2008

11/25/2008 - Hey gang, there's some great shows that we're booking. Check out all the upcoming dates, maybe one is close to your smiling face. It would be so nice to see you.

12/23/2008 - Greeti ngs friends, not much to tell here. I'm heading down to Florida for a few days before the year closes out. I've got a cool show coming up this Saturday at the The Emerald Bar. It's the return of Dank. Also, on 1/7 I'll be playing a fun solo show at the Flicker Bar and Theater in Athens with Bain Mattox and Mary O. Harrison. Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'll check in at the top of the year. This website is due for a complete redesign. Maybe the next time you drop by things will look a little different.

11/27/2008 - Happy Thanksgiving!

11/12/2008 - Hey folks, the holiday's are coming up so quickly that I wanted to let you know about a new show that I just booked down in St. Petersburg on Friday, November 28th at The Globe Coffee Lounge for Hugh vs. Hugo's art opening. I'll post more details as I get them. Hope to see all my Florida friends very soon!

Played a fun couple of shows last week. Last Thursday I played with Mary O. Harrison & the Tiny Tears at Flicker Bar and Theater in Athens with Casper & the Cookies and Keith John Adams. We had a fun show and all the bands were fantastic! On Friday I played with the Good Graces at Java Monkey with Lindsey Appel. It was rainy and chilly, but it made for a fun evening and a cozy crowd under the outside covering. After the show we headed over to The EARL and caught a fantastic, fantastic, fantastic show by Margot & the Nuclear So and So's. They just blew me away, again.

11/3/2008 - This year is going by so quikcly it's crazy! It seems like it just started and here it is November already. The last few weeks have kept me pretty busy. I had another recording session with The Low Days. I've got most of the music done, and now I'm working on some ear-candy overdubs and some vocals. (Photos)

On October 21st I played a fun show at the Sweetwater Brewery to benefit FitWit. I played outside on a fantastic evening and the free beer was flowing! (Photos)

This last weekend Liz and I headed up to Minneapolis to visit family and friends and I got blow away blown away by the guitars at Willie's American Guitars! (photos coming soon)

This week is going to be a busy one for me, I've got two shows, one on Thursday night with Mary O Harrison at the Flicker Bar and Theater in Athens, and on Friday night the Good Graces are playing at Java Monkey in Decatur. Check the show listings for all the details. Hope to see you out at one of the shows!

10/15/2008 - In my feeble attempt to get back to updating this site I'm going to hit you with a new entry in the journal! Had a fun show WonderRoot a few weeks back, and a great show last Thursday night at Kavarna in Decatur.

A few weeks ago I got started on some new recordings for my new project called The Low Days. It's esecentally still a solo project but I hope to bring in a variety of folks to do some playing on the new songs, and make it more of a communnity vibe. I've already started playing the songs live under my solo name and under The Low Days. You can be my friend on MySpace, check out the demo up on The Low Days page. On the first recording session Derek Murphy put down drums for 4 songs, and I put down some guide bass and guitar for all the tracks and did a little singing. Last night James and I reconveened again and put down all the acoustic guitars and did a little more singing.

OK, just about catches you up. I'll do my best to get by here alot more often in the coming weeks and days.

09/27/2008 - Hey friends, come on out to WonderRoot this evening. I'm playing a solo set at 9:00pm!

09/18/2008 - Hey everyone. It's been ages since I've checked in, and it's very possible that it will be ages before I sit down and commit thoughts to paper again soon. Who knows, maybe I'll surprise you.

So, last time I wrote was just before the beginning of August, and I've done a ton of stuff since then. Let's quickly recap.

At the beginning of August a bunch of us headed up to Rhinelander, WI for a long weekend of relaxation on the lake. We had some beers, played some golf, sheepshead, and lots of Rock Band. Before my flight out on Monday I stopped for a nice long visit at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

During August I completed most of the legal paperwork for my new company, Octane Guitars. I'm still building up my inventory, and I've already made my first sale!

