Tom Begich
Singer, Songwriter
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March 6, 2010 - First gig at Hezikiah Stone's (see below) went well! It was as though Tim and I had been rehearsing this past seven months. The Burren 8:30 pm tomorrow. Had the good fortune to catch the Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight movie last night followed by good conversation and a stop for a drink at Richard's place. That is Richard Cambridge - a poet and performer. He swears we are cousins separated by time. Judge for yourself from the picture below. Good being back in the states, visiting friends and driving. Still a bit of jet lag... Distance is so weird...
March 1, 2010 - Last day in the UK for a bit - while Europe suffers under storms, London is actually warm and the sun is out. Some writing done, friends well met - now time to play a little music and do a little work. Head to the states in the morning then to the Boston area on the 4th to play at Hezekiah Stone's Coffee House followed by another gig on the 7th at the Burren in Sommerville - both as the Bone Collectors with Tim Mason. From there its to Oregon, then Austin, then Michigan, then Alaska. Busy March. In reflection, its been a good trip. I came here less focused and perhaps a bit adrift (I called this my "Year of Living Aimlessly") but, with new songs and a plan beginning to emerge for the new CD, I am, if not moored, at least under rudder control. I look forward to seeing folks along the road! February 24, 2010 - Manchester today heading to London tonight. Was in Edinburgh over the weekend visiting new and old friends - all a good thing, though no access to wireless - always a problem when the bars close at 11 - creates havoc for communicating with the states. Part of the journey was to identify studios for potential recording and had some success there thanks to my friends Ron Young and Linda Dewer. Also meeting up with new friends Simon Robinson (Robbo) and his wife Jenny - great time had by all though I did lose my favorite winter hat after 22 years... Plan on posting photos and maybe another soundtrack later in the day/night at Facebook. Having trouble on line though even here, so this entry will be short. But, before I go maybe someone knows why Scotland has three different currencies from three different banks all allowed to print their own money? February 16, 2010 - Spent some time on the 14th at the Holy Drinker, a Clapham/Northcote venue that is high on good company, warmth and Guinness. Everyone there was dissing Valentine's Day - perfect company. Great conversations with Claire and Katerina, with liberal doses of quiet time watching it all happen around me. Feeling a bit restless here, and I have some work to do. Songs almost bubbling out, but not quite. This marks the end of the season of anti-decision making. I always call from Thanksgiving to Valentines Day a time when one should not make major decisions about your life - if you live in a Northern clime. We are, to put it simply, impaired. Cabin fever, lack of vitamin D, cold - really not the best conditions for thoughtful analysis. So, decisions to come, for sure. February 12, 2010 - Back in London, where I was greeted by the perfect cappuccino from Valentina at Il Molina, a local coffee shop. What a perfect name for this weekend. She and her compatriots have a tiny outpost of Italy here - with all the drama, boyfriends (they'd be on scooters if they could), and coffee adventures one might imagine. I sit amused often as the combination of new mothers, elderly Brits and hip writer/actors file in and out. I grab my table in the back, write a journal entry, read a paper, work on projects, the book, or songs, but mostly just watch. Seeing friends tomorrow, but anticipating a quiet Sunday. Time for a little reflection on the nature of love and relationships perhaps. Working on another new song.
February 8, 2010 - In New York still and the wonder and magic of this place continues to fascinate me as it always will. Some of my most difficult memories will always be associated with this place, some of my best songs, but also the constant reminders of magic here. I am reminded of the opening of the book "Veronica" by Nicholas Christopher - one of my favorites - which describes where Waverly street meets itself (it winds around and actually intersects itself at its west end in the Village), and I associate NYC with the magic of that book - sort of a northern continent magical realism. And so yesterday at brunch with friends Michael and Kyle, I mention it - the magic of always running into someone I know, or some moment (like yesterday's entry). And as I wandered the street, looking for a movie or a place to plant my seat for a bit, I look up and see a man walking my way, ear buds in but looking at me oddly. I start to turn away, but he says: "excuse me, are you Tom Begich?" Stunned, I stop. After all I do not live here. "I am..." I respond, only to have him say: "I'm Michael McHale - I knew you at Oxford." (For those who do not know, I was there from 1989 to 1990) - twenty years on, we see each other again. Admittedly we had reconnected as avatar's over Facebook, but really, the odds are pretty crazy. I do love this place. (Michael owns Michael McHale Designs - fascinating lamp structures. Take a look.) February 7, 2010 - In New York for a few short days before returning to London. Last night I went to the "Red Riding" marathon - based loosely on the Yorkshire Ripper story. Five and half hours. A woman in the line, hearing I had been in London that morning (she had just come in from Florence) asked me if I had come all the way to New York just to see a British show... The movies were disturbing, a bit uneven but good - often described as a British "Godfather" without the laughs or "haunting". It ended after Midnight and I stepped down to the subway to catch an A train Uptown, and was stunned by the sounds of a saxophone. With I Phone in hand, I recorded it. I may be able to post some of it on Facebook, but here is a link to what I am calling "Life as a Soundtrack". The scratchy noise is my jacket against the phone - can't control for that when it is as cold as it is here! Its about ten minutes - sit back and just enjoy the ambient sounds of Sax in a Subway... Life As A Sountrack February 5, 2010 - London has been great - working on setting up future music possibilities. Posted new photos at Facebook, and have nothing but great things to report! Cold? Yep, but not as much snow as DC today (or so I am told!) Been visiting old friends and writing music, as well as working on a few long distance contracts. Don't Miss it! The week of December 7 - 14, 2009 CHECK OUT YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS! I will be on Tom May's River City Folk. The show will air on XM Channel 15, "The Village" and also be webcast if your local public radio station does not carry it. This is an hour-long radio performance/interview show with a few new songs and some old favorites. I hope you get a chance to listen - e mail me your thoughts! January 20, 2010 - Did I really let almost two months go by? Did I really not write about Buenas Aires? Or the Sitka Grind's 100th anniversary (what a great night it was - I wrote TWO spontaneous songs for them - though I have no recordings of either...) Did I really not mention that I made it back to Anchorage for a day? That I am in New York now? That I will be in Seattle tonight? Really? What an idiot. I really need to learn to blog better. London next week - maybe being away from things will help... I am building my schedule for the coming years and am open to suggestions at cwrecord@alaska.net, so let me know about opportunities for music. In the meantime, I'm still working on the private eye in Barcelona career goal. Who knows? the world is officially an oyster. November 23, 2009 - Played at the Lizard Lounge tonight with Tim