Uncle Robert

It is official.
Jackson has entered the world.
I am an uncle.

I have been so stressed for the last couple of days for a few reasons.
One is that my sister was taking these hypnobirthing classes and hell bent and determined to give birth to a baby without drugs. I think they call this natural childbirth. I call this passing up the chance for some perfectly good pills. I kid. She called me upset and asked me to pray for the baby as his butt was where his head should be, a state of being with which I am all too well aquainted.

So today, I get the call that now the baby's feet are where his head should be and that the doctor has decided to do a c-section before things get out of hand. The baby was born. My sister is numb. All is well.

I went to get my hair cut at 5:30 with Tommy. Tommy is this oldschool punk/glam rocker who lived in the East Village when it was still scary to walk down the street at night and when people shot up heroin on the steps of the buildings where they were squating. I am devastated. Tommy told me that this would be the last time he cut my hair as he is moving to Portland. What will I do? He recommended me to someone named Raphael. That's too exotic for me. That sounds like a love affair that ends badly. I may just shave my head.

K has moved in with me. It's offically unofficial today. His apartment fell through, so I told him he could crash with me until he finds another place. I worry that he thinks he's an imposition. Does he not realize that I love him with all of my heart. He could never impose. He is my little bacon bit, afterall.

On Labor Day, I go back into the studio for a 6 hour session. I hope to have something with which to tickle your ears when I walk out.

Open Wide::Coney Island Film Festival

It is my pleasure to announce that the music video for Open Wide has been chosen as an official selection of The Coney Island Film Festival.

Thank you to Rob Martin, everyone at Bizarre F.A.R.M., The Gender Offenders, Brian Maschka, Marc Carpentier, Kim Levering, Carrie Thomas, and Laura Oltman.


The festival is September 28th-30th.
More details to come..

Chico's Angels

Here is a diversion to send you smiling
into Labor Day weekend.

Happy Rhodes Rare Performance

The rather reclusive singer/songwriter Happy Rhodes
will be performing for one night only, September 8th in Boston.

If You have not seen her live, I recommend you go to this show,
This is her first show in 2 1/2 years, and it's hard to say when you will have the chance again.

I was lucky to catch the last show and then have an email exchange about buffalo wings and celery sticks.

I had a vivid dream that Happy was upset with me, so I had to make sure all was well.
That aside, Happy Rhodes is a unique voice in the homogenous music world. There isn't anyone quite like her, well Kate Bush, but not exactly.

The Happy Show Info

After the Apocalypse...

Photo by Carrie Thomas

with pursed lips
she is standing by the coffeeshop
looking for a hotspot

This Just In

Photo by my Thursday Platonic date? Carrie Thomas

Carrie Thomas is neither long nor lost.
However, she was last seen with this hot man.
Long? possibly, we've never asked.
Lost? in the embrace of Carrie Thomas perhaps.

On a side note, Carrie sends her hopes and prayers for poor Amy Winehouse, who many of you know left rehab to hit the pub and claw her man's face to a bloody pulp.

Cherry Falls-Lyrics (excerpt)

Photo by the long lost Carrie Thomas

When they hate who you are,
you learn to hide how you feel.
if they see you cry,
they will go in for the kill.

He blocked my way to the bathroom door.
He said, "You like to stare? well, I will show you more."
My hands behind my back
and my face pressed against the floor.

Now, everytime a cherry falls from my tree,
I feel you inside of me,
deep inside.

I give you my heart
this broken beating thing
I give you my lips
they can kiss and they can sing
I give you my soul wrapped in a case of skin
I give you my body,
the ultimate sin.

Every time a cherry falls from my tree,
I feel you inside of me
deep inside.

The pull of the moon

Photo by Carrie Thomas

My sister is 9 months pregnant, due this Friday.
My mother is convinced that the gravitational powers of the full moon today are going to pull that baby right of my sister like the invisible hand of Jesus.

We are mostly water.
I think it has more of an impact than we realise.
I know that I am very much a child of water, drawn to the ocean, wanting to return.