I wrote some new songs and performed a set of new material at Newfangled Fest! I got a window busted out again! I saw Jack Johnson at Lakewood Ampitheater. Played Athens PopFest 2008 with the Mary O. Harrison Band and The Good Graces.

Headed down to St. Petersburg for my birthday weekend and had a fantastic time with friends and family. I caught a fun show by Margot & the Nuclear So and So's at The Drunken Unicorn. Played The EARL with The Good Graces and loved the band The Dutchess and the Duke and James Jackson Toth on the same bill.

I played two sets at the Grant Park Summer Shade Festival, one solo set, and one with Mary O. I saw Aimee Mann at the Variety Playhouse, what a great show! I got an iPhone! Liz and I went to our first Atlanta Twitter meet-up. And just last weekend we went to a great weedding.

Ok, whew. That should catch you up. I'll post more soon. There some cool stuff coming up in the next few days!

06/17/2008 - I admit that I've been terrible at keeping up with the website lately.

07/28/2008 - Greetings, dear readers. It's been a measy 10 day since my last update and though that may be an eternity inthe bloggy world, for me it's pretty good lately. Not too much to report except a fun show I played with Mary O. Harrison last Thursday night at The EARL. We played with The Preakness and Cassavetes. We had a fun opening set and then we hung around for The Preakness before hearding home. I had to get up early in the morning so, sadly I missed Casavettes. Next time for sure. This week I've got a few practices before a weekend getaway. I could really use a break at the moment so it's coming just at the right time.

07/18/2008 - For the life of me I cannot keep up with this journal lately! Once again it's almost been an entire month since my last propper update. Back on June 28th I played a fun couple of sets with The Good Graces and solo at Kavarna. (Photos) I spent a fantastic weekend down in St. Petersburg for the 4th of July (Photos) and again the following weekend for the wedding of a good friend. Recently the APWBWGTTD got togeher again (Photos), and last night I had a great time at the Taste of East Atlanta! (Photos). OK, that's it, check back soon!

06/24/2008 - OK, first off I want to tell you about a last minute solo show I'm playing this Saturday night at Kavarna in Decatur. You've probably heard me sing the praises of this place so I'll spare you the sales pitch. Just be there. I'll be playing guitar with The Good Graces and I'll be playing a solo set. It's a free show. Just go.

OK, so I've done stuff since I last checked in. I was a model in a photo shoot. (Blog/Photos) The SDXE folks got drinks. (Photos) I went to Minneapolis wit Liz and had a great time. (Photos) We had the June Blogger meetup. (Photo) I helped demolish a kitchen. (Photos) The usual stuff. OK, that's it, you're caught up. I'm tired.

05/28/2008 - It's been so long since I've sat down and committed some thoughts to paper that I'm not sure where to start. The beginning you say? OK, let's get caught up really quickly, it's been a month.

Last month I started playing with a new group called Bad Magic Number. We've only had two practices, but they were a ton of fun and I'm looking forward to more once everyone's schedule quiets down.

On May 2nd I played the 500 Songs for Kids benefit at Smith's Olde Bar. It was a blast. I played The Freshmen by the Verve Pipe. There were too many highlights to mention so go check out the (PHOTOS).

The following Wednesday was my last day at Super Deluxe. I had been there for around a year and half and it was indeed the best of times. I don't think it was a surprise to anyone that we got shut down, but it was a sad day. I've made a ton of great friends there. I know I'll see everyone in the future. I had a new job lined up that started the following Monday, so I was lucky.