Mason as the Bone Collectors - nice crowd and great talent out there. I had not realized that it was a competitive open mic (hosted by Tom Bianchi) but we ended up in the final which was quite cool. Stillwater was good - mostly relatives in the show, though Mike Mayer came up from Eagan and former Alaskan Barbara Korri showed up from the Twin Cities. It was good seeing cousins Jane, Barbara and Anna (who with her Husband Gary hosted me), though I blew it and missed hanging out with them after the show as i got lost in conversations after I was done.... Following Stillwater it was a mad rush East for Boston - visited old friends Jeff and Jodi in Chicago/Evanston (great food blog that they do here) and Matt and Louisa Frank in Grand Rapids (he's a fab poet! she a charmer). Went all the way from Chi town to Boston with a four hour break in Syracuse NY. Little tired now, so this entry will have to do. November 14, 2009 - Spent some great days with old high school friends up in Port Townsend but, as the rental money reaches its end, I am pleased to say that there may be a light at the end of the car repair tunnel. Heard yesterday that the car might be done Tuesday, so I head to Vancouver BC by train tomorrow, by plane to Kamloops on Monday, bus to Cache Creek where I will overnight and ideally pick up the car and get back to Seattle on Tuesday to get my gear and head out to Stillwater by Friday. After that? The road is open and I haven't quite decided where Thanksgiving will find me. I have a bit of a worry about getting over the passes, but I think I will keep heading east. Added some March dates recently, and hope to add more soon. November 10, 2009 - It has been a week in Seattle - being told by the folks in Cache Creek that the car will be delayed, delayed, delayed. It's a bit frustrating - wanting to head out. Also found out that I bruised the bones in both feet during the accident so have to take it a bit easier to give them time to heal... Still, hanging out with Brother Paul is good, and I've gotten a bit of writing done (as well as many games of Jewel Quest!). I did get the word that the car may be done by Monday - and that means I will likely be playing at Dunn Brothers in Stillwater, MN on the 20th - (won't make it to Chicago I think for Keith's reading - too hard a haul). No pithy post-election observations to offer, no witty review of world events. Just a touch of impatience to head out and play some more music... (a Happy Birthday to my Brother Nick today!) November 2, 2009 - After a day at a Juvenile Justice conference and visiting a number of friends there, I raced from Austin (within the speed limit for those wondering) to get to Seattle to meet a friend for my birthday on Friday (B day was Halloween) and ended up getting caught in Cheyenne, Wyoming in the worst blizzard in 13 years. The roads closed, I found myself in the Laredo Hotel (at least I think that was the name). If I can I'll post a photo from the outside of the room. Snow drifts blocked the hotel room door and, when I opened it, the snow stayed in a berm about a foot high which I stepped over to get my luggage into the room. After killing a cockroach, I settled on to the bed and began to search for alternate routes out of Cheyenne. But the roads I 80 and I 25 - were both closed. A friend suggested I look at some of the smaller routes, so the next morning I tried heading out US 85. No one on the road, huge blowing drifts and white out conditions made for a great chapter in the adventure book! Using back roads I got to 85 (the freeway access was closed) and managed to get around the north end of the storm before roads were closed that far up (Douglas, WY) and had clear blue skies through Montana and clear sailing to Seattle. On time for a Fridayarrival, I headed to downtown and three days to relax for my birthday. Saturday was a day spa and massage where I managed to burn my arm in the sauna and throw my back out on the massage table, but always looking for that silver lining, I noted that the burn was in the shape of a heart - boding well for the coming years! OK, not really. It was a burn. I spent Halloween at Kell's drinking Guinness, watching strange costumes fill the place up and having a great conversation! After that, it was wine tasting North of Seattle with my brother Paul driving, then finally settling in to rest and a World Series game that night. Through all of this I ended up discovering that the insurance company has elected to repair my car, so now I need to figure out how to get to Cache Creek when it is done. And, when will that be? Ahh, that remains as the unanswered question. October 26, 2009 - So the thirty minutes at Artz was great - Christie and Andy Garbe (who also, along with their dogs Scout and Gromit, are putting me up) brought out their friends and family, Buddy Gill - an old friend from political days, Swafo (great new CD out), Cynthia and Laurie from the Kerrville Festival all madeit out as well - 14 on top of the usual crowd in all. Afterwards Paul Barker invited me to join he and other friends at Donn's Depot where their Monday performer - Chris Gage - asked me to play a few songs. It was a great night, played well, music was well received and I was touched by the generosity of my Texas compatriots. No news on the car definitively yet, though it looks as though it may be totaled by State Farm. Waiting to hear... Tired tonight, need to sleep, but looking forward to more adventure... This is a photo from Austin at Donn's Depot, Shot by Winker October 25, 2009 - Missed writing for a while, but been busy... Played in Worthington, MN on Friday night (thanks again Bruce Boldt and Ivan Harris!) at BenLee's. Allison at the Three Stones (massage Therapist) gave me a quick chair massage before the show (very, very good) to help release a bit of the soreness from that accident and then she and her husband Devin showed up for the show. The music went well, small but enthusiastic crowd - had a great time! That gig had followed a trip across country in a rental car from Seattle to Spearfish, SD (where I visited old friends Kay Jorgensen and her brother Joe), and then to Minnesota. Left from there to Texas on Saturday morning and made it south of Dallas on my way to a brief stop at Conroe county and the Camp C.A.L.M. folks (later today) then Austin tonight. Lot of time to think on the road - writing new music and thinking about some poems. Need to head out now, but hope after all of the running around I can slow down a bit and reflect here. Having a great time though, and the road is before me still. October 18, 2009 - Over a month off of the notes here as I continued to plan my break from Alaska and my music plans for October and my coming year. Trips to Michigan, Kentucky and North Carolina in September followed by a great last Alaska concert at Side Street Espresso culminating in a small gathering and farewells to my friends (Sarah S., Sarah K., June S., Julia H., George Gee and so many others) at my house on the 1st of October - the day I headed out to New York City with my good friend Poet Keith Liles (his first visit to that grand city!). He spent a week and a day in the City while I popped down to DC for a House Concert hosted by my Sister-in-law Deborah Bonito and a meeting of the Reclaiming Futures folk I have worked with in the past. The House concert was great - sound provided by my friend Steve Spellman who bailed me out at the last minute (He owns the Guitar Shop in DC). Had a nice reconnection and dinner with my friend Emily and friends Laura M., Winston (my ever-traveling friend) his brother Peter, Becky J. and so many others. Then it was back to New York and Springsteen shutting down Giants Stadium (thanks to my friend Justin Goldspink and his sister Sophie). Keith and I stopped in Seattle on the flight back to visit my Brother Paul, then were back in Anchorage on the 12th in time for me