Saturday, August 29, 2009

contentment

sitting in my studio today
a feeling of contentment washed over me
the Rain Horses are gonna be here soon
to lay down some dreamy soundscapes
i'm lucky to be spending a Saturday afternoon
working on good music
with nice people
i even get paid afterwards
last night's gig at Bryan Street
was an unqualified success
tons of people in the club
i totally dug the vibe of the room
with the christmas lights and carpet
I Love Math was great
Buttercup superb
we sang each others songs
and our own too
on "Saint Georges" we transcended
"Stranger in my Own Skin" was fantastic as well
baby N politely waited for me to get through this one
she's a good little girl already
i panicked a little when i noticed Jayme's missed call at 1:30
all was ok though she just missed me
tomorrow it's Gavin and Dada day
we're gonna spend the whole day doing only what he wants
no work for me
no computer
all G all day
he's got it all planned out
some wrestling
some candyland
soccer practice
a walk
we'll see what else too
so for now no more shows until October
i'll be back with Rhett to celebrate Lennon's birthday in Austin
on the 9th
it's already shaping up to be a hectic fall
baby N's imminent arrival
lots of shows
lots of recording
thank you for following along and supporting us
it means a lot to me

love


s

Sunday, August 23, 2009

something's gonna change my life

a beautiful storm is brewing
change is in the air
a chapter of my life almost over
a new one about to begin
on wednesday our son goes off to school
it will be hard to let go
soon after that little baby N will arrive
no more days as a trio
sleep will become scarce
our house will get crowded
funny that we can't imagine things being any different
than they are now
but somewhere off on the horizon we'll look back
and not be able to imagine our family without
our precious daughter
change is taking place all around me
my natural tendency (like most)
is to not trust it
to be afraid
but i'm facing it
embracing it even

i played Hal Sample's SPACE for dc9
on Wednesday
Pete F. asked me to do something different
so i did
i played my little Guild MarkII from 1962
that i only sit and play around the house
it opened up a whole world i'd not previously presented to an audience
i could finger pick all these songs with ease that i shy away from
because it's too awkward on my jumbo Guild
i felt like a fool
to not have done this earlier
the old dog finally learned a new trick
i guess better late than never
"this soft existence"
"the beautiful noise"
"everybody wants to be loved"
all resurrected
and still more to come
the nourallah brother's "morning cigarette"
"missing you"
and
"the man who learned to love"
i feel like a whole world has opened up at my fingertips
that had been closed off

last night's house concert at Carla and Dean's
was wonderful
i took in every second of it
savoured it even
the hat of song titles dealt us some interesting twists
and turns
opening with a cover
the hollies "bus stop"
which in 20 years of performing i'd never done
then the hat told me to play "everybody wants to be loved"
i would have never chosen that next!!
anyway
i played for over 2 hours
and it still seemed like it was over in the blink of an eye
sad coming down from such a high
but today i have an afternoon to spend with J and G
our baby coming soon
(if you're listening baby N - anytime after Friday night's Bryan St. show!!!)
we're looking forward ot meeting you
we love you already
see you soon...

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

"you're just a human...a victim of the insane"

i watched Lennon on Cavett yesterday
it was like he was right there
almost real enough to reach out and touch
so young
so likable
so alive
i was only 5 when this aired on TV
he was only 32
he had just 8 years left to live
when i think of how he was gunned down
in the prime of his life
for no reason whatsoever
i'm consumed with anger
and then sadness
sadness for his young son
and wife
and this deep sadness takes me back to the very moment
i found out he had died
when i was 13
unable to process the information
in some ways i'm still equally unable

at 6am today my friend Ron drove to the cemetery
where his son Jessie rests
like he does every year on this day
August 11
Jessie's birthday
the pain he has dealt with over the loss of his son
is unimaginable to me
still i try to imagine his loss
it makes me shudder
the thought of losing my son would be the end of my world

would John, Jessie and my friend Carter still be with us today
if it weren't for guns?
...quite possibly so...
so thank you Charlie Heston
and everyone else down the line
over the years
who have advocated Americans rights to bear arms
we obviously know what to do with them

i spent another idyllic peaceful Sunday afternoon
with my family
like so many before
i thought to myself
how many do we have after this one?
we take it all for granted
the sun will come up tomorrow
we'll do our thing
just like every day before
on most days like this one
i try to steer clear of these kind of thoughts
they only drag me down
but they also make me see how precious the moment is
we're all so fragile
we're all just barely here
i pray violence doesn't ever enter our lives
or the lives of any of our loved ones

