Busker's Blues

New Recording posted on SoundCloud - Dan Lange Live, Sunday at the Crossroads,on Second Life

2012-01-16T10:44:00.000-08:00

http://soundcloud.com/danlange/xroads11512

2012-01-12T12:10:00.001-08:00

A rare public appearance...

2012-01-10T07:01:00.000-08:00

In recent years I've cut way back on my performance schedule. But tonight I'll be playing a set at the Thirsty Lion Pub at Second and Ash in Portland.

Fresh Tracks from recent SECOND LIFE shows!

2012-01-07T07:25:00.001-08:00

Live Set at MOonshines, January

CROSSROADS SUNDAY LIVE BROADCAST 124112411MONO MIX

2011-12-06T07:20:00.000-08:00

Here's a recording of my show on Sunday December 4 2011 - a little hot, I'm still all happy with the tube preamp. Let me know what you think!

CROSSROADS SUNDAY LIVE BROADCAST 124112411MONO MIX

My set up

2011-12-04T14:31:00.000-08:00

A short tour through the gear I use to bring my live blues to worldwide audiences.

The whole setup is built around a Whisper Room isolation booth - 7 foot high, 5 foot by 3 foot, carpet covered room with doubled windows. Inside are two microphones - a Shure sm58 for vocals and a Shure sm57 picking up the guitars.

These are running to a control station outside the booth - an Alesis Mictube duo preamp brings them into an Alesis Multimix 8 mixer, with two channels going straight to USB, into a Dell studio xps running Windows NT. Here, Shoutcast for Winamp is used to stream the audio signal and Audacity can be used to record.

Happy Holidays to one and all!

2011-12-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

You'll find a new song - "Just Like Christmas" - on my SoundClick player in the column to your right. Enjoy!

New songs posted on Soundclick

2011-11-15T13:30:00.001-08:00

Several songs have been posted - culled from recent Second Life live broadcasts. Listen to them on the Soundclick player to the right of this column.

UpDate

2011-09-21T16:59:00.000-07:00

Lots going on here at the studio these days with a short film opening this week with music that was recorded here - and more sound track projects waiting.

Don't forget, you can listen in to my Second Life broadcasts from outside Second Life here; http://74.208.195.204:9140

Played the King School Farmers Market last weekend and had a wonderful time - came home with a couple pounds of Willepa Bay Clams into the deal!

2011-07-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

Video from a recent broadcast

Blast from the past

2011-07-03T10:56:00.001-07:00

A picture of the "Dan Lange Band", based around Berkeley California, around 2001. left to right it's Dan and Dan on guitars, the late Chris Beacham on bass and Victor Arre on the drums. We also occasionally added a keyboard player and a harmonica.

2011-06-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

This Years Meadow Muffin

Click to watch Derwoody's video of some of the high points. We had a LOT of fun!

PSU Farmers Market this Saturday!

2011-03-05T14:53:00.000-08:00

Very Excited - I'll be playing the first market of the season, from 11 AM until 2 PM. Hope to see you there!

Original song entered in Second Life song contest

2010-11-15T16:10:00.000-08:00

Dublin, Ireland – November 15, 2010 – Popular voting is now open for the Is One Life Enough Theme Song Contest. Artist awards include recognition and prizes from Dublin Institute of Technology in Dublin Virtually Live. Voter awards include great music and “I Voted” in-world tee-shirts. All Second Life Residents are eligible to vote at the IOLE Song Contest Web Site [http://www.siterma.com/iole/]. Winners will be announced December 1st. Virtual Environments: Is one life enough is an award-winning, university-level course on the professional use of social media.

Check out the entrants here;

http://www.siterma.com/iole/

When you visit the Crossroads on Second Life, be sure to visit Chriscloud Loon's Blues Museum.

2010-11-14T14:48:00.000-08:00

At the Bluffs and backstage at the Crossroads

2010-11-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

Triumphant return to SECOND LIFE, FIRST LIFE too.

2010-09-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

If you want me to play your Virtual Venue, please contact Votslav Hax and Symbiotic Productions in Second Life.

If you're interested in having me play your Real Life venue, email me at danandjane@yahoo.com.

If you're confused about the difference, step away from the computer.

Second Life and Live Blues

2010-01-25T08:33:00.000-08:00

Second Life is a virtual world stored on computers, with tens of thousands of people online at a time interacting, creating things, and listening to music.

I stream live performances from my studio - a small audio isolation booth here in Portland Oregon - to three dimensional venues and listeners all around

the world. There's a whole world of live music to be enjoyed as well, with an active blues scene.

