Doug MacLeod’s tour has been taking him to Pacific Northwest as of late, and he’s is making headlines everywhere. Here is an excerpt from an interview he did with Hood River News:

Your gig is on a big weekend for music – St. Patrick’s Day celebrations abound. What can we expect on the set list?:

I never plan a set and I never play the same song the same way twice, so I really can’t tell you what will be on the set list. I can tell you tho, that I’ll be playing alot of songs from my new album called Brand New Eyes. And the folks can expect humor and storytelling. I like to leave the folks thinking that got no change coming for the concert and that I gave them something that they didn’t have when they came in the door. Made them think, laugh, maybe cry, but most importantly feel. To me that’s what blues is about – the feel and reaching the human spirit.

The new CD Brand New Eyes, is this a solo project or did you have a band? What was the recording process like?:

Mostly solo. I added Dave Kida on percussion and Denny Croy on bass for a few songs. The recording process was real ‘old school’. I sat down in front of a couple mics and played. No headphones.

Over your career, you’ve extensively played, written about, and taught blues music. Can you tell us of one incidence of each that really, really stood out as highlights?:

That’s a little tough to answer cause there’s been a lot of ’em. One that comes to mind right now was opening for BB King around Seattle a few years back and getting to meet him on his bus. Writing- well I’d have say today- that when a young lady came up to me and said ‘Thanks for writing the song Come To Find.’ I said you were welcome. Why the thanks? She said, “I’m trying to get past abuse myself, and your song has made me want to do it.” I never saw her again. I hope she made it. Teaching? Well, I guess like teachers all over the world must think, when they see a student get it. That’s a good feeling right there for sure.

Read the full interview by Jim Drake on Hood River News.

Brand New Eyes
Doug Macleod
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