Posted 19 December 2002
Road Report: Heads up — I'll be releasing my new CD Get Your Glow On at the end of February and will be going out on a month-long national tour to spread the word about this disc. Details to follow soon....

Posted 18 December 2002
Road Report: Here's some pix from the Aquarium of the Bay (courtesy of Andrew Borger)....

Posted 17 December 2002
Road Report: In the month since my last posting, we've performed on the Tonight Show for the third time this year, we performed on Saturday Night Live (with guest host Robert DeNiro), the Elvis Lives special that we taped in Dublin in early October aired on Thanksgiving night, and we performed on the VH-1 Big in 2002 awards, where Norah won the Lolita Ford award — "They're young, they're women, they rock."

The VH-1 awards. Sitting in our trailer in the parking lot of the Grand Olympic Auditorium, the hours passing too slowly as we waited for the VH-1 awards event to start (we had to arrive six hours early, for some reason), Daru and I got very bored and more than a little punchy. To pass the time, we made up stupid songs. As I strummed the chords to "Leaving on a Jet Plane," Daru and our monitor engineer, Ryan, ad libbed obscene verses. Just when things were really starting to go down the toilet, Chuck D happened by. He poked his head in to check out our "song" and then quickly moved on. Two beats later, Daru yelled, "Chuck D! Come back!" He did come back, and he hung out with us in our trailer for about five minutes. Totally cool. (Coincidentally, Daru knows Chuck D's sister.) Later the same day, Christina Aguilera dropped by, just long enough to say "hi" and ask if she could take a bottle of our red wine. From our trailer, we could see the signs on the doors of other trailers — Bon Jovi, Jon Mayer, Grand Master Flash, Kid Rock....

When we weren't busy doing TV things, we were racing around the U.S. playing radio promo concerts. These shows are sort of mini pop fests, wherein four or five bands each plays a short set, and they are a quid pro quo thing for the radio stations. ("Hey, KYSR — thanks for playing our record!") We played about 11 or 12 of these shows in 15 days. We flew most every day, and performed most every day. We'd fly into town, go to the hotel for an hour or two of fresher-upper time, then go to the venue, where the concert was already in progress. We'd hang out backstage for half an hour or so and get warmed up, then jump up onstage and play our 40-minute set (with no prior sound-check, using mostly rented amps and drums), and then split ASAP while the concert raged on. On our smart nights, we went to bed as early as possible — to brace ourselves for the next morning's 8:15 AM lobby call. There were many nights when we weren't so smart.

This promo tour was routed in such a way that we had to fly everywhere — it would have been impossible to do on a bus, which is our normal mode of travel. Flying every day can leave you wondering where you are and what day it is. I'd go into the airport newsstand each day and look at the magazines for something new on the magazine racks, and then realize that the mags on display were the same ones that were out on the racks last time I was in the airport — the day before. It reminded me of the Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day, where he he lives the same day over and over. We did manage to find some decent food along the way. The award for 'Best Burrito in an Airport' goes to Señor Jalapeño, at San Jose International Airport. The award for 'Best Barbeque Sandwich in an Airport' goes to Harlon's in Bush Houston International Airport. The award for 'Best Soul Food in an Airport' goes to Paschal's in Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport.

We had only two real days off on this 15-day run of dates — one in New York City the day after we did SNL and one in Boulder, CO after our show at the Boulder Theater. Manhattan and Boulder could not be more different, in terms of climate and culture, but each of these days off was refreshing in its own way.

One of the very coolest things about this radio tour is that we've been on bills with so many other bands, as opposed to the standard one-band-opens/one-band-headlines format. We've shared stages — and, occasionally, vans or dressing rooms — with Jackson Browne, Bon Jovi, Nick Carter, DJ Sammy, Dana Glover, Frou Frou, Counting Crows, Moby, and Sixpence None the Richer. Hey, check out Dana Glover. She totally rocks, and she's super cool. We worked with her three times in the past two weeks. Also check out Greta, Moby's bassist. Most excellent.

