"Perfect Light" by David Pettit

Here's one of David Pettit's photos taken on a recent backpacking trip I took with him.

"Perfect Light" David Pettit
Check out more of David's photos at davidpettitphotography.com 
He is amazing!!

Our Lovely night in Las Vegas!!

Just Passin' Thru

We are on our way to Zion National Park to visit my photographer friend David Pettit and his wife, Prof. of Humanities at Dixie State University, Louise Pettit who live in Springdale, Utah

Sam's Town Low Rent RV Park was our destination

RV Camping . . . .Vegas Style . . . .yeah thats our rig!
Now thats my idea of a restful spot!

Bakersfield Rocks!

Our first musical stop in Bakersfield was an unexpected major success! We had high hopes for Buck Owen’s famous club, “The Crystal Palace” a multifaceted venue with a museum, all of Buck’s memorabilia, a restaurant / nightclub, and bar and it was a lot of fun but very commercial. We struck gold however at Trout’s, one of the last remaining true honky tonks in the town where the honky tonk tradition began.

Lloyd Reading jamming with Pat Banister and the Band

Trouts is in a run down part of the
neighboring city of Oildale and had been there since 1945. We headed over for a jam session and just by chance met 92 year old Lloyd Reading, a true country music legend in Bakersfield music lore. Lloyd loves to talk and told us his life story including his migration from the Oklahoma dust bowl, the death of his dad at age 14, how he brought his mom and 4 sibs west as the man of the family, and his remarkable career performing with one of the earliest country music bands in America, the Bob Manning trio in the 1930s. He was friends with Bob Wills and fronted his own band the “California Playboys” for 47 years. Recently he recorded with Red Simpson, another Bakersfield legend and was hoping to play at a special presentation at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, where, according to T Rockwell, Bakersfield legends including Owens and Merle Haggard have received almost no attention.

Glenn and Lloyd Reading

Things only got better the next day when we popped over to Trouts to pick up some tee shirts and found our selves visiting for almost 2 hours with T Rockwell, the adventurous new owner of Trouts. Rockwell has a vision of American Roots music that virtually matches mine. The central themes of my trip are to check out roots music in America, see what’s still left from the past and see what the new roots will be that will begin the cycle again. This is exactly what Rockwell had just done on a trip to rural Texas in search of great, undiscovered artists. He explained to us that when he would go to a small town he would ask everyone “who are the local musicians that I need to hear?” Rockwell is thoroughly disgusted with the commodification and commercialization in modern country where legends like Dolly Parton and Merle Haggard can’t even get a recording contract. He is passionate about finding the best non-commercial artists he can and using the web to bring them to anyone who is interested in checking them out.

The Trout house band with Buck Owen and Merle Haggard in the background

 You can see some of the Roots music project that he has been working on at the following websites.

Texas Tonk 

http://vimeo.com/channels/texastonk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWVf4zEjlkc

Rockwell has also revitalized Trouts with a multifaceted set of offerings every night that include 2 rooms with live music in one room, and line dance lessons, karaoke and mechanical bull riding in the other. I don’t know how he keeps it all afloat financially but it was a wild scene the nights we were there. Lloyd was back on our second visit and told us more stories before sitting in and singing a few tunes with the house band led by multi instrumentalist and singer Pat Banister. 92 years young . . . .amazing.

Bonnie Owens and Merle Haggard. . . .Huh? Better go research this one on your own LOL
Photo and description of the Bakersfield sound courtesy of the Kern County Museum Country Music exhibit 

Check out some classic early country music!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbzc77Tz6PA

This is an amazing video of the legendary "Singing Brakeman" – Jimmie Rogers
One of the great early "Hillbilly" songs from one of the first stars of country and a huge influence on 92 year old Lloyd Reading who I will be reporting on in detail in the next few days. Stay tuned. . . . .

Jam Session at Trouts (details to follow. . .gotta get some sleep)

Bakersfield Night on the Town

On our first night we struck gold going to maybe the coolest restaurant in Bakersfield, Noriega’s, a famous Basque family style restaurant with communal tables that has been around since 1893! There was so much good food. . . . oh my, this place is unique. The food was spectacular. Sara and Brooke (photo below) told us all the cool stuff to do in town

MmmMmm . . . . .pickled tongue

Sara ( restaurant owner's niece) and her best friend Brooke

 And then off to "Trouts" for a jam session at the oldest, still rockin’ honky tonk in Bakersfield 

We did get a little of that old time religion on the way over
and we knew that sign was talking to us. This was literally on the street!

Our First RV Park!

