SxSW… I arrived just in time to catch Robert Deeble and his songs, then jumped up to play. After I finished my set, Steve Poltz played his super happy uplifting songs, then came over and bought one of my tour shirts. He stripped down right in front of everyone, re-dressed with my shirt, and became even happier than he already was.

Steve Poltz getting it on at SXSW
Later, went out to goof off with Robert, mill the streets, take in all the chaos and happily experience the mayhem without having to worry about being somewhere… we saw some awesome shredding guitar bands… saw love hungry people giving away free hugs… saw so many bands… all coming to the promised land… all with hopes and dreams… my ears got beat up so fast and it didn’t really matter who was playing…. it all started sounding like a big blanket of noise… I just wanted to get out of town and get to Dallas…

HeitMiller Steakhouse

I stopped outside of Provo, Utah to fill up for gas… pumped and went inside… As I handed my money to the clerk behind the counter, I asked her a couple polite questions about the area, and made some courteous, small talk. She counted my change back as we chatted some more and seemed curiously touched by our banal conversation, or at least, extra friendly or unduly charmed. I headed for the exit while we continued to exchange niceties, and just as I was reaching for the door, she gentle-heartedly asked with a giant, hopeful smile on her face, “Excuse me, are you from England?”

I said, “Wha?”

She repeated, “England, are you from England? You have an interesting accent.”

A few seconds of incredulous silence passed as I tried to maintain my composure… I think I bit my lip a little while my eyebrow uncontrollably raised, the way Spock would do it… then finally replied,

“Bloody hell, no, I’m from Los Angeles!”

Beth and I did a radio interview today in downtown Sacramento… fine enough…. after a couple segments, some questions to and fro, during one of the breaks (while DJ Mike played a song from the album), we went off air and Beth and Rob asked me, “Seriously, what is that song about?” I told them how I had never explained this particular song, ever, to anyone… but, OFF THE RECORD, I would tell them… and made them swear with their pinkies and their lifelong allegiance to silence and secrecy…

I then went on to tell them in detail the amazing, naked truth and meaning behind the song, the specific life incident, something so juicy and traumatic.

Thirty seconds before we went back on the air, DJ Mike came back in to settle into his seat, with a rosy, tinted face, literally red… “Um, Michael…. I don’t know how to tell you this….. but… your mic has been on this WHOLE time… everything you were saying was going out on the air…”

??!!

I thought he was pulling my leg and playing a horrific joke on me, as we had just discussed earlier in the interview that my birthday was on April Fools Day…

After repeating his apology 5 or 6 times, trying to convince me he was not joking, it finally sunk in and my stomach dropped out from under me and I had to swallow the giant watermelon in my throat… and immediately get back on air to finish the interview…

As soon as the show ended, I listened to the recorded broadcast with headphones and burning ears… yes, several things could be heard… we cut the song from the podcast and re-inserted a “clean” version for the archives…

Lesson learned… never be naked and tell your darkest secrets with a microphone in your face…


Last night’s show in Seaside turned out to be a beautiful love-fest… knowing this will be the last time I will see the ocean for a LONG time, we decided this morning to sneak away to the Monterey Bay Aquarium before driving on…

I think I was here once when I was 8 years old… my first time ever to see the ocean… my parents were definitely not sea-lovers, the few times we ever made it all the way to the ocean became giant life-memories, burned into my young heart… I remember being intoxicated by the strange, unstoppable salt air…. it felt like light being poured into me… there was so much sun and electricity of bustling tourists and busloads of swarming kids… my parents bought me a pre-packaged sea-shell, filled with smaller shells… I worshipped it like a secret, golden, buried treasure…

I could see the same starry-eyed wonder in Beth and Rob’s faces today… myself, I was hypnotized and in awe of the sea horses and jellyfish… so happy… so very happy…


Santa Barbara…. last night’s show? divine… Beth and Rob insisted on staying at a crappy, dingy hotel… I went to my dear friend, Bruce’s vineyard chateau… amazing… wine and stories into the middle of the night… this morning I woke up to a panoramic ocean view, looking out over orchards and orchards of trees and the deep, blue sea… I tried to get my act together… to get on the road and to the next town… but I had to keep getting one last look…

Tonight we played a web-broadcast concert in Atascadero… before the show, we ate at this place where they boast and rave about their world-famous bbq ribs…. it was supposed to be the most amazing and authentically long-cooked, smoked tri-tip and rib experience ever… my mouth now tastes like kerosene…

I went to the farmer’s market today… one last strawberry binge for old time’s sake before we leave town to continue on the tour…. kicked up my feet and sat and watched the boats coming in and out of the harbor all morning… and ate strawberries… then went on up to Hermosa Beach… played a solo set and Bethy totally won tonight with her band…. I gave her some strawberries for her prize…

Hollywood…. last night… the last show at home for awhile… and another barn burner… Tracy sang and played violin with me and Dan, and Eric, and Butch… a perfect sendoff for this tour… I am sadly leaving them behind… like an astronaut leaving his family and planet… an ambassador for peace and love, taking the good news to the people.

