Just A Quick Word...

The rock is definitely rolling as I'm writing this tonight. My brain is on fire. I just came from seeing the Max Weinberg (Bruce Springsteen's drummer in the E-Street Band) Big Band up in Evanston, just north of Chicago. Incredible show. I haven't seen a live big band in quite some time and the sheer energy and amount of sound is really unreal. Some of you know and some of you don't know that I spent a good amount of time in the jazz world and tonight's show definitely presented me with a frothy mug of nostalgia. It reminded me a bit of why I play music.

You see, I play a lot - A LOT - of shows. I love it to death but at the level I'm at there are still plenty of nights playing to no more than a handful of people. It's actually a bit scary, but in some ways I've gotten used to being in the background. Either that or I've just matured and know better than to force the issue that my younger self might have pounded down people's eardrums. I'd like to think that it's the latter of the two. Regardless, seeing a real performance like tonight's show (200 people on a Monday evening at 7pm) reminded me that the audience is out there. It reminded me that the audience is listening.

You guys are going to trip out when you see this new formation of my band. I hope you'll continue to listen, and I promise I'll keep giving you a reason to.

And Then There Were Three

Tonight’s entry is going to be short and sweet. Incase you missed the announcement several weeks back, my bass player of the last three years - Darin Mullins - will be leaving the Long Haul on July 2nd. His farewell show will be at the Goose Island Brewery here in Chicago, just down the street from Wrigley Field. For those of you in the area, I would sincerely appreciate the support. Darin is one of the most solid people I’ve met and he will be missed.

Given these circumstances, I’ve made a bold choice in my plans moving forward. No bass. That’s right people. I’ll say it again - no bass. I’ve acquired a really sweet keyboard - a Korg SV-1 (for those of you who might actually want to know). It contains fabulous acoustic piano emulations as well as a full range of classic electric pianos and organs (Hammond B-3, Wurlitzer, etc.). I’ll be splitting my time between keyboard and guitar, forming a hybrid power trio. I cannot tell you how exciting this will be for me…and you - my audience.

Many of you probably don’t know that I actually started out playing piano when I was about 4 or 5. I’ve always played it on the side of my guitar work and during my two years in music school I became quite proficient. I haven’t had an opportunity to put those skills to work for me - until now.

So far I’ve had three solid rehearsals with Brad Quandt (my lead guitar/lap steel player) and Rio Chavez (my drummer). The arrangements are coming together even better than I heard them in my head. I've given the task of providing harmony vocals to both Brad and Rio and little by little we're getting there. Furthermore, the space left by the bass is allowing some really amazing things to shine through and create surprisingly unique elements in the music. The phrase I’ve been using for the past seven years - “Folk Rock on Steroids” - has never been more accurate. This will be a true meeting point between the rawness of my acoustic show and the hair-raising power of an electric band. All topped off with the gospel soul of piano, and the electric organ whistling through a Leslie rotating speaker.

I cannot wait to share this with you guys. It will be a force to be reckoned with. Are you with me?