Wait...did that make any sense?

Twitter Is Killing My Blog...

2011-06-09T15:13:00.004-05:00

Greetings friends,

I realize it has been some time since our last conversation on the ol' blog. It seems to me that with the emergence of Twitter in my life the frequency with which I post blog updates has drastically gone down. Rather than several paragraphs every couple of weeks, we are now communicating multiple times daily with 140 characters or less. I have mixed feelings about this development. It is true that we are now privy to the most up-to-date information almost instantaneously (or at least as fast as we can whip out our smart phones, and type out our most recent epiphany), but with these short and constant blurbs we lose something in form. We no longer get complete thoughts, but rather a slew of unfinished snippets.

Perhaps this is not a big deal. Maybe it isn't something that should worry us. But it is something that I've been thinking about. It is just interesting to watch how our communication patterns shift with each new developing generation. I wonder what will come next...

At any rate, I will try my best to balance the two forms from here on out.

JD

Celtic Connection...

2011-03-10T09:32:00.004-06:00

Greetings friends,

As most of you know, I spent the end of February in Ireland. I was fortunate enough to win a songwriting competition, which gave me the opportunity to travel to Belfast, Northern Ireland to perform in the 7th Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival. I knew this festival would be a lot of fun, and that traveling to Ireland would of course be a great experience, but I had no idea just how amazing the week would turn out to be.

Throughout the week I was introduced to the music of some fantastic Irish artists such as Foy Vance and Gareth Dunlop. I had the opportunity to swap songs and have late-night jams with some incredible songwriters, and I had an amazing response to my music all week long. Most of all, I made some great friendships at the festival.

I feel a very strong connection to Ireland. I don't know if it is because my red beard and I have Irish relatives somewhere way down the line, or if it is simply that one can't help but feel a connection to such beautiful, ancient countryside and such soulful people. Either way, I fell madly in love with Ireland, and I can't wait to return.

Here is a YouTube video of me playing "Seasons Change" that was shot during the final show of the 7th Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival.

CLICK HERE

Peace,
JD

Jarrod Wins Songwriting Competition, You Get FREE Song!!!

2011-02-08T10:42:00.004-06:00

Greetings friends,

I am absolutely beside myself to share a bit of news with you...

My song "Walking In Central Park" has just won the Belfast-Nashville Songwriting Competition!

This means that I will be traveling to Belfast, Northern Ireland to perform in the 7th Annual Belfast-Nashville Songwriters Festival, February 23-27!

For the last 7 years, the sister-cities of Belfast, Northern Ireland and Nashville, Tennessee have brought together some of the very top songwriters from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada to showcase their talents in the Belfast-Nashville Songwriters Festival. Some of the previous performers include Nanci Griffith, Raul Malo, Gary Nicholson, Foy Vance, Catie Curtis, Josh Rouse and more. I am overwhelmed and honored to be included in such a fine festival, and I am thrilled with the opportunity to meet and learn from some of the top songwriters in the world.

To learn more about the 7th Belfast-Nashville Songwriters Festival, click HERE.

To help celebrate, I am offering you a FREE download of the winning song HERE!

This is a song that I wrote about my favorite city on earth, New York City. I wanted to capture the feeling of walking through Central Park and down the darkened city streets in the wee small hours. Manhattan is such a magical and mysterious place, and my hope was to put to music the feeling I get when I am there.

I had the privilege of recording this song here in Nashville with some of the top session players around. Bryan Owings on drums (plays with Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, Justin Townes Earle, Shelby Lynne, Ray LaMontagne, and more), Paul Ossola on upright bass (played in the Saturday Night Live band in NYC for many years, toured with Levon Helm), Jamison Sevits on trumpet (Raul Malo and more), and myself on acoustic guitar and vocals all got into Signal Path Studios together, and cut this song completely live. The song was engineered by Mark Howard, owner of Signal Path Studios, and was mixed by my very good friend, Chris Jacobie.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

See you in Ireland!
JD

Central Park...buried in snow...

2011-02-01T20:05:00.009-06:00

Greetings friends,

During my most recent trip to New York to play music, I took a little time to stroll through Central Park with my camera in order to capture a few images of the city after a record setting month of snowfall. Enjoy.

JD

Winter on the West Coast...

2011-01-22T09:05:00.003-06:00

Greetings friends,

As I write to you from the warmth of my cozy chair I can clearly see snow covering the ground outside my window here in Nashville, TN. However, less than one week ago I was enduring the harsh climate of the California coastline. That's right, folks. I was suffering daily through temperatures in the mid 70's. Scary, I know, but true.

As most of you know, I embarked upon another tour of the West Coast last week, which began in sunny Los Angeles, and continued up the coast as far as San Francisco. To say that I merely enjoyed myself would be like saying Cookie Crisp cereal is just 'okay' (come on, it's chocolate chip cookies that you put in milk, and eat with a spoon...what more could you possibly want???). No, I had more than just a bit of fun on this tour. In San Luis Obispo I shared the stage with the wonderful Ida Gard from Denmark, and the soulful John Schmitt from New York at The Steynberg Gallery. In Ventura I had a blast swapping songs with Parker Ainsworth, Emily Elbert, and Joel Eckels at Zoey's. In San Francisco I bore my soul in the same room that Billie Holiday, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Tina Turner, and so many more bore theirs before me. And, the tour was capped off by another triumphant show at the magnificent Roost House in Carmel, CA. Not only did Monterey Peninsula native, Rick Chelew sit in with me once more on upright bass, but we were also blessed by the sweet Echoplex tones of Mark Roth on electric guitar. Yes, this tour was indeed a good one.

I feel I would be passing over it too quickly if I did not say a few more words about the show at Roost House, but to put it into perspective I must first tell you about the venue itself. Roost House is a house concert in Carmel, CA run by the mother and son team of Audrey Morris and Adam Zerbe, but it is not your typical house concert. The Roost is set in a beautiful room with a 20-foot open truss ceiling, a permanent stage, great sound system, and professional lighting. The natural acoustics of this room are pristine, and the overall atmosphere is ideal for sharing music. Audrey and Adam open up their home a few times each month to host wonderful concerts which are attended by some of the most music-loving fans you could ever hope to find. People come to this room to truly listen to the music being played, which is often times difficult to find.

This was my second trip to The Roost House. The first visit resulted in the spur-of-the-moment live recording which became my latest release, "Live at Roost House". Upon taking the stage this go around, I was greeted by a crowd of 60+ people who were eager and willing to listen to me tell my stories. Then to make things even sweeter, I had the aforementioned Rick Chelew and Mark Roth joining me on stage, and lending their talents. I am still overwhelmed by the kind folks who came out to see me play. I can't thank everyone enough for such a wonderful evening of music. You have set the bar very high for 2011! I can't wait to see you all again. Thank you.

Here are a few videos from that night. Enjoy!

See you on the road!
JD

Hello 2011...Let's be friends!

2011-01-03T12:21:00.001-06:00

Greetings friends,

Another year has come and gone, and a new one is now upon us. A fresh start. A clean slate. A new beginning. A blank page. A...well, you get the picture. What I mean to say is that 2011 has arrived, and with it comes the usual plethora of promises. "This year, I promise to do such and such", or perhaps "This year, I promise NOT to do such and such ever again!". There are, of course, the typical resolutions. Stop smoking. Start managing your time better. Stop eating fast food. Start exercising. Stop drinking...as much. Start getting your life on track. The new year brings about more starting and stopping than rush hour traffic in L.A. Of course these resolutions will only last a week, or two weeks, or a month tops before we all slip back into our chain smoking, time wasting, McDonald's eating, couch sitting, excessive drinking, nowhere going lives...Or will we? Perhaps this is our year. Maybe 2011 will be looked back upon in our old age as "the year that changed everything". Maybe, just maybe. Either way, allow me to be the ten-millionth person to say this to you, from the bottom of my heart, and with all the sincerity I can muster up, Happy New Year!

My resolution is simple. I resolve to do whatever I possibly can in 2011 to make you, my wonderful, and incredibly supportive fans happier. This means more music, more shows, more videos, more FREE goodies, and anything else I can conjure up. (I'm also open to any suggestions!) Now in return, all I ask is that YOU...come to every show, pick up my CD's, join my Facebook group, follow me on Twitter, and tell EVERYONE you meet from now until the end of time to do the same...now then, that's not asking so much, is it?

I'm also going to try something completely new this year. I am going to let you, the fans, request shows in your town. If you want me to come play an intimate show in your living room or backyard for you and all of your friends, then shoot me an e-mail, and we'll work out the details!

See you on the road,
JD

From My Home To Yours...

2010-12-25T09:36:00.002-06:00

Greetings friends,

I just wanted to say a quick "Merry Christmas" to all of you wonderful folks. I hope you eat too much, laugh too hard, and watch "It's A Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Story" for the ten-millionth time this weekend. I can't wait to see you all in 2011.

JD

Snow, "Apple-Boy", and a FREE Christmas Download!

2010-12-16T11:36:00.002-06:00

Season's Greetings Friends,

I hope you are all enjoying this bit of winter leading up to Christmas as much as I am here in Nashville. I purchased my very first real Christmas tree this week, which stands about three and a half feet tall, and looks very much like the pathetic little bare tree in A Charlie Brown Christmas. I call it "The Little Christmas Tree That Could". I also went sledding for the first time with one of my housemates after a Nashville snow storm a few days ago. That's right, two grown men going snow sledding down their icy street like little kids. You got a problem with that?

This time of year always makes me a little more aware of the things I am thankful for. For instance, I am thankful for "Apple-Boy" who sat next to me on my recent flight back from London. When I first sat down next to him while we were waiting to leave the runway, he was playing around on his new iPhone 4, and listening to his iPod Shuffle. After we had taken off, and the captain gave us the go ahead to use our FAA Approved Electronic Devices, he pulls out his fancy new iPad. By this point I'm already having less-than-kind thoughts about this 19-22 year old frat-boy sitting next to me, but he didn't stop there. He then proceeds to put away his iPad, takes out his shiny new MacBook Pro, and scrolls through a few albums of pictures featuring himself and his fellow frat-boy friends playing "beer pong", and other such frat-boyish games. Did he stop there, you ask? Hardly. He takes out yet another iPod, this one being of the full-sized iPod Touch variety, and proceeds to listen to what is almost certainly his favorite Nickelback or Creed album. It was as if Apple got on my plane, threw up on the seat next to me, and out popped this kid. Priceless.

I am also thankful for you (and not in the same sarcastic manner with which I am thankful for "Apple-Boy"). This year has been full of new and exciting experiences for me, and these experiences would not have been possible without you; the incredible people who have come to my shows, bought my CD's, given me a couch to sleep on, or a meal to eat. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank you. I quite literally would not be able to do what I am doing without you, and I LOVE what I do. This life on the road can certainly be a struggle at times, but it is a beautiful struggle. There is not an experience I would trade, and not another job in the world I would rather have. So again, thank you.

In the spirit of giving, and as a very small way of saying thanks, here is a free Christmas download for all of you. Enjoy, and pass it on!

FREE CHRISTMAS DOWNLOAD HERE!!!

Have a safe and happy holiday season. I can't wait to see you all in 2011!

Merry Christmas,
JD

My First "Real" Christmas Tree...(the non-plasic kind)

2010-12-12T16:16:00.002-06:00

Greetings friends,

Today I and every other Nashville resident woke up to temperatures in the mid-twenties, and snow falling from the sky (it is still falling as I write this at 4:15pm, and everything is now painted white). I decided to get myself in the Christmas spirit by walking through a Christmas Tree Farm in Green Hills, with no real intention of buying a tree. However, the falling snow and the smell of pine needles in the chilly winter air made me change my mind. I drove home with this beauty of a tree that you will see in the videos below. This tree is the first real tree I have had at Christmas time. My family always opted for the fake-plastic variety. So this is a very special Christmas moment that I'm sure I will remember for the rest...well, of the year, anyway...

Merry Christmas!
JD

YouTube Video from NYC show!

2010-12-11T15:49:00.003-06:00

Greetings friends,

As most of you know, I was in the unparalleled city known as New York, New York last week to play a little music. The event took place at one of my favorite music venues in the country, Rockwood Music Hall, in Manhattan's Lower East Side. What you may not know is that one of my favorite musicians sat in with me that night. Ephraim Owens, a Miles-esque trumpet player from Austin, TX, happened to be in Manhattan on tour with Sheryl Crow. So Ephraim graciously came out to the show, and brought his horn along!

Check out the video below with Ephraim Owens playing my song "Walking in Central Park" with me at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC!

Enjoy!
JD

Back in the saddle...so to speak...

2010-11-28T12:28:00.002-06:00

Greetings friends,

I hope your Thanksgiving celebrations were filled with family, friends, and calories.

I write to you while sitting in my favorite chair at my home in Nashville. After nearly a month-long, self-prescribed break, it feels great to be back "home". It feels even better to know that I am getting back to work.

As many of you know, at the beginning of November I took a trip, my first ever, to Europe with my older brother. We flew into Berlin, stayed there a couple of days, then moved onto Amsterdam. After a day or so there, we headed to London, then to Dublin for a few days before coming back to London for the remainder of the trip. I won't go into too much detail about our travels, but I will say that it was a great experience getting to see the different countries; the countries where our families are from. That is not to say that we didn't run into a few snags here and there, but overall the trip was a blast. I cannot wait to return to both England and Ireland (hopefully to play a little music)!

Upon arriving back in Texas, I was excited to play a couple of shows since I had gone two weeks without picking up an instrument, or singing a note. I played the show at Momo's in Austin, but when I woke up the next morning my voice was completely gone. I spent the next day and a half trying every singer-trick in the book, but it turned out to all be in vain, as my voice just would not recover in time. It pained me to do it, but I was forced to cancel the show in Waco due to my inability to speak (much less sing). I am still very disappointed in having to miss the show. I was very much looking forward to playing for my hometown friends and family, but that is part of this business, I suppose.

Voice, or no voice, I did get to spend a lot of time with my family, particularly my 89 year old grandfather. He, my father, and I all went fishing one afternoon at the place that my grandfather took my brother and me as kids. Between the three of us, we caught 12 black bass, cleaned them, and had a good ole fashioned Texas fish-fry the next night for the whole family. To this day, I don't think there is a meal in the world I love more than black bass cooked by my grandparents! Being on the road most of this year meant being away from my family for most of the year as well. So it was wonderful getting to spend so much time with them.

After Thanksgiving, and yet another Texas Longhorn loss (I'm not even going to begin writing on that topic, as my frustration will surely take up many more pages.), I made my way back to Nashville. I'm very ready to get back to work. I enjoyed my time off, but I also hated being away from music for so long. What can I say? I'm a workaholic!

I leave this coming Tuesday to fly up to New York, where I will play a couple of shows. After that I will have a few random shows in Nashville throughout December, and will hit the road hard again in January. So stay tuned...we're back in business!

Peace,
JD

Rest for the 'road' weary...

2010-10-31T18:35:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends,

I am excited to tell you that...I'm taking a break! Over the last 6 months I have played over 85 shows in 23 states, and driven over 24,000 miles (all alone, of course). I have seen the country, played in some fantastic venues, and met some amazing people. In short...I am tired!

So, for most of the month of November I am taking it easy. I am spending time with my family and friends in Texas, who I have not seen much of this year, as well as taking a long awaited trip to Europe with my older brother. I am looking forward to taking this time to recharge the batteries, so to speak, and get myself ready to hit the road hard again in the coming months.

Now, I will not be completely stagnant this month. I am doing two shows in Texas in mid November. I will be playing a show at Momo's in Austin, TX on Thursday, November 18, and a show at Common Grounds in Waco, TX on Saturday, November 20. If you are in either of those cities, come on out. I would love to see your beautiful faces, and talk about life.

See you soon, my friends.

JD

The Case of the Missing Mirrors.

2010-10-13T08:49:00.003-05:00

October 12, 2010, 8:27am Eastern Standard Time. It was a Tuesday. The day began like any other. I awoke at my friend's apartment in Brooklyn, NY. I showered, sent various e-mails, and prepared to take on the day.

My agenda on this particular day consisted of merely driving from New York to Boston in time to play a show in Cambridge that night at 9:30pm. Being in no rush to get on the road, I decided to spend the morning in Manhattan. I loaded my things into my car, and drove to the public parking area beneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. From there, I made the ten minute walk to the nearest subway station at Graham Ave, where I caught the Manhattan-bound L train.

I rode the L to the 6th Ave stop, transferred to the 1 train, and got off at Broadway and 72nd Street in the Upper West Side. My plan was simple. Grab a bagel at 72nd Street Bagels, and eat my breakfast in Central Park while enjoying the beautiful fall weather that has fallen on New York City. This plan was carried out flawlessly, and I watched as the morning slowly drifted away on a park bench near Sheep Meadow.

Feeling refreshed, I hopped back on the L, and headed back toward Brooklyn. Strolling swiftly yet carelessly toward my car, which sat parked beneath the BQE, I couldn't imagine the day being spoiled by anything. I would soon be proven wrong.

Upon arriving at my car's resting place I was pleased to see that no windows had been broken, and all of my belongings were still safely inside. I then got in my car, and began to back out of the parking space. I glanced into my side-view mirror, and was shocked to see no reflection. I stopped the car, rubbed my eyes, and again looked into my side-view mirror. What I saw looking back at me was an empty shell with wires dangling helplessly from the side. Aghast, I frantically fixed my gaze on the passenger side mirror, only to find the same empty shell, and sad drooping wires. It was at that moment that I became fully aware that I had fallen victim to the "Side-View Mirror Smuggler".

The rest of the afternoon was spent filing police reports, dealing with insurance claims, and making a 4 hour drive down crowded highways and through busy city streets without the aid of my side-view mirrors.

So I say this to you, Side-View Mirror Smuggler. I wish you no great harm. However, should you suddenly lose your balance while clutching the pair of mirrors you so expertly removed from my defenseless vehicle, and fall in front of an oncoming L train on your way to sell the aforementioned mirrors, well now I think you've earned that. Don't you?

JD

MidPoint Music Fest--Day 1 recap

2010-09-24T14:28:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends,

Yesterday was the first day of the MidPoint Music Festival here in Cincinnati, OH. After checking in, and getting my artist badge, I began tooling around the city; checking out several of the venues that are hosting music this weekend during the festival.

I decided to post up for the night at The Blue Wisp Jazz Club, and could not be happier with my decision. There were three excellent artists playing last night at The Blue Wisp. Gaby Moreno (L.A. by way of Guatemala) kicked things off, followed by Clare and the Reasons (Brooklyn), and the night was closed out by the legendary Van Dyke Parks (L.A)! All three were exceptional, and put on killer shows.

I will be participating in an "In-The-Round" tonight at Neon's Unplugged. I can't wait to start playing music here at MidPoint. It is always so inspiring and energizing to be around such great talent.

That's all I have to report so far. We'll chat later.

Peace,
JD

Cincy Bound!

2010-09-23T08:41:00.004-05:00

Greetings friends,

I am on my way to Cincinnati for this year's MidPoint Music Festival. I am honored to be a part of such a great festival, and cannot wait to play and listen and meet and greet! I'll try to keep you up to date as the next few days unfold. So stay tuned!

www.mpmf.com

And don't forget to check out my new album "Live at Roost House". You can get a free download of the song "Back To Eden" with the link below!

www.jarroddickenson.com/freedownload

Peace,
JD

Brand New Album "Live at Roost House" is Here!!!

2010-09-20T10:52:00.003-05:00

Greetings friends,

I am extremely excited to announce that my brand new live album "Live at Roost House" is now available!

This album was recorded on April 22, 2010 at The Roost House in Carmel, CA while I was on my West Coast Spring Tour. Joining me on stage that night was double-bass player, Rick Chelew, who had never played my music before that show. At the last minute we decided to record the show, and what we captured was a very special evening of music being played by two complete strangers in an incredible venue on the California coast. "Live at Roost House" features 12 songs, 10 of which are previously unreleased tracks.

In celebration of this new release, I am giving away a FREE DOWNLOAD of the song "Back To Eden" from the new live record. "Back To Eden" was actually written while on the road merely a few days before the show at 'Roost House', and captured on this recording is one of the very first times that song was ever played.

Click Here to get your FREE DOWNLOAD: www.jarroddickenson.com/freedownload

"Live at Roost House" is available for purchase at www.jarroddickenson.com, and is available to be downloaded on iTunes.

I am so thrilled to share this special recording with all of you. So help me spread the word by telling all of your friends on Facebook and Twitter to head over to my website to pick up their copy, or to download the album on iTunes. Let's make this the most talked about album this fall!

Peace,
JD

Can You Feel It In The Air?

2010-09-07T00:28:00.004-05:00

Greetings friends,

It is almost that time of the year again. The temperatures here in Nashville these last few evenings have been in the low 70's, and you can almost smell autumn in the air. Before we know it winter will have crept up on us, and I will be in absolute heaven.

I've spoken about it many times here before, but there is just something about winter, about the cold that makes me feel most alive. I don't quite know how to put it into words. With the cold also comes a wave of emotions and memories for me; some good, and some painful, but all very deep and real and meaningful. I look forward to winter. I look forward to walking outside, and seeing my breath; to feeling that little twinge of pain in my lungs when I take that first gasp of air, and to having my ears and nose go numb. I love it, and I long for it. It reminds me that I am here; that I am living.

Oh, how I look forward to winter's arrival. Please come soon...

