Free Lesson and LEXI Awards

Howdy, everyone!

Hope this note find you and yours happy & well and ready for the holidays.

I have a little gift for you all, and a little news as well.

1) FREE Guitar Lesson: As my way of saying THANX to each of you who is or has been a student, I want to give you ALL a free guitar lesson....so this Monday (12-22) I'll be teaching a FREE group guitar class at 6pm at the CoC (3288 Beaver Creek). This class will be roughly a GTR-4 level class (don't let that scare you off i you're still in a lower class)...fundamentals and drill, drill, drill! We might even have time to do a song or two!

If its been a while since you've played, feel free to bring a friend!

2) New Session: The NEW group session begins the week of January 5 (Monday at CoC and Thursday at Willis Music) and, of course, I'll likely have a few openings come the first of the year for private lessons at Hurst Music. Below is our FB event page. Please feel free to share with your friends and/or use the "invite" function to invite all your friends!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1553204228226853/

3) LEXI Awards:  It hasn't hit the press yet (though it will likely start with my Christmas Eve appearance on the morning show on WKYT-27 next week or the PSAs about to run on WRFL & WUKY), but we've started the new awards program, the Lexington Music Awards (folks have started calling it the LEXI Awards). I'm heading up the group and producing the First Annual LEXI Awards show with a tentative date of February 22. 30 categories in 4 groups (industry, style, performance, and special awards).

We hope to have a big turn-out, some local celebs as MCs & special presenters, and some fantastic performances at the show from all walks of musical life.

To learn more, visit the links below to the FB event page (over 200 guests so far), FB group (over 600 members so far), and on-line blog (already over 1600 reads so far).

See y'all soon!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1505077303105177/

https://www.facebook.com/events/378307345663759/

http://lexingtonmusicawards.blogspot.com/

--

--
David M. McLean
Skinny Devil Music Lab
http://www.skinnydevil.com
859.420.2007

"....embrace your fear..."

Happy 50 to Me

Yes, I'm officially an "old guy" - hahaha!!! That's OK, I kinda like it.

Woke this morning to a 2 year old and a 3 year old attacking me. They were ready to play! Lots of jumping up and down on the bed and finally a snuggle-fest, then off to watch a cartoon bundled on the sofa.

ODIS, baby!

Great start.

Grabbed an apple and a super-rare steak for breakfast, and my hot cup of Egyptian Licorice tea. Love cinnamon! Just took a photo so my ODIS friends can see my abs at 50 (haha!). If I have time, I'll grab a quick work-out at the gym, treat myself to a quick lunch at Squeeze (the raw juice bar at Centered), and, after I teach the first classes of the new session at Willis Music later today, I'll grab a Bloody Mary at Furlongs before heading home.

But what I'm really amped about.....is releasing not one, but TWO albums today in celebration of my birthday.

I've been compiling and releasing my life's music catalogue (well, what is release-able, anyway), and so far it include the 2 studio Vice albums, both collections of children's songs, and volume one of "The Games" (commissioned music I did in the 90s, mostly, for web, videogames, indie film, trade shows, and more).

Today, I release what I consider to be the best ensemble (rock band) work I ever did: 1991's "Innova Mode" by my metal-fusion band Aur'a-Sen....and volume 2 of my corporate music "The Games" (with stuff you can dance to, given the techno-industrial nature of much of the material on those 3 volumes).

And, as this is a personal blog and doesn't get the traffic of Skinny Devil Magazine, I'll step out a bit more. I have a recurring dream that I die at 54. No idea how, only that I'm aware that I'm about to die. I ask someone there if I get to be in the 27 club twice. My reason is because I died the first time just before my 28th birthday. Au'ra-sen, (the band I thought was gonna go all the way) had broken up after our entertainment attorney died suddenly and Warner Bros had passed on us and we simply lacked the drive to continue. I was in the midst of a divorce and was losing everything (except custody of my boys), and my music career as a studio musician, performer, and recording engineer/producer was coming apart at the seams.

At 28, I was re-born into a completely new life - separated from my musical life - as I figured out how to put it all back together. Which I did, with the help of several key people. Music from "The Games" represents a lot of what was going on for me then (barring voice-over work for political ads and such - haha!).

It's odd because I never even thought I'd live to 30 (do any of us?) and now I can't imagine leaving this world at only 54...missing my grandkids grow up and all the other incredible things there are to do and see.

But no worries. It's just a dream. A bit of Freudian (or Jungian) oddness that I don't care enough about to figure out.

