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A firm believer in the principle that life is as much about what happens as where you're standing when it does, Doug's music reflects the perspective that living in 8 different states imparts upon a person. His songs contain vividly drawn characters from all walks of life and stories from ever changing viewpoints. His sound mixes bits of country, folk, rock and blues and the result is a modern Roots Americana sound. Doug plays the majority of the acoustic & electric guitars, bass, mandolin, lap steel guitar and Dobro.
Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Doug Schmude (Pronounced as to rhyme with moody) spent most of his formative years in Oklahoma and Texas. He honed his songwriting in the late 1990's while performing in and around Boulder, Colorado. In 2000, he relocated to Nashville to further develop his craft. While in Tennessee, he was nominated for several awards through his work with the acoustic blues duo Hot Foot Delta. Currently based out of Southern California, his music is littered with souvenirs of the places he has lived and seen. He has released 5 albums of original music with a 6th due out in Jan 2022.
I grew up in the 80s when there where was a lot of electronic music that wasn't really my thing. My older brother loaned me a bunch of old records and I was hooked. It was the riff on Black Dog by Led Zeppelin that inspired me to want to play the guitar. I'll never forget the feeling when I first learned how to play that riff. Not long after I got into folks like JJ Cale and Bob Dylan and I found my true passion for songwriting.
Find your voice and your sound and don't worry about trying to sound like anyone or anything. Then stick with that and follow it wherever it takes you musically. No one else can ever sound like you.
When a new idea for a song takes flight and starts to form. It's like pure magic. Beyond that, playing live and seeing other people play live.
I'm not a huge pedal guy since I predominately play acoustic guitar. For the acoustic the Headway EDB-2 HE is my got to DI. It sounds fantastic. When I play electric guitar (mostly a telecaster) I love my BearFoot FX Honeybee Overdrive.
When I am feeling stagnent, I pick up a different guitar or put one in a different tuning. If that fails, sometimes I need time away from the instrument to recharge. I never seem to stop writing and coming up with ideas, be they melodies, lyric ideas, concept ideas etc, even when taking a break from playing.
Tough question. My tastes seem to evolve constantly. Maybe not evolve, but just build upon each other. I'd say 10 years ago is was in to acts like Drive By Truckers and Wilco. Lately I've been into John Moreland, the Turnpike Troubadours and stuff like that. I'm not sure if anything has changed, I'm still into DBT and Wilco but have just been on a different kick lately. There is so much good music out there its overwhelming as a listener but inspiring as a musician.
Usually I'm playing an acoustic and I can tell a lot about an acoustic with a simple G Chord. And definitely with the D on the 2nd string (it just doesn't sound right with an open B, never has). I let that G wring out and I tell right away if a guitar has something special in it. It has all the right ingredients to tell you right away. Beyond that I usually mess around with some bluegrass or blues runs. I try to get a sense of the feel of an instrument. Guitars all seem to have a different feel and some just speak to you in a way that is hard to explain. But when you pick one up that does, you know it. I'll play them for a while if they are decent, but I always know if they are something as soon as I hit that G Chord.
I can only pick one!? Probably my 1947 Martin D18 or my Custom Wayne Henderson 12 Fret Acoustic. Or maybe my 1946 J45...or Maybe my Custom 12 Fret Judge Wolfe 000....I'm willing to admit I might possibly have a problem......
A vintage Gibson Roy Smeck. I love those guitars, I've only played a handful but never played a bad one. Magic in those guitars for sure!
I predominately play acoustic guitar live when doing solo shows. My primary acoustics for live performances are a Gibson J45 and a Martin HD28. I also play a lot of slide guitar on an old semi-rebuilt harmony flattop with a gold foil pickup in it. I use Rattlesnake guitar cables exclusively both live and in the studio. I have a couple of the snake weaves as well as a tweed and a few others. I prefer the snake head. Next on my list are trying out some Rattlesnake XLR Cables! I use a boatload of those in the studio.
Do you have to be a famous musician to be featured? No. Do you have to be a professional musician to be featured? No. Do you have passion about playing and gear -- oh and a verified Rattlesnake Cable Company cable user. Yes!
All you need to do is contact us and we'll direct you to our submission form. If your submission is approved, it will be in the queue to be showcased!
