Hello,

In an effort to save paper and money, and eyes (who can read the tiny print on Cd's anymore?)I'm posting extensive liner notes for my new album!

Technical

All the tracks were recorded at Thomas Eaton's studio in Newburyport, MA. Recording was done digitally at 96kHz with a pair of Shure KSM44 microphones in a cardioid XY configuration about one foot away from the guitar, and a pair of Audio-Technica AT4049a omni microphones positioned about 10' in front of me, aimed 6" from a pine wall. We used Geoff Daking Microphone Preamps on all the mics. This was all recorded to Digital Performer with no dynamic effects processing.

The intent of the room microphones was to provide a natural reverb. I wanted this album to sound real, honest, like I was in your living room. I didn't want to use a bunch of artificial reverb or other effects typically used in today's recording. I wanted to use the best of what the digital world provides combined with 'old school' recording techniques.

When I was finished with the raw recording, Tom created stems from the four microphones and I took this with me to Airshow Mastering in Boulder where Dave Glasser mixed the stems, edited, and EQ'd the mix prior to mastering the album.

We ended up using Sony's Sampling Reverb, an amazing piece of gear that costs more than my car, as the only 'artificial' effect on the album. Sony went around the world recording the finest acoustic spaces like Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA, or St. John's Cathedral in New York. We ended up using the side chapel from St. John's. It's gorgeous, honest reverb, and adds just enough 'air' to the recording to let it breathe.

About the editing: This album is all solo guitar, the pieces were performed live from beginning to end with no overdubs. Any editing was taken from 'inside' the recorded piece. If I blew a note or a phrase that was repeated in the song, we cut and pasted that over the mistake. This allowed me to keep the integrity of the solo performance, and save time and money. If I made a mistake that wasn't repeated somewhere in the piece, I had to start over. Luckily that didn't happen too often.

The Guitar

As far back as early 2006 I had told Alan Carruth that I was looking for a guitar with which to record a solo guitar record. And though the two Carruth's I've had for the past 12 years are amazing guitars, I was looking for something with a bigger sound, something that would really fill up a room with sound. We talked about a variety of possibilities that included a 7-string guitar, a harp guitar, but ultimately we decided on the Baritone; henceforth called Smoky.

This guitar has a 28" scale, and is tuned two whole steps low, C,F,Bb,Eb,G, C low to high in standard intervals. The guitar is a deep bodied OOOO-sized instrument. The top is made of Western Red Cedar, the back and sides are gorgeous Honduran Mahogany. This is an instrument that provides the bottom end I've been looking for, but it's also incredibly detailed, and the highs are sweet and lyrical. Al nailed this one!

As many of you know, most of my recorded performance are in alternate tunings, but, over the past 5 or 6 years I've been playing more and more in standard and dropped-D tunings. Although I loved the possibilities these tunings provide, I missed the timbre that alternate tunings gave my guitars. The baritone gives me the timbre I'm looking for in standard tuning, but still handles the odd tunings I throw at it.

The songs

I've included the tunings and capo positions for all the songs. All tunings are given from the lowest, 6th string, to the highest 1st string, and I use standard tuning as the reference since most of you don't have a baritone guitar. If you do, just drop everything two whole steps and you'll be playing along with me!

1) Opal's Delight (EADGBE)

I've written songs for dogs, cats, and plenty of humans, but never for a car. But then again, I never had Opal, my Scion XB which is the cutest, ugliest car ever made, and is an absolute blast to drive!

2) Getaway (EADGBE) Capo III

I wrote this in the fall of 1996. It took me about 10 years to learn to play it!

3) In Christ There is No East or West (EADGBE) Trad. Arrangement ©Ken Bonfield, 2008 BMI

This was the first instrumental I ever learned. It's a John Fahey influenced arrangement that I first heard Leo Kottke play. It's funny, but I hadn't played it in almost 30 years until the day I got Smoky, but it was the first song I played when I picked the guitar up. Muscle memory is forever!

I'm a heathen through and through, but given the world we live in today the title speaks volumes to me.

4) Stealin' (EADGBE)

One of my favorite things to do is teach guitar. Whether it's one-on-one or in a clinic with 30-40 people, I just love passing it on.

