Karen Joy Brown: News

Now that the "Little Words" has officially been released, reviewed, and made available physically and digitally, I'm taking a moment to go back to school.

Really, I'm taking advantage of an involuntary work vacation to pay attention to some guitar instruction and practice even if it's just me and some online tutorials and an actual practice schedule. Since I've moved to my groovy new dowtown location, it's inspiring to sit in my lovely living room with hardwood floors and pluck away at my scales, hammer-ons, slides and bends.

My gospel choir education continues, and I feel my voice opening up and relaxing into some solo work that I always thought was in me.

I'm going to continue to push the album for reviews and maybe song licensing for TV/movies, and I've got some ideas for a jazz ensemble that I'm going to see if I can get in motion.

I'll let you know when I've got a new show coming up, but for now, back to school.....

You know that it takes a village to raise a child, but did you know an album needs that too? The idea behind the Clinton quote is that children benefit from a variety of input rather than the American lone-ranger-outpost approach to parenting.

My second album is a little bigger than the first in that it involves the band, and just like a growing child, it needs a lot more to eat. If you've come to a show, were there at the beginning Bean Scene days, played Fabulous Junkyard on repeat, or any such fan-like behavior, now's your chance to help KJB to the next level.

According to current calculations, we're looking at $3000 of recording and printing costs. Alone, I can't front that kind of cash to get the project started, but together, it's attainable.

The home page of this site has three options:

1. Donate: If you want to encourage the band to spend their weekends on this album endeavor "no strings attached", then donating is for you. I APPRECIATE THIS.

2. Pre-purchase: If you've been waiting two years for this next #$%^&* album, you probably want to buy it now. "A little guilt goes a long way" according to my old pastor, and I agree 100%. When I see those dollars piling up, you'd better believe I'll find a way to make this happen to assuage my pangs of post-protestant obligation.

3. Both:This no problem. We like.

Momentum is a powerful invisible force. Let's get it going village-style.

"Anything you do deeply is very lonely," muses Natalie Goldberg in, Wild Mind. The deeper I go into music, the more I understand the intensely personal nature of writing, and even performing. Bringing something of quality to the stage requires hours, months, and sometimes years of soul mining.

The paradox of my pending new album pairs the wilderness of self knowledge with the joy of collaboration and mutual comprehension. Songs brought to the surface after dark and breathless pearl diving have taken on dimension from the expertise of the Bona Fides bass and guitar work.

The next step invites further friendship by asking KJB fans, old and new, to contribute to bank of faith by pre-purchasing "Little Words". Many singer/songwriters engage their listeners in their recording ventures, and I see the value.

Alone, I can't front the money it takes to record and print the album, but pooling resources makes it possible, and a little less lonely to boot.

I'll keep you posted on the technicalities, but in the meantime, think about what friends you can invite into this process who would appreciate the music, and can stand a little anticipation.

I'm looking forward to witnessing the response of so many of you who have always encouraged me along the way. The experience will be richer for having accomplished it together.

I suppose the fact that I have four shows on the books casts doubt on the theme of "seclusion", but I feel it. I'm participating in normal life including work, cooking, visiting my sister in Portland, biking, running, etc., and it feels good. Although the recording of my second album slowly takes shape, I'm fighting the urge to "make it happen" just to prove that I've got it together.

Friends and fans have commented on a new quality in my vocals that I think comes in part from my intentional detachment from public relations. I've known for a long time that there was some professional development needed in the area of vocals and guitar, and I think that's happening thanks to things like gospel choir, and paying attention to some sloppy elements of my guitar work and doing the time consuming clean-up practice.

Maybe my fans will get tired of waiting and forget about me. Maybe I'll lose momentum and inspiration. These are risks I have to take. I like the feeling of calm and confidence I'm developing by taking this time off frantic booking and traveling, and frankly, I don't want to do the same coffee shop tour I did two summers ago.

I've changed, and I want this next round of recording and publicity to reflect that. I invite you to wait with me for the quality CD that I'll be selling, and if you're curious about the content, come by for a show the next time Karen Joy Brown and the Bona Fides are playing. I think you'll like what you hear.

I'm shocked at the criminal neglect of this journal, but aware of the reasons. It's taken alot to get settled and employed, but upon arriving to the anniversary of my departure to Spain last year, I think I've made some progress.

1. Karen Joy Brown and the Bona Fides: We've now played several gigs and a radio spot under the alias, and have developed a decent set. It's been a long time goal of mine to recruit wonderful musicians/people for a project and it's starting to gather momentum.

