Hi everyone, it has been a long time since I have written anything. Life has gotten rather busy and the CD is still in the works. I am actually have some remixes done next week, hence the delay. I am also still on limited playing time (guitar-wise) due to the issues with my tendon. However, I am playing keys and have some new piano based songs that I hope to post soon.

The best news is that we have begun construction on the studio. The pics below represent the teardown and beginning stages of foundation work etc.

   

Last month Laura and I went to see Ian Hunter at the Fillmore in SF. I had last (and first) seen him in 1981 or ’82 when Bowie’s former guitarist Mick Ronson was in the band. Actually that was an interesting show because Ronson played mostly keyboards as Ian’s regular keyboard player had fallen ill. Anyway, it was a great show as was this one. At age 78, Hunter gives us middle-aged artists hope that we’ll be able to continue playing and singing well into the future. What was also gratifying was that he didn’t rely solely on his (fabulous) back catalog, but played a lot of great songs from his recent albums. Finally a word about what has historically made his bands so good: It’s their attention to dynamics. The band’s timing is so on point that when they bring it down we the audience are totally drawn in, and when they hit hard it’s like being sucker-punched in the gut. Dynamics are such a simple thing but are often neglected at the expense of true expressive power. Check out one of his live albums to see what I mean.

Ciao!

Steve