to finish packing up my car heading out on the big move. Reporting on the past is easy to a point. All seemed to be going according to plan - with the highway before me, I knew I had more than enough time to catch my gigs in Portland and Brookings, Oregon. So with my car, my few possessions, some contract work and music before me I headed into a change of pace that promised I hoped revelation, understanding and awakening. In a way all of this has happened in the past few days and now there are few clear plans and a little bit of a sense of liberation. A brilliant encounter with a huge black bear in the middle of the night after a stop for a soak at Liard Hot Springs were highlights from the Alcan, but after Ft. St. John it all seemed to be settling into a well-known and perhaps comforting pattern. All that was dashed South of Cache Creek. Earlier in the day I'd heard from my planned primary contract - the work I do that allows me to both continue to do the public service I enjoy and allows me the opportunity to music as well - The contract was not going to happen. Untethered from income suddenly, I actually saw it as an opportunity to focus more on my music and writing and truly beginning to take the leap I often talked about, but which I always managed to cushion. No cushion here. Still with my car and my music plans in tow I was ready to forge forward. Three hours later the car was gone. Wrecked in an accident south of Cache Creek. Faced with a choice on a curvy stretch of the Fraser River Canyon highway between a cliff, a semi and a retaining wall, after overcompensating on a curve, I chose the wall and snapped my tire rods and crashed the driver side of my car. Alive, but stuck in a fairly desolate area of Canada I kept traffic moving while waiting for the tow truck. With the help of the driver and the RCMP I found my way back to Cache Creek and Robbie's Hotel and a night of sleep as I tried to figure out my next step. The only thing I really knew as I fell a sleep is that for the first time in years I had no plan. The next day - with no rental company in Cache Creek, I realized I had to get to the next closest town - Kamloops for a car. My Brother Paul went to work from Seattle in trying to find a rental for me while i contacted my insurance agent (kudos to State Farm for providing great service so far!). While talking to Denis from Montreal - the proprietor of Robbie's about my dilemma, he volunteered to give me a ride into Kamloops. A few minutes later and a knock on the door and Denis hands me a modified WWI helmet and with a smile says "Hope on the Harley - its just like a car". I learn that it is like a car - without a windshield. Arriving in Kamloops I find Paul has set me up with a U Haul and I'm back on the road with a farewell to Denis and my stuff loaded into the U haul. Leaving my car behind for insurance agents to determine its fate (to be or not to be totaled.... that is their question). After an overnight in Seattle at Paul's and a short visit with my friends Jerry and Terry Holder, it was off to Artichoke Music for their songwriters showcase. It was a great evening joined by friends Valerie from Anchorage, Eric McEuen who set up the gig for me and Dan Lowe - who has helped me out in the past. It was a great night - I was last up of five and the audience reacted well - I think I'll be invited back in March to play... I wove in the tale of the demise of my car and it all seemed to go quite well. Following an overnight in Coburg, I was off to Centre Stage in Brookings - a gig that my friend Howly Slim guided me to and that Kim Banfield and Perry Devine run. Joined by friends Fred and Susan formerly from Anchorage, now living in Trail, OR., it was another great evening. A small audience, but singer/songwriter's that appreciated the music. It was an evening worth remembering - and a place to which I will return in March also. Now in Salem and needing to sleep before tomorrow's taping of Tom May's River City Folk.... GO to his web site to figure out when the show will air! Thoughts and comments? e mail me at cwrecord@alaska.net
August 24, 2009 - Garden concert, two gigs at the National Museum of Dance, an amazingly wonderful crowd in Morrisville Vermont, a great birthday show for Tim Mason at the Burren (thanks for joining us on bass Tom Bianchi!) and today a radio show in Provincetown (WOMR) and a great concert at the Cape Cod Cultural Center. Ten dates in ten days. The tour is done. I wasn't always in the best of moods on the trip, but thanks to Tim and Shannon, things improved. A lunch with the charming Morgan tomorrow and then a long trip home... Playing Thursday for twenty minutes in Anchorage at Out North (around 7) and then relaxing for a bit before the final concert (for a while) in Alaska - September 24th at Side Street Espresso (Mark those calendars, get those tickets!) Was able to complete a sonnet, two songs and a lot of therapy on the trip... Tomorrow I'll share the company of my good friends Keith and Sarah and just... build a fence. : - ) I did manage to carve my initials in wet concrete while on this tour - always a good thing to do! August 21, 2009 - Getting ready for the Garden Concert - only severe thunderstorms are forcing it inside! A melancholy day - first draft of a sonnet to post: Kate (revised 8/24) She stood with the quiet grace of a dancer Feet slightly turned - halfway between being And un-being... listening, eyes seeing a man with yearning words, for, by chance, her... Eyes closed now - she saw a young girl spinning, Round and round as his words sang counterpoint Tutu floating in a a ballet - a joint collaboration: song, dance. Beginning... For when she was young her magic danced free Though time had long stolen that sweet belief Now awoken, an unburdened motif - Of movement, sound, and possibility... But when the sound dies, will she still recall, That she believed in magic after all? I am a bit undone today. The radio on the 19th (WBKM - Listen to the show here) was great, though the heat here is draining. August 17, 2009 - Rushed up to Colchester VT this morning to film our 1/2 hour Television show for Rik Palieri's Songwriter's Notebook at LCATV. Rebecca Padola did a great job of producing the piece - now we just have to figure out how to post it! Four hours up, a great lunch with Rik and Tim's partner in crime (and wife) Shannon before dropping her off at a retreat outside of Montpelier and four hours back to Boston. I'm tired but thinking about things - I was struck by a sign in the restaurant we stopped in: "Things happen for a reason - Just Believe". So I was thinking about that on my way into the restroom where I was confronted by another sign: "Employees must always wash their hands". Just proving that there is little to be discerned if you base your life on reading signs. Seven more events to go (we added two just today). No more for tonight - its late... August 16, 2009 - Just finished "The Culture of Lies" by Dubravka Ugresic'. Loaned to me by my friend Emily, it is a sobering series of essays written at the time of the beginning of the Yugoslav wars, with some postscripts from five years later. I was most struck by her grasp of how we rewrite what we know - how we redefine our past. How memory becomes a fictional narrative or, in its truth, selectively interpretive. We believe what we remember because we keep telling ourselves it was so. Nation statelets breathe like living human beings. They use the tools we've devised for overcoming our personal trauma, they slip into a belief in a past and the construction of a reality that never was. She stubbornly refuses to give up her past and, in her glossary, defines that stubbornness. At her most pessimistic she believes this will never change - but perhaps it may be in some instances now some ten years further on... But the lessons are all too real and applicable to us all: do we rewrite our own