We are making good progress on the new CD. We have been able to record several new tracks in the last few days without many interruptions. Floyd (the neighbors dog) had a barking fit tonight (right outside the studio window), but other than that it's been smooth sailing. Buddy (our dog) went out and had a talk with him at the fence. They seemed to have gotten it worked out as we didn't hear from Floyd for the rest of the night...

We've laid down about 6 tracks so far and hope to have the guitar and cello parts down before the end of next week. We'll see..



Buddy - our trusted studio companion

We had a really fun time at Arts Place in Indiana. The crowd was fantastic and very responsive. We'll look forward to the chance to get back there. Also, I tried wearing a hat for the first time on stage. I stopped by Wal-Mart on the way to the gig to try and find some cuff links. No links, but I found a rad hat for $3.88. It was a white derby hat with blue stripes. That night, we video taped the concert and from faraway (on the video) the hat looks like a white blob on my head. It could also perhaps be mistaken for a bicycle helmet. Heh, heh maybe I'll try that next...

Well we start recording tomorrow for our new CD. We'll be using a new recording set-up too. Here's the breakdown for my fellow gear nerds: We'll be running through a new Motu Ultralite unit into Jenn's laptop (ibook g4). We're using an Earthworks preamp and Nuemann TLM 103 mics. (I'll probably use a Schoepps small diaphram on the cello too). We haven't used the ibook yet for recording, but I have done some tests projects with it and it seems to be up to the task.

-Jon

We arrived last night in Portland, IN. We awoke to a covering of light snow, as promised by our friends at the weather channel. We are looking forward to the show and hoping for a good turnout. The promoters did a great job and we were able to do interviews with local radio, TV and newspapers in Ft. Wayne.

Today we'll also get a chance to rehearse with our friend Thaddeuss Rex. Thaddeus is a childrens performer and has a great show for kids. He's playing in Suwanee, GA later in the spring and we're looking forward to sitting and adding some backup on several of his tunes.

Thaddeuss Rex website.

Here are some good quotes ... things to think about:

"It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument." --William G. McAdoo, American government official (1863-1941)

"All great truths begin as blasphemies." --George Bernard Shaw

"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent." --Salvor Hardin

"Luck is when opportunity meets preparation." --Eric Beheim

"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away." --Tom Waits

"I don't know the secret of success, but the secret of failure is to try to please everybody." --Bill Cosby

"You can accomplish nearly anything--often it just takes one phone call to the right person."

"Just because you believe something doesn't make it true."

We will be releasing our next CD on Friday, May 12th, 2006 @ 8:00 PM @ The Red Light Cafe in ATL (it is on Amsterdam Ave. just off Monroe Dr.)

The concert will be a double bill with the Jeni Fleming Acoustic trio from Montana. Jeni's voice is in the Nora Jones vein and Chad and Jake are both fantastic musicians as well. You do not want to miss this concert!! CLICK HERE for their website

We will be playing with our band (percussion and bass). Darren Michaels will be playing bass w/ us and we're working with several percussionists right now.

Jeni Fleming Trio and Montana Skies.

Jeni and Jenn

This weekend we're indulging in a mini movie marathon. We recently upgraded our netflix rental from two movies at a time to three. Last night we watched "The Recruit" and "Big Fish".

"Big Fish" was fantastic and is highly recommended. It is a real heart warmer..just what we needed

Here are some other recent movies we thought were good:

House of Sand and Fog
Big Fish
The Constant Gardener
The Corporation (Documentary)

We also just returned from the Red Light cafe where we saw Jeff Talmadge's CD release. Jeff is a great guy and great songwriter, he moved to ATL from Austin a couple of years back. Check out his stuff;

CLICK HERE for Jeff's website

Well, we just returned from a gig in Overland Park, KS (back to ATL). We drove straight through on the way home..and I think that is about as far as a human can possibly drive in one day. :-) It was about 15 hrs.. ( with a few stops for food and breaks..) A bonus of this gig was visiting with one of my first cousins, Susan, who I hadn't seen in almost 20 years.

-Jonathan