11.09.04: New York City

I was talking to Edgar Heckmann last week. You know Edgar. He’s the Main Man over at Blue Rose Records, the wonderful German label that has been my home since 1998. Anyway, we were having a nice chat until i realized I had to get off the phone because, as I told him, "I have to get down to Madison Square Garden and play with REM."

"Ha ha ha," Edgar laughed. But I didn’t laugh. I was serious. I was about to make my debut in the home of great moments by Willis Reed, Led Zeppelin, Joe Frazier, Walt Frazier, George Harrison and Sinead O’ Connor (her Dylan birthday meltdown). Hey, I have played a bunch of interesting places and even some shows to bigger audiences (festivals, for example) but the idea of playing the Garden was pretty exciting.

It all came about during dinner the night before with Peter Buck. We’ve been good pals since 1983 and the Dream Syndicate opened an eight-week tour for the band back in 1984. Peter asked if I wanted to see the band play at the Garden on Thursday night and I said that I would but that we were rehearsing just before the gig right around the corner from the arena. I didn’t have time to get home before their set and didn’t know what i would do with my guitar.

"Why don’t you just bring it in and do a song with us."

What a perfect solution. Why hadn’t I thought of that?

I learned the song--"Permanent Vacation," an unreleased (?) song from their earliest years--during the day and watched their set from the side of the stage. The band is in top form these days and are an exciting arena act, something that isn’t all that easy to pull off. My new Stratocaster was tuned up by their guitar tech and handed to me as I walked on stage in front of 20,000 people. Michael Stipe introduced me and within seconds the giant arena felt like a small club, just a place where i was playing with old friends. Peter, Scott McCoughey and I did a few Guitar Trio Southern Rock movements and the song was over all too quickly.

But it was an incredible night. I look forward to my next appearance at Madison Square Garden. Which will, in fact, be later this week. I’ve got tickets to the Knicks this Friday.

Some recent faves:


ABATTOIR BLUES/The Lyre of Orpheus--Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (CD)
SMILE--Brian Wilson (Concert and CD)
CHRONICLES--Bob Dylan (book)
GINGER FLAVORED ALTOIDS (refreshing mint)
LEON RUSSELL at The Cutting Room (concert)
THE FIRST THREE GAMES OF THE YANKEES/RED SOX playoff series (baseball)
DAMAGE--Blues Explosion (CD)
SIDEWAYS (movie)
DRAWN TOGETHER (tv show)
GET DOWN--Transmissionary Six (CD)
BROOKLYN NOIR (short story anthology)
THE CLAREMONT LOUNGE (Atlanta bar)
THAT MOMENT LATE IN THE AFTERNOON OF NOVEMBER 2 WHEN I ACTUALLY THOUGHT THAT JOHN KERRY WAS GOING TO WIN (election)

10.05.04: New York City

This can't be happening. I'm watching the Los Angeles Dodgers face the St Louis Cardinals in the first game of the major league baseball playoffs. And I'm watching the game from my living room. Usually in October I am on tour. And the tour is usually in Europe which means that I find myself praying for good reception from the nearest Armed Forces Radio station, my battery-operated radio fighting static and jammed frequencies to allow me to hear games that begin at 2am and continue until dawn. Readers of this website might remember the story of finding out about the Yankees American League championship while drinking coffee in a Croatian internet cafe. It all makes for exotic stories but it's a bitch if you're a big baseball fan.

But this year I find myself working on new songs (to be recorded early next year) and repackaging old songs (for the retrospective that's coming out in March) and that means configuring creativity, logistics and efficiency with one eye fixed on ESPN. And somehow it works. Each activity feeds the other--the two sides of the brain are stimulated and stretched to capacity. And that's a good thing.

On the other hand, there's no reason to think that the next album will revolve around pitchers, catchers and the infield fly rule. No, there is plenty of inspiration coming from live music this week as old heroes and good friends descend upon New York. Television, Patti Smith, Peter Case, Brian Wilson and Leon Russell (who I last saw when I was 12 years old) all playing in a ten-day period. And then there's the alternately maddening and encouraging presidential debates and coverage. And food. There's always food. Let's review:


I (heart) Huckabees (movie)
Intimacy/Midnight All Day--Hanif Kureishi (book)
The Delivery Man--Elvis Costello (CD)
Monk's Dream/Underground/Straight No Chaser--Thelonius Monk (CDs)
Lupa (NYC restaurant/Greenwich Village)
Age of Miracles--Chuck Prophet (CD)
3 for $10 Bollywood DVDs (Jackson Heights shopping)
Amy Ruth's (NYC restaurant/Harlem)
The Secret Life of Dentists (movie)



And that's it for now. There are two games on two different channels and it's hard to type with one hand on the remote control.

