tag:chadharveymusic.com,2005:/blogs/my-first-guitarMy First Guitar2024-03-10T03:07:50-05:00Chad Harvey Musicfalsetag:chadharveymusic.com,2005:Post/62111452020-02-10T20:57:39-06:002022-05-20T07:21:56-05:00My Music Journey: Chapter 2 - Austin, TX<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/380363/3b7895e10bd653be84b3d981d91cb07e86016f5d/original/cheatham-street.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>On May 7, 2002, I saw the sunrise in Indiana and the sunset in Texas. I had loaded my pickup truck the night before with my guitar and anything else I could squeeze in to the cab..." That is an excerpt from the liner notes of my first record 'Get Lit'. As I recall that day I left Indiana...I was just a kid and I was moving to Austin...terrified and excited all at the same time. I knew not ONE person in Austin. But, I WAS MOVING TO AUSTIN F'ING TEXAS!! Me, my Fender DG21s (see post about this guitar from a couple of weeks ago) and a duffel bag of clothes and three...yes..only three songs I had written and they were terrible. Austin...the hallow ground where so many of my heroes had started. You all know the big names...but I do want to mention the three main guys that I was into at the time (and still am) that influenced me to move Todd Snider, Charlie Robison and Jack Ingram. Without them, I would have never moved to Austin or pursued my songwriting passion with the intensity that I have.</p>
<p>When I got there...I had never played a show... I took that Fender DG21s to @southaustinmusic and had them install a @fishmanmusic pickup...I remember it costing as much as the guitar...and man was I broke. From there I would play my first ever time in public at an open mic at the Water Tank on the Northwest side of Austin, then I started playing the open mic at Giddy Ups on the south side and then<br>when I thought I was ready I played the open mics of all open mics...Kent Finlay's open mic at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos. I could write a whole post on Kent's open mic...from the history, who has played it, and the experience. I will leave that for another time. The Water Tank’s open mic was on a Sunday, Cheatham Street's was Wednesday, and Giddy Ups' was Thursday...this <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/380363/920de24b0e4b7a74e5236d69238619e0ce159fc3/original/giddy-ups.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" />gave me three nights to play and keep getting better, better and better.</p>
<p>This journey is To Be Continued...</p>Chad Harvey Musictag:chadharveymusic.com,2005:Post/61750472020-01-26T16:44:11-06:002024-03-10T03:07:50-05:00My Music Journey: Chapter 1 - My First Guitar<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/380363/51a348bf7ee55c43d857838ebaa468326104fcf4/original/fender.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></p>
<p>My First Guitar.. was this Fender DG21s pictured here. I purchased this back in 1998 at the old Mars Music in Nashville at 100 Oaks Mall. I picked up this and one of those beginner guitar CD-ROMS - I took them home stuck the disc in a computer and began my struggle through the easy chord progression of Knockin' on Heaven's Door...thinking I was never going to get this down... glad I stuck with it. The first song I ever learned all the way through...and played in public was Charlie Robison's My Hometown....a great GREAT song and artist who has been a huge influence on me. When I moved to Austin in 2002, I had South Austin Music install a nice Fishamn pickup and off I went to play as many open mics as I could.</p>
<p>I still have the guitar, although I haven't played it in years...after replacing it with a couple Gibsons and a Martin. I did write half of the songs from my first record 'Get Lit' on this guitar. So, maybe I should pull it out to write? Great memories with this guitar. I would love to hear about your first instrument. Any good memories? </p>
<p> </p>Chad Harvey Music