For Mother's Day weekend I headed down to St. Petersburg for a few days. I had a great time at the BAAMO street market, and I had a blast playing at the 2/3 Spiller reunion with Marcus and the Paper Stanleys at Cafe Alma. It was great to see everyone. (PHOTOS)

May 14th was the mothly enstallment of the APWBWGTTD blogger meetup. I got there late, but the group was still in full swing when I arrived. (PHOTOS)

Two days later was the Mary O. Harrison CD release party at The EARL. A few days before the show the opening act had to cancel so I stepped in as the first act. I had a great time playing solo and with Mary. Magnapop closed out the night and sounded fantastic as always. (PHOTOS)

The next two days I spent down in Box Springs, Georgia at Mahoneyfest. I played a solo show on Saturday, got a flat tire, and saw a ton of amazing, amazing performers. Check out all the (PHOTOS), it was nuts.

Later in the week a few of us from Super Deluxe caught a stand-up set by one of my favorite artist, Maria Bamford. She was hilarious on stage, and very sweet and nice when we all got to talk to her after the show. She even remembered me and left a funny little comment on my MySpace page. (PHOTOS)

On May 22nd I played two sets of original tunes at Kavarna in Decatur. I taped the show for posterity, hopefully I'll post it sometime soon. I need to go through the recording and chop it up. (PHOTOS)

This last weekend Liz and I headed over to Wilmington, NC for the annual WE Fest XII. We had access to a great little beach house and the beach all weekend. I performed a solo set on Saturday night at the Soapbox (a laundromat rock club) and I played with The Good Graces on Sunday. There was a ton of great people there, and a ton of great bands. On Monday before we headed out of town we explored downtown, grabbed some yummy seafood and just relaxed before heading home. (PHOTOS)

On the drive back from WE Fest I got a call from Tessa from Super Deluxe. A good friend of our, Erlene has passed away earlier in the day in a tragic accident. I'll always remember her as smart, charming, beautiful, energizing, motivated and sweet. When I first started with Super Deluxe we sat next to each other and swapped music, and made each other laugh. She will be missed by so many people. It's tragic. My heart goes out to Aaron, her family and all of her friends. She touched everyone she met, and I consider myself lucky to have worked and played alongside her.

04/28/2008 - Hey everyone, lots to catch you up on so here we go with a quick recap of the last week or so. Two Friday's ago the Good Graces played a fun but weird show at the 11:11 Teahouse. The crowd was small but the bands, for the most part were really good. Tiger Saw and Cathy Cathodic were a blast. (PHOTOS)

The next day The Good Graces and I played the See-Through Souls 2008 show in Kirkwood and it was a fun, laid-back time with some amazing window-art creations. (PHOTOS)

Liz and I also had a great time at Criminal Records for Record Store Day and the Sweetwater 420 festival in Candler Park was a great time too!

This last weekend saw me getting together with some folks for a second time and hammering out some new tunes. I'll keep you posted as things move forward, should be exciting stuff.

This Friday night I'll be performing at Smith's Olde Bar's 500 Songs For Kids. I'll be playing around 9pm and it's for a great cause. Hope to see you out and about.

04/15/2008 - Hey everyone, just a quick recap from last weekend! On Saturday I headed over to Chapel Hill, NC to record some guitar on the upcoming Good Graces' CD. Jerry Kee was producing the three songs that I was recording and I was excited to be working with him. He's recorded a ton of my favorite bands from that part of the country like Superchunk, Portastatic, Seam, and Polvo!

When I arrived Kim was wrapping up her parts, so I said hello to Jerry and Molly the studio cat and got set up and tuned. I brought a few guitars, but it seems like the '62 blue Jazzmaster was all I needed to get the tracks down. Kim did some additional songs the next day. Jerry was a great guy, and so easy to work with. I'm anxious to hear everything when it's mixed and ready to go. (PHOTOS)

04/10/2008 - When I started writing in this space in 2001 so my Dad could keep up with what I've been up too I never would have thought that I'd still be spouting off 7+ years later. At first it was fun, then habitual, cathartic, a chore, and finally an afterthought.