In between live shows, DJ's play gems from their personal stash. Over all Second life has a lot to offer to the

creative mind - and it's a lot a lot of fun - I recommend exploring it.

While you're there, check out my live shows!

My calendar of live broadcasts on Second life is up to date at the top of this page.

Listen from outside Second Life athttp://red.neostreams.info:8147/

2010-01-10T20:22:00.000-08:00

Live in the studio

2010-01-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

At the PSU Farmers Market

2009-09-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

Found this footage from a show a few months ago. Played there this morning, in the pouring rain. A good day in spite of the weather. Spotted a cart selling Hot Tamales! Played the Robert Johnson song about "Hot Tamales" and made some friends!

2009-06-29T16:01:00.001-07:00

This week at the Farmers Market

2009-06-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

Haven't booked much this year - still a bit stiff getting around. But man I need to play for the people!

2009-06-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

Headed down to the East Bay last month. NO Muffin this year - but we missed the Muffineers so much we had to make the trip. Played at the Starry Plough and the Missouri Lounge, caught the Happy Clams and the Cave Painters, Salem and many other favorites, saw my righteous friends, especially Joan and Jenny, Doug, and...well, it's a long list. Great to see everyone! Special thanks to Paul Pot (of the Clams) for the spiffy poster.

I have a few upcoming Farmers Markets, and my broadcasts online through Second Life.

Keeping my schedule a bit thinner while I adjust to getting around with a cane - and finding that there's PLENTY of music to keep me occupied right here in my studio. Getting music into an independant film was a GOOD shot in the arm when I needed it - "Mine" is the second one, I also have a piece in a film about Bay Area musical legend Girl George, "George and the Arizona Star".

2009-06-16T08:43:00.001-07:00

javascript:void(0)

Video from last Sunday's Second Life performance, courtesy Geoff Steuart.

Dan Lange in award winning film

2009-05-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

A selection of my music, recorded during tracking for my release "Streetwise", appeared in the film "Mine", which won the audience choice award at this year's SXSW. I'm as pleased as punch!

The piece can be heard in it's entirety on the Soundclick player at the top of this page.

Starting to bring Blues to Second Life...possibly entering third or fourth childhood.

2008-11-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

I've been playing a couple of shows weekly at Virtual Venues on this marvel of technology, and exploring the world of user-created content therein.

Muffin!

2008-06-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

We drove down to the Meadow to see our friends and play some music. As always, a great party.

Spring is here

2008-04-14T07:37:00.001-07:00

Jane and I went camping at Yaquina Bay this past beautiful weekend.

Looking forward to the start of the Hillsboro Farmers Market. In the meantime, I've been getting comfortable recording in the Cube; I recorded a voice demo for an Actor friend last week, and it looks like he's got some work with it.

The view from the cube

2008-04-04T15:49:00.001-07:00

Watch this space; I'll be posting a few songs that I've recorded in the Cube on Soundclick - let me know what you think.

SOUNDCLICK -Tales From The Cube

The Cube

2008-02-04T08:05:00.001-08:00

-

A few pictures of my musical work space - a Whisper Room set up as a practice and recording studio.

Because everyone loves pictures of guitars.

2007-10-16T22:36:00.000-07:00

Great times in the Northwest

2007-10-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

Been having a ball, lately - recently played shows at the Mock Crest and at Cafe Marino, and broke new ground at the Hillsboro Farmers Market.

This week, on Wednesday night, I'll be playing a showcase at the Hawthorne Theater.

Still feeling pretty new to the area - headed east instead of west Saturday morning, wound up in Gresham instead of Hillsboro. Fortunately, I had Cymande playing in the background. Impossible to stress out while listening to Cymande.

Drivin' South...

2007-09-09T23:13:00.000-07:00

Next Friday, Jane and I will be headed to Berkeley to visit our friends down there.

Heading down on short notice, so no shows have been booked, but I will be hitting the Starry Plough open mic on Tuesday the 18th - look for me there and at the Missouri Lounge on Wednesday night.

Portland Summer

2007-08-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night was another great night at the Mock Crest tavern. http://www.mockcrest.com/

This North Portland bar was the first placed I played on arrival here a year ago; it's turning out to be a favorite. Folks who had heard me elsewhere have been tracking me down there; the place books some fantastic local Blues, and is the regular stomping grounds of Rollie Tussing http://www.rollietussing.com/ .

Playing on the porch

2007-07-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Visited Silver Falls this weekend and logged some "porch time" . Guitars just sound better on a porch.

