R.I.P. Ted Hebbler, Artist and friend

Me and Ted: New Orleans, February 2010

Several years ago, Miki and I were travelling through South-West Spain in our Motorhome, heading for Portugal. We chanced upon a little artisans market in a small Spanish village. I can tell you exactly when it was – June 25th, 2009. It was the day Michael Jackson died. We got the news as we browsed some art and got chatting with an amiable American at one of the stalls. He was there selling his artwork, and that of his girlfriend, a Polish stained glass artist called Justyna. We took to Ted straight away, he was a larger than life character.  We exchanged contact details and promised to stay in touch.

We discovered he was from New Orleans, and the following year, we travelled to the American South on a road trip that inspired my Blue Odyssey album, and met up with Ted again, this time in his hometown. It was great to see him again, and he showed us around, took us for a Po’ Boy sandwich, and introduced us to his friends at the Apple Barrel in Frenchman Street.

Today, as we holiday in Lanzarote, we discovered via the Fine Art America website that Ted had passed away. After spending some months in Mexico, he’d returned to N’awlins, and there he died.

Here’s to you Ted, one of those characters that so enrich your life as you travel around the world.  You were a good man, and you’ll be remembered my friend.

Kev Moore

More and Moore Music!

Don’t forget music-lovers, I have a host of product out there: including 2 full albums as digital downloads, “The Long Walk Home” and “The Songwriter Diaries” COMPLETELY FREE! Plus, available to buy from Shop:Kev,  My DCFC tribute CD “Fan Fayre for the Commons People”, and my latest CD, the 18 track “Blue Odyssey”.

Click on the picture links to explore, listen, download and buy!

Kev Moore

Blue Odyssey Featured on Friday in the DET

You can read the whole article by following THIS LINK to the Derby Telegraph Website

Kev Moore

The Blue Odyssey rolls on….

 

Have car, will travel......

My new album was featured last week on Sunshine Sonny Payne’s King Biscuit Time down in Helena, Arkansas, and next week, I hope to have a couple of tracks aired on BBC Radio Derby when they run my interview with Colin Bloomfield that I did recently on my last UK visit. If you want to buy a copy, it’s easy – just visit our online shop – MIKISMART and place your order, and before you know it, this 18-song, 75 minute disc will be winging it’s way to you via the miracle of snail-mail!  It comes in a beautifully packaged 6 panel digipak, designed by MIKI.

I thought I’d publish an unseen photo from the trip that inspired the album. This was taken just down the street from Sun Studios in Memphis, and seems very fitting for anything to do with Blue Odyssey – me with a blue Buick!

Kev Moore

We’re going Santamental!

 

Only 5 Euros for a limited time only........

....when you buy THIS!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Call it the spirit of the season, call it whatever you like, but here at Moore music towers, we’ve decided to make a special Christmas offer to all Rams Fans, in honour of the release of my new album and the resurgence of DCFC, and Mr. Common’s goalscoring prowess.

Yes, if you buy my new CD Blue Odyssey, you will be able to purchase my DCFC album Fan Fayre for the Commons People for just 5 Euros! This offer only lasts until Christmas, so get busy! If you’ve already got a copy, this is a great opportunity to buy one for a loved one, or even your wife!

(N.B. This offer does not apply to the Limited “Red Dog” edition)

Just go to MIKISMART, order in the Blue Odyssey CD + Fan Fayre CD window (where the Mikismart link takes you)

UP THE RAMS!

Kev Moore

Blue Odyssey: Release date set for October 31st!

My new album, Blue Odyssey, goes on sale at the end of this month – but you can pre-order it NOW by visiting MIKISMART,  and get yourself a FREE download of my song “The Turre Stomp” into the bargain!

Weighing in at 18 tracks spanning over 75 minutes and presented in a quality full colour 6 panel digipak, I’m really proud of it. To order from our online shop it costs just 10 euros + 3 euros p&p.

The songs take you on the same journey I made through the music heartland of America earlier this year, geographically and chronologically, the lyrics describing my experiences and the people I met along the way, with guest contributions from musicians from Arkansas, Ohio, Georgia, and London – not to mention legendary King Biscuit time presenter “Sunshine” Sonny Payne.

Order yourselves a copy now!

Kev Moore

“XXX”

Miki: "I love it when you do, that voodoo, that you do, so well...."

I’m slowly getting to grips with the track “XXX” for my Blue Odyssey album. It clocks in at around 6 minutes, and begins with layered acoustic guitars and strings, eventually launching into a blues/rock feel, the explodes into a crazy time signature solo section before returning to the blues rock feel again to fade.

It’s quite hard bringing all the different themes together, as they have different dynamics, and it’s very easy for it to end up very ‘bitty’. I roped Miki in today, too – she takes the part of the Louisiana Witch Queen herself, Marie Laveau, and she has a spoken refrain in the choruses as well as a small speech on the outro. all in French, naturellement!

Today, for the first time, I began to hear it how it should be and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!   Once this one’s put to bed, it’s on to the title track.

Kev Moore

The New Orleans Suite

Joan of Arc, obviously a Saints fan then, being a Saint, and from Orleans and stuff...

The influence of New Orleans on me during our American trip earlier this year was so great that there are no fewer than three songs that deal with different aspects of that fabulous city that will appear on my Blue Odyssey album. I’m considering linking them somehow to form a “New Orleans Suite”, perhaps with ‘vox pops’ from New Orleans residents. The three songs are widely differing in style, Who Dat is funky, Ol’ New Orleans is very zydeco, and XXX is , well, a heavy rock blues with an acoustic beginning and an off-the-wall solo section. But the common thread is the city, whether it be the triumph of The Saints at the Superbowl, the pleasure of the Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street, the French Quarter  and the musical heritage therein, or the otherworldly Voodoo influences of Marie Laveau.It is the song dealing with the latter to which I’ve currently turned my attention.

One thing is for sure. It is impossible to visit such a city and not come away with a host of wonderful ideas and influences. Manna from heaven for a songwriter!

Kev Moore

Funked up – Song for the Saints

I’ve done a rough mix of one of the tracks from the “Blue Odyssey” project – ‘Pass the Biscuits’ – and sent it over to my mate Stef for him to add his distinctive drumming to.  In the meantime, I’ve turned my attention to ‘Who Dat’ – which will be the second of three songs that relate to the New Orleans part of our journey around the Southern states.

It really is a vehicle for the chant of the New Orleans Saints American football team –who dat say dey gonna beat dem saints?!! and I wanted a N’awlins funk back drop to it.  A consequence of working with Stef again – some thirty-odd years later (!)  is a chance to revisit some strange time signatures and rhythms. Our old band Crosstown Traffic took such musical meanderings to the Nth. degree, and when I played some of the old tapes to my son Corey recently, he was blown away!

So yesterday I began to tack a passage onto the main funk theme where I can keep the listener guessing. We were always proud in the old days that people couldn’t dance to our stuff! This track promises to lull people into a false sense of security, then throw them for a loop just after the chorus. That’s the beauty of recording and releasing material on your own label – You can do any damn thing you want!

Kev Moore