January 16, 2014:      I Am One Lucky SOB.

I wake up in the morning and the first thing is I think to myself is “Wow, I am so lucky”.    Yeah, yeah, OK, OK.   That’s not quite the first thing.  The first thing that comes to my mind is “Huh?”  or “What the hell is that damn buzzing noise”.   Then I realize who and where I am and I hit the snooze button, and then I think, “I am one lucky SOB”.  I have a great life.  I have a wonderful wife and two great (most of the time) kids, I got a decent job & a nice comfortable house, a little money in the bank, and my health.  I live in a first world country so I don’t have to worry about my life being ruined by a crazed dictator; and I live a of incredible comfort that would have been unimaginable to someone living 200 years ago.  

In fact, I have a more luxurious  existence than the richest person in the world did 200 years ago.  My house, cars, and workplace are all at a reasonably comfortable temperature (although my wife & daughter would prefer that I keep the thermostat a few degrees hotter.)   I never have to worry about going hungry.   We have modern medicine to keep us alive and to patch us up when bad things happen.  If I want to visit California, I can go down to the airport, get in this funny looking contraption they call a plane, sit in a seat, get magically transported through the air, and 6 hours later I am in California.   Yeah, the seat may be a little cramped and I may have to put up with some minor indignities; but 200 years ago the trip would have taken me two months by ship and my life would be at risk much of the time. Even 100 years ago it would have taken me weeks on a cramped smelly train.  I can’t figure out why people complain about air travel.

I sometimes try to imagine what my life would be like if I were born in another place or time.   If I were born 200 years ago, I likely would have died from some childhood ailment.  What about if I were born in this century in another country?  Hmm.  If I were born in Germany in 1920, I would certainly have not lived a long or prosperous life.   If I were living in Syria or North Korea or any of hundreds of trouble areas around the world today I likely would not have a very happy existence.  

What if I were born in another first world country, say Sweden, or Japan (post WW II Japan that is), or New Zealand?   My life would likely be fine, but it would be much different.  In particular, would there be an equivalent to the rich and varied musical community that I enjoy here in the metropolitan area?    Unlikely.

I am one lucky SOB.

BTW – to those of you who inquired or made wisecracks about it, the results from my, umm, procedure last month were fine.

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Jan 17, Friday, 9:30ishPM-11:00PM – Better Off Dead at Hat City, 459 Valley Street,  City of Orange, NJ 07050 (862) 252-9147
This is gonna be a fun filled night.  There is a $10 cover charge, but if you show up at 8:00 you get to see Enzo & The Bakers, one of my favorite local groups.  Then, for no additional charge, after some equipment shuffling, you get to see VD King and Better off Dead.  Hat City is clean, it has a good sound system, and it has excellent New Orleans style food.
http://www.hatcitykitchen.comhttp://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm

Jan 18, Saturday, 8-9:30 PM – Lunatic Fringe,  Glen Ridge Community Center @ The Glen Ridge Train Station, 228 Ridgewood Avenue (corner of Bloomfield Avenue), Glen Ridge, NJ   Reservations: (973) 429-1527
Jan 18 is going to be an interesting evening for me because, through no fault of my own, I am double booked.  So from 8:00- 9:30ish, I will performing in the first 2014 Lunatic Fringe show, yeah baby.
http://www.lunaticfringeimprov.com
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53938723078&ref=ts
And then, like some crazed person, I am going to streak through the streets of Glen Ridge and Montclair (but within state and local traffic regulations) over to the Great Notch Inn. I could use a motorcycle escort this evening, but somehow I will manage without one.  

Jan 18, Saturday, 10:00PM-1:00AM – Better Off Dead at The Great Notch Inn, Route 46, Little Falls  (973) 256-7742
Once I arrive at the Great Notch, I will then, quick like a bunny, set up my equipment and rock and roll the night away.
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm
http://www.agreatertown.com/little_falls_nj/great_notch_inn_new_jerseys_rockin_roadhouse_00089580

Jan 31, Friday, 7:00-9:00ish PM – Rob Signorile, Ruthie’s BBQ, 64 1/2 Chestnut Ave, Montclair  (973) 509-1134
This will be a slightly more relaxed evening for me after all that running around.  Rob & I will wile away the hours playing whatever tunes tickle our collective fancies.  Ruthie’s.  Great food, BYO, no cover.   BTW, I know some folks have very strong opinions on this topic and think that hours should be “whiled” instead of “wiled”, but you’re just gonna have to deal with it – I ain’t changing my mind. 
http://www.ruthiesbbq.com/