8.30.04: New York City

I was just walking down Broadway, listening to Bob Dylan's "Love And Theft" at top volume on my headphones. Everybody who has spent any amount of time with me in the last few years has probably heard me go on and on about how much I love Dylan's vocals on that record. And it's obviously not for range or pitch control but rather the phrasing and nuance of tone that makes everything he does on that record seem so conversational, so spontaneous, so REAL. And this is where 99% of musicians get it wrong--it's not enough to set some degree of difficult and then attempt to achieve the routine. No, what makes the best music work is some kind of human connection, some moment of transcendent honesty that touches an honest emotion in some inexplicable way. And speaking of Dylan, I had thought that his recent cocktail of grizzled old coot, swaggering rocker, masterful veteran, sly seducer and prophet of doom was something he had cooked up himself. Foolish me--it's all there on the recently reissued Muddy Waters records that were produced in the late 70s by Johnny Winter. I don't know why I never heard them before but it's all I've been listening to for the last week. The band is amazing, Muddy is in peak form and the production is absolutely perfect--huge, natural and timeless. I'd be surprised if these records weren't an intentional template for Dylan's comeback of the last seven years. Okay, enough of this music critic stuff. A lot of things have been going on recently--Linda and I spent three weeks in southern Spain with Paco Loco (Australian Blonde), writing and recording a full album's worth of material. It will come out over there early next year as Smack Dab and the record has a few of my favorite songs that I've ever written. And with that ring of the Pavlovian bell for songwriting, it's time to write, rewrite and compile songs for the new solo album that I'll be recording with the Miracle 3 early next year. We'll probably be road-testing the new songs right before we go into the studio so keep checking this site for upcoming gigs. Otherwise, life in New York has been hectic despite the paralyzing heat and humidity of August. I've been out on the town watching the moonlighting members of the Miracle 3--LInda played the Bowery Ballroom with Golden Smog and Dave did a MoveOn political rally backing Moby and Perry Farrell at the Hammerstein Ballroom. No local gigs for me but I did appear along with 200,000 others (including Jason's parents, aunt and sister) in midtown last week, protesting the Republican National Convention that has slowed down the city for the last few days. All the more reason to seek out air-conditioning and stay inside--just like I'm doing right now. Some recent faves: "Hard Again," "I'm Ready" and "King Bee"--Muddy Waters (CDs) The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (TV) Chapter 10 of the Ken Burns jazz series (DVD) Ajoblanco (or white gazpacho) Gabriel's Gift--Hanif Kureishi (book) Chin Music (baseball/music magazine) Five Guys Walk Into a Bar--Faces (box set) Dusty In Memphis--Warren Zanes (book/essay) Communicate--The Solution (CD--Sweden) Golden Krust (Caribbean "fast food," New York) Vampisoul (Spanish label) The Name of the Band is Talking Heads (CD reissue) Buddy Guy's guitar solo in "Festival Express" (movie) Free the Bees--The Bees (CD--UK) Oh, and check out the free monthly download elsewhere on this site--this month's offering is a version of Then She Remembers by the original lineup of the Dream Syndicate. It's from a gig at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey in early 1983 in the middle of the East Coast's worst blizzard of the century. Oh, and I had seen snow actually fall for the first time in my life only weeks before. hey, the temperature is dropping into the double digits. time to go outside