Peace,
JD

Live on FOX 17 "Tennessee Mornings"!

2010-08-31T15:20:00.003-05:00

Greetings friends,

If you did not catch my performance and interview on FOX 17 "Tennessee Mornings" on Thursday, August 26, check out this YouTube video to see what you missed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00-LTRwOrU4

Peace,
JD

Lone Star State (of mind)...

2010-08-23T15:36:00.003-05:00

Greetings friends,

I am now back at my home in Nashville, TN after a week of visiting family and friends in my home state of Texas. The trip was a blast, and I hated to see it come to an end, but this travelin' man can't stay anywhere for long.

I played 4 shows while I was in Texas. I played at Momo's in Austin on Wednesday the 18th, and could not have had any more fun that night. Chris, Fred, and Colin all decided to come sit in with me; so we had the full band playing for the first time since my birthday show on March 26th! So many of my friends came out to the show that night to visit and show their support, which did my heart a world of good. Thank you all.

Thursday and Friday nights were spent playing at Kirby's in Houston and San Antonio. Saturday evening I played a private event in Waco for a group of my parents' friends from church, and had a lovely time doing it.

I also got to spend some nice time with my folks, my grandparents, and my brother while I was in town, which is always nice. One downside to being on the road as much as I am is that you don't get to see your family as much as you would like. So any visit is wonderful.

As I said before, I am now back in Nashville, and am preparing for more shows all over the map. I can't wait to see YOU soon!

Peace,
JD

Texas-bound!

2010-08-16T17:06:00.003-05:00

Greetings friends,

In typical fashion, since we last spoke I have continued to play "connect-the-dots" throughout this beautiful country of ours. I was in the Southeast early this month; playing shows in Birmingham, Atlanta, Columbia, and Charlotte. Last week I played shows in Lexington and Nashville. In the last 5 1/2 months I have driven over 15,000 miles through 27 states. I have decided that my true profession is driving for a living...it just so happens that I play music when I stop...

Tomorrow morning I will be flying back to Texas. I will be in the Lone Star State through Sunday, and will play 4 shows while I am there, in Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and Waco. This will be my first trip back to Texas since my best friend was married in mid June, and these will be the first shows I will have played in Texas since I moved to Nashville at the end of May.

I can't wait to get back, and see all of my friends and family. The shows will be a blast, and I have decided that my diet for those 5 1/2 days will consist of Tex-Mex and BBQ, and nothing more (the food here in Nashville just doesn't compare).

However, my main reason for coming back is that my grandfather is turning 89 years old tomorrow. This is a huge blessing for our family, and one that we were not entirely sure we would get to see. So getting to visit with him and my grandmother is something that I can't begin to express how excited I am to do.

So Texas...here I come!

JD

Follow me on Twitter!

2010-08-04T17:26:00.004-05:00

Greetings friends,

I am now officially on Twitter! So now you and all your friends can follow my madness here.

Let's start a-Tweetin'!

JD

Midwest/Northeast Summer Tour Update: #6

2010-07-24T01:46:00.005-05:00

Greetings friends,

As I write to you this evening (or rather this morning) my heart is simply beaming. Why such glee you ask? The answer is quite simple. I am, and have been for several days, in New York City.

Tonight I played my third show in as many days in Manhattan at Caffe Vivaldi, located in the Village. But before we get to that, let me back up...

On Wednesday night I played for the first time at Rockwood Music Hall. This is a venue in the Lower East Side of Manhattan that I have been wanting to play for some time, and it was every bit as enjoyable as I'd hoped. Rockwood is a very small room with excellent sound that provides an extremely intimate space for people to listen to, or in my case, play music. The show itself went very well. Though the crowd was small, the music seemed to be very well-received. I look forward to returning to this room very soon.

On Thursday night I played at The Living Room, also in the Lower East Side, just a couple of blocks from Rockwood Music Hall. As I have mentioned here before, The Living Room is one of my favorite rooms in the country. The sound is pristine, and the mood of the venue is exactly what you want when playing music. People come here to listen to the music, which is often times very hard to come by. The crowd was again rather small, but that night I had the unique privilege of playing to two fellow Texans who actually went to the same high school in Waco that myself and my older brother attended. After the show we all hung out in the Lower East Side, which was an absolute blast. There is nothing quite like a group of Texans hanging in New York City! I am already looking forward to kicking it with these gals again when I return in September.

As I mentioned above, I played tonight at Caffe Vivaldi in Greenwich Village. Tonight's show went exceptionally well. We had a great crowd, all but one of which were first-time listeners. The songs went over very well, and many of these folks are planning to attend the Sullivan Hall show on September 1st. Caffe Vivaldi is another great NYC room. The sound is very good, and for whatever reason this venue is very conducive to crowd interaction. By the end of the night it felt as though we all knew each other. In fact, about midway through the show, the cutest little girl waddled up to the stage with a pacifier in her mouth, and a yellow daisy in her hand, which she clumsily offered to me! Talk about a show-stopper! To top it all off, I actually made a little money, so perhaps I can afford the gas to make it home!

As much as I always hate to leave this city, tomorrow afternoon I will pack up, and head toward Harrisburg, PA, where I will play the final show of the tour on Sunday night. From there I will head back to my home in Nashville, where I will take a couple of days for some much needed rest before getting back to "work" at the beginning of August.

That is all for tonight my friends. We will catch up in a few days.

Peace,
JD

Midwest/Northeast Summer Tour Update: #5

2010-07-19T00:21:00.003-05:00

Greetings friends,

Much has happened in the last eight days. Allow me to fill you in.

When our last conversation took place I was in Burlington, VT preparing to play a couple of shows there. I played those shows, enjoyed the city, hung out with my friend from Austin, Charlie Faye, who is doing a month-long residency at Monkey House as a part of her 10 months-10 cities tour, and then I moved on.

My next stop was Boston. I played on Wednesday, July 14 at Midway Cafe in Jamaica Plain, and met some really cool folks while doing so. Big thanks to everyone at Midway for making it a great evening. I enjoyed getting to see and explore Boston for the first time. It is a very cool city, and one that I look forward to returning to.

After Boston came...drum roll please...you guessed it, New York! Ahhhh, finally. I am currently staying in Yonkers, NY and taking the train in each day to Manhattan, but come Wednesday I will be staying with a friend in Harlem.

Now, I know I have spoken about this multiple times here before, but I feel so indescribably "at home" here in New York. There is something about the city streets, and the old architecture mixed with the new architecture, and the people, and the park, and the so on and the so forth, that calms down my nerves as if to say "It's okay, Jarrod. You're home now." It has been seven months since my last visit to the City, and I don't think it is too over the top to say that I needed to get back here, for my own sanity.

I drove in yesterday, and as soon as I checked into my hotel room and dropped off my things, I was at the train station, and on my way into Manhattan. The last two days have been spent roaming around the City. Yesterday, I of course headed almost immediately to Central Park, and spent an hour or two there. The park is always one of my favorite places to visit, and I've enjoyed seeing it during the different seasons on my various trips. Later in the evening I dropped by The Living Room, which I will be playing on Thursday night, and caught a couple of bands there. The Living Room is without a doubt my favorite room that I have played. The sound is absolutely pristine, and the whole place has such a great vibe...it just makes you want to play music!

Today, I headed to the City in the morning, and my first stop was The Met; another favorite of mine. Currently, they have a Picasso exhibit. So I had to stop by, and check it out. This was my first time to see any of his work in person. Though I've never been a huge Picasso fan, it was pretty amazing to see it up close.

After a couple hours in The Met I walked from the East side through the park to the Upper West Side, and tooled around there for a while before deciding to hop on the 'F' train, and take it to its final stop; Coney Island.

I had not been to Coney Island before, and had always wanted to go. So today, I did. The train ride out there takes roughly an hour, and once I got there, I saw about what I expected; thousands of people on the boardwalk and on the beach, and rows of places to eat and drink. There is also a giant ferris wheel, and other carnival rides. I think Coney Island could be an enjoyable place to visit if one has a full day to devote to the experience, and is dressed in beach attire. However, for the person just wanting to "see" it, it isn't really worth the long train ride.

When I arrived back in Manhattan I headed to Washington Square Park at NYU in the Village. There are always performers of some sort at Washington Square, and today it was twin black guys who would break dance, and do other acrobatic moves; very entertaining. I spent the rest of my evening in the Village at various places around the neighborhood.

I will be playing a show in Danbury, CT on Tuesday night, and then I have three consecutive shows in Manhattan on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at Rockwood Music Hall, The Living Room, and Caffe Vivaldi, respectively. I can't even begin to accurately describe how happy I am to be here right now. I truly love New York City.

Peace,
JD

Midwest/Northeast Summer Tour Update: #4

2010-07-10T21:15:00.003-05:00

Greetings friends,

Well, I finally made it to the Northeast. Let me catch you up on the last few days.

When we last spoke I was in Cleveland, OH getting ready to play a show at Wilbert's on the same night that James Taylor and Carole King were playing at the Quicken Loans Arena, which happens to be next door to Wilbert's. The show went well, though unfortunately neither James, nor Carole turned up at my show. I guess they missed my calls...

Cleveland was an enjoyable town. I went by the Cleveland Browns Stadium, and purchased my very own #12 Colt McCoy t-shirt. After all, you've got to support your Longhorns even after they graduate. I then walked just down the street to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This was a quite a treat, given that many of my musical heroes can be found there. Sadly pictures were not allowed in most of the exhibits. So I did not get to document most of what I saw (though I did sneak a quick cell phone picture of the Martin 000-42 that Clapton used on much of the "Unplugged" taping). All in all Cleveland was a good experience. I even got to see a giant LeBron James billboard on the side of a building, just one day before I'm sure it was torn down!

After leaving Cleveland I started toward the Northeast. On Thursday I drove through New York state and Massachusetts, stopping for the night just outside of Boston. I then drove into Portland, ME yesterday. Portland was a neat place. It is a very artsy town while still maintaining the old Northeastern coastal town feel. I paid a visit to the famous lighthouse, which gave the amateur photographer in me (and I do mean "amateur") an hour or two of excitement. Anything that iconic and picturesque is just begging to be photographed.

I played last night in Portland at a place called "Blue". The venue was a very small, classy place on the main drag with a great atmosphere. The folks who run the place are wonderful to work with as well. Sadly it was somewhat of a slow night, but we made the most of it, and I would still call it a successful outing. It is definitely a place anyone who finds themselves in Portland should check out.

I had today off. So I spent my day driving through New England (which I am now completely in love with). I drove through Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The landscape in this region is simply breathtaking. I found myself pulling my car off the road every few miles to take pictures, and observe the scenery. It would be very easy to purposefully get lost in these woods, and never come out. Who would want to leave such beauty?

I will be playing in Burlington, VT the next couple of nights, which I am looking forward to very much. We'll catch up then.

Peace,
JD

Midwest/Northeast Summer Tour Update: #3

2010-07-06T18:02:00.005-05:00

Greetings friends,

I have ignored my duty to inform you of my happenings for long enough. Here is what has been going on...

After leaving Indianapolis I headed down to Lexington, KY where I played at Natasha's Cafe, which was a very nice venue. The show in Lexington went very well. We had a light crowd, but they listened to every word, and were a fantastic audience (Thank you).

After the show in Lexington I started heading toward my next show in Canton, OH, but I made a slight detour along the way, and stopped in Frankfort, KY to visit the Buffalo Trace Distillery. I took a tour of the distillery, which was absolutely fascinating. It was very interesting to learn about the various stages in the making, aging, and bottling of bourbon.

Once I arrived in Canton I decided to drop by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I spent a couple of hours there checking out all of the exhibits. My favorite part had to be Refrigerator Perry's size 23 Super Bowl ring. The thing was enormous! After the Hall of Fame visit I played a show that night at Old Glory Studios in Canton. This venue is run by some of the nicest folks you'll meet.

Pittsburgh followed Canton. On Saturday, July 3 I played at a place called Park House in downtown Pittsburgh, just a few blocks from the Pirates' ballpark. The next day, Sunday, July 4, I got to go to the Pirates vs. Phillies game at PNC Park thanks to Zach Duke. (Zach grew up in Waco, TX, and went to the same high school I attended. He and my older brother, Drew, have been good friends since high school. Zach now pitches for the Pirates.) After the game, which believe it or not, Pittsburgh won, myself, Zach and his wife Kristin, and some of her relatives all went down to Heinz Field (where the Steelers play) for a free Phil Vassar concert and fireworks. A great 4th of July. Thanks Zach.

I am now in Cleveland, where I'll play tomorrow night at Wilbert's. Later that evening, James Taylor and Carole King will be playing next door at the Quicken Loans Arena. So hopefully they will decide to drop in, and catch my show!

Peace,
JD

Midwest/Northeast Summer Tour Update: #2

2010-06-29T09:49:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends,

Last night I played a house concert for some kind folks here in Indianapolis (or rather in Zionsville, just outside of Indy). The show was an absolute blast. The audience was very attentive, and most appreciative, which is hard to come by in this business, and of course the family that has been putting me up the last couple of nights could not be any nicer. I would certainly come back here for another show in a heartbeat.

This afternoon I plan to drive into downtown Indianapolis, and check out a few places that various friends and musicians have told me I "HAVE" to visit while I am in town. Then tomorrow I head to Lexington.

That's all for now...

Peace,
JD

Midwest/Northeast Summer Tour Update: #1

2010-06-27T21:26:00.003-05:00

Greetings friends,

The first few days of this tour have come and gone, and I have not yet written to you. For that I feel terrible. So allow me to make amends by bringing you up to date. Here goes...

On Thursday, June 24 I left my new home in Nashville, TN, and started out in the direction of St. Louis, MO. That night I played at a small bar in St. Louis called Pop's Blue Moon. The turnout was light, but the people there could not have been friendlier. Within a few minutes of chatting with the bartender and the regulars I already felt as if I were one of the family. I ended up playing three sets that night, and leaving with just enough to cover expenses. So, off to an acceptable start.

The next day, Friday, June 25 I drove to Chicago, and played that night at a bar called Silvie's Lounge. That night was slightly less successful. The only people at the club were the other bands on the bill, which generally speaking, does not carry with it the promise of selling any merchandise or making tips. Thankfully I was not paying for a hotel on this stop. So my expenses were much lower.

As for Chicago the town, I must say that I am a fan. I am a sucker for the big city, and Chicago has a nice feel to it. Being right on the lake makes for some beautiful scenes. Unfortunately I did not get to spend nearly as much time as I would have liked in the city. Hopefully on my next run through the area I will get to check out the many museums and landmarks (I am a giant dork when it comes to that stuff), and get to really spend some time in the downtown area.

Yesterday, Saturday, June 26 I got to attend Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival (as a spectator, not a performer!). The concert was held at Toyota Park in Chicago. Although I had already seen most of the performers multiple times, it is always a treat to see these legends play. Yesterday I got to see B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan, Jonny Lang, John Mayer, Vince Gill, Ronnie Wood, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Sheryl Crow, and of course Eric Clapton, among others. It was certainly a schooling.

Today I went to church with our good friend Todd Pertll, who played pedal steel, banjo, and weissenborn on the 'Ashes' record, and his fiancee. After lunch I drove to Indianapolis, where I will be playing a house concert tomorrow. I am staying with the brother of my best friend's new mother-in-law. They are a lovely family, and I look forward to spending the next day or so getting to know them.

Peace,
JD

'Twas the Night Before the Tour...

2010-06-24T02:46:00.002-05:00

The night before a tour is much like the night before Christmas. I can't sleep. I'm simply giddy with excitement. One might even compare my giddiness to that of a school girl. I cannot wait to hit the road tomorrow, and kick this journey off. There will be stories to tell. Of that I am certain!

Peace,
JD

New Chapters...

2010-06-10T16:17:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends,

Much has taken place since we last spoke. Songs have been written. Shows have been played. Miles have been driven, and driven again. However one event would have to take top billing over all the others in the last month. I have moved.

Yes, it is true. I have given up my Texas home, and am now residing in, get ready, Nashville, TN. Now I know that most likely comes as quite a shock to most of you, and believe me, I myself was surprised. I am sure right now many of you are thinking "Nashville? Jarrod? Really?" And it is true. Nashville isn't exactly the first city that comes to mind when you think about my style of music, or even my personality for that matter, but here I am, and I am excited to be here.

How/Why did this happen? Well, without going into too much detail, here is how it all came to be:

After coming off my month-long West Coast tour, and beginning the preparations for another month on the road, this time through the Midwest and Northeast, it became clear that being based in Texas was not at all ideal for someone who is constantly touring. One must spend a full day of driving simply to get out of Texas, which is as hard or harder on the finances as it is on the driver. After discussing this with a friend of mine, who moved from Austin to Nashville earlier this year, he mentioned that a room had opened up in the house in which he lives, and suggested that I occupy that room. After considering this offer, I decided that it would be in my best interest to make the move, as Nashville is a very central location for all of the eastern United States, therefore making it a sensible home-base for touring. On top of the geographic location, this move will be a great learning opportunity for me as a musician and a songwriter. The other tenants in the house are all professional musicians as well, and are all incredibly talented. I am looking forward to learning from each of them, and pushing myself as an artist.

I do not wish to give you a word-guided tour of the house, but there is one particular part that I cannot leave out. The front porch. This house has a huge wrap-around front porch that is just begging to be sat on with a guitar in lap and a drink by your side. In fact this is how I have spent multiple evenings already in the short time that I have been here. I must say that evening is my favorite time to sit on our porch, thanks to the fireflies that are ever so eager to join in the fun. Fireflies are something that I used to see in Texas as a child, but have not seen in many years. What a nice surprise to find them here.

Of course it does sadden me to leave the friends and family in Texas who have been such a huge part of my life all these years, but I believe this is a wonderful opportunity for me, and a challenge that I am looking forward to facing. As one chapter comes to an end, another is being written. I am entering the days of being on the road more often than I am "home", and I believe that along with my hard work some exciting things are sure to come. I can't wait to share them with you.

Be sure to check my website (www.jarroddickenson.com) for my current tour dates. I'll see you on the road.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 27 (Final Day)

2010-05-06T04:54:00.003-05:00

Greetings friends,

17 hours and 2 minutes. That is how long it took me to drive today from Sedona, AZ to Waco, TX. Feeling a bit like Neal Cassady (or should I say, Dean Moriarty), I drove straight through, making only 3 stops for gasoline, and 1 stop just 15 miles outside of Waco at the famous Czech Stop, because by-golly after a 17 hour drive, a man deserves some freshly baked kolaches.

The tour is now officially over. At this very moment I am too road-weary from my marathon of driving for the finality to really sink in, but I am certain that I will wake up tomorrow (or rather, later today), and not know quite what to do with myself now that I do not have to load up Old Blue, and drive 'X' amount of hours to the next stop. However, I will not lay down for long, for now it is time to begin finalizing the booking of my Northeast tour, which will take place in July. Get ready.

In the coming days I am sure that I will begin to process all that has happened over the last month while on the road, and I will share those bits with you as they come to me. For now, I will simply say that it was a great adventure, and a wonderful learning experience. I very much enjoyed meeting all of you, playing for you, and most of all getting to know you. Thank you to all who listened, clapped, prayed for and supported me on this tour. And, a very special thank you to all who gave me a couch, an air mattress, or a floor to sleep on. Your generosity helped more than you know. I look forward to seeing you all again in a few months. Until then, spread the word!

Goodnight, dear friends. Sweet dreams.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 26

2010-05-05T01:52:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends,

Tonight's performance at Studio Live in Sedona, AZ was the final show of the tour. Tomorrow I will begin the long trek back to Texas.

The venue tonight was fantastic, and the staff were truly wonderful to work with. The sound was pristine, and the audience could not have been more attentive. It was a great way to end the tour.

I must admit that I am a little saddened to see the tour come to an end, but I suppose it is time to recharge the batteries, so to speak. It will be nice to see everyone back home, and I am definitely looking forward to the shows I have coming up all over Texas this month.

My mind seems to be in a thousand places tonight, and I am finding it difficult to concentrate on any of them fully. So I will leave this entry as a short one, and will hopefully have more to say in the coming days. Goodnight, for now.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 25

2010-05-04T02:27:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends,

Tonight's show at The Sail Inn in Tempe, AZ was the kind of show that rejuvenates you as an artist. A local musician, Jason Hurst, opened the night with beautifully written, very intricate instrumental songs (or rather "pieces") on piano. I took the stage after Jason, and was playing mostly to people who came to see him perform, that kindly stuck around to hear me. They turned out to be an exceptionally appreciative audience, and were an absolute pleasure to sing for. It is not often, especially as an out-of-towner, that you find a good audience on a Monday night. So it was a nice surprise. Another lovely surprise was the gentleman behind the soundboard, Ken. As any musician who does his/her share of gigging will tell you, there is an enormous difference between a "sound-guy" and a "Sound Engineer". Ken is most definitely a Sound Engineer. I cannot even begin to tell you how nice it is to work with someone who knows what they are doing behind the board. It quite literally makes all the difference in the world.

Tomorrow night I play at Studio Live in Sedona, AZ, which will be the last show of the tour. Studio Live is a listening room, dedicated fully to providing a place for people to come and truly listen to live music, without all of the clamoring about you would find in a bar. If you, or anyone you know will be in the Sedona area tomorrow night, be sure to tell them about the show.

