Recording: Ruster Never Sleeps

Artist: Ruster Never Sleeps

Songs: Crazy Arms [Ray Price cover] + I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry [Hank Williams cover] + Silver Wings [Merle Haggard cover] + Sangria Wine [Jerry Jeff Walker cover]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Music hosted by Karen Ng), May 21, 2019.

Ruster Never Sleeps - Crazy Arms

Ruster Never Sleeps - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

Ruster Never Sleeps - Silver Wings

Ruster Never Sleeps - Sangria Wine

When my father passed away four years ago, I came back from Manitoba with some pedals, a couple fakebook binders of tabs as well as his genuine fender Starcaster guitar. I looked them over, said to myself that someday I'd play some of "his" songs on that guitar, and then put it away for awhile.

I don't totally know why, but something told me this spring was time. So I booked a show right around his birthday and put a band together. I am, truth be told, a rather ungraceful guitar player, and rather than hide behind it, my idea was to get some friends to play with me who were "playing out of position", bringing them down to me level. And thus this band saw Karen Ng on double bass, Sarah Greene on drums and Jason Doell on lead guitar. I tried to derail things as little as possible with my rhythm playing, fingers occasionally finding the strings less familiar than they should have seemed.

Anyways, we got through a full set, which is to say we played a bunch of songs and emerged with dignity more or less intact. A nice l'il celebration and a chance to raise a toast to those departed. It still boggles my mind that folks are willing to sign up for adventures like this, so I'll force myself to assume I'm doing something right in this life.