One thing you should give to people is art. They don’t need Chinese plastic from Tar get!

My brother has some of his beautiful photographs for sale.

And they are special. A good gift for certain. Do it.

Last night Santa Cruz was partied by us, and it was fun, and it was more than partying too, because there was music. Victor Kenyon, the other Victor (sorry man, I don’t remember the last name), Cliff Greenwood (with Miles), and I played. OK, it was in a college house, and college kids were there, and it was fun. It was a bit chaotic in some ways, but everyone one was there in one form or another to enjoy the music, at least while the music was going.

I remember looking up the few times during my set that I wasn’t sort of sweating/and or closing my eyes and there was this room packed with people and they were all hell of into it. The arrival of my brother Pete’s friends definitely made the party climb to a new level, and the comraderie in general made it so much more than a normal show.

Then, as parties tend to do, especially when big, it went into decline. This whole crew of young ‘gangster’ kids showed up, and kind of randomly crashed the party. This is a regular state of party life in Santa Cruz. It was just kind of out of control, and it wasn’t like this new group of thirty or so high schoolers were adding anything particularly cool to the scene, so they were asked to leave. A couple, one in particular, refused to leave on the basis that he was “from here”, meaning Santa Cruz.

The locals vs. college students thing. I mean, first off, it is … dumb. I remember living there and finding out that certain beaches were “locals only”, (but it applied more to surfing in theory). Whatever. And as much as I want to write it off, I think on how in Mendocino, Portland, even here in Nevada City, there is this xenophobia that arises… though xenophobia doesn’t quite sum it ALL up… the sense of ‘being from’ somewhere is obviously very strong, and it is easy to say “dumb tourists, they are always driving funny and are in my way”, or, “wow I am really FROM Portland now since I am completely stoic and cold (something like that)”. I mean, the Ukiah connection. Strong. So, I can… understand where its coming from to some extent, but, if anything it reminds me that it is certainly not something to get in fighting mode over per se.

Anyways, the party was really cool, the music was fun to watch and to play, and I can only thank my brothers Nate and Sam (and housemates, including the yorkiepoo) not enough. They are awesome and rule. Effing slugs.

I had an amazing weekend and one of the many highlights was getting to meet Gary Snyder. Gary Snyder is a poet who literally changed my life, especially from his book, I believe maybe his first, “The Back Country”. I was into Buddhism and reading the Beats and this book just knocked me down. Ever since he has been a certain standard and guideline for how I live my life, that is, hopefully: full of integrity, open to adventure, adamant about the experience of solitude and nature… well what it boils down to is just… aware, open eyed, real.

So I got to accompany Laura Brown, a reporter for The Union in Grass Valley on an interview. He was fantastic, amiable, and favoritely for me, down to earth. He didn’t seem to want to talk about ethereal things so much as he wanted to discuss “The Real Work”, of forestry, wildlife corridors, millions of years of geology.

So for my life this was truly a wildest wish fulfilled, to have him make me a cup of coffee, and to be sitting across the table from me talking about the San Juan Ridge and the Yuba River.

This weekend oh, what was it really? Backwords in reverse, on a loop:

Into The Wild, fantastic movie, eating garden fresh stir fry with friends, riding a horse for the first time ever, show at St. Joes, Black Bear being super beautiful without commentary necessary, and of course the good feeling of the empty church room, must not forget that there was The Crazy Horse, friends, the Nevada City loneliness in the night, before then just decked out in pajamas more or less sifting through endless patterns of beats, sleep, the fantastic Howlin’ Rain, band that my favorite finger picker Joel was in by super surprise, on stage with Mariee Sioux while her audience enthralled loved, before that the Moore Brothers all perfect in harmony.

Yes and back some more and yes, whatever you might say, but I say, whatever it was, it was great.

Thanks Cody Coyote. Thanks Mariee.

Last night in a little corner of the world, in the original wallpaper original everything National Hotel, on the end of Broad Street before it falls off the precipice into Hwy. 20, we sat around and finished off a night. In the bar were so many musicians it was ridiculous, and after we made our way back to my apartment, crossing pine st. bridge under the moon, played piano and guitar and dusted off the keys in the process.

Todays leaves crackly underfoot, and the woodsmoke and warmth mingle in slanted light. Central valley’s fertile air blows up around, while mountain lakes sit still swarming with trout.

I have slept my sleep, catching up a little on three anxious weeks of being behind on it. And now I will walk through the damp forest for a while, thinking about what I am to decide tomorrow, about where to go from here.

Walking is the new clarity. I’ve been reading “Wanderlust” by Rebecca Solnit and it as reminded me of the effectiveness of a good wander on the mind.

Yesterday wandered from the Telegraph Hills of SF down to the maze of skyscrapers, up through China Town, through the Tenderloin as evening set in. I was contemplating my existence there. It would be nice to live there for a while.

And there is Portland, whom I know so well. Or think I know. Its piles of leaves by the urban east side gardens, Ladd’s Addition in the Rain, Pearl District revelry in the warehouse hours.

These things and more, shall I ponder.

Getting there on the video for “Closure”, off ‘Midnight Door’.

Having chopped the pieces up, and put them back together again, I now need only seal the leaks. Stay tuned!

Last night I recorded a few cello parts for Alela Diane’s upcoming album. The album is going to be amazing based on what I’ve heard, with her soaring voice and the warm songs. You should listen to her if you haven’t. You might just like it!

Alela’s MySpace page

I’ve just finished listening to Mariee Sioux’s new album “Faces In The Rocks” and it is excellent. Disclosure is of course that I played briefly on a few tracks… AND, through and through though this album is lovely, her voice is amazing throughout.

Mariee Sioux’s Myspace

Power Palooza was wonderful. The experience couldn’t have gone better… a great crowd, a nice night, good sound. I played on top of this building while various lights and movies went off, it was pretty epic. People were telling me that this giant meteor lit up the sky while I played. So, that ruled, basically.

I will be posting video of the performance, so stay tuned. I’m looking forward to playing more of Midnight Door live, it went very well. The cello all big and epic and the beats booming out of big speakers, couldn’t be better for me!

Also, I have a new video from the “Song For My Father” series. AND, my pal Eric Lee Dickerson is getting started on a video for “Closure”, track 1 on Midnight Door. We have this ambitious plan to get all 20 tracks some video action… which gets me thinking… perhaps some of you can/would like to contribute to this effort.

ALSO: last night I was digitally remastering my early early recordings. I plan to offer the albums “One Sung Over” (1997), “THIS” (1998), and “Still Dream” (1999) for FREE here on the website to folks who create a user account. So stay tuned for that as well.

Thanks for stopping by!