2. Adult ESL: I was sad to leave Spain with its abundant opportunity for language development. I only hoped I could find some local employment that would provide income and a link to further Spanish learning. Thankfully, that is the case, and although I have a serious commute, I get to work with remarkably motivated adult students that have taught me so much already. We can't help but throw in a gossip session in Spanish at some point each class, so it's really a two way street of language learning.

3. Gospel Choir: I started attending what I affectionately refer to as "vocal boot camp" last fall in the form of a small acapella choir for the local AME church. I couldn't pay enough for the training I'm receiving, and I love the ladies I get to spend two hours with every Monday night.

4. Daily Writing/Music practice:After years of trying to develop a practice of writing and music, I think I've stumbled upon a rhythm that works. I worked through "The Artist's Way" book at the beginning of the year, and it helped free me up to discover a way of tapping into the creatve flow and put the "play" back into playing music.

I hope to add a new recording to this list, but at the risk of sending fans into despair, I am letting that process develop at it's own speed. Every time I get together with the Bona Fides and practice or perform is a step closer to the new album. I think we have a special thing going, and I want the recording to capture the joy and just good old fun we feel when we play together. So hang in there, and test the saying "good things come to those who wait."

Toto? We're not in Kansas anymore. You really have come to the correct site if you're concerned. I decided to do a little spring cleaning, revamp the website, UPdate. Nothing like getting over a serious illness(I don't remember a lot of March due to viral meningitis) to inspire change.

Over the next few weeks you'll see some information on the bio about my new project, Karen Joy Brown and the Bona Fides. I'm finally enjoying the chance to work with some excellent musicians on a regular basis, and I'm slowly incorporating some band gigs into my regular solo routine. You're invited to stop by and hear the difference upright bass and some well placed lead guitar makes with my simple songs. It really does make them sparkle like the perfect setting for a gem. Heaven knows that some gaudy gold would make a tiny diamond look ridiculous, but an antique band would bring out its quaint beauty. That's just what this trio does with my music, so I'd be delighted to have you visit the big debut on April 25th at Cafe Coda.

Excuse me for disappearing off the map, but I’ve been getting situated back in Chico and figuring out where to go from here. If you followed my blog at all, you already know I had a wild ride in Spain, and hope to return for visits as much as possible, but am not looking to move there any time soon.

Big experiences change you slowly, like wine aging in a barrel. If you were to taste it early in the process you might spit it out, but in a few months or years, it’s a delicately layered, smooth cabernet. With that said, I’m moving forward with life knowing that a fine fermenting process is taking place somewhere inside me.

During the last five years I have hotly pursued some lifelong dreams and enjoyed moments that I didn’t believe possible like playing to a full house in the Sierra Nevada Taproom, or hiking my way across northern Spain with just a backpack and the kindness of strangers. What’s becoming clear in the face of these fulfillments is the need to constantly assess and revise those dreams in the light of real limitations and resources without losing faith.

So, I find myself in the precarious position of balancing the need to support myself with my desire and determination to expand my knowledge and experience as a performing songwriter. Lately that looks like substitute teaching while applying to a Master’s program to teach international languages. Meanwhile, I’m getting an incredible education singing in a local small acapella gospel choir and continuing to write songs and connect with other musicians however I can.

Like all songwriters, I live in a historical context that incites or inspires me. Bob Marley hoped to change the world bit by bit by bringing love and music as long as he could, and Marvin Gaye asked the quintessential question “What’s Going On?” in the midst of a troubling time of racial discrimination. Last week we elected our first black president and California voted in a constitutional amendment to curtail the civil rights of a minority group. I find myself moved to write about this typically American turn of events and hope that you all as fans will have space for me to explore the political as well as personal whether you agree with me or not. I hope that my singing, guitar playing, and powers of observation and poetry become more subtle and sophisticated rather than less as the years go by.

If you’re keeping up with KJB news, you’ve already heard rumors of my eminent departure to a foreign country. The most common response I hear when I lay out my plans is, “Of course you‘re going to Spain for a year! That makes perfect sense.” It is an equally abrupt and thoroughly predictable move.

It would be an understatement to describe the past several years of my personal life as tumultuous, and music has had me drive all over California to show after show. I’ve made a concerted effort to stay put since January in an attempt to get my affairs in order, as well as some clarity on the next step.

