for the job and non potentials. We have very high
standards, specified tastes and mostly don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
Just cause some ones not a fit for our band doesn't mean they're not a great
musician. Steve has some very big shoes to be filled both literal and
figurative. 
 So there it is. He's ok, heart broken mostly about missing some great gigs
and missing seeing yall. Well do our best to bring you all the original
tunes from our normal show but I'll have to apologize ahead of time for the
fact is there are more than a few tunes/sagas that you all know well (Thank
You) that just wont happen in the first four maybe all of the weeks of the
Swinging Johnson's absence. We will Play some blues and continue to try and
give you all the show you and us have come to expect from this band. God
bless you all for reading, caring, listening, supporting and loving us more
than we ever expected.
 Sincerely 
 Jason Ricci