where are you from?

[HAMAMATSU]

my name is jo yoshida and i am originally from yokohama but lately yokosuka, japan. i am 48 and a guitar shop salesman and i have been playing the guitar since i was 15. i am a blues guy and into any good guitars very much. i was so into gibson/fender only before but now i am interested in any guitars. i didnt know much about tokai and MIJ guitars before i joined to this forum. this forum just gave me all the important knowledge and so i am so appriciated! thank you so much everyone and ned! i love this forum so i really hope this forum will come back popular again like before. dont know what happened exactly but its been a very poor shape here since. i try whatever i can do as much as i can do for this forum. so good luck! anyways, how about you guys?

@ if you have any japanese article that you want me to translate in english then ask me. i studied the english in california in the 90s so its ok!

[HAMAMATSU]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yokosuka

[brokentoes]

I hail from a town south west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

[HAMAMATSU]

thanks brokentoes! how about you guys? luis? marcus? bob? raph? mike? villager? mickman? ozeman? more?

[marcusnieman]

I was born in Seattle. Moved to Alameda, CA (SF Bay Area) when I was 12. From there I've lived in Oklahoma, Austin, Chicago and now Dallas for many years.

[mdvineng]

Manchester UK but soon to retire and relocate to Madrid Spain

[marcusnieman]

Manchester UK but soon to retire and relocate to Madrid Spain

Friend and workmate of mine from nearby St. Helens did exactly the same thing.

[mdvineng]

Manchester UK but soon to retire and relocate to Madrid Spain

Friend and workmate of mine from nearby St. Helens did exactly the same thing.

My partner is already there, having taken a research and lectureship post at Madrid Uni. Lockdown has meant a longer separation than envisaged but we have to do what we can

[HAMAMATSU]

I was born in Seattle. Moved to Alameda, CA (SF Bay Area) when I was 12. From there I've lived in Oklahoma, Austin, Chicago and now Dallas for many years.

sorry to ask you this question cause you were probably asked million times before! have you seen SRV in person? were you possibly a good friend of him marcus?

[marcusnieman]

I was born in Seattle. Moved to Alameda, CA (SF Bay Area) when I was 12. From there I've lived in Oklahoma, Austin, Chicago and now Dallas for many years.

sorry to ask you this question cause you were probably asked million times before! have you seen SRV in person? were you possibly a good friend of him marcus?

Saw him several times.... first time was in 1982 in Oklahoma - he was opening for Huey Lewis and the News. I thought.... wow, who the hell is this guy. After I moved to Austin, saw him a couple times before he really hit it big - playing smaller clubs but they were packed. Stevie was no secret to the Austin music scene. Not even close to being a friend of his.... just a huge fan. The one album that caught my ear before he hit it big was David Bowie's Let's Dance..... he played guitar on the whole thing and I think it's one of Bowie's best records. Give it a listen here - Stevie's playing is unmistakable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0ODoeBc04g

Bowie wanted Stevie to tour with him in support of the album but Stevie chose to go out on his own in support of his first album Texas Flood that came out at the same time..... 1983 I think.

Truth be told, I was actually a bigger fan of his older brother Jimmie and his band The Fabulous Thunderbirds also playing Austin.... this was long before they hit it big with the Tuff Enuff album in the mid 80's. Stevie was a monster, Jimmie is fantastic in his style too.... he's a "less is more" kind of player.

[marcusnieman]

Here's another one from Let's Dance, Joe..... Stevie does a great solo on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUbLegcKgIc

[ned]

I live in Austin, TX but grew up in Houston. Have seen SRV numerous times and Eric Johnson more times than I can count - he's worth seeing anytime especially if he's still doing the Ah Via Musicom shows with the original band.

Got to meet Shohei Adachi (CEO of Tokai) numerous times at NAMM in the 90's, shared food and beverages with him on a few occasions.

[marcusnieman]

I live in Austin, TX but grew up in Houston. Have seen SRV numerous times and Eric Johnson more times than I can count - he's worth seeing anytime especially if he's still doing the Ah Via Musicom shows with the original band.

Got to meet Shohei Adachi (CEO of Tokai) numerous times at NAMM in the 90's, shared food and beverages with him on a few occasions.

Hey Ned, did you ever go see Nick Curran (RIP) during his time in Austin? Mike Barfield?

[HAMAMATSU]

thank you very much for your great stories marcus and ned! i appriciate your tasty experiences. i just really wish if i could see SRV, it would have meant so much to me then. saw EJ once in the 90s in california, he was so great ofcourse. these people, the great texans! the real deal cool !!!!!!!!!!

[ned]

Marcus- never saw either of them.

Have seen David Grisham play in a small bar, post Mellecamp, that was really cool.