This evaluation process has revealed some realities that are unpleasant to face, but I am determined to make decisions based on things as they are rather than how I wish them to be. Truth be told, my eighteen year (I’m not kidding) residency in Chico that started as a grand adventure involving college, marriage, teaching, and finally music is like a glass of rich, complex, ruby-red wine that I have drunk down to the last drop. The bottle is empty, the buzz is fading, and it’s time to go to bed.

There’s a lawyer joke that goes something like, “What do you call a hundred lawyers on the bottom of the ocean?- A damn good start.” What’s happening for me and so many of my friends is exactly that- a damn good start. I’ve got girlfriends getting married, adopting babies, and creating beautiful, dignified lives after divorce. I sense the need to create something new for myself with the basic ingredients that I know inspire me. Even more, to surround myself with those things in abundance. More low-riding than white-knuckling every aspect of my life.

If you’re reading this blog, you know that no matter what I’m doing, music and writing will be a part of it. I would be delighted to keep in contact with all of you friends and fans while I’m overseas via blog, email, photos, etc. Dialogue that springs from these mediums has continually encouraged, inspired, and challenged me and I’ve come to rely on it. Please keep coming back, and wish me a buen viaje.

I'm always busy aquiring new fans, and this week is no different. I'm currently working on my "Fans Under Four" subgroup, meaning under four years of age or four feet. I got to sing to and with the fine kids of Room 22, and it was about as much fun as any concert as we all belted out a chorus of "Home on the Range" and "Darling Clementine". In case any of these smart and funny little second graders read this message.....Hasta el almuerzo!

Thursday was just one of those rough days for no apparent reason other than the fact that it was cold, rainy, and that put a lot of people in bad humor. I was substitute teaching as usual, except that I had none of the usual patience for high school attitudes from kids I’m being paid to teach.

I knew I had a show, and call me strange, but I like to start off feeling confident and sassy when I’m playing my original music to a crowd of people. That wasn’t going to happen, so I had to put on my game face, and wait for the actual moments on stage to transport me outside of my self-perpetuated, introspective gloom.

As usual, I wasn’t disappointed, and seeing my beautiful comrades, Marquesa and Robin, when I arrived lifted my spirit a bit. We had worked hard to prepare this event, and I certainly didn’t want to curse it with my unfounded malaise.

If you didn’t make it to this show, you really missed one of the most widely attended Coda events I’ve ever played. Standing room only was the theme of the night, and the crowd was alternately rowdy and attentive.

I’m proud to say that the three of us as well as the backing bands played some excellent sets. Once again I found myself musing over what an honor it was to be playing with the cream of Chico’s music crop. Of course there are many other mountains to scale, but it’s a good policy to enjoy the view along the way.

Check out some of the incredible pictures taken by Alpine (of Alpine Photography) at www.alpine.myphotoalbum.com. This is the same talented guy, also a local R&B/gospel singer deluxe, who took some great shots at my CD release party last April.

Plans are in the works for more collaboration that I’m excited to be a part of, so see you there next time!

Happy holidays, folks. I'm enjoying a glass of wine(or two) this Christmas Eve before I head down to the bay area for some family fun.

Maybe it's the wine, but I'd like to give away my favorite song from my new album, Fabulous Junkyard, called "Thinking of You" at www.myspace.com/karenjoybrownmusic
The holidays are a beautiful time that mysteriously make us feel wonderfully together and terribly lonely. This song embodies both musically and lyrically the tenderness and connection we all feel with those we love, and reminds us that even the act of thinking of one another links us in ways we can't fully understand.

You'll be able to download "Thinking of You" for the next couple of days, and then the window of opportunity closes. After that, you'll have to visit iTunes at
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=254484413&s=143441
Merry Christmas, and remember that I'm thinking of you.

Karen

Trying to write a look-at-all-I’ve-accomplished blog entry in the midst of some holiday melancholy makes things interesting. While it’s too true that I:

1.Recorded and released my first album, Fabulous Junkyard.
2.Got nominated for Best Acoustic/Folk act for Chico Area Music CAMMIE awards.
3.Received a special mention for my poem, “Let Love Fall” the News & Reviews first annual poetry contest.
4.Completed a round of touring with some delightful bands this summer and fall.
5.Played my first out of state show in Ashland.

It’s also true that I:
1.Filed for divorce.
2.Moved out on my own for the first time in my adult life.
3.Tried dating for the first time since I was fifteen.
4.Felt the thrill and fear of supporting myself financially via substitute teaching and music gigs.
5.Faced the fact that I’m thirty-fucking-five years old and trying to build a career and a decent concept of a loving relationship from scratch.

