The 2005-2006 Harvey Reid Newsletter Exists...

The Big News First... I guess I will have to take up cello to have a case big enough to keep doing this. Meet Otto Reid, sacking out in my guitar case beforea gig, at age 7 weeks. More pics of the little guy below. I am getting a lot less done these days, and loving it, and it is a small miracle this newsletter got printed.

Hello to all!
The e-mail thing is not as Utopian as it was supposed to be, and with all the viruses and spam I have abandoned the idea of just e-mailing newsletters or posting them on the web, so once again it’s time to send out this “birdcage liner” as I like to call them.
2004 was the busiest and most successful year ever for me, and 2005 I stayed home more than I ever have done in my life, and it is looking like ‘06 will be another busy one. Those of you who pay attention probably wondered why I had no summer tour dates in ‘05, and the answer is simple. My wife Joyce Andersen and I had a baby (at home!) in August (see full story inside), and I worked for 5 months on a large house remodel project that I wanted to get done before the baby arrived. I got the dust, ladders and paint cans out of our living space about 36 hours before the baby, and am just now finishing the exterior painting, landscaping and doing all the little electrical things.

I will never ever complain again about how hard it is to be a musician, and after months with a tool belt and sawzall, my autoharp is looking good and I can’t wait to eat some road food and sleep in a motel again. My belt came in 2 notches, so the hard work was not all in vain.

Chordally yours,

Harvey Reid

Doc Watson, still my #1 hero, and his wife Rosalie gave copies of ÒKindling the FireÓ for Christmas presents last year, and invited Joyce & me to perform at Merlefest in April 2006. ItÕs a huge festival and a great honor.

I finally went to the Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering in June Ô05. Boy what a Utopian community that is, with hundreds of nice people together in harmonyÐ everyone was polite, pleasant and perfectly in tune. It sounds like I am exaggerating, but it really was lovely. Good job, Ôharpers. Like a preview of Heaven. (Pics inside.)

There seems to be less "small news" than usual to put in this space, most likely because there is more Òbig newsÓ than usual. IÕll try to have more small news next year.

NEW CD

"Christmas Morning"

Released November 2005

My solo Christmas record first came out in 1984, and I have been trying to make a sequel for a long time. You canÕt really get into the spirit in July, and I have had such a busy Holiday season for so many years, I have never been able to record in December. I tried taping some concerts, but applause and live Christmas music just donÕt work for me. So even before he had a name, our new son Otto came to the rescue. We found out about him about a week before Christmas, and we figured out that with an August baby we would just be able to be performing again by December. So we tuned up our instruments on Christmas morning, and spent the whole week in the studio while the snow was falling around our old house in Maine, while we were well-rehearsed after a busy season of concerts. Here are 10 songs & 8 instrumentals (63 mins,) with our guitars, fiddle, autoharp, and a smattering of mandocello, mandolin, and lap steel. Most of them are classics, but we have dug up some lesser-known things and written a couple. We hope they help get you in the Holiday spirit. $16.95 + $2 shipping as always

THE SONGS
I Saw Three Ships ¥ Angels We Have Heard ¥ Christ Was Born In Bethlehem ¥ We Three Kings ¥ Pretty Paper ¥ Song Of The Magi ¥ Joy To The World ¥ Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem ¥ Little Town Of Bethlehem ¥ Merry Christmas Baby ¥ How Can I Keep From Singing¥ The First Noel ¥ First Christmas Away From Home ¥ Not Grieve The Dying Light ¥ Candlelight Carol ¥ Adeste Fidelis ¥ Winter Grace ¥ Away In A Manger

ORDER A "CHRISTMAS MORNING CD"

Sign of the Year... A chalkboard in Cambridge, Mass.

Our first family portrait, at age less than 5 minutes.

Born August 8, 2005. 7 lbs 12 oz of pure charm and muscle. HeÕs the joy of my life, and is happy and healthy and all is well. Otto seems to love music, but so far all we have written is a bunch of great poop songs I doubt we will record.

We spend too much time notifying too many people about too many things, so we never sent out a birth announcement because it was too much like work. So this is the first written notice. We found out about a week before Christmas that we were probably going to have a baby in early August, and it was this knowledge that gave us the energy to get up and record on Christmas morning. We had tried for the past 3 years to do some recording on Christmas and were never able to find sufficient motivation. It was all we could do to keep from naming the new album "What Child Is This?" Thanks, Otto. Otto is A Good Guy, and we are loving every minute of this parent thing. We are already sad to think he will leave us some day.

I could post about 200 baby pics of the little man, but these are just a sampling.

In the pot 9 days old... (Yes, literally.) He didnÕt complain.

Playing air guitar at the age of 8 weeks, or possibly shadow boxing. Trying the real thing at 11 weeks. Yes he can already pluck the strings and seems to delight in doing it. He can't even pick up his pacifier yet but he can whack a guitar string and make it play, and even has some rhythm. I'll drive the bus for his band.

And an extra pic (not in the paper newsletter) of the happy little guy in the tub, which he loves..

OttoÕs first stage appearance, at age 1 week he joined Joyce & me at the Inn on the Blues in York Beach, Maine. A sharp-eyed fan shot this and sent us the pic.

What's Next?

IÕm definitely going to print the TAB book (see front page) in '06, and if I make a new CD it will probably have a lot of blues & slide guitar on it. I have had the most requests for that. Sometimes I think I have made enough recordings, but I obviously have a problem and may not be able to stop.