Muffin again!

2007-06-01T11:43:00.000-07:00

May was a month full of travel - visited Jane's family in Europe, spent a week in Philly with my bunch, and ended up at this year's Meadow Muffin.

A great time, spent visiting people I love. What could be better?

The Muffin this year, of course, was dedicated to the memory of Pat Quinn, and was full of his spirit. You could feel his wild grin beaming down on us!

It was particularly cool to hear Cap'n Mike Hudson and the Sea Kings on the bill, and to hang out with him again.

Now it's back home - the weather is finally warm ad sunny here in Portland, so Busking is happening, and I have a show at the Mock Crest this Sunday.

Dan Lange on Youtube

2007-03-10T15:35:00.000-08:00

Video courtesy Ed Critchlow

Slide Show

2007-03-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

Take a look at this Slide Show of photographs by Jay Farbman - pics of my performance at Marino last evening;

http://www.jayfarbman.com/danlange/

Oh - and turn your speakers on if you've got 'em.

Who am I?

2007-02-27T07:33:00.000-08:00

Dan Lange
Singer and Slide guitarist.

Dan Lange moved to Portland in the summer of 2006, immediately following the release of "Streetwise”, his second CD.

A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dan has been playing and singing professionally since 1982, when he was a founding member of Shakey Lyman’s “Boogiemen”. He also fronted “The Hired Guns Blues Band” with Sonny Rhodes Protégé guitarist Tim Pikunas.

He hosted blues jams and open mic nights at Bacchanal on South Street, and the “Guns” were frequent guest hosts at the jam session at the Barbary when the Sonny Rhodes' Band was on the road. The “Guns” also hosted late-night jam sessions at the after-hours hot spot “The Palmer Social Club”.

During his years in Philly, Dan was also Musical Director for Moonstone – a non profit organization that brought music and poetry to the classrooms and children’s events including performances at the Philadelphia Zoo.

After working around the Delaware Valley and New Jersey for a few years, Dan packed up and moved to London, England, where he started to work primarily as a solo performer – and where he honed his Delta – influenced slide guitar style playing in pubs and busking on Chalk Farm Road in Camden Town, the Tube Stations, and at Covent Garden. He also played a 3 month residency at Bunjies Folk Cellar, hosted a series of open mic nights at the Queens Head Pub in Haringey and recorded a self-titled cassette–only release.

In the mid 90s, Dan returned to the USA with his wife, Jane, and settled (for 8 years) in the Bay Area of California, where he played a variety of venues, including Crafts Fairs, Farmers Markets, bars, taverns, clubs, cafe's, festivals, and the bustling Telegraph Avenue street scene. Dan played the Solano Stroll 3 times during his stay by the Bay.
He was also a frequent Guest Host at the Open Mic at the “Starry Plough”. While living in California, Dan recorded and released 2 CDs – “Please and Thank You” and “Streetwise”. He also fronted the “Dan Lange Band”, a Blues band which worked roadhouse bars in the surrounding Suburban areas.

Dan Lange is particularly proud of the performances he did with the organization Bread and Roses, bringing his music to halfway houses, shelters, rehabilitation centers, and the San Francisco Civic Center as part of Operation Homeless Connect.

Today, Dan is looking to establish himself as a fresh face on the Portland music scene, a city which has already welcomed him warmly – he opened the October meeting of the Cascade Blues Association, and guest hosted the Open Mic at Slabtown several times.

A double treat - new Diamond slides

2007-02-09T13:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I recieved 2 Diamond Ultimate guitar slides - blown glass made by artisans in the English West Midlands. I've been using these since meeting up with Ian Mcwee at a pub near Stafford several years ago.

These are replacements for the slide I broke at a Cascade Blues Association meeting - they fit right, sound great and they look great. Take a look at some of the Slides they have on offer;

http://www.diamondbottlenecks.com/index.html

This one is really lovely.

A great weekend in the East Bay

2007-02-05T07:50:00.000-08:00

This weekend we went down to Berkeley to (finally) celebrate the release of my CD, "Streetwise", at the Starry Plough.

There were also performances by the ever-smartmouthed "Pickin Trix"
http://www.myspace.com/thepickintrix
and the "Happy Clams"
http://thehappyclams.com/. Guy Michel was in particularly good form.

A lot of dear friends I haven't seen since we left the East Bay were in attendance; it was good to see everyone.

Hopefully, we'll all be together again at this years Meadow Muffin.

On our way back to the Airport, we stopped in for an all too short visit with Cap'n Mike Hudson and Skiperette Yvette. Yvette was in the middle of preparing her fabulous Gumbo for their annual Super Bowl party.