Well then. What’s next?

Here’s what I’m thinking. I’m not the type of girl who can politely take a sip and then say, “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly. Goodness gracious, little old me?” So, now that I’ve taken the plunge I’m going to try to play with a little strategy, a bit of finesse rather than the blindfolded pinata swings I’m so darn good at. Don’t let looks deceive you when for the next six months I forsake a NoDoze tour/work schedule for a more subtle approach. I plan to:

1.Submit some of the best songs I already have recorded to song contests, TV, and film opportunities.
2.Go after getting my stuff on some more internet stations like Pandora.
3.Get my press kit together so I’m well prepared for the next round of summer/fall touring.
4.Work with other local musicians for possible band/ensemble shows, recording possibilities, and just for the joy of it.
5.Record a single I’m really proud of.
6.So much more……
Thanks to all who have supported me musically and personally this past year. I can only hope that this next one will bring a little less relational tragedy and more healing and hope than we know what to do with. In fact, I invite enough love and success to make us all feel downright uncomfortable.

The Chico News&Review caught my eye the other week when I noticed that they decided to follow up the ever-popular "Fiction 59" contest with one designed specifically for lyrical writers.

Several friends made me quite proud this year when they entered their fiction and won third place as well as a few honorable mentions the first time they ever submitted material. I figure I can at least give it a shot.

Of course, here I am painfully choosing only THREE of my poems(read:children) while the rest gaze wistfully at me as I press "send" only hours before the deadline.

Having tracked Fiction 59 entries over many years, I have a pretty good idea of the quality and content required and appreciated for that particular milieu. Not so for the new game, so I suppose I'll just have to wait until the November 15th issue to see what kind of verse and meter make the cut.

Here are the three I entered:

#1
The Future is Quiet

You speak of Europe, house projects,
and San Francisco
animated and hopefully.

There is no
echo
to confirm these great ideas.

Only muffled, muted
sadness.

#2
Transparent

Everything I see
at home
is becoming
transparent.

Like living inside a
memory
that is the
present.

It seems I
could pass my
hand right through the
coffee table
and our conversation
is as familiar
as lines from an
old movie.

Why do I feel
compelled to keep
watching
though I know
exactly how it
ends?

#3
Let Love Fall

Let love fall like
tiny
white
petals
of spring.

Holy snow that won't
melt.

Cover the asphalt
in a carpet fit for
kings
so
commoners
like us can tread
barefoot
on this living
kindness.

I am about to experience two consecutive days off at the same time many other citizens are experiencing this phenomenon- Saturday and Sunday.

There are no official gigs(except for a possible sit in at Bidwell Perk with Dave, Matt, and Becky on Sunday), and no SAT tests to proctor.

What's a girl to do?

I'm thinking about:
1. Finding a good book in which to lose myself.
2. Enjoying the delightful combination of a Sierra Nevada Octoberfest and a shot of Jameson. Again.
3. Getting some delicious produce at the Farmers Market.
4. Taking a hike.
5. Doing whatever I damn well please.

Sing the title of this blog entry to "Jackson" and you'll get the feel of the tour this last weekend. I was pleasantly immersed in the old school country/americana feel of the various band/solo/duo configurations of Ashland's own One Horse Shy. They played songs full of wisdom and wit set to beautiful finger/flat picking and toe-tapping rhythms that could make you get up and dance, laugh, and cry at the same time.

As if such a delightful discovery wasn't enough, Garth Michael McDermott and the Fingerprints rolled into town to fill the Jefferson State Pub stage with some incredibly well crafted acoustic pop/rock played with passion and precision. I felt like I was in an exalted school of rock classroom, and I was hoping to get some serious detention.

Sunday night didn't let up when I finally got to hear the solo work of One Horse Shy's bassist, Mysha Caruso. This seemingly soft-spoken guy enchanted the audience with his poetic lyrics punctuated with Dylanesque harmonica and guitar.

I feel quite tired and quite enriched after an incredible weekend of inspirational music and conversation, and can't wait for our next shows together. Especially when I get to introduce Chico to these people at our October Cafe Coda show!

Today marks the first time I'll go out of town; out of state even, to open for some like-minded musicians. I can't decide if I'm more excited to play music in an artistic town I've always wanted to visit, or to meet the talented and friendly songwriters who invited me to come along for the ride.

Four shows in three days will make things move fast, but I hope to get a bit of a feel for the lovely town of Ashland, Oregon that I've heard so much about.