    

So after our brief stay in SD we headed to Bakersfield this morning. It was 87 degrees in LA. . . .kind of scary for January.  We are now staying in our first ever RV park, actually this one is quite nice although a little pricey. . . .like 35 bucks a night but we have cable TV, wifi, pool, etc. I don’t think the Okies had it this good in the 1930s that’s for sure. (Check out that rig behind ours)

Kate with her 90 year old dad Wade Squire

"ON THE ROAD AGAIN"

Hi Friends, well after a number of delays we are finally on our way. I am sitting in the "River Run" trailer park in Bakersfield where we have already struck gold! . . . .more on that soon, but first a quick summary. Kate decided to go visit her 90 year old dad in San Diego before heading into the great unknown so we left Richmond on Tuesday morning for a very long drive. I will admit that I had tears in my eyes as we were driving out of town listening to my ultimate road trip play list. The only requirement for the list is that the song had to have something to do with traveling . . . but I threw in a few extras anyway :)

Follow Your Road                                    Seawind           

How Long Has This Been Going On       Ray Charles                       

Sky Blue                                                   Peter Gabriel                       

Hit the Road Jack                                      Ray Charles           

Oh What A Beautiful Morning                 Ray Charles                       

America                                                    Simon & Garfunkel           

midnight rider                                           allman bros                                               

Endless Highway                                     The Band           

Ticket To Ride                                         The Beatles           

Day Tripper                                             The Beatles

Runaway                                                 Bonnie Raitt                       

life in the fast lane                                    eagles                       

take it easy                                                eagles                       

casey jones                                                Grateful Dead                       

truckin                                                dead                       

Take the A Train                                     Ella Fitzgerald                       

Walkin' After Midnight                        Patsy Cline                       

Nothing from Nothing                        Billy Preston           

Stop This Train                                     John Mayer                       

Refuge Of The Roads                                    Joni Mitchell                                                           

Blue Motel Room                                    Joni Mitchell           

Coyote                                                            Joni Mitchell                                               

Amelia                                                 Joni Mitchell           

Black Crow                                                Joni Mitchell                       

Rock Island Line                                    Leadbelly                       

Calling You                                                Lloyd Green                                               

Mississippi Queen                                    Mountain                       

When the Saints Go Marching In            Nicholas Payton                       

Cross Road Blues                                    Robert Johnson                       

Hell Hound On My Trail                        Robert Johnson                       

Driving Too Fast                                    The Rolling Stones                       

Born to Be Wild                                     Steppinwolf                       

Low Rider                                                War                       

Take Me To The River                        Talking Heads                       

Waiting for a Train                                    Jimmy Rogers

Proud Mary                                                Tina Turner                       

Jesus Gonna Be Here                         Blind Boys                                    

Sweet Home Chicago                                    Robert Johnson                       

Boogie Down                                                Al Jarreau                       

It's Mighty Dark to Travel                        Bill Monroe                        

Eight Miles High                                    The Byrds                       

Keep'in it P.I.                                                Cornel West                       

Whip It                                                Devo                       

landslide                                                dixie chicks                                   

Minute by Minute                                    The Doobie Brothers                       

Business Time                                    Flight Of The Conchords                       

Edith And The Kingpin                        Herbie Hancock Feat. Tina Turner           

Over The Rainbow                                    Israel Kamakawiwo'ole                       

Hawaii 78                                                IZ                       

Black Coffee                                                Janis Seagal                                   

She Has Funny Cars                                    Jefferson Airplane                       

Somebody to Love                                    Jefferson Airplane                       

White Rabbit                                                Jefferson Airplane                       

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough             Michael Jackson           

Theme for an Imaginary Western            Mountain                       

Smells Like Teen Spirit                        Nirvana                       

don't know why                                    norah jones                                   

Betcha By Golly Wow                        One For All                       

Crazy                                                            Patsy Cline                       

Your Cheatin' Heart                                    Patsy Cline                       

can't find my way home                        blind faith                       

Driftin' Blues                                    Charles Brown                       

Rainy Night in Georgia                        Danny Caron                        

Goin' Away Baby                                    Eric Clapton                       

Key To The Highway                                    Eric Clapton           

One Less Bell to Answer                        The Fifth Dimension            Portrait           

my car                                                            gin blossoms                                   

Midnight Train to Georgia                        Gladys Knight & The Pips                       

Bus Stop                                                The Hollies                       

Take Me Home Country Road            Israel Kamakawiwo'ole                       

Symbol In My Driveway                        Jack Johnson                       

Watching The Wheels                        John Lennon                                   

car on a hill                                                joni mitchell                       

just like this train                                    joni mitchell                       

Follow the Drinking Gourd                        Ken Jacobsen                       

 Autobahn                                                Kraftwerk                       

California Dreamin'                                    The Mamas & The Papas                       

Highway                                                The Moody Blues                       

Halfway To Paradise                                    Nick Lowe                                   

Case of You                                                 Prince                                    

Two Lane Highway                                    Pure Prairie League                       

He Don't Live Here Anymore            Robert Cray                       

Follow Your Road                                    Seawind                                    

This Land Is Your Land                        Woody Guthrie & The Weavers                       

You Can't Catch Me                                     Chuck Berry                                   

The Road                                                jackson browne                                   

Mercedes Benz                                    Janis Joplin