At the time of this writing, there are only a few hours left of 2016. A year that many are looking back on with a mixture of “good riddance” and “can we please have a do over?!” A year with far too many losses in the arts and entertainment world at a time when we turn to things like music and art for comfort. A year over-shadowed by what was surely THE MOST despicable and embarrassing election campaign season in my lifetime, riddled with and followed by the kind of behavior that we should ALL be denouncing. I’ve spoken with many who are angry, frightened, and quite literally sickened and yet we are still hopeful. As cliche as it might be, at my lowest times, I find that remembering the many blessings I have in my life is the best cure. If you’re reading this, we count you among them.
We SO SO SO appreciate every single person who lends us their hearts and ears, particularly amidst the inevitable disappointments surrounding this business and the less desirable parts of the “job”, (and we only do this part time, compared to our com padres who are trying to make a full-time living) in a world that values live music less and less in favor of some video screen or another. Wow, do I sound too whiny? I’m sorry. I’m trying to say that despite all of these valid reasons to be a little less than happy, I feel incredibly lucky and grateful that we get to wake up every morning with a roof over our heads, food in the frig, jobs that pay the bills, and the great privilege of playing music once in awhile for you! Rod is recovering nicely from his trigger finger surgery and was playing again in less than a week. I spent the holiday break playing lots of banjo and digging through the endless pages of unfinished songs that will hopefully find their voice. We’re tearing apart the basement to make room for a new rehearsal/studio space and learning to let go of more stuff once again! Overall, we are looking forward to a year of some rediscovery and thriving through the many changes (some unwelcome). “Change ain’t lookin for friends” (FYI – I stole that line from the t.v. series Deadwood).
2017 also marks the 10th anniversary of our album “In This Town” and we’re planning a big celebration concert at The Ark on June 2nd so put the date on your calendar and we’ll keep you posted as tickets go on sale!
We’ll be performing the entire album with updated versions of the songs as they have evolved over the years. We are particular attached to this album for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is the fact that we were just settling in to our new home town of Chelsea. The cover photo was taken outside the Chelsea Depot where we now host monthly concert series featuring phenomenal songwriters from all over the country. This is also the 10 year anniversary of when Jason Dennie starting playing with us eventually becoming a huge part of what we do.