M is for Manitoba ...

The more I head down to the legendary Mississippi delta, the more I realize Manitoba is an incredible place. That’s because all the things I love about the birthplace of the blues can be found right here in the place I call home: muddy waters, flat farm land, good music, good food, and good people.

Two of those good people crossed my path today. One of the them was Hal Brolund, who without a hint of exaggeration is the finest slide player I’ve ever heard. He’s also a great singer/songwriter, flat-picker, and finger-picker. Not a week goes by where I don’t dig into some of his tunes.

Today, Hal and I headed down to Lovey’s BBQ and Smokehouse on Marion Street. Roger and the crew at Lovey's are slow-smoking the best ribs, chicken, brisket, and pulled pork north of St. Louis. Hal and I were both satisfied customers today, but Hal expresses his satisfaction way better than I do.

He writes a song about Lovey’s … using the takeout menu as inspiration. Then he calls me up and plays it for me on the phone. (I should eat out with this guy more often.) Hal's new song has a great Mississippi John Hurt vibe. We're going to lay down a demo next week.

As Hal is playing his Lovey’s musical masterpiece for me on the phone, there’s a knock at my door. I open the door and in walks Blair Hordeski, with his new CD and posters (and a bottle of wine).

(Interesting coincidence: it was Hal who introduced me to Blair four years ago.)

I can’t say enough about Cold Cold Heart, Blair Hordeski’s new CD. The album rocks with an alt. country vibe. Blair sat down in my living room and we spun a few tracks on the MacBook. Impressive, but why settle for Memorex when live is right in front of you? I pulled out my Martin D-35 and asked Blair to give me a song off the new album, live and unplugged. Blair ripped my heart out with I Loved You More:

They always said we’re doomed from the start
You with the devotion and me with the scars
And now I know your friends were right
Six years and a week/weak moment in time

No one could have known
No never you
To break the promises we knew

No shoulder to cry on
No comfort to bring
No one to throw in the towel before the bell rings

I’ve lost and I’m one alone with the score
It just goes to show
I loved you more


Mix in vocals by Chris Thornsteinson (from Doc Walker) and Amanda Stott, grooves from some of Winnipeg's top session players, and Dylan Thomas Hermiston as producer, and Cold Cold Heart is a local disc with country-wide cred. Check this album out ... especially the title track, as well as Better Than Never and I Loved You More.

Country radio in Brandon, Portage la Prairie, and Dauphin are already spinning the disc. For now, Winnipeg’s QX104 fans are missing out. Cold Cold Heart is scheduled for release on May 4. I’ve got a few copies to pass around.

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I’m just a lowly rock ‘n’ roll preacher – a guy who loves Jesus and loves rock ‘n’ roll. As I watch 11:59 of this day pass into midnight, I can’t begin to comprehend the creative people who cross my path every day. I’ve been playing with singer/songwriter Royal Unruh and the band for seven years. Larry Updike and I are getting ready to launch the B-side Apostles. Sitting in with pro’s like Hal and Blair have been tastes of the big time. (And it was Blair Hordeski who christened the Rock ‘n’ Roll Preacher.) All made in Manitoba moments and memories.

M is for Manitoba.

And I’ve got another M to tell you about. She can clean her house, do ten loads of laundry, shake a bunch of kiddies off her leg … and produce some of the finest content you’ve ever heard on the GodTalk Radio Show.

That’s another blog post ... but here's a preview from the Blog Catalog spotlight.

M is for Manitoba, but check out M is for Mississippi, produced by Roger Stolle and friends down at the Cat Head in Clarksdale, Mississippi. I met Roger this summer and he's paying his dues to tell the story of the blues. For $40, you get the M is for Mississippi DVD, the CD soundtrack, and free shipping anywhere in the world. Worth the price of admission. (A tip for guitar collectors: Sled Dog Music in Winnipeg is selling a Silvertone that's a dead ringer for the one L.C. Ulmer plays in the film.)