Austin, Texas.

I spent most of the day in Austin. From a great tour of the Zilker Botanical Gardens, to a really good evening in The "Dog & Duck" with friends, this is a good visit. Austin is an interesting city and I would like to have more time here to explore. Maybe next time....

Saturday Night

I love coming back to Ruffino's in DeSoto, Texas. Everyone is so friendly It's like coming home. Tomorrow I'm heading on down to Lake Travis near Austin for a couple of days and will be back in Desoto in time for next weekend. After that, Red River, Taos and snow.

Bongo Billy's, Salida, Colorado

Today I booked Bongo Billy's in Salida, Colorado for St. Valentine's Day. That will be a really nice evening and I hope to be joined by friends from Pueblo and Florissant. Also in June, I will be back performing for the Cimarron Historical Society.

In March and April, I will be at Sugarmill Creek on Fridays. On March, 13th (Thursday) I will be at the Basket Peddler in Cornelia, Georgia.

Please look at my website in "upcoming" for a complete list.
More from Texas....

Georgia snow

Yes it does snow in Georgia. In fact we have had two snows in two days. Even so, there was probably no more than about an inch or so. Today was quite cold. When I looked out at 9:15am it was only 18deg. I imagine the low was around 12-15deg.
Tomorrow I will be preparing for my trip to Texas.I leave on Wednesday.
The artwork for the album is underway and hopefully will be finished soon. More later...

Canyon Road

The order of songs on the new album "Canyon Road" has been decided. Now all that has to be done is the mastering and then the printing. I'm expecting this album to be available in mid April.. Songs include Canyon Road, San Cristobal, Hanging out in Taos, The Silver Star Mine, plus eight others, including the instrumental entitled " Chamisa".
If you enjoyed the last one, you'll like this one too. Musicians on the album include
Dennis Wage, Glen Duncan, Wayne Killius, Dow Tomlin, Charlie McCoy, Scotty Sanders and myself on the Pimentel, Gretsch and Gibson Guitars.

Back to Georgia

The photograph shows Nickajack Lake on I-24 in Tennessee. It's a beautiful lake and I always enjoy stopping for a few minutes.
The mixing is done and now the listening starts before it is mastered. There are three mixes of each song so I have to decide which ones to use and also the order in which the songs will be arranged. I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend without headphones etc. Nashville's a fine place, but it's nice to be back in the country and away from all the traffic.
Next Friday I will be back at Sugarmill Creek and the week after that, I go to Dallas.

Mixing the album

We are in the middle of mixing and here is a photo of the console. I find all this fascinating, especially the Protools software. It would be nice to have it in my studio, so it would be compatible with Omnisound.
We should be finished in a few days then there is the artwork to be done. That will probably take a few weeks. I think the Cd should be ready sometime in March or April.

The band

Here are more musicians who are helping to make this recording so good. The first is Wayne Killius on percussion (played on A Different place... a different time) Dow Tomlin on bass, mostly upright bass. The third photo shows Dennis Wage on piano, Hammond B-3 and also synthesizer. I don't have a photo of the steel player, but I owe my thanks to Scotty Sanders. Scotty also played on the last CD. A big thanks to everyone involved, including the engineers....

Glen Duncan and Charlie McCoy

The first photo shows Charlie McCoy and me in Studio B at Omnisound. I have been a fan of Charlie for at least 35 years and it was fabulous to have him play on this album.
Another one of my favourite musicians is Glen Duncan, an amazingly talented fiddle player. Both of these guys play a host of other instruments with great skill.

Canyon Road Album.

After three really great days, there are now 12 basic tracks done with most vocals and guitar parts added. This morning Glen Duncan worked his usual magic on banjo, fiddle, and a cross between a banjo and a bassouki Spelling anyone? Scotty Sanders came in this afternoon and recorded steel guitar on several tracks. As some of you know, both Glen and Scotty were on the last album. Charlie McCoy will be in tomorrow morning for some tracks. Now that's really exciting too !!!
More information coming soon...