One of the most memorable nights for me (yes, even more memorable than sharing a dressing room with Bon Jovi), was 13 December. We were supposed to play in San Jose, outdoors at a park, but the rain wouldn't let up. Just a few hours before showtime, the promoters moved the show to San Francisco, at the Hard Rock Cafe at Pier 39. That left us — and the fans — no choice but to drive 2 hours in the rain, in rush hour traffic, from San Jose to San Francisco. It was a pretty exciting gig, because it was so rock-and-roll. It was our version of a Special Operations maneuver. We hovered backstage (in a separate building, actually) and as the situation in the club got more and more wound up (thanks to opening band, Frou Frou), we prepared to take our place onstage. When the moment came, we had to act fast, storming the stage before the crowd even realized we were there. Then, BAM, we hit it. Hit it hard. Okay, maybe I'm over-dramatizing here, but it really was exciting. Adding to the energy of this show was the amped-up enthusiasm of the kids who had driven so far in such crappy conditions — and then waited outside in the rain for way too long — just to hear Norah sing "Don't Know Why." After the maneuvers were completed, we got an extra-special treat. Pier 39 happens to be the home not only to the Hard Rock Cafe but also to the Aquarium of the Bay. The aquarium was closed for the night, but the general manager offered to give us and Frou Frou a private tour of the place. It was incredible. They have these long underwater tunnels, where all kinds of indigenous Bay Area sea creatures (tiger sharks, anchovies, anemones, sea stars) surround you. They also have touch tanks, where you can touch sharks, bat rays, skates, sea stars, anemones, and sea cucumbers. If you're in S.F., you really should go check out this amazing place.

We're now taking a break from touring. Today is the first day of our month off. I'll be spending the rest of this week playing gigs in Austin, TX with some amazing players. (See my GIGGAGE page for details.) Meanwhile, it's Egg Nog time. The hard stuff....

Posted 23 November 2002
Road Report: While we've been in L.A., I've eaten every day at Duke's Coffee Shop. The best — the absolute best. Eat at Duke's! (Spotted Butch Vig there this morning.)

Lot's of good Mexican food here too, though I'm leery of anyplace that claims the label "fresh Mex." I'd rather eat at that little place attached to the car wash.

True confession: I love alpacas!

Posted 22 November 2002
Road Report: Ah, Los Angeles, my home town. It's 69 degrees here. F*cking lovely. Los Angeles is the best city in the U.S.A. We're here for three events — our appearance last night on the Tonight Show, a gala event for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and Sounds Ecletic Evening concert for KCRW. Then we've got a week off for Thanksgiving, before embarking on the last burst of activity for the year. (See norahjones.com for dates and details.)

We've got two more TV appearances coming up soon — Elvis Lives on NBC, Thanksgiving night; and Saturday Night Live on NBC, 7 December (with guest host Robert DeNiro). I'll try to not wear the same shirt on every show.

While I was home in New York last week, I recorded three new tracks for my forthcoming Get Your Glow On CD, and sprinkled some fairy dust on two existing tracks. Little by little, the album is coming together. Two of the new tracks feature acoustic guitar, and I think they'll provide a nice sonic counterpart to the electric-based songs. One note at a time.

Hey, if you live in — or near — New York City, you must go hear Jim Campilongo play. He has long been one of my favorite guitarists, and he somehow sounds better than ever now. I saw him at the Knitting Factory and he was on fire! He's playing a lot of gigs these days, so it shouldn't be too hard to catch up with him. (See jimcampilongo.com for dates and details.) I saw some other great music while I was home, including the Kamikaze Ground Crew at Tonic, Jason Crigler at the Living Room, and Rachel Loshak at the Living Room. New York is bursting with great, life-affirming music every night of the week, and these are just a few of the bands that I'm most fond of and that I was lucky enough to see in the 10 days I was home.

While I was in New York, I kept bumping into long-lost friends every time I set foot in or near the East Village. Dear acquaintances — some I hadn't seen in many months — kept appearing from out of nowhere, as if bubbling up from below the sidewalks, manifesting on each street corner to exchange good tidings. New York is the best city in the U.S.A.

Posted 5 November 2002
Road Report: We're in Barcelona, Spain. Saying that this is an amazing place is just about the grossest understatement I can conceive of. I am freaked out. Stymied. Stupefied. Dumbfounded. And we're so incredibly lucky to be here while the weather is still warm. In November, thank you very much. This place is like some impossible dream. A dream featuring the undulating architecture of Gaudí. A dream in which formal traditions and casual laissez-faire attitudes strike a surprisingly healthy balance. A dream flecked with olive oil, ham, and crustaceans of all kinds. Two nights ago, in fact, we had barnacles as one of our appetizers at dinner. They are ugly little buggers, and prone to squirting sea water in your eye — or, more likely, your neighbor's eye — when you bust them open. The fleshy treat awaiting inside tastes a lot like crab, only richer. Which is to say, they are delicious! Please, oh please, can we stay here? Pretty please, with manchego cheese and quince paste ("membrillo") on top?

