aries
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 van gogh brothers continue their formidable work with david minehan recording and co-producing at woolly mammoth sound. we recently completed a mix on what may be our best work ever, “let you love again,” a track written earlier this year about the challenges and triumphs of an old friend. i am taking this song and another new track, “love by the wrong name,” to nashville and memphis in early april and will make the rounds, just as i used to when i started out. from memphis, i will drive south to new orleans to visit my son and grandson before returning later in april for jazz fest. we wrap our live shows until fall at vincent’s worcester on may 4th, or, as our friend john wheatley termed it, “quatro de mayo.”
as previously mentioned, we thought we had a completed new album late last year, but 4 new songs cropped up and we unwrapped the project to include them. we’re now committed to reopening the album in its entirety, to re-tracking vocals with our new recording gear and possibly scrapping some tracks that feel imperfect. for whatever reason, this 14th album feels like the album we want to perfect to the best of our abilities, so we’re going for it!
in the meantime, i celebrate spring’s new beginning with a re-commitment to my core values of creativity as a reason for being, a positive outlook on life, and kindness and compassion as acts of defiance in a world of eroding humanity. my daughter gave me a button of a red heart on a white background and i wear this with pride and reverence; a symbol and a reminder to live as close as i can to a life of love and grace.
things seem to get clearer and simpler as i move along the curve. for me, family, band and friends form a tight center. feeling relevant and working with young people brings great joy. drawing those close who have a positive view of life and keeping the rest at a distance makes life better. and, above all, music, music, music.
happy spring.
xo
jc