histories to conform to a more comfortable, livable present? And further, outside of us, how does our own dialogue as a nation - the shouting of truths that are less than true at each other - falsify our national past and damage our present? Questions worth thinking about perhaps. Let me know your thoughts. cwrecord@alaska.net August 15, 2009 - Performed tonight in Newton, Mass with Tim Mason. Disappointed that the crowd was small (guilt to those who could have been there!), but what a wonderful crowd it was! Reconnected with old friend India Spartz and her husband Alex and really enjoyed the hospitality of Kathryn Breses - thanks Kate! Looking forward to the shows coming up - taping community TV in Colchester VT on the 17th and then in the 19th listen for us on Burlington web radio WBKM from 7 to 9 on Tuesday the 19th. Hope you can listen in - I'll be playing a new song (at least I think I will). August 9, 2009 - Last night's House Concert here in Anchorage was amazing - what a great group of folks showed up to hear my music and Keith Liles' poetry. Keith was on - hope he posts some of the recording - he had a handheld. If so I will link them in. Standing room only and I really felt the road opening up before me. I introduced my two new songs "Fulton Street Rain" and "Looking at you", and people genuinely liked them it seems - so finally writing keepers again. Life isn't always easy, and if it could be about not having had the experience to write those songs, I'd have preferred a little longer dry spell. Every songwriter's lament. I'm planning on saying goodbye to Alaska for short while as I do a bit of a driveabout (in the grand tradition of the Australian walkabout). Got a crazy travel schedule emerging, but it brings a bit of solace to be out there. I have a flexible October and November - so if you know of gig possibilities drop me note and lets see if we can set something up - have car will travel - and I certainly will need the cash : - ) Well enough for this rainy Alaska morning. Time to say good day. July 31, 2009 - Tour is set - check out the gigs page! Very cool, radio, TV, Internet and live performances with Tim Mason in Mass., New York and Vermont, but I am going to kick it all off with a House Concert at my place with myself and poet Keith Liles. Limited seating, so send an rsvp to cwrecord@alaska.net if you want in... Been a crazy week - I am not sure if I will ever quite recover from it. Yin and Yang. Success along side loss. Too much really to describe, but I realize that you have to move forward. Finally wrote a good new song - after quite some time - Fulton Street Rain. Watch for it. Connected up with friends in NYC (thanks for putting me up Paul Schomer and Joel Berg/Lori Nazim!), visited my Brother Paul In Seattle and am in Idaho Falls tonight - heading home tomorrow. That's all for now - have to get a little sleep... July 12, 2009 - Been working on the new tour and spending the last few months working on big transitions. I was in Kerrville for an incredible time in May/June, followed by Boise, Brooklyn, Wyoming, Salt Lake, Brooklyn again and a none stop ride. Since Memphis I had been back east a few times both on the music and justice fronts. Now Tim Mason and I are finalizing the gigs for our Northeast tour set for the 15th through the 25th of August. We have shows in Boston, Saratoga Springs, Burington VT (TV) and out on the Cape set up already (I'll post those soon) and are trying to land just a few more gigs. All and all it should be a great time. I soon will likely be closer to the east as well - looking at a move in the near future for a short time. As a consequence I have fallen behind in all things as I paint my house and prep my life! But not to do anything easy, my good friends Terry and Jerry Holder are coming up later this month (next week in fact) and I will be hosting a house concert for them to get their mid July Alaska tour started (email me if you are interested though as of today we are only taking folks on a waiting list). It should be a great evening and a better tour - her tour dates are linked above - just click on her name. On a sadder note - I want to mention the passing of my good friend Rob Nauheim this past Friday. Rob was a wonderful friend, Father to his children, and Husband to his wife Beth. He was also a great music producer (the Emeralds) and was producing both my next album (a project we had been working on for a couple of years), and my first joint project with Tim Mason. As a producer, Rob new how to listen and he had an innate sense for how to make a good song better and a great song memorable. Beyond all that though, I will miss him for who he was - the way he fought his cancer (pancreatic), and held on for over three years when doctors said he wouldn't. I ran into him after not seeing him in a number of years (his wife Beth sang on my CD Albuquerque Road, but I really had not seen him since that cd was recorded). I ran into him three months or so after his diagnosis and we agreed to do the project together. Between my schedule and his illness we weren't able to do a whole lot with it, but we did have great conversations and I got to know him again. That - and becoming friends again with his family - were a treat I will always cherish. I'll miss you Rob. Enough for now - I am off to my good friend (and Harmonica player) Rolfe Buzzell's and his partner Sharon Holland's House warming. No promises as to when I will next write... February 21, 2009 - Tim Mason and I are having a great time at the Folk Alliance - the X M 15 Village Radio gig was great and we play for a bit longer later tonight. Should be good (at Help Me Ronda's Room - you can imagine...). Yesterday caught Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers... I know, I know, but they were great! Also Noelie McDonnell and Emmet Scanlon & What the Good Thought reminded me of just how great the Irish can be (thanks Sheena)! Great first experience of music for me hearing them. Saw old friends Kate and Bill Isles, James Lee Stanley and so many others. Two that I failed to mention during my silent time on this blog were Joe Crookston and Randall Williams who, with Lindsay Mack, invited me to join a show with them at Caffe' Lena last May. They were here also and playing up a storm. Much more to write about, but it will not be as it is time to rehearse... Another Sonnet: Of Age When will she notice my imperfection - Each simple wrinkle or silver-white hair? My course, rough skin or time-worn reflection in lines echoing the laughter we share? And how will she hold me when time is through, and before us lies just a moment here? Will her lips still touch me, her hand move to mine, to hold tight, grasp and calm aging fear? Or will she just laugh off these foolish thoughts, hold my hand, touch my cheek with patience born of passion years past? Seeing that love, not some shaddowed vision, unreal, fragile worn. For age, or time, not even death alone can erase what chance found and love has known. February 16, 2009 - I mentioned the sonnets yesterday - done. The goal is to help reimagine this form, not that it isn't still relevant. To that end, you can hear some of the sonnets read live on the home page, but here is one in its written form (as yet, unedited): Grace They were awkward lovers, stumbling into grace. Unsure how to match different strides - or how to describe the pasts they'd been through. But, with fingers gliding, pressing - sure guides - they would slide into a dance or sweet tale of two who were never meant to find this: Where each breath - exhale, inhale - would unveil one more irrefutable proof of bliss. So it seemed as he sketched her with his hand, drawing this perfection in air. Or when she slept and innocence framed her face - to leave him breathless, knowing this would soon end. He clipped a curl and held it to his face, and inhaled this moment of awkward grace.