Before Barcelona, we were in Marseilles, France; before that we were in Italy — Rome, Venice, and Milan. And before we swooped down here to the Mediterranean we were in Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden, Norway), which is a wholly different sort of place. It was the only place we visited on this tour where the weather felt right for this time of year. It was cool and crisp throughout the Scandinavian regions; a few snowflakes even fell on us in Oslo. I love this kind of climate, despite my Southern California upbringing. I have many, many fond memories of the gigs, the people, and the land. One thing that really struck me was how all the people I met in Oslo looked straight into my eyes when we were talking. No peripheral glancing or glazed daydreaming — just pure, direct engagement. On a lighter note, I must also mention the bar in the hotel where we stayed in Oslo (Radisson SAS, Holbergsgate 30). The bar is situated on the 21st floor (conveniently, the same floor our rooms were on). The bar has with huge plate-glass windows on three sides, and features tremendous views of the city. The party was in full swing when I arrived there after our gig, at around 1:00 AM. After enjoying a couple of pilsners with some new friends there, I went to the men's room — and found that the room's two soup-bowl sized urinals were backed by yet another huge plate-glass floor-to-ceiling window. Imagine being a man with a fear of heights (and one beer too many in him) ambling into a bathroom in which you have to piss while staring out at Oslo from 250 feet up. Trippy!

Another nice thing about Scandinavia is that it's easy to find my favorite cheese there: gietost (Norwegian goat cheese). I will readily admit that this stuff is awful, compared with the manifold fine cheeses available in Europe, but I love it. Besides being oddly reminiscent of peanut butter, it reminds me of a gig I once played at a county fair. Our little jazz-blues band was the opening act for a Celebrity Goat Milk-off. I kid you not (no pun intended). Local celebs — beauty-contest winners, Rotary Club presidents, fire chiefs — competed to see who could get the most milk from a goat in just 60 seconds. Wow. I couldn't have made that one up!

Wanna see some pictures of Norah Jones and the band in action? Or inaction? You can see lots of 'em at norahjones.com. And now Norah has a message board on her site, where you can read what people are saying about Norah and the band and about our gigs.

On a related note, I want to address a couple of the questions that people have been asking me after many of our shows. For instance, "What are all those new songs are you're playing?" One we've been playing a lot in the past several months is the Band's "Bessie Smith." When Norah announces it as "a song by the Band," some people think she means "a song by this here band," though in fact the song was recorded by the Band. You know — Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, et al. It was released on The Basement Tapes. I'm here to say, we love us some Band. On our summer tour of the U.S., we must've watched The Last Waltz a dozen times. The pace of our verson of "Bessie Smith" is faster than the original, but we do our best to retain that elusive Canadian funkiness that the Band pioneered and perfected. We also bust out the Band's "Makes No Difference" from time to time. Another fairly new addition to our repertoire is Keith Richards' "The Worst," from the Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge CD. To some extent, ths song is cut from the same cloth as the Band tunes we cover. (I can hear Rick Danko singing "The Worst," with Levon Helm joining in for sweet harmonies in the bridge. Totally!) Another recently added fave of ours is AC/DC's "Ride On," from their Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap record. Yes people, we are playing an AC/DC cover. And we are rocking as hard as our little combo can rock. We're exploring our own little sub-genre of rock, actually. You've heard of "soft rock"? (Eagles, Brian Adams, and so on.) You've heard of "cock rock"? (AC/DC, early Aerosmith, classic Kiss.) We'll, we've got the "soft cock rock" thing down like you wouldn't believe. We've also got some new-ish originals in our set, including "Toes Just Touch the Water" (by Lee and Norah), "In the Morning" (by me), and "Moon Song" (by me, Norah, and Lee). And we've all been on a writing jag in the past few days, so I think we'll have a few brand new songs appearing in our shows very soon. All of this talk of repertoire leads me to the next question people ask almost every night — "When's the new record coming out?" I can't say for sure, but it's likely that we'll release something in September 2003. If we can't get it done soon enough to release it in September, it will probably be held until January. I'm not sure why, but September and January are the big months for record releases. August and October seem like equally fine months to me, but I'm told that it's very unlikely that our album would drop in either of those months. Yeah, I know — next September seems like a long way off to me too. But as we don't yet have all of the material we need, and as we're too busy to start recording any sooner than March, and as there's typically a three- or four-month lag time between the date you play your last notes in the studio and the date the CD hits the store shelves.... well, you can do the math yourself. If you're hankering for music from Norah beyond her First Sessions EP and her First Sessions album, you can check out some mp3s at norahjones.com. You can also check out our live verson of "Nightingale" on the brand new Live from Bonnaroo compilation. See bonnaroo.com for details.

