I think I'm getting pretty good at this

Last weekend was dope. I picked up a ticket to see John Doe and Lucinda Williams at the new Summer Nights venue, South Lake Union. I prefer this venue to the pier, personally. John Doe was awesome. He alternated between acoustic and electric guitar, doing songs off his solo albums and reaching back for an X tune or two. He did a Dave Alvin song called "Fourth of July," and it brought tears to my eyes as I sang along. Here are the lyrics:
"She gives me her cheek when I want her lips, but I don't have the strength to fight it. On the lost side of town, in a dark apartment, we gave up trying so long ago..."
Anyway, John Doe is the shit, and I can't wait to get his new album, which is getting rave reviews.

Lucinda looked and sounded great. She looked like she was having a genuinely good time. She made a comment at one point about how much she was touched by the crowd's reaction to her songs. Good for Seattle. She said she had written 23 new songs, and she tried a few of them out. My favorite two were in true Lucinda Williams form, one a lament about a lover who couldn't stay out of jail and the other a rail about a boastful man who can't get her motor running. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was sober, but it sure hasn't diminished her muse.

I recorded a Michael Clark song called "Los Alamos Blues" on Saturday. Dylan Fant, owner of 1Shot Studio recorded it for free as a promotion for the studio. We laid down a guitar track, then lead vocal, then a harmony track and finally a short harmonica solo. I was mixed, mastered and out the door in three hours, and I didn't feel rushed. The young man knows what he is doing, and I am thrilled with the finished product. Now I just need to put this little solo project together, while I am still "among the quick."

I have a little gig at the Celtic Bayou, a cajun/irish place, which is pretty funny, cause I'm half cajun and half irish. Nancy and I are going to go have dinner (anyone care for Shepard's Jambalaya?) and then I play a 30 minute set at 11:00.
I'm not sure if it's the confidence I gained while taking the EMP class, 25 years of experience catching up on me, the fact that I am playing pretty much constantly or just "clean living," but I am feeling like I can pretty much shred through anything I play right now. Whatever it is, it doesn't suck.

Meanwhile, across the world, our young men and women keep dying for a lie and a ruse. Is anybody else out there getting pissed?

Thank you Ms. Auer for being the first person to comment on this blog. I'm glad your benefit for the school went well.

If others are reading this, send me a comment, ok? I won't bite.