Hey, I've been busy! I'm not even sure how far back to go, but I suppose I'll start with a fun show I played last weekend at Kavarna. Last Saturday I played a solo show with Cousin Sophie, Spy Magnet and my friend from Florida, Geoff's Evil Twin. We had a fun time, many beers were had and I even bumped into an old friend from St. Pete that's living in Atlanta now. (PHOTOS)

On Tuesday night, Liz and I headed over to the 40 Watt Club to see The Weakerthans, Christine Fellows and A.A. Bondy. Christine opened the show, A.A. Bondy wooed the crowd with his southern heart and the Weakerthans came out and rocked it with a smile. We had a great time and we had a quick chance to chat with A.A. and John from the Weakerthans. Two incredibly nice folks. (PHOTOS)

Last night was the April edition of the APWBWGTTD Meet-up, and once again we had a fun time trying out a new restaurant and meeting new friends. (PHOTOS)

OK, that's all I got for today. I need to get some work done and get ready for Good Graces practice tonight! We're hitting the studio in Chapel Hill this weekend!

04/02/2008 - Yesterday wasn't like any other day in a long time for me. It was one of the best days I've had in ages. Work was engaging, my heart was singing, and the weather here in Atlanta was amazing after the early morning rains that we so desperately need.

After work I headed home and walked Molly around the neighborhood. It was beautiful out. The neighborhood dogwoods, flowers, and purple-flowery tress were going crazy with pretty. I picked some yellow wild flowers and dandelions and stuck them in Molly's collar. People laughed and smiled. I said "Oh, isn't she beautiful!"

After a fun walk I headed off to band practice with the Good Graces.

It was at practice that I received the call that a friend of mine here in Atlanta had "collapsed" and that the ambulance was on the way. I quickly packed up and loaded the car. I got an update a few minutes later that the EMTs were there and that they were taking him to the hospital. I sped out to meet everyone there.

As I pulled up I got the call. He didn't make it. He died.

From this point forward my memory is fuzzy, the details are heartbreaking, and the events were of course, life changing.

So, I just wanted to say this. Love the people in your life with all your heart. Life is way too short and everything can change in a heartbreaking second. Please say some prayers for his family and friends today. They lost a loved one way too young. He'll be missed by a ton of people that were really lucky to have him in their life.

Love,
John

03/25/2008 - SXSW Day 5 Recap - Sunday morning, surprisingly totally awake. I bounced out of bed, checked the weather on the news and headed out early. As I've done in years past I headed out to Mount Bonnell to check out the view before heading back downtown. The weather was clear and cool, and from the top you have a great view of the city and the Colorado River.

From there I walked the waterfront downtown and headed to the S. Congress district to hit some shops and get coffee and drinks with JoEllen. Quick enough it was time to head to the airport and head home. I gave Flee and JoEllen a ride and we checked in and waiting for out flight. Mine was slightly delayed and full of screaming kids so it was nice to get home. Hello Atlanta, I'm back.

Is it too early to start planning for next year?

Day 5 in the books, I'm home safe and sound. (Photos)

03/24/2008 - SXSW Day 4 Recap - Saturday is the last big day of the music festival and in years past it's been one of the most intense as you try and see every band you've missed all week, and check off all those final "must-do" items. One of the first things that I wanted to check off my list was Flatstock. Flatstock is a fantastic concert poster showcase featuring around 100 artists. I could have spent $1000 in there, but I managed to get out of there with just two great Spoon posters and a few buttons.

From there I headed briefly over to the Paste party for some food and drinks before heading up to the Mohawk to see Film School rock the crowd with their My Bloody Valentine sound.

Super Deluxe was sponsoring a huge day party called Mess With Texas 2 at Waterloo Park, and that's where I spent the remainder of the day before the night shows. There were a million cool bands and hilarious comedians. I got to see Atlanta's own Atlas Sound, Kimya Dawson, Todd Barry, Eugene Mirman, Aziz Ansari, Reggie Watts, Tig Nataro, Hard 'n Phirm, Paul F. Tompkins, Brian Posehn, Human Giant, Matt & Kim, and The Breeders!

