Bad Finger (Eric)'s Blog (38)

Best End to Summertime Ever - Open Mic and Concert in Chicago

My summer is officially over, despite what the calendar says.  I start teaching high school Chemistry next week and I have a lot of desk time to put to prepare for my new career - one I've always wanted but have been too distracted to do for 20 years.  My other jobs I've taken for the money, the challenge of more responsibility that leads to promotion and more money, and a great opportunity to start up and run a company for eight years trying always to be the best employer possible and the…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on September 1, 2015 at 2:28am — 4 Comments

Open Mic #6 - Eclectic & Infamous

ec·lec·tic
əˈklektik/
adjective
  1. deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.

"I was at an open mic the other week and there was a guy playing a TOOL BOX!"

"Yeah!  That's Eric."

That's…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on July 23, 2015 at 1:57am — 5 Comments

Open Mic Successes & Good Times at Caffe Lena

If you are following along, you know about the trials and sometimes tortures I put myself through performing at the Acoustic Blues Open Mic Nights at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs.  To be fair, I judge myself pretty critically in an effort to figure out this live solo performance thing - acoustic no less.  In a lot of respects, I have little business being up on the stage at this point of my musical journey, but that doesn't show much initiative, does it?

Here's a pic of the Acoustic…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on July 3, 2015 at 2:17am — 4 Comments

Open Mic #5 - The Struggle Continues

Some things in the universe are a mystery.

Last night's Open Mic at Caffe Lena with the Saratoga Acoustic Blues Society came up on the calendar a week quicker than usual.  Normally, I have had a good idea of what three songs I will play by the time I get home from the previous month's performance.  For this month I had no idea what I was going to do.  I try to bring something new every month.  I want to really push outside my comfort zone every time I sit on that stage.  It is…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on June 17, 2015 at 11:00pm — 9 Comments

Open Mic #4 - "From What Planet?"

Last night was the monthly Saratoga Acoustic Blues Society's open mic at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs and my fourth appearance on the stage.

Well, actually it is my 6th since I attended two other open mics since then.  Caffe Lena has a weekly Thursday night open mic that is for any music style or spoken word.  I went solo for one and took my wife along on another.  Both performances were good and I had a great time in what felt like a more casual setting than the Acoustic Blues…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on May 28, 2015 at 2:30am — 8 Comments

I've never made less money per hour. . .

. . .and had more fun.

3 hours on a Sunday from 11am to 2pm.  $8 and change in the box.  This was my first time out busking for the year and the first time out since maybe 2 years ago?  I think I skipped out last summer.  I learned a couple things.

  1. Don't forget your water bottle in the car, dummy.
  2. I spaced out and…
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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on May 25, 2015 at 9:12am — 5 Comments

There IS Something About Us - Third Open Mic

I'm a scientist.  I understand that correlation does not equal causation, but the mind does like to see patterns, even if it is with only three examples.

My first open mic was an unmitigated disaster.  I didn't practice, was a little arrogant about how I would perform and had expectations that could not be met.  I felt bad about my result, but challenged myself to do better a second time.

Second open mic was exactly the opposite.  There was a fellow cigar box…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on April 23, 2015 at 1:30am — 24 Comments

I Think I Have Found My Happy Place

I have been sitting here for over two months not building anything.  The closest I got was after the snow finally melted away two weekends ago, I moved most all of the tools from my winter shop in the basement back out into the barn where I work the other three seasons.  

I have a…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on April 22, 2015 at 2:00am — 10 Comments

Open Mic #2 at Caffe Lena

Second time is the charm.  :)

Last night was my second open mic at the iconic Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs.  It was largely the same crowd of seasoned and extremely talented blues musicians as last month and I was tremendously better prepared for the scene.  And I didn't let the intimidation factor get to me like last time. You know, the guys who can play more notes than I can hear, the sideways glances that say, "he brought guitar again,"  and the pictures of Bob Dylan on…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on March 26, 2015 at 1:00am — 10 Comments

My First Open Mic

Go big or go home, I guess.

I did my first open mic at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY last night.  Pictures of Bob Dylan playing on the same stage in 1961 and 1962 and others of Arlo Guthrie.  It was the Saratoga Acoustic Blues Society's monthly open mic and I thought this would be a good crowd absent the electric gearheads and whatnot.

