(photo by Bill Reaves)
I am inevitably confounded by the amount of time I let go by between posts here. My last post was February of last year (2022). You may ask yourself "what was he doing that prevented him from posting again?" and the answer is, of course, "nothing really." I forget I have this place to write my thoughts down for a waiting world to read, which would be helpful for me as well to empty my chaotic mind and make a little space.
But since you're here and may be wondering what I'm up to, I'll try to fill you in.
Mostly, I'm tending to home stuff. I do laundry and pick up groceries and a lot of domestic engineering that involves a broom, dustpan and mop. And sometimes that sweet shower glass cleaner recipe I found a while ago that makes it so you can see out again.
We have a new junior at UNC-W and a new junior at Riverside High School, and they've been navigating their lives outside the nest. The high schooler just got her drivers' license and a 2000 Honda as a starter vehicle. She is making the most of it, as new drivers do.
My Smart Wife® is happily working at Duke Libraries as a Collections Analysis Librarian, a gig that plays to her strengths. It's challenging work, and she's loving it.
We also became grandparents to Savannah Jade Jenkins last year. She's a marvel, and her parents have adapted to their new roles with vigor and excitement. SJ is a cutie pie, but we could be biased.
Musically speaking, I've not been terribly active of late, but...
- Continental Drifters played reunion shows (the Vermilion lineup) at SXSW in 2022 and then over Jazzfest this year. We lost our brother Carlo Nuccio August 22 to cancer, and our band family still mourns that loss deeply.
- Our friend Sean Kelly (from A Fragile Tomorrow) has been intrepidly working on a biography of Continental Drifters that will be published in 2024.
- I played on sessions for the Paranoid Style and went to perform with them at Twangfest this year as their lead guitar player, a stretch from my comfort zone but a successful adaptation on my part.
- Chris Stamey and I were inducted into the RJ Reynolds Arts Hall of Fame this spring; no progress on getting The dB's catalog back on any streaming services, unfortunately, but UMG is just not amenable to making that happen.
- No solo shows on the books for the forseeable future despite a fun and successful house concert tour in 2023.
- I'm selling off a bunch of my extraneous gear to make room for... er, room.
And I've been writing. Some songs, but a lot of entries into what may ultimately become an autobiography. It still seems kind of farfetched to think anyone would be interested in my life, but that's not stopping me. I think it's probably good practice to keep writing, as I think I do it pretty well, so pulling together chapters of my life story has been part of my daily routine lately.
As I say here, I'm going to try to get this blog happening again more frequently, now that I've remembered that it exists!