And this photo I took from the inaugural:
February 15, 2009 - Could I have really let 10 months go by without writing here? Yep! I decided to send e mails, make some cash to pay for the never-ending remodel of the house (it nears its end now - perhaps two weeks away, though it started in November of 2007...). And soooo much has happened since then. On the surface, a new President, a new Alaska U. S. Senator that I happen to be related to (my Brother Mark was elected this past November!), I mentioned the house, deeper down lots of travel and reflection on the world, music, writing, love and life. As some friends say, I smell an album there, and they may be right.... Tim Mason (whose new book of poetry "Feral Voices" was just released) and I have worked on a new collaboration of spoken word and music following a great gig up at Whole Wheat Radio this past September, while playing with Rolfe Buzzell again in Dillingham this past November reminded me of exactly why I do this (posted some radio clips from the two stories in Dillingham in the Press section). I not only travelled all around the states since that last entry, I managed to have my first Kerrville experience in May (won't be my last - worked theatre security!) and a second in the fall. Spent much of June in Idaho and August in Europe, September and October in Alaska and all over the East and West coasts, November in AK, December in DC, Idaho, Washington state and AK and January at all of the election festivities in DC (with a quick stop in New York and Boston). There is probably much to say about the great folks I have met and the things that went on, but those will have to slip out over time. More importantly, in the process of all of this, I rediscovered the meaning of love and happiness - something that has eluded me for a few years. I suspect I'll write more on that over time, but suffice it to know it is there. Also new for me - I finally (today) joined Facebook - so now my every word can be seen by all... I keep swearing that I am going to reduce the technology vicegrip on my time, but keep failing. Alas, more perhaps to that as I struggle with tech and the web over time. In the meantime I am finally starting to re-book shows for the coming year and hope to have a full two year calendar up in the near future. Keep your eyes out for that! First up is Memphis and the Folk Alliance where I will be in the Club Passim Showcase with Tim Mason (later to be Broadcast on XM 15 The Village). I would be remiss if I also did not mention that Saturday February 21st mark's the release of my good friend Terry Holder's third CD "Ticket to the Moment". She and husband Jerry along with a raft of good musicians have made a great CD. Do try to stop by if you get a chance and are in the area. In the meantime it gets late, so I will sign off with a full intent to try and keep this blog up....
April 7, 2008 - So a day after what would have been my Father's 76th Birthday - April 6, 2008. Unbeknownst to the Anchorage Press, they published their superb piece Into the Sky on my Father the same week as his Birthday. Take a look, and maybe get a bit more into my head (not that this blog doesn't do that). I often wonder how his life would have evolved - and, naturally, how ours would have (all of us children and my Mom). Its been one of those months. In Saipan playing for friends last month, now back home (still waiting for the house to be finished) and mixing a bit of that political and musical life of mine with a large dash of community. The usual mix. On the music front, I will be playing here in town at Side Street Espresso on the 17th and Esther Golton is opening! Her Dulcimer and flute and my sound (hopefully joined by my good friend Rolfe Buzzell on harmonica) should be a great time to get out and celebrate (one hopes) Spring. After the five inches that fooled us this past week - its time for the real thaw! Nearly done with those Sonnets - just had one posted to DailyKos. Du'a Khali Aswad was a Yazidi girl in Iraq who was "honor" murdered by her family for dating a boy of another sect. The brutal killing was captured on cell phone cameras, by cheering members of her family as this 17 year old life was snuffed out. It saddened me then and does so still. Check out the blog and the Sonnet there. Starting to book the end of the year, events coming in May, June, July. Keep checking back, and I will see you down the road! March 21, 2008 - Spring is a great thing - felt heat in the sun yesterday and attacked my driveway with the pick and shovel... Remodel nearing its close... back at home after a GLORIUS week of music. The combination of the SLOFolks concerts (thank you, thank you, thank you Elisabeth) and being joined by my good friend and mouth harp player Rolfe Buzzell and his partner Sharon Holland made it memorable in Morro Bay (thanks to Coalesce Books) and the Green Acres Lavender Farm - where we were also joined by the fine stylings of Claudia Russell and her fabulous band - Bruce Kaplan on mandolin and guitar, Mark Petrella on base. I slipped down to LA and, in the house built by his grandfather, saw Severin Browne and a number of my LA friends (hey Dana!), Severin's wife Melinda had a house concert/revue - great acts like Dan McFeely, Severin and so many others.... playing standards and original music. Quite cool. At the end of the night I played a few songs in the chapel with Dave Morrison, and Jaynee Thorne - that was cool. Also saw the dungeon... another story, that.... Drove up to Santa Barbara that night where I stayed at my good friend Anne Bussone's apt. - she was generous to put up with, er... put up Rolfe, Sharon and I in Santa Margarita at her house when we played up near San Luis earlier in the weekend. Came down to Kulak's on Laurel Canyon Blvd. for a great open mic night ( I was #34 - essentially last, but it went well... Saw fellow Alaskan Marian Call there - she did a great a cappella song (her accompanist had already returned to AK, she was heading out at 3 am). From there it was off to Garret Swayne's MSSS and a really good night of music on the bill (again) with Jeff Gold. Rolfe and Sharon joined me again and a number of friends showed up - Russ and Julie Paris, Bruce Grossman, Tim O'Gara (love that CD), Michael Doman (can't wait for that cd!), Gene Lippmann and so many more. Always a great time. I usually get to stay and listen as the night goes on, but an airplane to New Jersey was calling so it was off for an 11 pm flight all night. Returned from Jersey on Friday (after sleeping in Seattle airport) and headed up to Whole Wheat Radio in my old stomping grounds of Talkeetna on Saturday..... What a night that was.... Lots of folks online, and the local crowd made it happen. The music flowed and at the end I even read a few... Jim Kloss and Esther Golton were the best of hosts (okay and Beta too) and the next day we did a long talk on politics, philosophy and music - a great radio conversation while eating breakfast - loved it. EVERYONE needs to listen to Whole Wheat.
March 3, 2008 - March dawns with a brisk cold and finds me at home for a moment getting ready for the Southern California tour - San Luis Obispo Folk Society (SLOFolks) has me at two events: the first in Morro Bay the second in Atascadaro. Following that I head to LA and Garret Swayne's Mainstreet Songwriters' Showcase for a repeat performance. Hope to catch some of you folks there. Still working on those sonnets - getting close now... Much to do and little time it seems - Spring cannot be far now! February 13, 2008 - Below a picture from our Tim Mason/Tom Begich Crazy Crow House Concert hosted by the wonderful Susan Mumma down in Seldovia on February 10. What a great time and great photos from Savanna Lewis (she shot my MySpace photo). Tim invited me to join him on his Alaska tour and we had a great time developing a set combining spoken word and music (listen to Gideon'e Bible and Midnight Run here). I'll try to post some of that as time goes by, but all is available at Whole Wheat - thanks Jim Kloss and the audience there for really making that evening real. Tim and I closed his three venue tour here with two sets at Whole Wheat Radio where I will be playing on my own on March 15 (competing with the Talkeetna Oosik Festival, alas!). It has been a busy two months and many, many thanks to Sharon Harrigfeld in Boise for the great House Concert, Randall Williams for being a wonderful guest and musician (and Caroline also!), Mike McCormick for allowing Randall and I to open for Ann McCue, Nora and the crew at the Anchorage Folk Festival (that was an amazing night!), Mike Huelsman at Out North (and Shotzi for allowing me to follow the play and Daniel for posting one of the songs...) for two January performances and as always George Gee and Deb Seaton at Side Street for hosting Randall and Tim on two different nights. A whirlwind for sure!