That is all for tonight. Sweet dreams, my friends.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 24

2010-05-03T01:21:00.006-05:00

Greetings friends,

On my way to Flagstaff, AZ today, I was greeted by a lovely little surprise. Snow. Yes, you read correctly. It SNOWED in Arizona today, Sunday, May 2! Being the cold-weather lover that I am, I was in absolute heaven. The temperature fell as low as 30* about 20 miles outside of Flagstaff, and was in the upper 30s to low 40s in Flag. What a day!

I decided to take a detour on my way into Flagstaff, and visit the Grand Canyon (where it snowed on me as well). Now I had visited the Grand Canyon once before when I was a child, but I did not remember much about the trip, and certainly was not old enough to really appreciate the natural beauty of my surroundings. There is nothing I can say about the Grand Canyon that hasn't already been said, nor are there any words that would adequately describe it anyway. So I will just let you look at a few of the pictures I took, and you can choose your own descriptive words.

The show tonight was held at The Green Room in downtown Flagstaff. Overall, the gig went fairly well. A decent number of people came out, including some ex-neighbors of my parents in Waco, who now live in Flagstaff, and whose home I am staying in tonight. They brought out several friends, all of which seemed very nice. All in all, it was a good night.

I am now in the home stretch of the tour. I have just two shows left, Tempe, AZ tomorrow night, and Sedona, AZ on Tuesday night, and then the long drive back to Texas. I am definitely excited about seeing everyone back in the Lone Star State, but I am somewhat saddened to see the tour come to an end. I'm also so used to this "road" lifestyle after being out here for a month, that I'm sure it will be a bit of an adjustment going back to something that more closely resembles "normal" life again. But, I think I'm up for the challenge.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I finished reading John Steinbeck's "Travels With Charley" several days ago, and of course, it was spectacular. I had forgotten just how much I love Steinbeck's writing, for it had been several months since I had read anything in his catalog. He is without a doubt my favorite author. I have now begun reading Sylvia Plath's "The Colossus", which is a collection of her poems. They are dark and beautiful and haunting. Her words have a way of sticking with you, and churning in your head. I've also just last night begun reading Jack Kerouac's "Big Sur". After reading "On The Road" I am excited, and anxious to dig deeper into his work. His writing style is fascinating...

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 23

2010-05-02T01:11:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends,

I write to you this evening in a very frustrated state. If the tone of my words seems harsh, it is merely an attempt to vent the said frustrations in hopes that by tomorrow I will be in a more pleasant frame of mind.

As previously stated, I drove yesterday from Bakersfield, CA to Las Vegas, NV. During my drive through the desert I received a call from the promoter of the show I was to play in Las Vegas tonight, Saturday, May 1. He proceeded to tell me that certain circumstances had made it necessary to switch venues for my show, but that he already had several venues who were interested, and he was confident that everything would still go on as planned. He assured me that he would call me later that afternoon with all of the pertinent details of the show's new location and time; a phone call I never received.

So this morning I called him, and left a message asking him to get back to me when he was able with all of the information needed. A few hours passed, and I still received no phone call. So I called again, and again left a message. This pattern went on throughout the day. I would call, get no answer, and would leave a message, each one with growing frustration. By 5:00pm I was fairly certain that there would be no show, but I knew that I had to stick around, because if I were to leave town and begin driving to the next stop, I would inevitably receive a call at that time saying that the show was on at such-and-such time and place. So I continued to wait until 8:00pm. At that time, still having received no word whatsoever, I drafted a very professional, yet stern e-mail which I addressed to the promoter and his boss, explaining my frustration, and the unlikelihood that I would choose to work with them in the future. And with that, I began driving to the next town.

No more than 20 minutes passed, and he was calling me, apologies spilling out through the phone. His boss had received the e-mail, and was understandably furious. Now, the story goes that he was off working another event all day that the company was promoting, and he received no cell service in that area. It wasn't until he began driving back into town that his phone began functioning again, and he was bombarded with missed calls, voice mails, and text messages; many of which mine. Now this very well could be the truth, because I do know that AT&T's service has been awful to say the least the entire time I have been out West. But, that does not excuse the fact that I never received any kind of notification about the standing of my show, and likely never would have received any response had I not printed my frustrations in an e-mail to his supervisor.

Now, he assures me that he intends on making this right, and is completely embarrassed by the way this all went down. He plans on making up for the night I spent in a hotel, the gas it took to get me there, and the food I purchased, all while being in a town that, as it turned out, I had no reason to be in. I am choosing not to name the promotion company at fault here, because I do not believe that it would serve anyone's best interest at this time, and I am attempting to be a forgiving man. However, I am sure you can see my reasoning for being more than a little perturbed.

With that I will retire to my hotel bed. Goodnight, dear friends.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 22

2010-05-01T03:40:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends,

Today I made the 4.5 hour drive from Bakersfield, CA to Las Vegas, NV, through the Mojave Desert. I generally try to stop after every 2.5 to 3 hours of driving so I can stretch for a few seconds and give my mind a break, but for some reason today I decided to drive straight through. There were a few times when I thought I might stop, but then I would say to myself "No, let's go just a little further." Naturally if you say this enough times, you will eventually just reach a point where you are forced to say "Well, it would be silly to stop now. I guess I'll just keep going." So I did.

Tonight I decided to go down to The Strip, and make my best attempt at doing "the Vegas thing" with the few dollars I had in my pocket. So I drove down Las Vegas Blvd, parked my car, and walked into New York, New York (which was of course nothing like New York, but rather like Hollywood's depiction of New York, only an even sleazier Hollywood...if that is possible). After eating a slice of very mediocre pizza, I wandered through the casino to take it all in. After a good hour of people-watching (one of my favorite pastimes) I decided to give the whole gambling bit a try. My first inclination was to find a blackjack table, but the minimum bet at all of the tables in this particular casino was $15. This poor musician was not prepared to start throwing money away that quickly. So I settled for the $1 slot machines. I carefully chose my machine, pulled out my dollar, inserted it into the machine, pulled the lever, and...lost. What came next made it very clear to me that I am not cut out for the Vegas lifestyle. After playing my $1 slot I got so angry with myself for wasting a dollar that I immediately walked out of the casino in disgust. Yes, I was angry over $1.

I then wandered down The Strip in search of a casino that my brother had recommended, where they have $1 blackjack tables. However, by the time I actually found the casino I had already given into the fact that gambling just wasn't for me. Perhaps I would enjoy Vegas more if I had money to simply toss away, but at this current juncture, when I am working my ass off every night just trying to make enough to cover my expenses, the thought of giving my money away to a slot machine or a blackjack game is more torturous than it is fun. So rather than spending any further money or minutes under the flashing lights, I headed back to my hotel room where I began working on a new song that I started writing yesterday afternoon.

I realize that my candor toward my feelings of Las Vegas will probably cause a few people out there to frown in my direction, as it is not very "Rockstar" of me to prefer a quiet hotel room to the madness of a Friday night in Sin City. But, for better, or for worse this is where I belong; sitting in whatever room I am calling "home" this particular evening, guitar in hand, working on new songs. This is where I am comfortable. This is where I am happy.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 21

2010-04-30T12:07:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends,

Yesterday was my final full day in California. Upon finishing this 'blog' entry I will be leaving Bakersfield, CA, where I slept last night, and driving toward the neon lights of Las Vegas.

I spent yesterday afternoon again in Morro Bay, CA. I quickly discovered that while Morro Bay is a nice town to visit for a day, if your stay lasts longer than 24 hours you run out of things to look at. There are only a handful of streets in the town of Morro Bay, and by noon I had driven down each of them more than four times. I would have driven up the road 20 miles to Atascadero, where my show last night was to be held, but I had to wait until 3:00pm to pick up my boots which were being repaired at the little shop I found the day before. That, and I was fairly certain that Atascadero would not have much more to offer in the line of entertainment than would Morro Bay.

So after driving down each of the streets a couple more times, I drove again to Morro Rock, where I had spent the bulk of the previous evening. Upon arriving I found a much different scene than the peaceful sunset of the day before. Today the winds were high, and intent on making their presence known. The water, not to be outdone by the wind, was causing quite a stir itself. The angry waves unleashed their fury on the innocent, jagged rocks which invaded their space. And the rocks continually took each abusive blow with a smile, as if to say to the waves "Is that all you've got?". Little did the rocks know that they were being slowly and methodically worn down, and will eventually fall to the sea in utter defeat. For the sea always wins in the end. Always.

After retrieving my newly repaired right boot, which once again stands proud and sturdy, I headed through the mountains to Atascadero, where I was to perform at Last Stage West that evening. Last Stage West is a barbecue joint that would make any Texan proud. The show was an interesting one for me, because it was being streamed live on the Internet. So rather than simply playing to the audience in front of me, I was also playing to folks back home who I knew were tuning in. It was a very odd feeling, because I felt as though I needed to "talk" to both audiences, while not making the actual live audience in front of me feel strange. Though the crowd was not large, the show was very enjoyable. I met some very cool folks, and Tom, the owner and operator of Last Stage West, decided to join me on stage behind the drums for a few songs, which made for a nice little jam session.

I suppose it is time to get on the road. We will catch up in Vegas where I will fill you in on all of the gambling, hookers, and cocaine that I will most assuredly run into. (wink, wink)

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 20

2010-04-29T01:07:00.005-05:00

Greetings friends,

Today was "Makeover Day" for the Dickenson Road Crew. Old Blue had his oil changed this afternoon, my two lovely ladies now have new strings on them, and I found a boot repair store here in Morro Bay that is going to fix a small tear in the right boot of my 1960's Nocona's by tomorrow afternoon.

While I personally did not undergo any kind of makeover, I did find this great little record store called Vinyl Isle. The building itself is about the size of the hotel rooms I have been staying in, and inside was a goldmine of used vinyl records. They had just about anything you could want, and the best part, THEY WERE ORGANIZED! I found several Frank Sinatra records that I have been actively seeking out for several months. I found about 6 or 7 other records that I wanted to buy as well, but being the poor traveling musician that I am, I limited myself to only purchasing the Sinatra albums. If you are ever in Morro Bay, or even near the area (in San Luis Obispo or Atascadero) stop by this store.

Later in the evening, just before sunset, I drove over to Morro Rock. Morro Rock is a giant rock that sits in Morro Bay, and provides a very picturesque scene at sunset. I spent that last hour or so of daylight wandering around Morro Rock taking pictures. I hope you enjoy them.

Tomorrow I will head up the road about 30 miles to Atascadero, CA where I will play tomorrow night at Last Stage West from 7:00-9:00pm PST. This is a special show, because it is being streamed live online. So all of you back home can tune in, and watch me perform in California while you sit on your couches at home! Just use the link below to get to the live stream, and remember for all of you Texas folks, the show is 9:00-11:00pm.

http://www.laststagewest.net/livevideo.html

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 19

2010-04-28T01:30:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends,

Today I made the beautiful drive back down Highway 1 to San Luis Obispo. My intention was to take loads of pictures, and perhaps a video or two of the scenery to share with you. Unfortunately, right as I reached the Big Sur area it began to rain. Light rain quickly turned to heavy rain, and heavy rain quickly turned to torrential rain. So rather than seeing the natural beauty that is rampant in that area, the sky turned to a thick gray, and I could only see about twenty yards in front of my car. On one hand driving down this winding mountain road through that kind of rain made it that much more mystical and frightening and exhilarating, but on the other hand, because of the weather I was unable to share the experience with you. It's as if some unknown power is trying to keep me from showing you pictures of what I have seen. So rather than trying again, I will honor the wishes of this unknown power, and simply say "You need to go see it for yourself".

Tonight I played at the Steynberg Gallery in San Luis Obispo as a part of the "Songwriters at Play" showcase. The Steynberg Gallery is a small and charming art gallery in the center of town. Unfortunately the turnout was also quite small due to the rain. I got the feeling that rain is such a rare occurrence in this part of California that when they do get a heavy rain the whole town very nearly shuts down, much like the way people react in Central Texas towns when we get a mild freeze. So while it was an enjoyable show to play, it was financially atrocious.

In other news, "Old Blue" turned the 100,000 mile mark today while on Highway 1. Tomorrow we will celebrate with an oil change, and if the weather permits, perhaps a nice washing.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 18

2010-04-27T05:27:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends,

Today was my last day in San Francisco, and in some ways the beginning of the end of the tour. For I am no longer heading north, but rather I have begun my slow turn south and east, which will eventually lead me back to Texas.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, allow me to tell you about tonight's show. It was held at Rockit Room in San Fracisco, a mile or two away from the house in which I have been staying. The whole clan of guys that I have been living with for the past few days came out tonight. I have taken it upon myself to dub them the 'Sutter Boys', referring to the street upon which they live. Having them at the show was great fun. Rockit Room as a venue was a slightly different story. Let me first say that the staff was incredibly nice, and I can see how the venue could be a great place to play. The problem is that on Monday nights, when "Acoustic Monday" happens downstairs, Beginner Salsa Lessons happen in their upstairs room. This means that constant waves of salsa music are being beaten into your left ear, making it very difficult to hear anything else. I'm not sure if you have ever tried to play a song while another song was being played in the same area at equal volume, but let me tell you that it is less than enjoyable. Regardless, the show went well, and I was able to sell a few CD's.

I did have a great time getting to know the Sutter Boys, and cannot wait to meet them all again in September.

After the show was over, I loaded up my car, and headed to Monterey, where I'll stay the night before heading to San Luis Obispo in the morning. I must confess that it felt incredible to be back on the road. It is a funny thing, in the short time that I have been out here, the highways are already feeling like home to me. Perhaps it is a natural thing for someone who has just given up their physical home in order to afford traveling, to look for something to substitute as their "new home".

The highway can be a wonderful place, particularly in the wee small hours, when no other headlights are seen on the road for miles. It gives you a chance to be alone with your thoughts; a chance to air out all of the junk that is going through your brain. You get to ask questions of yourself. Now, personally speaking, these questions rarely lead to actual answers, but rather often times lead to more questions. And for me, the topic at hand tends to be "love". Love is a strange animal, and one that brings up an infinite supply of questions. For instance, why is it that love and pain are so often intertwined? And going along with that question, why is it that the people you allow yourself to love most completely are the ones who are able to cut you deeper than anyone or anything else? Is it simply that they know the best way to hold the knife? Furthermore, how is it that certain feelings can linger, and still be as intense as they ever were, quite literally years later? These are the things one thinks about on long drives, between the hours of 1:00am and 3:00am, on strange highways.

But alas, I am no longer on that strange highway, but rather in a dimly lit hotel room. So I suppose it is time to try and turn those thoughts off, and save them for another evening. Right now I am in need of rest.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 17

2010-04-26T03:52:00.007-05:00

Greetings friends,

This morning I attended church with the roommates with whom I am staying. Their church is literally one block from their house, on the same side of the street. After the service I walked around the corner, and spent the next hour or so doing some much needed laundry.

This afternoon I explored the city, and found that for the most part, I very much enjoy San Francisco. One stop on my self-guided tour today was Haight-Ashbury. I will say that while it was a cool part of town, it was not at all what I was expecting. Perhaps it was silly of me to expect it to feel like the Haight-Ashbury that became famous in the 1960's, but I was hoping for some sense of what it was like. Instead I found too many gift shops selling items with "I Haight You" logos on them. In my opinion, it seemed pretty evident that the spirit that once flowed through those streets has long since died, or at least been relocated. I suppose this becomes true of all places like that eventually. The extreme individuality and immense creativity of the people that once ruled the area caused it to become famous, and with fame, so comes commercialism, at least to some extent somewhere down the line, after the actual "scene" leaves. Once this happens the corporate world swoops in to make a dollar off of sentimental people, and the area becomes almost a caricature of what it once was.

After visiting Haight-Ashbury, I strolled through Golden Gate Park for a few minutes, and then headed toward Twin Peaks. Twin Peaks are exactly as they sound. They are two very high peaks in the middle of San Francisco that you can drive to, and look out over a breathtaking view of the city and the bay. I spent a good hour or two there taking it all in. It was absolutely stunning.

Once I made my way back down to the smaller hills that make up the San Francisco streets, I turned onto Fillmore St. Now, if ever there was a street name that was able to conjure up thoughts and images of past musical greats, "Fillmore" would have to be it. So many of my favorite artists and bands played at both the Fillmore West in San Francisco, and the Fillmore East in New York City. Just thinking about it gave me goosebumps as I was driving down their namesake.

I stopped in a small pizzeria called Pizza Inferno to have dinner. Theirs was by far the best pizza I have had thus far in California. All of their ingredients are organic. I don't know if this actually adds to the taste, or if it made it slightly healthier, but it certainly didn't hurt. Of course it was still no match for any of the thousands of pizza joints in New York, but it wasn't bad at all.

Tonight, three of the roommates, and myself watched "Away We Go" at the house. I'm not sure how I feel about the movie yet. I think I need to let it sink in a little more before I give my opinion. It was certainly deeper than I was expecting, but that is not necessarily a bad thing...

Anyway, off to bed for me. Tomorrow is my last day in San Francisco. I will be driving back toward San Luis Obispo after my show at Rockit Room tomorrow night.

Here is the latest video. (Sorry they have slowed down a bit.)

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 16

2010-04-25T01:38:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends,

Today was my first actual day in San Francisco. This morning I, along with the guys I am staying with, all went to a little sidewalk cafe a few blocks from their house for "brunch". The food was great, and sitting outside in this wonderful weather was a nice treat.

We then met up with several fellow Texas-Exes ladies who are now living in California, and all headed over to Golden Gate Park. Now, I will say that to me personally, there is no topping Manhattan's Central Park, but this park was gorgeous nonetheless. The section we went to had a huge open field where people were throwing frisbees and kicking soccer balls. There were old hippies joining together in a drum circle (which got real old, real quick), and just a few yards away were several public tennis courts. It definitely made for a nice, relaxing afternoon.

Tonight I set out to play one show, and ended up playing two. My scheduled show was at Revolution Cafe at 6:30pm. When I arrived at Revolution Cafe there was a black gentleman playing piano who has a regular gig there on Saturday evenings. When he was finished he stuck around to hear part of my set, and after a couple of songs I convinced him to come sit in. From then on he spent the majority of the set on stage with me. After I finished my last song a girl came up and said "Hey, would you be willing to play a blues progression, and let me skat with you?" Never being one to turn down an opportunity to play the blues, and being extremely intrigued by her proposal to skat behind my playing, we jumped right in...she was phenomenal! She had a killer voice, and she could actually skat. Now I don't know if you have ever heard someone try to skat who couldn't do it, but it is a painful thing to hear. So when she nailed it, I was completely blown away. It certainly turned out to be a very enjoyable show.

After we were done, the booking agent showed up, and said "Hey man, the owner of this place has another cafe a few blocks away, and he was wondering if you would be willing to play another set over there?" Now, being the poor, traveling musician that I am, I decided that any opportunity to make a few bucks would be worth it. So I headed over the Socha Cafe, and played there for another hour. Socha was much a quieter place, and the folks that were there seemed to really like tunes. Financially it turned out to only be slightly profitable, but I did get a free meal out of the deal, and hopefully a few fans.

So, after a full day, and two shows tonight, I am ready to get some rest. I have tomorrow off. So I plan on seeing a lot more of San Francisco then...and maybe trying to find a place to do laundry...

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 15

2010-04-24T11:56:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends,

The tour rolls on. After playing last night in San Jose, I drove into San Francisco (or 'Frisco' as Jack Kerouac calls it), where I am staying with a high school friend of some of my friends back home.

I knew immediately upon entering Frisco that it was a town that I would like. The city reminds me a lot of Manhattan, with its brownstone-like housing, and little shops and restaurants and delis along the sidewalks, but with a still very clear "California feel". I have a feeling that this will be my favorite among the western cities I have visited on this trip.

Today I will go explore the city a little before my show at Revolution Cafe tonight. I'll give you more information about San Fran then.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 14

2010-04-23T15:11:00.004-05:00

Greetings friends,

Yesterday was one of the most enjoyable days of the tour thus far. After dropping Chris off at the airport in San Jose I made my way down to Salinas, CA, where I visited the National Steinbeck Center. There I got to see many exhibits that told his life story, and of course about his work. I would have to say that my favorite part about the museum was getting to see 'Rocinante', the GMC truck with a camper fixed on the back that he took across the United States with his French poodle, Charley, which led to the book "Travels with Charley: In Search of America".

After leaving the Steinbeck Center, I headed down to beautiful Carmel, CA, where I played last night at Roost House. Roost House is a house concert venue run by a mother and her son. If you are unfamiliar with house concerts, they are literally concerts held in someone's living room. Many people across the country (as well as in Europe) are beginning to host these acoustic shows in their homes. The best part about house shows is that the artist gets to play a show in a very intimate environment to a crowd that is there solely for the music. There are no bottles clanging, no televisions blaring, no coffee machines screaming, no, it is completely silent while the song is being played, and the attendees are actually listening to the story being told. Roost House is no doubt one of the premier house concert venues around. It is held in a beautiful room with vaulted ceilings and exposed rafters. The natural acoustics of the room are fantastic, and the hosts could not be more pleasant to work with. There were about twenty people in attendance last night, and they were a lovely audience. I would definitely have to say that last night's show was by far the most enjoyable show I've played on the tour up to this point. A friend of the Roost House, Rick Chelew, joined me on upright bass, and was a real treat to play with. I am certainly looking forward to returning to this venue, and would recommend it to anyone who is going through the area; whether you are a musician wanting to book a show, or just a music fan looking for a great place to see real live music in an environment that can't be beaten.

