What am I doing these days?
1) As you may have heard, the old web host shit the bed. It’s back in action now – with a new look no less. TheHiddenCity.com is back, too, although it’s overdue for spit shine. No doubt.
2) I’ve been teaching myself Logic by recording and re-recording and re-re-recording the same two songs over and over and over again. Here’s a loop.
There are several iPhone/FourTrack demos in the can, waiting to be realized, but I’ve come to loathe working on songs piecemeal. If I can free up a block of time in the schedule, I’ll hit ’em up and try to do them justice, hopefully before year’s end.
3) Gigwise: the Nona show in Schenectady and the Joni show in New Orleans were well-documented in this space and on the Facebooks and the Twitters. But you probably don’t know that just the other day I sang Stevie Wonder’s “Heaven Help Us All” to help the Labor Religion Coalition of New York State celebrate its 30th anniversary. I have no business singing Stevie Wonder songs.
4) Like getting lost in an old photo album while packing for a big move, I found myself going over old blog posts in moving to the new host, and was reminded that I used to blog quite a bit on current events. But not so much lately. I’m too disgusted lately. I can’t even watch the Daily Show it’s so bad. Jon Stewart calling out American idiocy with such biting humor used to be a favorite, but at some point this year the comedy, for me, devolved into tragedy. As they say, Comedy = Tragedy + Distance and Time, but unfortunately distance is here and time is now. Hopefully I can do my part to fight the stupid come Nov. 2. But until then, I’ll be detoxing from silly news coverage of the anger and the opinions and the misinformation and the stupidity and trying to focus on things that are much more important.
5) Like this:
Cheers, y’all.
B.
]]>A sampling of Ferrari-Thomas family history.
Now: Altamont Orchard
Cider Donut + 5-year-old = ENERGY
]]>1. A TELE FOR MOTHER
I played guitar last night for MotherJudge in a band that included Bob Buckley (bass), Sten Isachsen (mandolin) and Mitch Elrod (vox, acoustic guitar). I don’t think I’ve had a chance to play guitar with a band like that since – a Middlebury reunion? Mid-nineties? The three guitar licks I know worked out okay, and served as only an occassional distraction from the awesomeness of Caroline and the rest of the band.
2. ODETTA: ROARING AND SOARING
We were in Washington Park, opening for the great Odetta. Who killed it. Frail and wheelchair-bound but positively glowing when she smiled and still fierce when she opened her mouth to sing – growling, roaring, whispering, soaring.
Glory Hallelujah, indeed.
3. GREEN ROOM MEMORIES
The last time I hung out with Odetta we were alone with Tommy Makem, Pete Seeger and his wife Toshi, catching up, sharing songs and talking about old times together.
Okay – this is a horrible attempt at name-dropping.
THEY were hanging out.
I was but a lowly PR assistant at WMHT, assigned to pick Odetta up from the airport for a taping of this show:
But I WAS in the room.
Just me and them.
Surreal.
Upon our arrival:
“Odetta,” said Toshi Seeger, “I see you’re accompanied by a handsome young man, as usual!”
As usual.
4. MUSIC FOR MAYA
This was Maya’s first concert. Not a bad way to start out: Odetta and MotherJudge. With daddy noodling on guitar.
5. NAME-DROPPING
And speaking of “Maya” and name-dropping – about that car ride from the airport to the WMHT studios:
It was one of the most intense conversations of my life, which started with a discussion of classical music, as my radio was tuned to WMHT’s FM station when Odetta sat down in the passenger seat.
At one point, she referenced a recent conversation with a friend of hers by saying, “I was talking to Maya the other day and…”
I assumed that she was talking about Maya Angelou, even though she hadn’t used a last name, but she stopped herself mid-sentence and immediately apologized – unnecessarily, of course, but with sweetness, grace and humility.
“Oh my, that sounds pretentious doesn’t it? It sounds like I’m name-dropping!”
Remember: This is the woman who literally inspired Bob Dylan to pick up the guitar.
And she’s genuinely worried about coming off as a name-dropper.
While sitting in my car.
Surreal.
6. IN A HOLE IN THE GROUND SOMEWHERE IN DELMAR…
I have next week off and plan on heading into a certain basement bomb shelter/studio to do some recording. You’ve heard some of the demos but I’m fleshing ’em out, in some cases re-recording altogether.
From the dozen or so I’ve been working on I’m hearing 6 or 7 songs that make enough sense together sonically and thematically to… maybe… even… call… an… album.
Wish me luck.
7. LIVE ON WEXT FRIDAY at 7 p.m.
More on this quasi-album thing – and some live performance, too – will be revealed at 7 p.m. this Friday on WEXT 97.7’s “Local 518” hour, hosted by the great Chris Wienk.
I’m splitting the hour with the bad-ass Ramblin Jug Stompers – so there’s an actual reason to tune-in.
Show repeats Sunday at 11 am.
I’m out.
B.
UPDATE:
8. A LITTLE GIRL TAKES MANHATTAN
While Maya was enjoying Caroline and Odetta, her older sister Zoe escaped to Times Square with her uncle, her aunt, her grandma – and a favorite baby doll. She’ll be hanging in NYC with them all week.
We miss her.
Photo by Jason.
]]>LATEST FLICKR PIX: Photo Set | Slideshow
Zoe has a sister! Our little April fool Maya Elizabeth Thomas came in Tuesday morning April 1, 2008, at 7 lbs 9 oz after 30 hours of labor and about 55 minutes of pushing… 18 days overdue. Cindy and the baby are doing fine. We’ll post the latest pics right here. B.
PS: Yup. The hair is red. Yup.
]]>The legislators down the road may have a state budget before we have this child.
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