From the stage after the first handful of songs: "I mean, after a whole year of happy upbeat shows, I think I was due for one of these."

I don't need to explain, but I will. Sometimes, the songs fly by, and all is good. Other times, the songs have a bigger effect on me than I'd like them to - I'm supposed to be the one in charge - and I'm right back where I was when I first wrote them. That's what happened last night, during the first verse of the first song. I lost my place, and when I came to, I was in a completely different place. For the audience, I suspect they have no idea. I'm standing in the same spot, doing roughly what's expected of me. How different could it be? A world of different.

That's the beauty and the tragedy of music. It makes us feel, it speaks to us, it takes us to places we've never been, and sometimes, places we'd rather not return. Kristin talks about a similar experience on her blog. It was great to see her perform twice this month. We've known each other for 15 years, and our lives have some commonality beyond the obvious. We've worked together, recorded a song together, and shared a lot of personal time and space. My thoughts are with Kristin, Billy, the boys, and the rest of the family; I know everything will be fine. Different, maybe, but fine. We can lose a lot, but still have more than we know.

- - - - - - - - - -

Thanks to Amy and Rich for helping out. It was so nice to hear the Workbook songs with cello - again. Thanks to everyone who came to the show last night, and to one person in particular (who I don't think reads this blog). And, more thanks to Clickboo for his kind words about the show. It was nice to be surrounded by friends and family last night. It means a lot to me.

I'm fairly certain this weekend's shows will be solo electric. No guest triangle players.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend, and that travel was not an issue for any of you. There's few things more irritating than getting twisted around in the air travel system, or queueing up somewhere on the Jersey turnpike.

Wednesday night and Thursday day, working in the studio. Thursday afternoon and evening was spent celebrating with friends. A big ol' traditional spread: turkey, stuffing, cranberries, mac'n'cheese, corn, green bean casserole, coupla homemade pies. I thought about bringing tangy string beans, but decided against it - figuring someone would make the traditional casserole. My contribution was a green salad with homemade dressing. People liked it! We all watched a very funny movie, and I went with two containers of leftovers. A very enjoyable time.

Friday's show in Annapolis was OK. Lots of buds came by, which made for a fun social atmosphere. The 12 string was in full trouble mode, slipping in and out of tune every 5 minutes. No one seemed to be as bothered as I was by the tuning problems; more than the slightly sour sound, I guess it's my awareness that something is amiss, which keeps me from getting "in the zone". Fortunately, the second half of the show was effortless; the blue Strat rarely gives me trouble. All's well that ends well.

Saturday was a pleasant and sunny day. More studio, a decent workout (I am ballooning up this weekend), and long walk through town. All but one of the Turkey Day gang reconvened for The Dinner: Part 2. Another movie, and back to bed.

Sunday, some time with friends, more studio, and Survivor Series. It was not a very good pay-per-view. However, here's a great article about wrestling - I "marked out" while reading it. It captures the essence of how I view professional wrestling. You can order the Kobashi v Samoa Joe match here (my DVD should be arriving later today). Pictures: one , two , three , four , five. It's likely to be voted Match Of The Year.

- - - - - - - - - -

I'm getting ready for my season finale. Tuesday is the home town show (with special guests), Friday is Philly, Saturday is Brooklyn, BLOWOFF on the 10th, and the performances for 2005 are over.

- - - - - - - - - -

All the snippy things I've said about Madonna: I need to temper them. I've been listening to the new album this weekend, and it's pretty good. Not so much the words - no great revelations. The music is darn good, though. Stuart Price is a very talented chap. I've been a fan of all his different projects, Zoot Woman in particular.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I have a lot to be thankful for this year. I have been blessed with good health, a rewarding career, and a select group of understanding and supportive friends. It's important to count your blessings, and to remind others around you of their good fortune, and how much you care about them. Sometimes we are so busy, trying to keep things afloat, we forget how lucky we are. This has been a tough year for many, with all the natural and man-made disasters that have affected the citizens of our country.

I'll be spending Thanksgiving as a guest of good neighborhood friends. Typically, I host a big feast, but most of my usual guests are out of town. It all works out great. Friday, I'm heading over to Annapolis. The weekend will be quiet, which is welcome. Tuesday, I'm performing at the Birchmere in Alexandria. Next weekend, I'm in Philly and Brooklyn. Have a safe weekend.

Made it home safely last night. A beautiful driving day from OH to DC. The mountains were gorgeous, the windows were down, and all is good. The last shows in Louisville and Columbus were good. I went out with a Columbus friend after the show, and was astonished at the amount of redevelopment in the downtown area and adjacent neighborhoods. It looks like it could be a fun place to live. Lots of energy.

So I get home, and I come across this story. I had a link to the WaPo article, but this is noteworthy.

“See, I found out that the rent is gonna be so high that only the rich homosexuals and lesbians will be able to buy this condominium,” she told the congregation, the Post reported.

The times they are changing. Not.

Hopefully, this new policy at WWE will be a change for the better. Unlike the music business, it's not recreational drugs that are the worry; these guys are in extreme and constant pain. I used to see guys laying in pain on the floor all day, then get lifted up by the other boys so they could go out there for 6 minutes and bump around. There's nothing fake about it. I hope this new policy helps to curb the abuse. A longer view on the policy.

A buddy of mine tagged me with a meme. I'll work on it.

My iTunes remix page. Enjoy!

Hello from chilly A2. Yesterday's drive from Milwaukee was my first encounter with Winter: heavy winds and blowing snow. Nothing really stuck, but it was swirling around all day. Today is another off day for me. I'm getting together with a buddy (personal trainer) later today. I am so out of gym shape, I know I will be sore tomorrow.

