Blues Mandolin CD recorded in Thailand, US, Germany & Sweden

Blues mandolin is an under-represented form of music in the world today. I am one of a handful of professional roots blues mandolinists in the world. I have continued in the tradition of my favorites Yank Rachell and Carl Martin and have tried to renew it with my own particular style. Despite years of doing many musical projects as a freelance musician, in theatre, radio, tv, and in concert, the last years have been devoted to exploring blues mandolin and its possibilities, history, and players.

Over the past three years, I have recorded a number of songs to be used for a new cd featuring blues mandolin playing. It has been recorded in studios in Mississippi, Bangkok, Germany, and in Sweden with many guests, some well-known in local blues circles and some unknown. 

Let's face it, acoustic folk and blues musicians aren't in it for the money. We rarely get on a playlist on the radio or see mainstream television gigs. But this is the music that fueled and still drives much of the popular forms of music that exist today. Putting out a record involves recording, pressing, royalty and licensing payments, distribution and promotion. For an individual without a company behind him, it is a daunting and expensive task, and breaking even is a luxury. 

During the past decade, from the research I have done, I have found cds that focus on blues mandolin done by living artists released by Rich DelGrosso, Billy Hundt, and Billy Flynn in the US, Jimi Hocking in Australia, and myself in Sweden. 5 artists in a vast flood of music all over the world. In the 1920s and 30's in the US, mandolin was a widespread instrument featured in blues, ragtime, string bands, and popular music. 

I have done all the previously mentioned work myself for my last 3 cds, but now with my 10th cd in the can and being mixed, I find myself unable to raise the cash to press it. I have wonderful friends who have helped me out on this project, musicians from the US like Memphis Gold, delta drummer Sam Carr, Tom Paley, Bill Abel, and Brian Kramer, German ace fingerpicker and virtuoso pianist Willie Salomon, Swedish musicians Janne Zander, ragtime whiz Lasse Johansson, Mats Qwarfordt, Sven Zetterberg, and Nina Perez. And last but not least, a gang of enthusiastic and brilliant musicians in Thailand where I recently spent 2 months playing and recording in Bangkok with Dulyasit -Pong.- Srabua, Chai Blues, Ped, Gunny, Wan, Tony, and many more. Pong and I won an award for best instrumental 2009 in Thailand, a bluesy Thai folk theme with mandolin and slide guitar. You hear it playing in the background, Nongharn Blues. 

This cd is not meant to be just a solo vehicle for myself, but rather as a showcase for this fine music that is being made all over the world, and great musicians who are not recognized by a larger audience. 

It has been recorded and is currently being mixed, and will be ready to press in August 2011. I hope that this somehow strikes a chord in you --- Excuse the pun! --- to make you wish to take part in this project and help with the pressing and promotion!

Pressing, printing and licensing fees to performance rights society and Nordic Copyright bureau for 100 cds with a 12 page booklet in color and DIGIPACK cover will cost 2,285 EUROS

Promotion by an established independent blues and roots promoter for radio play, reviews, international distribution, and consideration for the Blues Music Awards - at the lowest rate possible will cost 1060 Euros. Without the promotion, the cd will be doomed to only being sold at gigs or online web stores. This will spread the music to a much wider audience. The total will be 3345 Euros.