About the 4 songs here:

"What's Goin On" was recorded live at Liquid Kitty November 7, 1999.  I used a stereo casette deck and a cheap set of headphones taped to the wall behind the drums for a microphone.  Sorry about the paint Dave.  It's Alex Schulz guitar and MC, Jay Work tenor saxophone, Jerry Angel drums and yelling, and me electric bass.

"Summer Fling" is on the Anny Celsi CD "Little Black Dress".  That's Anny singing, Kevin Jarvis drums, percussion and doing a great job of engineering and producing, and getting me to play like a pop guy instead of a blues or jazz guy, Steve Barton guitars, Carl Byron keyboards, Robert Lloyd piano, Bill Bonk background vocals.  Recorded at Kevin's studio in Venice, May 6, 2002.

"In Your Own Sweet Way" is me noodling on a pretty Brubeck tune.  It's my Bob Gollihur Bulgarian bass.  Recorded directly into my little Korg Toneworks PXR4 using a B-Band pickup and a little outboard reverb and compression.  Didn't spend a lot of time figuring it out, didn't bother with overdubs or punching in (too hard with the little recorder) just plugged in and let fly.  Took two or three passes and picked the least bad one.  A few clams but that's what I sound like.  Recorded April 25, 2006 just for myspace.  An exclusive!

"Driftin' Blues" is an old chestnut that Robben Ford pulled out as a last minute replacement for "It Don't Make Sense (You Can't Make Peace)" when we played at West Point on November 19, 2005.  Don't want to start arguing politics when the other guys have guns.  We never played it before or after, but it came out pretty good.  Glad somebody bootlegged it and sent me a copy.  Can't even remember who sent it now.  That's Robben Ford singing and playing guitar.  Buddy Whittington guitar, Joe Yuele drums, and me on the trusty Fender Jazz 5 Bluesbreaker Bass.  Robben Ford and the Bluesbreakers.

If you like these, there's lots more music on my website at:  http://www.hankvansickle.com/music.html

I'm not the bloggin' type, but here's one:

I just spent the last few days updating my website (www.hankvansickle.com).  Adding pictures, dropping names and fabricating my own mythical and legendary self.  And musing about the irony of "If you have time to waste on your website, then you're not really a musician are you?".  And it's true.  Real musicians practice at least a few hours a day, and are too busy working (or drinking) every night for that nonsense.  A fancy resume with lists of famous people I've jammed with and some pictures of me playing with them amounts to nothing really.

I'm not complaining.  Actually it's nice to have the leisure time to play with my pictures and website.  I'm really happy and lucky to have the best job I've ever had playing with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers.  I hope it goes on forever.  Just beating myself up a little bit for being on the computer when I should be on the bass.  And beating up on people who stack their resumes with stuff like "shared the stage with" when what they mean is "opened for".  It's so bad, my friend Denny who tours with a huge guy put on his website "On tour w/hugeguy (as band member)".  Or my friend Ronnie James puts ". . .I don't mean opened for, either...I played WITH."  Too bad these tremendously talented musicians who put all their heart and soul into every single note they play have to clarify that.

I'm certainly not shy about posting "pictures with" and dropping names.  It seems to impress people, and I figure it shows that I'm capable of playing a gig.  And it's fun.  I've tried to make my name dropping as honest as possible, so here's what the headings mean:

"Toured with" means I got paid to get in a bus or car or on an airplane and go stay in hotels or motels and play at least a handful of gigs in other cities than the one I live in.

"Recorded with" means I got paid to record music that turned into a commercially released CD or record under that artist's name.  You don't see this famous guy's or that famous guy's name on the list even though he guested on the artist's product.

"Performed with" means I got paid by that artist or their management to get on stage and play music with them.

"Jammed with" means that artist didn't pay me, but got on stage with a band that I was playing with because the band was good and the artist wanted to.  I doesn't mean I went up to the artist and said "Can I play with you?" and he let me.

And now; Practice or back to the website?  Right.  Website it is.