Winter / Spring Tours

Scott will be touring in North Carolina, Virginia, north Georgia, California, and Texas. See the details

Care for All: Musicians for Healthcare

Care For All CD cover This fall, Scott produced a benefit CD to benefit the Vermont Workers’ Center's Healthcare Is A Human Right campaign featuring Vermont musicians and North Carolina friend and organizer Si Kahn.. The goal of the campaign and the CD effort is to secure agreement that healthcare in America is a human right, not an economic privilege.

Samples of all tracks, artists' bios, lyrics, and links to the Vermont Workers' Center are available at VermontCareForAll.org. Grammy award winners Corin Nelsen and Will Ackerman’s Imaginary Road Studio donated the mixing and mastering of the project and it sounds great. Online ordering at VermontCareForAll.org.

Robert Johnson Article / Lesson Now Online

Scott's recent article and feature lesson on Robert Johnson, with eight TAB/notation examples, a two verse transcription of Cross Roads Blues, and sixteen minutes of video lesson segments is now up at http://www.acousticguitar.com. It begins:

Robert Leroy Johnson came into this world on May 8, 1911, near the town of Hazlehurst, Mississippi, and departed it just outside Greenwood, Mississippi, on August 16, 1938. Born to itinerant sharecroppers Julia Spencer and Noah Johnson in the dark days of the Jim Crow South, Johnson turned himself into a versatile musician and performer, mastering a rich oral culture that by his time included commercial recordings.

Although he left behind little more than the 29 recordings made when he was 25 and 26 (with 11 records in print when he died), Johnson’s influence on blues, rock ’n’ roll, and folk musicians has been vast. Johnson’s recordings show influences from a virtual who’s who of blues artists of his time: Lonnie Johnson, Memphis Minnie, Leroy Carr, Blind Blake, Skip James, Son House, and Charlie Patton, among others.

His recordings, in turn, influenced the electric blues of Elmore James and Muddy Waters and, following the 1962 release of Robert Johnson: King of the Delta Blues, the rock ’n’ roll of Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin as well as nearly every acoustic blues guitarist of the past 40 years...

With the publication of Scott’s article on how to play Robert Johnson’s music in the November issue of Acoustic Guitar Magazine, we launched a site devoted to Scott’s instructional Robert Johnson/Signature Licks DVD. Visit: RobertJohnsonGuitarDVD.com

On Choosing a Slide

I've just taught a Slide Guitar Workshop at Epic Guitars in Carlsbad, CA, and am getting ready for summer teaching at Common Ground on the Hill and the Swannanoa Gathering. Students are always curious about how to choose a slide. At the workshop in Carlsbad I was able to demonstrate the difference in the sound and noise produced by slides of different materials. It was an "ear-opener" for the students. You can read my thoughts on choosing a slide.

Thunder's Mouth

"The emotional pull of Ainslie's music is always strong, perhaps most so on the slave lament, "Thunder's Mouth," and on the slow, serious folk blues "Another Man Done Gone."
-Downbeat full Downbeat review.

Order your copy now.

Click on speaker icon to listen to a sample track

We've launched a whole new website devoted to this new CD. There's more information on the songs, the musicians, the instruments at thundersmouthcd.com. Check it out!

On Thunder's Mouth

"Thunder’s Mouth, Scott’s fifth album, is a magnificent collection (that) combines classic blues and gospel...four originals, note-perfect African Rhythms, and a well-chosen Tom Waits cover...The cornerstones of this album are Scott’s original songs. Of these, “It’s Gonna Rain” is the show-stopper.
-SingOut! full SingOut! review

"From the first chord -- struck like a call to worship -- Scott Ainslie's new CD, Thunder's Mouth, pulls you forward in your seat and commands your attention.
-Jon Potter, Brattleboro Reformer, Brattleboro VT

"Pure brilliance...one of the best CDs you will hear this year and any year."
–Barry McCloud, www.countrymusicfactsandnews.com Nashville TN

"Combining a soulful, robust voice with expressive guitar work, Ainslie covers a lot of ground on this crisply produced session.
-Mike Joyce, The Washington Post, Washington DC

"One of the most wonderful efforts at building a bridge between the traditional and the contemporary that I have ever encountered.
-Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange, Peterborough NH

