Hanging with some new fans from Guam along with Josh Damigo after the show last night in San Diego, CA.

Last night, I scrambled down to San Diego, CA through rush hour traffic from Los Angeles, CA to play an acoustic set at House of Blues as part of my buddy Josh Damigo’s residency. Between the traffic, navigating the downtown one way streets, and a parking situation worse than San Francisco, CA, I made it with just enough time to hit the head, tune up, grab some water, and take the stage. Perfect.

I played for about an hour and ran through my favorite original tunes along with (since I was at a “blues” club, after all) a cover of “The Wind Cries Mary” and “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”. It was hotter than you know what up there on stage, but I had an absolute blast. The sound was killer through the monitors, and the front of house system was really well tuned. Cool lighting, neat artwork and vintage stuff on the walls, and just a fun crowd. After I wrapped up, I sold 12 or 13 copies of my new recording, “A Thing Or Three“, signed ALL 12 of them (that was flattering), then just had some fun chatting it up with my new friends and fans from San Diego, CA; Fort Wayne, IN; Guam; Tampa, FL; Atlanta, GA; and more. I got some really moving compliments after my set and just was all smiles for the rest of the night. Thanks, everybody!

Josh Damigo playing a killer set at House of Blues in San Diego, CA to close out the night.

At the end of the night, Josh Damigo wrapped things up with a really nice selection of his own tunes and one or two Bob Dylan covers. As usual, he sounded great and the crowd loved him. If you’re in the San Diego area, be sure to swing by House of Blues for the next two Wednesdays this February (2/8 and 2/15) and catch him on this intimate acoustic stage while you still can. He’s blowing up, and it’s just a matter of time before these acoustic sets will be a thing of the past.

Big thanks to House of Blues for hosting this terrific night, an even bigger thanks to the fans and friends (old and new) that came out to support the show, and way to go, Josh! It was an awesome evening and a great way to conclude my time in Southern California this go around. See ya’ll again real soon!

Host, J.C. Hyke, kicking things off for the evening with his down-home, country style.

J.C. took the stage first and played a really nice collection of country music that he had penned over the years. He’s spent a fair bit of time in Nashville, TN and all over the south and you can tell this guy has a solid feel for that part of the country and that style of music. Solid, foot-stompin’ tunes… nice!

Van Nuys, CA songwriter and studio engineer John M. playing some of his favorite tunes.

Next up, my buddy John M. (and, incidentally, the guy who put me up for the evening in his guest room) played a short, but high-energy set of his folk-rock tunes. He’s got this cool vibe, especially when he picks up his Taylor 12-string, that is somewhat reminiscent of The Byrds, back in the day. Really cool, really classic, and really fun…

Later in the evening, we heard from Michael McEwan who had some amazing stories to tell and the guitar chops to go with ‘em, as well as some beautifully crafted songs from Lisa Turner who called to mind something around the period of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Really cool stuff… towards the end of her set, she brought up her two sons and husband and sang an a-cappella song they had written together. Ya just don’t see too many families doing that, nowadays… So fun!

Performing one of my new, favorite tunes ("Hole In My Heart") from my new solo, acoustic release, "A Thing Or Three".

In between all of this, I got up there for a set and played through requests from my fans and friends that drove from all over to see me play that night. I mean, some of these gals drove for over two hours in LA/Southern California traffic to get there for my set! The least I could do was play a few songs of their choosing, right? So, that’s what I did… lots of fun, lots of laughs, plenty of smiles, and a killer burger afterwards with fans and friends. All in all, I can say that it was a terrific evening and a great way to wrap up my time in the greater Los Angeles area for this go around.

NEXT UP: I will be performing at House of Blues in San Diego, CA TONIGHT, February 1st. My good buddy, Josh Damigo, is hosting a residency there for a few weeks and was kind enough to invite me to join him this evening. I can’t wait to play this killer stage and I can’t wait to eat some barbeque! (Mm…) The show this evening is FREE and open to all ages, so scratch your plans for tonight and c’mon out, San Diego! We’d love to see ya…Plus, I’ll have my newest release, “A Thing Or Three“, on hand and available for sale at the show, so if you missed my set at Lestat’s West last Thursday, now’s your chance to pick up your copy and hear some of the tunes live at a great venue. Get show details and directions here and swing on by… See ya soon, San Diego!

My new favorite listening room in Los Angeles: Room 5 Lounge. About half of the way through my set on January 27th.