After a long sunburnt day spent under the Texas sun I was ready for the final night shows to get started. I didn't really have any "must-see" shows tonight so I just winged it all night. First up was a nice set by Georgie James at the Dirty Dog. The band was quiet and the club was loud so I was straining to really catch everything. Next up was Neva Dinova, they had a nice guitar heavy sound and I stayed for most all of their set before heading over to the Parish to try and catch Los Campesinos!

There was a big line outside but it quickly moved inside and I made it upstairs just in time to watch the band set up for 30 minutes. They tore their set and played my favorite "Tonight I Have to Leave it" to finish out the night. Well, the end of the evening was quickly approaching and I was done. I stuck my head in a few bars on the way back to the car and picked up a big slice of pizza for the walk. Every year I want the festival to last one more day, yet I'm totally exhausted by this point. One more short day in Austin and I'd be home.

Day 4 in the books. (Photos)

03/21/2008 - SXSW Day 3 Recap - By Friday morning I was finally in the swing of things. It always takes a few days to get your schedule lined up with your endurance. This is a marathon, not a sprint after all. I slept in a little bit and then headed down to the convention center to grab some food and drinks at the Australian BBQ and then headed over to the Paste party to start the day of rock.

When I arrived Lightspeed Champion had already started his set. I really enjoyed his stage presence and his original songs. He's made a challenge to himself to play a different Weezer cover at every show, and today he played Perfect Situation off of Make Believe.

After their set I was ready for my second show by The Weakerthans in about 14 hours. Yes, they we're up next and I couldn't wait. I positioned myself right in the middle and rocked out the entire time. They played a slightly different set, and it was great. NPR was there recording the show. You can stream it HERE.

Next up I headed back of to the Australian BBQ and caught The Vines before heading over to check out the Spin party at Stubb's and She & Him at the Yaris outside stage. That was completely packed so after a song I went over to Emo's a got to see a fun set by Bon Iver.

Back at Stubb's I got to see a handful of songs by Vampire Weekend, and while I really like their new CD I was not blown away by the live show. Maybe 4pm on a hot and dusty friday afternoon is not ideal view conditions.

Jens Lekman was playing across the street at Club Deville, a place I played in 2004, so I hoofed it over there for his set and bumped into Kim. Really dug his set as did the entire patio full of people.

I made it back over to Stubb's just in time to catch X rock the crowd. They brought the rock and Billy Zoom's smile never left his face the entire time.

Super Deluxe was having a night party so I swung by there and helped put up a few posters and fold some shirts. Putting up posters, we spotted Franz Nicolay from The Hold Steady parked on a corner playing some tunes on his accordion. Very inconspicuous my fiends, what a cool idea.

As we were watching Franz play up waled Jonah Ray and Matt Braunger. We walked it down to the Fader Fort to meet up with the guys from Human Giant where they were getting interviewed (video here).

OK, I'm tired, but the night parties are just getting ready to start. I headed to the Parish with Kim for the Merge Records showcase. I've always loved this label and nearly everything they sign so I knew I was in for some great music.

Portastatic with just Mac solo was up first and he played a short but fun set of tunes. Wye Oak was up next and I really dug them. The drummer played drums (duh) and bass on a keyboard with his left hand while the singer also played guitar. A big sound from the two folks from Baltimore.

The Radar Brothers hit the stage next with some great tunes followed by a loose-but-fun Shout Out Louds from Scotland. She & Him we're clearly the buzz band of the night and they brought a beautiful and charming set to the Parish.

At the end of their set I headed back down to the Super Deluxe showcase. On the way I got a text message from Atlanta that said "Kirkwood has power and seems fine. Cabbage Town hit hard, Downtown hit hard." Turns out a tornado just slammed through town and all the Atlanta folks were really concerned about home.