Photo (c) 2008 Savannah Lewis January 18, 2008 - I have just discovered that my tom@tombegich.com e mail address was drifting into the netherworld. As recently as this week I sent some one to the web site to get a CD order they had paid for, and he probably sent it in, but I never received it. I think this might have been going on for the better part of the year.... If you are out there, e mail again, its fixed! Just this evening (late on the 17th, early on the 18th) I have recovered my computer after a series of fatal flaws. Still without my address book, all else finally seems to be working. Tough when you depend on these things.... Playing a lot this month, and a little next. Jump on the gigs link and see what is up! December 11, 2007 - It seems these may become monthly entries.... In Boston now after although bought of laryngitis, that did not stop the show from going on at the Burren. Hugh was behind the bar and Brandon hosted for what was a great night. I had the joy of listening to some great music, hanging out with friends like Tim Mason, playing a little then hearing from remarkable DC-based spoken word artist Chris Chandler who played Passim earlier that night -- he and his guitarist, Seattle's Paul Benoit, were an amazing way to end the night. Really top notch. Not only did Ray come down from New Hampshire and bring in Ian (a great music fan), and Julie, Cecely and Rob stop in, but the guy who taught me guitar and taught me how to teach, Bob Reid, slipped in by the bar. The first song I ever wrote I called the Bob Reid Blues, premiered it that night! After probably 25 years, it was a treat to talk with Bob again, though it was over way too soon. Tomorrow night at Passim, opening for Kelly Joe Phelps and then Sunday in Morrisville, VT at Bees Knees. Quite a week! Stayed with old friends Tory and Wayne this last few days, and hitting the road soon to try and visit with those I can... Note: at home my house is torn up, a remodel job, so for once I don't miss that place! November 8, 2007 - Late at night trying to catch up on music e mails after a great weekend at the FAR-West conference in Vancouver, WA. Got to see old friends, make new ones and play lots and lots of music. Still a little tired these days, but almost back to normal. Still pushing the deadline for the poetry book and just relaxing (when not working) in a snowless Alaska! October 17, 2007 - Well the tour was going great -- Fun gigs with the Holders at Rose Street House of Music (with Emily Kurn too!), Cozmic Cafe in Placerville, at Nina Jo Smith's house, and at Ordinary Miracles in Cotati, but in the midst of it all I took ill. On my way to Las Vegas for our Garage Mahall gig, I stopped at my Mom's in Carson City and she convinced me to go to the hospital to check out what was ailing me (all kinds of indigestion-like pain and other things). Before I knew it I was in the emergency room and, five days later, walked out without a gall bladder and with medication for pneumonia and other ailments. Wheww.... what an ordeal (which caused me to miss the Las Vegas gig where Terry and Jerry did a great job picking up my slack). I'm on the mend now and will be up and about a little later this month. See some of you at FAR-West in early November! September 26, 2007 - Packing and working like a crazy man as I try and get ready to head out to San Francisco later this morning for the mini-tour of California and Nevada. In the meantime, for your viewing pleasure, a gift from Russ Paris from the House Concert at his and Julie's place down by LA earlier this year: Tom on YouTube . September 18, 2007 - Man has it been a long time since I have had a chance to update this website! One of the great difficulties of being an independent musician is maintaining the website, the MySpace, the Sonic Bids, the schedule, oh and life itself (almost like a Monty Python sketch, that last). I usually take the summer off to enjoy Alaska at its best, but this one was full of turmoil and change - -house reconstruction, best friends moving out of state, way too much travel and some great music gigs throughout! Since the last entry been to LA, New York, Pennsylvania, DC, Puerto Rico, Oregon, Northern California, Washington state, and Montana (as well as here). Continuing to do work with youth and helping communities develop strategies to prevent crime when I'm not playing music (a strange but oddly satisfying life). Also continuing to write sonnets for the February book... edits are being done by one of the finest poets I know (and, yes, I know a few) Keith Liles (he has a book ready for publication, so go to his MySpace and check him out and either publish him or pass it on!). Really, not quite the relaxing summer I'd hoped for (ergo the lack of entries). Musically, it was cool having som eof the folks from FAR-West up here for music at OutNorth -- a great venue here in Anchorage. Still hoping to continue to develop that venue. More importantly I and my friends the Holders are heading to Northern California and a series of gigs next week and the following week. Terry and Jerry Holder moved to Olympia last month and she has moved forward tremendously on her new CD (untitled as yet) with the guiding hands of Freebo, Joel Tepp and Kurt Rieman of Surreal Studios. Our tour next week begins with Terry at the Rose Street House of Music on September 27th. I join up with them on the 28th and we head to Placerville to a perform at the Cozmic Cafe that night. On the 29th we are at a House concert back in San Francisco (e mail for more information and to reserve a seat: ninajo@redwoodrivermusic.com) and then we close out Northern California in Cotati at Ordinary Miracles on Sunday (for more information e mial: matt@atmattsplace.com). The following week (after a long-delayed visit to my Mom in Carson City) we end our tour in Las Vegas at Garage Mahall. I'll get a little respite after that -- some time to work on my own CD -- before heading for a couple of gigs and some other work in Denver and then FAR -West at the begining of the month. More on that later! Now I'm off for a break and a glass of wine. : - ) April 26, 2007 - Returned from another great "Grind" in Sitka on April 21 (my Mom's Birthday! Happy Birthday Mom!) Got to love those events -- was able to stay at the "Clarke B & B" (not really a B & B, just the home of my good friends Tom and Gretchen Clarke), meet up with many old freinds like Jeff Budd, and even get Gary to come up on stage with me (thanks man -- great harmonica work!). I just LOVE that town. If you haven't been to Sitka, you need to go, but respect the folks there : - ) . Tom and Gretchen got me out for a walk at Mosquito Cove (luckily too early for those critters) and I was able to just relax and enjoy the beauty of Southeast Alaska. Following a couple of days in Juneau (visiting old friends) I was back at home and preparing for this Saturday's 7:00 pm House Concert at the home of Jose Salas and Claudia Rivera (see gigs) and a sneak preview of the event at my Side Street Espresso haunt tomorrow! (11:30 am for those who read this). California coming in early May and Pennsylvania and other haunts later that month! April 6, 2007 - Today my Father would have been 75 had he lived. But instead I am older than he ever was now by 6 -- nearly 7 -- years. I find that odd, in a way. Its a day of reflection... Usually the Fund would announce winners of the scholarships named in his honor, but those have been delayed for a month or so. I have finally slowed down a bit, trying to catch up on the world of recreation, though building a great number of sonnets in anticipation of my book of sonnets (to be released in Feb. '08) ! Though normally reflective of love or adventure, some have slipped political lately. Following is Ozymandias (2007)- a remake of a great sonnet with W as the protagonist ...
