M
March 10, 2008
I have just quit teaching for Absolute Music after having taught hundreds of students there during the last two years. I will be doing private lessons at my home recording studio for select students.
I see I really have not kept my diary up to date, as my last entry was two years ago.
I am currently working on a new solo Celtic CD, and also helping a friend on a Celtic CD of theirs. I have stayed in the top ten in folk and a couple of other catagories at mp3.com in Austrailia for the last 7 years. Hitting #1 on many occasions. I was at #1 again just recently.
I got a lot of new musical equipment over the last couple of years, including a banjo and a new acoustic guitar. I am learning to play clawhammer style banjo.
I saw Dervish the last time they were in Cincinnati, and me and Brian went over to Steve Carson's house after the concert and hung out until the wee hours of the morning. It is always great seeing them. They are still the best Irish band on earth.
I have a new kitty. I am really looking forward to Spring.
March 1, 2006
Music Central is officially up for sale. I packed up my things and left on the last day of Feb, after having taught there for 16 years.
I have moved on and am now teaching Mon through Fri at Absolute Music. in Miamisburg Ohio. The store is great. I am the main teacher there and I already have lots of students.
I am almost finished re-organizing my recording studio.
I have completed a new experimental guitar CD, and a new Celtic CD. I am also in the process of making all my previous CDs available on CD Baby and I-Tunes.
I plan on doing some instructional DVDs also.
I bought a Brian May signature guitar a few months ago just for fun. It sounds great though my AC30s.
I bought two Fender 54 Bassmans and a 1966 Fender Super Reverb to use along with my old Marshall plexis for my Hendrix tribute. I put my Jimi Hendrix tribute band on hold for the winter but will likley fire it back up in the spring.
On a sadder note, my grandma passed away earlier this year.
I am looking forward to seeing what this spring will bring.
I just noticed that I am #1 in the folk catagory on mp3.com in Australia again. I have been in the top ten there for about 4 years in a row. My trance music, and experimental guitar music is doing well also. I may have to take a trip to Austrailia.
Jan 1, 2004
Happy New Year! (My birthday is New Years Eve.) I have been studying tabla and kanjira and listening to Indian music pretty much exclusively lately. There is just something about it that makes everything else pale by comparison. I hope the new music I do in the next year will reflect some of the spirit of Indian music. I love Shrinivas's solo CDs!
Dec 8, 2003
I finished a rough mix of the tracks Ganesh and I did and sent it to him before he left for India. I still have a few things to add but they sound very good so far.
I just discovered mp3.com no longer exists. More than 100,000 people downloaded my music from mp3.com over the last few years.
Nov 10th, 2003
I took Ganesh Kumar to the airport this morning. He was staying here with us over the weekend. He played kanjira on some tracks I am recording for a new CD. What an amazing player, and the nicest guy you'll ever meet. He did an amazing workshop. Definitely go and see him when he comes to your town!
Oct 20, 2003
Four friends of mine have passed away in the last couple of years. John Holland; Finn Corrigan last Christmas; Eric Soeller a couple of months ago; and just last week my old friend Willie Marshall. All of them will be missed. It seems very strange driving down roads I've driven down with my old friends, knowing I won't see them again in this life. Seeing the houses they used to live in, thinking of things we did, and places we went together. It doesn't seem right that people have to die at all. Especially so young. I also lost my uncle Bobby West, my uncle Bob Cook, my uncle Marlin Ingram, my Auntie (Margaret Ingram), and my dad in recent years.
Oct 12, 2003
Ganesh Kumar is going to play kanjira on my next experimental guitar CD. He will be doing a kanjira clinic at Family Tree Music in Springboro, Ohio on Sun Nov 9th from 4pm - 6pm, and will be staying with me that weekend and doing some recording. Ganesh plays on the new with Bela Fleck, and Victor Wooten CDs. Click here for information on the kanjira workshop:
I saw Shakti in Columbus, Ohio recently and stayed after the show and met Zakir Hussain and V. Selvaganesh. I have been taking tabla lessons and also learning the kanjira, so it was a thrill to talk to two of the best players in the world on those instruments. U. Shrinevas was amazing on mandolin as well. He definitely widened my vision on what can be done with a mandolin. Words can't express the intensity of that band. I never thought I'd ever say this but John Mclaughlin is actually the weak link in this band, and he is great as well. The very fact that a band like this even exists in todays music business gives hope to real musicians everywhere.
