Welcome to
Joplin & Sweeney Music

November 2008 Update~
I am going to have to start updating these pages a little more frequently but here's what's been happening recently. I am heavily involved in a project getting guitar lessons online with a team of engineers and marketers. Check it out when you can. We are at TotallyGuitars and I am shooting video lessons and posting TAB online to try to reach as many guitar players as we can. Be sure to check the Blog there for the latest information. More details very soon, I promise.

October 2007 Update~
We have finally gotten around to making CD-R copies of a couple of out-of print discs. Neil's 1st album, A Christmas Collection, and Hector Garcia's 1st album, Ecos Del Ande are now available.

July 2006 Update~
Neil has been a little pre-occupied with softball and his kids for the last few years and is having trouble putting much time into guitar playing. Hopefully these things will be balanced better soon. Until then, the latest on Elizabeth's health can be found here:
Lizzie's Story.

We are a micro-independent label specializing in acoustic guitar music. We have sound samples of all albums as well as guitar transcriptions to many of the recordings available. We are located in Los Gatos, California (on the fringes of Silicon Valley), and also have a teaching studio where we offer music lessons on acoustic and electric guitar, bass, violin and fiddle, banjo, mandolin, piano, and flute. Heck, we might even still have a lute teacher around here someplace. We are sizing down and mostly carrying albums by Neil Hogan, but we still have a few copies of discs by Hector Ivan Garcia and Jim Witzel.

A Few Years Old-

Neil Hogan "Cobble Creek"

"Cobble Creek" is Neil's fifth album and the second to exclusively feature his own compositions. The pieces are arranged in an order that might represent an accompaniment to your day.

As you come to the end of a good night's sleep, you slowly become aware of a pleasant dream you were having, possibly about yesterday's stroll through the woods. Cobble Creek starts with a gently rolling bass pattern and soon adds a simple melody on top.

After a few taps on the snooze bar you accept the fact that it's probably time to get up. A Little Jolt might be just what you need to roll that body out of bed.

Before you head out the door and tackle the world again, you have a little time to enjoy a quiet breakfast. Sometimes as I sit outside with coffee and watch the sunrise, I find myself daydreaming about other beautiful places I've visited. Montaña de Oro brings me back to one of the places.

Snapdragon has sections which represent some of the situations you might find upon arriving at work. That pile of junk on the desk, that you decided to leave for another day, is looming large. Sometimes things are just a little out of control. Other times you are right on top of the situation and feel great about it. Occasionally there are short stretches where not much is really happening.

Ahh...lunchtime. Maybe it's time for a trip to the amusement park for a cheese steak or a corn dog. As you hear the bouncy strains of ragtime in the background, Leapfrog Rag conjures up welcome images of a long gone era. Check behind the carousel and you might even find Henry Gondorf and Johnny Hooker working on their next escapade.

Does it ever seem to you that the clock runs slower in the afternoon? There have been times when I'm positive it's been 30 minutes since I last checked but somehow only 5 minutes have passed. Nevermore plods along in much the same manner.

Almost everyone finds themselves in some kind of rush hour now and then. The controlled chaos of A Slight Miscalculation is an attempt to capture the sounds and feelings associated with hectic times.

Back home for a little wine and cheese. Perhaps it's time to start planning that summer vacation. North Shore Bossa reminds me to keep Hawaii on the top of the list.

Just before you sit down for a candlelight dinner, you look through your music collection for just the right album. The King's Masque harkens back to an even longer gone era.

Time to settle down for a movie, There is nothing like a good Whodunit? to take your mind off your problems.

As you snuggle in for the night, On A Gentle Wind might be just the lullaby you need to send you off to dreamland again.

And of course still available...

Neil Hogan "On The Horizon"

"On The Horizon" is Neil's fourth album and the first to exclusively feature his own compositions. It was recorded over the summer of 1999 and includes many of the pieces he has been performing over the last 10 years.

There are bluesy ragtime pieces: Back To The Drawing Board, Blue Shoes, and Self-Serve Kiwi; quieter, introspective works, On The Horizon and Papa's Guitar; the semi-classical A Minor Gavotte and Three 1st Impressions; and even a duet with Neil's friend Rich Olson, Rico's Best Shot.