Sunday, June 29, 2003

Hot!

It is too bloody hot! Oregon is NOT supposed to be like this! Actually this is probably the worst it will get, with temperatures in the 90s. We are generally blessed with mild weather year-round, with just a few really nasty cold days in the winter and a few nasty hot days in the summer.

I recently heard from my old friend Dawayne that there was a possibility of a second Proto-Kaw album coming out later this year. That would be very welcome news. If you haven't done so yet, check out the first Proto-Kaw album, and read the whole history of the band(s) we know as Kansas.

Wednesday, June 18, 2003

Summer Solstice

It occurred to me that I don't update this thing often enough to really call it a 'blog,' so maybe I'll stop calling it that, and I'll just put in stuff when I feel like it, which seems to be about every 2-6 weeks these days.

Summer solstice is just a few days away, and the weather here in Oregon has indeed been summer-like. The grass is not growing as fast, which is good news. Some folks complain about mowing their back yards, but our back yard is about 5-7 acres. I enjoy mowing it -- it's somewhat meditative to go around and around with the sound of the motor droning like a mechanical monk. That having been said, I am also appreciative when the intervals between mowings start to increase.

Musically, things are still moving along. I'm still writing new tunes occasionally, recording demos, and jamming with some good guys out in the valley from time to time. I have not been getting together with other musicians quite as often as I'd like to, but I think that will work itself out. I recently repaired my old Kramer bass, and I think I'll use that on the next jazz jam I go to. It's interesting how using a different axe takes you in different directions musically. The Kramer is a bit longer scale than my Les Paul bass so I have to work just a bit harder, but it has a nice funky sound that I like on some tunes.