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Over the course of the last year or so I’ve been traveling around with my little Edirol R-09 recorder sometimes bugging friends to play and using the device to hash around ideas and songs that come into my head.

I also use the tool for practice as it gives me a close rendering of how I must sound to others.

This can be good and bad because some of the recordings will never see the light of being published.

The device allows me a chance to give thanks to gifted songwriters with whom I honor by recording their songs.

I can assure you I make no money from the music on this blog.

For that, I’m honored to have the profession of photojournalism to keep food on the table.

Music is my hobby, my antidote for a stressful day at work. In my opinion there is nothing better than a strum of a G chord on a Martin or Gibson guitar to soothe a bad day.

With this I thought (good or bad) I’d publish some of my favorite recordings made over the course of the last few years.

Some recordings I ramble a bit too much and some I give equipment details. Some I make bad mistakes and some are pretty close to the best I can do.

The honor would be mine if you listen. I value all opinions.

Corporation Blues with crossharp ©2010 Hippiedog Produce

I’ve recorded this song several times but this was a recording I made last month with a G Special 20 harp and too little breath. I’m learning the harmonica as a way to supplement my guitar playing and the instrument has rekindled my love of folk and blues music.

Colours Donovan cover

This is one of my favorite songs and was recorded during a jam session with Don Wright and Melanie McCory in North Carolina. Don is playing upright bass and Mel and I are on guitars. If you listen close you can tell how I botched the words on one of Donovan’s celebrated verses.

Mill Train ©2010 Hippiedog Produce

This a song I wrote about my hometown and working at the cotton mill during my youth. I have several recordings of this song but this one is raw and to the point. It’s a simple song and needs to be heard simply.

I’ll Fly Away Traditional

I was feeling blue about the recent death of my friend Jeff Roberts and I made this recording in his honor.

One Too Many Mornings Dylan cover

I made this recording with my new Seydel G Blues Favorite harp. I like these German harps too much.

Dead Flowers Stones cover

For those who know me and have played music with me know that for some reason I have an obsession for this song. I made this recording with a Bushman “Souls Voice” harmonica. This is currently my favorite harp and A is my favorite key to play in.

Like a Rolling Stone Dylan cover

Thanks to a recent subscription to Acoustic Guitar, I found a way to get this song into my mix of songs. I play it quiet different from the “King of Folk” but unlike Dylan I refuse to get an electric guitar.

The Mountain Steve Earle cover

Over the course of the last year I’ve played this song more times than I can count. Over Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to meet some of the musicians that played with Earle on the album. It was cool to get some inside stories about the songs.

Mr. Tambourine Man Dylan cover

What can I say? I love this song despite the fact it’s still too high for my voice played a full note lower than the original performer.

Big Blue World ©2010 Hippiedog Produce

I wrote this song for my girlfriend and have gotten lots of love because of it.

Norwegian Wood Beatles cover with Don Wright

My 00-18V was less than a week old when I made this recording with Don Wright. He is playing this modified archtop guitar adapted to play like a mandocello.

Mill Train ©2010 Hippiedog Produce with Don Wright

I like this recording with Don on Banjo but the last verse of the song had not been written when this was recorded.

My Girl Cover with Don Wright and Jeff Watson

This was a recording I made with the Edirol during my Hippiedog Produce gig at the SxSe. This night was one I will always remember and thanks to my friend Jeff Robert for the idea of the music series. May he rest in peace.

Photo by Janet Blackmon Morgan

rlh

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For the last week and a half I was covering an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition house build in rural Horry County and unable to find time to get to my blog for posting.

The show, which coordinates volunteers to build a home for a needy family, loves and hates the pesky journalist hanging around covering the event for the local media.

This week I felt like a herded cow as the local media reps where directed by some of the show’s production assistants to “ideal shooting points”.

Nothing changes folks as much as when the opportunity arrives for them to be on National TV, and this week I saw that first hand. Folks stood out in the sub-freezing weather hours just for a remote chance to see a celebrity or be on TV.

In fairness to the human spirit, I met many others who worked during the wee hours of the morning on the house, not caring about TV or its celebrities but wanting just to help a family in need. Most had been laid off from their jobs in the building trades and just wanted an opportunity to again do what they love.

Even though it’s glitzy and over the top, the family does get an incredible home made by neighbors and built solid in just over 109 hours. Wow.

The above video is an edit of the week in review.

During the build, I was responsible for the week’s video coverage and this was a first for me. Some days I produced and edited story line videos and some days I produced video clips and posted them quickly. The idea on these days was to post before the local 5PM newscasts.

The traffic for my videos during the week was great and better than the editors expected.

As far as the Canon 5Ds are concerned, I found ways to use them on deadline and shooting strictly video I never thought possible.

If your wanting to see more of The Sun News coverage go the our extreme blog.

rlh

S.C. National Guardsman Spc. Jonathan Miller of Andrews, S.C., gets a hug from his wife Sheila and 3-year-old daughter Keely Wednesday afternoon at the Andrews National Guard Armory in downtown Andrews as hundreds turned out today to say good-bye to the Guard’s 178th Battalion’s field artillery units in Andrews and Georgetown. Four busloads of the unit’s troop left as they set to deploy for Afghanistan for a year of service.

On Wednesday, I covered two troop deployments of a unit of the National Guard leaving from Andrews and Georgetown, S.C., going for a year of service in Afghanistan. As I was leaving both armories in these small South Carolina communities, it was encouraging to see the citizens line the streets holding flags in support.

I hope the guys a safe return but I wish there was no need for this sort of separation of families.

Below are links to the two galleries I produced from the events I covered and posted at TheSunNews.com.

Andrews S.C. troop deployment

Georgetown S.C. troop deployment

rlh