cruel summer

wtf is it with summer!?!? august is right around the damned corner and i feel like summer just started. sure right now it's 2000% humidity outside and it feels like walking into someones mouth each time i step outside my front door - but still - summer is fun and it's flying by this year!

This summer has been really busy. lots of shows that have been played and it's been a lot of fun! one big downer for me was missing the Deep Blues Festival 2011. By the time the time came to go - it just wasn't going to happen. Money got crazy tight in the spring with my wife's unemployment benefits ending and the job situation being shaky at best. We had set aside some cash for the trip when our tax returns came in - but ended up having to use it for groceries and other bills.

Holly was actually really awesome and said that I should find some people to take along to help pay for the expenses. I had even considered going up with Damon and doing a little busking around Cleveland to help compensate the expenses - but that didn't work out either. He booked a fundraiser for a biker club at the last minute and was very intent on playing it. In the end i stayed home an took a night to spend with my wife sans kids and enjoy some live music from the crowd for a change. t'was very nice!

From what I understand however, the DBF was an amazing show and experience! I've gotten the chance to check out a lot of pictures and some videos from the show. I so badly wish I had been there, but I am looking forward to the next one.

I did accomplish one big goal this summer - to set up a series of event modeled after Geezer's Garage Night At the Granite Rail. I got the Waterfront in Holyoke to jump on it and hold the events on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. The first one is slated to be on Saturday 8/27 @ 4pm. Henry's Rifle is going to be the featured artist too! HR is a solo country blues/Americana act - John Pipino (who also plays drums and sings for The Killerados) plays some killer banjo, guitar, harp and stompbox - I have been listening to the songs available on the HR Reverbnation page and have really started to dig them - looking forward to seeing him perform at the Waterfront!

More later - watching a documentary about Tourette Syndrome.