Pun Picks Jay's "Pun Picks" – a musician's view through video & photosjp@mojamusic.net
Author Archive
Dirk Lind – “Safer in Misery”
Episode 21: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post Growing up in Charlottesville I was exposed to a great deal of music with a vast variety of styles, from rock groups like Wolves of Azure to bluegrass groups like Magraw Gap, and of course, at the time […]
Castle Park – “Night Rider” & “Machete”
Episode 20: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post I was visiting Hawaii recently, researching some interests of mine and I luckily reconnected with one of my oldest and best friends, Dkind AKA Danny Mawyer. Growing up we played in a few different groups together, mostly […]
Ezra John- “Missing You” & “The River”
Episode 19: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post Ezra John came to Charlottesville with his new original group, Ezra John & The 1st Second to play a few shows in VA last week. During their tour, Ezra stopped by 106.1FM The Corner to do one of […]
Erin Lunsford- “Sitting on Top of the World”
Episode 18: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post The first time I met Erin Lunsford was during a recording session which I was engineering. She was featured on about 3 songs and right from her first take, I was very impressed. When she records as a session musician, […]
Ezra Hamilton – “Oh Mama” & Medley
Episode 17: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post During my final year in college, I was invited to sit in with Joe Lawlor’s band, XPS, at the now defunct Outback Lodge. They were holding their annual Xmas Jam and it was then when I first […]
Tom Lasko – 2 originals & “Monticello”
Episode 16: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” so they say. For this next Pun Picks session, that saying definitely rings true. Tom Lasko is Morwenna’s father, a talented visual artist as well as a highly skilled […]
Laurent Brondel – “Nardis”
Episode 15: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post. *photos courtesy of Laurent Brondel, video below Upon finishing our first international tour that Morwenna and I took in 2012, we visited her family in Maine and I spoke with her father, Tom Lasko, about how most of the guitars I have owned […]
Toubab Krewe – “Underground Improv”
Episode 14: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post. I first heard Toubab Krewe when we played FloydFest in Floyd, VA during the summer of 2006. I could tell right away that they were a festival favorite and sure enough, we saw them almost every time we played that festival. […]
Emma Davis – “Landslide”
Episode 13: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post. When I first met Emma Davis, she came to my studio with her friend who was studying guitar with me. My student said that I should hear her sing, so she grabbed his guitar and sang “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow […]
Keller Williams – “Sheebs / The Drop”
Episode 12: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post. When I was 17, I bought an effects pedal for my guitar called “The Boomerang,” which allowed me to record my guitar and then instantaneously play it back at the press of a button. Prior to this, there had been long delay pedals that […]
NO BS! Brass – “RVA All Day”
Episode 11: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post. As a musician, I have been aware of vibrant music scenes across the country including Seattle, Asheville, Knoxville, Burlington, Boston, Atlanta, and of course our very own Charlottesville, VA. In recent years I have become more and more intrigued with Richmond’s […]
Dan Bechdolt (of Mingo Fishtrap) – “Round Midnight”
Episode 10: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post. In the summer of 2010, Morwenna and I flew to Salina, KS to play the “Smoky Hill River Festival,” where we played a total of five sets throughout the weekend with our full band (Pete Spaar: Upright Bass, Devonne Harris: Drums […]
Gina Sobel & Brett Jones – “Modo”
Episode 9: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post. Gina Sobel and Brett Jones are both young, fluent musicians who play with a keen attention to dynamics and listen to each other extremely well, which makes for a great duo. Seeing and hearing them play together just feels right. Together […]
Chris Eldridge – “The Mean Mothers Blues”
Episode 8: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post I first heard about Chris Eldridge (aka Critter) when I first moved back to Charlottesville in 2004. His name had been floating around the acoustic scene a lot as a wonderful, lightning fast guitarist. He came through town a few times and played […]
The Honey Dewdrops -“I Don’t Feel So Young…”
Episode 7: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post The Honey Dewdrops are an acoustic singer/songwriter duo made up of Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish. I first met them about four years ago during one of our gigs at the Gravity Lounge, a former performance venue […]
Charlie Hunter & Scott Amendola
Episode 6: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post Back in 2002, blues artist Corey Harris phoned to tell me that he was playing at Pearl Street Nightclub (Northampton, MA) and asked if I’d like to come. He said he was opening for a 7-string jazz guitarist, named Charlie Hunter. I […]
Stephane Wrembel – “Prometheus”
Episode 5: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post One of my favorite things about attending Berklee was that everyone played gigs all over Boston and Cambridge. These gigs offered a nice contrast to required college performances and recitals and there was an abundance of great shows every […]
Beleza – “Upa Neguinho” & “Lamentos do Morro”
Episode 4: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post I first met Madeline & Berto Sales (of Beleza) when we were all booked for a big show at Charlottesville’s Jefferson Theater in early 2010. It was in a way, a showcase of world music that night […]
Pierre Bensusan – “Intuite”
Episode 3: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post Pierre Bensusan is a French – Algerian guitarist who is world renowned for his beautiful compositions and captivating performances. I first saw Pierre in concert when I was about 15 years old, at The Prism Coffeehouse in Charlottesville. It was such an […]
Xong Wang – Erhu & Hulusi
Episode 2: ——- Dig what I’m doing? Consider donating $5 or more at the bottom of this post Xong Wang is a co-owner of The Asian Market in Charlottesville, VA. I have known his brother, Xing for over 10 years, as he worked with my mom at a restaurant she owned called The Little Hunan (near UVA, from 1999-2001). Xing is also […]