Mike is a fine Blues Guitarist in his own right; and they are also the East Bay's source for the very best Seafood. (They sent me home with a basket of Crabs - I do meet the best people.)

Here's a link to their website; your portal to some of the best Salmon that can be got. Scroll down and you'll find information on Mike's CD releases and musical exploits.
http://hudsonfish.com/

Poster for upcoming Berkeley show.

2007-01-18T11:29:00.000-08:00

Slabtown changes hands

2007-01-15T17:19:00.000-08:00

From the day we arrived in Portland, scant months ago, SLABTOWN has been a welcome stop; I've been a frequent guest-host of their weekly open mic, and a regular at the bar.

Well, the joint has been sold, and the staff are losing their positions. It's to close and reopen, I don't know yet if they are even keeping the name.

Like all the best taverns, the warm character of the place was mostly due to the bartenders; particularly Amanda, Chloe and Alan, as cheering and friendly a crew as I've ever met. I wish them all the best luck, and hopefully, we'll be keeping in touch.

Shout out to the Starry Plough in Berkeley...

2006-12-14T15:36:00.000-08:00

First a shout out to Joan and Girl George, who host the Tuesday Night Open Mic there.Joan also did some fine studio magic on "Streetwise".

http://openmikes.org/listings/thestarryplough

I'll be playing there on Friday, February 2 with the Happy Clams and Picken Trix. Hoping to see lots of the rest of the Muffin crowd there, too.

In the meantime, I will be hosting the Open Mic at Slabtown here in Portland on Thursday December 28th. So come on down and tune those pipes up to sing "Auld Lange Sine" on New Years eve.

Sad News

2006-10-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Oct 21 at 6:15pm, Pat Quinn of the Unreal Band died of liver failure.

Pat has been mentioned on this Blog several times; he was a musical cohort, Telegraph Avenue's Santa Claus, and a very dear friend.

He will be sorely missed.

2006-10-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

Playing at the Melody Ballroom, October 2006; Photo courtesy Ted Carpena.

Portland days

2006-10-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday Night, I played at the Melody Ballroom for the Cascade Blues Association's monthly meeting; a great old hall. I opened the ceremonies; the Inner City Bluez Band played the later set, and they busted the joint up.

Sunday Night, I'll be back at the Mock Crest Tavern, 3435 N. Lombard St. Portland, Oregon 97217 - show starts at 8 pm.

I'll also be back at SLABTOWN, 16 NW Marshall, on Thursday October 19 and Thursday October 26 to host the Open Mic - so grab an instrument or just bring your voice on down and have a great time - signup starts at 8 pm.

Back from the Bay...

2006-09-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

And we had a great time.

Hit all my favorite spots - even hit the Hot Shoppe in Albany twice for their amazing Tropical Lamb Burrito - that's a Lamb Curry Burrito, and one of the tastiest things to be got in the Gourmet Mecca that is the east Bay.

Mark and Molly's wedding was a blast, and Guy Michel's surprise birthday party was fantastic - I'm glad I was able to make it.

Streetwise

2006-09-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

My newest release, 'Streetwise", is now available. It can be purchased and clips can be heard at CD Baby - here;

http://cdbaby.com/cd/lange2

The Booth

2006-09-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to present these pictures of my new practice space; a Whisper Room isolation enclosure, 5' by 3.5'.

I can play and sing in here at all hours without fear of disturbing the neighbors - or waking Jane.

Back to the Miz...9/22

2006-09-13T07:28:00.000-07:00

My trip back to the East Bay is coming up soon, and Paul Pot from the Clams included me in one of his dandy posters to advertise the fact.

I'll also be playing at Doggie Jomo's unplugged Jam Session at Connolly's on Sunday September 24, (5 pm onwards, 4822 Telegraph, Oakland) and I'll be stopping in at the Starry Plough open Mic on Tuesday night to see Joan and Girl George and all my other friends there (3101 Shattuch Ave., Berkeley)

Of course, I'll be hosting the Open Mic up here in Portland at SLABTOWN (1033 NW 16th) on Thursday Sept. 21 andThursday Sept. 28 - signup at 8.

First show at the Mock Crest Tavern

2006-09-10T23:30:00.000-07:00

Played at the Mock Crest in North Portland tonight, and man, I had a ball.

Sunday evening crowd; playing for the regulars, and well-known Slide Guitarist Rollie Tussing showed up to welcome me to town.