December 14, 2013:      Flexible Spending Accounts

A lengthy diatribe coming up here.   I have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) through my regular day job.   I won’t bore you with the details (you can look ’em up on wikipedia or where ever you feel like) but basically an FSA is a US tax program that allows you to save money by not having to pay taxes on some medical expenses.  This has nothing to do with Obamacare or Medicaid — it goes way back to the 70s (that’s the 1970s).

Here’s how it works.

1)  You go to a doctor, you get a bill (whatever your insurance does not cover)
2) You pay your bill
3)  You save your receipt.
4) You fill out a form, make a copy of your receipt, put the form and receipt in an envelope, seal the envelope, put a stamp on it, and put the mailing & return addresses on the envelope.
5) On Saturday morning, you get in your car and drive to the post office spewing CO2 into the atmosphere (I minimize the spewing with my nice environmentally and politically correct Prius) and put your letter in the mail chute. 
6) In the post office, a nice person collects your letter and puts it inside some machine which reads the address and figures out where it has to go.   For me it has to go to somewhere in Pennsylvania.
7)  Your letter goes into a truck and, if you’re lucky, that truck goes to some central sorting area where it gets shoved around and then goes into another truck and goes out to Pennsylvania.
8)  Once it gets to Pennsylvania, another nice person (or maybe a machine) takes your letter and puts it in a shipping box.
9)  Eventually another truck takes your letter to the insurance company.
10) At the insurance company, another nice person opens up your letter, looks at the receipt, makes sure that it is a legitimate medical bill (so you’re not trying to rip off the government), and enters the amount of money you spent into a computer.  Likely the NSA gets a copy.  Hopefully they re-cycle your letter and contents.  
11) The computer writes out a check for the proper amount and a machine puts it in another stamped envelope and it goes into a shipping box.
12) The box which has your check gets loaded onto a truck, and the truck drives to the local post office.
13) There a machine sorts your envelope and if you’re lucky, another truck drops off your envelope at your local post office.
14) At your local post office another nice person puts your envelope into a bag.
15) Another nice person then takes that bag with your envelope, gets into a truck, drives around your neighborhood until he (or she) gets to your house, where he (or she) puts the envelope into your mailbox.
16) You get home from work, take the mail inside, open up the envelope, take out the check, and put the empty envelope into your re-cycling bin.
17) You fill out a deposit slip and sign the back of the check
17) On Saturday morning, you get into your car, drive to the bank spewing CO2 into the atmosphere, park your car, get out of your car, go into the bank, wait on line until you get to the teller.
18) The teller verifies that you filled out your deposit slip correctly, enters the amount of the check into the bank computer, and tells you to have a nice day.
19) Get a Starbucks on the way back from the bank.
20) Collapse from mental exhaustion

I may have overlooked a step or two here – but I think I’ve captured the essential details.   If you are truly masochistic or desperate you do this every time you get a doctor bill; if you’re like me, you wait until the end of the year and do it in one fell swoop.   (BTW I love felling swoops, they make a great sound – although I’ve never figured out if that sound comes from the “felling” or the “swooping”.  But I digress.)

Anyway, the net result of all this is that I save somewhere between $400 and $500 a year on my income taxes.  However, as bizarre as this whole Rube Goldberg process  seems, I have not yet mentioned the most bizarre aspect of this program.   You have to decide at the beginning of each year exactly how sick you and your family are going to be and how much money you will spend – and if you guess wrong and you are healthier than you guessed?   You lose your money!  Yes, you heard correctly.  If you think you and your family are gonna rack up $2000 in medical bills over the year, and you only spend $1500?  You’re out $500.  