Tonight I will be playing in San Jose at The Grapevine, and then I will make my way into San Francisco. We'll catch up there.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 13

2010-04-22T02:35:00.006-05:00

Greetings friends,

I am writing to you from my hotel room in San Jose, CA. I had one goal today, and that was to drive from Los Angeles to San Jose on the historic Highway 1, which runs along the California coastline. Check.

Chris and I got somewhat of a late start in leaving the LA area. We ate lunch in Santa Monica, and while we were walking back to my car he saw a pawn shop that he wanted to pay a visit. A couple of hours later we left the pawn shop, and Chris had a used Tacoma acoustic bass in hand.

When we finally hit Highway 1 at 2:00pm, we had no idea what was in store. We drove along the coast for a little more than an hour through Santa Monica, Malibu, etc. before the highway took a little detour through the hills. What we saw was beautiful to say the least, but paled in comparison to what was to come...

After a lengthy ride through the mountains, Hwy 1 delivered us back to the coastline, and we noticed immediately that something had changed. There was something different about the landscape, but it was difficult to put your finger on exactly what it was. Perhaps the only real difference was that there were no beach houses cluttering the view. Regardless, this began the portion of our drive that would be marked by one stop after another of getting out to take to pictures, and breathe in what we were seeing.

At one point we passed a sign which notified us that just head was a designated area to pull off the road, and gaze at elephant seals which had made their way onto the beach to rest. The seals would pack themselves in so tightly together, I am assuming for warmth, that they looked like giant cans of sardines. The beach in this area was gorgeous. It was heavily laden with large rocks, both on the sand and in the water. Grassy banks jutted out into the water, which were being bombarded by the crashing waves and high winds. It was an overcast day, but the sun could be seen trying to fight its way through the haze and clouds; giving off long stripes of light in the process.

After we observed the seals and their beach we headed up the coast a few more miles, and this is when it started...

When we reached the Monterey County line the hills began turning into mountains, and the distance between mountain and sea grew smaller and smaller; leaving just enough room for a narrow two-lane highway to be stuck in the middle. As we began climbing the mountain, and weaving around the turns, the view became more and more beautiful. This we were not prepared for. What came next was quite literally the most amazing view my eyes have ever studied. As I continued to climb up this highway with a mountain no more than eight feet to my right, and I cliff that fell hundreds and hundreds of feet before reaching the ocean no more than twenty feet to my left, I realized that I had never before seen anything so stunning in my life. I was in complete awe of my surroundings, and was constantly having to remind myself to breathe in and breathe out. With the sun beginning to set over the Pacific Ocean, I found myself completely unable to articulate the thoughts in my head into words. Rather, it was as if this weight fell upon me, and stripped me of my vocabulary; leaving me instead with a handful of monosyllabic words such as "wow" and "geez" and "oh". These words, along with a series of "Mmmmm's" and "Ahhhhh's" were all that I was able to coax out of my throat for several hours. I was quite literally dumbfounded by what I was witnessing. Even now, I find that there are no words which can adequately describe such beauty. All I know is that when driving along that coastline, one is confronted by the immense power and enormity of the thing that created such a masterpiece. God simply cannot, and will not be ignored in such a place. Instead you are forced to pass through in silent reverence.

That drive did me a lot of good. As Chris accurately stated, "It was like a soul-cleansing that got rid of all the junk that we experienced in LA." It was no secret that Los Angeles had brought me down, but I feel like I am renewed, and ready to take on this final half of the trip full-steam. I had hoped to share some video footage of our drive through this space, but unfortunately the camera decided not to cooperate (or perhaps Chris did not press the correct buttons, we will never know). Perhaps it is better this way. I have a feeling that neither video, nor still pictures would do it justice. I did take several pictures of the area just before we reached Monterey County. I hope you enjoy them.

Tomorrow morning I will take Chris to the airport for his return flight, and then I will head back down to Carmel, where I have a show that night. I will catch up with you then. Goodnight my friends.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 12

2010-04-21T03:38:00.006-05:00

Greetings friends,

Today was my last day in Los Angeles of this tour. Tomorrow I will be making the scenic drive up the coast to the Bay Area, and I must admit that I am more than a little excited to be moving on to another city. That is not to say that my time in LA was bad. I met some really cool folks, checked out several great music venues, and played some very good shows (though not financially successful). However, the city of Los Angeles and I do not mesh well.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed my final day here. Chris and I had several little excursions. We first went to the La Brea Tar Pits to check out the museums that were surrounding them. Unfortunately it seemed to be "field day" for the elementary schools, and the place was infested with screaming children. So naturally we got the hell out of Dodge. We then decided to go to the Hollywood Guitar Center, because they are famous for their "vintage room", which has walls of incredible vintage instruments. While there, I ended up having a little jam session (and a very...let's say "lively" discussion) with a homeless gentleman who apparently comes to that Guitar Center every day. Chris snapped the picture you see above.

After the Guitar Center experience, and a quick lunch (where I ate a $4.25 peanut butter and jelly sandwich, because it was the cheapest thing on the menu...ridiculous), we set off to find the area where one of our favorite producers lives, Brentwood. On the way we ran into the famous Mulholland Dr., and decided to take a spin down the road to see what all the fuss was about. We quickly discovered that the reason this small winding road is famous is due to the breathtaking views of the entire city that you can see from the road. We then proceeded on to Brentwood, which was nothing special; just a wealthy neighborhood, with just a hint of a "family feel" to it. In other words it didn't seem like a bachelor-pad neighborhood.

We then headed down Sunset Blvd until it spit us out at the ocean. We ended up at the Santa Monica Pier right around sunset, and it was truly gorgeous. After taking it all in for a few moments, we walked around the pier, and discovered a little photo booth (which every pier has to have). We intended on taking silly pictures in the booth until we looked at the price of $4, and had second thoughts. But, being the highly intelligent University of Texas grads that we are, we came up with a solution. We still got into the booth, but rather than paying $4 for the use of their camera, I just held out my camera, and took the pictures myself. The outcome was very humorous...well, to us anyway.

After spending around an hour in Santa Monica, we headed back toward the artificial jungle known as "LA". Once we arrived back in the city we capped the night off with a movie at the Arclight Theater. We decided to go with the new John Cusack film, "Hot Tub Time Machine", which was a very funny and enjoyable movie.

I must say that I do like the suburbs of Los Angeles infinitely more than Los Angeles itself. LA feels like one giant movie set, and its people, extras in the film. It doesn't feel like "real life" happens in HOLLYWOOD, but the outskirts are much more enjoyable, in my own opinion, of course.

Tomorrow Chris and I will drive up the coastline to San Jose. From what everyone has said, the drive from LA to the Bay Area is one of the prettiest drives one can make. So I look forward to getting back on the road, and back in the game.

Let's catch up tomorrow night, shall we?

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 11

2010-04-20T02:54:00.003-05:00

Greetings friends,

Another day in sunny Los Angeles...

Tonight was my last show in LA of the tour, at the famed Room 5 Lounge. Room 5 turned out to be an exceptionally cool place. It is a fairly small room situated above a very nice restaurant. There are small tables with candles, and extremely comfortable red-leather chairs. The sound is very good, and for the most part people come to Room 5 come to actually listen to the music. (Always a plus)

I have the whole day off tomorrow. So we'll catch up then. For now, I need sleep.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 10

2010-04-19T02:46:00.003-05:00

Greetings friends,

Today marked the tenth day that I have been out here on the road. My best friend, Chris Jacobie, also arrived in LA today. Chris' fiancee, Melendy, decided to give him an incredible birthday gift by purchasing for him a plane ticket to come out here, and join me on the road for a few days. So until Thursday morning, I will have a road companion.

After picking Chris up at the LA/Ontario Airport this morning, and checking into our hotel, we walked across the street to In-N-Out Burger. Now, I typically stay away from fast food; not only on the road, but when I am home as well. Much like when I quit drinking soft drinks in high school, once I quit eating fast food I completely lost my taste for it, and now I dread the few times each year that it is necessary for me to partake. Now that is not to say that I am a "healthy eater" by any means. It simply means I don't eat fast food. However, EVERYONE has told me "Oh, you have to go to In-N-Out Burger while you are there!!". So we went. I will say that it was certainly a step or two above a McDonald's or Burger King, but it was in no way life changing, and much like every fast food place, I felt like crap after eating it. I think my body has just gotten so used to not having to deal with that kind of food, that when I do have to eat it my body almost tries to reject it, leaving me feeling lousy.

After our In-N-Out experience, we walked about Sunset Blvd and Hollywood Blvd, and came across the Hollywood Walk of Fame by accident. I found many of my favorite actors'/actresses'/musicians' stars, such as Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Audrey Hepburn, Clark Gable, and Cary Grant. However, I was unable to track down my favorite actor's star, Humphrey Bogart. Perhaps I will try again tomorrow...

We then drove up to Claremont, CA (about 40 miles outside of Los Angeles), where I played tonight. I must say that I fell in love with Claremont. It is a gorgeous town with mountains in the background, several streets with great little shops and restaurants (and of course a good record store). The town has 5 colleges that are literally all across the street from one another. This quaint little town did not feel like California at all, but more like what I have read and heard about Montana. It is really a beautiful place.

The show tonight was held at Motley Coffeehouse, which is inside Scripps College. Everyone at the show was very nice, though I am quickly learning that most coffee shops are not financially profitable places to play. Obviously money isn't everything, but it is a very real concern when playing music is your total source of income. Tomorrow night I will be playing at the famed Room 5 here in LA. So hopefully tomorrow's show will help to make up for the last couple...

Well I am literally dozing off as I type this, so I believe it is time to sleep. Goodnight.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 9

2010-04-18T02:17:00.004-05:00

Greetings friends,

I am quickly learning that, much like with "normal life", with life on the road you have good days, and you have days that are less than perfect. The latter can be caused by any number of things. Maybe traffic was horrific. Your hotel could have been an issue. Perhaps loneliness sets in. Certainly physical and mental tiredness have to play a part. Sometimes the city just rubs you the wrong way. And more often than not it is a mixture of many things that cause your day to be less enjoyable than others.

Today was a less than perfect day for me. Today was also really the first full day that I had to spend in Los Angeles during the daytime. I have discovered that, for me at least, Los Angeles is two different places during the daytime and during the nighttime. The nighttime is when I am most likely at one of the many great music venues that this town has to offer; whether I am performing, or simply there to enjoy someone else's music. However, during the daytime I am forced to see the other parts of the city. Today, Los Angeles took a couple of steps backward in my personal feelings toward the city. Now I want to make myself very clear in that I do not say this as an attack on anyone that lives in the city, or anyone that I have come in contact with here. In fact, everyone has been very kind. It really just has more to do with the feeling of the city for me. Jack Kerouac said this about Los Angeles:

"LA is the loneliest and most brutal of American cities; New York gets god-awful cold in the winter but there's a feeling of wacky comradeship somewhere in some streets. LA is a jungle."

Today, I would have to agree with Kerouac's words. I just felt very aware that I was alone today, and felt extremely out of place as far as my personality versus the personality of the city. And for someone who doesn't mind, and often times prefers being by himself, actually feeling alone is a strange and rare thing...

Anyway, on to the more important happenings; the music. Tonight I played at Viento y Agua in Long Beach, CA. The show itself went well, though financially speaking, it was much like last night. But hey, mama said there'd be days like this. Even on days when a city brings me down, and I don't make enough money to cover expenses, there is still nothing in the world I'd rather be doing. And a price cannot be placed on that. I am very blessed.

And besides, tomorrow's a new day. Come on LA. Your slate is wiped clean. People have off days, so why can't cities? (not to mention the off-day probably had more to do with me than you anyway) So what do you say? Let's be friends tomorrow, shall we?

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 8

2010-04-17T03:52:00.003-05:00

Greeting friends,

I played tonight at Cafe Muse on Santa Monica Blvd here in Los Angeles. The cafe itself is extremely small. I would say that if you got more than 25-30 people in there together it would feel unbearably crammed. There are some obvious downsides to a place that small, but the upsides are that you get to perform a very intimate show, and the sound was great. I played tonight to a very (and I mean VERY) small crowd, but had an absolute blast doing it. In fact one of the few people in the crowd was an old friend from junior high and high school that I have not seen since we were both still attending high school in Waco, TX, and who is now living in the LA area. So the night was great fun. When you play to a crowd of that few you get to speak directly to each individual between songs, and that adds a whole different kind of feel to the evening. Other than the obvious financial concerns (which are very real) that come with playing to a sparse room, the show could not have been more enjoyable.

After my show I decided on a whim to go check out what was going on at this other venue in town that I've heard so much about, The Little Room at Largo. I wasn't even really sure there would be music tonight, because I had not seen a calendar. And, it would not have mattered if I had seen a calendar, because it turns out that if you look on their website, the April calendar is completely blank for the Little Room. Upon arriving, the person at the door did confirm that there was music, though he did not specify who it was, nor did I ask. Once inside this tiny little paradise, I looked up and saw a familiar face...Chris Thile. Most of you know Chris Thile as the insanely talented mandolin player and lead vocalist of the group Nickel Creek. Chris was there with his new band The Punch Brothers, who had just played a show earlier in the evening in Santa Monica, and decided they wanted to keep playing so they headed to The Little Room. Now I had seen the Punch Brothers once before at the legendary Cactus Cafe in September of 2008 back home in Austin, and I was completely blown away that night. So I knew exactly what I was in for...I thought. They played for about an hour, picking through old bluegrass standards, and blowing your mind, because every member of the band is a prodigy on their instrument. About halfway through they brought up the one and only Benmont Tench (founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and on too many great records to count) to play piano. They all played together for a while, but then a funny thing happened...they got bored, and decided to start switching instruments. So the banjo player started playing guitar, and the guitar player started playing mandolin (Chris Thile left the stage at this point). After a song or two this way it got even crazier. The banjo player kept playing guitar, and the guitar player kept playing mandolin, but then Chris Thile started playing fiddle. If that weren't enough, they then switched even further. The fiddle player played guitar. The guitar player played fiddle. The bass player played mandolin, and Chris Thile played upright bass! Now of course they all claimed to not know what they were doing on the other instruments, but they were absolutely incredible! Oh, and did I mention that throughout all of this madness they brought up Ed Helms to join them on banjo? Who is Ed Helms you ask? Ed Helms plays the role of Andy Bernard on the television show "The Office", and was Dr. Stu Price in the movie "The Hangover"...oh yeah, and he was good too! They closed out the night by all getting back on their primary instruments, and played a hilarious version of "Lovefool" ("love me, love me, say that you love me", etc...) And for their final number they couldn't decide between two songs. So they played both...together. They would play two verses and a chorus of one, then have an immediate key change and go into the verse and chorus of the other, and would flip flop like this the whole way through. Unbelievable! What a night.

I'm going to try to go to sleep now. Catch up with you cats tomorrow.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 7

2010-04-16T19:36:00.005-05:00

Greetings friends,

Last night I played at the famous Lestat's in San Diego. Lestat's is a fantastic venue in the Normal Heights district of San Diego, and this place has quite a history. People like Jason Mraz got their start at Lestat's, and many big names still frequent the venue such as Sarah Watkins (of Nickel Creek), Grant Lee Phillips, and more. The sound is pristine thanks to their brilliant engineer, Louis Brazier, and the venue itself reminded me a lot of The Living Room in New York (though I'm not sure anywhere else I have played has actually matched The Living Room...) The show went very well. I was on a bill with Sinem Saniye from New York, and Chad Cavanaugh, a local SD artist. Both of the other artists were very talented, and great fun to be around. Sinem and I are actually going to be on the same bill again Saturday night at Viento y Agua in Long Beach!

After the show I headed up to Solana Beach, where I stayed the night with a person I met at the E Street Cafe show on Wednesday night in Encinitas, who graciously offered to let me crash on his couch. He and his roommate (a great slide player) are both musicians, and this morning we all had a killer jam session in their living room! Meeting great folks like these guys is possibly the most fun part of being on the road.

I drove into Los Angeles this afternoon, and am about to get ready for my show tonight at Cafe Muse. I'll catch up with you then!

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Days 5 & 6

2010-04-15T00:16:00.005-05:00

Greetings friends,

In the hustle-and-bustle of the last two days I did not write to you yesterday evening, for which I feel terrible. So I will make up for it tonight with a double-blog...

Tuesday, April 13 (Day 5):

I had the entire day off on Tuesday to do as I pleased. So after I woke up, I headed toward downtown San Diego to explore the city. I first stopped at this lovely spot I found just before downtown. Directly across the street from the San Diego International Airport is the harbor, and there was a spot where I was able to pull off the road, and sit down at some park benches right at the water's edge; looking out on all of the anchored sail boats in the harbor. I stayed there for about an hour, reading "On The Road" by Jack Kerouac, and enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery.

After that I continued on into the downtown area, where I spent a few hours tooling around the streets. I thoroughly enjoyed downtown San Diego. The city has a great feel to it; similar to the feel that 3rd and 4th Streets in Austin have...kind of the calm before the storm ("the storm" being 5th and 6th Streets of course.)

After leaving downtown San Diego in the early afternoon, I took a friend's advice, and headed over the bay to Coronado Island. This is where I spent the rest of the day. This little island provided some absolutely stunning views; both of the ocean, and looking back at downtown San Diego from across the bay. Coronado Island is the kind of place where you park your car, and then just walk everywhere. The main drag, Orange Ave (or was it Blvd?), has many great little shops and restaurants and bakeries to tinker around inside, and everyone on the island was incredibly friendly. It was very easy to spend 4 or 5 hours there without thinking twice.

Wednesday, April 14 (Day 6):

Today I drove from San Diego into Encinitas. Encinitas is a quaint little beach town about 30 miles outside of San Diego.

After checking into my hotel, I walked down to the beach where I finished Kerouac's "On The Road" (fantastic read, especially for anyone who has, or is about to travel the country). I also got slightly sunburned on this beach. The combination of my extremely fair complexion, and Jack Kerouac's ability to make me forget how long I have been outside reading his book proved to be the perfect recipe for the California sun to paint my skin pink.

After getting back to my hotel (and discovering my sunburn), I got ready, and headed to E Street Cafe, where I played a show tonight. E Street Cafe turned out to be a very charming little cafe/coffee shop. The staff was extremely friendly, and the crowd, albeit fairly small, was very appreciative of the music. I was able to sell several CD's, I met some great folks, and left feeling like the night was a huge success. I would have no problem playing this venue again in the future...

Well off to sleep for me. I will be heading back into San Diego tomorrow, where I'll play at Lestat's that evening. We'll catch up then.

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 4

2010-04-13T01:13:00.003-05:00

Greetings friends,

I write this to you while sitting in my hotel room in San Diego, CA. That's right; I finally made it to California.

Today I drove the remaining 300 or so miles to San Diego from Gile Bend, AZ. Each of the drives I have made thus far have had certain stretches that were visually pleasing, but today's was by far the best. I captured several portions of the drive on video for you to see how the landscape changed along the way, and what music was being played in my car as I made the trek. As I neared San Diego, I was taken through the beautiful mountains and valleys that would eventually give way to the ocean. It was a neat feeling to reach the west coast; the end of America; the realization of Manifest Destiny...(well, sort of)...

--Click Here for the Video--

Upon arriving in San Diego I checked into my hotel, and then almost immediately went to Mission Beach. I spent the better part of the afternoon walking around in the sand, and along Ocean Blvd.

I then made my way back to the hotel. Now I usually don't talk much about the hotels, because let's be honest, a hotel is a hotel. But, I feel I need to vent a little about this particular hotel. When I arrived I quickly discovered that everything at this place is broken. In the front lobby they have a computer for guest use that has a sign on it saying "Out of Order". Next to that is an ATM machine, also with an "Out of Order" sign taped to its screen. I think to myself "okay, no big deal. I won't be using either of those things anyway..." Then once I have checked in, they inform me that the elevator is also "Out of Order", and that I will be using the stairs instead. Now I usually don't complain about stairs. After all I am a relatively young person, and am more than able to negotiate stairs. However, my room is on the 4th floor, which means I have to carry both guitars, my bag, computer, etc. all up 4 flights of stairs. Okay, still not too bad. It gets better. At this particular hotel you have to pay for the privilege of parking your vehicle on their grounds. Once you pay you are directed down to a basement parking garage. Now generally you would just take the elevator straight up from the garage, but since the elevator is out of order, you are forced to take the stairs. Okay, the stairs are right next to the elevator in the garage, right? Wrong. The only way to get to the stairwell is to walk back up the ramp that leads down to the parking garage, hang a right, and proceed to walk all the way around to the other side of the building to find the only stairwell. After finally arriving at my room, I pull out my computer to check e-mails and such, only to discover that the hotel's wireless internet is also "OUT OF ORDER"! Unbelievable. So I decide to leave, go to the beach, and cool off a little bit (both physically and mentally). Once I make it back to the hotel I do find that the elevators have been fixed, and I am able to hook my cell phone up to my computer to get internet (Thanks Drew). So I start editing the video of the drive into town, and while I am waiting for it to upload onto YouTube, I start playing around on my guitar. After a few minutes of piddling, I start writing a new song, and right as the chorus is starting to come together my room phone rings. It is the front desk telling me that someone is complaining about me playing guitar in my room! It is an acoustic guitar, being played without a pick, and deliberately being played more quietly than normal! This place is unreal. Needless to say, I cannot wait to turn in these keys tomorrow morning, and never return to this particular hotel again.

