Howdy all you interweb folks. I hope you and yours are having a good start to the New Year. I was traveling with my family on New Years, which was a great way to ring in 2018, and I’m just getting back to musicland this week.
To start, I got to see American Aquarium at Globe Hall in Denver last Wednesday. The Globe is an awesome bar/bbq/dance-hall venue, and a super, intimate setting for the boys from Raleigh (although most of the current line-up is from Texas, so…). It was my first time seeing them, and they did not disappoint- delivering a rockin’ 100 minute set that included a solo acoustic interlude in which BJ Barnham played some new songs from the upcoming record. The songs are great. The new lineup is great. I can’t wait to hear the new record. I was especially struck by Adam Kurtz, the steel player. I love steel players who can hang with a rock band sound, and Kurtz does more than hang- he rocks. That’s Kurtz in the red shirt in the background.
The show left me so fired up that I was sitting in my truck on the street afterwards writing a lyric idea. That, to me, is the sign of a great show.
I’m not big on New Years Resolutions, but there are some things I’m trying to get done this year. I’m about 50% done with a new record. In this middle part, I’m mostly feeling the stereotypical artistic depression in which I wonder why I’m doing this and if any of the songs are any good at all or even worth putting out there. Hopefully I’ll survive the doldrums and get back to work this winter- the goal is to have it finished by spring.
I’m looking to broaden my regional footprint a bit this year- breaking out of the Northwest Boulder Country neighborhood a bit. Look for some spring/summer shows in Ft. Collins, Boulder, Denver and beyond.
Last fall I realized that playing mostly solo acoustic shows, which I’ve been doing for the past four years, which has been great, just isn’t loud enough all the time. So I’m working on putting together a more ‘robust’ lineup for a few full band shows this year. Stay tuned- when we really get rolling I’ll post some video to give you a sense of the noise we’re making.
I also want to put a bunch more stuff on youtube this year- I don’t know that anyone will care, but it’s a platform I haven’t really ever done much with and I see folks doing some cool stuff, so I’m gonna give it a try. Subscribe to my youtube channel to follow along with whatever strange stuff I come up with. You can also subscribe to my spotify stream- it’s linked to songkick, so you can listen to tunes and keep up with show dates if you’re in the intermountain west. There’s a button above and to the right, of go here.
And to finish, what’s a New Years post without a little gratitude?
I started 2017 with about 1000 followers on twitter and about 2 followers on instagram. I ended the year with almost 9000 followers on twitter and over 1500 in insta. So, thanks, a lot, to all of you who have been liking and tweeting and retweeting. I really appreciate it! Also, it helps with the doldrums when you retweet songs or send me a note saying you’re digging stuff- so extra big thanks for that. I’ve been giving away a free download to say a more meaningful ‘thanks’ – if you haven’t gotten it yet just use the box to your right and tell me where to send it!
I just added some Winter/Spring Shows to the calendar- I’ll be in the mountains of hte Northern Front Range a bunch at some of my favorite spots, The Rock Inn, Very Nice Brewing, The Merc in Jamestown. Click the shows tab to keep up.
Hope to see you at a show this year!
Follow me wherever you are!