I settled in behind the Mics and did my thing; played songs from the last CD, from the new one, and some old Delta Blues. The folks at the bar were appreciative; and the Mock will be a regular stop on my Portland route if I have anything to say about it.

An 11 minute cab ride from our loft in the Pearl. Convenient, and Jane enjoyed the food. ( I don't eat right before a show - makes me loggy.)

I'll be playing there again on Sunday, October 8th.

Hopefully, the first of many happy returns. There was even another old Philly boy there, Albert. Funny how at home That makes me feel.

Now I must head back into my box and play a little late night guitar.

How do it know?

2006-08-29T00:31:00.000-07:00

http://blackstring.blogspot.com/2006/04/how-do-it-know.html

Missouri Lounge in Berkeley

2006-08-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

To all my friends in the East Bay, I'll be playing at the Miz with "Happy Clams"on Friday, September 23rd.

Here in Portland, I'm pleased to announce that I'll be playing a set at the Cascade Blues Association's October meeting on Wednesday, October 4th. That's at the Melody Ballroom.

Portland Beginnings

2006-08-20T17:21:00.000-07:00

We've been here for a couple of weeks, and I have a show booked at the Mock Crest Tavern, 3435 N. Lombard St. Portland, Oregon 97217, Sunday September 10, at 8 pm.

I'll also be hosting the Open Mic at SLABTOWN, 1033 NW 16th AvePortland, OR 97209, most Thursday nights. On First Thursday, Juan will still be your host. Signup starts at 8.

First One's Free...

2006-07-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to a soundclick page with one of the songs - "Reality Check" - from my forthcoming Cd release, "Streetwise".

http://www.soundclick.com/danlangestreetwise

It's a dark shot of honesty - I wrote this one after removing a musician from my life because of his substance abuse problems. He died recently - right around the time I recorded this version of the song.

Tattoo Chalie and the Hired Guns

2006-07-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

Tatoozala was a BAD man - a gun carrying coke dealing criminal type of person.

He was also one hell of a harmonica player.

A big redhead with tats everywhere, he dressed sharp onstage and his personality pushed the whole band to a kind of recklessness that audiences loved.

Our outfit was the "Hired Guns Blues Band", and he, Tim Pikunas and I formed a nucleus around which we hired bassists and drummers (sometimes a keyboard player). We played in Philly and in the outlying areas.

The band formed after we'd met up at the Jam Sessions at the Barbary Coast, hosted by Blues legend Sonny Rhodes.

We were playing out 3 nights a week and more. After rehearsals, we barnstormed the local open mics and jams - a typical tactic was to show up in the middle of the evening and strongarm our way onstage - no one was ever quite sure whether we were kidding or not. We'd play a few high energy numbers, tell the audience that the host was a great guy and a good pal of ours, and then take off for the next joint.

For a while, we hosted a late night session at an after hours club on Saturday nights - Sunday mornings. We'd tear ass to the "Palmer Social Club" after a gig somewhere else and plug in, hosting players from other local bands that still had the urge to play. The clientele was mostly restaurant folk and off duty bar staff, and off duty cops. It was a rowdy, boozy scene - and a lot of fun.

After a while, things started to pale - Chalie was getting more erratic, less reliable.

One night, I couldn't get his attention onstage at J. C. Dobbs - I tried to signal him to take a solo, and then to play the song out, but he was faced away from me, silent in the amp. I later found out from someone in the audience that he was pulling on a Vics Inhaler - obviously doing a "toot" - at the time.

Tim and I discussed the best way to "shoot the dog" - Tim's concern was that if he and Chalie got into it, there could be a fight, which seemed like a BAD idea.

It was assumed that I was the more diplomatic choice. I laid it out to Chalie - that we needed coherence onstage, that while a tough guy image was cool and went over well, we didn't want to get arrested off the stage, that some of the crowd he attracted was scaring off other paying customers.

He took it with aplomb - joking that instead of a Hired Gun, he was now a Fired Gun.

Not long after, he was arrested - after bar closing, running a red light, he was pulled over. There was a bag of powder and a handgun on the passenger seat. I shit you not.

We visited him in the Fishtank while he was waiting for his arraingment - Tim, a Drummer named Ian, and I. He was sent back to what he'd called "The Harmonica Academy". Within a few months, Chalie caught a cold and we all found out that he was allergic to penicillin - his heart just stopped.

Funny old world.

Goodbye to the Bay

2006-06-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

Jane and I are packing our bags and leaving the San Francisco Bay Area for Portland, Oregon at the end of July.