Okay, that is enough venting for one night. I have all day tomorrow off to do as I please. So if anyone has any suggestions as for what to do in San Diego, feel free to comment (I am thinking about the zoo, but it is kind of expensive...)

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 3

2010-04-12T02:22:00.003-05:00

Greetings friends,

Today was the first day that I got to actually play music on this tour, and it felt great! But I'll get to that later...

Since I arrived in Tucson last night, I didn't have to drive but a few miles today to get to the venue. So I had most of the day to spend as I saw fit. Seeing as today was the final round of the Masters, I saw fit to find a place where I could sit down, and watch the tournament. Now I had to check out of my hotel at 11:00am, so I had to find some other location where I could sit in front of a television for several hours. I decided on the restaurant area of a local golf course (it was a pretty good bet that they would be showing the Masters inside). So I ordered lunch, and posted up there for the afternoon.

Just before the tournament was over I had to start heading toward the club, "Boondocks Lounge", so I could set up. The crowd was small, but attentive, and very appreciative. My voice held up for the entire night, which was a huge relief after what it has been through the last few days. Everyone at the club was extremely nice, and pleasant to work with. I also made several contacts in the Tucson folk-scene that will hopefully lead to a return trip. So all in all I would say the show was a success, and it was a good start to the tour.

I discovered that Tucson, once I got away from my hotel by the airport, is a beautiful city. Palm trees line the streets, and mountains are visible in every direction you look. I certainly look forward to coming back in the near future. Tomorrow I will be driving into San Diego. I must admit that I am very excited to see California for the first time. How is that I am 24 years old, and I have never made it to this part of the country? Well, I'm doing it now...

On a slightly unrelated note, I was briefly featured in a documentary about SXSW by VPro Dutch Broadcasting. You can see me and the boys playing "The Northern Sea" for a few seconds during our show at One-2-One Bar at SXSW. (In case you don't want to watch the entire documentary, my portion is around the 30 minute mark...though the whole thing is certainly worth watching...even if parts are in Dutch!)

http://weblogs.vpro.nl/trendspotting/2009/12/22/trendspotting-austin/

Well that's all I have for you today. I'll bring you up to date tomorrow once I make it to California!

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 2

2010-04-10T22:45:00.004-05:00

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Greetings friends,

Day 2 of this adventure is coming to a close. My only real goal today was to drive from El Paso, TX to Tucson, AZ. That goal was easily achieved. The drive was fairly painless, although I will say that New Mexico is almost as ugly as Old Mexico...

I did make a few stops along the way. In Willcox, AZ I passed by "Stout's Cider Mill", which is famous for their apple pie. Needless to say I stopped, and willingly partook. In no way was I disappointed. I then stopped to see "The THING" around 40-50 miles outside of Tucson, and took another little detour to Tombstone, AZ. I'll let you watch the video to see what happened with the latter two...

--CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO--

My voice is slowly coming back. It still feels weak however, so I am hoping that by resting it all day tomorrow it will be ready to go by the time the show rolls around at Boondocks Lounge tomorrow evening. I am very excited to actually begin playing music on this tour, after all that is the entire reason I'm out here...

...I'll keep you posted...

Peace,
JD

West Coast Spring Tour--Day 1

2010-04-09T23:32:00.002-05:00

Greetings friends,

Today marked the beginning of my West Coast Tour, which will last through the end of April, and into the first week of May. I would love to tell you that things are going exactly as planned, but that simply is not the case. A friend told me yesterday, "Murphy's Law rules the world...", and indeed it does. I woke up Wednesday morning with a very bad sore throat, and a fever of 100.5*. I immediately went to the doctor in an attempt to knock this thing out right away, but even after a cortisone shot and antibiotics my voice just flat out did not come back. So I was forced to cancel the first two shows of my tour; Lubbock, TX (which would have been tonight), and Las Cruces, NM (which would have been tomorrow). Cancelling shows is about the worst feeling in the world for a musician, but in some cases, such as this one, it is unavoidable...

So my route has changed. Rather than going to Lubbock today, I drove from Waco to El Paso (about a 10 hour drive), where I am spending the night. Tomorrow I will drive on to Tucson, AZ, where I have a show on Sunday night. We are hoping that by Sunday my voice will be back at least enough for me to be able to perform that night.

I will say that in spite of the discouraging start, it does feel great to actually be out on the road. Today's 10 hour drive was probably the longest drive I have ever made in a single day on my own. This was also the first time that I have driven through West Texas, which is hardly a scenic drive, but it was wonderful nonetheless. I'm not sure I can explain it, but there is just something so freeing about being alone on the road. I am even more excited about this trip today than I was yesterday, and that makes me think that good things are on the way. I don't know what they will be, but I look forward to sharing them with you here...

Peace,
JD

I Hate Goodbyes...

2010-03-31T00:00:00.004-05:00

Greetings friends,

I am writing to you tonight from the same place I have written to you each time before, from my apartment in Austin, TX. From here on out however, that will no longer be the case. Tonight is the final night that I will be in this apartment that has been my home for the last 3 1/2 years. Things are changing, and they are changing for the better. But, for every good thing in life you will also find sacrifice...

I am going on the road, and I am taking my songs with me. In early April I will be leaving for a month-long acoustic tour of the West Coast (dates are listed on my various websites), and will follow that up with an extensive tour of the Midwest/East Coast in June, July, and August. My new home will be the highways of this great country, of which I will see much, and what I see I will most definitely share with all of you. This is an exciting, and frightening step, but one that I am taking with my full weight. I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead, and I hope you will join me on the journey...but for now, I feel it necessary to say a few words to the one being left behind...

So to you, my dear 130-C, what can I say? You have been a welcoming home to me for my entire stay in Austin. You have been my place of rest, and my place of work, my hiding place, and my place of comfort. In you I have laughed, cried, bled, sweat, loved, lost, written, questioned, studied, prayed, celebrated, mourned, been victorious, and been defeated. Your walls have seen a lot of change in me. Some for the better...some perhaps not. But you always accepted me, both at my very best, and in my darkest hour. To say that I will miss you would be to grossly understate how I feel, but I have things that I must do. And after all that you have seen and heard in these last 42 months, I know that you understand. So goodbye home. In the words of Hughie Charles...

"We'll meet again. Don't know where. Don't know when. But I know we'll meet again some sunny day."

Goodnight apartment. Tomorrow will be time for you to become "home" for someone new.

-JD

Locks of Love!

2010-03-06T13:32:00.003-06:00

Greetings friends,

If you have seen me in the last few days, you have undoubtedly noticed that the ponytail that once was down to the middle of my back is now absent.

"Why did you do it???", is probably the question running through your brain right now. Well here's why...

I decided to donate my hair to Locks of Love. If you are unfamiliar with Locks of Love, they are an incredible organization that makes wigs out of real human hair to give to children who have lost their own hair to cancer.

I had long hair for the better part of the last decade (7 years to be precise), and I will admit that it feels VERY strange! But, it went to a great cause, and I am honored to be a part of what they do.

The really cool part is this; my dad, who had long hair when he was in college, decided to cut off his ponytail 36 years ago. Without being asked to do so, the barber braided and rubber-banded his hair, and gave it to him to keep. So all these years my dad kept his ponytail in a safety deposit box. Well, when I got ready to cut mine off he read the guidelines for Locks of Love, and discovered that as long as your hair has been stored properly (which his was) they will take hair that was cut many years before. So we were able to send in two Dickenson ponytails for the children!

To see a video of the haircut, click here!

To learn more about Locks of Love, and how you too can participate, click here!

Peace,
JD

"My Times are in Your Hands..."

2010-02-08T07:15:00.002-06:00

I picked up my Bible this morning for the first time in far too long, and this is what I read...

Psalm 31:9-18 (New International Version)

9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and my body with grief.

10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.

11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors;
I am a dread to my friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.

12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.

13 For I hear the slander of many;
there is terror on every side;
they conspire against me
and plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."

15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from my enemies
and from those who pursue me.

16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.

17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and lie silent in the grave.

18 Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

I don't think I can add anything to that...Have a good week.

JD

The Death of a Landmark (Cactus Cafe)

2010-01-31T14:42:00.004-06:00

Last night, New 8 Austin delivered some of the most depressing news I have ever heard. The University of Texas has decided to close the historic Cactus Cafe.

Due to the lack of revenue being delivered in recent years, The Cactus Cafe is being done away with. According to the university, it "has become a burden", and along with Informal Classes, is being phased out as a part of their planned cutbacks in order to save money. By August of this year, it will be no more.

If you are unfamiliar with Cactus Cafe, allow me to give you a little background. The Cactus is an acoustic music venue that opened inside the University of Texas Student Union Building in the late 1970's. Countless singer/songwriters got their start at this historic venue, such as Lyle Lovett, Bruce Robison, Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen, Shawn Colvin, Nancy Griffith, and Ani DiFranco. This room has also hosted folk/bluegrass music icons like Townes Van Zandt, Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, John Hiatt, Gillian Welch, Chris Thile, Patty Griffin, and many, many more.

The Cactus Cafe has come to be known as one of the premier acoustic listening rooms in the country. On any given night you can wander into the Cactus, and sit amongst a deathly-quiet crowd, while listening to some of the brightest songwriters around. In a town where live music is supposedly king, can we really stand for this? I love Austin, but at times live music here is treated like nothing more than background noise; much like a football game showing in a noisy bar would be treated. Cactus Cafe is one of the few places where audiences still truly "listen" to the music. Not only should we not not allow this horrible injustice to take place, but I would go as far as to say that Austin cannot afford to lose a place like Cactus Cafe if it truly wants to remain one of the great music cities in America.

As both an Austin-based songwriter and a University of Texas Alumnus, I am deeply saddened by this news, and am ashamed of both my city and my Alma mater if they allow this to happen.

-Jarrod Dickenson

Jarrod Dickenson's: Top 40 Albums of the Decade

2010-01-03T22:12:00.005-06:00

Hello friends,

I have decided to share this with you, as I figured you might get a kick out of it. I was inspired by a friend of mine to compile a list of my favorite albums that were released in the last 10 years. Now keep in mind, this is not an official list by any means, and these are not necessarily "the best" albums of the decade. These are simply MY favorite albums from the past 10 years that I listened to. I recommend that all of you make a list as well, and share it with the class so we can all "discover" a few artists that we did not know about!

(Obviously, "Ashes On The Ground" would be at the top of everyone's list, but in the spirit of fairness, I chose not to include myself on this list!)

Here goes:

40. This Old Road—Kris Kristofferson

--This is Kris Kristofferson's most recent album, and I fell in love with it for two reasons. One, it is so raw, and so sparse. There are only a few instruments on each song, usually just acoustic guitar, bass, drums, and maybe harmonica. A few of the songs are just Kris and his guitar. It is wonderful to hear this legendary songwriter playing these songs as if he were in your living room, sitting on your couch. Two, this is one of the last records that his longtime side-man, the late Stephen Bruton, worked on. The two make quite a team.

--Favorite Track: The Burden of Freedom

39. Eye to the Telescope—KT Tunstall

--This is my one secret "pop" indulgence on the list. KT Tunstall's sultry voice, linked up with nicely written, bluesy-pop songs with just a hint of grit, make for a perfect match. All of the songs on this record have great grooves, and you can't help but sing along.

--Favorite Track: Stoppin The Love

38. About Them Shoes—Hubert Sumlin

--Hubert Sumlin is responsible for the "guitar sound" that so many of the guitar-gods of the 60's and 70's copied. His work on Howlin' Wolf's records literally changed the way guitar players played. On this record, he was joined by many of those who were so inspired by his work, including Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Levon Helm, and more. This is a blues record through and through, and it is done by one of the all-time greats.

--Favorite Track: Long Distance Call

37. World Without Tears—Lucinda Williams

--Beautifully written folk-rock songs with an edge that only Lucinda Williams can bring to the table. Her raspy, almost-drunken drawl sucks you in, and doesn't let go until the record has stopped. A fantastic album.

--Favorite Track: Fruits of My Labor

36. Heritage of the Blues—Pinetop Perkins

--Pinetop Perkins is another blues legend. Currently 96 years old, he is the oldest living blues pianist of the Chicago/Mississippi Delta cats. He spent many years playing piano with the incomparable Muddy Waters, before becoming a solo artist. This record brings you back to the great blues of the 40's, 50's, and 60's.

--Favorite Track: How Long

35. Redemption Songs—Jars of Clay

--This record is a collection of old hymns that Jars of Clay decided to "re-vamp" into more modern sounding songs. They offer up some wonderful interpretations of these beautiful hymns.

--Favorite Track: It Is Well With My Soul

34. Back in the US Live—Paul McCartney

--How can you not love Paul McCartney performing live, songs from his days with The Beatles, Wings, and his solo career? It is incredible to listen to an artist who is still absolutely phenomenal after all those years.

--Favorite Track, Disc 1: Something
--Favorite Track, Disc 2: Hey Jude (you can hear the crowd singing along...)

33. Better Days (indie version)—Robbie Seay

--Robbie Seay has one of the coolest voices you'll ever hear, and he writes very beautiful and honest songs about God and faith.

--Favorite Track: Tasting Forgiveness

32. Riding with the King—B.B. King & Eric Clapton

--Eric Clapton teamed up with one of the true "kings" of the blues, B.B. King, and created one of the finest blues recordings in many years. Both artists sing and play guitar on the album, along with a host of other great blues players on drums, bass, keyboards, etc. It is such a treat to hear Eric Clapton play alongside one of his biggest influences.

--Favorite Track: Hold On! I'm Comin'

31. White Ladder—David Gray

--David Gray's fourth studio album, which was recorded entirely in his London apartment. Most of the sounds on the album are computer samples, which I am usually completely against, but somehow he makes it work. Great beats and entrancing songs.

-Favorite Track: This Year's Love

30. Impossible Dream—Patty Griffin

--Patty Griffin is one of those writers that you just instantly fall in love with. She is a great story-teller, and has a soulful voice that makes you believe she means what she is singing. You'll see her come up again on this list.

--Favorite Track: Top of the World

29. Hope and Desire—Susan Tedeschi

--Susan Tedeschi's voice will remind you of Aretha, Janis, and Bessie Smith. Her "Just Won't Burn" release was a blues-masterpiece. This record is a more acoustic-oriented record which shows off another side to her voice, and it doesn't hurt having her husband, Derek Trucks, playing slide guitar all over the record.

--Favorite Track: Lord Protect My Child

28. New and Approved—Monte Montgomery

--This is a live record that was recorded at the legendary Cactus Cafe in Austin, TX. It features just Monte Montgomery on acoustic guitar, and Phil Bass on drums. You will be absolutely stunned at the kind of sound that these two put out. Monte is an absolute genius on guitar, and Phil is the perfect compliment.

--Favorite Track: Romeo & Juliet

27. Parachutes--Coldplay

--Coldplay's debut album, which put them on the map. You can say that they copied U2 if you want, but in my opinion they brought a completely new sound to the world, and if they did in fact copy U2...they did it better than U2 could have ever dreamed of doing.

--Favorite Track: Everything's Not Lost

26. Turn Around—Jonny Lang

--Jonny Lang stunned the world in 1997, when he released "Lie To Me" at the age of 16. This "kid" was playing blues guitar like the most seasoned of veterans, and had a voice that simply COULD NOT be coming from a teenager...but it was. In 2006, after several years of drug and alcohol problems, Jonny found God, and recorded this gospel album. Still showing off his guitar prowess, and incredible vocal range, he sang songs of hope and freedom that he had found in Jesus.

--Favorite Track: Turn Around

25. Cold Roses—Ryan Adams

--In my opinion, Ryan Adams is one of the greatest and most prolific songwriters of this generation. In 2005 alone he put out three studio albums, all three of which are on this list. "Cold Roses" was the first of those releases, and was a double-album. It is simply incredible that an artist can put out such quality material at that kind of rate.

--Favorite Track, Disc 1: Now That You're Gone
--Favorite Track, Disc 2: Cold Roses

24. A Bigger Bang—The Rolling Stones

--One of the greatest "rock 'n' roll" bands of all time, The Rolling Stones are still able to put out a fantastic record of all-new material in their 60's. Incredible.

--Favorite Track: Back Of My Hand

23. Live From Austin, TX—Norah Jones

--This was recorded from Norah Jones' taping of Austin City Limits, and was released on vinyl only. She has such a great, smokey, old-time jazz kind of voice, and is a killer pianist. This record also happened to be mastered by Jerry Tubb at Terra Nova here in Austin, who also mastered my record!

--Favorite Track: Sinkin' Soon

22. Leap of Faith—Seth Walker

--Seth Walker is one of those rare current artists that makes you think that maybe, just maybe there are still some true bluesmen left out there. You'll see Seth's name again later in the list, but this is his most recent record. It was recorded in Nashville, and features a little bit of everything with mostly bluesy songs, but a couple leaning toward country, and a soul-surprise mixed in as well. My personal favorite sounds like a mixture of Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles!

--Favorite Track: I Got a Song

21. 9 Crimes—Damien Rice

--Damien Rice is the master of the sad-song-about-a-girl. This is his second studio album, and while it doesn't have quite the same weight that "0" has, it has some beautiful melodies, and melancholy lyrics that anyone who has ever been through a rough breakup can relate to. It also certainly doesn't hurt to have Lisa Hannigan singing along.

--Favorite Track: 9 Crimes

20. X&Y--Coldplay

--Coldplay's third studio release. Their sound continued to evolve, and became something out of this world on X&Y. This was actually the first Coldplay record I heard, and I was instantly struck by the fact that I had not heard anything like it. I simply couldn't think of anyone else that they sounded like...that in itself is an accomplishment.

--Favorite Track: A Message

19. Jacksonville City Nights—Ryan Adams

--The second of his three releases in 2005, "Jacksonville City Nights" sounds like all those great classic-country records (you know, before country music made you want to drive sharpened pencils into your eardrums). This record really shows his versatility as a writer.

--Favorite Track: September

18. Reasons Why—Nickel Creek

--The three core members of Nickel Creek, Chris Thile (mandolin), Sara Watkins (violin), and Sean Watkins (guitar), are three musical prodigies. Their modern-bluegrass songs got an entire generation interested in the genre that most likely would not have listened to bluegrass otherwise. I was actually turned onto Nickel Creek by my ex-girlfriend after taking her to their concert at Stubbs in Austin, TX (this is about the only good thing that came out of that relationship...other than folders and folders of my own sad songs, of course!) So in honor of the girl that got me listening to them, I think it is only fitting that my favorite track has the line "I hope you find someone your height, so you can see eye-to-eye with someone as small as you."...I'm not bitter...I swear!

--Favorite Track: Somebody More Like You

17. Seven Swans—Sufjan Stevens

--Sufjan Stevens is one of the most remarkable musicians I've ever seen. He plays almost every instrument known to man, and records them all on his records. This album is a collection of songs that he wrote, mostly dealing with his faith.

--Favorite Track: To Be Alone With You

16. Gossip in the Grain—Ray LaMontagne

--Ray LaMontagne is, in my opinion, the best current artist out there. I would rip out my vocal chords with my bare hands if I could trade with him, and his songs are timeless. You will see his name again on this list. This is his third release, and like his other two records, this one is produced by Ethan Johns.

--Favorite Track: Winter Birds

15. A Rush of Blood to the Head--Coldplay

--Coldplay's second release, and my personal favorite in their catalog.

--Favorite Track: The Scientist

14. Me and Mr. Johnson—Eric Clapton

--Eric Clapton decided to pay homage to his single-greatest influence, Robert Johnson. This collection of Johnson's songs is stunning. Clapton and company certainly do them justice. If you love blues, and even if you don't, you'll love this record.

--Favorite Track: Kind Hearted Woman Blues

13. The Man Comes Around—Johnny Cash

--Johnny Cash began recording "The American Recordings" late in his life with producer Rick Rubin. There were 5 total records released in the series. "The Man Comes Around" was number IV. In my opinion, these records are some of the best that he ever recorded. They are dark, heavy, and penetrating. Cash's voice is haunting, and you can hear him struggling for breath at times (even more so on "V").

-Favorite Track: Hurt

12. Greetings From Michigan—Sufjan Stevens

--Another simply incredible album by Sufjan Stevens. It is hard to believe that he played as many instruments on this record as he did.

--Favorite Track: For The Widows in Paradise, For The Fatherless in Ypsilanti

11. 1000 Kisses—Patty Griffin

--Another great Patty album. These songs are truly heartbreaking, and only Patty Griffin could deliver them in a way that does them justice.

--Favorite Track: Mil Besos (she's singing in Spanish!)

10. 29—Ryan Adams

--Ryan's third release of 2005. In this record, you can hear Adams struggling to deal with his own drug addictions, failed relationships, and trying to figure out how to fight his demons. This album is so dark at times that it is scary, but there is something beautiful about an artist being so painfully honest. For this album he teamed back up with producer Ethan Johns (who produced his first two records). Good choice.

--Favorite Track: Elizabeth, You Were Born To Play That Part

9. Thirteens—Leona Naess

--I first heard Leona Naess at a Ray LaMontagne concert at The Paramount Theater in Austin, TX. Naess was the opener for that tour. She blew me away. She has a captivating, sexy voice. She writes really great, witty songs, and she is actually worthy of opening for Ray LaMontagne (which is saying a lot).

--Favorite Track: Shiny On The Inside

8. Gold—Ryan Adams

--Ryan Adams' second solo album. He said that he wanted this album to sound like you were listening to a classic rock radio station, but all the songs were his songs. This record has it all. I can't even begin to describe everything that this record has to offer, so I simply say "go buy it".