Several of the folks from work either lived in hard hit Cabbage Town or nearby. It was a surreal way to end the evening and I hurried back to the hotel to check the news for the latest info.

Day 3 complete. (Photos)

03/20/2008 - SXSW Day 2 Recap - Thursday started out with a very cool keynote speech by the godfather of punk, Lou Reed. He had a million great quotes including, "I've got a B.A. in Dope, but a PHD in Soul" and, "Technology makes it easier to make things worse."

With the noon hour quickly approaching I headed over to Volume for the Paste/Stereogum party and caught My Brightest Diamond's quirky and fun set. Next up I was over to Emo's Annex for Dawn Landes and Peter Moren before heading back to the Paste party to catch a fun and loose set by Nada Surf.

By this point I was starving, and despite the delicious queso at the Paste party I needed real food. Hello "Music from Spain" party. Hello free buffet.

Next up was the Irish Breakfast courtesy of the Music from Ireland folks. I missed the food but I got there in time for some great tunes from Delorentos, and the best Guinness I've ever had. It's usually at this point in the day that randomness takes over, I just let the wind take me to whatever I can hear. In this spirit I caught The Duke Spirit, Christine Fellows, Cloud Cult, South, Moby (playing bass in a blues band!) and a really cool set by The Blow at the trade center cafeteria!

The night shows were up next and this was the night that I was most excited about, The Weakerthans were playing!

I headed up to Cedar Street early to take advantage of the free drinks and settled in for the night. First up was a great set by Islands and a knock-my-socks-off, best surprise of the festival, totally entertaining Tim Fite.

Soon enough The Weakerthans hit the stage and rocked it hard. They sounded great and played a wide selection of tunes from all of their records. The crowd bopped and swayed, and sang along. This was definitely a fan show and not an industry crowd. What a fun set.

I wanted to stick around and see Billy Bragg, but instead decided to catch No Age at the other end of the strip. I would end up seeing No Age again on saturday and really enjoy them, but tonight the PA was so loud and it was so late that I was only good for a few ear-shattering tunes.

Day 2 is done. (Photos)!

03/19/2008 - SXSW Day 1 Recap - SXSW is always a mix of insanity, inspiration, and endurance. So it's been customary for me to fly out there super early on Wednesday morning so I barely make it to the Yard Dog in time for my set at the BAAMO showcase. Mission accomplished. After my morning flight got delayed I arrived at the Yard Dog about 8 minutes before I was supposed to start playing.

I had a fun set, I played an extra song or two and then settled in for the rest of the show. The Ditchflowers sounded fantastic, as did Ed Harcourt and everyone else. It was a great time and the food was top notch as always.

Next I headed down to the convention center, picked up my badge and my big bag of swag and headed over to the Fader Fort. I caught a few cool tunes from YACHT before heading over to Stubb's for the R.E.M. showcase.

It's not typical that I spend an entire evening in one venue, but I didn't want to miss R.E.M., so I stuck it out and checked out all the bands that were on the bill before them. Summerbirds in the Cellar were bombastic and thick with pre-recorded tracks, broken amps, and video screen behind them. Jonathan Rice was great despite a loose cannon guitar player, really enjoyed his tunes. Next up, Papercranes were OK, but the performance seemed a bit contrived. Dead Confederate, a local Georigia band with a swirling Hammond B-3, and a plodding vibe.

Finally R.E.M. hit the stage and the place went nuts. They sounded great and I loved the new tunes. I think their new CD is going to be great.

The weather turned cold, so I headed out before their encore was over and stumbled upon The Lemonheads playing their album, It's a Shame About Ray in it's entirety. They sounded awesome.

Day 1 was in the books. I checked into my crappy hotel and passed out. (Photos)!

03/18/2008 - Time sure does fly by fast at times. No sooner than I get back from Texas, I realize I never had time to fire off a quick entry about my trip dow to Florida 10 days ago. There's not too much to report other than it was the best time I've had in ages.

