Enjoy my latest release and if you dig it, feel free to download it. You can tip me at paypal.me/bcdawg if you'd like to show your appreciation. Thanks!

SIDE OF THE ROAD

The highway rolling past, used to call my name out loud
More youth when I was lighter, before my ego got too proud
Another venture forward with another story gained
I've wandered and I've weathered I've been wicked and I've waned
Don't take too much, can't take it with you when you go
You've got a thousand miles to go just to ease this heavy load

Made a life out of a living on the road to another show
Never minding much attention to what it took out of my soul
Patchwork pieces little parts of joy and this and that
It's wonder how I lived through all the ways the world was at
I took too much, but I left some back at the side of the road
I had a thousand miles to go to try and ease my heavy load

Moving vans changing plans never stop to see
How my life was passing by with or without me
It taught me things, songs to sing,the way the world turns
I made a buck and spent two more never keeping what I earned
I took too much, or did the road take all of me
Time is always passing by the end is closer than we think

Now I can recall just how, my youth showed me the way
I have lived and I have loved and it is with me to this day
I have a home that has my soul and we live by the side of the road
But it doesn't call to me now since I've unburdened my soul
I have enough, gonna leave it when I go
There are no more miles I have to make up now that I've found my home 
I have enough, gonna leave it when I go
No more miles I have to make up now that I have found my home

Side Of The Road

The Beast

Resurrectionist

Inserted a backing track by Monster Mike Welch and hit record. The guitar is a Fender Squier Affinity with Seymour Duncan Broadcaster pickups played through a McGregor Crunch pedal, into an HX Stomp and through a Quilter 101 amp direct to board

Blowing Off Steam

Jamming along to another Monster Mike Welch backing track from Bandcamp. I am playing a Squier baritone tuned to A I believe, played through my HX Stomp fx into a Quilter 101 and direct into the board. The effect I am using is a preset I messed with called 'Hunter Charlie' that makes it sort of sound Hammond organ-ish.

Bari Alive

Myself jamming along to a backing track by Monster Mike Welch.

Bb Rhumba

Recorded in my office/studio, this is my version of the Bobby 'Blue' Bland song. No special mics, just a Shure Beta 58A for vocals, a Taylor acoustic plugged directly in and through the 57 which was run through a small ART tube pre-amp. This is my first real attempt at a recording at home on a laptop and I look forward to making more mistakes and sharing them!  The first thing I learned is that I need some better gear and more patience. This recording was done in between dog barking and traffic!

I Wouldn't Treat A Dog(The Way You've Treated Me)

This is a song I wrote with a friend of mine Ted Tosoff in Vancouver. Our first collaboration long distance and it turned out not so bad. I think we shall do this writing thing again!

End Of The Line

Goofing off in the studio tonight with my Les Paul!

Pandemic Funk

New song 'Hide The Facts' about vanity that I wrote and recorded in my micro studio during the Covid pandemic. Recorded with a Squier baritone guitar, HX Stomp, Quilter 101 amplifier through a Soundtrack MTK 12 board with Reaper DAW. Stay safe, stay home!

HIDE THE FACTS

She was physically unfortunate in her online prowess
You could only see her neckline but no sign of a dress
Her vanity was scarred by aches of self doubt
So she did up her lipstick and headed on out

She buys up her happiness to keep an eye on the prize
Though her simplistic truths told difficult lies
Her reflection revealed her innermost hate
On a level that other could well soon relate

Though she passed it off, it all came back      
You can hide the truth but you can't hide the facts

Her disingenuous smile hid heartache and pain
But she had it injected to keep herself sane
Was it magnificent fate that her brought her right here
Or just another machination of doubt and fear

In elegant style and cursive good looks
She thought that she knew she had all that it took
What didn't appeal was the truth that was told
Now her time comes to an end with an old story told

- Richard Arthur Halisheff - SOCAN 2020

Hide The Facts

This is an original song about the perils of social media. Recorded in my micro studio with a Taylor 322 acoustic, HX Stomp, Reaper DAW and Soundcraft MTK 12 board. Enjoy!

RICHARD ARTHUR HALISHEFF - SOCAN 2020

Social media, got me running blue
Twitter, Instagram and YouTube too
Where am I gonna go, what am I gonna do?
I got these Facebook blues

See it everyday, people coming and going
Living out loud without ever knowing
Why they do what they think they don't do
I got these Facebook blues

	Notoriety, seems to be the way
	Oh why can't we just leave it alone
	Integrity, has seen better days
	As we stomp on all the dreams but our own

Another day, of broken goals
We dig a hole where we bare our souls
Too much information and not enough news
Man I got these Facebook blues

Facebook Blues

My car broke down one Saturday and I had only two nickels in my pocket, thus the impetus for this tune.

Same Dog, New Suit

Saturday

Pressed 'record' and started playing this. Have no idea what I was going to say or do but I wanted to express myself and how I was feeling today. Got caught up in the ugly again. No editing just some reverb, compression and eq.

Recorded with Reaper, HX Stomp, Soundcraft and a Bill Nash stratocaster.

Ugly

Myself jamming along with Monster Mike Welch's Otis Rush style backing tracks. Some goofy notes I played but 'twas all in good fun!

Gear:
Bill Nash Strat
HX Stomp Princess Amp
Reaper DAW
Soundcraft MTK 12

Mike Otis Dm

Poppa Dawg is one of those ‘one-man-army’ crusaders that Blues (and all indie music) depends on so dearly. The concept of devoting one’s life to music with the Joy Factor being the no. 1 goal is something that the ‘greed-driven’ just can’t grasp. There’s always hope for music and mankind when there are crusaders like Rick in abundance and in some places (outside of North America) people who devote their lives to making and promoting blues are revered and respected. Besides leading his own band and making his own Blues, Poppa Dawg is ‘The Man’ when it comes to Interior, British Columbia. He keeps everything going, connecting clubs with artists, helping touring bands get gigs in Kelowna or Nelson, encourages venues to at least try live music. So, even outside of a recording context he is invaluable and irreplaceable.

Dawg has an easy-on-the-ears, natural blues voice and his guitar work betrays decades of influences from Johnny Watson to Elvin Bishop. Tasty and tasteful. But, it’s his song writing that really surprises. Great lyrics and humorous poetry abound set to catchy riffs designed for the sacroiliac. Several tracks are very memorable and worthy of ‘borrowing’, so let’s hope Dawg gets these to some ‘stars’ for exposure and royalties.

Andy 'Blues Boy' Grigg 

Poppa Dawg

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