But if by some odd coincidence I DO die at 54, I charge YOU with getting me in the 27 club.

Twice.

Enjoy the music!

https://skinnydevilmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-games-2

https://skinnydevilmusic.bandcamp.com/album/innova-mode

KY Music Awards

Let's talk about an awards show!

This is an idea I've been bouncing around for a few years. I think I first mentioned it to Tom Martin and Donald Mason of LAMA (Lexington Area Music Alliance) in 2010, but we've all been extremely busy with many other "front burner" concerns. But it occurs to me, after conversations with people at organizations who host music awards programs/shows in other states (from the big one, like Grammys and Billboard Awards and CMAs, to the regionals, like the TSI and Phoenix Awards, to the state or county level, like the GA Music Awards or the Los Angeles Music Awards, or even the small local orgs, like the near-by Louisville Music Awards) that the music community voting on "best of" is not the self-congratulatory rubbish that critics claim.

No, it is a great way to add cohesion and a true sense of community to the local or regional music scene; to help raise the "quality" bar; to educate artists and fans alike on what's going on in the whole music community, not just one little segment of it.

And so....it seems to me it's time for not just Lexington, but the state of KY to step it up. Sure, there is the KY Music Hall of Fame and other similar genre-specific orgamizations, but what about something more comprehensive for the entire music community?

Let's do this thing.

Julia & Sydney in TN winning awards.

I have already done a lot of the footwork. From getting quotes for the cost for prizes to what categories are good to get this off the ground, to methods of voting to potential venues....and on and on.

What we need now if for an organization to pick this up and run with it.

So, who wants to lend a hand and make this a reality?

EDIT: December up-date....we've done this thing. Well, we've leaped into the fire with it, anyway. As I write, the tentative date is Feb 22, 2015 for the show...and nominations are happening NOW.

For more:  Lexington Music Awards - LEXI

SDML Guitar Instruction...On the Move!

Yes, we announced yesterday that Paul Felice, SDML certified instructor, will be leaving Lexington, KY and trekking to Chicago, IL to on a 2 year mission to set up a viable, self-sustaining branch of SDML Guitar Academy.

In i sown words - at the new blog set up to provide everyone with the ups and downs of the journey:

http://itsjustcrazyenoughtowork.blogspot.com/

SDML Music News

Been a while since I posted anything (about 4 months!)....including our lifestyle challenges. Let's see if I can fix that!

2014 saw some BIG changes...

1) Gone from the Beaumont YMCA after 11 years and landed on me feet at Willis Music Lexington (one of 8 stores in Lex, Louisville, and Cincy areas). Still teaching Mondays at the COC and private lessons at Hurst Music, but Thursdays are now at Willis for group classes.

2) We've kicked off the "Guitar Gods: LIVE!" performance/clinic series (also taped for our web series) with the debut show in April (International Guitar Month) featuring the amazing Diana Chittester (Cleveland OH). May's guest will be Blind Dog Gatewood (Evansville IN) and currently lining up summer shows. Continuance of the series depends totally on funding, as I'm paying for this out-of-pocket right now - not something I can sustain past 2 shows. We're figuring out hwo to go about that now....

https://www.facebook.com/events/305404396279854/

3) We're also kicking back in with the on-line (print) "Guitar Gods" interview series and shaking things up at Skinny Devil Magazine:

http://skinnydevilmagazine.blogspot.com/

4) Student recitals have been cranking along...about to do the 2nd of the year at Willis in May!

5) Students have been getting some CRAZY successes lately..."Chasing Nashville" (Lifetime), "The Voice", and other similar shows....opening for Pat Benatar, BB King, Goo Goo Dolls....TV & radio appearances....studio projects....

6) Oh, yeah - I got ot play guitar for Grammy winning playinum selling artist Suzy Bogguss when she was in Lexington for her appearance on Woodsongs Old-time Radio Hour (check your local TV & radio listings for air-date in your area). What a BLAST!!!

You can see the entire broadcast here (show #746):


http://www.woodsongs.com/showlist.php 

7) My duo Alien Blue will finally be releasing the new CD. In the interim, feel free to visit us here:


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alien-Blue/60373576192
and
http://www.reverbnation.com/alienblue

8) Proud to announce my 3rd grand-child has been born...the first to my oldest son Nik and his fiance' Beth - a little girl named Saylor. Well...9 pounds 6 ounces of little - hahaha!

9) Now...about that lifestyle challenge.......