Good Intentions (feat. Joe V. McMahan)

#132 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Good Intentions, features one of Nashville's most toneful guitarists, Joe V. McMahan. Raised on a horse farm in rural Missouri and then schooled in Rock and Soul music in Shreveport, Louisiana under the tutelage of Dave Egan and Jo-El Sonnier, Joe landed in Nashville in his early twenties. He's produced more than fifty albums and played with a whole bunch of great artists such as; Lee Ann Womack, K.D. Lang, Allison Moorer, Shelby Lynne, Mike Farris, Webb Wilder, Sarah Siskind, Radney Foster, Shannon McNally, Kevin Gordon, Justin Townes Earle, and more. The first time I heard and met Joe was on a Patrick Sweeney gig at the 5 Spot in East Nashville. I was immediately taken with Joe's Hubert Sumlin-esque reverb drenched tone. After that gig, I heard Luella and The Sun, a short-lived super vibey project that Joe had with singer Melissa Mathes and again, the Tone! Since leaving Nashville I've watched as Joe just keeps cranking out quality music from his studio and cool projects like Thrift Wig with my old bandmates JD Simo and Adam Abrashoff. I hope you all enjoy this exhibit of the aforementioned vibeyness and tone...I most certainly do!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky AF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, South San Francisco, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and Joe's Studio in East Nashville, TN. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Ode to Lynn Taitt (feat. Cindy Cashdollar)

#131 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Ode To Lynn Taitt, features one of the steel guitar greats, Cindy Cashdollar. A Woodstock NY native, Cindy came on the scene early and strong, playing with Rick Danko and Levon Helm from The Band and Chicago Blues legend Paul Butterfield. Following the music, she did what any self-respecting, hungry, badass would do, she moved to Nashville where she promptly joined Asleep At The Wheel resulting in seven albums, five Grammys, and another move, this time to Austin TX. As a side person, Cindy has recorded with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Dave Alvin, Rod Stewart, Albert Lee, Marcia Ball, Rory Block, Jorma Kaukonen, Leon Redbone, BeauSoleil, Peter Rowan, Sonny Landreth, Amy Helm…and more! She has also released two solo albums and a series of instructional videos. She was the first woman to be inducted into the Texas Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2011, as well, as being inducted into The Texas Music Hall of Fame in 2012. After 23 years in Austin, she moved back to Woodstock where she continues to do her thing, including playing on this track, a tribute to one of the founding fathers of Rock Steady, Lynn Taitt. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is my Bay Area neighbor, Scott Amendola, (Nels Cline, Charlie Hunter) bangin' on the drums and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.