Calendar

Coming Up:

E Street Cafe
Saturday, April 3rd, 7-9 PM
Alan James
Playing and singing his favorite tunes,
and maybe even some of yours.
128 West E Street, Encinitas, CA 92024 (760) 230-2038

E Street Cafe
Saturday, May 8th, 7-9 PM
Alan James
Playing and singing his favorite tunes,
and maybe even some of yours.
128 West E Street, Encinitas, CA 92024 (760) 230-2038

Swedenborg Hall
Sunday, May 16th, 7:30-10 PM
Performing in Mitch Feingold's "Songwriters Acoustic Nights" series
with 5 other songwriters in a "songwriters' round" format,
2 sets of three writers each.
1531 Tyler Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103

And players please note:

Kashtan European Market & Bistro
Tuesday night blues jam - 7 'til ???
hosted by Lawrence Weiss

Thursday nights - 7 'til ???
Hosted by Jason Trzos (just call him Jason)
The friendly open mike that's more like a jam session.
Good food, good music at Kashtan Bistro
There's no better place you could go
to get stuffed and serenaded at the same time.
12125 Alta Carmel Court, San Diego CA 92128, Ph. (858) 485-5856

Noteworthy stuff:

October, 2009:
Music Industry Conference - Bosch Baha'i School - October 22-25
Four days of music, seminars and workshops, set in the redwoods above Santa Cruz, with players and singers in from all over the country. It's a combination of learning new things about the craft and the industry, making new and catching up with old friends, and wallowing in the music all at the same time. Also a yearly refresher of the spirit, and purifier of the heart-- mostly done with songs and laughter. The level of writing and playing talent was truly impressive. People who never saw each other before began forming "pickup" duos, trios, and even whole bands on Thursday, got solid on Friday, and put on a dynamite show Saturday night-- the songs sounded so tight you'd think they'd had weeks to get ready for it instead of two days.

August 2009:
Bob Wolden spark-plugged doing a small benefit concert for 'Homes for our Troops', a non-profit organization that builds homes for disabled veterans, customized to their disabilites. It was a $3,000 dollar success!-- twice what we thought we might do. My heartfelt thanks goes out to all the musicians, volunteers, contributors, and those who attended. We should do it again next year.

April 2009:
I just fell back in love with my wife, who died in 1981. . . Life is more mysterious than ever, and death more meaningless. I didn't do it on purpose because I already still loved her, so it ain't my fault. I didn't even know I was standing near the edge. Never trust a heart that has a sense of humor, hers pushed me just to watch me fall. It wasn't the 1st, but it was April Fool's Day in spades no matter what the calendar said. And no, I'm not even going to try explaining it any better than that.

February 2009:
Cindy Cashdollar and Redd Volkaert did a concert at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, CA. It was an evening in music heaven, and I got to meet the angel besides. I'm a big fan of Redd's playing, but when it comes to Cindy-- lordy. You don't just be a fan, you fall in love. :-)

January 2009:
We inaugurated our first "black" President. But before we get our arms too twisted patting ourselves on the back for such great progress on the racial prejudice front-- and it really is a major step in the right direction-- we should remember that, as the rest of the world well knows, we call him our black President because us pinkish-beige people-- truth be told-- still make the underlying assumption that half black makes you black, but half white don't make you white.

November2008:
The music conference at Bosch Baha'i School was the inspiration it is every year. Four days in the rain and the redwoods with an assortment of old friends and new faces, all of whom could sing and play your heart out onto the dance floor of life-- the livin' proof you don't have to be in heaven to be in heaven. Special kudos go to Darrell Rodgers for making sure it all happened.

October 2008:
I had my ticket money all set aside to fly back east and see the family and the fall colors at the same time, ya know, but then this ad showed up on craigslist LA-- by a violin/fiddle player and songwriter with a dobro for sale that the ad said was picked out for her by her friend Cindy Cashdollar and set up by no less than Paul Beard. . . bye bye ticket money. If you see or hear of Amy Farris playing somewhere, go, you're gonna like it, and tell her Alan James said thanks for the dobro again.

July, 2008:
My longtime friend, housemate and erstwhile manager Britt King (aka C T, or Carolyn) died July 4th, after a long battle to keep her candle lit at both ends regardless of the limitations of a gradually failing heart. It was a big one, but she finally wore the poor thing completely out and had to leave, so she did that in classic Britt style too, taking to the sky on no less than Independence Day. (If there weren't fireworks in heaven already, there definitely are now.) Her daughter Lynn and my thanks continue for our many friends who played and sang her on her way at her July 20th memorial.

April, 2008:
I just got a great new used guitar. It's a 'Jouneyman' solid-body baritone 12-string electric made by Joe Veillette, that has a few scars from getting a bit toasted-- it nearly went up in smoke-- in the Malibu fire last fall. That makes it a bit more special to me than a shiny new one, because my house nearly went up in the Witch Creek fire, which stopped just across the street. The poor guitar may have some doubts about escaping one southern California fire zone only to end up in another one, but you'd never know it from the way it sounds. That's it, matter of fact, in the picture at the top of this page, and my oh my, what sweet thunder. Consider me a Veillette guitar salesman.

Greg Douglass's website.