Ben Prestage at the annual Alabama Cigar Box Guitar Extravaganza

I’ve known Ben Prestage for several years now and have had the privilege of seeing him perform on many occasions. He is a rare talent and his shows are truly amazing.

I saw this video for the first time today and want to share it. Much of it was shot at the annual Cigar Box Guitar Extravaganza held in Huntsville, Alabama. I was there in the audience.

Ben is from Florida and although he travels around the world he hasn’t been featured in Alabama as much as I would like to see. I’m very happy to see that he’s scheduled to perform at the October Kentuck Festival in Northport, Alabama. He is one of the performers featured in my documentary, “Songs Inside The Box.”

For more about Ben, visit his MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/bprestage

Max Connections.

pat mAcdonald & melaniejane of PurgAtory Hill

pat mAcdonald spells his name with only one capital letter. In the 1980s he was half of the duo known as Timbuk3. Now he’s half of the duo known as PurgAtory Hill. The other half is melaniejane which is all one word and all lower case. The group name comes from the Purgatory Hill Harp cigar box guitar made by John Lowe of Memphis, Tennessee.

The Purgatory Hill Harp is a unique instrument that most people who know anything about just call a Lowebow. It came about when John Lowe and Memphis street musician Richard Johnston put their heads together to build a monster that allows one musician to play bass and guitar at the same time.

pat MAcdonald was so taken by the instrument that he took on the name PurgAtory Hill. And he’s created some fine music with it.

Here’s a video of PurgAtory Hill by Ron Smith aka Cuzn Wildweed:

More about PurgAtory Hill:
http://www.purgatoryhill.com

And here too:
http://www.myspace.com/purgatoryone

Wisconsin Public Television recorded a 30 minute performance program featuring pat and you can watch the whole thing online at:
http://wpt2.org/media.cfm?id=217&category=30MMH

And here’s some information from Memphis Flyer about John Lowe who builds Lowebow guitars:
http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/commentary-how-lowebow-can-you-go/Content?oid=1123008

Max Connections.

Handmade Music Clubhouse

I just joined the Handmade Music Clubhouse. It’s a Ning.com community founded by Ted Crocker. Ted is the luthier who built the guitar used in the John Sayles film, “Honeydripper” and he’s been making amazing musical instruments for years. He also served as a content consultant for my documentary, “Songs Inside The Box.”

Handmade Music Clubhouse is an offshoot of Cigar Box Nation, the cigar box guitar online community founded by Shane Speal, but it has a broader scope to include any sort of fun handmade instrument.

Ted has been a friend of mine for many years now and I wish him well with this new project. I also look forward to hanging out with the folks in this community.

For more, visit: Handmade Music Clubhouse.

Max Connections.

After four years of events, the Deep Blues Festival calls it quits. RIP. Long live Deep Blues. – Chris”

Chris Johnson, founder of the Deep Blues Festival

The announcement was made by Chris Johnson, founder of the Deep Blues Festival, a man with a big heart and a big vision. Chris likes primal roots music. So do I and countless others around the world. The bands that play this type of music travel from small bar to small bar and play to small audiences.

Chris traveled long distances to see his favorite bands perform. He’d hop on his motorcycle and drive from Wisconsin down to Mississippi just for a weekend. Then he decided to bring them together in one place for a festival in his backyard… Well, not literally in his backyard but near where he lives which is the Minneapolis/St. Paul Minnesota area.

He made his case with local governments that didn’t want this type of event in their town explaining that people from all over the world would come. And come they did, but in small numbers.

The Deep Blues events were plagued by bad weather. Even so, faithful fans stood outside in the rain to hear bands they loved and wouldn’t have the opportunity to see otherwise. Some of those fans had indeed traveled around the world to get there.

I’m sure Chris hoped the attendance would increase as the events unfolded over four years. I’m also sure Chris lost money on these events, but carried on even so.

And now Chris is taking some well deserved rest. Chris, you did something beautiful! Thanks!

You have a huge family now. Your family includes not only the people who came to your events but those who, like me, watched from afar and wished we could be there. Who knows how many people you have brought together, bonded by our love for the music that you won’t see on the Grammy Awards? It’s music where performers sit down and audiences just can’t hold still. It’s deep blues!

Max Connections.

I just received this information from Pat Rasberry with the Tupelo, MS Film Commission:

Blues Documentary, “Full Moon Lightnin’” to screen at Black Box Theatre Thurs. Jan. 28

FILMMAKER JOHN C. GARDINER WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE AT THIS SERIES OPENER….PG-13
Thursday, Jan. 28 at 6:30 pm – Link Centre

The Tupelo Film Commission is cranking up the Indie Film Series at the Link Centre with “Full Moon Lighting” – an award-winning documentary that follows an aging New York Bluesman back to his Mississippi roots. It’s a film that Melanie Addington has described as “Raw, beautiful, heartbreaking….” And Ken Baynes from Blues Review says that it “Captures the spirit of the blues like no other film. This isn’t just another documentary about the Blues. It’s a story about two very different musicians and their own personal journeys. Producer John C. Gardiner has done a remarkable job of making the film which follows 70-something Bluesman Floyd Lee as he journeys back to Mississippi from New York to find his long-lost family. At the same time, Floyd’s musical partner Joel Pluck is facing a different personal crisis and struggling to hold on to someone he loves. Without spoiling the ending, these are changed men by the end of the ninety minutes. What makes this movie so powerful to watch is the heartfelt honesty and integrity of both musicians.

For more information:

http://www.fullmoonlightnin.com

http://www.tupelo.net/film-festival/film-events/events.aspx

Max Connections.

Shane Speal wrote on my Facebook wall last night, “Max, check out the front page of Cigar Box Nation.” When I did, I found that Shane had made a special banner and posted an article noting that “Songs Inside The Box” had won an award from the Los Angeles Reel Film Festival. Thanks Shane!

I produced and directed “Songs Inside The Box,” the cigar box guitar documentary and Shane is one of the leading characters featured. He is the self-proclaimed “King of the Cigar Box Guitar,” after all. He is also the creator of Cigar Box Nation.

“Songs Inside The Box” features 15 characters who have united due to their common interest in cigar box guitars. They are representative of the nearly 2,000 (at this writing) members of the Cigar Box Nation, all of whom have been brought together by Shane.

I invite you to join us in our moment of celebration and go on over to CigarBoxNation.com.

For more information about the documentary, go to SongsInsideTheBox.com.

Max Connections.