7.02.04: New York City

With the Fourth of July weekend approaching and the humidity level rising like skyrockets in the sky, it seems a good day to stay in and take stock of the last few weeks. Since the last posting, I've played two shows which matches the total for the previous five months. Yes, the year of writing, recharging and researching continues although it looks like there will be some tours in the second half of the year with two or three visits to the studio in the coming months. But more about that later. Even in a year of reduced touring, there's always room for a road trip or two and the Miracle 3 and I were fortunate enough to be brought down to New Orleans to play at the Tape Op Convention last month. Let's see--a chance to play music with my friends at an event hosted by one of my favorite magazines and spend four days in a city filled with incredible music and food? uh...let me think. Okay, my bags are packed. Anyway, the trip was great and highlights included the chance to see great sets by Calexico, the Black Heart Procession, John Doe and Vic Chestnut as well as pick up tips (for the expanding Up There Studios) from the likes of Allen Toussaint, Jim Dickinson and Tony Visconti (and my current and former producers Craig Schumacher and Joe Chiccarelli). And then there was the food (po'boys and various fried items shaving hours off my life) and the chance to hang out with old bandmates Mark Walton and Robert Mache. The other road trip happened a few weeks later when Jason and I (along with our friend Scott Schinder) hopped into a rental car and drove to Cleveland to do a show with Glenn Tilbrook from Squeeze. 500 miles of music listening, conversation, road food and finally the show at one of the finest clubs in the US--the Beachland Ballroom. Jason and I performed an hour of material and then settled in to watch Tilbrook and his band attack all of his previous hits with the abandon and recklessness of a high school garage Squeeze tribute band. Which is to say that it was fantastic. The next morning we decided to pay a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (see photo) and were invited to a "backstage" tour of the hall's collection, things that are not out for the public view at the time. Incredible stuff--the original handwritten lyrics to "In My Life" and "Lucy In the Sky With Diamond," Michael Jackson's coat from the Thriller video, Chet Atkins' guitar and then our host pulled out a small box and said "check this out", opened it up and we saw a single dreadlock. "Bob Marley's," he said. yep, cringe if you'd like--but it was pretty surreal and amazing. Here are some other recent highlights and favorites: SONIC NURSE--Sonic Youth (CD) FARENHEIT 911 (movie) WHAT A WAY TO END IT ALL--Deaf School (reissue CD) Lou Reed live at Carnegie Hall (June 23) LIFE, LOVE AND LEAVING--Detroit Cobras (CD) Teenage Prayers Midnight Special Variety Show (P.S. 122--June 26) DRY--Augusten Burroughs (book) PRESTON FALLS--David Gates (book) SMILING FACES--The Best of the Undisputed Truth (CD) M&G Diner (Harlem diner--open 24 hours) Last Night's Yankee Game (Yanks beat Red Sox 5-4 in 13 innings) NOW HERE IS NOWHERE--Secret Machines (CD) DIARY OF A MANHATTAN CALL GIRL--Tracy Quan (book) FUNKY FUNKY NEW ORLEANS, vols 2 and 3 (CD compilation) SCTV, Volume 1--Network 90 (DVD) Blue 9 Burgers (East Village) There must be a lot more but the stifling air seems to be draining of its moisture so maybe it's time to wrap things up. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some illegal sparklers to track down.

