WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>In my top ten list of all time favorite songs.

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<v Speaker 1>Blue and Black is part of that, and Kenny Wayne

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<v Speaker 1>Shepherd is the artist behind it. He is going to

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<v Speaker 1>be in the Springs this weekend for a show that

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<v Speaker 1>looks like it is going to be an absolute barn burner. Kenny,

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to the show.

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<v Speaker 2>Hey, thanks for having me.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, I'm a big fan. I love blues music

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<v Speaker 1>just across the board. Not all of my top ten

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<v Speaker 1>songs are blue songs though, So you're in You're in

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<v Speaker 1>rare company there with Sinead O'Connor and When in Rome

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<v Speaker 1>and Bob Seeker. So what drew you because you've been

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<v Speaker 1>you've been doing this a long time. You started as

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<v Speaker 1>a very young guy. What drew you to this style

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<v Speaker 1>of music in the first place.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, my dad famously took me to my first concert

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<v Speaker 2>when I was three years old, and that was Muddy

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<v Speaker 2>Waters and John Lee Hoss.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh get you started right.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I think anybody you know who would go see

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<v Speaker 2>them for their first concert would probably wind up a

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<v Speaker 2>lifelong blues fan. So, I mean there is that. And

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<v Speaker 2>then you know, my dad worked at radio station. We

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<v Speaker 2>went to every concert that came through. We got to

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<v Speaker 2>meet the bands, and so I grew up around music

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<v Speaker 2>and then you know, at age seven, I got to

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<v Speaker 2>meet and see Stevie Rayvaughn play for the first time.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh wow, And that's really what lit the fire in me.

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<v Speaker 2>You know. I saw him play, and all I wanted

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<v Speaker 2>to do was get my hands on our electric guitar

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<v Speaker 2>and try and learn how to play with that passion

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<v Speaker 2>that if he had, well.

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<v Speaker 1>Mister accomplished. I'm just going to say that, I will ask, like,

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<v Speaker 1>when did you actually start playing the guitar and what

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<v Speaker 1>was that like for you? Were you kind of one

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<v Speaker 1>of those kids that immediately became obsessed with it and

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<v Speaker 1>spend all of your free time doing that. How did

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<v Speaker 1>that work?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah? I mean I was a kid that would come

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<v Speaker 2>home from school and you know, when my friends were

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<v Speaker 2>out doing whatever kids do, I was in the house

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<v Speaker 2>for four or five six hours a day just playing

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<v Speaker 2>guitar because it just it gave me focus and I

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<v Speaker 2>just really enjoyed it. Even when I couldn't make it

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<v Speaker 2>sound great, I was determined to learn how to do that,

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<v Speaker 2>and so I got a lot of personal satisfaction out

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<v Speaker 2>of it, and it was a lot of fun and

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<v Speaker 2>it was a tedious process. I play by ear. I

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<v Speaker 2>don't read music, you know, if I learned songs one

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<v Speaker 2>note at a time, one core at a time. But

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<v Speaker 2>it worked for me, and thankfully, you know, I've been

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<v Speaker 2>able to make a career out of it, and quite

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<v Speaker 2>a career it is.

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<v Speaker 1>I listened to your new album that just recently came

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<v Speaker 1>out today and it's outstanding as well. And I wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to ask you kind of about blues music in the

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<v Speaker 1>United States because I got to a lot of shows,

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<v Speaker 1>go to a lot of blues festivals, and for a

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<v Speaker 1>genre that came out of the African American South, it

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<v Speaker 1>is a lot of white people that are going to

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<v Speaker 1>these shows. Now, you know, is this has the entire audience?

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<v Speaker 1>Is the entire audience mostly white folks? Not to make

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<v Speaker 1>this a racist thing, I just think that that's an

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<v Speaker 1>interesting development.

