It’s becoming apparent: if you sing and have any amount of musical taste, you’ll probably want Jon Rauhouse backing you up on guitar. Which begs the question: does this guy ever slow down? The answer is apparently not.

“Hawaiian Guitar Expedition” is what happens when Rauhouse decides to take a “vacation.” Shirking the aforementioned responsibilities, holed up in a tiny cabin on the Northwest corner of Washington State and goofing off with some music pals, the guitar maestro puts a proverbial grass skirt around a half-dozen new instrumentals. From the John Fahey-goes-to-a-luau inspired “Dusty Canal” to the introspective “Jen’s Tenor,” to the otherworldly “Sweet for Hawaiian Guitar & Saw,” this is music-making at its finest. Rauhouse flavors the rest of this disc with some of his best-loved tracks from his solo recordings. The result? Pure instrumental bliss. No, not the John Tesh/Zamfir kind, the good, pass-me-a-mai-tai kind.
Jason Verlinde of Seattle

Track List

1. Million Dollar Mermaid
2. Dusty Canal
3. Hula Blues
4. Jen’s Tenor
5. Homie’s Parade
6. Sweet for Hawaiian Guitar & Saw
7. Hamma Hamma Hula
8. Swingin’ Elephant Graveyard
9. Blue Grouse
10. Moa Lei’ a ‘i
11. Desert Luau
12. Aloha’oe

• Songs #1,3,5 appeared previously on Jon Rauhouse’s Steel Guitar Air Show
• Songs #7,8,10 appeared previously on Jon Rauhouse’s Steel Guitar Rodeo
• Song #2 Appeared previously as a hidden track on 2 Hours From Anywhere

Here’s a video JR sent me of himself with Norm Pratt on a show called “Backstage Pass” way back in 1984.

Also up on YouTube is the video of Jon with Billy Bragg and Diona Davies performing Lowell George’s song “Willin’” at SxSW 2006.

Color Blind was recorded, mixed, and enineered by Norm at his studio, “the Adobe” in Cave Creek, Arizona. It features Norm on guitar, mandolin, piano, bass, and vocals.

Joined once again with Jon Rauhouse on pedal steel, Color Blind, also features long time Arizona favorites Bob Meighan and Dick Furlow of The Bob Meighan Band.

Available from Perfect Circle Records (which Norm co-founded), you can also download some MP3 samples from the disc to check it out – Perfect Circle Records