Song Of The Week: Harvest Moon

This week's SOTW is a sneak preview of the next Radio Free Charleston. One of our guests will be my good friend Raymond Wallace, late of The Leon Waters Blues Band, dragged in from his sickbed and forced to play his guitar for the first time in a long time. Raymond's been living the blues for the last couple of years with a variety of heath and housing issues, and after our recording session, he told me that he felt like he was coming back to life after being a dead man. It was great to see Raymond playing again, after all that he's been through.

Raymond recorded three songs for us, and our SOTW is one that won't be on the next show. "Shine On Harvest Moon," performed in Raymond's Leon Redbone-influenced style, will make you feel like you're hanging out in a New Orleans whorehouse, circa 1910. Leon Redbone is one of Raymond's heroes, as you'll see on the show, and he draws a lot of inspiration from him and other legendary bluesmen like Muddy Waters.

As a bonus, You can listen to Raymond playing "Variations On Kotke," Raymond's take on a piece he heard Leo Kotke play on Mountain Stage. This tune was recorded with Raymond playing my cheap 12-string, on the very computer that I use to write this blog. My guitar never sounded better. The next episode of RFC, featuring Raymond and Under The Radar, should be posted here at theGazz.com next week.