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<v Speaker 2>Well yes, I mean for the most part, I guess

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<v Speaker 2>it just depends on who the artist is that's playing

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<v Speaker 2>and who they're coming to see. But you know, I

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<v Speaker 2>think it definitely still receives support from you know, the

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<v Speaker 2>African American community. But I mean, I think the biggest

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<v Speaker 2>thing is, like with the British invasion, and you know,

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<v Speaker 2>that went back in the sixties when a sixties and

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<v Speaker 2>early seventies and early eighties even you know, when like

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<v Speaker 2>the America had kind of moved on from blues music

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<v Speaker 2>to other things, but the English were the ones that

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<v Speaker 2>were really supporting the music. At that point. You had

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<v Speaker 2>bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and Air

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<v Speaker 2>Clapp and and Jeff Beck and all these incredible legendary

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<v Speaker 2>musicians that came out and then they were spreading the

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<v Speaker 2>word about blues music and they turned on a really

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<v Speaker 2>big white audience onto this music. And that's what's helped

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<v Speaker 2>keep it, you know, growing and continuing to thrive. For sure.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you play all over the world, and if so,

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<v Speaker 1>how are you received, because this is a uniquely American

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<v Speaker 1>form of music. How has that received overseas?

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<v Speaker 2>People love it? I mean, there's an appetite for it,

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<v Speaker 2>for sure, and so you know, we've definitely made it

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<v Speaker 2>a point to go over and play for the people

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<v Speaker 2>over in Europe. And you know, a couple of years

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<v Speaker 2>back we went to India and played you know, blues

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<v Speaker 2>music for people in India and South America. I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>all around the world. There's definitely an audience for it.

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<v Speaker 1>Who do you listen to when you are just like

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<v Speaker 1>you know, cleaning your house or doing the lawn or

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<v Speaker 1>whatever you do in your free time. Who are the artists,

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<v Speaker 1>both new and old that you enjoy?

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<v Speaker 3>Well, to be honest with you, right now, when if

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<v Speaker 3>I'm listening to music around the house, I put on

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<v Speaker 3>like nineteen forties music like Big Band, Oh yeah, Swayne

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<v Speaker 3>Glenn Miller.

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<v Speaker 2>Because yeah, the thing about it is is like that

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<v Speaker 2>music is appropriate for any occasion. You can have a

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<v Speaker 2>dinner party, you can just invite friends over, you can

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<v Speaker 2>sit down with your wife or your significant other just

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<v Speaker 2>to relax, I mean anything, your pool party, whatever it is,

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<v Speaker 2>you've put that music on it. There's never a wrong

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<v Speaker 2>time to hear that kind of music. So that's generally

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<v Speaker 2>the background music that's going on in my house.

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<v Speaker 1>So should we be expecting a clarinet to be added

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<v Speaker 1>to the Kenny Way Shepherd experience anytime?

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<v Speaker 2>There? You do have a horn section in the band. We've

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<v Speaker 2>had a horn section for a couple of years now.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, I've not seen the horn section. I've actually seen

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<v Speaker 1>you a couple of times. Looking forward to seeing you again.

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<v Speaker 1>But let's talk about this show on Sunday night. Because

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<v Speaker 1>this is not just you. When I looked at this

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<v Speaker 1>this morning, I was like, cow, how do they get

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<v Speaker 1>all of you guys together to do this? Tell me

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<v Speaker 1>about this tribute to Jimmy Hendrix.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, well, it's put on by the Experience Hendricks people,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, the Official Hendricks organization, and so, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>we were doing this for a while before COVID happened.

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<v Speaker 2>It was a bi annual event and we did it

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<v Speaker 2>every other year and an incredible lineup, and then it

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<v Speaker 2>had about a five year break because of COVID and

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<v Speaker 2>people getting back to work. So now we're back at

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<v Speaker 2>it again and it's like an incredible lineup of amazing

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<v Speaker 2>musicians that are all paying tribute to the great guitar

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<v Speaker 2>player of all time. So it's all Jimmy Hendrix's music

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<v Speaker 2>done by some of your favorite musicians. I mean, you

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<v Speaker 2>got Zach Wilde, who's famous for being with Ozzie Osbourne

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<v Speaker 2>for so many years. And you've got Eric Johnson, he's

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<v Speaker 2>a guitar virtuo. So we got duezl Zappa, who's Frank

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<v Speaker 2>Zappa's son, an incredible guitar player. Some of the shows,

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<v Speaker 2>we had Taj Mahal, who's the blues legionship himself, and

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<v Speaker 2>then we have Christine kingfish Ingram, who's a young up

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<v Speaker 2>and comer in the blues, two time Grammy Award winner,

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<v Speaker 2>and there's many, many more. But you know, it's a

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<v Speaker 2>revolving door. And we start the show and artists come

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<v Speaker 2>out and they do some songs, and then sometimes another

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<v Speaker 2>artist will join that artist on stage, and then those

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<v Speaker 2>guys step down, another artist comes up, and it's just

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<v Speaker 2>one after another after another after another, and it's a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of fun.

