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Dec 31: Re-cap of 2009

On the music front:

• Converted all audio, mixing, effects -- everything -- to digital.
• The mini rig is now more mini. Everthing but speakers and cables fits in an airline overhead bin.
• Created a social media brand under "virtualeric" for future marketing of creative projects.
• Upgraded the show's controller footswitch to a state of the art unit made in Belgium.
• Booked gigs in spring & fall when home from catastrophies.
• Tried to help other solo acts stay alive after the economic crash.
• Began to add looping to the acoustic part of the show.

On the storm front:

• Revised resume, attended classes & a conference in Austin.
• Passed preliminary certification for a large carrier.
• Liscensed in 3 additional states.
• Worked big hail storm in Minneapolis.
• Certified with another carrier.
• Worked hurricane Ike in Houston.

On the creative front:

• Finished phase 1 of "the big project" on April 10
• Studied how to complete phase 2, "rewired" my brain for phase 2.
• Completed 1/2 of phase 2 buy July 24.
• Designed website for phase 2.
• Revised strategy for phase 3 and began finishing phase 2.

What's next:

• With most 2009 goals met on the "big project" I'll focus on phase 3 and unveil the project in 2010.

To be completed outside of catastrophe work:
• In 2010 I hope to save some of the money needed to break ground on the studio and market The Big Project.
• I hope to keep a solo-act co-op alive and secure a media interview for the co-op.
• As always, I will continue to book live performances when I'm not cranking on "the big project" or working at a catastrophe.

Dec 27

Big fish swallowing '09... Everytime I check my site, weeks have passed and I haven't taken the time to update. Sorry for that. Time seems to be vanishing into the mouths of the big fish I've been wrangling these past several weeks.

The Big Project... I went into November guns blazing on T.G.P. and reached a critical milestone. The work I did helped me get under the wing of a highly experienced (and award winning) professional in the industry who has accepted me as a client. Long story short, things are looking great for futher crafting of T.B.P. As soon as I finish some current juggling, I'll have a blog about TBP and will unveil what it is.

Music news... Some new gigs/rooms are on the calendar with another booking push coming in January.
In early Dec, I upgraded the midi footswitch to something much more versatile/powerful. Soon I'll be replacing all mixing, routing and signal processing gear with another "black box" like the current guitar. This will shrink the show into two black boxes and a laptop and also provide a very nice upgrade to the overall sound quality. Exciting stuff!!

Oct 20

Quick update... I've been doing the "what's next" portion of my last update. A few new rooms are booked, reworked some tunes, haven't added any new ones. The trip to see the family was wonderful. Flickr is down right now, but I'll post some photos when I get a chance.

The Big Project took over my life when I returned at the end of September from the trip. Some very good news has left me scrambling to have things ready for a great opportunity with the project. Fortunately a time-frame has been set for project submission. I've had a chance to catch up, so now I can work the phones to scare up a gig or two. The gig's I've been doing have been successful. Last week at Platte River Grill was wild times with multiple lapdances, some dude trying to be a stripper and genereal mayhem. I love it when people let their hair down and have a good time.

I'l post more info when I as it comes in. Till then, join the email list and I'll catch you at a show.

Aug 12

Disaster strikes... Old news for locals, but on July 20th, the wind roared and the hail flew on the west side of the Denver metroplex, and my neigborhood--trees included--was mowed over with the rest of them. I was pulled into the aftermath to work insurance claims and uploaded my last claim just now. I'd like to thank Jeff, my neighbor, for chain-sawing the toppled trees in my yard while I hurtled through the 16 hour days.
Click here to view storm photos.
The storm arrived just hours after turning in a Uhaul truck, the only available transportation, as I returned with my girlfriend from an unexpected adventure climbing/descending Mt. Princeton near Buena Vista. The "extended" adventure involved a broken shock at 10,000 feet on a 4WD trail , no hotel rooms in Buena Vista/Salida, great ribs, a hippie hot springs, a cabin off the grid near south park, the kindess of strangers, cute dogs, a $790 towing bill, no cars/jeeps to rent, and a U-haul box van.

Music/gig news... I want to thank Don Lewis and Steve Thomas for stepping in and entertaining at the Golden Police "National Night Out" event at Parfet Park in Golden on August 4th (an annual event I've been doign the last 5 years). I was bogged down in claims, and my friend Keith Wren is still working Carnival cruises out of New York/Canada. Thanks guys! They really liked your work!

I've been massaging some other musician relations and have a gig or two coming up in that effort. Join the email list to learn more.

What's next... If no more disasters strike, I'll be back at the helm on the big project, booking fall dates, re-working tunes, and adding some new acoustic tunes. For weekly news updates and maps/info on the latest peformances, email me, and I'll put you on the email list

July 13

Catching up... Almost three months -- *poof* -- gone. I've been performing regularly and putting all my efforts into a couple projects. Proposals for the big project were sent to an industry insider and final tweeks are under way. I also studied today's real-time social web and have built a far-reaching presence to be harnessed later this year. In late June I was called away to help with a big hail storm in Nebraska and have been catching up from that too. A bit of trivia for you: Kool Aid was invented in Hastings, NE, and before it was named Kool Aid, it was called "Fruit Smack".

Gig news... Gigs have been scaled back to just a few rooms, but all is well in the performing world. I have a firm place in the lineup at Cherry Creek Country Club and had a blast performing last weekend for a big post-tournament party there. The fall season is on the to-do list. An agent booked me at the Riviera casino for good pay through year's end and I hope to get a few more rooms up and running to finish out the year. Till then, it's all about doing current rooms, last-minute private parties, and keeping time available for the big project and seeing family at the end of the summer.

Apr 23

Gig news... Through no effort of my own (tied up on the big project) May has filled in nicely with gigs, and dates are appearing on the summer calendar. Gigs have gone VERY well lately with folks really enjoying the music and having fun. I've been on & off standby for storms in the last couple weeks which is a good thing, but a little bit of a rollercoaster.

"Big Project" news... Phase 3 of the big project is going well. I hit a critical milestone last week and will soon begin spreading word through select channels for selling the project to people in "the biz".

Next Steps... There will be fewer performances this spring/summer as I remain focused on the big project. I picked up more certifications for storm work so I may be working more which takes a lot of pressure off hammering venues for gigs. In this economy that's a good thing. Nevertheless, there will be some great gigs to come to. Email me to join the email list and I'll keep you in the loop.

Mar 2

Wow, I've been busy! Sorry about the lack of updates. After a trip to Hawaii to see family, a business trip, crazy work on the big project, and catching up for taxes, I'm finally back. Thank goodness I got sick so I could do this entry.

Gig news... I've kept a skeleton of gigs going. Rooms have booked up without me as I've continued nose to the grindstone on other things. Holiday bar is still going strong. Woodlands has been very happy with every solo act I've sent their way, and Trappers has continued booking. No word yet on Pub on Pearl, though the crowd loved the gig. Ironworks is still on the map, booking at random due to some scheduling problems. I've been working on a new room in Lakewood, and getting ready to book the rooftop taverns (5 of them). They really want Don & Keith to come back which is a typical response after they endured a lot of mediocre acts last summer. Due to the economy and talent buyer incompetance, Keith is preparing to go work on cruise ships until the summer, maybe longer. It's a good time for musicians to "knuckle down" on gigs, or seek better money out of town.

Music news... The guitar computer continues to evolve at incredible speed and sounds better than ever. All I'm doing musically is maintaining what I have for the handful of gigs I'm doing right now. Storm season is just around the corner and there will be a lot more calls for work now...bad for live gigs, but good for the future of this solo-act and the direction I want to take it.