September 2009 E-News

1. Quote of the Month
"Live with reverence for yourself and others." Yogi Tea label

2. Blog
This September we'll be saying goodbye to summer and hello to autumn, or will it be the other way around? It will also be filled with lots of good live music so please check out all the details here or on our website Tours Dates page. August was very laid back for Neal and me. We did however perform a few special shows including Chad and Hillary's glorious wedding in Rhode Island. We debuted "Fools Like Us" from our Days of Horses CD as their processional song so expect to hear us finally start performing it live.
We're definitely attending the Far West Folk Alliance conference in Irvine, CA from November 6-8 this year and hope to surround it with a few other dates. If anyone is interested in us playing a private party or special event while we're coming or going please contact our agent Bobbi Dickerman at bobbi@monarchmusicagency.com. We're looking forward to playing the west on a more regularly basis now, especially if all goes well at the conference. Our latest release, The Persecution & Restoration of Aztec Two-Step, continues to sell well so thanks to all you who purchased it. We hope everyone on our mailing list (and around the world) will support this 2-disc, 44-song CD and our other recording projects found in our Aztec Two-Step store.

Fare thee well Ted Kennedy, Jim Smith, Willie DeVille, Les Paul and “Smooth Smitty from the City,” Brian Smith.

August 2009 E-News

1. Quote of the Month
"Your head must bow to your heart." Yogi Tea label

2. Blog
August is here and summer is just around the corner. What a wacky summer - wonderful, but wacky!
July was filled with magical music moments and enough memories to fill a lifetime. Spending quality time with our hosts Rusty and Betsy for their 25th wedding anniversary celebration in Lake Placid (not to mention a visit to Donnelly's Ice Cream parlor in Saranac Lake where they only serve one flavor per day and it's always mixed with vanilla in the creamiest soft serve twirl on earth), then singing at the band shell beside Mirror Lake a few days later. Motoring down to Martha's Vineyard to play in the amazing Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs benefitting the Chikumbuso AIDS Community in Zambia, Africa was also very special. Our good friend Sabrina works tirelessly on their behalf. Playing the Mitchell Horse Farm Festival with Jon Pousette-Dart and his amazing band mates, the father and son boys of Beaucoup Blue (who are joining us on our Halloween gig at The Turning Point) and The THE BAND Band who do a remarkable job replicating the music of The Band was a definite highlight. Playing our S&G show with Freddy on bass for the first time and Pete Fornatale narrating at Infinity Music Hall will never be forgotten. The power went out from a horrific thunderstorm towards the end of Bridge Over Troubled Water when 300 plus voices suddenly rose up, "Like a bridge over troubled waters, I will ease your mind...," finishing the song with us a capella. Pure magic! We had a great picnic with many friends and lots o music, our brand new 2-disc compilation, The Persecution & Restoration of Aztec Two-Step is selling surprisingly well and my New York Mets are surging. Life is good!

July 2009 E-News

1. Quote of the Month

"The only tool you need is kindness." Yogi Tea label

2. Blog

We welcome in July and begin to say goodbye to fireflies. Those precious little angels that wing across our evening summer skies. Since moving to Piermont, NY last month we've been treated to some magnificent fireworks by these splendid little creatures. We're also visited by a small herd of deer that casually graze across our property during the day and frequently bed down in our side yard, especially during evening rains. The huge oaks that line our driveway have kept them fairly well sheltered from the relentless storms. It seems our northeast weather patterns have become reminiscent of the great northwest this past month. Let us begin to petition Sun Ra. Did I mention our wild turkeys too?

The month of June brought many wonderful shows including a marvelous surprise 50^th birthday bash for our pal Budd Mishkin of NY One. July bodes well as well. You must see Infinity Music Hall in Norfolk, CT, even if it's not to see us perform our S&G Songbook show with Pete Fornatale on July 24. If you love the music of The Band (and who doesn't) we hope you'll come see us play with The ‘THE BAND' Band, an amazing 5-piece group that devotedly tributes the music of this iconic American roots band. The remarkable Jon Pousette-Dart Band and Beaucoup Blue, the equally remarkable father and son duo from Philadelphia will also join us on July 18 at Mitchell Farm in Salem, CT. This annual event that ATS helped launch in 2007 has now blossomed into a full blown festival to support their home for retired horses. This is one great cause. TTBB will also be performing other NE dates this summer so please check their website for more details. www.theTheBandband.com.

Last but not least, Renassiance Records in conjunction with It's About Music has just released a 44-song compilation of our past recordings in a tidy two-disc set. The cover art, conceived and designed by Dean Sciarra of IAM, is almost as surreal as it's title, The Persecution & Restoration of Aztec Two-Step. We hope you'll support this endeavor. I've been nudging Neal about making a new studio album this year. I want to record it live with our dear Freddy Holman on bass. Live is where our magic lies. Our shows have been stupendous with Fred back on board these past several weeks. The healing has begun.