As I write from 35,000 feet, I can only say I am amazed and grateful for the beautiful full life I’ve been blessed with of late. My return to the East Coast 18 months ago was filled with challenges that somehow collapsed into a rocket that brought me to greater heights— spiritually, artistically and professionally.

what a beautiful life. there’s so much to see, so much to do, and so many places to go. i feel super-grateful that at this point in my “career” i get to live so large. from the long, slow spring of new england to the april lushness of the south, the second quarter of 2019 has been a cornucopia of joy. the van gogh brothers wrap their “school year” dates at vincent’s worcester on saturday, may 4th- “Quattro de Mayo”— thank you for the hilarious moniker, john wheatley!

the moon entered aries with spring on its heels and the promise of summer ahead. i am so grateful for my little life in boston, new york and los angeles, and for the ability to take music with me wherever i go. turning my life over to music and all that comes with that has kept me on a course of truth, love and joy for over 20 years, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.

the year rushed in with beauty and grace. music, travel, friends and family. i feel blessed to live a big, wide life that takes me to places with love in every port… and the beat goes on…

as we move towards spring, I think of these words of an old friend:

Night for Loving
Deeper, darker our love grows
and the wind swept
full up through March,
calling with the tide
for us to follow it,
and our nights
are strung like moon pearls.

last year ended and this one began with an amazing series of experiences, from dreams literally coming true to connections of friends and colleagues across the decades. holiday travels took me from tucson to truro with magical and magnificent reunions with friends. the first of the year brought new insight and freedom that followed the ring of 2018’s truth that i wrote about last month— and new songs to go with it.

life is a mysterious and beautiful journey and 2018 has been no exception. i’ve had the gift of births in the form of a grandson, a new album, a new future and a new outlook. truth has emerged in my relationships, new and old, and justice has been served in a triumph over those who sought to rewrite my history and my essence. it’s taken a little courage, but i’ve stood my ground and the year closes on what feels like a victorious outcome.

The last quarter of 2018 has been a rollercoaster so far. We are almost finished with our 14th album, which we have decided to retitle “Free Today,” for the last track written in Malibu last fall. My heart is with those in Malibu this Thanksgiving after the devastation that ravaged the lives of so many of my friends and former neighbors. Changes and turmoil abound, yet there is much to be thankful for. Our new track, “Jesus is Coming (to the Wrong Side of Town)” seems sadly poignant this season.

My son and his wife recently told me about a roller derby term called Jumping the Apex, which involves an attempt to legally shorten the distance travelled around the curve of the track by leaping over the track boundary and landing back in bounds.

I’ve been thinking about this term as a metaphor for the creative progress.

We had a fantastic late summer visit to Ireland where we drove the breathtaking Ring of Kerry between stopovers in Dublin at the iconic Hotel Clarence on Temple Bar. It was also a reunion with old friends Niall and Susan Varley, who I had last seen in Provincetown as they were just beginning their romance some years back. Niall lived and worked with Clayton in the late ‘90’s and early ‘00’s, as Clayton was just beginning his work with us. Our reunion with Niall and Susan gave the trip a warm and meaningful personal touch.