Be sure to check in again with this news section or my myspace blog in the next few days to find out what kind of crazy adventures ensue when you drive to another state to play music with people you've never met except through cyber space.

Paulo Cohelho's novel The Alquimist tells the story of a young Spanish
shepherd who leaves his flock in search of a treasure he saw in a dream.
His search takes him on a physical and spiritual journey across the
deserts of Egypt. While traveling across the desert, he learns to adapt
and learn from the silence and vastness that surrounds him.

Creativity and understanding require silence for life's experiences to
develop and take shape. As a songwriter, I'm becoming more and more
familiar with the feeling of thoughts and ideas stirring and kicking
inside me. Although I perceive those signs of life, I'm also starting to
sense when those ideas are ready to see the light of day.

Here are some lyrics to a song that recently came to be through that
process, but requires further practice to be able to pull off in a show.

Wish Me Well

I didn't want to be just another broken heart
Never thought I would see my story on a statistics chart

But tonight, I'm alone
And tonight, I know you're at home

I cannot imagine what you are feeling now
and you can't even fathom, cannot understand how

tonight, you could, turn down the heat in this hell
if tonight, you would, just wish me well

Now I'm spending my days work to pay the rent and spinning stories
Up 'till three am smoking cigarettes, going from glory to glory

Maybe tonight, another shooting star
baby tonight, I'm going to see how far

Yes, tonight, I'm going to live to tell
tonight, the world is wishing us well


Tonight, I wish you well

As usual, I get on board with trends about five or ten years after they become popular. I therefore faithfully report that I’ll be starting up a daily blog that will be posted on both myspace and the KJB website.

The inspiration arrives via various channels, one of which includes my musical endeavors. The music industry had changed, and it’s no longer a question of being discovered by a label, but about directly reaching and cultivating fans. I want a place for those fans to connect where there will always be some new tidbit awaiting. Another reason involves a phrase, “An unexamined life isn’t a life worth living,” that I heard somewhere and has stuck with me.

I find myself at a very strange point in life where I’ll admit that I’m lonely, damn it. My songbird’s mind is always musing about something and I need a place to put my thoughts other than their mad orbit inside my mind.

Some say that loneliness is the result of purposeful or unintended estrangement from friends. Many of the wise have declared it the basic human condition. I think it’s most likely both, but no matter the reason, it’s a common painful experience that can be slightly soothed by knowing someone else understands.

Some of the stuff in this blog may not be appropriate for those without the taste for such emotional pornography. Those people would rather keep that kind of intimacy and exposure behind a closed door and most certainly not mentioned at the dinner table. Anyone who’s listened to my music, or spent five minutes with me ought to understand that I’m not in that camp.

Today is the first installment, and I’m delighted and honored to share my naked attempts at living a mindful, free, and passionate life where I say and do what I mean, and reap all the wonderful benefits and consequences of my risks.

I'll be at Monk's tomorrow at 9pm for the second time this summer. Looks like I'll be able to round up guitar guru Dave Elke for a few songs after his 6-9pm gig at Johnnie's. Who says musicians aren't hard working? We've got some arrangements for Goodbye My Beautiful Ocean, Gathering, Song Bird, and more that are worth staying up a little late for.

Speaking of hard working and staying up late, it's going to be a busy fall for me between some serious substitute teaching and traveling gigs.

I'll be heading up to Ashland for a three day weekend of four different shows in September to team up with a really fine band from the area called One Horse Shy(www.onehorseshy.net) We'll be mixing it up with show openers, whole band shows, and singer/songwriter in the round presentations. I've been wanting to get connected like this for some time, and I think my grateful heart is going to make for some good music.

Who says you have to be playing the Greek Theater to have an after party? One of the reasons I do what I do is because I love the rock and roll lifestyle. Allow me to clarify.

I love playing music, talking to people about music, meeting new people all around Northern California and finding connection even in our differences. When you take all that and combine it with some good friends, good beer, and tunes from the juke box at the midnight hour you’ve got magic.

That’s what I’m looking for and what I’m offering when I go out on tour. Music has always been about heart connection whether it was the worship songs at church, Duran Duran alone in my room, or my guitar and voice serenading the lone woman with her glass of wine listening with eyes closed.

So far the weekend has been full of good times. First St. Café was packed and people were doing their summertime job of having a good time very well. I had a first winner of a CD giveaway contest where a guy named Cody recognized the guitar solo I vocalize during “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”. I met some Chico people who just happened to be visiting a friend in Benicia that night, and got to hang out with both my sisters.