Our European tour is almost over. Three more shows (Barcelona and Madrid in Spain; Lisbon in Portugal), and then we're homeward bound. H'ray! I can't remember the last time I was in New York for more than three or four days. Seriously. This time we have 10 whole days free, then we have a few more weeks of work to finish up the year.

As for my own new CD, Get Your Glow On, that project has been on hold for the past two months while I've been touring with Norah. I'll have more free time to wrap it up over the winter months and I hope I'll have it ready for market by springtime. Stay tuned.

Posted 21 October 2002
Road Report: The Norah Jones 'Come Really Far Away with Me' tour continues. We're now in Copenhagen, Denmark. We came into Denmark this morning, via the Scandlines ferry from Germany. It was a lovely, picturesque journey across the water. You'll have to take my word for it being "picturesque" though, because I don't have my digi-cam with me on this tour. I foolishly left it at home. Ugh! So words will have to suffice, and my word skills aren't at their peak right now. All this trotting around Europe (London, Paris, Dublin, Brussels, Amsterdam, Zurich, Köln, Hamburg, Berlin, Copenhagen, and so on) has started to turn my brain all mushy. So — small, simple words it is.

I should have been posting road reports regularly. Looking back now, I only have blurry little recollections from each place we've been to. In my memories of London, for example, the first thing that springs to mind is a condom machine a I saw in the bathroom ("loo") of a pub. It featured flavored condoms, as many such machines in the States do, but the flavors this machine featured were surely developed with British palates in mind: rhubarb-and-cream, lager, curry....

My recollections of Paris include riding on the Chunnel train that goes under the Channel between England and France, eating squab, playing Scrabble. This quick trip was to videotape a performance of "Don't Know Why" for a French TV show called 'Vivement Dimanche.' The show has a totally shagadelic set design. Here's a couple of pics:

After this one-day jaunt to Paris, we returned to London for two shows at Shepherd's Bush Empire. But before the Paris TV show, during our first few days in London, we taped appearances for two British television programs ("programmes") — the 'Michael Parkinson Show' and 'Top of the Pops' — as well as taping some performances radio show. The radio taping was at the same BBC studio where all the music for most of those recently released '______ at the BBC' CDs happened. Whoa!

After our shows in London, we flew to Dublin to appear on the 'Late, Late Show.' That appearance stands out because Dolly Parton was one of the other guests and we got to meet her. She's so damn cool. The host of the show asked her what she'd like people to say about her 100 years from now, and she replied "I'd like people to say, 'Damn, she looks good for her age!'" The crazy thing about this show is that it's live. It's broadcast just as it goes down, in real time. Live! We played "Turn Me On" and "Come Away with Me." The band played really well on both songs, and I had featured solos on both. Did I mention that this is the biggest show of its kind in Ireland? And did I mention that it was broadcast live?!? Fun. Also while in Ireland, we videotaped a version of "Are You Lonesome Tonight" that will be used for a TV tribute to Elvis that will be broadcast in the States on NBC sometime in the first week of December. We recorded it at Windmill Lane Studios, where U2 makes their albums. (So I'm told. Honestly, I know very little about U2.) While we videotaped this performance, there were green-screen panels all around us, framed in ornate, gilded wooden frames. Through the miracle of modern technology, these green-screen panels will be filled with images of the King. I can't wait to see how it looks on television.

Speaking of which, I wonder if the "Come Away with Me" video we shot a few months ago is in rotation yet on MTV or VH1. Haven't seen it on in Europe, but I think it should be launching right about now.