The Bay Area has been an exciting musical adventure - there are so many people involved with music making, at every level, that I've really had to get my game together in order to make any kind of steady cash at all.

But I've played lots of shows, hundreds in the years that we've been here, bars and clubs and store openings, block parties, farmers markets and street corners.

My performance style has evolved and I've made some great friendships and started some professional relationships that I hope to continue.

By far, my favorite watering hole in the East Bay has been Dago Jack's Connolly's at 48th and Telegraph in Oakland - an island of East Coast attitude, with New York, Jersey, and Philly well represented among the staff and clientel. Every Sunday evening, Doggie Jomo hosts an unplugged jam session at the house piano, and they throw parties with good food pretty regularly. A friendly, welcoming spot with some great people on both sides of the bar. And Jane says to check out the delightful wallpaper in the women's room.

I'd also like to bring your attention to some nice writing about a rather different experience of busking posted by a regular on the "Big Road Blues" forum;

http://boogie-chillun.blogspot.com/2005/08/memoirs-of-busker-episode-1.html

Starry Plough Open Mic

2006-06-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

One of my regular stops these past 7 years has been the Tuesday Night Open Mic at the Starry Plough in Berkeley.

Hosted by Joan Pez, with an assist from the infamous Girl George, it's the best all around open Mic I've ever been to. I've been an occasional guest host, and a featured act on several occasions.

The Plough has great food, a good stage and a good house sound system.

Joan is brilliant and witty in her role as MC, and a savvy engineer - much of the material for my upcoming CD, "Streetwise" is coming out of her studio.

Last night, the joint was jam packed - and with good reason. There was very little musical slack in the line, with performances by "The Picken Trix", "Electric Nomad", with "Little Boy Blue" in the Featured spot.

Julie Larson and Ed Critchlow shot video of the performances last night, and Tom O'Connell (one of the organisers of the Meadow Muffin) celebrated his birthday. It was an excellent evening.

A sweet night at the Miz

2006-06-08T01:06:00.000-07:00

Paul Pot from the Happy Clams has been hosting the Wednesday Night Open Mic here for a while. A hip little bar, "Berkeley's most elegant Dive bar" in fact. I've done a slew of Friday and Saturday nights here, as well, and "Please And Thank You" is on the Jukebox.

A lot of the "Muffin" crowd are regulars here, and the scene is smooth - it's a likeable bunch, and a welcoming one.

Like Open Mics in general, the performances cover the gamut - from bare beginners who need (and recieve) encouragement to crusty vets like yours truly.

At 11, the man from the local pizzaria shows up selling off pies at half price. An ancient German Shepherd nearly takes my hand along when I pass him a chunk of cheese.

Muffin !

2006-05-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend was "Meadow Muffin" XXXI.

There was a TON of great Music on hand.

Some good friends of mine were on the bill;

Smart-mouthed Country folk duo "The Picken Trix"
http://www.myspace.com/thepickintrix

The ever lovely "Happy Clams"
http://users.california.com/~rawbird/
thehappyclams.html

One of my regular accomplices, "Doggie Jomo" held forth as did the legendary "Unreal Band" - featuring the Telegraph Santa himself, my buddy Pat Quinn, on Bass.

I opened the show on Friday afternoon, and then played my main set set at 8:pm on Saturday night, after a series of kickass Bluegrass acts. I was followed by "the BBC",
http://www.thebbctribute.com/
a Beatles Tribute band.

Awesome party. A great bunch of people camped out in a field - what more could you want?

Oh yea - cool T-Shirt, too.

Some busking pictures

2006-04-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

Santa's pants got stolen this year.

2005-12-30T08:14:00.000-08:00

Pat Quinn, another West Coast transplant from Pennsylvania, decided he didn't want to be Santa Claus at the Telegraph Avenue Crafts Fair this year, so they hired just any old Wino - who vanished after the first day, taking the red trousers and the plastic Putees with him.

So Quinn wound up strolling the Avenue in his father's old Santa beard, the rest of the get-up, and a pair of mostly red tie died longjohns. A perfect Telegraph Christmas. During the weekends leading up to the Holiday, he and his unlikely helper - with a trenchcoat and a guitar case - ducked the raindrops and brought cheer to the Ave.

I wish I had a picture of us catching a shot and a beer at Kips, a sports bar just off the Avenue...Santa needed to get out of his scratchies, but needed to get away from where any little ones would see him, so we staked out a dark corner to refresh and Whiskefy.

A warped Norman Rockwell would have loved it...