Saturday night brought the unexpected pleasure of sharing a show with my San Jose singer/songwriter friend Alesandra Valenzuela. The whole thing evolved into a sing along, pub-like experience ending with an impromptu duet of U2’s “With or Without You”. What else could we all do but head over to downtown Saratoga at my favorite bay area bar, “The Bank”. Friends and fans stayed late catching each other up on life circumstances and choosing the perfect late night songs from the juke box like Alesandra’s crowd pleasing choice of Van Halen’s “Jump”, and my insistence on old school Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You”.

Let’s see what other pleasures await as I head over to Santana Row for a 4-7pm outdoor show and stop by Sacramento’s infamous Fox &Goose Monday night for a feature spot of the open mic. Let ‘em roll.

When you're broke, a few dollars make you feel loaded, and hunger makes the best sauce as the saying goes. The beginning of this year had me running around in teacher mode most of the time which left me feeling a bit musically bereft. So, this weekend really felt like money in the bank.

Friday night filled me up with some jazz/rock/fusion bliss by local kick-ass trio Bright Size. Saturday unexpectedly whisked me off to the High Sierra Music festival where I was blown away by powerhouse singer/guitar goddess Carolyn Wonderland, old school bluegrass king Del McCoury, and the creepy funkiness of Les Claypool from Primus.

As if all of that weren't enough, I had to haul myself out of bed on Sunday morning to bring my own music to the Spiritual Enrichment Center here in Chico. I was hoping just to perform my couple of songs with as much soul as one can expect before noon without coffee and was kindly surprised by the turn of events.

My songs met with thunderous applause and even a standing ovation at the second service! People enthusiastically expressed their delight, bought cds, and demanded to know where I would be playing next.

What a privilege to be part of the give and take of the spiritual/carnal riches of music.

Things heat up in July with a couple of Thursday Night Market gigs on the 5th and 17th. You'll find me next to the squash and tomatoes trying to hold on to my guitar as sweat drips down my neck. If this sounds like the beginning of some sort of twisted fantasty, feel free to stop by and check it out as long as it ends with a little cash in the tip jar....

After that, I'll be driving around the North State with a beloved First St. Cafe gig on the 13th, Frescaroma in SJ on the 14th, and then a little open air gig on Santana Row Sunday afternoon. Later that week I'll be in Modesto for a first time gig at Queen Bean Coffee.

The end of the month combines business and pleasure when I play at the Headlands Coffeehouse in Fort Bragg. That makes for the second time I get to commune with the ocean after an impromptu visit to Cambria at the end of June's boggled tour week.

Check back to the calendar for more updates.....

I cruised into Sebastopol in a rental car due to a mid-week tour car catastrophe yesterday afternoon. The name of this pub expresses perfectly the feeling you get as you walk in; like you've discovered something that might get you to the end of the game and maybe even come out on top.

It's got a great little outdoor seating area where families, post-work drinkers, and bikers all come together over a fine brew. I simply plugged my guitar into their sound system and settled into a three hour musical mystery tour.

The crowd was so responsive and warm that I knew I had to come back to this laid back almost costal community.

I talked to professors, fathers recently gifted with 12 string Taylors, and ladies who understood what I meant when I asked, "Who was your favorite Monkee?'

Who wants to get dealt in to my next trip?

As I approached dowtown Willow Glen for the show last night I knew something was up. Scores of people were walking the streets(this is the bay area- people don't walk), and the streets were closed off.

Well, how does one haul 50 pound speakers from an illegal parking spot for a block? One just does. After about 45 minutes of weight lifting and deciding to park in front of some dumpsters the show began.

Right outside the window was a platform with an eight piece band playing and people dancing in the streets. Soooooo, I just turned up the speakers and avoided the heart-touching slow songs and let 'em have it.

More people got a chance to hear my music than a normal night, and people respected me for "the show must go on" mentality.

To top of the disaster to delight scenario, my high school pal who taught me guitar, Rich Ajlouny comes in with his old band mate and music collaborator Mr. David! I even got them to get up and do some songs for the appreciative female audience that suddenly developed when they took the stage. Check these guys and their extremely creative and joyful approach to their many musical projects: www.myspace.com/richajilouny, and www.myspace.com/mrdavidmusicworks

If you can't make it to Europe this weekend, head over to Monsieur Beans at 8pm tonight in Willow Glen, or Frescaroma on Sunday at 3pm. I'm packing up my gear as soon as I finish this, and voila-I'll be on my way.