Sept 16, 2003
Peiseleiano and I just returned from our trip to Florida. I went to Wakula Springs where they filmed the early "Tarzan" movies and "Creature from the Black Lagoon". Amazing place. I also went to St. George Island, and to an ancient earthworks pyramid mound with a flat top like the pyramids in Mexico and South America.
I'll be starting tabla lessons this week. I've always loved Indian music. I bought a kanjira recently and have been playing it for hours every night since I got it. I am going to see Shakti in a couple of weeks to see SelvaGanesh. He is the best kanjira player I have ever heard. I can't wait to see him play live. I am going to meet with him after the show.
July 5, 2003
There were major storms here on the 4th and the electricity went out and stayed out all night.
Recording with Peislieano is going well. This is a long term project. It is good to be playing electric guitar and doing original music again. We are a formidable duo indeed.
Despite the fact that my solo Celtic CD has been #1 for over 4 months now on the Australian mp3 charts, I am putting my Celtic music on hold indefinitely to work with Peiseleiano.
May 21, 2003
I spent 10 hours last night recording guitar parts for a project I am doing with the mysterious "Peislieano". I got home at 4:30am. This may be the best music I've ever been a part of. It sounds different than anything I have ever heard. Not of this earth.
My van finally self-destructed and I got a new car. The weather is starting to get nice and I'm enjoying the Spring.
May 5, 2003
I have a track on a new Scottish compilation CD called "Breaking Down The Border".
I've had the #1 folk CD on mp3.com in Australia for the last 4 weeks now.
I am currently working with my friend Bill on some new music, and doing some experimental music on my own.
March 27, 2003
I just checked my mp3 site in Australia and discovered that I am the #1 artist in experimental electronica, and my solo Celtic CD just went to #1 in on the folk album charts, with several of my other CDs in the top of the charts as well. Very nice to know that someone is listening.
My "Terry Blankenship" CD is #1 on the folk album charts.
My "Daemon" CD is #3 on experimental electronica album charts.
My "Entering The Silence" CD is #10 on the experimental electronica album charts.
My "Tranceformation" CD is #16 in trance album charts.
March 25, 2003
I went to see Dervish in Springfield, Ohio tonight. It was great to see them again but very sad that Finn was not there. Then again maybe he was there. I have a feeling he will always be with them in spirit where ever they go. The band played great as usual and I got a copy of their new CD Spirit which is dedicated to Finn. We all went back to the hotel bar for a couple of hours after the concert and Cathy and I talked a lot. Then Tom, Shamie, Michael and I went to a bar that stayed open later. I got home at 2:30am.
My friend Finn Corrigan the sound man for Dervish, died on Christmas day. My sympathy goes out to the band, and his friends and family. I will miss him very much. He was one of a kind. When ever I think of Ireland I think of Finn. His spirit embodied the spirit of Ireland. I can't believe he is gone. Until we meet again my friend.
March 2003
I believe in God and see the one truth hidden within the many different religions. At the same time history shows that millions of people have been killed "in the name of God" by fanatical believers of different religions who are incapale of seeing the unity of everything.
I am not a Buddhist but I got to spend some time with the Tibetan monks a few years ago and was very impressed at their belief system, and their love and compassion. The other supposed religions of "peace" could learn a lot from Buddhism.
March 2003
I have gone back to playing experimental guitar and I am working on a new CD.
I am finally starting to play some acoustic music again as well.
I am also working on another project I can't say anything about until it's finished.
I have been listening to Jimi Hendrix constantly and collecting rare unreleased recordings of his for fun.
Several old rock and roll comrades have tracked me down through the internet and made contact recently. Nice to hear from them.
I was recently asked to play a Rockabilly show with some of the original great players of that genre. So I have been brushing up on my rockabilly licks.
Aug 2002
I have put my solo Celtic CD on hold for now. It is about 3/4 of the way finished. I saw my friend Martin Carthy recently and he suggested that I continue on as a solo artist. I may take his advice. I also just had a friend of mine who is a concert promoter ask me to open all his upcoming shows for him as a solo artist. I am not sure I want to go that direction right now though. Maybe later.
Terry Blankenship Official Web Site