--Favorite Track: Sylvia Plath

7. Seth Walker—Seth Walker

--This was the first album that I bought when I moved to Austin, TX, and it has remained in constant rotation ever since. It is the best blues album I have heard this decade. Seth's voice is incredible, and his guitar playing sounds like a mix of T-Bone Walker and B.B. King. A fun side note, the keyboard player on this record, Stefano Intelisano, ended up recording keys on my album. Funny how things come full-circle.

--Favorite Track: 2' Left To The Ceiling

6. Sea Sew—Lisa Hannigan

--Lisa Hannigan got her start as "the girl that sings with Damien Rice". I don't know of a female folk artist whose voice I like better. She writes amazing songs that are so refreshingly different from anything else you've heard recently, and it doesn't hurt that she's gorgeous. I desperately want to marry this girl so she can sing me to sleep every night. So Lisa, if you are reading this, which I'm sure you are, because I know you are a die-hard Jarrod Dickenson fan, will you marry me? (Please say "yes")

--Favorite Track: Teeth

5. Trouble—Ray LaMontagne

--Ray LaMontagne's debut album, released in 2004. Ray hooked up with Ethan Johns (who liked Ray's stuff so much that he waived his producer's fee just to work with him!), and they created this. Ray's powerful, raw voice tears away at your soul. These simple, yet perfect songs leave other folk songwriters wondering how in the world they will ever be able to write "songs like that".

--Favorite Track: Burn

4. 0—Damien Rice

--Damien Rice's debut album. Pure and simple. Heartbreaking songs about a girl. You can't help, but listen to this album, and picture whoever broke your heart. I absolutely love the elements of this record...acoustic guitar, cello, piano, brushes, etc...(A side note: this would not be the same record without Lisa Hannigan singing with Damien)

--Favorite Track: Volcano

3. Heartbreaker—Ryan Adams

--Ryan Adams' debut solo album. This record is so raw, and the songs are so honest and open. Ryan's voice has a gritty edge to it that somehow got lost on later records. This is a true "folk" record. This record caught the attention of Elton John, who fell in love with Adams (in a completely non-sexual way!). This is the first Ryan Adams record I heard, and it caused me to go out, and buy every other record he put out in a matter of a couple of months (which is about 10 records).

--Favorite Track: Oh My Sweet Carolina (Emmylou Harris singing backup vocals)

2. Raising Sand—Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

--Produced by T-Bone Burnett, this is one of the best albums I've ever heard. The band is perfect (Jay Bellerose on drums, Marc Ribot on guitar, David Crouch on upright bass, etc.), and Plant and Krauss mesh so incredibly well together. You have to buy this record.

--Favorite Track: Polly Come Home

1. Till the Sun Turns Black—Ray LaMontagne

--Ray LaMontagne's second album. This album may be the "best sounding" record I've ever heard. The sounds are perfect. It was produced by Ethan Johns, and recorded at the now closed Allaire Studios in upstate New York. The songs are heavy, sincere, and meaningful. You can hear that Ray is truly working through his own problems, and demons. This is a masterpiece.

--Favorite Track: Empty

I hope y'all enjoyed the list, and reading the commentary on each record. I would love to read your comments, and again, I encourage you to make a list as well. It would be a blast to compare notes on music from this past decade!

Peace,
JD

5...4...3...2...1...(fill in blank)

2010-01-03T21:09:00.004-06:00

Hello kids,

Well, another year has come and gone. 2009 is no more, and so ends the first decade of the 2000's (I will refer to this decade as "the aughts").

It has been a wild ride. Many of my own personal "milestones" have happened in this decade. For instance, I started and finished high school. I started college. I moved away from home, and lived alone for the first time in my life. I started writing songs. I fell deeply in love, and had my heart severely broken. I started writing more songs. I finished college with a degree from The University of Texas. I recorded and released my first album. I wholeheartedly thrust myself into the life of a struggling artist. And the decade ended.

This particular year has been a very full year for me. I really started putting all of my efforts into playing as many gigs as possible, writing more songs, traveling, and everything that comes with working to build a career in music. It has truly been an eye-opening experience. I am now much wiser to the fact that "making it" in this business is far from easy, and that many people out there, for one reason or another, will try their best to hold you back. I have also learned that there are an equal number of people out there that will love and support you in your efforts. It truly is a "community" that you enter into when you become a performing artist. We all struggle, but we do it together.

On a personal level, this year has been one of trying to overcome things. If you have read this blog for any length of time, you know that 2008 was a very dark year for me, and much of that did carry over to 2009. Depression has still reigned king for much of this year, though I do feel like I am at least moving into a better direction. I do have some days now where I feel "okay" for the entire day. That was not something I could say in 2008. So there may actually be a light at the end of the tunnel. The question is just, "how long is the tunnel?".

Aside from my own lingering depression, my whole family was struck by the struggles that my 88 year-old grandfather has been facing. There were many times this year that we were not sure if he would make it through the night. This was extremely difficult for us to take, because my grandfather has been the cornerstone of our family for many years. Our hope was that he would at least be able to make it to another Christmas, as Christmas has always been the most important, and joyous day in our family for as long as I can remember. He fought extremely hard, and is doing fairly well for the time being. This meant that he got to spend another Christmas with us, which is without a doubt the best gift any one of us could have asked for. He is by far the greatest, and strongest man I have ever known. He has taught me so much over the years simply by the way he has lived his life, and if I can become half the man he is, I will consider my life to have been a great success.

I think that about wraps up the year's happenings. 2010 should have many exciting things to offer. So I will be sure to keep you all posted (sorry for the long breaks between posts here recently). I hope your new year has gotten off to a good start. Here's to hoping that 2010 treats us all a little better than 2009 (even if 2009 treated you well!).

Peace,
JD

Wait...you're going BACK???

2009-12-02T21:50:00.002-06:00

Hello friends,

It has been a while since our last meeting. I have much to say, but so little time to say it in...You see, I am packing for yet another trip...yes, another trip to New York...

I realize that I still have not told you anything of the most recent trip to that wonderful little island. So here goes.

The trip last month turned into somewhat of a family-affair. Not only did my musical family join me on this excursion, but my immediate family did as well. This trip consisted of myself, Chris Jacobie (bass), Fred Mandujano (drums), Dale Dickenson (father), Teresa Dickenson (mother), Zoe Jacobie (bassist's mother), Hollis Jacobie (bassist's father), and Melendy Mathis (bassist's fiancee). If that weren't enough, we met up with Steven & Janet King (bassist's Uncle & Aunt), who live in NYC. And in the words of the late Billy Mays, "BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!!". Our long-lost cellist, Miss Caitlin Bailey, also came down from Purchase, NY to make sweet music with us. So you see, it was just a good ole' fashioned family-jamboree.

We played two shows this trip. The first being on Saturday, November 7 at The Living Room in Manhattan's Lower East Side. For those of you who are not familiar, The Living Room is widely known as "New York City's best acoustic listening room". Translation: the sound is immaculate. We all agreed that none of us had ever played in a room with such pristine sound. On top of that, the crowd actually listened to the music (as opposed to screaming in the ear of the person next to them, as to be heard over the background music). It was a true delight. The second show was on Sunday, November 8 at Zebulon in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The atmosphere of this show could not have been more different than the night before. The sound was mediocre at best compared to The Living Room. The room itself was dark, and somewhat dirty. But a funny thing happened; those people listened too! The show was fantastic. The people running the club could not have been better to work with, and we left feeling like we had just played two of our most successful shows to date. We could not have asked for more on the music side.

On Monday night my father, mother, Chris, and myself all went to The Beacon Theatre to see Ray LaMontagne in concert. The thing that made this show so special was that Ray was solo. Just he, and his guitar. You could hear a pin drop. It was one of those shows that you had to remind yourself to breathe after each song, and Beacon Theatre is one of the most beautiful rooms I've ever been in. What a night.

As for the rest of the trip, what can I say? We were in New York. Home of the best pizza, bagels, hot dogs, and cheesecake in the world. And the city, oh the city. It has a personality all its own. If you have never been to New York, you won't understand, but this place has a pulse. Just walking down the streets alone at night, you can feel it. There is no place like it.

That brings me back to my initial statement of "I'm going back". As fate would have it, a gentleman that runs a monthly songwriter showcase at Caffe Vivaldi was playing after us at The Living Room that night. He heard our set, and asked me if I would like to participate in the songwriter night sometime. I of course said "Absolutely, I'd love to." So here we are. I am leaving tomorrow morning to head back up to NYC, and will be playing a solo show at Googie's Lounge (above The Living Room) Friday, December 4, and on Saturday I will be joining Andy Mac at his songwriter showcase at Caffe Vivaldi. I could not be more excited about my return trip, and look forward to sharing the details with you when I arrive back in Austin. Until then...

JD

"Start Spreadin' the News..."

2009-11-01T21:51:00.003-06:00

Dear New York,

We have only a few more days until we are at last reunited, and oh, how I've longed to see you again. These last several months seemed to drag on as we have been apart. Why do we continue to do this to one another? When will we give into our desires, and choose to be together always? Soon I hope. Soon. However, until that glorious day comes we will have to continue to make the most of these beautiful, yet all too brief visits. Goodnight my dear New York. May these next few days fly swiftly by.

Yours,
JD

Ol' Blue Eyes...

2009-09-08T20:35:00.008-05:00

I have recently become completely enamored with the music, style, and life of Frank Sinatra. I have appreciated his voice for many years, but that was where it ended. In the last few months however, I have purchased countless records and Cd's of his, watched his films, and read as much as I could find about him. It is fascinating.

Let me begin with what makes everything else even worth talking about; his music. Frank Sinatra was one of those rare singers that could say more with his voice than an entire orchestra could say with their instruments (though the two combined is nothing less than magical). I have never heard anyone who had as much control over their voice as he did. He could do anything he wanted with his vocal chords, but the thing that strikes me the most is just how much emotion is wrapped in each note. It can bring you to tears. Albums like "In The Wee Small Hours", "Only The Lonely", "No One Cares", and many more are altogether beautiful, and heartbreaking at the same time. Those are the kind of records that you have to keep reminding yourself to breathe when listening to them.

Now Frank was not a songwriter. This was not uncommon in that day. In fact, most singers did not write their own material. In the past I have been very critical of artists who do not write their own music. But there is something different about Sinatra. He owned every song he ever sang. By that, I mean that he put everything he had into them. You can hear it in his voice. His heart is truly in the words he is singing. He was also extremely particular about the songs that he recorded. I watched an interview with him and Clive James where he said "There have been many times when I've had a recording session, and the material is brought in, and my God, you read some of the lyrics and say "no, no, I don't want to say that", because it is so shallow..." Sinatra wasn't just after the cheesy hit tunes. He wanted quality material. Real material. Songs that meant something.

One of the other things that makes his music so incredible are the arrangements. The orchestration behind the songs is just beautiful. The strings, the horns, the rhythm section...these are not easy things to coordinate. A poor arrangement could have made the best Sinatra vocal take sound bad. This just shows that even the very best need to be surrounded by other "bests" in their field. Nelson Riddle was responsible for many of Sinatra's finest records, and he was simply amazing at arranging the music to fit Frank's sound, his style, his emotion.

Frank Sinatra's "style" is another thing that made him one-of-a-kind. Frank Sinatra IS cool. Here was a man that knew how to dress for success. Everywhere he went, there was a good chance that he would stand out due to his style, but he was never flashy. His style was one of constant, yet subtle classiness. However, it wasn't just his attire that made him who he was. It was his demeanor. His confidence. His swagger.

For some reason today it seems like everyone who acts tries to sing, and everyone who sings tries to act (and some merely try at both). Because I have grown up in this era, I expected Sinatra to be no exception. I figured he would be the worst actor to ever make his way to the silver screen, but I was wrong. He was a fantastic actor. Films like "The Manchurian Candidate", and "Oceans Eleven" were phenomenal films. He was truly a multi-talented entertainer.

The more I learn about Frank Sinatra as a man, the more I am intrigued. But the more I hear his music, the more in love with it I fall. Being a songwriter/musician myself, I wish I could say that there was music that compared to his being made today, and to some extent, though very different than his music, there are some artists out there that are very worth listening to. But there are very few, if any that can truly match up to Ol' Blue Eyes...

Peace,
JD

July...(these months keep going by faster)

2009-07-30T00:48:00.006-05:00

Greetings friends,

It seems like every time I turn around, another month has come and gone. Time to get you brought up to speed...

July has been a great month for us musically, and otherwise for five reasons:

1.) We kicked off the month by playing a July 4th show at Momo's with none other than Seth Walker. Seth is one of the greatest blues singers/guitarists that you will ever have the privilege of seeing. On top of that, he is about as good-of-a-guy as you could hope to meet as well. What a thrill it was to share a bill with him.

2.) We played The Saxon Pub for the first time. Saxon is quickly becoming my favorite room in town to play. It is a very intimate-feeling environment, where people come to listen to music (imagine that...they come to LISTEN to music!).

3.) We actually got a nice, and much needed, break from playing right in the middle of the month. This gave us a chance to recharge the batteries a bit, and get real excited about playing the upcoming shows.

4.) I got to see Charlie Faye (the lovely singer-songwriter, and former New Yorker), and Bettysoo (the equally as lovely, though not former New Yorker) play at Saxon, and I highly recommend you all running out to see them both as soon as possible.

5.) Wait...I guess I only had four...

We have some very exciting things coming up for you in August. We will be playing three shows at Saxon Pub, and all three are going to be shows that you won't want to miss. The first of the three is on Saturday, August 1 at 12:30am after Walt Wilkins. Then we are back again on Saturday the 15th at 11pm, and closing the month out on Sunday the 30th with a free matinee show at 3:00pm (this one is open to all ages). In the middle of all those dates we have some other fine treats for you. On Friday, August 7 we will be playing at Momo's with Matt McCloskey and David Ramirez. And possibly most exciting of all is on Thursday, August 27. We will be playing at Threadgill's, opening for Bob Schneider's Texas Bluegrass Massacre! Come to as many of these shows as you can. I promise you won't regret it!

We also have several great YouTube videos up on our own YouTube Channel. Check it out!
Peace,
JD

June...Music and Fine Hats!

2009-06-28T18:42:00.006-05:00

Hello friends,

This month seemed to blow by before it even got started. I cannot believe we only have 2 days left in June. We have been fairly busy this month, and have loved every minute of it. Momo's has again been our home-base. We have played there every Monday in June (tomorrow being the final Monday night show). Our good friend, Matt McCloskey, has opened up each week, so the shows have been an absolute blast. We also played at The Amsterdam here in Austin for the first time, and thoroughly enjoyed that venue as well. It has a great sounding room, and a good vibe.

We have had a pretty steady lineup each week with Chris Jacobie on upright bass, the lovely Miss Caitlin Bailey on cello, Brian Marshall on electric guitars and banjo, and myself. I really love playing music with this group of musicians. They are all not only great players, but really cool people to be around (always a huge plus). Sadly, Caitlin will only be with us for a few more weeks before she moves up to Purchase, NY to get her masters in cello performance. She has been a huge part of this band over the last couple of months, and we are very sad to see her go, but also very excited for her at the same time. And for a little silver lining, now every time we go up to New York, we'll have a great cellist to play with us!

July promises to be another great month for us. We are playing at Momo's for two Monday night shows (July 6th and 27th) at 9:45pm. We are also playing there on the 4th of July before Seth Walker! We go on at 9:30pm, and Seth will follow at 11pm. We could not be more excited about this show. Seth is one of the best artists in Austin (or Texas for that matter), and we are absolutely thrilled to be sharing a bill with him. With their rooftop deck, great for watching fireworks, and the great tunes coming from us and Seth, you won't want to be anywhere else on the 4th!

In other news...I got a new hat! It is no secret that I love fedoras like men wore everyday throughout the 40's and 50's. I finally decided to have one made especially for me. There is a place in Waco, TX called "Standard Hat Works" that has been around since 1909, and has been the hat store for countless musicians, politicians, as well as the everyday Joe. I had them make me a gray fedora with a black band that is almost identical to the hat that Humphrey Bogart wore in "The Maltese Falcon"! I think I may be more excited about this hat than I was when I had my guitars made (then again, maybe not...but close!). If you want a fine hat...go to Standard Hat Works!

OK, I've rambled for far too long. I'll keep you kids up to date. Come to the show on the 4th!

Peace,
JD

Momo's in May

2009-05-25T18:05:00.005-05:00

This month has been a lot of fun. We've started playing at Momo's every Wednesday night, immediately following Dan Dyer. So not only do we get to play each week, we also get to hear Dan Dyer play right before us!

We have done a lot of experimenting with the band set-up at these shows, and I think we have come up with a winning combination. We have Chris Jacobie playing the big upright bass and singing harmonies, Todd Pertll is playing his wild assortment of instruments (pedal-steel, banjo, etc.), the lovely Miss Caitlin Bailey is bringing us all to tears with her cello playing, and I am in heaven right in the middle of these people. These shows have also given me the opportunity to start playing some of the "post-album songs", which has been a lot of fun.

Momo's is such a great venue. The sound is good, the venue itself is great with the balcony that overlooks the Austin skyline, and the people couldn't be any nicer. You should really come join us.

Stay tuned for news about June. It is looking like we will be playing the same day/time.

Peace,
JD

CD Release Party, Continued...

2009-04-14T00:23:00.002-05:00

I feel as though in my excitement, I may have left a few things out about the night. Not necessarily physical details, but the more internal part of what went on that night...

As many of you know from either knowing me personally, or having read this blog for any length of time, the months during which this album was being recorded were some of the most trying times I have faced to date. The album itself tells the story of a time in my life that takes place before a major relationship began, life during the relationship itself, and of course, the aftermath. Not only was I dealing with the stress of making my first album, but I was also experiencing a very dark depression for the first time in my life. My faith, along with just about everything else in my life was completely turned upside down.

I dealt with this new found depression the only way I knew how...I wrote. Which would explain not only many of the songs that made the album, but also the about 40-or-so other songs that have come since then. My one hope was that when all this was said and done, that maybe, just maybe something I wrote about, and sang about, would mean something to someone else. That someone listening in would maybe be able to say, "Yeah, I feel that too...wow, I guess I'm not alone". Songs like "Skin Deep", "Charlotte, My Dear", "I Need You Here", songs with so much pain and emotion tucked deep inside the words and melodies...maybe those songs would hit home with someone else who has been through similar times. And songs like "Hope Is Rising", well maybe those same people would hear that and say, "Wow, so even in the midst of all this garbage that is going on in my life, there is still hope, because there is a God who cares". That is what I wanted so badly with this album, partly so that I could feel like there was a reason I went through it. Whether or not any of that actually happens is not really up to me, and if it does happen, it is certainly not because of me. I think that I am just now beginning to realize that again. And now that I can step back and see it from the outside looking in, I realize just how little I have had to do with any of this.

So I think at the CD Release, I was finally able to let go of a lot of the weight that those songs had been carrying. I was finally able to say "Here it is. This is who I am, and what I've been through...and it's OK." Does that mean that I don't still think about things from time to time? Do I no longer relive those moments when I sing those songs? No. I do. But now it can end when the song is over. And even though there is still pain, and hurting, it is a good kind of pain, because it is a pain that I can share with others along with the warmth of knowing that there is still hope. It is amazing just how much we can ignore God, yet all the while He is still right there...

Peace,
JD

CD Release Party

2009-04-12T21:46:00.002-05:00

So Friday night was the official CD Release Party for my debut album, "Ashes On The Ground", at Momo's here in Austin, and I must say it was an absolute dream.

We had a fantastic turnout. I couldn't believe how many folks came out to show their support. The show went really well. James Duvall was behind the soundboard, so we knew we were in good hands from the start. We had a killer band on stage. The one-and-only Phil Bass was holding it down on drums. Stefano Intelisano, who played on the record, played keyboards. Caitlin Bailey, who played cello on the record, also joined us. And of course, Chris and I were there as well. It was such a thrill for me to play with that group of musicians. Not only are they all incredible players, but they are some of the coolest people I know. There was a great energy on stage all night.

We played the entire album, in order, from start to finish. The only time we strayed from the album list was when I broke a string during "Goodbye Annie Baby". So while I re-tuned my other guitar, the band played a little "broken-string jam"...which of course was incredible! The musical highlight for me had to be when we played "Charlotte, My Dear". Between Caitlin's beautiful cello, Stefano's piano, and Phil's tasteful percussion...I almost started to tear up mid-tune. I absolutely love playing with these musicians.

It was such a special night for me, and for Chris. We were finally able to share with everyone all of the hard work that we had put in over the last year in the making of this album. This was the payoff.

And to top it all off, the owner of Momo's happened to be at the club that night, and she loved it. So it looks like we are going to start playing there every week! I don't know that this night could have gone any better.

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to show your support. I truly appreciate it. It meant the world to me to have you there.

Much love,

Jarrod

Dallas...the city, not the show.

2009-04-05T02:08:00.003-05:00

It is currently 2:10am. I just arrived back home to my apartment in Austin after a quick trip up to Dallas. Chris decided to make the trip alongside me, which made it more enjoyable than the law should allow.