5.26.04: New York City

Well, THAT was incredible. And I wish all of you could have been there. But I guess I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning. It was Monday night (May 24) and my buddy/bass player Dave DeCastro was booked to play a solo show at the Lakeside Lounge over on Avenue B. I'm always glad to have the chance to hang out with Dave and I love his songs so my plans were made. And when Dave emailed me over the weekend and asked me to bring my guitar and play a few songs, I was happy to oblige although I wasn't sure what songs he wanted to play ("just make some noise," he advised). I was supposed to be at the club at 8pm but I was stalled by a dinner with my friends Brigid and Amy and was a little anxious when I arrived at the club and could see that the show had already begun. Anybody who knows me is well aware that I hate being late for anything (ah, "not very rock and roll" you might say but when this tendency is pushed to almost compulsive-like levels it becomes VERY rock and roll, I'd say). And when I walked into main band room, all eyes turned towards me and the audience began to applaud. I figured that Dave had been using my tardiness as a joke (paranoid? me?) and that the reaction was a bemused, sarcastic response to my late entrance. wrong. absolutely wrong. I realized that things weren't quite as they seemed when I scanned the room and realized that I knew everybody. Everybody! And then I began to think I was having a very vivid surreal dream when I looked across the room and saw that one of the familiar faces was none other than Jaap Bos. Here. In New York. Not at his home in Holland where he would have normally been with his wife Corrie and Stepson Mark. but wait--they were here as well. dreaming. definitely dreaming. and then I looked up at the stage and it wasn't just Dave on stage. There was Linda and Jason and Silos bass player Drew, Chris Brokaw and my friend and 1999 tourmate Steve Espinola and Dave said "welcome to my show" and they kicked into a version of "Whatever You Please" and a damn good version at that. After the song, Jaap brought me up to the stage and announced that this event had been in the making for one year and it was the observance of the 25th anniversary of my first record (Suspects), a quarter century of record-making. I didn't even know! And then Jaap handed me a beautifully packaged 2CD set of a tribute record[R] to commemorate the event. And a framed plaque to go along with it. was I stunned? you bet. And then I was told to take a seat and enjoy the show and settled in for a set of my tunes played by friends like Teenage Prayers ("Gospel" and "500 Girl Mornings"), Joe McGinty ("Sweetness and Light"), Joe Hurley ("Then She Remembers") Debby Schwartz ("When She Comes Around"), Brad Rice ("Younger") The Silos ("Tell Me When It's Over"), Tammy Faye Starlight ("Baby We All Gotta Go Down") and then was brought up for versions of "My Midnight," "Cats and Dogs," "Nothing But the Shell" (with Eric "Roscoe" Ambel on lead vocals), "Strange New World," "Out of This World," "Amphetamine" and "The Days of Wine and Roses." And that was the end of the set and just the beginning of an incredible evening of hanging out with so many good friends, a veritable This Is Your Life collection of people I've known for so many years. Incredible. and when I got home at 5am, I couldn't even begin to think about sleeping as I had to hear this tribute record. you'll be able to track it down from this very website or from stores in the next few days but in the meantime, I can tell you that it has versions of 28 songs from the last 25 years sung by the likes of Dave DeCastro, Deanna Varagona, Dennis Duck, Chris Eckman, Brad Rice, Chris Brokaw, Jaap Boots, Rich Hopkins, Paco Loco, The Silos, Sam Lapides, Pat Thomas, Chris Cacavas, John Munsoin, Sid Griffin, Robert Lloyd, Gutterball (!--yep, with Stephen McCarthy on lead vocals), Transmissionary Six, Concrete Blonde, Somebody's Darling, Kirk Swan, Jason Victor, Chuck Prophet, Russ Tolman, Willard Grant Conspiracy, Minus 5, Thalia Zedek and Luc Crabbe with Nathalie Duyver. Amazing. Special thanks to Jaap. and Corrie and Mark who made the trip along with him. And to Edgar and Beate Heckmann who came from Germany and who will be putting out the tribute CD on Blue Rose. And, of course, all awe and wonder goes out to Linda who put together the gig without me ever having even the slightest clue. So now it's three days later and I still can't get over it but get over it I must as the Miracle 3 and I are heading to New Orleans this weekend for our second show of the year. It will be a wild and fun weekend but it will have to a long ways to coming anywhere close to the party at the Lakeside Lounge last Monday. (MAY 26)

4.27.04: New York City

They tell me that the Springtime is beautiful here in New York but I wouldn't know as Spring is the time of year when we are usually on tour (and I should point out that Spring is beautiful just about everywhere we go) and I'm rarely home to see the cold winter months change into the thawed wonders of April and May. But with the current hiatus from the road, I am having the chance to enjoy sunglasses, outdoor dining, warm weather and, of course, the start of a new baseball season. Well, "enjoy" may not be the right word as the Yankees are off to their worst start in years but otherwise everything is cool. or warm. well, you know what I mean. The year has hardly been one of idleness and sloth. The reissues of "Ghost Stories" and "Live at Raji's" hit the stores on May 11 (you can get early copies from the website--go, Fanmaster, go!) and I'm really happy with the packaging and sound. And with Jason Victor on tour with Chris Cacavas, the Miracle 3 has been in mothballs but will be reactivated in time for our May 28 show at the TapeOp convention in New Orleans. Hey, if you're going to be anywhere near Louisiana, I recommend you make it out to the show--we're playing with Calexico and Black Heart Procession and the North Mississippi All-Stars and that should be a great night of music, not to mention the local food adventuring that will precede and follow the event. By the way, this is a good time to give an endorsement to TapeOp--an incredible magazine geared towards the home-recording musician. It's the monthly bible for musicians who want to make good music in a small apartment on a limited budget but the interviews are also great and interesting even if you don't care about compressors and EQ. And, best of all, it's free--no kidding, absolutely free. Check out www.tapeop.com And while I'm in 'hype' mood, here are some recent faves: movies: YOUNG ADAM THE MAYOR OF SUNSET STRIP ETERNAL SUNSHINE FOR THE SPOTLESS MIND SPELLBOUND (2003) music: PROBLEMATIC--Faris Nourallah (hard to find but absolutely worth it) FLY OR DIE--N*E*R*D TRAMPIN'--Patti Smith TUSK--Fleetwood Mac (reissue) CHICKASAW COUNTY CHILD--Bobbie Gentry reading: Oracle Night--Paul Auster Gourmet Magazine Without You; The Tragic Story of Badfinger Because They Wanted To--Mary Gaitskill Well, there's so much more to report but stay tuned for the next report on this very website. In the meantime, it's time to shut down the laptop and GET OUTSIDE

