I am a musician and songwriter (primarily guitar and mandolin, but with amateur forays into banjo, fiddle, concertina, percussion and keyboard), jammer and jam host, recording engineer, producer, studio mole and occasional performer.

When I perform solo, I'm hank49. When friends accompany me, we're hank49 and Loose Canon. Loose Canon is an ever shifting assembly of fellow musicians including Tom Edwards, Mitch Prevatte, Brian Chaney, Kevin Chaney, Lena and Jason Redding, Bronson Shanahan, Robert Darlington and more.
NEWS   Added tracks! - "Big Ideas" and "Message From Tomorrow" have been updated with new harp and/or guitar parts contributed by Robert Darlington of Translator. Also, Bob's "Heart On My Sleeve" has been updated with new tracks and a new mix, recorded, mixed and mastered by hank49 at Witcraft Manor Studios.

Bob has also added some cool harp playing to Anniversary Dance, but I still need to remix and repost that one.
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Video at www.youtube.com/withank49 - hank49 and Lena Redding live at Owings Mills.
Do you play live?
I perform in and around Baltimore Maryland. Recently my favorite venues are the Gordon Center and The Unitarian Universalist Chuch of Fallston. But it once was The Cup coffeehouse in Belair, MD (since changed hands). I also like Huckleberry's in Abingdon, MD.

I usually get pretty good sound and audio recordings when I am in charge of the sound setup. I recorded a show at UU Fallston last December which yielded, after post production and some mastering, several very nice recordings of excellent local performers including Laurie Ballantine and Karen Oliver, as well as Hank49 and Loose Canon (yours truly).
How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?
The internet shows great promise in cutting out or at least minimizing the middle man role, best exemplified by the now waning record companies.

This allows a closer relationship between artist and listener and can help to assure that artists get nearly all of any money paid for their work. It's been a long time comin'.

If anyone is interested in licensing any of my work, please contact me via email.
Would you sign a record contract with a major label?
Sure, I'd consider it. Hopefully the day will come when such labels are obsolete but even now as technology continues to change the musical landscape, such contracts still have advantages.
Your influences?
Everyone and everything I have ever heard is an influence one way or the other.
Favorite spot?
Between the toes.
Equipment used:
Martin, Guild, and Taylor Acoustic guitars. Fender, Gibson and Guild electric guitars. Ovation acoustic bass; Ibanez electric bass. Fender and Rhaphsody and Michael Kelly mandolins; Honor concertina and Palatino fiddle.

Mackie and Yamaha mixing and Tascam recording eq along with Windows PC based recording and editing hardware and software.

ART, Lexicon, Behringer, Fishman, Digitech, Morley, BBE and Yamaha signal processors.

Crown power amp, Yamaha S115V speakers and Stagepass300 portable PA.
Anything else...?
Right hand, left hand, both ears, pineal gland when available, at least one foot, both sides of the brain and my voice, such that it is.
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A casual, yet neo-classical (albeit on steel strings) approach to a new song about my life in Baltimore.
A SoundClick #1 song
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For Sasha Shulgin, Albert Hofmann, and for their spirits. Hat's off in the temple, kids!
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This mix has a nice new harp part contributed by Robert Darlington of Translator - soundclick.com/robertdarlington
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Drop D e-string and nobody gets hurt.
A SoundClick Top 10 song
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'Great song written and performed by Robert Darlington of Translator(soundclick.com/robertdarlington) recorded/produced by hank49 at Witcraft Manor.
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Me, a young Finnish Lapphund border collie, a cloud of dust with a hearty 'Hiyo Silver', and another brilliant Autumn to be alive. Also in memory of Blizzard - Dog of the North, our great matriarch Finnie from yesteryear.
A SoundClick Top 100 song
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Another quick home studio 'everything you hear is me' take of my newest song. What's it about?
A SoundClick #1 song
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Let's get metasphysical, baby.
A SoundClick #1 song
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A rocker about leaving - leaving a normal life, leaving a lover for another, running away from home like a bored border collie, or bailing out on a belief system finally seen for what it is.
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This was recorded in a Nashville studio largely dedicated to producing quality demos. They did a great job arranging the song for the country genre. Later, I'll post the first rough mockup I did in my humble home studio.
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Recorded live by Witcraft Creative Services and Flying Olive Productions on April 1st, 2006 at the Cup Coffeehouse in Belair, MD. This one's a jump kind of folk romp, based on a true story. 'Best label is 'Insurgent Country' for this one!
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A Love song, pure and simple, from a very true story. One of my better lyrics, I think.
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Dulcimer, fiddle, madolin....anyone? This one will stay an instrumental.
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A Folk Blues with a 13th feel in the lower register utilizing the key's flatted fifth throughout. The bridge's chord movements are especially interesting. This particular take enjoys Robert Darlington (yes, of Translator!) on harp. Thanks, Bob!
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A love song about the girl next door. All tracks - Mike Redding.
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Another Witcraft Manor jam cut, this time from May of 2006 with John Seay, John O'Hara, Bob Darlington and Mike and Lena Redding.
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A nice progression with some interesting melodic parts or ideas.
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An acoustic fingerstyle instrumental piece inspired by the incomparable landscape of Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.
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You tell me? This uses some of the same finger positions as 'Now It's Comin' Back To Me' but in a much more transitory way. Here, especially the bridge, uses lots of open string positions in standard tuning, with some resulting dissonance
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A tune I've had for a while. Song and all tracks - Michael J. Redding. Two acoustic tracks, the vocal, a bass, an electric ('71 telecaster), a clumsy conga and a modest concertina solo.
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Nothing fancy, just direct - Played on guitar but suitable for piano, upright and a few strings too.