Getting My Kicks on Route 66

I'm back on the road on Sunday, taking a tour from Chicago to Los Angeles on Route 66, or as much of it as we can see from a tourist coach.

I've spent the last couple of days compiling cds for the trip. It took me a couple of days because the software kept freezing and I had to restart the laptop to get it going again, losing what I'd done in the process.

I really enjoy making music for the trip, though I try to tailor it to my clients' potential tastes, curbing the urge to include anything too raucous, leaning towards the slightly safe. It's frustrating but rewarding too. As we leave Chicago I'll be putting on a selection of Blues, Jazz, and other artists who either came from the city or sang about it, like Frank Sinatra and Christy Moore. I'll even squeeze in a bit of John Prine & Sarah McQuaid.

I've been trying to interest others in the  music that I like since I was a kid. It's always been an uphill struggle, from making compilation tapes for friends who were completely indifferent, or to going to gigs on my own because my friends were too slow in making their minds up. It's a lonely road I travel but I have an evangelical zeal when it comes to music. "You'll love this - it's great!"

On my last tour, there were two people who came up and told me that they liked the music. Two out of eighteen is a pretty good success rate, though the tour was to Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans so it's safe to assume that most of them were there for the music. This time I have forty so we'll see how I do.