We have tides, high and low within us.
We float in water before we enter the world.
The ocean in my sister's belly is swelling, moving towards the gravitational pull, ready to burst. The waves will be crashing. The child will emerge from the ocean, to first crawl and then walk on land.

The crazy people come out when the moon is full...not saying that the baby is crazy. I'm just saying.

Sunday=Mamma

photo by and of Carrie Thomas
On Sunday I went into the studio and worked on Mamma Don't Like No Chocolate.
I've posted the lyrics for this song, which is taking me to a very "Rock" place.

Most people categorized Sirens of Brooklyn as folk and although there will still be many elements of folk to this album, it seems to be going somewhere else. I will be back in the studio in a couple days working on some new songs.

I finished Cherry Falls and I'm not sure what to do with it.
A part of me wants to hold onto it and not release it on Sunrise, but there is another part of me that says I would be censoring myself. I find myself torn between raw emotion and palatability. I'm not sure which of these will win.

This brings me to an interesting thing that has been going on=a happier guitar version of This 2 shall pass and a calmer/slower version of Sirens of Brooklyn.
I am considering a project after sunrise that would be a reworking of songs from both Sirens and Sunrise along with some b-sides.

Mamma Don't Like No Chocolate-Lyrics

Photo by Carrie Thomas

Mamma
Sittin' on the porch swing
while the stopsign's a rattlin'
in the bitter breeze

Mamma
waitin' for her baby
wonderin' will he come back to me
oh baby please

Mamma don't like
Mamma don't like
Mamma don't like it
Mamma don't like no chocolate
cuz it is too sweet

Mamma
Starin' out the window
wonderin' why did he go
go away from me

Mamma's
too young to be dying
too dried up from cryin'
and too old to be free

Mamma don't like
Mamma don't like
Mamma don't like it
Mamma don't like no chocolate
cuz it hurts her teeth

Mamma
I'm sorry I'm so selfish
I'm sorry I can't help it
I'm to set in my own ways

You think it's the devil in my boudoir
but I must admit that so far
he ain't come out to play

Mamma don't like
Mamma don't like
Mamma don't like it
Mamma don't like no chocolate
cuz it hurts her teeth

Paula Abdul Cures tha' Funk

The first live concert that I saw was Paula Abdul with opening
act Color Me Badd in Bonner Springs Kansas when I was 12 or 13 years old. I remember pyrotechnics and Paula flying over the crowd. Color Me Badd performed in matching suits that were different primary colors and kept telling us to stay off drugs between songs.

I will now admit that I was a member of the Paula Abdul fanclub, and if that is not gay then I don't know what is.

I recently came across videos of Paula Abdul doing television interviews in what appears to be a very altered state. If this isn't a cure for tha' funk, I don't know what is.

I am smiling. The wave has passed.

In tha' Funk (not the music)

Photo by Carrie Thomas

Something hit me last night. It is this feeling that comes in waves. I sometimes refer to it as existential angst. It sounds more productive that way, but I think some might label it as depression.

I feel like I am at a crossroads with my music.
I'm not really sure what it means right now.

I go back into the studio on Sunday where I hope to channel whatever I'm feeling. I promise the whole album will not be a downer, but there is a paralysis that covers it. I haven't decided if this is meant to be or if it needs an injection of gutteral wailing. I am torn between organic and pop sounds and I am lettting them both win.
I have contemplated this instrumental track made entirely from nature sounds. I became very inspired by a rooster while on tour in Ohio. I have been creating and writing songs that I may never release because I don't know that anyone can handle them but me.

One specifically called The Politically Incorrect Train Song (P.I.T.S.)


K worked late and then spent the night in Queens.
I felt a bit lonely without him, but I was tired enough that
I lost consciousness before I could pine too much.

On Wednesday night he crawled into bed, after opening the door
and giving me a tiny heart attack. I'm not used to people
opening my door in the middle of the night, even though I
told him to do so.

Who needs more help?

Lauryn Hill
or
Amy Winehouse?

Podcast Feature (Part 2)

Photo by the enchanting Carrie Thomas

Homopod Radio has been a huge supporter of my music.
As previously posted, they are featuring me as their artist of the month for August.
They recently posted part 2 of their feature.

