Music in The Land of Pleasant Living

by Billy Kemp on April 18, 2022April 18, 2022

This weekend, April 23-25, I’m performing two concerts in the Land of Pleasant Living, in Colonial Beach, Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland.

Janesville 2022

by Billy Kemp on February 1, 2022February 1, 2022

This Saturday, February 5, I’ll be performing at Grinder House in Crossville, Tennessee. It will be for the 4th annual Tennessee Songwriters Week, a celebration of song, one of Tennessee’s greatest exports to the world. The performances of songwriters across the state will be judged with winners from six showcase events heading to The Bluebird Cafe on March 20.

Willbilly Black Walnut Ink

by Billy Kemp on December 8, 2021December 17, 2021

Greetings from Liberty, on the edge of the Cumberland Plateau, where the ridge runner meets the flatlander. This post could get messy because we’re learning how to make black walnut ink, homemade ink from a single black walnut tree here on the top of the ridge where Sue and I live.

The Old Dog Tour

by Billy Kemp on October 25, 2021December 14, 2021

Sue thought of an idea while we were on the road touring in 2019. She thought wouldn’t it be fun to rescue an older dog and do a tour called The Old Dog Tour, giving an older dog a chance to kick out the jams one more time.

A Live Streaming Concert

by Billy Kemp on August 15, 2021August 15, 2021

This virtual streaming concert is for my favorite library in Baltimore, and I’m grateful for the opportunity. Thanks to all of the folks at the Enoch Pratt Free Library that are making this possible.

A Custom Guitar

by Billy Kemp on August 11, 2021August 11, 2021

I played the guitar for what seemed like an hour and gave it a good test run. This Tele was doing the talking, and I was listening. When we emerged from the iso room, I knew I had found a guitar that I wanted. But this was not a Fender Telecaster, it was called an Ithacaster, and made in Ithaca, New York. This was a brand new guitar.

Live Music is Back

by Billy Kemp on June 29, 2021July 25, 2021

Greetings from Liberty. Live music is returning to public places. It certainly never left here at our home. The guitars and banjos have been picked, plucked and strummed on most days since the middle of March last year. They have helped deliver new songs, tunes and twangs. But much of the homebound music making is about to head back to public places. It’s gonna be sweet.

The Drive Thru I Do

by Billy Kemp on April 27, 2021April 27, 2021

The last five miles or so was a one lane windy road, slow going. We stopped at a parking area just before we arrived and changed into our wedding clothes. Then it was back in the car and onward to our destination. “There it is.” Nestled in amongst the pines and parking lots, we found the Drive Thru I Do wedding chapel and parking lot.

The Big Freeze

by Billy Kemp on March 10, 2021March 10, 2021

That night, with the power out, we sat in the basement near the woodstove to stay warm. I decided to crack some of the black walnuts I had gathered last October that were used to make ink. I had about one hundred nuts to crack. They are a bit harder to crack than English walnuts. In fact, they make nut crackers specifically for black walnuts. Since we don’t have one of those I used a hammer, and it worked just fine. It was a crackin’ evening, the fire and the walnuts.