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<v Speaker 1>How did you guys decide who gets to play?

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<v Speaker 2>What? What'd you draw? Straws?

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<v Speaker 1>What did that look like?

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<v Speaker 2>You throw it out? Yeah, well, some of us have

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<v Speaker 2>been doing this tour together for a while, so you know,

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<v Speaker 2>my songs that I do, I've been doing them for

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<v Speaker 2>many years now, so yeah, but yeah, you just kind

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<v Speaker 2>of have to kind of pick from what's available. To

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<v Speaker 2>be honest with you, if you're new to the tour,

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<v Speaker 2>then you kind of have to choose from the songs

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<v Speaker 2>that haven't already been taken.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you do you haze people by telling them that

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<v Speaker 1>they have to play like some really obscure song no

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<v Speaker 1>one's heard of, and like that's your early shot chief.

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<v Speaker 2>No, but I will tell you Aaron Johnson, he picks

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<v Speaker 2>some obscure songs, and he also picks the most difficult

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<v Speaker 2>Jimmy Hendrick songs, and he recreate some like note for note,

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<v Speaker 2>which is really impressive. So there's no hazing. But you know,

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<v Speaker 2>if you leave people creative minds generally will you know,

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<v Speaker 2>they'll gravitate to what interests them. Is for some people

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<v Speaker 2>it is doing the incredibly complicated stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>I was going to ask you, how much of this

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<v Speaker 1>is you playing like Jimmy Hendrix or how much is

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<v Speaker 1>this of you sort of interpreting and putting your own

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<v Speaker 1>spin on Jimmy Hendrix.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, it's a little bit of all of it. But

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<v Speaker 2>for me it's it's me doing, you know, my interpretation

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<v Speaker 2>of his music. And for some artists it's film doing

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<v Speaker 2>their their take on his music. And then for others

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<v Speaker 2>like Eric Johnson, you know, he's playing that stuff note

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<v Speaker 2>for note and he's working incredibly hard to like recreate

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<v Speaker 2>them authentically, and de Weesel does the same thing. So

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<v Speaker 2>it's a little bit of all of it.

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<v Speaker 3>To be honest with you, what songs do you play?

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<v Speaker 2>So currently I'm doing Gypsy Eyes and then we do

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<v Speaker 2>a song called come On Part one, and then we

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<v Speaker 2>do I Don't Live Today, which I recorded on my

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<v Speaker 2>second album, Trouble Is. And then we do a medley

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<v Speaker 2>of two of my favorite Hendrick songs, which one of

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<v Speaker 2>them is boot Blues, and go into Boodh choud Slight Return,

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<v Speaker 2>which is one of the most famous Hendrick songs.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, now, somebody just sent our text line and said, Mandy,

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<v Speaker 1>if you haven't mentioned it today, it's the birthday of

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<v Speaker 1>Stevie ray Vaughn. Just saying so happy birthday, but you know,

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<v Speaker 1>obviously posthumously. Kenny Wayne Shepherd super excited that you're coming

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<v Speaker 1>to town. I hope you enjoy your stay and have

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<v Speaker 1>a great show. And it's just been a real pleasure

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<v Speaker 1>talking to you. I appreciate your time today.

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<v Speaker 3>Thanks for having me.

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<v Speaker 2>I appreciate it. All right.

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<v Speaker 1>That is Kenny Wayne Shephard. You can see him Sunday night.

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<v Speaker 1>I put a link on my blog to where you

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<v Speaker 1>can buy tickets. It is the pikes Peak Center down

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<v Speaker 1>in the Springs and the lineup looks crazy, so check

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<v Speaker 1>it out.