My recollection of Amsterdam is not, as you might guess, of buying a joint in a "coffee shop" and getting high. Rather, I remember taking a long walk on a day that began with mild weather and then finding myself in the middle of nowhere when the rain started coming down hard. I had no umbrella and no water-proof gear. I got soaked through to the bones. It was fun, yet awful — yet fun. If you like that sort of thing. (I do.) Another nice memory I have is that immediately after our show at the Club Paradiso, as I was wrapping up my equipment on stage, a sweet young woman started talking to me from in front of the stage. "Why didn't you play 'Shoot the Moon'," she asked me. "That's one of my favorites," she continued, "and one reason I wanted you to play it is because I wanted to see how to make the chords on guitar. I couldn't figure it out." As it happens, that song is the easiest song to play. Capo at 5th fret, then start on the 15th fret on the 5th string and just walk down the scale, picking the 5th, 4th, and 3rd strings. You can play the whole song using just one finger on your fretting hand, and the fingerpicking pattern is elementary. When I showed her this, she was gleeful. Another girl got in on the action, and started singing along as I played my guitar part — exactly mimicking Norah's original vocal phrasing (with a faint Dutch accent). Then the two of them were singing, phrase for phrase, in beautiful harmony. And when it came time for my guitar solo, the two of them sang that, exactly as it is on our recording, then finished out the song, copying Norah's "ahh" ad lib verbatim from the song's ride out. An adorable moment. Another bonus in Amsterdam was that we got to see THE MOST AMAZING BAND: Matthew. The venue we were in has two stages. We were on the main stage, and after our show we went upstairs to the club-within-a-club and watched these boys tear the place up. We hung out with them a little. These guys are the sweetest, and they rock so fucking hard! See them, hear them, love them. Another fond memory was getting my first Amsterdam-style ride on the back a bicycle, sitting side-saddle as a beautiful young woman pedaled us over little bridges that crossed the canals, en route to.... well, never you mind. Lovely.

Zurich was the first place we went where they don't use euros for currency. I traded some money in at our hotel, and found an interesting face on some of the bills. "Who's that?" I asked the receptionist. She shrugged, then took a closer look at the bill and read the fine print below the portrait. "Arthur Honneger." His name didn't ring any bells for her, and sounded only vaguely familiar to me. I left my key with her and went to the venue for sound-check. A new clerk was working when I came back to the hotel later, and when she handed me the key to my room there was a two-page printout. It seems that the first woman got curious enough about Mr. Honneger to look him up on the Web, and then thought I might like to see the short biography she found. (A 20th-century composer, FYI.) Nice gesture.

While in Köln, Germany, I needed some work done on my acoustic guitar and somehow found myself at Uli's Music. Uli is a really nice fellow and a solid repairman, and he loves coffee as much as I do. He served me up a nice cup of espresso each time I was there. (I went twice — once to fix the guitar, then once again to retrieve the umbrella I left behind the first time.) His wife, who also works at the shop, loves coffee too. When I asked him for directions to a book shop that would carry some books in English, her very clear directions included a stop at a particular cafe halfway between the guitar shop and the book shop, and having a cappuccino ("milchkaffee"). There was no practical reason to stop for coffee on this walking errand, but she made a point of telling me that this is exactly what I should do, just because it would be a pleasant thing to do. Now them's my kind of people. I did, indeed, stop at the place she recommended and had a delicious coffee. Found my way to the book store just fine, too, thank you very much.

If you're reading this, you may be thinking "All that's well and good, but how about the music? How about your shows? Tell us about that, why don't you." I would talk more about the shows, but I really don't know where to begin. Honestly, my own take on the shows is way too internal to share here. And as for which of our shows rock harder than others, I'd rather leave that to fans and professional critics to sort out. No, actually I'd rather just leave it to the fans. Critics often focus on everything but the music, and muck up the facts while they're at it. Especially the British press. Check out this excerpt from the Evening Standard, regarding one of our performances in London:

"Songs such as 'Come Away With Me,' with its romantically escapist theme, and Jesse Harris's hugely popular coffee house anthem 'Don't Know Why' were reassuringly seasoned despite their relatively recent origins.

Flitting between piano and Fender Rhodes, the petite Jones's fingers felt their way through her set with a delicate touch honed during her jazz education. The supporting trio featured writing partner and double bassist Lee Alexander who added a loping bottom to the melodic interplay of Jones and guitarist Adam Levy. Levy's blues phrasing, for all its ardour, was almost overshadowed by his own wonderfully inadvertent impression of a drowsy tortoise during crucial passages."

