nostatic at all...

Wait, we have to be at Camp Pendleton when?!?

Wait, we have to be at Camp Pendleton when?!?

I think this is lesson number 3 for the boy, and he's doing syncopated 16th shuffles. Sick. If he practices, look out...

Stunning crop art has sprung up across rice fields in Japan, but this is no alien creation. The designs have been cleverly planted. Farmers creating the huge displays use no ink or dye. Instead, different color rice plants have been precisely and strategically arranged and grown in the paddy fields. As summer progresses and the plants shoot up, the detailed artwork begins to emerge.

*sigh*

It was 20 years ago today...

No wait, more like 30 years. At any rate, 2/3 of THC gets back into the rehearsal studio to begin a new chapter. Look out world, here comes Bistro Fries and the Melody Makers.

No other word to describe it really. The sheer joy of music, as presented by Tommy Emmanuel. As luck would have it, we somehow ended up with front row center seats. You know, the ones that you look at from anywhere else in the house and say, "man, I wish I was sitting down there." Literally 5' from Mr. Emmanuel as he took the crowd on a journey through most every genre imaginable. You should click this link and find when he's playing near you. Travel by plane, train or automobile if necessary. You really need to see this man make music.

A second night of live music (how long has it been since that happened?). This time a bit more "in the wild," with Monte Montgomery at Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach. I had my advance tickets, and we show up at about 7:30 for the 8pm show to be asked, "did you reserve a table?" Uh, no...didn't know that was needed. Might be nice if your website wasn't a steaming pile of crap wrt information. Anywho, we did find a table and had some marginal food. Then were treated to a pair of opening acts. Yikes. How many semi-competent and utterly boring singer/songwriter/guitarists are there in the world? I mean at least PR tries to do some things a little outside the box. These guys though? Suck. And here's your key to knowing if a musician isn't a musician at all. If they finish their piss-poor boring ass set, then when a guy like Monte Montgomery takes the stage and they sit around yapping with loud moronic women instead of watching and listening...that's when you know they are hopeless hacks and will forever be...hopeless hacks.

That rant aside, Monte was breathtaking. Some parallels between him and TE, but MM is more on the rock/blues side and doesn't have quite the range of material and approaches. But he seriously tears it up on guitar, and his voice is amazing. Highly recommended.

But instead a ton of work to get done before consecutive travel weeks. Sigh.

More proposals for plus-ups. Fun times...but I've got music to work on!

Not poetry, but rather putting together "the book" for the new band. One of the downsides of being a band leader is that you have to...umm...lead the band. Which means putting together the song lists, figuring out the keys, writing charts, etc. It's like work. No wait, it is work.

A night of culture at the Ahmanson. Direct from Beijing a very cool performance of The Butterfly Lovers. But how do they eat with those long sleeves?

Welcome the year of the Tiger. Lots of food, and I never made so many wontons. I might have a future...

No fetchin'? I suppose some of that as travel looms, the day is a holiday, yet class still meets.

But with wifi - Virgin America rocks.

Bad enough having to drive in the dark through it last night from Logan to Natick. But it is still here...and it's cold!

The wonders of modern technology. Why is it that I have better bandwidth at 30K' in a Virgin America flight than when I was on the ground at the Crowne Plaza in Natick?

As some might know, I do acoustic cover versions of songs on youtube under the moniker of perilousRelish. I clearly state in the title the original artist and that I'm doing a cover song. What harm can that do? Well evidently Don Henley and Cass County Music didn't like me covering "Boys of Summer" as they complained to youtube and they pulled the video.

Hey Don...I guess this is the end of the innocence, eh? This 48 year old hack guitarist/singer certainly is profiting off your material. Best to sick the legal dogs on him...that perilousRelish guy is dangerous!

Those 21 hour days will always take their toll...

Finally back on the road on the bike after travel during the week and the previous battery dying scenario. North on PCH to Neptune's Net. Not a big showing of bikes, but there was an interesting conversation with a Ducati Streetfighter owner. Most bike guys are pretty chatty about bikes. In part because you have to be kinda nuts to ride in the first place...

Wait, you mean tomorrow is Monday and time for work? What the hell...I'd rather go back to rehearsal...

And again...and again. This time to Florida. At least it won't be snowing...

Lotsa Cuban...an other stuff

How about 80 degrees and rain? That's FL for ya. Time spent in the convention center with millions and millions of dollars worth of military industrial complex toys on display. Never boring...

How about brief a 2-star and a 3-star general on your (the team's "your") training system? Oh, and a sunburn to boot (who should need sunscreen in Feb?!?)

One invariable side-effect of business travel is dealing with all the things that don't get done while you're away. While you can do a fair amount electronically, if you have sporadic access (like I did) and/or are busy non-stop during the day anyway (like I was) then stuff isn't going to get addressed. And that is what the first day back is for. Fun times...

For some reason the boy is singing Chicago tunes, though not the one referenced in this post's title. No time in the park anyway, as rain dampens plans, as does just general, "screw it I'm tired." I do have to practice though...no rest for the wicked bass players.

Finally some sunshine, and managed to pry the boy away from the computer to get on 2 wheels. Unfortunately he went out too hard and fast on the boardwalk and quickly bonked. Oh well, I had to get to rehearsal anyway. He needs more training...

A nice break from the usual, lounging (as best I can) in Hawaii. But reality (and budgets) can be a pita, so back to lala land. Aloha. And aloha.