Two of my guitars…

This is inspired by my friend Christine (Tine) Hughes…

I have two guitars that I haul around with me to shows that I go to. These two have been on a lot of road trips and train rides with me.

This is my little Martin. I wanted to have something that I could take on my train trips. The gig bag that came with holds this and enough underwear for a week.

This is my pimped out Taylor. The artwork is by my good friend Ben Dewey. He also is the artist that drew the facebook profile picture of me. He introduced me to artists that I had never heard of before. If you think his inking, pencil, and acrylic work is fantastic, then you ought to hear what he can do with a guitar or a Dobro. He is my friend my, brother, and I love him very much.

If either of these two could talk they would be talking for days about the artists that have touched them. I will share a few stories about the signatures on them in my blog from time to time.

First story. This signing is Laura Veirs.

I met her after one of her shows here in Cleveland at The Beachland Tavern few years ago. I mentioned to her about my Taylor guitar and the picture of Mississippi John Hurt on the face of it. I told her that I could hear a bit of his influence in her guitar playing. She said that was true. She is also a huge lover of his art too. That first conversation was brief.

Flash forward about a year later. Laura was playing at The Grog Shop. During the gear swap out between bands I saw Laura sitting by the merch table. I walked over to her. She remembered my name and me. We chatted a bit and I took out the guitar from the gig bag that it was in to show her. She loved it. I asked her if she would sign it. I wanted her to sign it on the top. She did not want to at first because she said she did not want to ruin the artwork. I told her that it would only embellish it. She smiled and took the Sharpie that I gave her. I told her thanks. By that time she said it was time for her to go get ready to play so we said bye, and she gave me a hug.

Laura’s set was wonderful… she played mostly new material, from her new (at that time) CD. Then she left the stage. She got a really nice response from the audience, and came back out for her encore. She walked up to the mic and said thanks to the crowd for their support and love. Then she said: “ This is for my friend Darrell he’s here somewhere.” You can’t see a damn thing when on stage with the lights hitting you in the face. Then she started picking a Mississippi John Hurt tune. I was speechless. She played a couple more of her songs then left the stage. She came back out after a few minutes when the house lights came on and the house music started. She came over to the merch table where people where waiting to chat with her and some of their stuff signed. I tipped my hat to her and waved goodbye. She smiled and waved back.

I have not seen her in a while. If she comes to a city near you, I do recommend that you check her out. She is a very gifted artist and she continues to inspire me every time I pick up a guitar.