Oh Baby! CD launch Concert

I have been working on a new cd to be released under the name Rainbow Songs. The cd is called “Oh Baby” and will be released at a shindig to be held at Lula Lounge:


The concert will feature the kids music Rock’n'Rainbow and is sure to be a blast for all!

Mike Whitla recordings now on itunes!!

OK so the LP is never coming back!! So. . .  I guess I better get with the times. I recently submitted all my recordings to be available for digital download. You can now get my recordings at:

itunes You will need to download their software to use itunes

I also have a brand new cd coming out which you can hear samples from here: The CD is called “OH Baby!” and there is a cd launch concert planned for July 19th at 2:00 at Toronto’s Lula Lounge. If you want tickets for the show click here:

Lap Steel Guitar string gauges

So I bought a Lap Steel Guitar. I am loving playing it. If anybody else is new this information can be useful. The most common tuning is C6 tuning which is lowest to highest:

C E G A C E

These pitches are not of course the standard guitar tuning of E A D G B E so it is recommended to use strings that are of different gauges. Here was what I was told would work

C .036
E .029 or .030
G .023 or .024
A .022
C .017 or .018
E .014 or .015

If you are playing 8 string you can add a G .048 below and a G above .012
Hope this helps any other new Lap Steel players!! Keep on pickin.

First time in mexico

My family just got back from 2 weeks in Manzanillo, Mexico. We had a very pleasant stay and the resort we stayed at was really top notch. When we were there limes were available at each meal. I love limes. I love sqeezing them on fish, papaya, watermelon, beans, guacamole and all kinds of other things. After squeezing may pieces of limes I realized that all the limes that were presented in the dining room were from the outer two thrids of the lime.

Imagine a lime sliced into three part so you are left with two smaller ends and a piece in the middle that has a ring of peel around the edge. The small end pieces are a cup of peel with some lime inside. Perfect for squeezing the juice from. Where were these other larger more difficult to sqeeze middle middle pieces?

So I asked a waiter where these middle pieces where. He explainded that they throw these pieces in the garbage.

“Really” I asked, “What a waste.”

He said other places he worked at used these unloved middle pieces of lime to make lemonade. This to me seems more sensible.

Shake it Baby Shake it

Ok it has been forever since I have posted anything. Life gets busy!!

Here is a video of Rock’n'Rainbow performing at the Rainbow Songs Foundation Launch.

Make sure to click HQ option in the bottom right corner. » Read more…