What's wrong with that picture? Okay, first of all, 'Don't Know Why' doesn't have such recent origins. Norah first recorded it two years ago, for her demo sessions for the Blue Note label, and I don't think it was a brand new tune even then, and she has performed the song literally hundreds of times. Secondly, Norah never plays Fender Rhodes electric piano. It's a Wurlitzer electric piano, as it says in big chromed letters across the front of the instrument. Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but any keyboard player will tell you that — in addition to being manufactured by two different companies — those keyboards are two very different instruments. And the tortoise thing, I won't even comment on.

I've got two new pieces of gear on this tour: a new Martin 000-18 acoustic guitar, and a set of in-ear monitors. The guitar is totally amazing, sounding rich, lush, warm, and woody — like the voluptuous younger sister of my old Martin 0-18. Here's a picture of the top:

The little weird flaws in the grain are called "bear claw" marks. They look sort of like stretch marks, if you ask me. I name my guitars, and this one is called Ursula. ("Ursa" is Latin for "bear." Get it?)

I don't have a photo of the in-ear monitors, but here's the deal: Between our recent Asian tour and this current European tour, I was home in New York for a few days and got molds taken of my ears (interesting detail — the audiologist who made my molds is a recently retired power lifter, who worlds records in her weight class); the molds were then sent to the lab in Las Vegas; the monitors were built there and then forwarded to us in Paris. The finished product is a stereo pair of form-fitting ear pieces, which connecteds to a wireless belt-pack. Our monitor engineer can send each of us the mix we want to hear, exactly as we want to hear it. This system takes a little getting used to, because it shuts you off from the natural ambiance of the room you're in. But it's very helpful for singing, as you can hear exactly what you're doi.ng Another benefit to this system is that you hear the same mix regardless of which way you turn your head or where you position yourself on stage. For spazzes like me, who can barely keep still while they're playing, this is a real bonus.

Today is a day off for us in Copenhagen. Ahh, the glamour of touring — time to find a laundromat!

Posted 15 September 2002
Road Report: As I'm typing this, I'm on a 6-hour flight from Tokyo to Singapore (on tour w/ Norah Jones). Tokyo was our last stop in Japan, and our first. Wait, let me clarify that. We arrived in Tokyo on 6 September, played there, played in several other cities in Japan — Osaka, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, and Nagoya — and then returned to Tokyo for one more concert. Okay. And this visit was more satisfying on a musical level, as last time we were just there to do promotional stuff — like going to several radio stations to give 10-minute interviews and to play our hit single, "Don't Know Why." Those sorts of things can be fun but live gigs, in big rooms full of warm bodies— that's where it's at.

It was cool to be back in Tokyo, as this was our second time this year. The first time was a bit of a culture-shock freak-out. This being our second time, and staying in the same hotel in the neighborhood we're now familiar with, everything was hunky-dory. Not that Tokyo wasn't full of surprising wonders. It's just that this time we always had the option of easing back into familiar comfort zone anytime we needed a break from the absolutely-everything-is-strange-and-new mode. One great comfort I found was a Peet's Coffee just 10 minutes from our hotel. I went out on a walk one morning, got lost, and stumbled across Peet's. If you're not from the San Francisco area this probably won't mean anything to you, but those of you in the 415 and 510 area codes know that Peet's is the best coffee, period, and it's a fairly small company. Finding the shop (one of two in Tokyo, with two more opening this year) was a sweet treat.

Now we're off to Singapore for a concert that will be broadcast on MTV Asia. As in "all of Asia." As in "this is a big deal." Interestingly, the concert itself will be quite small — only about 300 people.

Norah's record is now #6 on the Billboard pop charts. Holy cow!

One very trippy experience for me in Tokyo was that I had my ear cleaned out. For the two weeks or so preceding our trip to Tokyo, the hearing in my left ear was getting progressively worse, and it finally reached the point where I was really scared. Did I have an ear infection? (They plagued my youth, and I dreaded the thought.) I had to take some action, so I arranged an appointment to see an ear-nose-and-throat doctor in Tokyo. The doctor was a very cool, mellow guy, really into music (had just come back from a three-day folk music festival in Czechoslovakia), spoke perfect English (and, he said, his Czech was pretty good too; I'll take his word for it). Ever have your ears cleaned out? It's not pretty. The stuff that came out of my ear looked like a slice of last week's pepperoni pizza, after the dog got to it. The process was pretty simple — he put some drops in my ear to loosen up the wax, and after some time passed he used a combination of warm-water flushing, vacuum suction, and gentle scraping. The first round hardly got any gunk out at all, so the doctor put more drops in my ear and repeated the flushing/sucking/scraping process. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Happy ending, now my hearing is back to normal.