We left Austin Friday night around 7:00pm, and drove to his folks' place in Dallas, where we spent the night. We were immediately greeted by a plate a freshly-baked oatmeal cookies that Mrs. Jacobie left out for us (now this is how all traveling for gigs should be!). This afternoon we all went to lunch at this great Italian market/deli called "Jimmy's" that has been there for years. Great start to the day. Chris and I then went on a vinyl-hunt. We stopped at this enormous Half Price Books. Chris picked up several records that he had been looking for. Sadly, all the albums that I am currently searching for were nowhere to be found. After that we headed to the legendary "Bill's Records". This place was supposedly the vinyl mecca. Well let me just say this, I sincerely hope that I never darken the doorstep at this place ever again in my lifetime. Yes, they had thousands of records...probably some of the ones that I was looking for, but it was the most disorganized place I have ever laid eyes on. It would take you weeks to find anything there. Chris and I were so frustrated that we just left. Even if they did have what we were looking for, neither of us felt like supporting such a lousy place with our hard-earned money.

The reason for the trip (minus just hanging out with my best friend) was to play tonight at Opening Bell Coffee. O.B.C. was a really cool venue. The place had a great vibe. The people were nice, the sound system was probably the best I've seen in a coffee shop. It was great fun. I got the chance to see some old friends, play music, and enjoy the road with my best friend...this is the life!

Peace,
JD

March...

2009-03-30T01:05:00.003-05:00

Hello friends,

We haven't spoken since I returned from New York a little over a month ago. So I thought I should bring you up to date on the life and times of...myself...

I have played a few solo-acoustic shows. Nothing major, but enjoyable all the same. I have written a couple new tunes...one about NY (or rather a girl that I saw on a subway...), the other about the Great Depression...

I am currently on a huge John Steinbeck kick. What an amazing writer. I started with "Grapes of Wrath", which completely blew me away, and then read "Of Mice and Men", and was equally blown away. I am currently finishing up "The Winter of our Discontent", which has been yet another jewel. I have "East of Eden", "Tortilla Flat", "The Red Pony", and "The Pearl" all waiting in the wings. Man, I really love reading these days. I never wanted to read as a kid. I was always outside playing sports, or wasting my life away in front of the television...funny how things change...

I have become extremely New York-sick over the last month. I have literally looked at apartments in Manhattan every day on craigslist since arriving back home. What a city...

What I am most excited about at the moment is the upcoming CD Release Party for "Ashes On The Ground". It will be held at Momo's Club in downtown Austin (618 W. 6th St.) on Friday, April 10th at 7:00pm. We are going to have an incredible group of musicians playing that night with me, and we are going to play the entire album from start to finish live. It will be a very special night. So please come help us celebrate, and bring a friend or two!

There are a few other exciting things on the horizon, but I will fill you in on those details a little later...that is about all for now my beautiful friends.

Peace,
JD

...oh yeah, and I got older somewhere in there too...hip hip hooray...

New York '09:Day 5 1/2--Back to Austin

2009-02-26T00:46:00.002-06:00

Well, I am now back home in my apartment in Austin. I had the pleasure of dealing with more flight delays this evening (don't fly American Airlines...)

I must admit, part of me was glad to see the UT Tower when my plane was landing in Austin, but a much bigger part of me is very sad to have left New York. Manhattan is like no other place I know, and I fall more in love with it every moment I spend there. It is like one big community of 'loners', that city. Maybe that is why I love it so...All I know is, I had a fantastic time these past 6 days, and cannot wait to go back (possibly with my belongings in tow)...

But for now, I am here. Hello Austin. Good to see you again. Lets be friends...

Peace,

New York '09:Day 5

2009-02-24T20:13:00.005-06:00

Hello my beloved readers,

Today was my last full day in the city, so I tried to make the most of it in my own little way...

First for the weather. Today's temperature stayed around 33* all day, with a wind chill in the mid 20s, and the sun was out and shining.

I spent the majority of the afternoon in Central Park. The park is one of my favorite places on earth. It is so peaceful, and beautiful. I could spend hours there everyday...and did several days this week. Today, I started at Central Park East, around 83rd, and finally left the park a few hours later at 6th Ave. at the southern tip of the park. There were no Sinatra songs being sung today; just taking in my surroundings.

After the park, I met up with Tim Simpson, one of the leaders at Gallery Church for coffee in Chelsea. It was great catching up with him, and hearing about their church, and all that is happening in the city.

After coffee, I headed back toward my hotel. Now, I haven't really written much about my hotel here. I am staying at Hotel 91. Hotel 91 claims to be right on the edge of the Lower East Side, and near Chinatown. They are not near Chinatown. They are right smack in the middle of Chinatown. Now as fantastic as it is getting to smell the sweet aroma of dead fish every morning on the way to the subway, there are actually 2 great things about staying at this hotel. Number 1: I am an absolute giant walking down these streets! The local residents in this community come up to mid torso on me. It is quite comical! Number 2: My hotel is literally a few hundred yards from the East River, right below the Manhattan Bridge. (Side note, when booking my hotel room several months back, they had a spot to make special requests...I requested a room away from Manhattan Bridge, because I had read reviews that the noise from the bridge is annoying. What did I get? A window that is no more than 30 feet from the bridge!)

Anyway, so this evening I took full advantage of plus number two, and headed down to the water's edge to watch the sun set over the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. Simply Gorgeous. I really love this city...it saddens me to have to leave...

Once it was dark, I headed back uptown to the Chelsea area for dinner. There is a place on 26th street & 6th Ave called Hill Country BBQ that I have been hearing a lot about. It is a barbecue market/music venue that is supposed to be paying tribute to the barbecue/music of Austin, TX. Seth Walker, Bruce Robison, and several other Austinites have played there recently, and have come back saying that the barbecue isn't too bad. So, I decided to give it a shot...and I have to admit, it was pretty good. The atmosphere was great. I felt like I was back home a day early, and the brisket really was good stuff. Now am I going to sit here and say that it was the best BBQ I've ever had? Of course not. You'll never find that in NYC. But, if you are in Manhattan, and get a craving for Texas-style BBQ, this place is more than acceptable. I even had a Lone Star beer...Lone Star in New York!

Well that is about it for my last full day here...I fly out of La Guardia at 4:05pm, so I'll have the morning to spend in the city again tomorrow...

See y'all soon.

Peace,

New York '09:Day 4

2009-02-24T02:59:00.004-06:00

Hello once again,

Today was another fabulous day here in New York City. The temperature never rose above freezing, and the winds were gusting at about 15mph. Now I know that most of you probably think that the second sentence makes the first sentence a sarcastic one...But it doesn't. The weather here is great. I could have done without the wind, but come on people...this is how winter is supposed to be, not 83* in February!!

Any who...I slept in a little this morning as to try and fight off the approaching cold, and I think it worked. Thank you to all who were praying for my voice. It held out just fine. It definitely was not 100%, but it was workable. So I just had to steer clear of a couple of songs, and all was well...

My day began with another trip into The Village. This go around I ate lunch at Joe's Pizza (right next door to Bagels On The Square). I don't feel the need to explain how amazing New York pizza is, because you probably already know. And if you don't know...well, let me put it this way...once you found out how amazing REAL pizza is, and how inferior the pizza you grew up with is...you would want to drive over to your neighborhood Pizza Hut, and scream at the top of your lungs "STOP MAKING THIS GARBAGE!!!"

Anyway, after my slice, and a little exploring around NYU campus, I headed back uptown toward the park. Along the way I ran into Arnold Hatters, a nice hat shop on 8th Ave. So of course, I stopped in, and left with a great "Sinatra-Style" Stetson fedora (pictured above).

Once I reached Central Park, already feeling a little like Frank Sinatra in my new hat, I decided to just go ahead and sing a little Sinatra while taking my stroll. "Start spreadin' the news, I'm leaving today. I want to be a part of it, New York, New York. These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray, right through the very heart of it, New York, New York..." You get the picture. Sure, I got a few strange looks, but hey I get those everyday anyway...might as well be for singing Sinatra in Central Park to no one but the trees and squirrels.

After my concert in Central Park, I headed back to Greenwich Village to stop off at this pastry shop I found last year, Rocco's. Now since I know what this does to all of you back home, I want to describe in detail the cheesecake I had. It was the "fresh fruit cheesecake", which is: Traditional New York style cheesecake with whole strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and kiwi, all sitting on this thin layer of orange jam. Incredible! (I'm going to have to go on the finger-in-throat diet when I get home...)

OK, on to the important stuff, the music. I headed up to Ludlow Street around 9:15pm to Googie's Lounge (above the Living Room), where I played tonight. The show went well...my voice held out...gained a couple of fans...Clay (the musician I hung out with last night) came to the show tonight...really not a lot else to say about that...

Setlist:

1. Evil Woman
2. So I Cry
3. Bravery (A Bottle of Gin)
4. You Can't Be Two People
5. Goodbye Annie Baby
6. Skin Deep
7. Walkin' in Central Park
8. Little Black Dress
9. Seasons Change

After the show, Clay and I headed over to the famous Sidewalk Cafe, where they were having an open mic night. It turned out that this guy, Lach, was hosting the open mic. Lach is somewhat of a legend in the NYC folk scene. He booked/managed sidewalk cafe for 15 years, nurtured people like Regina Spektor into their careers, and created the "antifolk". He was terribly funny toward the open-mic'ers. And at the end of the night, he got up and did his own set. The first few tunes were his own new songs that he was working on for an upcoming album...but then he started taking themes from people in the audience, and writing songs on the spot about whatever the subject at hand was. Now I've heard people do this. I've even done this...but his songs actually sounded like legitimate songs. They sounded rehearsed, polished....good. It was incredible.

Anyway, that is about it for day 4 (even though it is 4:30am as I write this...city that never sleeps...)

Talk to you tomorrow...my last full day in paradise...

Peace,
JD

New York '09:Day 3

2009-02-22T20:48:00.004-06:00

Greetings all...

Today was a good day. Days like today remind me of how much I love this city, and how much I would love to live here...

It started off with attending the morning service at Gallery Church. The Gallery Church is a church here in Manhattan that was started a few years ago, and is very community oriented. I met one of their leaders, Tim Simpson, a few years back in Atlanta, and have visited the church once before in 2007. They have a Sunday morning service in the Upper West Side, and a night service in Chelsea. The UWS service, which meets at PS9 on 83rd & Columbus, consists mostly of families and such, but there are some college students mixed in as well. The Chelsea service is made up of artists, musicians, etc. I attended the UWS service, because I knew I would be tied up tonight. The great thing about Gallery is how much they do for NYC. For instance: Chelsea is not only the artsy district, but also has the highest population of gays and lesbians per capita in the United States. So Gallery often sets up free AIDS testing days for the people of that community. Gallery also has an annual Easter egg hunt in Central Park that literally thousands of people come to each year with their children (keep in mind that this is a church that only sees about 50-100 folks at each service...small church, big service). Anyway, so I went to the service, and met some great people. Several of them are telling me to stop "thinking about it", and just move up here...they are probably right...

After the service, I decided to walk through the park to the Upper East Side; taking little detours here and there, as to really take in the park. I absolutely adore Central Park. It is simply breathtaking, and so incredibly peaceful...

Once I came out of the park on the Upper East Side, I headed over to the living landmark, Lexington Candy Shop, for some lunch. LCS opened in 1925, and hasn't changed much over the years. It is still family owned and operated, and still serves the same basic menu. Lunch there was fantastic. I had the best tuna sandwich I've ever tasted. I know what you are thinking..."come on Jarrod, a tuna sandwich? What could possibly be so great about a tuna sandwich?" I know, but I'm telling you, this thing was incredible. They are also famous for their root-beer floats...so I had to have one!

After lunch, I walked back toward 5th Ave and the park, and went to The Met. I fell in love with this museum last year, and had to come back for more. I spent a good 2 hours walking through it today; going to the American Wing, the Egyptian Wing, and the Roman/Greek Wing. I am convinced that you could spend an entire week there, and still not even scratch the surface of The Met.

After the museum, I walked down Lexington for 20 or so blocks...just getting to know the area, and then headed back to the hotel.

Tonight I met up with the friend-of-a-mutual friend's-son, and had dinner. He is also a musician, and has been living in the city for around 5 or 6 years. I got to ask him many of the questions that have been holding me back from packing my things, and moving up here, such as "How do you afford to live here?", "What is the music scene like?", etc, etc. We ate at Lombardi's. Lombardi's was literally the first pizza place in America. It started out as a grocery store that served this little dish that only people from Italy knew about, and like so many times throughout history...what starts in New York, blows up, and takes the world by storm. It is still in its original location, and I must say...it was pretty stinking good pizza. Definitely the best I've had in the city. (which means best I've had period.)

We then headed over to Rockwood Music Hall (another one of the clubs in the Lower East Side). It is a tiny, tiny room, but has a very cool vibe. This is definitely another place I would like to play.

Then I decided to call it a night. Although I absolutely love the weather here, my body is a little upset that I took it out of the dry, mid 70s weather, and thrust it into the wet, mid 30s weather on such short notice. I am starting to feel a cold coming on...which is not good news. My throat is already in pretty bad shape, so I am hoping that if I get a lot of sleep tonight, that it will hold out through my show tomorrow night...

All in all, I'd say the trip is going well. I am learning a lot about what it would be like to reside here...what the music scene is like...etc. And you know, it is strange how at home I feel here. You usually don't say that about a place you have visited 4 times in your life, but I really do feel at home in New York. Not in the sense that I know where everything is, and can get around quickly. No, I still have to look at my subway map before leaving my hotel, and say "OK, so I catch the B or the D at Grand St, stop at West 4th, transfer to the A, C, or E.....etc". But I feel so at peace here. This city seems to calm me down. Don't get me wrong, I love Austin, and I will be happy to see her when I get home...but Austin, you may be losing one for the long haul...

Peace,

New York '09:Day 2

2009-02-21T21:38:00.005-06:00

Greetings friends,

As promised, I am writing in order to keep you wonderful people up-to-date on the happenings of this little adventure of mine. So here goes: Day 2...

After sleeping in a little bit this morning (long day yesterday...), I made my way over to The Village. I was a man on a mission. You see, last year, Chris and I found this amazing bagel place in Greenwich Village, and I have been craving them ever since. So I headed straight to 7 Carmine St. to Bagels on the Square, and got my fix.

After eating my bagel in Father Demo Square (pictured above), I decided to just spend some time walking through the Village. This is without a doubt my favorite part of Manhattan. Greenwich Village is what you would get if you took the best parts of Austin and the best parts of New York, and stuck them in a blender. It is filled with college students (NYU), old hippies, musicians, artists, cool shops, great places to eat, and even the occasional man dressed in drag (Christopher Street).

I decided to make today my "guitar-store day". I stopped by Umanov Guitars in The Village (my favorite of the music shops in Manhattan), 30th Street Guitars, and Dan's Chelsea Guitars (both in Chelsea). I have to admit, I am pretty over the whole going to music stores thing. I'm really not in the market to purchase anything, and even if I was, most music stores aren't going to carry what I would be looking for. But I go anyway...to kill time more than anything. I also stopped by Bleecker Street Records for a little bit; hoping to find a copy of Nina Simone's 'Pastel Blues' album on vinyl, but no luck...Oh yeah, at Umanov Guitars, one of the employees, who I actually spoke with for quite a while last year, was wearing a burnt orange Longhorns t-shirt!

Once I was done with all that, it was time to head back to my hotel to get ready for the gig.

The show tonight was held at "Pianos"; a club in the Lower East Side. Pianos used to be an actual piano store, so when it closed down, and reopened as a music club, the new owners decided to keep the original name and sign. Pianos, like many other clubs in New York, has two stages. They have the larger stage downstairs, where full bands and larger acts play, and then they have an upstairs lounge area where the more acoustic acts play. These rooms are usually pretty small, intimate settings. I played in Pianos "Upstairs Lounge". The show went well. I played for around 45 minutes to a crowd of around 30 people. The sound man happened to be from Dallas originally...small world...

Here is the setlist:

1. Evil Woman

2. So I Cry

3. I'll Be With You

4. Skin Deep

5. Goodbye Annie Baby

6. Walkin' In Central Park

7. Little Black Dress

8. Flood Waters (I'll Be Fine)

9. Riverdance On Your Heart

10. Don't Leave Me Before The Dawn

11. Gallows

After the gig I went around the corner to the famous "Ray's Pizza" on Houston St. (that is pronounced 'house-ton'...not 'hue-ston'). I honestly think I am going to gain 15 lbs while I am here. The food is just too good to stop eating...

Well I think that is all I have to say about today...catch you crazy kiddos tomorrow. I'm off to midtown for some late-night cheesecake...(I'm serious, you can't stop eating here).

Peace,
JD

New York '09:Day 1

2009-02-21T01:20:00.005-06:00

Well, I made it. After 3 hours worth of flight delays, I am officially in New York City. Not even all the frustrations that go along with airport hassles could keep my heart from lighting up when I rode over Manhattan Bridge, and saw the beautiful skyline that is unmistakably New York, NY.

I was more than a little worried that I wouldn't get to Manhattan in time to go to the show tonight, but I raced from the airport to my hotel, checked in, and raced uptown to the Upper West Side; arriving at exactly 8:00pm. Why was I in such a hurry you may ask? Well I will tell you. You see, I had a ticket to see "Three Girls and their Buddy" at the Beacon Theatre. The three girls that refers to are none other than Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, and Shawn Colvin. As it turned out, they renamed tonight's performance "Three Girls without their Buddy", as Buddy Miller was ill, and could not play tonight's show. The concert was fantastic. It was an "in the round" setup; each artist taking a turn playing a song, while the other two contribute background vocals or light percussion of some sort. The Beacon is no doubt, my favorite venue. The sound is pristine, and it is a gorgeous room on top of that...

After the show I had a little dinner at a cafe next to the Beacon, then headed down to the Lower East Side; where I will spend most of my nights this trip. I checked out The Living Room, Pianos, and Cake-Shop on Ludlow St. I am playing in the upstairs lounge areas of the Living Room (aka: Googie's Lounge), and Pianos. The Living Room is a really neat venue. Intimate, and great sound. I think this is a place that I would frequent regularly if I lived here...

Well that's all for today. I will keep you posted on the happenings of the trip.

Peace,
JD

"Ashes On The Ground" Gets Press!!!

2009-02-15T02:19:00.006-06:00

"Jarrod Dickenson-Hope Is Rising NOW!"
by Duggan Flanakin (Austin Music Journalist)

"I gotta tell ya — sometimes what you find by “accident” is (a) no accident (someone is directing your steps) and (b) sometimes more than amazing. Such was the case when Flanfire dropped by Momos Club Tuesday night — mainly to hang out with his buddy Jack Martin — and looked up and saw Dave Madden setting up his keyboards. There was this tall, bearded guy with a hat standing in the middle of the stage — name of Jarrod (the guy with the hat!). I had never heard of him (apparently he had a Momos show last month, too), but I figured, if Madden is playing with him, I will stick around. What an excellent move!

Okay — I raved last year about music from Denton’s Doug Burr, Austin’s Aimee Bobruk and a few others as well. But I was introduced to Doug Burr by old friends and of course have known Aimee for years. THIS was a stunner! And then I took home the whole - brand new - record, “Ashes on the Ground,” which impressed me just looking at the artwork. Then I checked out the players — Brannen Temple on drums, Stefano Intelisano on keyboards, Warren Hood on violin — plus Mike Miller on keys, Wesley Miller on tambourine, Todd Pertll on pedal steel and banjo and Weissenhorn, the Sarinda string quartet plus Caitlin Bailey (cello), and Amanda Leggett on backing vocals. But the real music here is mainly from Jarrod and producer Chris Jacobie, who played bass on stage on Tuesday.

Much of the work here was done at Premium Recording, the Bubble, and Blackhawk Studios (San Antonio), but some was done on various campuses and “in Chris’ apartment.” And just for the record, Jarrod is booked for three shows at major venues in New York City later this month, a place he has found easier to break into than the Austin music scene.

Both at the show and on the record, I was caught by the opening waltz, “California (Do You Still?),” a love song to someone who has slipped through his fingers. Our muse asks her (in his reverie), “Do you still wear my shirt when you sleep, do you still dance around when nobody can see … and talk about the days when you used to sing?” I would love to see a video here …

Next up is a ballad, “Home to You” [my brain recalls some ballads from Simply Red, aka Mick Hucknall] — the pedal steel here feels good, but it is the high-note falsetto that grabs you. Note to traveling musicians/salesmen — this is a great song to send out to your loved one. But the pace picks up with “I’ll Be with You,” and we learn that this guy is tuned in to a higher power … one who will “dry your tears” whenever you cry and “help you feel” when all goes numb. This song opens with bass and piano to set the mood …. this music is comforting. “So I Cry” is back to that broken love … “so this is the end, It seems we’re out of time, the love has finally died ….” But our singer is not crying for himself, but for those whom he has hurt — and so he can grow to love again.

“Goodbye, Annie Baby” is a country tune - picking up the pace with the pedal steel (yeah, that’s Todd Pertll who plays with Doug Burr, the guy whom Dickenson most reminds me of) and some of Warren Hood’s fiddle (not violin here!). You can dance to it! “Slow It Down” has that jazzy feel
(that Brannen Temple does it again!), a bouncy tune that changes tempo — this stuff is well produced!

There are FIFTEEN songs on this CD, so I will let my dear readers hear some of them for the first time without any Cliff Notes — but I have to mention three others here. “Skin Deep” reminds me a little of Joanna Barbera’s “The Forgotten Trail” — there is real power here. “Charlotte, My Dear” is a plea to a friend who has gone astray, and our poet beckons her to believe in herself — “Charlotte, my dear, you’re worth so much more than the life that you
have settled for … Girl, just run on home, God is waiting to wrap you in his arms.”

