Lone Tree Grooves

Merry Christmas. Reconnect, relax, reflect.❤️💃🎸🎵🍰

✂️ O Holy Night 49 seconds · Clipped by King'oi · Original video "King'oi (Feat. Sheena Kadu) - O Holy Night" by King'oi

Immortal song.

TikTok · Siren Check out Siren’s video.

'Mama, Emmi' by the indefatigable Mzee Ngala.

https://youtu.be/M0-TVdskJP4?si=az8nrhK7VmMTWqLv

tree grooves

King'oi - Mama Emmi by Mzee Ngala (Instrumental Cover) In the tradition of honouring our great musicians, this is a cover of 'Mama Emmi' by the founder of Kenya's coastal 'Bango' music.Mzee Ngala Katana recently ...

'God Knows'

King'oi - God Knows God Knows-King’oiGod knows your dreamsThere's nothing you can hideDeep and deep withinYou want Him to abideMy Lord really caresHe's here and everywhereHis go...

Ode to a big brother...

King'oi - Hoss's Riff This is a song for my elder brother Hoss. It is based on a bass riff that he loved, which you hear in the jolly refrain after the first two verses. Stylistic...

Love him or hate him, this young African warrior is changing his motherland.

King'oi - Ibrahim Traore Burkina Faso has had a turbulent history under the imperialistic domination of the French. Despite the pseudo-independence in 1958, the country was exploited...

'Ibrahim Traore'

King'oi - Ibrahim Traore Burkina Faso has had a turbulent history under the imperialistic domination of the French. Despite the pseudo-independence in 1958, the country was exploited...

Veterans know this song...

King'oi - Fire (B. Springsteen) This composition by the great Bruce Springsteen (The Boss) was made popular by THe Pointer Sisters. It's the eternal story about not being able to resist, wh...

Heaven, Amsterdam|

King'oi - Heaven, Amsterdam I have been haunted by this song since around 1996. Every time spring came and the icy winter cold of Amsterdam faded and the sun shone bright and with warmt...

A new production, 'Move On'.

King'oi - Move On There are people whose optimism and confidence is infectious. They achieve great things without any visible effort. Lucky as I am, I married one.MOVE ONWords...

'Ginny's Joy', an eloquent love song without words.

King'oi Ginny's Joy In 1983- 86, I was a young foreign student in the Western part of North Carolina. It was there where I met a beautiful soul who became my mother in a faraway...

Sometimes, you can have (and then lose) a piece of equipment whose emotional value and history by far exceeds whatever money it's still worth.

It carries the history of hours and deep night's of exploring how ideas in your mind can be captured and expressed. It is also intertwined with personal relations: marriage, childbirth, nurturing growth, family, etc. If possible, you want to cherish and preserve such items as long as you can, even after you acquire much more modern equipment.

Pictured below is an old but well preserved vintage desktop mixer by Soundcraft, the 'Spirit Folio Notepad'.

https://www.soundcraft.com/en/products/spirit-notepad

In 1999, PC-based recording technology had evolved so much that one could record multiple tracks, mix them and create an album. At the same time digitization had spawned a huge 'music piracy' network that seriously upset the traditional music industry that lived off radio and TV airplay and selling physical media such as vinyl records, cassettes and CDs. It was in this exciting climate that I released a CD via mp3.com, the first (doomed) attempt at putting power back in the creatives' hands. The industry quickly mobilised and killed the upstart.

I digress. Exactly a month ago, on 15/2/225, Gray, a gigging musician I thought I could trust contacted me and asked if he could rent the mixer, a cable and a set of headphones for a performance at 'The Wine Box' in Karen. He also asked me to help him manage the sound from his guitar and mic and playing through the restaurant's P.A. He offered me 5k for my trouble. Despite it being a pretty low paying engagement, and the fuel costs involved, I agreed because I still love live music.

Shane came over at around 2PM. I had already packed the gear. After sharing a cold beer, we headed off to Karen.

How did the gig go? What happened to my little mixer? Stay tuned. I have the receipts.