Sunday, August 02, 2009

the full circle

we’re a peaceful gang that holds doors open for the ladies, tips big, and plays music all night long...

i'd stood in this room 17 years ago
August 22 1992
Whacky's, San Antonio
i watched a great SA band called 13
with a young John Dufilho on guitar
their leader Chris Smart
had taken a liking to the MF and we'd arranged
a couple of show swaps
bringing 13 to Dallas in exchange for shows in SA
Saturday August 1 2009
i was back again
now playing with my long time friend and ally John Dufilho
Chris Smart (looking not a day older)
stood in the middle of the crowd
arms folded
watching us
it was an almost surreal moment
as the disco ball spun and i sang "Stranger in My Own Skin"
but i never felt the ghosts of Moon Festival's past
i was caught up in the rapture of the moment
celebrating Buttercup's amazing cd
"the Weather Here"
and also celebrating the return of the Deathray Davies
now this place is called the Limelight
we played an inspired set to a large crowd of people
pushed up to the front of the stage
that had never heard my music before
they seemed to enjoy it
they smiled
and clapped loudly after the songs
they even bought lots of my cds afterwards
the DRD played another powerful and rocking set
the crowd whipped into a frenzy
Garner rolling over the toms like no one i've ever seen
Dufilho's buoyant stomp and clever catchy songs
the crowd jumped up and down and sang along loudly
the party was just getting started though
Buttercup took the stage around 12:30
this was their night
what we'd all been waiting for ever since last fall
when we first started talking about making this record
they delivered one of the most awe inspiring sets
i've ever witnessed in all my years
of playing and following music
i wanted to bottle the moment
and keep it with me the rest of my life
i stood in the middle of the heaving swaying crowd
and recorded their performance
my back started to hurt
i kept going
they did it all
slow and sad
fast and rocking
melody laden songs with interesting and complex words
no pretension whatsoever
a real and true connection to the audience
we're all in this together, right?
savour this moment - it's all you have
so many emotions coming from this wonderful band
they cover the whole spectrum just like the fab four did way back when
Erik's kind words about me
and how i helped them make their gorgeous record
truly floored me
to have had a hand in helping with their great music
was such an honor
i'm very lucky to have gotten a chance to work with such an incredible band
they played for almost two hours
"superior"
"it's in the way"
"consensus chalice"
"i am a tiger"
"better no betta"
"always alcohol"
and by the end it was full on rock'n'roll mayhem
Dufilho and John A. joining them for a rousing "'68 Playmate"
a song so good i thought it was an obscure cover
the crowd went wild
with Chris on trombone
Joe banging on an ashtray
and Erik strutting his stuff
then they called me up to join the gang for the Talking Heads "Psycho Killer"
and everyone in the room sang along
it was so much fun
1000 times more fun the Whacky's in '92
this was a night i will remember the rest of my life

my friendship with John Dufilho has come full circle
from '92
to 2009
DRD's "Kick and the Snare" was the first real record i made at Pleasantry Lane
his support and belief in my abilities to produce music started the ball rolling
so that others would follow
he's gone out on a limb to support me countless times
then him and Jason Garner were part of my first backing band the Polaroids
which was a huge shot in the arm for my confidence as a "solo" artist
without Dufilho's introduction i would have most likely never met the guys in Buttercup
there's so many other things i could mention about all these wonderful friends of mine
but for now i'll just leave you with this thought