It includes a demo version of Flapjacks, a song that will be on Sunrise at the Speakeasy. Just a note. Since sending them this version of the song, I re-recorded the lead vocals and have done a lot of little things...enjoy the sketch before the real thing makes its way into the world.
Homopod's Site

Sonic Experimentation

Though it is not a new concept, I have been playing around with recording guitar by playing it through an amplifier and then recording the output from the amp. I'm really liking this sound on the Glitters and Sparkles Demo. I'm not yet finished with the song, but it is moving along. I'm enjoying playing around with this track in my bedroom. I hope to take it in to the studio in the next couple of weeks, assuming it magically finishes writing itself in my sleep. :)

There are some new sounds to this album.
I am being pulled towards rock on a couple of tracks and to some sort of southern dixieland jazz on others.
There is a sort of gospel undertone on a few tracks.
There are lots of body sounds....hand claps, snaps, slapping my stomach as a drum, grunting. Just for you, I am going to the sweatlodge and really working it all out. haha

Some of the tracks I'm focusing on the most right now..

1. Glitters and Sparkles
2. 600 Miles
3. Duct Tape and Superglue
4. Mamma Don't Like No Chocolate
5. Life Was Simple
6. Pretty Decent Guy

There is also "Cherry Falls" which I think I may not put on the album, though I really do want to release it in some form in the next year.

A little bit about Mr. Carpentier

Yesterday, I posted the lyrics to Mr. Carpentier.
Mr. Carpentier is a new song to be released on the unplug single in the fall.


When I released Sirens of Brooklyn, I felt extraordinarily empty. Instead of feeling this great sense of accomplishment or empowerment, I felt defeated and drained. I had been functioning for a year with very little sleep, which continued for a year after that. It is only recently that I have slowed down a little to regain my grounding.

During this period, just after the release of my album, there is one person who was a huge support for me. He is my best friend in this world and an incredible individual full of compassion, love and respect for humanity, art and nature on a level that I have never encountered.

Marc Carpentier has been one of the most selfless people in my life. He has unconditionally loved and supported me. For a while I lived on his sofa. He didn't ask me for anything. He didn't pressure me to leave. He opened his home to me with no conditions, allowing me to pursue my art.

I am not sure that I would be here today, if it were not for this incredible man, and I can't wait to share this song with you all.

Mr. Carpentier-Lyrics

Mr. Carpentier, guru extraordinaire
open your heart to the masses.
You have lived 20 lives.
I could be satisfied
watching the world through your glasses.
Mr. Carpentier, I have so much to learn.
why don't you come here and teach me.
needless to say, I've been slipping away
to a place where nobody can reach me.

Cuz I don't know if I was made for this world.
They point and they stare.
Am I dressed like a 12 year old girl?
You smile like a child and I'm just squirming in my own skin.
You take me through the soccerfield to the swingsets once again.

We go through the motions like fish in the oceans
and paint the town red with the blood of the dead
We're all pretending the world isn't ending
and everything's fine as we shop and we dine
but we're fat and we're free
and we're taking up space
drive our SUV's while we're stuffing our faces.
Our children are spoiled and addicted to oil
and they buy lots of plastic
and they throw it away.

I don't know if I can make it through this day.
The ocean's too high
and the sky is too gray.
It's the weight of the world
and gravity's finally sinking in.
Take me through the soccerfield to the swing-set's once again.

Well, I drink like a fish and I hit like a girl
and I'm scared of myself and I hide from the world
but your heart's like a whale
and you're built like a tank
and you keep me alive
and I'd like to thank you cuz

There were times I couldn't make it through my day
when I lost my shit and they shoulda carted me away
but you're always there
you care
and you believe in what I do

take me through the soccerfield to the swingsets
just me and you

Let's swing high
Let's swing high
so high we touch the sky

(available fall 2007- Unplug(single))

8 1/2 months after the fun

Very soon, my nephew will enter the world. I'm training him to be my very own miniature village person, having purchased an NYPD onesie for the little bundle of joy. I still need to find a baby construction worker outfit, a baby Native American costume and of course a baby cowboy get-up.

Crossing Lines

You have crossed lines that you shouldn't.
How dare you wave and smile,
all the while you lied and cheated me.

