Billy Kemp

Greetings from Liberty!

A Gig…

Here’s hoping this post finds everyone sound and listening to good music. And speaking of good music, there’ll be some in Huntsville, Alabama this coming weekend. ( I’m biased I guess.)

It sure would be fun to see you for this annual event in Huntsville. Thanks to our good friends Barbara, Glen, Margaret and Larry for making this happen. The proceeds from the ticket sales will be going to the International Missionary Fellowship Haiti Hospital. Please contact them if you’d like to donate in case you can’t make it to the concert, they would be grateful.

A Change…

For those of you who like to peruse artist’s web pages, I have done a makeover to billykemp.com and you may find some new sounds, images and stories. I have also added a music dolmen on my teaching page. I’ve been reading Mark Booth’s, Secret History of the World and have been in an esoteric state of mind while reading his fascinating and thought-provoking story. A dolmen is a megalithic monument that some say was/is a portal from this world to the next. For anyone wanting to go deeper into the well of music, stepping through the music dolmen may be a path to take.

A Camp…

As I was giving my blog/website a makeover, the thought of where to keep my music available presented itself, and I decided to offer it at Bandcamp. I have many music friends who like and use Bandcamp, and I’ve always enjoyed the way their pages have looked and sounded. Bandcamp gives fans and listeners an opportunity to listen to records in their entirety, imagine that.

A Side Note…

I forgot to mention why it’s been so long since I’ve posted. The long and short of it is, life has been busy. Usually in the winter here in middle Tennessee things slow up a bit, but not this winter. Here at The Scratching Post, the studio, I have been writing and recording music and songs. Sue and I are trying to start some herbs and vegetables from seed, keeping our fingers crossed. Sue keeps saying to me, “I don’t see any sprouting, is it going to happen?” I say, “Sue, it’s only been two weeks, the seed packages say it will happen in a month.” I had to build a grow light set-up. My plan came from Clemson University. Like the farmer and the framers, I am hopeful…

A Project Participation…

Finally, I want to mention a project I’ve been wanting to do for a while. Some of you may know I sometimes use a musical cryptogram to compose music. There’s a podcast that I’ve been listening to called, “The Chinwag.” It is hosted by actor, Paul Giamatti and musician/professor Stephen Asma. I usually listen to podcasts while I’m having lunch. The Chinwag has been a highlight of the winter for me, casual, humorous and informative. Unfortunately, they just dropped their final wag last week. It’s bittersweet. They’ve done one hundred episodes.

Many episodes ago they mentioned how they’d like to hear a piece of music with the following instrumentation: tuba, banjo, saw, cowbell and bagpipes. Though they have finished with their podcast, I would still like to write some music for them with the instrumentation they have asked for. I’m going to start writing the music in the middle of March. I’d like to document how all of this comes together, and you are invited to join in if you’d like. I’ll post about every two weeks until it seems like it is ready to share with the multiverse. More to come later about the Chinwag project.

Wishing everyone peace during these chaotic times…

Billy