A Solid Thanks

     So first to get something important out of the way - if you're reading this in the first week of September you won't see me play at Xtreme Bean this weekend. I had to cancel the show to get something done that has been in the waiting for a while. Sorry to be unspecific, but unfortunately this will take all weekend to accomplish, and the opportunity to get it done happened to be when I had a show scheduled.

     As you may know, the first Saturday of every month I perform at Xtreme Bean in Tempe, AZ. I've had the great opportunity to do this for the last year, and I hope to keep it going for another year. After playing out so much this summer though, I am in the process of a much needed break from performing. And I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been at one of my shows and may be following these sporadic blogs or e-mails I send over the internet.

     Thanks for coming to the shows, signing the mailing list, buying CDs and putting money in the tip jar. From June through August I played nine shows, including my first in Sedona, and took in enough money to pay for a day in the studio this October.

     Though many ask at my shows how much studio time costs and how much making CDs costs, I usually try to avoid pinning it down to the actual numbers. When I finish my album next month however, the shows I played this summer will fully pay for one full day in the studio. As a soloist playing at coffeehouses that don't even pay sometimes, I feel this was a great accomplishment. It gives me a little more leeway with my finances and proves that I can sustain a recording career without it all coming out of my pocket. It also proves how much people are supporting my music, independent music, and the arts in general - it is a great thing.

     In October when I come back to Xtreme Bean, it will be the weekend before I drive out to Santa Monica to finish recording the last three songs for my new full-length album. It will have been 10 months since I started, and the long break was about one thing - I ran out of money. Since January I've been saving up, watching my spending, and playing gigs like a world-class madman. Everyone I've encountered has been very supportive about my music. Some will get a mention in the notes for the extra mile they went to help me create the album. But everyone that has seen me play this year, especially during this amazing summer when I played virtually every weekend, deserves a huge Thank You for helping me along the way. I can't wait to see you again at the show.