My next record is coming along nicely. I went down to Memphis, Tennessee, two weeks ago to do all the basic tracking. The album features my long-time music partner Rob Burger on keyboards, plus Memphis bad-asses Steve Potts and Dave Smith on drums and bass, respectively. It's mostly instrumental — my own modern (?) take on the Booker T sound — and there'll be a few guest vocals as well. (I don't want to give away too much, so I'll leave it at that.) Memphis is a very cool town. I didn't have much time to explore, though. I was only there long enough to record my tracks and choke down a pork sandwich or two. I'd like to go back and spend more time, play some gigs, meet more local artists and musicians, and eat some more pork sandwiches. Look for my album to drop sometime early next year.

Posted 19 August 2002
Road Report: I haven't posted any news in a while because I've been swamped. My gig with Norah Jones has kept me madly busy, and I'm working on my own new record. I know that when things are this hectic it's actually the best time to be posting news — because that's when the news is most interesting. I promise, I'll have some real news up here soon. Not now, but soon.

Posted 26 July 2002
Road Report: This isn't quite a "road report" because I'm writing it from home, in my cozy little studio apartment in Brooklyn, New York. We've been home since Tuesday, just long enough to lick our wounds, visit a few friends, and go out and hear some great f*cking music. Seen this week: Jesse Harris (singer/songwriter responsible for several songs on Norah Jones' album, including "Don't Know Why"), Dayna Kurtz (currently my absolute favorite living singer/songwriter — sorry, Jesse!), and Edison Woods (a woozy, atmospheric mini-orchestra — who also happens to have a rather smart Web site).

I don't think I mentioned this before.... there's a little blurb about me in the July 2002 issue of Downbeat. It's in a feature story on jazz guitarists and their gear. Really good article, by Dan Ouellette. In case you missed it, I'll boil my contribution down for you: I really like my ES-335.

I'm working on some new music for my next album. I'm recording it this September, in Memphis. I don't want to jinx it by saying too much, so I'll leave it at that. The CD should be finished by the end of this year and available in springtime.

Also coming soon is a CD I produced for Rob Colton, a brilliant guitarist/composer based in the Washington D.C. area. We've already done a small advance pressing. Real CDs will be available sometime soon.

Posted 22 July 2002
Road Report: Last night was our final show with the Dave Matthews Band. The band and their crew were gracious hosts to us, and we had fun on our gigs with them. Thanks, y'all.

Tonight we're in Cleveland, with Richard Julian opening. That feels a little more normal, I guess. By the by, Richard's latest CD, Good Life is really, really terrific.

Posted 21 July 2002
Road Report: Touring is not always as luxurious as you might think. Sure, there are many days when we stay in nice hotels, each of us with our own suite. But there are also plenty of days when we just get two "day rooms" for our whole band and crew — that's seven people. (The driver gets a private room, so he can take a power nap.) It works like this: We play a gig in Town A, hang out in Town A until roughly 2:00 AM, drive eight hours to Town B, check into a hotel at 10:00 AM and get our day rooms. We have those rooms only until 2:30, when it's time to check out and go to venue for load-in and sound-check. We won't be coming back to this hotel after the gig. The four-and-a-half hours we have at the hotel are usually spent showering, laundering, napping, snacking, checking e-mail, and so on.

Here's a 5-second movie featuring our production manager, Lee, talking about how he typically spends his time at the hotel:

Watch the moviette.

Here's a couple of shots from yesterday's show at Darien Lake — we were opening for the Dave Matthews Band:

When we're the opening act, the venue usually is far from full when we begin our set — an hour before the headline act is scheduled to play. The seats and lawn fill up throughout the course of our 45-minute show. This is what it looked like when we first hit the stage yesterday at Darien Lake.

Posted 20 July 2002
Road Report: After staying almost a week in Philadelphia, we've finally moved on. We're now in Rochester County, New York, to open anther show for the Dave Matthews Band — this time at Darien Lake. We've done four shows with the DMB so far, and I dare say that our last one (Tweeter Center, 18 July) was our best yet — in terms of just relaxing and having a good time and doing what we do.

