Bang! And so it begins . . .

Joe Light, “Shy Bird”, 1980s (Arnett Collection)

Happy Monday–and Happy new year, new decade (if you’re subscribing to that version of events), etc.! I’ve been sick in the bed, reduced to a motionless stupor, but maybe if I end every sentence in an exclamation point all of this will come off as the usual upbeat-and-positive message! Just kidding–I wouldn’t do that to either of us. Slowly coming out of the haze . . . and flying back to Nashville from NJ today.

I’m thrilled to be back on the road later this week, in whatever condition my condition will be in–playing TWO shows on Saturday, Jan. 11: at 1 pm at the Severson Dells Nature Center in lovely Rockford, IL; later that evening I’ll be returning to Kiki’s (fabulous) House of Righteous Music, in Madison, WI. If you’re in the area, come on out–you might, just might, hear a new song or two . . . and next week, the always wonderful 30-A Songwriters Festival, down in Florida. More on that to come, very soon.

Writing: Yeah, it’s that time. I’ve been down to sipping water, feeling very very mortal, yet I wake up in the middle of the night and I’ve got lyrics in my head, and (thankfully) the shred of consciousness in operation at the time won’t let me sleep again until I write them all down (or, in this case, peck ’em out on my phone) for later exploration. Then you wake up, look at what you wrote . . . and sometimes it’s just hilarious or incoherent, but other times, hey–there’s something there. Last night my mind was working like it often does in this phase of the process–I’ve got the lines in my head, but I’m hearing them put to the melody of another song, usually someone else’s. But sometimes that brings out enough raw material to shape the song into something that’s mine, or at least not so obviously copping somebody else’s melody. Time will tell, but I look forward to digging into these ideas as soon as I can and listening for what’s there.

I’m going to keep this short, as I have to get out of bed and get it together for departure, but I just want to say, thank you for listening, for buying the records or streaming them or however you receive them; thanks for having me at your venue, your festival, your birthday bash (Don Miller!), etc., or coming to shows at same. Thanks to all on my team: Bill Hutchison, Nick Loss-Eaton; Val Hersey and all the fine folks at Mongrel Music. I value your presence, in more than dollars, and I’m grateful for the chance to do what I do, to ride this wild horse wherever it takes me. You all make it possible. Hope to see you soon, somewhere along the road, this year.

Love,

Kevin