As you may have surmised by all of this, I am hitting this very situation, so I gotta “use it or lose it”.  In a way, this is actually a good thing. Next week I am getting that colonoscopy I’ve been putting off…   

2021 META-COMMENT: Notice that I had two #17s. Shame on me. How could I have let that happen? :->

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Dec 14, Saturday, 8:00PM-9:30PM – Jump, Shuffle, and Moan at Hat City, 459 Valley Street,  City of Orange, NJ 07050 (862) 252-9147
That’s tonight.  My buddy Rob Signorile fronts this tight blues ensemble.   Hat City is clean, it has a good sound system, and it has excellent New Orleans style food.   They’re predicting snow today so call ahead and make sure we’re on.  
http://www.hatcitykitchen.com

Dec 20, Friday, 10:00PM-1:00AM – Better Off Dead at The Great Notch Inn, Route 46, Little Falls  (973) 256-7742
This is the annual Better Off Dead Christmas extravaganza.   I never knew there were so many Christmas themed rock & roll songs until I started playing with VD King & Better Off Dead.   The evening’s highlight?  All I Got For Christmas Was Drunk….
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/
http://www.agreatertown.com/little_falls_nj/great_notch_inn_new_jerseys_rockin_roadhouse_00089580

Dec 23 & Dec 30, Monday, 8:00PM-11:00PM – Big Ed Sullivan Blues Jam at The Red Lion, 151 Bleeker St.,  Greenwich Village, NYC (212) 260-9797
I rarely get to go to Big Ed’s “World Famous” blues jam cuz it’s on a work night, but I’m taking a little “stay-cation” the last week of December so I will be making an appearance two Mondays in a row.   For those of you who are not familiar with the scene, at a blues jam different musicians get on & off during the course of the evening.  There will likely be other keyboard players there, so if you show up and you don’t see me on stage, it’s likely that I’m taking turns with the other keyboard players.  Also, every once in a while, the hours change from 8-11 to 9-12, so I suggest calling ahead just to make sure.  The Red Lion has an enormous selection of bottled beer and decent bar food.
http://www.redlionnyc.comhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Ed-Sullivan/253831450378

November 7, 2013:      Songs for Sale or Rent

Along with my erstwhile career as a not so world famous  rock and roll star back in the 70s, I had a parallel career as a not so famous song writer.  Working with several different lyricists I composed upwards of 100 songs.   The highlight of my composing career was in 1973 when a small publishing firm down in Edison, NJ tried to pitch two of my tunes to (of all things) The Carpenters.   The Carpenters passed – as did eventually my song writing days.

Over the years,  I rarely played these songs for people out of fear that someone would steal “my precious” ideas.    Instead, I fanatically guarded them hoping that one day I would be able to put together a group to record and perform the tunes.    But now that I have my Medicare card firmly in hand, I think I can safely say “Who am I kidding? This ain’t never gonna happen”.    So with my new found wisdom, I’m putting these out for anyone to listen to – maybe someone out there will like them enough to use them and/or pass them on to someone who would.

A few words of explanation.  These are demos, not finished products.  They were typically recorded in basements or living rooms under conditions of great haste.  I recommend listening to them with headphones – they sound best that way.   

Since I’m sure some folks will be curious, as far as the singers go – 

• The soprano who sings “Alone Again”, “Killing Me with Kindness”, and others is Janice Hardgrove-Kollar.   We were in a band together in the  early 70s and also performed as a duo.  Janice had a beautiful crystal clear pure voice.  If there was any justice in this world, she would be world famous.
• The gruff voiced soul shouter on “Pasture”, “With Everything I Got”, and others is J.T. Bowen.  We played in several bands together in the late 70s and early 80s.    John went on to record an album with Clarence Clemmons (Springsteen’s late sax player).   For years there were rumors that JT had passed away, but he  re-surfaced  back in 2011.    You can catch some of his performances on youtube.  For example, at   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhcPsM2jXqM   he is performing with Bruce Springsteen at a tribute show for Clarence Clemmons.   If there were any justice in this world, JT would be world famous.
• My best friend from college Marty Applebaum is singing “Try To say Goodbye”.   Marty, who wrote the lyrics to many of these songs, was was a brilliant wordsmith;  he could improvise songs on the spot complete with internal rhyme schemes.   Marty died tragically young at age 40, he was just finding his voice as a song writer.  If there was any justice in this world, Marty would be world famous.
• The powerful female vocalist singing “Look Me In the Eye” and “Why Must They Grow Up” was a session singer in New York whose name I have long since forgotten.
• And finally, the annoying, nasally, whining voice on far too many of these tunes is yours truly.   My lack of fame as a singer proves that, at least  in this case, there *is* occasionally justice in this world…..