Ozymandias 2007
Armed with the ammunition of story I blaze forth, retell my past, and create the heroic pattern of history Where myth becomes truth, reality debate
I stand as democracy’s lone sentry I dictate and decide who is with us and who lies against freedom’s destiny Or denies to history my purpose
I treat the future with abandon, for My name is Ozymandias, arisen! I determine all and then command when war Is to be forgotten and rewritten.
Legacy? It is left to my judgment I am but God’s vessel, his instrument
By the way, "Eddie's Song" continues to hover around 100 out of 1200 plus for the "Living With War" site. If you want a chance to help move that song along, just click on the site and when you get there, do a "find" on "Begich". That will take you to the song (then just click to listen!) March 7, 2007 - Waited TOO long to make this update but much has - and continues to - happen! I spent the second week on February heading down to Juneau, Alaska then over to Minnesota where Bill Isles invited me to join him and his wife Kate for two gigs - one in Superior Wisconsin, the other down in White Bear Lake near Minneapolis. While the crowd was small in Superior, it was an amazing evening. Bill's audience knows him well and I was warmly welcomed. I was also pleased to see my cousin Jeff's daughter Bri show up - popping over from Duluth and making me feel pretty good about music that transcends age : - ) The big suprise came in White Bear Lake where 16 members of my extended family and a number of their friends showed up making for a verrry friendly crowd. These were folks from both sides of my family, some who had never met and some I hadn't seen for over 25 years! Very cool and a great evening too. With a fond farewell to Bill and Kate, I stayed with my cousin Anna and her husband Gary and just caught up for a missed quarter century. Though much of the following weeks were also quite full, one highlight was in Hawaii where my friend Laura Nissan asked me to play after a conference for Reclaiming Futures (another of my many lives - you might have heard the tag on NPR "...and by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation which is sponsoring Reclaiming Futures..."). Laura and a small group of friends from New Hampshire to Oregon and beyond gathered around an umbrella and I was able to play a number of the new songs for them for about an hour and a half. Magical - and for all of us a good evening. Enough for now except one last thing - just found out that I'll be at Out North Theatre next Saturday (17th) opening for Samarabalouf - amazing French jazz trio! I saw them first on Paris TV when I was overseas this last year - mesmerizing. Life really is too cool sometimes! February 13, 2007 - Back in Alaska for a moment -- The Burren gig went well -- folks from Providence, RI and up in Maine showed up, as well as folks from Boston. Just a great time had by all. Loved Host Danielle Miraglia's music and the music of the Drew Hickman Band, and the crowd, though loud, seemed to like the sounds. Drove my friend Riley back to Providence that night before returning to Boston in time to catch my early morning plane! Very tired now.... February 9, 2007 - Played at Club Passim on Wednesday opened for the Santa Cruz River Band, and had a great time! Really loved listening to the Band, and just felt lucky being surrounded by all the music -- very, very cool. Also got to see lots of friend: Liz Spinney brought a friend of hers, Jen, Lael and her husband Charlie stopped by. College friend Victoria and her Husband Wayne made it. Valerie (friend who also worked for me in Alaska) left hubby at home and brought her friend Eve and Leo Carroll came in from Concord. Leo loved the SCR Band and, when I left, he was offering to help carry their gear! What a great group and engaged crowd it was. Tonight Leo and I poppoed over to the Colonial Inn in Concord to catch John Fitzsimmons. It ended up another cool night of music as John asked me (thanks to a discreet request from songwriter Jim Shaw) to play a few songs and the folks there seemed to appreciate the music. Its the kind of thing you just love (I was the last customer out of the bar as Jim Shaw slipped out right in front of me. Getting ready to play the Burren on Sunday (8) then home Monday for a day or two! "Eddie's Song" was at #53 this week. January 31, 2007 - "Eddie's Song", one of the pieces I am most proud of, has made it to number 70 on Neil Young's "Living With War" site. I was stunned to see it move at all and then those of you on the list have helped it move into the top 100. So many thanks for that -- I played it for the Anchorage Folk Festival crowd this past Sunday and was struck by a Viet Nam Vet, (14 months in) Mike, who came up to me and thanked me for writing it. That, and the overwhelming emotion of the e mails I have received, are truly humbling. Thanks gang.... January 25, 2007 - The California trip is complete! Music at the Porch in Santa Margarita (sans sound system) was cool -- great photos from Dusty Davis -- followed by a little after party at Anne's house. The next day was the 10th Anniversary show at Russ and Julie's House concert. The room was packed (at least 100), the company good, the music fabulous. Had a great time and felt honored to be in the company of folks like James Lee Stanley, Severin Browne and James Coberly Smith, Freebo and Jim Photoglo, Laurence Juber, Lowen and Navarro, Berkley/Hart, Wendy Waldman and Penny Nichols as well as many of the friends I've made in the LA area. A great week, though I'm glad to be home again! January 17, 2007 - It snowed in LA today..... January 17, 2007 - Played at Garret Swayne's Mainstreet Songwriter's Showcase last night and had a great time -- been a great week actually. Finally finished traveling with my old friend Martin Gibbs -- left him in San Francisco as he headed North to Seattle, and I back to LA to play (see below). Capped off the Bay area trip with a visit with Tim Mason's wonderful wife Shannon and her Touchable Stories project in Richmond. She is doing remarkable things there -- worth getting involved with! If you don't know Shannon Flattery or Touchable Stories, go to their web site and learn more -- get involved and contribute! : - )
January 7, 2007 - A new year dawns and it is already full of activity -- though the cold up here has got me barely moving -- some kind of prehistoric instinct for survival I am sure.... Just returned from a mad cap trip to DC (and a little beyond) where I spent New Year's Eve with good friends Martin Gibbs and Sarah Morgan. Martin popped over from London with his Dad, David and picked up his friend Jamie McLeod in Boston. Together they met another British friend, Simon Skinner -- (I knew them all in England when I lived there). Martin is heading off on a great trip across America that we cooked up after I did the same last year (he joined me for some of that one last year). I went as far as Chapel Hill, NC with them then had to turn back for dinner with friends in DC (Rob and Karla and Kim) and home... I'll hook up with the journey later this week in Phoenix and together we'll head to San Diego, LA, San Luis Obispo and San Francisco before I take leave and head back down to LA to begin a short week of music! The show on the 28th on KCSN's "Tied to the Tracks" with Larry Wines went very, very well, should have it up soon. I was even invited to a party in