Howdy Folks! It's
swinging into full
summertime now, and it's certifiably hot, roses blooming, tomatoes
growing, and we've been having fun doing some road trips, swimming and
riding the bikes around town.Lots of good action has been happening with my Sweet Pea album. Penny sent them out, getting airplay on well over 500 radio stations in February and March, and we just found out that it made #21 on the Living Blues Radio Charts for March. Also there have been loads of real nice reviews in Acoustic Guitar, Blues Revue, Dirty Linen and other well-known music magazines. CDBaby made it a feature CD as well with a great review too.
My music has been featured on lots of TV shows over the last year or so too, including ABC's "Wife Swap," Nascar shows on FOX Sports TV, a fishing show in Australia, and other unexpected places.
I've been having a blast with a new guitar built by Iowa luthier David Flammang. David is a world-class, fantastic talent, based in Greene, Iowa, and I've really enjoyed a new sonic journey with this guitar. I first played one that he made when I was at Greg Brown's house three or four years ago; Pieta Brown, Iris DeMent, and Brooks Williams are all proud owners of these wonderful instruments.
Mine is called an EL 12 fret guitar and is sublimely beautiful. It has the body shape that's very similar to my 1926 Gibson Nick Lucas Special, with that cute curvy body shape, mahogany back and sides, spruce top in an alluring dark red sunburst. The sound is chocolate-deep and bright and very focused, I really love it. Penny got it for me at Christmas, I was agog and very surprised!
Future
plans include gigs and festivals
around the midwest, a trip to North Carolina and Virginia in September,
our annual giant
UK Tour in October and November and a return tour of
Calfornia and
the West Coast next January. I'll be back at the NAMM show in Anaheim
with National Resophonic
Guitars. Also,
next February we'll venture down south for a Florida Tour.I've also continued doing individual lessons and guitar workshops, both at home and on the road. I'm always amazed how many folks are getting into solo acoustic slide and fingerstyle guitar, and I'm ticked to help pass it on. Give me a holler if you'd like to do some string twangin'...
I am always happy to help if you want to buy a new National, just email or call 319-338-3614 anytime. Please do ask me about custom features too. The latest new models include the El Trovador, Cutaway Tricones, Lefty Tricones and the 14 fret Style O, replete with chicken feet.
Thanks. Have a teriffic summer!
yours truly, Catfish Keith
Catfish
Journal Archive:
This is Catfish Keith's personal newsletter first published in February 2005.
This is Catfish Keith's personal newsletter first published in February 2005.