Conference napalm::guitar

    
    For those who liked "Swing" check out the first two Roomful of Blues
    albums, "Roomful of Blues" (Island) and "Let's Have A Party" (Antilles)
    both of which feature Duke on lead vocals and guitar as well as
    current T-Bird bassist Preston Hubbard.
    
    These are probably both out-of-print but Boston and Providence area
    used record stores should
     have them.

    I've been looking for Duke Robillard's Swing album for several weeks.
    Anyone know of a store in Southern New Hampshire that has it?

    I bought the tape at the Strawberries in the Searstown Mall in
    Leominster, MA. I know they have at least one more copy. I think
    they have more blues on casette than on album there.
    
    -Dave

	Most record stores will order records for you.  I do it all the
	time being up in Vermont with only one really descent record
	store around.  "Swing" was reviewed in the latest (August) issue
	of Guitar Player magazine.  You could get the Publisher and stock
	number there.  I would post it but I don't have the issue handy,
	it's home....

	-gary

    Seems to me I've seen several copies there.
    			Tom T.

    Unconfirmed rumor I heard yesterday: Jimmy Vaughn is leaving the
    Fabulous Thunderbirds and will be replaced by Duke Robillard.
    If this is true, it may mean Duke will finally get the national
    exposure he deserves.
    
    /rick

    Wow!!
    
    I notice that Kim Wilson has been touring on his own recently, so this
    seems likely....
    
    Now, since the last two T-Birds albums were duds, will they go back to
    the blues sound that put them on the map or will they continue to water
    down their sound until noone digs them anymore?
    
    							Brian

    Update...
    
    According to this morning's Boston Globe, Kid Bangham, guitarist with
    Sugar Ray and the Bluetones will *also* be joining the T-Birds.  With
    all these RI guys in the band, it's gonna be like Roomful of Blues Jr.
    
    							Brian

    I was just gonna say that!!! ;^)  Now they'll be doin' some swinging
    blues numbers.
    
    	joe.

    Well, it is the south for y'all Baystaters :-)
    
    /rick_born_and_bred_deep_in_the_heart_of_Rhody

    
    
    
    	Hmmmmmm... I agree that Duke would be in the right place with the
    T-Birds... But I wonder if this means that the two Vaughn boys will be
    doing something together??? 

    
    Saw Duke's first set at the Yardrock Cafe in Quincy 
    last night.  Really fabulous.  He has a new album out 
    that I'll bet will be good. 
    
    He had upright bass, drums and tenor/bari with him.  He played
    his non-cut archtop from the Swing for about half 
    the set, playing both swing and electric blues styles with it.  
    The sound was great.  He even did his rocker "Anything it Takes" 
    on it, as well as a Muddy Waters/Johnny Winter style tune.     
    
    Then he changed to a blonde single cut Gibson archtop with 
    three black covered maybe single coil pickups.  With that one
    he "tore up" a T-Bone Walker tune, paying homage to T-Bone licks,
    adding his own signature licks to personalize.  That tune's 
    on the new album.  He also played a real nice sunburst strat 
    with maple board.
    
    He does finger style, pick playing, you name it.  Lots of 
    different tones and articulations.  He swings, 
    rocks and grooves.  And his band was _solid_.  Nice to
    hear an upright played at that "high" volume.  The bassist
    had a Woods amp going through what must have been an "18 
    speaker, and used an Underwood pickup and a mike of some 
    kind with foam rubber around it.  It worked well.  I 
    couldn't figure out what kind of amp Duke was using. 
    
    Dave      
    

    Nice to hear Duke is back out again; I'll have to try to catch
    him.
    
    Btw, I've mentioned this before somewhere in notes, but it's
    interesting enuff to be repeated...  although the cover shows
    that gorgeous archtop, Duke says he cut most (maybe all) of
    "Swing" with a Japanese re-issue Tele.  He claims it was "the
    best jazz guitar I ever owned"!  Direct quote.  (the guitar
    was later stolen).
    
    Also, re Duke's amplification, for a very long time he was using
    a Peavey PA head, model <mumble-something>500.  It had some built
    in compression that he really liked.  The story went that one
    night Duke's amp gave out and he was forced to play through the PA
    head; he liked it so much it became his main amp.  Don't know if
    this is still what he's using now.
    
    /rick
    

    
    Yes he had that Peavey PA head sitting on top
    of something else (maybe it was just a 
    speaker cab).  But I couldn't believe he
    was using it for his guitar! Wow. 
    
    Dave
      

    
    I saw Duke with "The Thunderbirds" a few years ago when he was touring
    with them after Jimmy Vaughan left. He was using a couple of 4 channel
    Peavey PA heads (XR-4's I believe) powering a couple of Fender "The
    Twins". He played a Strat/Strat look-a-like. I'm sure he wasn't using
    the Fender amps since he had the power switches turned in the OFF
    position. Duke's a great player! See that...   another Peavey owner!
    
    ;^)'s
    
    	Rock on,
    		Fred

    
    RE: PEAVEY ROCKS!
    
    Well, like most successful companies in this business, they pour
    their big R&D bucks into a few products targeted at the high
    end so they can create an aura of coolness (and attract endorsers),
    but they make their real money from low cost product lines which
    they crank out by the bazzilions and sell to snot-nosed pubic
    hair-challenged wannabees who just _have_ to own the same brand
    amp as their hero, even if their hero wouldn't use one of the
    low end products for an ash tray.
    
    -b

    Hey,
    
    Is Duke living out this way again?  Last I heard he was living in
    Kentucky and hardly got out this way (compared to the old days).
    
    I miss him! Would love to see him.
    
    _kathy

    He didn't say anything about moving, but
    did mention he'd been out on the 
    west coast touring with a swing
    band whose name I didn't catch. 
    
    Dave