LA (had to e mail that it was pre recorded and I was in a coffee house in Alaska... alas). Larry will have me on for two quick songs this coming Saturday (January 13th) at around 8:00 am Pacific Time -- which will help me promote the Main Street Songwriter's Showcase gig (thanks again Garret!) and mention the Porch in San Luis Obispo and Russ and Julie's 10th Anniversary House Concert on the 20th. A busy week for me ending with a visit to San Diego and then home. Check out the gigs list -- new updates all the time. There are upcoming January dates in Alaska, February dates in Alaska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Massachusetts, and more after that! If you know of a good venue drop me a line and let me know who to contact. Love to play! December 15, 2006 - Too long between entries, but I suffered from the inevitable hard drive melt down. Left me unable to add to this for three weeks, but all is well now. Big next five weeks coming up. Just finished confirming a great week in mid January in Southern California (check out the gigs link) starting with 1 hour pre-recorded radio show on Woodland Hills/Northridge's own KCSN (88.5 FM) broadcasting as www.kcsn.org. The show airs at 8:45 am Pacific Coast Time as part of Larry Wines' "Tied to the Tracks" show, and should be good. After a few weeks here at home (Mom visiting now!) I head down to Phoenix to meet up with my old British friend Martin Gibbs -- he's on a cross country drive (Boston to Seattle) and I'll join him from Phoenix to San Fran. Then its back south for Cafe Bellissimo on the 16th of January (Main Street Songwriter's Showcase with Garret Swayne), The Porch in Santa Margarita on the 19th and Russ and Julie's House Concerts tenth anniversary concert on the 20th. Just a great week! Don't forget to pop over to the music link and buy a cd or two for a stocking stuffer -- they go out immediately and shipping and handling is my treat for Christmas (okay, its always my treat). See you all down the road! November 18, 2006 - What a week so far! Played at Folsom Prison on Thursday the 16th with good friend Jerry Holder and Buddy Tabor. With help from Buddy, Cheri Snook and especially Jim Carlson (runs the arts program there) we stepped into a bit of history. Folsom's changed -- the old prison where Cash rocked the house is a relic. The new blocks are brighter, less stone more concrete. But the gate checks, the guards and the guys in the yard haven't changed. Each step taking you deeper into a life you can't really know. An odd feeling that. We played in the Chapel -- four concrete block walls -- on a stage where the only adornment were two roughly painted hands reaching up to the sky. Freedom was a theme, and loss, and life. We took turns playing and listened to the poetry of Spoon, the music of Marty and another inmate (who sang "A Cowboy's Confession" -- a song that came to him in a dream) as they and we belted out original creation. Thanks owed to all and those fifty who came to listen. As Buddy Tabor observed, whether your inside or outside those walls, its a limited gig for all of us. Following that we joined Terry Holder and drove up to Grass Vlley for a lightly attended fundraiser and some of the worst jokes I've laughed at in a long time...thanks Buddy! Last night was our first here at FAR-West in Sacramento (that's the Western end of the Folk Alliance and a conference of music, venues, singers, tips, and talents held annually) -- Susan Mumma and I (she of the Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival) co-hosted an Alaska room featuring artists from Alaska (or born there) and those who have played in her summer festival. What a night, after successful showcases from Buddy, Lauren Sheehan, Dan Lowe, James Lee Stanley, Tim Mason, Terry and Jerry Holder and myself, Terry and Jerry, Tim, Susan and I traded songs (and liquid joy) until the wee hours of the morning finally stopping as the conversation drifted into world saving, life and the hard reality of loss -- bookends for another day of music. Tired but awake, we begin another day. November 5, 2006 - Well, not so successful at doing the blog thing, but here is another attempt.... Just returned from the Sitka Grind -- a monthly event with a number of artists from the community and beyond held in that marvelous City by the Sea (Paris of the Pacific!). This time it was the "Maritime" Grind -- sea shanties and Ocean themes, though one act put down "Motorcycle Mama" and "The Thrill is Gone"). I played my new song "The Wave" (on the next EP CD "Five Songs, Five Stories" this Summer) and an old one: "The Calling of the Sea" (likely to be on the Winter 2007 "Forgotten Streets and Lost Broadway"), then took my ten words from the audience. In the end, we had the audience singing the new construction of "A Whale of a Tale" to close the show. Ted Howard, local Sitka History teacher and fab guitarist joined me on stage for that last song and a playing of "Fat Moon". He was just great! Sitka was completely clear, the moon full and the air was magic -- like it always seems to be to me when I am there. Friends like Jeff Budd (who hosted the Grind), Tom Clarke and Sheldon Schmitt just add to my always great experiences there. I always seem to leave to soon, but I've been on the road traveling for a while and needed to get home. Can't wait for the next time... Great people, great town, great time. Also new -- I should be posting a new first cut studio version of "Eddie's Song", which addresses war, on the home page (if I can figure it out). Pass it on if you like, and get it on the air if you think it should be.
July 24, 2006 - This is my experiment: first blog entry. Just finished a whirlwind week down in Los Angeles, The San Fernando Valley and Las Vegas. Many thanks to Garret Swayne (http://www.garretswayne.com) for hosting a great venue at the Main Street Songwriters Showcase. The crowd was excellent, including a number of old friends. I hadn't seen Bruce Grossman (also a singer/songwriter) since college days (great to connect up again!) and got to see old friends Bob Meadow, Ron Young and Linda Dewar, Gordon DeBoer and many others. After a quick trip to Vegas to meet up with one of my musical compatriots, Terry Holder, and her daughter Erin and granddaughter Jade, and friends Anne Bussone and, Andrea Stats, Mary and others, I headed back to a night of a casual meeting of the music scene with Russ Paris. You should all check out Kulak's Woodshed which is operated on the generosity of both its physical and cyber patrons (www.kulakswoodshed.com/) and the current happenings at Russ and Julie’s House Concerts which can be found on at (http://jrp-graphics.com/houseconcerts.html) to really get into the San Fernando Valley. Finally ended the trip with a stop at KCSN, 88.5 on the dial there (and webcasting at www.kcsn.org) for a live show with Larry Wines host of "Tied to the Tracks" - a great show from 6 am to 10 am every Saturday featuring live interviews and great independent music. Chicago Red and the incredible Wiyos (www.wiyos.com/) were on after me - loved watching that live music in that small studio! Check it out on the web. I recorded a copy of one of my new numbers, "Eddie's Song", which should get some airplay over the next few months there - that's its first recording (though it is copywrited!) That's it for now, gotta catch a flick. |
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