3.17.04: New York City

We played our first show of the year last weekend here in town at sin-e. You might know that name from Jeff Buckley records or various barometers of hipness from the mid-90s but the club has actually moved from its previous St Mark's Place location and is now settled in the increasingly bustling Lower East Side. Cool place--it holds about 300 people and is laid out so that you can see pretty well from any point in the room. Unlike most NYC clubs, there is nowhere to escape--the bar (which serves only beer and wine) is right there in the one room with fans and band. If you don't want to hear what's going on that night, you'll just have to leave.

The need to escape the music wasn't an issue last Saturday, however, since it was a pretty amazing bill (hand-picked by yours truly with help and suggestions from Bill, the booker of the club). The first band Teenage Prayers played quirky, broken, beautiful, playful, poppy tunes that often stretched into mini-suites and 70's-style epics. I would tell you that Jason, Dave and I all thought of Meatloaf at the same time but that would give you the wrong impression so I won't even mention that. Sadly, we missed most of the set from the next band Pale Horse and Rider but I really dug what I heard on their website and will check them out the next time I have a chance. Next up was the Newborn Naturals who mixed together all of the garage trash bands of the 60's who sounded like the bands who sounded like the bands who sounded like the Stones and the Kinks. Cool and loud. And there's nothing more inspiring than checking out great bands, so we responded with an adrenaline-riddled set of our own, debuting two new songs--"Wired" and "Welcome to the New Regime"--and a (very topical, it turns out) cover of CCR's "Fortunate Son." It was a really fun night and a reminder that we should play our own town more often than once or twice a year.

some recent faves:

TALKIE WALKIE--Air (CD)
HEART FOOD--Judee Sill (CD)
3614 JACKSON HIGHWAY--Cher (CD)
EMPIRE FALLS--Richard Russo (book)
THE BREAKS--Richard Price (book)
THE OFFICE (tv show)
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (tv show)
JON STEWART SHOW (tv show)
SHIRI (movie)
THE AUDITION (movie)
THE GOOD GIRL (movie)
SECRET MACHINES at Tonic (concert)
JAYHAWKS at Town Hall (concert)

The snow is falling outside on this St Patrick's Day and I think it may wreak havoc with the parade and various pub crawls. It seems like it has been snowing for years--Springtime is going to feel mighty good if and when it comes.

1.23.04: New York City

No doubt about it--it's cold here. My friend (and former tourmate in Australian Blonde) Tito just moved here from Spain and said "What is this? Jupiter?" Well, maybe it's not that cold but to someone who is used to Spanish (or Californian, in my case) temperatures, it's pretty bone-chilling. They say that last Thursday night marked the lowest recorded temperature in New York City history and I marked the event by standing out on the West Side Highway waiting in vain for a cab. Five, ten minutes went by without any luck and I was imagining myself as a footnote in the New York Post--"Local Musician Becomes Ice Statue"--when I finally saw the magic white light atop the yellow cab and made my way uptown.

Complaining? Nah, I love the cold weather and it's one of the reasons I moved here from LA ten years ago. And weather like this gives the guilt-free excuse to stay inside and catch up on movies, music and cooking experiments, all activities that are just fine with me. On the movie front, I particularly liked "Mystic River" and "Laurel Canyon" while the CD player has seen the latest albums by Kelis (much more going on than just "Milkshake"), Missy Elliott and Brad Mehldau taking up prolonged residence while my continued late discovery of the Grateful Dead continues. "Live Dead" has become a particular favorite so don't be surprised if "Dark Star" enters the set list on our next tour.