I suppose you’re wondering where to get these songs.    Easy enough.  Go to https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sijii1dglnqlqci/PWNY8X7FWX  and you’ll see a folder Eric’s Songs.    It should be pretty intuitive what to do next, but if you’re having trouble, give me a holler and I’ll walk you through it.

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Nov 9, Saturday, 8-9:30 PM – Lunatic Fringe,  Glen Ridge Community Center @ The Glen Ridge Train Station, 228 Ridgewood Avenue (corner of Bloomfield Avenue), Glen Ridge, NJ   Reservations: (973) 429-1527
I was unavailable last month but I’m back in action.  If you want you can twerk along with the Fringe.
http://www.lunaticfringeimprov.com
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53938723078&ref=ts

Nov 23, Saturday, 9:00PM-1:00AM – Better Off Dead at The Great Notch Inn, Route 46, Little Falls  (973) 256-7742
Rumble, rumble, rumble.  No it’s not the start of a dance number from West Side Story, it’s the sound of bikes in the night pulling in and out of the Great Notch parking lot.   It’s disconcerting when it happens in the middle of a song, it sounds like a drum solo, except I look over at Don Kenny and he’s just keeping the beat going.
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm
http://www.agreatertown.com/little_falls_nj/great_notch_inn_new_jerseys_rockin_roadhouse_00089580

Nov 29, Friday, 7:00-9:00ish PM – Eric Heilner @ Ruthie’s BBQ, 64 1/2 Chestnut Ave, Montclair  (973) 509-1134
I will be doing one of my rare solo shows at my favorite BBQ joint.   I’ve been working on a few new numbers including a work in progress tentatively called Off Beat Boogie.   
http://www.ruthiesbbq.com/

October 10, 2013:      The Late 1970s

It was neither the best of times, nor the worst of times.   It was sort of run of a the mill kind of times – but – it was the golden age of the legendary New Jersey rock club scene….

It was early 1978 and I had just quit a band that was going nowhere.   I was out of a gig and was struggling to make ends meet.  Then seemingly out of the sky, I spotted an ad in the musician’s newspaper that Smyle was looking for a keyboard player.  Holy crap!    Smyle was big time – at least in New Jersey..   I hastily threw together a resume, put it in the mail, and (long story short) in 2 weeks I was making my debut gig at The Towpath in West Paterson.

Now just to set the stage here, the 1970s were like no other time before or since in the New Jersey club scene. New Jersey had lowered the drinking age to 18, and it was near the peak of the baby boomers hitting late teens and early 20s.    Clubs like The Towpath, Hotel California, and The Soap Factory would routinely attract crowds of 500 to 1000 folks.   Hordes of drunken kids were careening all over the state from one club to another.

The first few months were heady stuff.   The band had a large adoring fan base and I was playing regularly 5-6 times a week.   However, as the months went on the glow gradually faded.   There were personality clashes and the bass player was replaced in September.  The music was good and the band had great vocals, but they were not packing the houses on the week days.   I gamely carried on, but I had aspirations for bigger things, while the other guys seemed content with making a living.    After about a year we parted ways.     My leaving prompted yet another personnel change and they replaced the bass player again.  (It was rough being a Smyle bass player)  Eventually things petered out and the band broke up.

In 1980, New Jersey bumped up the drinking age to 19 and in 1983 they bumped it back up to 21.   By then the cohort of baby boomers were getting married and didn’t have time/energy to go out and party until 2 AM.   Today the Jersey club scene today is a shadow of its former self. 

While my breakup with Smyle was about as amicable as these things can be, as you can well imagine there was much tension.   Nonetheless I have  always had fond memories of those times.

So anyway, several years ago Smyle re-formulated with much of the original lineup and have been playing around.  I went to see them and it was a great reconnecting with these guys.  Vinnie looks almost the same as he did 30 years ago and Bart still has an amazing voice.    I’ve attached a Smyle calendar from July 1978 and yes, that long haired guy second from the right is me.

