2019-The Road Goes On Nowhere And Forever

And so begins another year.

I haven't been much in the mood to really document the preceding gigs of the week.  Not that it matters but rather it's mundane to repeat myself, saying things were great and everybody had a good time.   Opinions vary so we'll leave that be.


New Years Eve saw me playing congas and guitar for Dreams Of Arcadia at The Office Lounge.  We had some freezing rain that made the roads turn into a ice rink but yet we managed to have a decent crowd turning out.   I couldn't understand the crowd's reaction to some of the songs.  We did get them to dance to Keep Your Hands To Yourself and of course Wagon Wheel (sigh) and Matthew singing Piano Man that got about 10 drunk chicks on the dance floor.  I played my usual favorites and of course Gold Dust Woman with Julie singing it.  I thought we did well.

Saturday Night was the annual Four Day Creep birthday bash to which everybody in that band was born under the Capricorn sign; I was born this month but I'm a fucking Aquarius, born under a bad sign indeed.  But I did play Dreams I'll Never See Again and Cheap Sunglasses, to which both versions might have been the best we ever did.  Rick Clay was playing a full beer bottle on the lead of Dreams and taking a drink from time to time.  John Shaw from Smoking Guns was guest jammer. It was a great time, Julie was there as well as Ryan and Matthew, and I think having Julie in the audience made me play that much better.  She was smiling and blowing kisses my way as I was playing.   She was having a rough go, due to a cold and Vance Hanson being a dick (long story but I'd rather not tell it) but for about 10 minutes she was smiling and having a good time.

3 and a half years into this and I have to say I have been playing my best overall.  In 2019, I'm thinking of getting back to The Townedgers and doing something with them. I have gigs with DOA and forthcoming with Boyscout Hippies, the latter will not let me be able to play Whittier. The Hippies are the house band on that second Saturday and Ron did offer a good paying gig,  they draw a large crowd to FB and Company in Waubeek and this will be my debut with that band as a special guest drummer.  I have committed to them for the first three months.  After that, I have to get back to my regular job.

I have potential projects coming up.  There might be finally the return of the New Paraphernalia Band with my best friend Russ and John Field.  I haven't played alongside John since 2007 when Russ invited me to sit in with them.  John has gone through hell, a divorce, a flood that destroyed his house, health issues, being homeless and so on.  Russ is sure that John wants to do this, but it hasn't panned out.  Maybe this year that will change.  I have The Acousta Crabbies with Julie but again my choice of songs is not meshing with her.  I have Meinfield, the project with Brenda and Greg Mein in June, and of course whenever Jay Dean needs a fill in for his band, I'll be happy to help out.

Julie is a part of this life.  She has gone through hell and back as well.  I'm a part of her life. We're still learning how to love one another.   At this point in life, I'm here to at least help her in some way to get through life.   Or at least, help her get a working car.  She is a true musician, broke and poor, but somehow we managed to weather the storm.

So, here we are again.  A new year and a new way.  And if we are all still here at the end of the year, then that will be a victory upon itself.  There'll be heartaches but I'm praying there'll be some good times as well.

Follow me down that road to nowhere, to the next destination.   Wherever that might lead.