The finishing touches are being applied to "Riding Shotgun," a 15-song promo-only CD compilation of some of my recent, darker material that will be sent out to movie and tv producers in hopes of spreading some of these tunes to theaters and living rooms around the world. And I'm also preparing to head up to Boston (isn't that a song?) to remaster "Ghost Stories" which should be exciting. I never felt that the original mastering captured the fire of those sessions and I'll be glad to be there and dig through the sonic junkyard to find what I need.

I hope you're all staying warm wherever you are.

1.04.04: New York City

2004. Looks like some kind of typo, doesn't it? Every time my computer has crashed in the past, the date would automatically shift to a default year setting of '04. That was meant to be 1904, a precursor and afterthought and ultimately red herring for the Y2K scare that will go down in history alongside pet rocks, mood rings and Kajagoogoo. But here we are in 2004 and now my computer tells me every day that it's '04. And it's working fine. I'm not sure what this all means but I'm bracing myself for just about anything. Like always. The last year saw my heaviest touring year ever (140 shows that I can remember and maybe a few more that I don't) end with a solo acoustic gig in Moscow, the first time I had been to the country where two of my four grandparents were born. Of course, the locals were quick to point out that Kiev (my ancestral home) is no longer Russia and is, in fact, now the Ukraine. Fine. Try telling that to my grandparents--all I know is that as I walked through Red Square I was able to delude myself into the fantasy that I was a local, the prodigal son returning home to his birthright of blinis, vodka and impossibly cold weather. It was an amazing trip and I was thrilled to have four days to spend in this incredible place. I managed to be a tourist by day and then become a musician/nightclubber in the evening. The secret? No sleep, of course! My personal obsession and fetish for city planning was satisfied as I explored the subways and streets of the city from sunrise to sunset, mixing the obvious tourist stops (Red Square, Kremlin and the surrounding areas) with random walks through various parts of the city. (note--since I was on my own, each of the photos are self-portraits. Not the best example of photographic technique but, hey, sometimes you gotta work with your limitations) The actual show was very exciting--due to the near impossibility of finding anything but the most mainstream records from the "outside world," most people who came out to the Art Garbage (!) club had heard OF me rather than actually heard my music before. Sure, there were a few fans calling out requests for the most obscure of songs but otherwise the room was filled with music fans who felt compelled to check out this guy who had invented alternative rock and had been a big influence on Kurt Cobain and Michael Stipe (wow, what a publicist--what a classic update of Soviet disinformation). The gig went really well and I think I'll be back, most likely with the band before too long. Along with playing a bunch of gigs and spending most of the year in transit, I also found time to listen to a lot of new music and found 2003 to be one of my favorite year for new releases in a while. Here's a list of some of my favorites: KEEP ON YOUR MEAN SIDE--The Kills YOUTH AND YOUNG MANHOOD--Kings of Leon SPEAKERBOXX/THE LOVE BELOW--Outkast 1972--Josh Rouse FEAST OF WIRE--Calexico THE SMELL OF OUR OWN--Hidden Cameras WORLD WITHOUT TEARS--Lucinda Williams ELEPHANT--White Stripes LOVE IS HELL, pts 1 and 2--Ryan Adams NOCTURAMA--Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds movies? I really dug "Lost In Translation" and "American Splendor" although being on tour most of the year kept me out of the movie theaters so I've got some catching up to do. On the other hand, I did have lots of time for reading and was particularly blown away by "Samaritan" by Richard Price, "The Book of Illusions" by Paul Auster, "The Devil's Playground" by Stav Sherez (out in February) and "Hard Revolution" by George P. Pelecanos (out in April, I think). And now it's time to settle into the new year--a time for writing and rehearsing and exploring new ideas. I figure I'll bring a bunch of new songs into the studio sometime before the summer but, in the meantime, I'll also be working on the upcoming reissues of the Dream Syndicate's "Ghost Stories" and "Live at Raji's" along with the DVD release of the show I played with the Miracle 3 and Chris Cacavas in Tubingen last Fall. Keep checking this website for updates and periodic rants and raves from yours truly. Happy New Year to all of you and thanks for your friendship and support in 2003.