The last two shows have been interesting. Both rooms were more of the "listening room" type, and less like a bar or club. When the room is quiet, I tend to play slower and quieter. I can hear the air moving around the room, and I feel more relaxed. I'm not trying so hard to fill up all the space (or drown out the loud talkers). I like it - it's different for me. Two shows to go, and I'm home on Sunday.

Rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers to Eddie's family, friends, and colleagues.

- - - - - - - - - -

Greetings from the road. I'm in Madison WI, enjoying a much-needed day off. This past weekend's shows went very well. Cleveland was solid, Indianapolis was OK, and last night in Madison was quite good. Somehow, my voice held on through the show. Between yesterday's drastic weather changes and the strain of four shows in a row, I was glad to get to the end of the night in one piece. If I could get the knuckles on my fore and middle fingers (left hand) to heal, I'd be even happier. I ripped them up while moving boxes in the trunk of the rental car on Friday. They are taking forever to heal, and I'm aware of them throughout the show. Enough complaining.

A very good interview in Isthmus.

A good article at OnMilwaukee.com.

A related interview - about how music is chosen for television.

Something beautiful to look at.

Stereogum has links to two videos by Morningwood. You have to check out "Nth Degree"; it's brilliant, and one of my favorite songs of the past few months. (It's also at the bottom of their myspace page.)

Towleroad highlights two stories of interest this morning. I read the Grizzly Men story in New York magazine, and it's not so bad; I agree when Andy points out, when did John Waters become the voice of the bear community? (Instead of "jumping the shark", we may be "shaving the bear".) The story about Andrew's blog moving to Time.com is now public; he told me of this impending move a few weeks ago, and I am happy for him. This arrangement bodes well for quality blogging; finally, someone might make a little money for sharing well-constructed ideas.

This is just plain funny. (Originally spotted at Queerty.)

I go away for 4 days, and there's another new condo development in my neighborhood. Others cringe at Paradise Liquor, with its bulletproof glass. "These are people who've just spent a half-million on a house," Estrada says. "I get asked, 'Why do I have to subject my guests to that?'" You must read the rest of this article - the other quotes are worth it.

- - - - - - - - - -

From the stage last night: "Sometimes we write songs to remember people. And sometimes, we write songs to forget people. And I'm not telling you which is which."

Please take a moment to consider the sacrifices made by the men and women who serve and protect our country.

Europe solo performance dates for late January and February have been confirmed.

The 2006 BLOWOFF dates are up as well. Make plans to catch one of these DJ / live performance shows. January's show coincides with MAL, if you're so inclined.

Morgantown was fun last night, a small but appreciative crowd. It's been a while since I blew the dust off the 12-string; it sort of behaved, so I'll keep it on for the whole trip. Beautiful day to drive to Cleveland, and I'm looking forward to seeing an old friend at the show.

Small piece of trivia: 20 years ago today, I signed my first major label recording contract.

Fall carries a particular sound: the rustling of leaves, the dry windy days whistling through the city. This sound arrived in DC last night. As did the sound of 5 fire trucks, special units, DCPD, ambulances - all gathering outside my house at 1 AM. No one I talked to seemed to know what was happening, but I thought I heard a loud bang in the formerly abandoned row house up the street. It could have been theft of contractors' supplies, perhaps there was a shooting, maybe an explosion of some kind. No smoke, but tons of sirens and flashing lights. I was too tired to take pictures.

I'm leaving today for the first of twelve solo performances in the next four weeks. People have asked about merchandise on this tour. As usual, I will be bringing along CDs for sale. Typically, I sell them after the show. I'll cut you a deal.

The weather has been amazing in DC the past week. I have been getting plenty of sun. Work has also been going well. The tour begins this Thursday in Morgantown WV, and I am looking forward to this run of solo shows.

Thursday night, Thai food with a friend. Friday, tons of press for the upcoming shows. Friday night, met Rich and the Baltimore gang for the back end of dinner. Saturday evening, me, Brendan, Rich, and George performed an hour-long improvisational set at Blindspot. It was part of an afternoon / evening open house for the studio. Tons of people showed up, and the music and art was great. Sunday, a good workout and brunch. Spent most of the afternoon with some buds in the Circle. Sunday night, sushi with a friend.

This afternoon, W and I ended up here. What an awesome building. I've walked by it every day for years, but never entered until today. It's an intense place. If you live in DC and haven't gone inside, you should.

Returned last night from a quick business trip to NYC. The weather has been beautiful on the East Coast this week, and is looking to continue through the weekend. I'll hold off on seeing Jarhead until the next rainy day.

Here's a sunny story about the music business. Digital business, and the business in general, is flattening and sinking. The business used to be vertical (superstar acts who dominate - and finance - the smaller acts); these days, it's a dull horizon of critically acclaimed artists (who don't really sell a lot of product) who occasionally rise from the sea of endless mediocrity. There's great music being made, but the old model is finished. And now, it appears the new model isn't doing any better. (Originally spotted at Coolfer.)

One of the more interesting sites I've come across lately is BLDGBLOG. Two articles of note from last month: Evacuating Manhattan and Topography Of Hell. (Originally spotted at Towleroad.)

This story is also a tad old, but hellish none the less. I kept forgetting to link to it.

Switching to Heaven for a moment: how about Corporal Mortification? This past week, the Today Show was featuring stories on non-mainstream faiths, and today's story on Opus Dei brought this extreme form of penance into question.

OK: two funny ones.

Tour dates are posted. I hit the road on Thursday.

Finally: PJ has a Frappr map, so I thought I'd do one as well.