i love them all very much and i'm so glad that they have been part of my life

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Mohawk, Austin

our GPS miraculously guided us out and around downtown Houston
avoiding the rush hour congestion
we sailed along the Sam Houston tollway
and were at I-10 heading West within an hour
by 8:30 we were almost at our hotel
when the traffic ground to a halt
police cars and ambulances racing past
we sat there for about 10 minutes
we were so close
300 yards away from our exit
tired and hungry
then they started waving people through
there was no sign of anything
we have no idea what happened
after we got to the hotel and dropped our 7 miniatures bags off
we walked to the only restaurant we could see
other than Applebee's
it was a Tex-Mex place called Antonio's
L & L came to meet us there
Tejano music blasted over our voices
as we talked and inhaled our food
the food wasn't very good
it didn't matter
it was so good to see our friends
and be back in Austin
we rushed J and G back to the hotel
and then L & L drove me to Mohawk
we got there around 10
my head was spinning from our day at Nasa
the drive
lack of sleep
Kisses Cause Crashes were rocking out inside Mohawk
the first thing that struck me was the stifling heat
it wasn't just hot
it was f'n hot
it was jungle hot
it was HOT HOT HOT
a puny A.C. system loudly sputtered
two large fans blew the turgid air around
the devil was standing in the corner playing a lute
it was at least 100 degrees in there
we were on before i could even get my hot head into the mix
but it was a special moment
we blazed into "Western Hills"
and then raced through a sweat drenched set
the room was packed
lot's of people there to see us
craning there necks to see over the heads in front of them
the band was great
John and Jason thumping away
Joe Reyes smiling and singing
it felt like we'd been playing for years together
not just 3 shows
all the stress of the day melted away
"Be Here Now" worked on me
it did the trick
then "Stranger in My Own Skin" came along
and it was really good again
especially the ending
with Dufilho's steady drums
the band has been killing this one
on the last song we ripped into "A Way to Your Heart"
but i just wasn't feeling it
so after we hit the 1st chorus i shouted to the band
"STOP, STOP!!!"
they did it right away
then i led them into "The World is Full of People..."
i felt reaaly good now...

Buttercup and the Deathray Davies came along afterwards
and delivered inspired and powerful sets
to a full house
our gang is in full swing now
we're coming to your town armed with guitars
not guns
spreading the word of peace and love
not hate and war
we're gonna find the ones who want to listen
one at a time
and bring them into our wonderful world of music

my friends have truly inspired me
thank you

for the kid

Rudyard's, Houston thursday
a great audience
the sound was impeccable
sold a bunch of cds afterwards
Buttercup was brilliant
as always
Bernd and Yoli were there
Greg too with the posters
made some new friends too
the Deathray Davies came on at the end
and got everyone outta their chairs
up at the front of the stage singing and dancing
i've missed seeing them play
it was really nice to see John D. back
fronting his band
Jason on the drums is Keith Moon as God
our gang conquered
we stood around afterwards loading the vans
in the 2am heat
so humid our guitar cases were sweating
i got back to the hotel at 3am
content but exhausted
we took Gavin to NASA Friday afternoon
got there at 1:30
after fighting the rain
and traffic
he was Disneyland excited
ready to learn about science
and see rockets
it was mayhem at first
kids running around everywhere
yelling out joyously
G got caught up in the rapture of it all
we raced around various little play stations with him
i even rode on a simulated space rollercoaster with him
he got scared when we saw Darth Vadar
and gulped root beer from his $5 Alien souvenir alien mug
around 3:30 it was time to go
if we were gonna beat that notorious Houston rush hour traffic
G had his heart set on taking the tram tour though
and seeing the rockets
Jayme was not in a good way at this point
on her feet for too long and her back beginning to kill her
she made a sacrifice for Gavin though and said "yes" to the tour
we crowded into and long line and got right up
to where they were slowly loading the trams
then the security people walked off
and the tram left
we waited in the muggy heat for another half hour
while the 17 year old employees gingerly loaded the next tram
Jayme was in exquisite pain now
i began to worry about our impending trek to Austin
the clock was ticking
our happy day melting away into a glob of stress
we finally boarded our wagon
we finally rolled forward
our first stop was mission control
from the '60s
it was cool to see but then they ushered us into some seats
to sit and listen to a guy blather on for 20 minutes about
nothing that interesting
then we were herded back to the tram
it was almost 5
i felt my blood pressure on the rise as i pictured missing the gig
i just couldn't relax and be in the moment
i was annoyed by the terribly unorganized crass NASA tour
i felt part of a tourist trap
we moved like turtles to the next stop
but my son was thrilled and that made me glad we stayed
by the time we got back to our car it was 5:30
i don't think i'd ever been happier to see our little Mini