It has been SO nice to get back into the groove of playing with Erica.  After an extended hiatus due to a particularly nasty flu bug, we hit the ground running this week with a show last night at Radio Bean, and tonight at The Purple Moon Pub.

Radio Bean is such an amazing room to play - the epitome of a chic coffee shop (and, for purposes of this blog, tea house), and an awesome spot to see live music.  After so much time away, even playing the opening chords brought a calm to my soul that I hadn't even realized had been missing.  And singing together, hitting those harmonies...  just cemented that feeling of coming home further.  Needless to say, it was good to be playing music together again.

The Purple Moon Pub and I go way back.  I can remember playing there back when Between had just come out, even with some of the players that supported me on that album.  11 years, 5 bands, and 9 albums later, I still love claiming the corner under the painted sky, and playing.  Tonight was just another amazing night.

 Thanks to Jeanne and Sarah, who listen to me almost as much as I do...  Thanks to those who braved a rainy February night to be a part of the magic..   and thanks to Erica for standing next to me and singing her heart and soul out.  I am honored to stand next to you and play this music of ours.

Phineas Gage plugs back in tomorrow at The Skinny Pancake in Burlington.

Looking forward to getting phunky again..  

I was asked recently to list the top 10 albums that have influenced me as a musician .  Great question, and it took me awhile to answer it..  but here it goes..

1.  Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge over Troubled Water
2.  Boston - Boston
3.   Metallica - Master of Puppets
4.  Toad the Wet Sprocket - Dulcinea
5.  George Winston - December
6.  The Freddy Jones Band - North Avenue Wake Up Call
7.  Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
8.  Jonatha Brooke - Plumb
9.  Yes - 90125
10.  Athenaeum - Athenaeum
11.  Anthrax -  Among The Living

These go to eleven.

Building the SoundMIND core:  Thanks to the generosity of my friend Hollace, SoundMIND Audio just got a major infusion of gear:  2 DA7 boards.  These are older models, but still offer a huge step in the right direction for the studio.  We haven't hooked them up yet, and these pictures were taken just after moving them into the space..  but the excitement is palpable, and the music will start flowing shortly...

In addition, been jamming with Hollace and Tony recently - creating some awesome stuff.  Below are some pics from last nights jam..

My fourth studio album "Scraps" was released digitally this week, and went live on iTunes a few days ago.  So far the response is very positive, and I can't thank you all enough for listening and downloading!

Scraps is a collection of unreleased songs, instrumentals, and demos taken from my studio, spanning the last 7 years.  These are a bunch of songs I love, but that have never had a home on an album.  It is a showcase of my songwriting and performing, and the styles range from acoustic to trance.

Jayson Fulton's album "Startled Arms" has finally been released as well, with his record release party slated for March 1 @ The Purple Moon Pub.  I have been working with Jayson producing this album for almost 4 years, and we are both so proud and excited to finally have it completed!

Next up in the studio:  The Phineas Gage Project - It's Own Whirlwind.

Finally have my gear up and running in my new recording space at SoundMIND..  it's so great to finally have a space to be able to work and create in again.

Enough space for bands now, and a great acoustic jamming spot.  Really looking forward to spending some musically inspired evenings here..  

Thanks to Rob and Peter at HigherMind Media for including me in your awesome spot!

Had the pleasure of hanging out and tracking some music at Bullfrog Audio with Jared Johnson and Colleen Mari last night.

Got some really solid sounding stuff laid down, and even managed to capture a quick idea for a new song at the end of the night..  

What an amazing place  too..  kudos to Jeremiah for putting together a beautiful and comfortable studio..

Sat in with Nate tonight, opening for Soulstice at Hostel Tevere.    I always have a lot of fun jamming with Nate..  we catch some pretty fierce grooves sometimes, and it was a lot of fun to play tonight.

Thanks to Pat Quimby and the rest of Soulstice for having us, and sitting in on the last song to jam with us..  I hope somebody caught some video of that, it was pretty sweet...

First off, I would like to give a shout out and thank you to all who voted for Last October over the last 2 weeks to help us try to get into South by Southwest music conference.  Thanks to your votes, we held steady to the #7 slot, and we cannot thank you enough.  The results are being calculated now..  we'll let you know as soon as we hear something.

Good times tonight at Slidebrook with Chicky and crew.  Tim Holter on keys, and Emily showed up on bass for the last two sets.

Rock and roll from the corner, ala Chicky.  Nothing like it, and no two shows are the same.  Caught a few tasty jams though, not too bad for never playing together.

Thanks all for playing, and for the small but fun audience that was jamming along with us.

Tomorrow night:  Phineas Gage @ Two Brothers Tavern in Middlebury.

Life is good.

The first Last October show of 2012 was at The Bees Knees, one of our favorite listening rooms.  It was a small crowd, but very attentive and appreciative.  Plus, their food rocks..  their Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food.  And a great pre set belly bomb..  Nice.

Playing the music felt great.  I always love being in that moment of music with Erica..  there is just something electric about it.  Ironic, considering it's actually acoustic.  The sets fly, and we're done before I even realize it...

Thanks to all at Bees Knees, the awesome staff who always treats us well.  We look forward to returning again!



Tomorrow night:  White Zin @ Sildebrook Tavern in Warren.