But I left the Avenue to fend for itself on the 24th, and Jane and I drove up to my Uncle's house in the Sierras, and spent the Holiday with my Uncle, his 2 sons, and my Nonna - 94 years and still packs a Whallop.

A Lovelier little old lady I've never met - I'm biased, but I'll bet few have been as lucky. My Grandmother is tiny and fragile, but enjoys perfect health and is a fountain of good cheer and love that more than explains her knack for survival. Upright, mobile - she forgets where she is about every 10 minutes, but looking around, spotting a Grandson and a Christmas Tree, she figures the situation out over and over again. She keeps telling me how pretty my wife is.

My Uncle's boys are 9 and 11, and their gifts were mostly Daisy BB guns and a couple of Winchester sheath knives. An electric guitar (not MY idea) got about 10 minutes of play - I played carols on my National. The younger one is fascinated, but shy...which, I think, is a good sign.

We brought Slot Cars - a memory of a happy Christmas years ago that payed off. Jane was concerned that "kids today" played with Computer Games and wouldn't care for real little cars zipping around the track...she was wrong. The track was in constant play, with the kids, and the adults. A good toy is a good toy.

We got back late yesterday. Now I'm working on a cheesey poster for my upcoming local bar gigs - I'm off the street until March, let other Buskers get rained on. There was a Saxophone playing one of my regular spots today - damp and forlorn, pushing his way through "Yardbird's Suite", he fit the rainy canyon of Shattuck Avenue well as I walked by, trenchcoat cinched tight against the damp.

Cinched tight, holding my Grandmother's hugs close to my chest...

Dan Lange

Wandered off...

2005-12-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

My Computer went down last June and I got so wrapped up in my non-digital escapades that I didn't get around to dealing with it for a while.

I spent the Summer doing my usual thing - bringing my National Guitar to venues all around the Bay Area.

I also spent a few weeks in Spain - I was singularly dissapointed by the Street Musicians there, badly played insistant Accordians and overamplified guitars singing phonetic Beatles covers, one Aussie in Barcelona with the biggest Digeridoo I've ever seen...

More Rain!

2005-05-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a wet week, and that's trimmed my opportunities to play.

Yesterday, I was booked at the Cannery. It was a heavy mist, not quite rain, here in the East Bay. But when I looked to the west, I could see a beautiful smear of blue beyond the Golden Gate.

By the time I got to the City, of course, the blue was gone. A steady drizzle was falling.

I played in the rain (under a cafe umbrella) to make back my train fare, had a lovely chat with a Yorkshireman and enjoyed a free Crepe (Ham and Cheese).

Even the bad days have their good points.

The Philly Piper

2005-05-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

One of the best and most educational experiences I had when I was first Busking was dealing with the "Philly Piper" - he played a set of customised recorders on the streets of Center City, and he could play just about anything. He had a hand painted sign, and a radioactive grin.

He also played Flute and Sax, but on the street, it was Jazz Recorder.

He was always friendly and upbeat, always encouraging, and when he found me playing in one of his spots, his response was brilliant.

He suggested that he and I add a game to our performances - if one of us went past a corner where the other was playing, we'd get together on one number - and then switch places, changing up. We did this many times, and it added a cordial vibe to the day. The times that I left the pitch to him, I always walked off feeling really GOOD - and that was a good feeling to bring to the next spot. The audiences that saw us doing this seemed to get a warm fuzzy out of it as well.

All around with Doggie Jomo

2005-04-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

The variety of shows I've done in the past few days is pretty cool; I played at a Mental Health facility for Bread and Roses, a Wake at a Bar in Oakland (with my pal Doggie Jomo - pictured above - on the house Piano, Captain Mike on Harp, Pat Quinn on Bass and Travellin' Joe on drums - all unplugged), a Birthday party in the City, and the Blues Brunch at Travellin' Joe's Home Cafe in Berkeley.

A good time.

Conflict in Covent Garden

2005-04-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

Years ago, I lived and performed in London, England for a while.

One of the best venues for "al Fresco" music at that time was the courtyard at Covent Garden - a spot with auditions and a schedule, not unlike the current situation at San Francisco's Del Monte Square.

A popular act there was a group of 5 Chinese musicians, playing traditional Chinese instruments. They always seemed to be on the schedule - I mean nearly every day. Often written in as a substitute, but - much more often than anyone else.

I found out why. One day, after my set, a LARGE west indian fellow came up to me, and handed me 25 quid, and told me that the Chinese Musicians were buying my next date - and that I was not to come back after that. His manner was grave, and serious. I looked him in the eye, and he had trouble meeting mine. I asked him "Is this what it sounds like?" and he informed me that I did, indeed, have the right idea, and that he hoped we could avoid any physical unpleasantness.

