Aug 2004

Hello hello. well, it has been brought to my attention that i should organize these by date as opposed to entry numbers. so, from now on, that's what it will be. im sitting in the studio - we just finished mixing "not coming back again", a new song for the new EP. At least i think we're done mixing. now we burn it to CD and go listen to it in the car, on the stereo, on the computer, in the IPOD, through headphones and just about any other device we can get our hands on. The EP itself is almost done and im very excited for you all to hear it. outside of our little bubble in studio land very few people have heard it!I want to send a quick shout out to all the folks at smithbridge (aug 13) winery - it was a great outdoor, picnic basket, lawnchair sittin', wine drinkin' place. after that the drive down to charlottesville was a little rough. i was in my little rental car heading south on 95 while the remains of hurricane charlie was cruising UP 95. but the little rental car hung in there and we soon turned west and made it to charlottesville with time to spare. the show went well and it was great to see a return from folks who were at the Los Lonely Boy show in june!! back to mixing..
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New Entry 004
ok.so its been some time since i wrote an entry. its not that i haven't thought of it. excuses excuses. anyway, to answer some questions right off the top, the tour with Los Lonely Boys was amazing. I was fortunate to join them for a bunch of shows in June and i think they were just beginning to really see the return on all of their hard work (and a hit single getting radio play all over the place). the venues were fantastic and the shows were sold out - my favorite venue may have been the NORVA. the stage was beautiful with amazing sound and gracious personel waiting to help with even the slightest things. the crowd was enthusiastic and just giving energy right back to me on the stage. i think the funniest moment was when i walked off stage after my set and a backstage hand was waiting for me with a bottle of water and a towel. i was so surprised that i didn't know what to do. do i take the towel and wipe my face and give him back the sweaty towel? - that's kinda gross.. or should i take the towel and put it round my shoulders like the boxers do? i wasn't sweating THAT much! i think in the end i just grabbed the towel with one hand and held it awile.. by the time i was off the stage there was lots of rushing around to do so i eventually lost track of it. meanwhile, upstairs in the dressing rooms there was a hot tub, showers, tv room with plush leather couches, a full spread food, snacks, drinks - you name it. As for the boys themselves, i can't say enough about how much respect i have for what they are doing. the video on VH1 and all the tv shows are great.. but seeing them live is special. that is what they do, who they are. i loved every minute of it. the chance to play these great venues to great crowds and to have the support of the Los Lonely Boys crew was more than i could ask for. special thanks go to Ish, Toga and Russ. Atlanta! i hadn't been to atlanta in some time - it was great to be going back and the night at the Red Light Cafe was set up to be GREAT! The bill was Emily Kate Boyd opening the show, I had never met emily but she came highly recommended and did not dissapoint! She has a beautiful voice and a great guitar style - go see her if you can. then a special guest set by the ever so talented Michelle Malone - who floated ontu the stage and ripped it up playing a handful of acoustic songs - she's playing slide and southern swamp better than anyone these days.. and then me. I was really excited for this show since it was my first opportunity to play with a good friend, the lovely and talented, Linda Bolley on drums. The show itself was pretty lighthearted. i was having so much fun with linda - seeing as how we barely rehearsed - it was just sort of a free-for-all.. but she's so good that it didn't matter. i love shows like this. it feels more like a party than a show. and it also makes every song different than ths usual interpretation since we are playing off of each other. i loved it. can you tell? Linda is currently out on the road with Michelle Malone so if you want to be moved by some rockin grace and southern charn- check them out. michellemalone.comspeaking of drummers..I have started playing as a duo again. there is something about the duo shows with a drummer that i just love.when i stopped playing with a full band - long ago - i still played as a dou as often as possible for a long time - it was the hardest part to give up.. but eventually i had to in order to get out and play as often as i wanted to. however, over the past few months i have started to cross that line again. ive been plowing away solo for so long that part of me just likes the company on stage. also, it seems that the newer material really stands out with a strong rhythm behind it. even just a kick drum raises the effect of a guitar line into a swampy foot stomping feel. i love it. ive been fortunate to play with great great drummers and the bonus is that they have all become good friends and strong holds in different cities. since there hasn't been one steady person on the road it has been a wild experience playing with so many different and talented people. It has really kept me on my toes as a player. whoever is in the drum chair has such a large part in creating the stage atmosphere. it really makes every show very different and unique. the songs may be the same night after night, but each player adds his/her own flavor to it. endings, beginnings, middles, overall feel, energy - all of that can change from one to the next. I'm having a hard time going back to solo shows now that ive started to really get a taste of where the duo shows can go. the whole range of emotion is so much greater when there is someone else contributing sound. it also lets me sit back a bit and add a space to my playing - i don't feel like i have to carry every second of every song.. its nice nice nice. To name a few of them, linda (who i mentioned above) who joined me in atlanta, Ethan Eubanks in NYC -(who also appears on the upcoming EP), my July show at the Iota was with Jesse Lundy (from PA) and my most recent texas shows were with Nina Singh.

F9/11

i hope everyone has seen michael moore's film. i suppose even if you haven't seen it, my point is that regardless of your political views, i hope that there is enough momentum to get everyone to feel strongly enough about what is happening in our government to get educated. if you hated the film then find out the facts for yourself and if you loved the film, still try and find out the facts. i don't think we should blindly accept what moore's film is telling us any more than we should accept what the bush administration is telling us. i think in today's society the hardest thing to do is to sift through the crap and get to what is real. i don't know if it can ever be done but i think now more than ever we need to educate ourselves and be aware of decisions that are being made. i know by talking with all of you that this election is quite possibly the most important election of our time. i am frightened when i think of changes to the constitution, im frightend by the world view of americans and i can't for the life of me understand how its possible that we still live in a society where oil is a necessity - please read what you can, ask questions and vote.website ive been reading: loveisloveislove.comthats all for now.