"Robert Johnson has always been a hip reference when guitarists are asked about influences, often, it's nothing more than lip-service. With Thunder's Mouth, Ainslie has continued a career that one can imagine Johnson being proud of.
-Ray Hogan, The Stamford Advocate, Stamford CT

"Produced with Grammy award-winning engineer and producer Corin Nelsen, the album does an amazing job of building a bridge between traditional and contemporary blues.
-Wildman Steve For The Corner News full Corner News review

"A sturdy record, powerful both as homage and history. But most of all, it reveals a talented tunesmith shaping his unique vision to deep musical roots.
-Michael Witthaus, The Eagle Times, Claremont NH full Witthaus review

"A powerful, roots slice of traditional blues...for listeners who can appreciate the finer points of American traditional blues.
-Americana-UK

"An excellent album of acoustic blues. This fifth CD by Ainslie shows a mature, blues-steeped musician, who is a confident guitarist, strong vocalist and sensitive songwriter.
-Art Edelstein, Times-Argus, Montpelier VT

"A brilliant exploration of American, African and traditional roots music.
-Rod Harrington, El Dorado News-Times AR

Early responses from listeners:

This is a GREAT disc. I put on "It’s Gonna Rain" as I was heading out and literally listened to that song 9 times in a row before going to a different track. I'm loving the production, just the whole feel of the disc - how do I describe it? Raw, yet polished. This is a very emotional disc for me. –JC in PA

What's Scott Cooking Tonight?

A jar of Smokin' Dave's Smoked Jalepenos appeared under the Christmas tree and inspired the latest entry in Scott's cooking blog: Scott's Shrimp & Grits. Mighty Tasty!

Banjo Gathering CD

This is a double CD set of solo banjo recordings by instructors who have taught old-time banjo at the Swannanoa Gathering over the years. I have three cuts on here: Sugar Babe, A Hammons Piece (that turns out to be a version of 'Calloway'), and Walkin' In the Parlor.

This collection is an intriguing and eminently listenable album of tunes that ranges from the elegantly funky to the sublime. When first approached about a double CD set of solo banjo recordings, I thought this would be a train wreck of a project, but the pacing of the tracks and variety are frankly astounding and you will hear the rhythmic subtlety and melodic beauty of this instrument when it is not backing up a fiddler or buried in a band. I highly recommend this disc.

All profits from its sale go to benefit the Swannanoa Gathering's scholarship fund for young musicians. A good cause and a great collection of performances.

Most Recent BluesNotes
Redemption: Reconstructing the South

Rudiments of Slide: Left Hand Posture

A new pdf file has been added to the guitar resources page. Download this pdf for Scott's words of wisdom on playing slide guitar.

Actin' Up: Juke Joint & Holy Blues

Renowned guitarist Ernie Hawkins and I are developing an evening of acoustic blues stories and songs focusing on the music of Reverend Gary Davis and Robert Johnson, among others. We are rehearsing in early December and will travel to D.C. for an interview with Bill Wax of XM Radio for his Bluesville programs. Promotional onesheet on Actin' Up: Joint & Holy Blues

Delta Blues Guitar Secrets Available on DVD

Brattleboro, VT (November 24, 2005) Eric Clapton called him, “The most important blues musician who ever lived.” The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richard, and Led Zepplin’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page cited him as a formative influence. Delta Blues legend Robert Johnson died in 1938, but his recordings continue to inspire rock and blues musicians. Now, his guitar techniques are influencing the wired generation in a new DVD lesson, Robert Johnson (Hal Leonard Guitar Signature Licks, 2005) taught by blues musician and historian Scott Ainslie, available in stores and online at cattailmusic.com. read more

R. Montgomery writes: "Scott: your Robert Johnson DVD is the best instructional video I have seen. I only recently discovered Johnson and "delta blues" and now I can't get enough. Your instruction is great, particulary since I only play by ear."

Don't Obey: Anthem to Non-Violence

You can still download a full mp3 of Don't Obey which is on a list of anti-war songs on Neil Young's website and is included along with 2 other songs from The Feral Crow in the Political Song Archive at Caledonian University in Glasgow, Scotland.