Billy Kemp

2/23/2025

Thanks for stopping by. Sometimes I record music on an analog recorder called a Tascam 238 Syncaset. It is an eight track recorder that uses cassette tape. I first had one in 1990. Here’s what it looks like:

I went to a Batteries Plus store two weeks ago and got to talking analog recorders with the rep that helped me. The next day I set up my 238 in our shed and recorded my Stella guitar, a gift from a dear friend, Buddy Love.

I had recently listened to some guitar quartet music by composer, Garry Eister, so I recorded six tracks of the Stella guitar. It is short, just 40 seconds. It stayed analog until being turned into an MP3, meaning it was recorded and mixed analog. Lots of fun…Hope you enjoy it.

2/5/26

Thanks for stopping by. This banjo piece, “Betty’s Rattle,” was written for Betty Runge, music lover and member of the clean living space society. Last summer, in 2025, I learned from my neighbor here on Pea Ridge that musicians in these parts of Tennessee put the rattle from a rattle snake in their instruments, supposedly making their instruments sound better. 

It sounded plausible to me, kind of a mojo thing. I had to verify my neighbors story and found out that the rattle in instruments has had many purposes. In fact, the rattle has a make up that causes static electricity and does in fact attract dust inside of an instrument, which I guess could make the sound…… cleaner…?

My neighbor gave me two rattles…

If you’re a banjo picker and like to play in D, here’s the score for “Betty’s Rattle.”

I hope you enjoy “Betty’s Rattle.”

1/29/26

Thanks for stopping by. My grandson’s birthday was last week, and I wrote a guitar piece for him. I’m calling it “The 22nd of January.“ My wife, Sue, plays old-time music on the banjo. She has introduced me to many old-time fiddle tunes. Some of them have titles that just feature a date like, “The 8th of January.” I’m playing Sue’s Martin D-18 with a thumb and index only finger-style. Hope you enjoy listening to “The 22nd of January.”

1/21/26

Thanks for stopping by. I’ve been doing scores of music and trying not to do too much doomscrolling. It hasn’t been easy. The latest thing I worked on was a theme for a podcast called, Hard Rain and Pink Cadillacs. My songwriting partner, Geoffrey Himes, is a co-host with Mark Finkelpearl. Geoff wrote the words, and I wrote the music. Geoffrey, Mark and I collaborated on the production, and I recorded everything at my home studio, The Scratching Post, in November 2025. Geoff and Mark are doing some great interviews. Hope you check them out. Here’s the theme.

Here’s wishing everyone all good things for the New Year…