When things are so good, it’s hard to leave…. like a newly discovered perfect puzzle piece that was once thought lost…. or a flower about to bloom… or a once-in-a-lifetime sunset that will never appear the same… Hollywood, don’t go anywhere…. I’ll be back soon for you, I swear….

A beautiful day in this neighborhood… perfectly quiet and still… the way it is supposed to be…. except for the distant waves cracking and smacking down on the beach… I’ve got all my doors and windows open, and I have been painting posters for the tour… so there are lots of paint spills and clothesline and clothespins hanging all over the place…

My neighbor came walking by, peeking inside (like Gladys Kravitz)… he was super curious, asking all kinds of questions about the tour and my little art project…. asked if he could have a poster for his wall… and if he could check out the album… I was actually very touched by his sweet interest and enthusiasm and sincere curiosity. We’ve been neighbors for almost 15 years, and I am not sure if we have talked much about music ever…

Off he went, energized and excited to delve deep into my songs…. and within a few minutes, I could hear my voice blaring and ringing through the neighborhood. (my neighbor loves to crank his music through his vintage, vacuum tubed system, loud and proud, so he can feel it)…

After about 30 seconds, I could hear him skip to the next song… another 30 seconds, skipped ahead again… all at supersonic decibels… I think he listened to one or two more… then it stopped completely and the neighborhood was silent again. Soon after, he came back over to return the album. “Hey, this is really GREAT! But your songs are so serious and you sound like John Lennon!”
He meant it as a compliment… had a few other constructive criticisms about how we should have recorded it and how my songs needed to be happier, then went on to say how he was drinking beers and needed something “a little more” on his day off. (!)

After some concentrated nostalgic talk about the neighborhood, what the beach was like 35 years ago, how girls were 35 years ago, the secret of life and other mysteries revealed, he went back home… BB King and Bo Diddly replaced the air…. and I went back to my painting…

SPRING 2010

2.21 – San Diego, CA @ Lestat’s ***
2.24 – Hollywood, CA @ Cranes ***
2.25 – Ventura, CA @ Zoeys ***
2.27 – Santa Ana, CA @ Gypsy Den ***
2.28 – Hermosa Beach, CA @ Sainte Rock ***
3.02 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Soho ***
3.03 – Atascadero, CA @ Last Stage West ***
3.04 – Seaside, CA @ The Alternative Cafe ***
3.05 – Mountain View, CA @ Red Rock ***
3.06 – TWIRL RADIO – (interview)***
3.07 – Sacramento, CA @ Luna’s ***
            w/Beth Thornley supporting***

3.11 – Boise, ID @ The Bouquet
3.12 – Logan, UT @ Why Sound
3.13 – Fort Collins, CO @ Everyday Joe’s
3.14 – Boulder, CO @ Laughing Goat
3.15 – Denver, CO @ The Walnut Room
3.17 – Norman, OK @ House Concert
3.18 – Austin, TX @ SxSW
            w/Steve Poltz, Robert Deeble, Roman Candle, Seth Glier
3.20 – Dallas, TX @ Allgood Cafe
3.24 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
3.26 – Dubuque, IA @ Monks Kaffee
3.28 – Belleville, WI @ House Concert
3.30 – Madison, WI @ Brink Lounge
            “Mad Toast Live” – WORT 89.9
3.31 – Madison, WI @ The Frequency
4.01 – Chicago, IL @ Elbo Room
4.02 – Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlies
4.03 – Circleville, OH @ Tootle’s
4.04 – Columbus, OH @ Wild Goose Creative
4.05 – Cleveland, OH @ Wilbert’s
4.06 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Cafe
4.07 – Saint James, NY @ Acoustic Long Island
4.08 – Somerville, MA @ The Armory Cafe
4.09 – Keene, NH @ Keene State College (6pm)
4.09 – Keene, NH @ The Starving Artist (9pm)
4.10 – Doylestown, PA @ Puck
4.11 – New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall
4.14 – WVYA 89.7FM – (Interview) The Billtown Bus Stop Radio Hour
4.15 – Newtown, PA @ Burlap and Bean
4.16 – Danville, PA @ Brews N Bytes w/Johnny Blair
4.17 – Thomas, WV @ Purple Fiddle
4.18 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern
4.20 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement
4.22 – Dallas, TX @ Opening Bell
4.28 – Hollywood, CA @ Cranes
4.30 – Santa Ana, CA Gypsy Den