One of my early students, now a wonderful singer/songwriter in his own right, was interested in learning country blues technique. I wrote this for him, fell in love with it, and I've been performing it for the past 4 or 5 years. It was just waiting for Smoky to get recorded.

For those of you familiar with this style, you'll hear echoes of Doc Watson's Deep River Blues, John Fahey's Last Steam Engine Train, and a little bit of Chet Atkins muted bass for spice.

Thanks Chris!

5) Beginnings (DGDGBD)

I wrote this for two friends' wedding. At the time of the recording one of my friends was staying at our house contemplating the end of the marriage. The timing of the recording and the break-up had a huge influence on how I performed the piece.

6) Partial 2 U (EADGBE) Full capo V Partial Capo (3rd-5th) capo VII

Inspiration can come from many places, and often from multiple sources all at once.

I wrote this the day I got two new capos and found out my oldest daughter Sloan was engaged. This piece really wrote itself; one minute it didn't exist, and three minutes later it was finished.

For Sloan and Toby,

Love Dad.

7) Moonlight Music (EADGBE)

Every once in a while I give myself a writing assignment. On this piece I tried to capture the loss of a wonderful venue in Alabama, Moonlight Music Cafe, as well as write something in the style of my good friend and wonderful songwriter Pierce Pettis. This is the result.

8) Zephyr (EADGBE) Capo III

A few years ago my sister-in-law Mary Jo Arthur who is an extremely talented artist asked me my least favorite key to play on the guitar. Without hesitation I said, A major, I've never liked that key. Of course, her response was; "Well then, you must write something in the key of A." After a lot of hard work, I came up with this little puff of wind. Thanks MJ!

9) Bach Prelude (DADGBE) by JS Bach, public domain, arrangement © Ken Bonfield, 2008 BMI

As far as I can remember, I learned this in one of the first editions of Frets Magazine, back in the mid-70's. I've always played it, but it didn't really strike me as something to record until I got Smoky. I hope this honors the work of Bach; my favorite of all composers.

10) Ivy Lane (DADGBE)

In the summer of 2006, my youngest daughter Ella asked me why I hadn't written anything to celebrate the life of our friend Ivy Lane (the wonderdog). It'd been 2 years since she'd passed and I'd promised her I would write something for her. This is the second of three pieces I wrote for her. I tried to catch her joy for life; especially when we would go for a hike in her favorite spot: Raven's Wood.

11) Reunion (DADGBE)

I wrote this to celebrate getting together with my three oldest daughters after way too much time between visits. I tried to capture the 'conversation' by playing the theme in different octaves and positions on the guitar, and while it may seem as if I have the last word in the conversation; being the composer allows me to take artistic license.

12) Study (EADGBE)

I originally wrote this for a student until I realized I could barely play it. It is a fun little short piece that just begged to be part of this album, and it's a blast to play, even if it is hard.

13) Indian Rain (DADGAD)

This is the first, and still only, piece I've written entirely away from the guitar. I wrote this on my computer using a TAB writing program. I'm certainly going to try this technique again soon. It really shows off what the baritone can do when it's tuned really low; the low string is tuned to Bb; an octave plus a whole note lower than middle-C.

14) The Fisherman (EADGBE) written by Leo Kottke, © Bug Music

According to Leo, this is written for and about the ice fisherman of the Great Lakes region of the Midwest. I still remember when my buddy Mike Crane first showed it to me in 1975. I spent hours outside my Spanish Steppe apartment in Dallas attempting to learn it. I've played this song on and off since then, but never gave serious consideration to recording it until I picked up Smoky. This is my favorite performance on the album. Thanks Leo.

15) Black Dog (EADBGE)

This is the first song I wrote for Ivy after Ella insisted I needed to write something for her. Black Dog was her nickname, and I used it most often when she was being a pain. The scene most prevalent in my mind as I wrote this, was the time she stole the pizza lunch from the stage manager at the Kent State Folk Festival. He was acting like a prick so I never said boo to her about her indiscretion; he thoroughly deserved it! Interestingly enough, I wrote the intro in 1989 but didn't have a place for it until 2006. Yes, sometimes it does take almost 20 years to finish a song!

16) Lullaby for the Long Dirt Nap (DADF#AD)

For Ivy Lane the Wonderdog. May her adventures in the next life be at least as much fun as the ones we experienced here. See ya on the flip side!

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