GIG 365

GIG 365 was a self-curated experiment I undertook during the entire year of 2011.  I performed at least one gig every single day of the year.  On average I performed for about seventy people a day for forty five minutes.  Of course, at the extremes, I could find myself performing for thousands of people or for one.  The main idea was to perform for at least one person for a minimum of thirty five minutes a day, in as diverse an assortment of traditional and non-traditional venues as possible.

My friend Chris Trotta put together a google map of every single gig.  It is here.

John Wilcock put together a great booklet about midway through 2011.  You can find much of it online here: Tale of the Wandering Minstrel.

I released a CD at the beginning of 2013 which included studio recordings of some of the music that I performed  and/or wrote during the GIG 365 year, as well as a few conversations I captured at different gigs I played.  You can listen/purchase tracks here : GIG 365 : MJWB

The GIG 365 blog/website was set up to publish the daily videos I made during my travels.  It continued during 2012/13 with things that were related to GIG 365.  I feel like the first "book" of GIG 365 is complete with the release of the recording and video of Mississippi and my subsequent relocating to New Orleans.

I will not be publishing any more content to the GIG 365 blog unless there is a significant development or release connected to it. 

Mississippi

NOLA Session 3.2.2013

A couple rough mixes of new arrangements of original tunes from GIG 365 : MJWB




MJWB - vocals/accordion
Malcolm Morris (AKA Stick's) - bass drum/cymbal/tambourine
Phillip Armand - snare drum/cymbal
Shane Cox - trombone/trumpet
Raynard Hockett - tuba
Ryan Brown - engineer

Recorded at Fudge Recording Studio, NOLA

Look to the Right (Ward-Bergeman) from NOLA session 3.2.2013

GIG 365 : MJWB Recording Release

I am pleased to announce the release of my GIG 365 : MJWB recording.  In 2011 I performed at least one gig on each day of the year in a wide range of venues.
I performed extensively throughout North America, and also in Europe and Venezuela.  The songs on this recording represent music that was meaningful to me during the journey, interspersed with a few conversations I had along the way.
The material is rooted in New Orleans and the Greater Mississippi Delta region.  The culture, history, music and people of this region left a profound impact on me during my GIG 365 travels.
The recordings took place in Bucharest, Romania and Cleveland, OH in 2012.  I was blessed to have my friend Ionita Manole organize some of the finest Roma Gypsy musicians in the world to record three tracks with me.   The remaining musical tracks were recorded with drummer Jamey Haddad.  I studied hand percussion at the feet of Jamey while I was attending Berklee College of Music.  We found ourselves on some of the same gigs after I graduated and became great friends.   I was also backed up on two tracks by a trio of fine, delightful vocalists from Gainesville, FL directed by Timothy Mulberry, Jr : Ryoanne McKnight, Cedrica M. Daniels and Shalita "Shae" Colbert.  I can't thank all of these musicians enough for giving themselves so completely to the music.
The conversation tracks are from videos that were taken during the year of GIG 365.  They represent some of the memorable people I was fortunate enough to meet and speak with.
The quite stunning GIG 365 drawing was done by Kate Cragoe Mayfield.   I met Kate during GIG 365 and she offered to do a drawing for me.   She asked me for a list of some of the more memorable gigs I had done and picked the six which adorn the cover.  They are clockwise from top right:

GIG #99/100 & #316/317 Square and Compass, Worth Matravers, UK w/Groanbox
GIG #124 @ St. Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, London, UK
GIG #43 @ Floyd's Country Store, Floyd, VA
GIG #151 Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In, Seligman, AZ
GIG #68 @ Jackson Square, New Orleans, LA with fiddle player Joseph McGinty
GIG #149 @ Old Town Square, Albuquerque, NM with Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ Franciscan Charismatic Religious Community

You can listen to excerpts from the recording at Apple Music. You can buy a CD or download tracks from there, Amazon, and other online music retailers.  If you dig it, please spread the word and like my GIG 365 page and leave some feedback. I will be posting concert appearances, reviews, interviews and more there and on the GIG 365 blog.

 

Conversations Along the Way : Michael

Conversations along the way from the forthcoming GIG 365 : MJWB CD. Michael, GIG #90 @ Cecil Lapeyrouse's Grocery, Cocodrie, LA.

Conversations Along the Way : Pat

Conversations along the way from the forthcoming GIG 365 : MJWB CD. Pat, GIG #143 @ Highway 61 Blues Museum, Leland, MS.

GIG #143 is one I will never forget. It was at a Blues museum in the heart of the Mississippi Delta region, along the legendary Highway 61. I met musician, artist and gravedigger Pat Thomas, one of the most unique artists I have ever met. After we played I took a walk and stumbled on an historical marker that blew my mind. As it turns out, Jim Henson was born in Leland, MS and used to play along the local Deer Creek with his friend Kermit Scott. He later acknowledged that Kermit the Frog was born in this very creek in Leland.