And while the title cut has some beautiful music surrounding impassioned words, my favorite cut here has to be “Hope Is Rising.” This is just simple guitar to start with, with violin coming after … a song of hope, to be sure — a song of great comfort. This is a song of praise … a song of joy
despite failure, a song that lets us sit on our front porch in our rocking chair and realize that we are truly loved."

Wow! Thank you, Duggan, for the kind words. I am deeply humbled.

Peace,
JD

Go to http://www.flanfire.com/ to read more of Duggan Flanakin's reviews

I'm seeing an older woman...

2009-01-22T23:22:00.008-06:00

My dear friends,

Please give a warm welcome to the newest addition to the family, Mrs. Charlie Mae. Charlie was born in 1947 to the Smith-Corona family. She has a certain, "Mrs. Robinson" quality to her; mature, yet seductive. We met on Christmas Day 2008, and have been inseparable since. Her dark, sultry gaze beckons me to her side so we can make sweet music together. She has so many stories that she's just aching to tell, and she has chosen me to tell them. From the moment my fingers first touched her keys, I knew she was "the one". I can hardly wait to see what treasures this new romance will bring...

1947 Smith-Corona Sterling

(the preferred model of writers in the 1930s-1940s)

...Yes, I am a giant dork...but honestly, would you have me any other way?

Peace,

The "Jesus Industry"

2009-01-18T12:30:00.006-06:00

A few moments ago as I was watching the news, a commercial came on, and like most commercials, it had something to sell. However, this particular ad was not for a magical vacuum cleaner, or a new diet pill; No, this ad was trying to sell me Jesus...in the form of a necklace...

Now I know that there are plenty of "Christian Bookstores" out there that make money selling Bibles, and T-shirts that say "Jesus is my homeboy", but this is taking it too far (so are the shirts in my opinion). The item I am referring to is called "The Prayer Cross". It is a sparkling cross-pendant that has the entire Lord's Prayer written inside a center crystal, which can only be seen when held up to the light. This advertisement calls it "not only a magnificent piece of jewelry, but also a one-of-a-kind spiritual accessory". Spiritual Accessories...that is what we have become as Christians; consumers that purchase spiritual accessories.

I just got a sick feeling in my stomach while watching this ad; thinking of all the people who do not believe in Jesus that were looking on as well. What does this tell them about our faith? It says that Christianity is shallow, materialistic, hypocritical, and nothing more than a ploy to take their money. Sound familiar? It should, because those are the same things that most people bring up when they are giving their reasons for not "believing in all that church stuff".

I know my little rant will not change these things from happening, but that doesn't make it any less disturbing...

Late-Night at Momo's

2009-01-14T18:15:00.003-06:00

The boys and I played the late slot at Momo's last night. Momo's is one of the coolest music venues here in Austin. It is located on West 6th Street, above Katz's Deli, and has a great, rooftop view, of downtown Austin. We took the stage around 12:15am, and played until 1:30am. Thanks to everyone who stuck around on a Tuesday night to hear us play. It was great fun.

Here is the setlist:

1. Home To You

2. I'll Be With You

3. So I Cry

4. California (Do You Still?)

5. Skin Deep

6. Goodbye Annie Baby

7. Just Swim

---solo set

8. Flood Waters (I'll Be Fine)

9. Little Black Dress

---

10. Evil Woman

11. Riverdance On Your Heart

12. Train Rollin' Blues

6th Street (The event...not the place)

2009-01-10T13:40:00.002-06:00

For the first time in quite a while I found myself walking the streets of downtown Austin on a Friday night. Last night, my best friend and I, headed downtown to unwind from the week, and I noticed a few things...

First, 'Ginger Man' (on 4th Street) has more kinds of beer than I ever thought possible. The menu is truly overwhelming, so I just told the bartender what I liked, and said "recommend something". She nailed it. I was presented with an ice-cold glass of 'Bootlegger Brown', and was immediately satisfied with her suggestion.

Upon leaving Ginger Man, we decided to find a place to eat. Chris, being the brilliant man that he is, said "follow me". So I did. We crossed over to 6th Street, and headed east toward I-35. Every few steps, Chris would turn around and say "You're gonna love this place". He was right on the money. At 6th and Brazos we were greeted by a Sabrett's Hot Dog Stand. Now, most of you are probably wondering why I would be so elated about eating at a hot dog stand, but this is not just any hot dog stand. No. This is a Sabrett's stand. Sabrett's stands are found on the streets of New York, and are without question the best hot dogs known to man.

After my 2 minutes of "heaven-in-the-form-of-a-hot-dog", we continued down 6th, heading to nowhere in particular. While strolling along, I noticed another thing. 6th Street is not so much a place, but an event. You can just tell by looking at the groups of people walking past you that they have been planning this excursion all week long. They no doubt spent several hours getting ready, and made sure that they wore their "sexiest" attire; in an attempt to catch the attention of some stranger that they would assuredly meet in one of the many bars or clubs that they would pile into throughout the night. Maybe I am getting old, or am just flat out uncool...but I honestly don't understand this kind of lifestyle or thought process...

Anyway, once we were good and tired of the 6th Street scene, we cut back over to 5th, and headed toward Antone's. Now this little section of downtown embodies what Austin is all about. On any given night in Austin, TX you can walk into a place like Antone's (or Saxon Pub, or Continental Club, or Momo's, etc) and find some of the best musicians in the world playing for a cover charge that ranges from $5-$20. On this night at Antone's, Austin's own Doyle Bramhall II (who plays with Eric Clapton, Susan Tedeschi, Roger Waters, and more) was taking the stage. Joining him were none other than J.J. Johnson on drums, Gary Clark Jr on guitar, Ephraim Owens on trumpet, and several other incredible players. Now this is the Austin I love.

Peace,

2008...Goodbye and Good Riddance

2008-12-26T16:45:00.002-06:00

As another year comes to a close, one can't help but look back at all that has taken place, and look ahead to all that is on the horizon. This year in particular, I am looking forward to the 'horizon'; in part because of the possibilities that lay before me, but even more than that, I am excited about what is hopefully not in store.

2008 was a roller-coaster of a year for me (with more lows than highs). It was kicked off with a nightmarish New Year's Eve, which paved the way for an even more miserable 12 months to follow. A love, in which I was so confident, collapsed and crumbled; taking with it much of the life and sanity that I once possessed. Depression replaced happiness. Cynicism replaced optimism. Events that should have been some of the most memorable of my life, such as graduating from the University of Texas, and starting and completing the recording of my first album, were instead overshadowed by a darkness like none I have ever known. Sleep continues to elude me, and my closest confidant has become my typewriter.

2009 certainly has some potential bright spots. As I stated above, I just finished recording my first album. It took the bulk of 2008 to complete the project, but it is something that I am very proud of. I will now have the opportunity to start playing music more and more often. I have certain plans which I will not yet disclose here, but that could be very exciting. But most of all I am looking forward to 2008 becoming nothing more than a memory. A stage of life that is hopefully on it's way out.

So to all of you who are planning on celebrating the rapidly approaching new year, do as you will. As for me, I will sit here in my home with a record spinning on my turntable, and a drink in my hand to toast the death of 2008. May the year rest peacefully, and permanently.

Cheers,

Anne Frank

2008-12-11T20:04:00.003-06:00

Apparently I was the only person in America who did not have to read "Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank at some point in their scholastic career. This is just further proof of how incredibly lacking my high school was.

Growing up, I was never a huge fan of reading. I was always outside playing a sport of some kind. Sitting still and reading a million black letters on a white page just didn't appeal to me. It wasn't until I was in college that I really started to enjoy reading. But in college, especially during my time at the University of Texas, my reading consisted mostly of trudging through hundreds of pages of painful textbook chapters every night. Now that I have graduated, I can finally read "for me".

This brings me to Anne Frank. I have always been deeply interested in history; especially WWII era. I had heard that Anne Frank's diary was a very unique and interesting, inside look at what the Jews had to endure, so I decided to give it a read...I was completely blown away. She was so eloquent, and insightful. There aren't many 13-15 year-olds whose diary I would find even remotely interesting to read, but Anne Frank's account of life in hiding during the war, and her incredible look into her own life was simply astonishing. She was certainly wise beyond her years. I cannot even imagine what incredible gems she would have left us had she become the journalist she dreamt of being. Instead, her life was tragically cut short.

I'd recommend it to everyone (whether you read it in school or not). Anyway, now I have to decide what is next on my reading list. Maybe one of you ("you" being the millions of readers who follow this captivating blog) could throw some suggestions my way?? We're sticking with "classics" for now...and if you say "Harry Potter", we won't be friends anymore...

Peace,

Sunlight...

2008-12-08T21:05:00.000-06:00

...where did it go?

A nice little Saturday...we had enough time...

2008-11-30T00:43:00.005-06:00

So today was a lovely little day-after-Friday-but-still-before-Sunday...day. I like days like today. Usually. They have the potential to be exceedingly boring, but today was not exceedingly boring. It was relaxing. I got to work out this morning. Then, the rest of the day was spent watching college football, and working on some new tunes. The football side of things was entertaining, but disappointing in the end. Baylor did not beat Tech (which would have clinched the Big 12 South for Texas), and OU beat OSU (which in theory is a good thing for Texas, but will most likely cause OU to jump ahead of Texas in the BCS rankings because the voters in the human polls ride the short bus to work, and don't remember that Texas beat OU on a neutral field by 10 points...Ok I am getting upset, new topic). The new tunes are fun. At least for me. I enjoy writing new songs...even if they cover the same topic rather often. It is therapeutic, and I'll take that kind of therapy over "true therapy" any day. Those guys are quacks, and would probably want me to lay on their couch and take little pills. No thanks. I also listened to Sinatra for a while. Man how cool was that guy? Very cool is the answer my friend. Very cool. I always think about New York at least once every 10 to 12 seconds during the day. So, like any normal person, I looked at apartments in Greenwich Village and Chelsea on the internet. I almost called the real estate agent that was listed, but decided not to waste their time on a Saturday, as they were probably dreaming of Austin, and looking at homes down here. OK, enough rambling on about my all-too-exciting life. I am off to read for a bit, and then hit the hay.

Goodnight dear friend(s)
JD

Sylvia Plath...

2008-11-24T07:40:00.003-06:00

I just finished reading "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath. What a brilliant woman. You hear people say "so-and-so was ahead of their time", but that statement was never more true than when spoken about Sylvia Plath. Her writing is so real, and so far removed from the pretentious, superficial writing that so many writers put out. The Bell Jar is also very inspiring to me, because it shows that someone dealing with depression and many other demons can produce something of such great beauty. It is heartbreaking that her demons won out in the end. She must have been a fascinating person to know. I cannot wait to read some of her poetry in the near future. Right now, I just started "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank. So I'll let you know how that turns out.

Peace,
JD

A Love Letter...

2008-11-22T22:42:00.004-06:00

Dear New York,

Its me, Jarrod. I can't wait until we get to hang out together again. I've missed you terribly over the last 6 months, and I think about you often. I find myself sitting in my apartment here in Austin, looking at pictures from our previous dates, and getting all misty-eyed. We look so great together don't you think? It really makes no sense for us not to be together. Just think of all the long walks in the park with the brisk Manhattan breeze filling our lungs, the morning bagels, the afternoon street-vendor hot dogs, not to mention all the songs that are waiting to be written. Oh what a pair we would make. And the best part is it would be just the two of us. We wouldn't need anyone else if we had each other. You know that I'll always be faithful to you, and I know that you would never tell me a lie (no woman could compare to you). So what do you say New York? Should we just quit fighting it, and give in to our feelings? Please write me back if you feel the way I do.

Your not-so-secret admirer,

Jarrod

XOXO

Starbucking in Austin.

2008-11-20T23:25:00.004-06:00

I played a solo-acoustic gig tonight at the Arboretum Starbucks. It was a nice change of pace from the full-band shows. I get a chance to try out a lot of the newer songs, as well as play many of the tunes that are on the upcoming album at these kind of shows. I think I played somewhere around 25 songs tonight. Anyway, it was great fun. Thanks to all who came out to show your support. I hope to see you all again very soon.

JD

The Cure For An Aching Heart...is located at the corner of 5th & Lavaca.

2008-11-18T21:51:00.001-06:00

I was reminded tonight of just how beneficial a trip down to Antone's for Blue Tuesday can be for a troubled soul. As soon as one strolls through the door, and hears Austin's finest rattling off those classic blues standards, all other thoughts just melt away. Granted, this is only a temporary fix, but what a fix it is. I'd recommend it to everyone. In the words of John Lennon, "Give blues a chance"...or maybe it was "peace"...ehhh one in the same if you ask me.

JD

Clickety-Clack...

2008-11-15T17:29:00.002-06:00

I am writing again. I tried to force myself not to write for a while so I could focus completely on finishing the album. I was successful for about 2 weeks, but I couldn't take it anymore. So this afternoon I sat down at my typewriter again, and started punching the keys. I just love writing songs too much not to do it. I start feeling wound up if I don't write.

Anyway, the album is so close I can taste it. It is being mastered on Tuesday by Jerry Tubb at Terra Nova Mastering. Meanwhile, I am working with a company in Dallas on the album art and packaging. I have a very clear picture in my head of what I want it all to look like when it is finished. So I am doing my best to communicate that to the folks in the art department. It is quite stressful...I think next time I may just paint the cover art myself, as opposed to taking photographs like I did for this album. That would be a fun side-project for me.

Well, I am going to go work on my new song some more. I'm also currently reading "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath, which I am enjoying very much thus far. I'm sure I'll read some more this evening. OK, I'm getting off the Internet now.

JD

Autumn Nights...

2008-11-14T21:13:00.002-06:00

The weather is changing here in Austin. Slowly. Most of last week the temperatures were reaching 80 degrees in the height of the afternoon. Tonight a mild cold-front is blowing in, and coming with it is the promise of a week in the lower to mid 70's.

Tonight is Friday night. Most people are 'out on the town', or doing whatever young folk do these days. I am at home. Alone. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind being alone. In fact, I usually prefer it. Being around groups of people is hard for me. There is a great deal of stress and anxiety that goes along with me being around people. So tonight, like most nights, I am spending it here, in my home. Home is where my records are. Home is where my instruments are. Home is where my typewriter is. Home is where I feel safe.

I love the cold. I know I've mentioned that here a time or two. So tonight, I laid out by the pool at my apartment for a couple of hours with a comforting drink, looking up at the moon, and the few stars that were visible. It was a rather cloudy night, though the haze gave way to form a perfect circle, just large enough for the moon to be made perfectly clear. It was beautiful, and peaceful. I love nights like this. Being alone is not the problem. The problem is when my thoughts, my memories, decide to accompany me. For some reason they have been accompanying me fairly regularly of late. When this happens, its as if I am swallowed up inside myself. You can turn on the lights, but it is still dark from where I am sitting. It is a strange, foggy feeling, and not one that I am particularly fond of.

At some point the clouds have to give way to light. I know that. I still believe that. It has been a while since I've seen it, but I am eagerly awaiting its arrival. I miss the sunlight...

JD

Unicorns dancing in fields of sugar plums...and other fanciful things...

2008-11-09T19:53:00.003-06:00

Exciting things are on the horizon...get ready...

JD

Time Machines and Typewriters...

2008-11-04T01:46:00.004-06:00

Oh, the time machine. That infamous fantasy that has graced all of our thoughts at least once since childhood. I must confess, I have often dreamt of this possibility. The possibility to go back in time, and change events. Change life courses. Perhaps even change, or avoid altogether, certain relationships.

In theory, one could completely avoid hurt and pain simply by always going backwards, and changing things. While this thought is somewhat intriguing, I do realize that it may not be the healthiest way to go through life. I suppose if I am honest with myself, the truth is that I still miss someone. I miss someone that my pride tells me I should no longer miss. Yet, for some reason, despite all the lies and betrayal that were laid upon my doorstep, I still miss her. The fact that I miss her makes me angry with myself. I tend to be my own worst enemy in that respect. I am very hard on myself; always have been.

I guess I should be grateful in some ways for my past. It is, after all, in large part what has "made me the person I am today". Whether that is a good thing I suppose will be discovered in time. I have become cynical, distrusting of almost everyone, and am constantly looking over my shoulder to see who that is close to me will stick a knife in my back or sell me for a few measly coins next. I have also had the privilege of waking up every morning for the last 9 months to a daily dose of deep depression; which has proven to be even less enjoyable than I assumed it would be after reading about it in junior high school.

The "me" that I am today is not only a depressed cynic, but also a songwriter. I guess I was a songwriter before a year ago, but not to the extent that I have become in 2008. Writing is my therapy now. I process things through the physical act of sitting at my typewriter and letting them loose onto a piece of paper. Again, I am not so sure that being the "me" that I have become is necessarily a good thing, but it is what it is. Maybe I am OK after all. I've made it this far. Depression goes away over time right? And cynicism can fade when introduced to the "right relationships" can't it? I am pursuing what I truly love, and attempting to make a career out of it. So for now, I guess I don't need a time machine. No, I'll just take this hand I've been dealt, and play it out. Maybe, just maybe, if I'm lucky, I can bluff my way through it while sitting at my typewriter...

JD

Ray LaMontagne at Paramount Theatre

2008-10-26T00:05:00.004-05:00

Ray LaMontagne graced the stage at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Austin, Texas tonight, and I was one of the lucky few that was there to witness it. It is unusual to use the word "witness" when referring to attending a concert, but I think it is appropriate in this case. Ray and his friends put on one of the best, if not the best show I've ever seen. That statement carries a lot of weight considering all the people I've seen over the years; Eric Clapton (4 times), The Allman Brothers, The Rolling Stones (twice), The Who, Robert Plant/Alison Krauss, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and many more.

The show opened with Leona Naess playing for around 45 minutes. Leona was fantastic. She has a gorgeous voice, and her songs are truly beautiful. She set the mood perfectly for what was to come.

Ray was joined on stage by his friends Eric Heywood (pedal steel/acoustic/electric guitars), Chris Joiner (keyboards, accordion, harmonica), Jen Condos (bass), and Ethan Johns (drums). Ethan has produced all three of Ray's albums, and is a brilliant producer/instrumentalist.

Ray was absolutely captivating. Whether he was playing alongside the band, or accompanied only by his guitar, he held the audience's attention in the palm of his hand (or in the vibration of his vocal chords). His voice was enough to bring a tear to your eye, and possibly even cause your heart to stop for a moment or two. There is no possible way that I can describe what I saw and heard tonight, other than to say, go see him if at all possible. It will change your life! Ray LaMontagne is one of the greatest musicians/songwriters/performers of this, or any generation. I am just ecstatic that I was fortunate enough to experience his live show. Wow.

Peace,

Politics...Quit Wasting My Time.

2008-10-20T16:18:00.002-05:00

To say that I am sick of politics in America would be the understatement of the year. It all means nothing. Neither party is honest. Neither party has any intention of doing the things that they promise profusely during the debates. The truth of the matter is that no politician or political party will EVER change things in this country. It just won't happen. Change will only, I repeat, ONLY, take place if individual people decide to change. I'm so tired of Americans blaming the government for their problems. STOP EXPECTING POLITICS TO FIX THINGS. You want things to change in this country? Well start with this. Stop spending money that you don't have. Stop treating people around you like crap. Start being accountable for your own actions. Start acting with some integrity.

JD

Cardinals at the Paramount

2008-10-15T14:45:00.004-05:00

Ryan Adams and his band mates (Cardinals) played Monday night at Paramount Theatre here in Austin. I was fortunate enough to be seated on the fifth row, dead center. Now, I discovered Mr. Adams' music earlier this year, and have completely fallen in love with his songwriting. He is a brilliant lyricist. The show Monday night was great. They played 25 songs spanned over two sets. I couldn't believe how tight they were, and Neal Casal's harmonies made you want to cry they were so good. They also have a new album coming out titled "Cardinology". If you get a chance, go see them on this tour. You won't be disappointed.

Peace,
JD

A Wise Man Once Said...

2008-10-10T09:44:00.003-05:00

My closest friend reminded me that amidst all the "shit-storms" that make up our lives, there is still a God who loves us, and cares for us, and strip away all the 'churchified' connotation, has a plan for us that is much larger than we can comprehend.

Thanks for reminding me. (Thank you God that it is true.)

Peace,
JD

Music Does The Darndest Things...

2008-10-07T22:14:00.002-05:00

Music is a funny thing. One chord can bring forth such a multitude of emotions. Music also has a unique way of acting as a soundtrack for our lives. A song can, in an instant, bring back thoughts and memories of past experiences.

As I was driving home tonight I was listening to an album that I had not played in quite a while. Before I knew it, one song was causing me to relive a time in my life in my mind. These memories are like dreams. They can seem so real, but with a slight haze over them. You want so badly to reach out and touch them, but no matter how far you reach out you can never quite take them in your hand. They are bittersweet, and fragile. I found myself sitting in my car listening the rest of the song, all the while making perfectly certain that I didn't move a muscle, and cause the memory to slip away.

Music is a beautiful, mysterious thing. I don't know of any other worldly thing that can affect people the way music does. I love it and I hate it at the same time. Music and life are very similar...

Much love.
JD

Beautiful.

2008-10-06T21:54:00.003-05:00

Central Park. New York City.

Breathtaking.