The host, Sonny Speed was just inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame and a local HOF inductee, Phil Drum was there to play as well.…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on February 26, 2015 at 8:38am — 25 Comments

The answer to life, the universe and everything.

Although the ideal day to turn 42 is probably May 25th, January 15th was OK.  New year, new age, new look on life and new twist (get it?) on guitars for me.  I've had more guitars come out of the workshop in the last few months than ever before and I love them all.  I've made some of my best instruments and most inspired creations lately.  Still may not compare to other people's work in some ways, but this is my best stuff for me personally so far.  And honestly, that's all I care…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on January 22, 2015 at 3:26am — 13 Comments

Bad Finger Guitars are everywhere. . .online. And for sale.

I have been building guitars for 3 years now and have benefited from all the knowledge shared here and elsewhere on the web.  I still can't get over how unlike most other special-interest forums Cigar Box Nation is.

Since I am not working full time at the moment and I'm half-time getting my Masters degree so I can teach high school chemistry next fall, I started up my guitar building as a small business.  Last weekend I set up a website at…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on November 28, 2014 at 11:48am — 6 Comments

Gateway

Warning!

This, my first box purchase:

Leads to this.  My first guitar build 'round about January 2011.

Leads to this:…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on October 8, 2014 at 11:18am — 6 Comments

I Quit My Day Job for Music

"Don't quit yer day-job" is advice often heard.  Well I've done it.  Again.

Last time I was 24 and fed up with being an Engineer.  I wanted to move away from my home area and thankfully my wife was up for it.  We moved to Golden, Colorado on our 3rd wedding anniversary.

This time, I'm 41 and the choice and process were tremendously more complicated by all the things that come along with time.  Inertia, kids, obligations, etc.  So it was a very painful and difficult process for…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on August 6, 2014 at 12:30am — 18 Comments

My Brain Hurts

I really hate seasonal allergies.  My ears and sinus cavities are so plugged up, even with meds, saline wash and whatever else I can think of,  that I can't hear the pitch of what is coming out of my vocal cords.  I'm shocked at what I think sounds sort of acceptable when I'm playing along and singing, but to watch back a recorded video through headphones or…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on May 29, 2014 at 4:38am — 9 Comments

What a couple bourbons getsya. . .

A chair in the band.  I have never played guitar with a band and haven't played with a band at all since high school.  Fun at a family party last night.  I ALWAYS have a guitar with me, but I didn't know there would be a band at the party and had no expectation to play other than to find a quiet space away from people and just practice a little.  My father-in-law asked me to sit in with the guys. I said after a couple glasses of bourbon, maybe.…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on May 18, 2014 at 6:21am — 9 Comments

Pride and Joy

I've made 2 guitars for my daughters with a lot of their help.  Both are tuned the same so they play together.  Yesterday they sat out and gave the neighborhood a sort of concert.  I couldn't be happier.

Both girls selected the materials with a little guidance, assisted me with the drilling and cutting and pounded in some or all of the frets.  Too much fun not to share the result.…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on September 17, 2013 at 1:58pm — 8 Comments

Bad Finger Tour of Cambridge

I get over to the UK on business 2 or 3 times a year, but I've never taken my guitars with me until this trip.  I'm glad I made the decision to do so this time as it was one of my best trips out of many.

I arrived at Heathrow fairly early Saturday morning since a heavy tailwind reduced the flight time to just over 5 hours.  That left little time for any sleep.  I made my way by train up to St. Neots, near Cambridge and then on to the house in Kimbolton where I was staying.…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on August 23, 2013 at 2:00pm — 13 Comments

I Don't Like Spam!

Can I get Spam instead of the beans?

Just a little more than 16 years ago my wife and I got married.  We'd been together for a few years and figured out that no one else would have us, so we might as well settle on each other.  Now, both of us are way to stubborn to quit and truly the only way out is death.

Our marriage started from the first moment to be a running stream of jokes and I'll have to take you back a bit for my first one.

I grew up in…

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Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on August 6, 2013 at 9:54am — 13 Comments

Skills

I'm a little disappointed that none of my connections on LinkedIn has endorsed my Cigar Box Guitar Skills.  :-\

That is all.

Added by Bad Finger (Eric) on May 30, 2013 at 8:42am — 13 Comments

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