Dank and Nessie rocked the Emerald Bar and everyone was there. I lost track of the number of parties that weekend. I had a great time. Check out the (Photos)!

02/29/2008 - Three years ago last night one of my favorite bands of all time played their final show. I wasn't there.

I first discovered the band Luna while I was working at Spec's Music in Gateway Mall in St. Petersburg, Florida. Musically it was the middle of the grunge rock revolution and every song that played through the store's speakers blasted out with abandon and wildness except one.

There was this one CD in the 6-disc changer that was so low in volume that I always had to check to see if it was still working. It was. It was Luna's first CD, simply entitled Lunapark. It was the copy where the name of the band had a numeral "2" after the "Luna." I figured there must have been another band named Luna at the time and this was the way the fine folks at Elektra records dealt with it while the other "Luna" was offered money to change their name.

OK, that's not really true at all, I just thought it was weird. After a few weeks of everyone in the store enduring that one quiet CD, the manager of the store plucked it out of the player and said "you want it?"

I took the CD home, and from that time forward that CD has been on or near the top of the stack. I fell in love with every song. My old band Lie covered "I Can't Wait." If a girl liked Luna I took that as a sign we should get married.

The first time I saw them was at a place in north Tampa called The Stone Lounge. It was a great punk rock club run by a friend, and it served as a local band hang out for a few years. I've been told the name Stone is a reference to Stone Gossard from Pearl Jam. I have no reason to doubt for a second.

Low opened the show. They were fantastic. Luna played next and lifted the room a foot off the ground despite Sean's busted amp and some drunk frat boys from USF screaming the entire time.

I picked up every CD they put out from that point forward. Every little EP I could find. Every shitty mp3 I could track down on the web. They were one of those bands.

And so, as I played last night at Flicker Bar and Theater with The Good Graces, the Jazzmaster seemed to play itself. I snuck in a few Luna licks. Nobody seemed to mind. We had a great time. We ate free popcorn. (Photos from the show)

Three nights previous, Liz and I saw an amazing set by Luna's singer and bass player Dean and Britta at Eddie's Attic. And despite the drunk couple standing up directly in front of the stage groping each other and making out, they lifted the room a foot off the ground again, like they always do. They played a dozen tunes from Galaxy 500, Luna, and their own Dean and Britta catalog. At the end of their set the band sat out in the main room, smoked cigarettes, talked with fans and relaxed. I was going to say hello, but I didn't.

I guess I should have. I just wanted to say thanks.

02/27/2008 - I'll be honest, it's been hard keeping up with the journal/blog/thingy lately. I've been so busy and the words are not spilling out. Maybe it's the huge amount of facial hair on my face that's weighing me down.

Last weekend the fine folks in The Yum Yum Tree did an insane amount of driving to play in Chapel Hill for International Pop Overthrow 2008 at the Local 506. We played first. We rocked all ~20 folks that saw us and then we drove home the next morning. I had a good time. My friend Marcus meet me out at the club, took some snazzy pictures of us rocking and then we headed out to see what Chapel Hill had to offer. We had some pizza, we had some beers, we had a good time catching up.

The next morning we caught up some more, and then reluctantly, with the help of a 20oz coffee, I headed home. I made a few brief stops on the way home, but I was anxious to get back. I was anxious to sleep. (Photos from the trip)

I've very excited about tomorrow night. I'll be playing guitar with The Good Graces in one of my favorite spots in Athens, GA. It's called the Flicker Bar and Theater. The show starts at 9:00 PM and we go on second. If you're in Athens and you're so inclined, we'd love to see your smiling Face. They have Free popcorn for crying out loud!

02/19/2008 - Hey there, hope everyone a nice long weekend. I needed the extra day off to recuperate from all the activities this weekend. OK, here's a quick recap.

