Page 21 - BiTS_08_AUGUST_2024

These are really big questions and I know I'm getting way too long-winded. I am hoping that
some readers still believe in reading the insert of a CD to learn about each musician's talent.

LL: Are you satisfied with “Satisfied”?

GA: I can nit-pick anything. I
would say I'm 95% “Satisfied”.
The CD was really hard to put
in order because I definitely
wanted the children's songs
included. I had to fit songs
around them. Consequently,
some of my more powerful
songs (like #13, 14, 15) are
toward the end of the CD and
might get passed over by
cursory listeners.

I love the packaging and the
photos. 100% satisfied. I just
wish I had taken some space on
the packaging to explain what
the dirty dozens are and what
look at the forehead/Tommy
Jefferson means. I know they
are obscure to some listeners.

I am very, very satisfied with all
the music. Only one song I wish
I had re-recorded, ‘Prove It On
Me Blues’. After singing it for
years, I now really know how to sing the piss out of it. But still, it ain't bad really.

LL: How was the global pandemic for you?

GA: It was so very difficult early on – to have all your gigs cancelled and no financial business aid
is really hard. Many people don't think music is a business, but we work ALL the time. I was
already having “Front Porch” sessions every Saturday (2019 – 2022) on Facebook but
extended some of those into concerts. That income kept me afloat. Then I started auctioning off
all kinds of memorabilia – even auctioned off my button collection (like “Free Angela Davis” and
“Ban Apartheid” buttons). Personally, I am grateful that my wife (I like using that word) was also
home and we enjoyed each other – singing, dancing, watching movies. We also met with
neighbours from the block – pulling chairs into a big circle in the street and telling tall tales!

LL: What can your fans look forward to coming up for you?

GA: I do not tour like I used to. I am 79 years old and can no longer go out for weeks at a time.

I basically do one or two gigs a month. If the gig is more than a 5-hour drive, I need to fly with my
manager. (BTW, I have never played in the U.K. . . neither did Saffire. . . hint, hint. A few countries
are indeed on my bucket list.) I am blessed that my mind is churning all the time.

When lyrical and musical ideas hit, usually a song is on the horizon. Even though my recent release
is an anthology, several of the songs are new. As noted, the blues is about that which gives you