I did everything in my power to sheild you,
to give you the chance to make things right,
but you have spat on my good intentions.
You have burned my money
as though it is funny that I don't attack,
but I am not out for anyone's blood and yours is tainted.

I wave goodbye to you.
I have things to do.

I have wiped your bootprints off my face.

Stardust and the Silver Screen

On Saturday K and I caught a matinee of Stardust.
It met and exceeded all my expectations.
Run don't walk to the theater and see this movie.
It is a magical dark fairytale for adults.
I almost cried three times and Robert Deniro doing the Can Can in drag on a pirate ship in the sky is absolutely priceless...oop, I gave a tiny piece away. Hurry and see it before I divulge more secrets.

Sunday I did a show at Pianos with the lovely Maddy Wyatt.
I am still getting to know George he surprised me at a few points in the night.
Thing came out of him that I have never gotten to come out of a guitar on stage.
Other things that I'm used to, were different.
We are in an adjustment phase, getting to know each other's quirks, but I am starting to fall i love with George as I unravel his mysteries.

Tonight is my silver screen debut, well sort of.
It is a screening of the Casey Stratton Documentary at
The Anthology Film Archives.
There is a trailor showing before the film, with me blabbing about being sent to Exodus by my parents with the hopes of turning me straight. Ugh. Am I ready to see myself twelve feet tall? I'm not sure. I guess I'd better get ready, seeing as the music video will be premiering soon.

It is time to stand up, literally

Oh lord, I hope I don't get carted away by the gestapo for this one.


It is time for us to stop complaining. It is time for us to stand up. Mark your calendar and take this day off from work. Men and women fought for our freedom,which has been steadily taken away. Our rights are under the thumb of George Bush.

Stand up for the men and women detained in Cuba without the right to legal council or to a trial. Stand up for the blood that has been shed for an elite few to rape and pillage for their own self interest. If we do not act, then we will lose more than we have lost thus far. Let's pull the wool off our eyes and stand up.

How is it that Bill Clinton was almost thrown out of the oval office over an affair with an intern and George Bush is still leading this country after lying about weapons of mass destruction, sending young men and women into battle as human sacrifices to the gods of greed and oil?

There's also the shameful job he did leading this country
during the tragedy brought by Hurricane Katrina
My personal favorite is the illegal(Unconstitutional) wiretapping of american citizens and the refusal to turn over documents to congress.

ugh...I have a headache. I'm going to drink a glass of water and wait for the Guantanamo Bay welcome wagon to come pick me up.
Click here

"it just all slips away so slowly.
you don't even notice till you've lost a lot.
been like one of those zombies in vegas
pouring quarters into a slot.

and now i'm tired and i am broke
and i feel stupid and i feel used
and i'm at the end of my little rope
and i am swinging back and forth about you "

-Ani DiFranco Done Wrong

We're not in Kansas anymore or are we?

So it's official,
A tornado hit Brooklyn.

I thought I had escaped my roots as a Kansas farmboy
and left the twisters and trailerparks behind.
Apparently I was mistaken.

You must watch this.
Yes, this is Brooklyn.

This Sunday at Pianos

Me=LIVE!

This Sunday, I'm performing live(not dead)
Here in New York City.

followed by the delicious Maddy Wyatt at 8pm.

Aug. 12th 7pm

Pianos
158 Ludlow Street at Stanton (Upstairs)

And now a message from the MTA

Photo by Carrie Thomas

"There is no subway line right now that is running its full normal route. If you are at home -- and you haven't left -- don't. If people in any way shape or form can stay home, they should. I know it's kind of an odd message to give people . . . but today we had a real problem with water."

-Paul Fleuranges, A spokesman for the MTA New York City Transit system (earlier today)

If the subway system comes to a grinding hault because of one rainstorn, I really hate to imagine how fragile this system really is. The tracks are rusted. The reliability of service is shaky at best, yet the fares are always increasing.

Why can't they invest some money in making the subway system more reliable and able to withstand a fricking rain storm. Is this too much to ask?