First day in the studio

Yesterday was a good day. With the help of some awesome musicians, 11 basic tracks were laid down. This is the point where my work really begins. Today I'll be working on my guitar parts, acoustic, Pimentels and electric, (Gretsch) I believe Glen Duncan comes in tomorrow to add fiddle etc. I'm amazed at the number of mics that are used just for the drums, I counted at least 14. The other image shows the control room of studio A. This is all very exciting. Look for the next update...

Recording in Nashville, Tennessee

Tomorrow, I'm leaving for Nashville to record the second Southwest album. This is exciting and I'm looking forward to releasing it sometime in the spring. There is a song about a Taos ski bum, one about a favourite bar of mine in Santa Fe, two songs about authors, plus a bunch more. A Happy New Year to everyone...

Merry Christmas !!!

It's been cool in Georgia this week. That's ok, it's supposed to be. I have booked in this coming Friday back at Sugarmill Creek. It can be quite cozy when the wood stove is fired up. This is my last booking before the holidays, then soon after I will start recording.
I wish a Merry Christmas to all my friends across this great country and also Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and England. Perhaps I'll get to go over there one day soon. Hope to see you this coming Friday at Sugarmill.

Nashville, Tennessee.

I just returned from a couple of days of meetings in Nashville. I got to see the latest addition to Omnisound Studios. Very nice and I'm looking forward to going back in January. The photographs show two famous hangouts on Broadway. It was raining in Nashville and also in Georgia when I returned. Tomorrow night I'll be back at Sugarmill Creek.

Omnisound, Nashville, Tennessee.

I just booked the first part of January, 2008 in Omnisound Studios, Nashville, Tennessee. I will be recording my third solo album. This is exciting because the studio is first class and Nashville musicians are as good as any in the world.
Once again many of these new songs are about New Mexico and the southwest. There are songs about hikes, mines, places, events, yes, and a few love songs, some blues, some bluegrass and some bordering on rock. It should be released in March, 2008. Please check back often for updates.
Tomorrow I will be performing once more at Sugarmill Creek on Lake Burton. I would love to see you there. Please stop by if you are close.

With Michael Hearne at the Bowman House Concert.

Friday night at Sugarmill was another cool night. On Saturday I appeared at the Bowman House Concert in Atlanta with Michael Hearne. His son Travis also sang a self-written song and it was exceptional. Apart from the great music, I got to meet and talk to many interesting folks. Many thanks to Art and Nance for making it all happen.
It started raining around 7:00pm Saturday evening and it hasn't stopped. That's good for Georgia with the drought we are experiencing.

Back in Georgia

I had a smooth flight home from Albuquerque. Last night I talked with "Miss Kate" who is really enjoying her new job.
I think I brought some of that Red River cool back with me. Yes the temperatures have changed here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Northeast Georgia. I will be on the deck at Sugarmill Creek tomorrow night and the wood stove is installed and working. It should be quite cozy. Hoping to see you there....

Songs of New Mexico Release Party

The release party was a big success. There were 12 acts performing and I got to meet many of the other people on the cd. I performed with just the guitar and it went well. It looks like someone got to the cake before my camera. K-TAO solar radio did a fabulous job of hosting this party. Thank you Brad and all the staff for making this such a memorable event. Today I'm on my way to Santa Fe, then the airport. On Friday I will be back at Sugarmill Creek.

Santa Fe

I had a really smooth flight to Albuquerque, picked up the guitar from Pimentel and drove to Santa Fe. I stayed with friends and we went to see Bill Hearne at the La Fonda. He did a great job as always. Saturday I left for Red River. The first photo was taken near St. John's College in Santa Fe. The haziness is caused by a "controlled" burn somewhere near Los Alamos. The second, the Rio Grande south of Taos.

Fall colours in Northeast Georgia

I spent the weekend admiring the fall colours around Lake Burton. This has to be the best weekend yet. Once more I got to see and appreciate fall in the rockies and then in Northeast Georgia.
I have booked dates at Ruffino's in DeSoto, Texas for the last week in January and the first week in February. Then I go to Red River for a little fun in the snow. I try to post all the bookings on my website so please go to www.Philipjohnbrooks.com for more information. Hello to all my friends in Pueblo Colorado. Hope to see you soon.