I’m excited to announce the release of my newest solo album “Driftless Blues”. This record was three years in the making, for a few different reasons. It’s all original and that always takes time; I started out recording in my home studio but my regular co-producer and band-mate Mark Haines was tied up with family and couldn’t help me, so I tackled ProTools myself; and I was applying new guitar techniques to my playing that took a long time for me to feel proficient in.
My solo style on this record leans more on country blues and the Piedmont style of fingerpicking, which is described as ‘alternate thumb’ picking ala Mississippi John Hurt or Merle Travis, throw in the thumb-thumping style of Big Bill Broonzy, some Chicago blues shuffles, and you’ve got an amalgam I call ‘Driftless Blues’.
Several former bandmates appear on the CD with me: Kristy Larson duets with me on a song; Frankie Lee plays harp on three songs; Tom McCarty from The Midwesterners appears on two tracks; Chris Hess (from Out Of The West) adds background vocals to a track; and Kenny Koeppler plays drums on three tracks (the CD was also mixed at his studio Sound Garden).
Lefty Joe, WVMO 98.7fm: “The new CD sounds great! I just had the chance to listen to the whole thing this morning, and I really enjoyed it. Very impressed by the breadth of songs and styles, and just the overall sound. Your country blues pickin’ is outtasite!”
You can purchase the digital album on this site, or it’s available on your favorite music platforms like Amazon, iTunes, Apple Music and more. We get more money if you order directly from us and want a physical CD (check or cash). $15 will get you the full “Driftless Blues" CD delivered to you with our thanks.
Richard Wiegel 518 W. Lakeside St. #2, Madison, WI 53715
Or pay with: Paypal.me/RichardWiegel
https://venmo.com/Richard-Wiegel-1
Latest News
Robert Schmidtke Rediscovered
Oct 16 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Richard Wiegel, 608-574-2241, richardinmad@mailbag.com
Or: Jim Wildeman, 608-873-1072, wildeman@chorus.net
https://www.youtube.com/@RobertSchmidtkeMusic-tk1nq
Robert Schmidtke Rediscovered
Madison Wisconsin, October 6th, 2023 — From the years 1967 to 1977, guitarist Robert “Bob” Schmidtke was at the pinnacle of the rock and blues scene in Madison, Wisconsin. He first left his mark in Mendelbaum, a quintessential local blues band who I saw at the Rendezvous Room at UW Platteville in 1967 where we both attended. (Part of our collection includes the only know recording of this band from 1967.) In the late 60’s, Mendelbaum (now without Bob) moved to San Francisco and two players, Chris Michie RIP (Lamb, The Pointer Sisters), and Keith Knudsen RIP (The Doobie Brothers) stayed and had successful careers. Bob stayed in Madison and during that time helped form local rock/political band The Tayles, then went onto Clicker and The Beans (both bands I performed in with Bob) before moving to Eugene Oregon in the late 70’s, where he played in a band called Crosstown Flyers that included Madisonians Rick Markstrom and Steve Ibach.
He moved back around 1980 and ventured onto a new course, playing the guitar-like 10-string Chapman Stick and synthesizer. From 1980 to 1984 Bob performed and wrote many interesting pieces on these instruments, but nothing was ever released. Then in late 1984 Bob’s life ended at the young age of 38 due to congenital heart disease.
35 or so years later, I put out an unreleased 1975 album by The Beans, and enlisted Jim Wildeman to do the artwork. Later on, perusing an article that Tom Kinney had written for Isthmus in 1985 about Bob, I learned of other works that were never released. So I again enlisted Jim to help put out “Dividing Ridge”, a 40 minute piece contemplating the Native American effigy mounds in Madison, that luckily Tom had a live recording of. Meanwhile, Bob’s long-time partner Susan Davies, saw some of this material on YouTube and contacted us with 10 more cassettes and a reel to reel tape of Bob’s music, and a small project turned into a behemoth. Most of the tapes have been digitized and made into videos by Jim and myself, and we created a Youtube Channel dedicated to these rediscovered works, and they are now available at:
Robert Schmidtke Rediscovered https://www.youtube.com/@RobertSchmidtkeMusic-tk1nq
More of Bob’s pieces are still to come, including “Five Lakes”, Bob’s musings on the lakes in the Madison area, and part 2 of Mendelbaum Live 1967. Very few musicians travel the landscape from blues to avant-garde, but Bob did, and now his contribution to Madison’s rich history of music will be preserved and can be enjoyed by all.
For more information contact: Richard Wiegel, 608-574-2241, richardinmad@mailbag.com
https://www.youtube.com/c/richardwiegelmusic https://www.TheMidwesterners.com
Or: Jim Wildeman, 608-873-1072, wildeman@chorus.net
https://www.youtube.com/@3dbyjimwildeman329
Driftless Blues
2026
Mostly solo guitar and vocals except for a track or two. The style of this record leans more on country blues and the Piedmont style of fingerpicking, which is described as 'alternate thumb' picking ala Mississippi John Hurt or Merle Travis, throw in the thumb-thumping style of Big Bill Broonzy, some Chicago blues shuffles, and you've got an amalgam called 'Driftless Blues'.