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Oct 12, Saturday, 7:00-10:00ish PM – Deborah Holland and Cidny Bullens, House Party in Montclair  (973) 509-1134
No this is *not* me playing, instead this is my amazingly talented sister Deborah Holland along with Cidny Bullens – this is 2/3 of the folk supergroup The Refugees.    Both of these guys have released numerous albums and have credits a mile wide.  If you want to hear some great material and beautiful harmonies, come on out.   So where are they?   I’m can’t give out the exact address, but it’s in Montclair.   If you want to come, give me a holler, I’ve got some extra reservations and can give you details.  Or you can e-mail the host of the event chris@notesfromhomenj.com   Suggested donation $15.
http://www.deborahholland.net/https://www.facebook.com/deborah.holland.395?fref=ts&ref=br_tf

Oct 14, Monday, 8:30-11:30 PM – Deborah Holland and Cidny Bullens, Hill Country BBQ, 30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010 (212) 255-42544 Those of you who can’t make it to Montclair can catch Deborah and Cidny in New York this Monday.
http://www.hillcountryny.com/home.php

Oct 19, Saturday, 8:30-12:30ish AM – Smyle Alumni Reunion Show at The Ringside Pub, 379 Bloomfield Ave, Caldwell, New Jersey (973) 226-6781
The whole reminiscing about Smyle was not totally random – yes I am doing a reunion gig with Smyle.   We will be doing a bunch of Billy Joel tunes including that old show stopper Angry Young Man plus various hits from the 60s and 70s.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/RINGSIDE-PUB/261937786738
https://www.facebook.com/pages/SMyle-Band/116397515084170
https://www.facebook.com/events/723729934307430/

Oct 26, Saturday, 9:00PM-1:00AM – Better Off Dead at The Great Notch Inn, Route 46, Little Falls  (973) 256-7742
I would not want anyone to get the impression amidst all this brouhaha about Smyle that I’m neglecting my BOD buds.  As this is around Halloween time, there are likely to be costumes.
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm
http://www.agreatertown.com/little_falls_nj/great_notch_inn_new_jerseys_rockin_roadhouse_00089580

September 7, 2013:      Commies

In early 1941, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, along with Millard Lampell and Lee Hays, formed what was (with 20/20 hindsight) the first ever folk “super group” called The Almanac Singers.   The first recording released by the Almanac Singers was a collection of 7 protest songs titled “Songs for John Doe”.   And what were they protesting against?   They were mostly protesting against the Selective Service Act of 1940 – which was the first ever peace time draft in America’s history.  
 
“Huh? “, I hear you say, “Of all the things they could be protesting against, why why did they choose the draft?”    Here’s the condensed story.  The folk movement, as it was back then, was very left wing (even more so then in the 60s) and largely followed the Communist Party line when it came to political/ideological issues.  In 1939, Hitler & Stalin signed a non-aggression pact and they divvied up Poland.   So in 1940 and early 1941, as America was gearing up the military in anticipation of having to fight Hitler, the Communist Party opposed these efforts –  since it was directed against Russia’s nominal ally.  
 
In June 1941, Germany invaded Russia.  The Communist Party basically said (think Emily Litella) “Never Mind” and promptly did a 180.  I can’t think of another point in history when a political group changed their position so completely in short a time frame.   The record company immediately destroyed their inventory of records, and the Almanac Singers started singing and recording songs strongly supporting the war effort.  However, what was done could not be undone.  In 1942, even though they were very popular at fund raising rallies, the FBI decided that it wouldn’t be right to have these commies getting too popular, so they were banned from most public appearances.   The Almanac Singers broke up  in 1943.

You can find a far more detailed and nuanced discussion of these events out there on the internet, Wikipedia does a decent job.

Woody Guthrie remains America’s most beloved singer song writer of all time (take *that* Bob Dylan) and Pete Seeger went on to great success with The Weavers.   But you know all about that.

Anyway, I inherited the original Songs for John Doe from my late cousin Danny – and after much technical anguish (you don’t wanna know) have digitized them for your listening pleasure.   If you go to https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sijii1dglnqlqci/PWNY8X7FWX you will see a folder “Songs for John Doe”.  It should be pretty intuitive how to download these, but if you’re having trouble, give me a holler and I’ll help you .