Friday night the Mary O. Harrison band played a set at Kavarna with Richard Parsons. The show got off to a late start but once we got up and running everyone had a good time. (Photos)

The next night I was back at Kavarna, only this time with The Good Graces. We played with songwriter Marcellus, the one-man experience The Subliminator, and songwriter Mark Phelps. (Photos)

Finally, and at long last, I've got my little home recording setup running. I picked up a new Apple MacBook, to replace my old one that died last month, upgraded the RAM, and I'm up and running. I hope to start posting some new demos very soon.

02/11/2008 - Happy monday everyone. Last weekend kicked off with The Yum Yum Tree playing our first headlining show at The EARL on Friday night. All the bands sounded great and we really had a fun time. Thanks to everyone that made it out! (Photos from the show!)

I have two shows this weekend to look forward to. Both of them are at a great little place in Decatur called Kavarna. This friday I'm playing guitar with Mary O. Harrison, and on Saturday night I'll be playing guitar and bass with The Good Graces. I think I play at 9 PM both nights. Come on out, and see the calendar for all the details.

02/07/2008 - Hey there, just a quick reminder that one of my bands, The Yum Yum Tree will be headlining our first show at The EARL tomorrow night. All the details are in the show listings. Hope to see you there.

02/04/2008 - Hey everyone, just checking in after a fast weekend. The Good Graces played a private party on Friday night at Round Box. The food was yummy, the company fantastic, and the drinks were free. Ahhh... my favorite kind. Won't you get me one sometime soon?

This week is going to be a busy one, I've got practice three nights this week and The Yum Yum Tree is headlining our first show at The EARL on Friday night. Awesome!

Work is starting to pick up on my new project, and I hope to have an announcement and some demos up on the site pretty soon. Speaking of the site, I'll have a new site up for the new project, although you can always keep up with me here.

(Photos from the Good Graces show!)

01/24/2008 - It's been a while since I checked in! I had a fun show last Friday at Smith's Old Bar, thanks to everyone that made it out!

Last night a bunch of us attended a book reading at Wordsmiths Books by Rob Sheffield for his great book Love is a Mix Tape. I had him sign my copy and he was great to talk to, a real nice guy. Also performing that night were The Swear. They ripped it up real good, nice job for rocking a bookstore!

OK, just a few quick updates. The Yum Yum Tree is playing International Pop Overthrow 2008 in Chapel Hill, NC! Mary O. is going putting her new CD out on Two Sheds and she's making a video!

Whew, that's enough for one week.

01/17/2008 - Hey, I'm playing my first weekend show at Smith's Old Bar - The Atlanta Room tomorrow evening at 8pm. Come on out!

01/08/2008 - Hey everyone, long time no see. I was going to do this big recap of my Christmas and New Year's break, but I'm so excited about 2008 that I can't find the energy to look back for a moment. OK, maybe just a quick recap!

The holidays were a ton of fun, and very hectic. Liz and I drove down to Florida on 12/22, through a ton of traffic, just in time to make my solo show at Tre Amici @ The Bunker in Ybor City. I had a fantastic time playing, and it was great too see Bob Anthony, Kenny Howes, and so many great friends out at the show.

After the show, we walked around Ybor City for a while, caught up with some more friends, and had a great time out and about. The rest of the long weekend was spent at the beach, at the Dali Museum, having drinks with friends, and eating at some of my favorite restaurants in town.

Back in Atlanta for Christmas proper, presents were opened and quality time was spent with more family and friends.

New Year's was a low-key affair, dinner in the EAV with friends, and we heard all sort of fireworks (gun shots?) when New Year's hit! I swear East Atlanta sounded like a war zone when the peach dropped at midnight.

OK, that's it for a look back. (photos)

I'm looking forward now, and there's a ton of things happening! There's going to be lots of music, shows and recording this year, and I hope to get a fair amount of traveling in as well.

2008 = Create!