With the help of the Greek

With the help of the Greek,
I salvaged a solid wood side table from the
garbage heaps of the gentrified holy lands of Park Slope.

We made a pilgrimage to the hardware store asking for guidance. The table's only problem was a bit of sharpie on the tabletop and two loose legs. I tightened the legs and we sanded off the sharpie exposing the beautiful light wood.

We sanded the legs and the underside. The Greek handled sanding the legs. I focused on sanding the top. We stained the table a beautiful dark Walnut. The richness of the grain astounds me. One person's garbage is now a beautiful table with a grain like the sand by the ocean. I can almost see the ripples, the tide, the motion in it. It is so awe inspiring. I am amazed.

Reduce, Re-use, Recyle....oh I've become a collector of plastic. I cant bare to throw it away. I re-use it until I can't anymore. I've begun to contemplate making my own furniture from salvaged pieces. I'm thinking of making my old cutting board into a centerpiece. I looked at antiques in the street over the weekend. I went into two antique stores and I bought a baby gift, well two...oh they are so very cute.

I'm going to be an uncle very soon. It's so crazy.

"Did I show you this picture of my sweetheart, taken of us before the war, of the Greek and his Italian girl one Sunday at the shore? We tied our ribbons to the fire escape. They were taken by the birds, who flew home to the country as the bombs rained on the world. 5am, here i am, walking the block to table talk. You could cry or die or just make pies all day. I'm making pies"

-(The amazing) Patty Griffin

Listen to Making Pies

Glitters and Sparkles

There is a new song called Glitters and Sparkles. It is not quite done, but I have been playing with these little demos in my room, making beats, recording guitar and Singing. I am getting used to George. We have only scratched the surface of our conversation. He has things to say, in ways that I hadn't listened.

There is this song called 600 Miles. I'm not sure where it will go, but it wants to take me somewhere. I can tell you that I met two people out on the road who touched my heart and my soul. One is of course the namesake for my guitar, Mister George Lee. He is a savior in times of great loss. There is also Ricky in Minneapolis who has been so kind and gracious. Thank you for the card.

There is of course always Sanford and Son who got me through the Jitters and brought me into the world of being my own Roadie. Oh, You don't know glamour until You've been your own roadie, people. Mmm, my arms sure looked good, but boy wass my spine another story. When you recognize employees of the greyhound terminal at the Port Authority, You know that your star is blazing bright across the sky, ready to light a thousand chinese peace lanterns.

Boy will they glitter and sparkle.

Anne Bancroft was divine

After finishing up in the studio on Sunday, David showed me this clip of 1970's Anne Bancroft. She was so brilliant.

You may have seen a modern adaptation on this sketch.
I have the feeling most of the people mentioned are dead, sadly, so is Anne Bancroft.

August Featured Artist

I absolutely love the boys over at Homopod Radio. If you haven't checked out their podcasts and video mixes, I highly recommend you do. One of the most enjoyable interviews I've ever done just happens to have been with them.

With that being said, I am pleased to announce that I am the featured artist of the month on Homopod Radio. Not only will they be playing tracks from Sirens of Brooklyn, but I have also given them some treats, which I know for a fact you haven't heard.

Hint:They sort of give it away on the most recent podcast, so i guess you'll have to listen to find out. :)

Minneapolis, you are in my thoughts

(AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Heather Munro)

Having lived in a very rural town in South Dakota for two years, I used to escape almost every weekend to Minneapolis to catch concerts, visit friends and take in some culture. Minneapolis has a special place in my heart. My thoughts and my love go out to those affected by this tragedy.

Though the bridge was supposedly in good structural condition when last inspected, I can't help but think back to my previous post, written two weeks after performing a show in Minneapolis.

Thought for the day

The United States of America is just one giant Indian Burial Ground.

This thought inspired or possibly stolen from K to the M.

and inspired by Krusty the Clown.

Gravel Road

Some people are rocks.
You can depend on them through thick and thin.
Others are sand and blow away with the first strong wind.
I am gravel
I may leave a few dents in your car or a crack in your windshield, but I will
take the weight of your body and shift to the shape of your wheels.
I'm a bit shaky and not much for show
but I will go where you take me and I will take you where you need to go.