Sept 7, Saturday, 7:00-9:00ish PM – Arne Englund & The Stumble, Ruthie’s BBQ, 64 1/2 Chestnut Ave, Montclair  (973) 509-1134
It’s been a long 3 months since I last played with Arnie, plus this is my first gig of the fall season, so I’m looking forward to this   There will be a super tight rhythm section with Matt Patuto on drums and the amazing Matt Raymond on bass (substituting for the also amazing Phil Butler).   The weather is supposed to be cooperative tomorrow evening, but if if looks like rain call ahead to see what’s going on as we’re playing out on the patio  As always with Ruthie’s – BYOB.
http://www.ruthiesbbq.com/
https://www.facebook.com/arne.englund.1

Sept 8, Sunday, 12:20-1:20 PM – Al Gold and the Suburban Rhythm Kings at The South Orange Blues Festival (SOBF), Essex County South Mountain Reservation at Cherry Lane 
The SOBF bills itself as “The largest blues festival in Northern New Jersey” – and I have no reason to doubt their word.   There will be plenty of great food and the music will go from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM.   Al Gold and SRKs are the second act and it will be a party and 1/2 since VD King will also be joining in.  There is a slight chance of showers on Sunday – I believe this goes on rain or shine. 
http://southorangebluesfestival.com/index.html/http://www.myspace.com/algoldthesuburbanrhythmkings 

Sept 20, Friday, 9:00PM-1:00AM – Better Off Dead at The Great Notch Inn, Route 46, Little Falls  (973) 256-7742
I was missing in action from the August show but BOD managed without me just fine.   If the weather is nice there will be the usual cavalcade of bikes in the front, and there will be the usual carnival of music inside.
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm
http://www.agreatertown.com/little_falls_nj/great_notch_inn_new_jerseys_rockin_roadhouse_00089580

Sept 21, Saturday, 8-9:30 PM – Lunatic Fringe,  Glen Ridge Community Center @ The Glen Ridge Train Station, 228 Ridgewood Avenue (corner of Bloomfield Avenue), Glen Ridge, NJ   Reservations: (973) 429-1527
This is the start of the 16th season – sweet 16 indeed.   I’m sure there will be plenty to laugh at.  Let’s see if they can avoid making any “Weiner” jokes.
http://www.lunaticfringeimprov.com
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53938723078&ref=ts

Sept 28, Saturday, 11:30AM-12:30PM  – Better Off Dead in scenic downtown Bloomfield – Bloomfield Harvestfest
Better Off Dead will shake the rafters and wake any late sleepers in downtown Bloomfield.   Where it is exactly I do not know, but if you go anywhere in the general vicinity of downtown Bloomfield just follow the large crowds of folks who will be seeking out that amazing music.  If I know him, VD KIng will likely compose a special harvesting song just for the occasion.
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm
http://www.eventcrazy.com/Bloomfield-NJ/events/details/11916-Bloomfield-HarvestFest

August 3, 2013:      Musician Talk

Some musician talk coming up here.  You non-musician types out there can eavesdrop.

So I did an outdoor show with Arthur Neilson the other week.  Great show, great time.  It was extra special since it’s been about two years since we last played together.   Arthur does a souped up version of That’s All Right Mama.  I’m doing my solo and I get an idea, but then the idea isn’t working and… Crap!!! I Iost my place in the song.   That’s All Right Mama has an unusual chord pattern – it’s not a standard 12 bar blues – it’s got a 10 bar pattern (or 20 depending on how you count).   So I just plunked a few rhythmic notes for almost a verse until I figured out where I was, then jumped back in and finished up my solo.  It was embarrassing.  However……

After the show I was talking to Arne Englund and he thought it was very cool what I had done.  Arne had a very interesting take on this.  The way we typically structure our performances is that “something” always has to be happening – either it’s a vocal or a line (solo).    What Arne heard was that I was letting the song “breathe”.   To paraphrase, you don’t always have to have a center of attention.   It’s OK to let the the focus be the entire band and not one individual –  let the audience hear the interplay among the rhythm elements.   I like that idea.  Good one Arne.

Meanwhile, Where is Eric?

Aug 3-Aug 17, VACATION!!

Aug 24, Saturday – Nancy & John’s Wedding
I am flattered that Nancy & John asked me to play for their ceremony.  I’ll also be rocking out at the reception with Sharpe Edge.  Sorry, no wedding crashers allowed.

See you in September…