The show was my first with my new-and-improved capo technique. I finally figured out how to use this tool properly. Seriously. I have a Shubb capo, and I'd been putting it on the neck from below, which for some reason made the most sense to me. But I frequently had problems with the capo not quite nailing down the high treble strings. After seeing a photo of Michael Penn (playing w/ Aimee Mann) in this month's Performing Songwriter and noting that he had his Shubb on the other way — from the top — I tried it like that. Lo and behold, it works much, much better. Thanks for the tip, Michael.

We had a night off in Philadelphia last night, and our whole band went to see Gillian Welch at the Theater of Living Arts. People, hear me talking: If Gillian Welch is playing within a five-hour drive of your home, you have to go hear her. With guitarist and harmonizer David Rawlings, she's got the best duo I've ever seen/heard. Pure, raw, dynamic, stirring. Is their music folk? Country? Bluegrass? Americana? I don't know. But it is good. So, so good. Their original songs are unique gems and they play some premium cover songs as well. Her rhythm-guitar playing is so rich and so solid. His between-the-lines fills are choice and his solos are wildly exciting. The way they harmonize together is starkly sweet. Welch had just recovered from laryngitis, she announced early in the show. But she hadn't fully recovered, apparently, because she started to lose her voice mid show. Even in this somewhat compromised state, she sang with remarkable strength and grace. GO SEE/HEAR GILLIAN WELCH!

P.S. Emer'gen-C totally rocks. Don't tour without it.

Posted 17 July 2002
Road Report: Okay, sure — so I haven't posted a road report in almost three weeks. But don't think that means I'm going to post an epic poem here now to make up for lost time. I don't think I have it in me this morning. Just a review of recent activities, with a few highlights.

As I think I mentioned earlier, we were home in New York for the last day of June and the first four days of July, and during that time I played a super-fun gig (with Jenny Scheinman, Matt Munisteri, and Rob Burger), recorded "Why Can't He Be You" with Norah & the band (for a forthcoming Patsy Cline tribute album also featuring Lee Ann Womack, k.d. lang, and other fine songstresses), saw Jesse Harris play a great show at the Living Room, saw friends, and generally loaded up on as much New York energy as I could. Then it was time to get back out on the road. First stop, Toronto, Canada; then two days in Montreal for that city's famed jazz fest, after which we returned to the States for a show at the Calvin Theater in Northampton, Massachusetts on 9 July. When we arrived at our hotel — conveniently located directly across the street from the Calvin — and saw the marquis (see below), we were giddy. Your eyes do not deceive you: the names read Norah Jones, Ray Charles, Wayne Newton, Chuck Berry. It's just stars after stars after stars....

	Calvin Theater, Northampton, Massachusetts [Photo courtesy of Noofoto.]

	Calvin Theater, Northampton, Massachusetts (a second opinion). [Photo courtesy of Noofoto.]

Right about this time, things got better and worse. On the "better" side, we've had the brilliant singer/songwriter Richard Julian opening for us on most dates since the Calvin (when we aren't the opening act for the Dave Matthews Band, that is). On the "worse" side, I had a nasty stomach ailment for the three days following our Northampton gig. We spent those three days in casinos — first at Foxwoods in Ledyard, Connecticut, then at the Trump Marina in Atlantic City, New Jersey. We were there to perform, of course, but some of us (not sick ol' me) found time to try their luck at the slot machines. Our bassist, Lee, won $1,000. I guess that's on the "better" side.

Now we're in the middle of our week-long stint with the Dave Matthews Band. What can I say?.... this is a huge opportunity for us, to be playing in front of 20,000 people a night. Dave's been introducing our opening sets personally, their band is butt rockin', and the DMB fans have been very supportive of us. And, I must say, the DMB's catering crew have been cooking up some of the best food I've ever eaten. Seriously.

We've been parked in Philadelphia since Monday and we'll be here until late Friday night. As we usually play one-nighters and keep moving, spending so many days and nights in the same hotel, in the same town, is an unfamiliar luxury. I'm getting to know the city. Lots and lots of great stuff here. Yesterday, for example, I hit three killer places all within a two-block strip of North 2nd Street: dot dash records (great used CDs & vinyl at reasonable prices, plus a rack of vintage clothes), DiPinto Guitars (choice vintage items, trashy old Kents and no-namers, plus their own weirdo guitars and basses), and Rustica (stupid-good pizza; from trad faves, like pepperoni & mushrooms, to fancier pies, with pancetta & smoked mozzarella). Today and tomorrow, more good stuff....