Over a Busking Pitch!

I laughed at him, told him fine, just fine, no problem, and to report back to his "employers " that I wouldn't show up at Covent Garden any more - but that if they ever had a chance to travel to America, they'd better avoid Philly. He laughed, actually relieved, and said that he would tender my message and my fondest regards.

Al Fresco music

2005-04-09T01:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a typical scene, taken last summer at the El Cerrito Farmer's Market, just a few blocks from my home.

After a week of inactivity, I spent a few hours yesterday busking on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley - the East Bay's hip strip. You'd expect it to be good pickings for al fresco music, but it's a noisy street with delivery trucks, and a reputation as an "Open Air Insane Asylum" - latter day hippies wander by with drums, guitars, and whatever else they pick from the local middens. As a chance to get my voice back in shape, though, it's great - I have to sing LOUD to be heard. It also gives me a chance to catch up with a few of my friends who are street vendors there.

El Cerrito

Rainy day activity / Vs. the String Witch.

2005-04-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, someone suggested I start one of these to record my busking and performing adventures.

I'm not convinced that I have many days that would count as adventures in most reader's minds. However, I've had a sore throat all week, and it's a wet day out, and so.

Many years ago, I was busking in the underground concourse in Philadelphia - specifically, in a glass tunnel adjacent to a broad, columned gallery that led to the trains to New Jersey. The acoustics were stunning, and the spot had long been the main venue of a blind woman with a seeing eye dog, who played fingerstyle guitar and sold cassettes. She and I had had a few unfriendly encounters .

She was nowhere to be seen when I scouted the place, so I opened my case, tuned up and set to. I was really enjoying the natural reverb of the spot.

This would have been the early eighties, so I would have likely been wearing a black leather jacket and steel toed engineer boots, black jeans and t-shirt, and a belt with a skull buckle. My guitar would have either been a cheap plywood dreadnought or the Martin D - 18 I aquired during that period. Hair - probably quite shaggy.

Anyway, after just a little while, she showed up and demanded that I vacate her spot. I informed her that there was no plaque with her name on it, and that I had gotten there first. She blustered a bit and withdrew. To a spot a short distance away, where she and her dog - just waited. Within sight.

I broke a string. Always prepared with spares, I changed it. And immediately broke the spare. Which I replaced with a string of close dimensions. Which also - instantly - broke.

I had enough money in my case to buy strings. I never played that spot again, and I kept well clear of that surly blind busker.

Busker's Blues

New Recording posted on SoundCloud - Dan Lange Live, Sunday at the Crossroads,on Second Life

A rare public appearance...

Fresh Tracks from recent SECOND LIFE shows!

CROSSROADS SUNDAY LIVE BROADCAST 124112411MONO MIX

My set up

Happy Holidays to one and all!

New songs posted on Soundclick

UpDate

Blast from the past

PSU Farmers Market this Saturday!

Original song entered in Second Life song contest

When you visit the Crossroads on Second Life, be sure to visit Chriscloud Loon's Blues Museum.

At the Bluffs and backstage at the Crossroads

Triumphant return to SECOND LIFE, FIRST LIFE too.

Second Life and Live Blues

Live in the studio

At the PSU Farmers Market

This week at the Farmers Market

Dan Lange in award winning film

Starting to bring Blues to Second Life...possibly entering third or fourth childhood.

Muffin!

Spring is here

The view from the cube

The Cube

Because everyone loves pictures of guitars.

Great times in the Northwest

Drivin' South...

Portland Summer

Playing on the porch

Muffin again!

More video from the-open-mic.org

Dan Lange on Youtube

Slide Show

Who am I?

A double treat - new Diamond slides

A great weekend in the East Bay

Poster for upcoming Berkeley show.

Slabtown changes hands

Shout out to the Starry Plough in Berkeley...

Sad News

Portland days

Back from the Bay...

Streetwise

The Booth

Back to the Miz...9/22

First show at the Mock Crest Tavern

How do it know?

Missouri Lounge in Berkeley

Portland Beginnings

First One's Free...

Tattoo Chalie and the Hired Guns

Goodbye to the Bay

Starry Plough Open Mic

A sweet night at the Miz

Muffin !

Some busking pictures

Santa's pants got stolen this year.

Wandered off...

More Rain!

The Philly Piper

All around with Doggie Jomo

Conflict in Covent Garden

Al Fresco music

Rainy day activity / Vs. the String Witch.