Man… This evening at Room 5 Lounge was my favorite time EVER performing in Los Angeles, CA. There was a terrific crowd that came out to see me, they were incredibly attentive, and the sound was just plain awesome. Joel Eckels had the sound board fine tuned to near perfection for the monitor mix and word on the street is that it sounded pretty darned good out front, too! I played through most of my new material from “A Thing Or Three”, my new, solo, live-in-studio, acoustic recording and added in one or two old favorites of mine, as well. For the last song, I brought Joel (also an amazing guitar player and singer/songwriter) up to the stage to join me on a new track I co-wrote with an absolutely wonderful country singer/songwriter Erica Sunshine Lee named “Going South For A While”. Joel tore it up in the solo sections and we had a great time rallying the crowd for a little down-home swamp jukin’.

LA singer/songwriter Kristen Toedtman performed immediately after my set and was amazing.

After I wrapped up, struck my gear from the stage, and started to work the room a little, Kristen Toedtman took the stage and fired off a bunch of amazing piano tunes. She had a delightful voice, impressive stage presence, and just a nice way about her playing that really drew us all in… Check her out when you have a few minutes and see what you think. If you like female, singer/songwriter, piano music with a little sass, I think you’ll dig Kristen’s music.

A tremendous “THANK YOU” goes out to all my friends and fans who made it out to Room 5 Lounge this past Friday. It was by far the best crowd I’ve had in LA to date and I had a ton of fun. Couldn’t have done it without you guys! Thanks so much and see ya again soon!

NEXT UP: I have one more performance this coming Tuesday, January 31st in Arcadia, CA at Matt Denny’s Ale House Restaurant with a slew of talented, local singer/songwriters including John M. (who’s birthday celebration happens to be that very night), host J.C. Hykes, Lisa Turner, and Michael McEwan. It all kicks off at 7:00pm and will run through about 9:30pm or just a tad later. It should be a heck of  good time with a wide range of music styles, so why don’t ya come on out and see what’s cookin’ this Tuesday? Find more details on my Shows Page and meet us there! PS: this one is ALL AGES and, hey… it’s free! See ya soon…

My last gig in the Los Angeles, CA area for a while is this coming Tuesday, January 31st. Swing on by!

The marquis at Lestat's West in San Diego, CA prior to the show on Thursday, January 26h.

Perhaps, one of the best sounding venues just about anywhere, Lestat’s West offers up comfy seats, a friendly listening environment, outstanding coffees, teas, and pastries, and a great live recording facility to capture all the moments on stage. Sharing the bill with me on this particular evening were local songwriters Paulina and Vasi Hunton. Both of these young artists were so good! Great piano playing, solid songwriting, and just plain nice singing voices. I really enjoyed listening to their sets and was incredibly impressed by their poise and talent on stage at such a young age. Speaking of poise and talent, my buddy Josh Damigo was in attendance on this particular evening, so I asked him to come on up and play a tune in the middle of my set. As usual, he killed it… Nice goin’, Josh!

San Diego, CA singer/songwriter Josh Damigo sitting in for a song during my set at Lestat's West.

As always, I had a great time on stage and in the audience listening. The room is just about perfect and Louis behind the board makes it sound so darned good! I have a live recording of this performance, FYI, so if you’re interested in checking it out, why don’t ya e-mail me and ask me to send one to ya? Easy, right?

Huge thanks to Lou for putting together an awesome evening of live music, making it sound great, and for tracking everything live… Yay, Lou! Hope to see all you San Diego folks again real soon! Stay tuned to my Shows Page to keep tabs on my tour schedule and find out when I’ll be playing down in San Diego again.

Brad Colerick, host of "Wine & Song" at Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena, CA opening up the night.

It had been a while (almost a year!) since I last saw my friend, Brad Colerick, for one of his “Wine & Song” events in South Pasadena, CA. He’s been doing this every single Wednesday for a long time and he’s got a pretty good thing going. Lots of great musicians come to check out the performances from Brad’s hand selected, featured artists; occasionally, they even step up on stage for a song or two, cameo style. It’s a great time for an otherwise sleepy Wednesday night in South Pasadena and it keeps listeners out in the audience on their toes.

Redlands, CA songstress, Erin McLaughlin, soothing the crowd at Firefly Bistro.

This particular evening, I was invited to join Brad along with Redlands, CA singer/songwriter, Erin McLaughlin. Erin sings terrific, well crafted songs from the heart and performs them expertly. She claims she’s not much of a singer or guitar player, but the crowd seemed to think she did just fine by the sound of the applause. Definitely check out her website if you’re in the greater Los Angeles, CA area as she plays around quite a bit. You’ll definitely be hearing her name around the LA songwriter soon.

After Erin performed, I stepped up to the mic to play a short power set and had a wonderful time sharing my songs with this particularly attentive crowd. The sound was great, as always, the heat lamps on the enclosed outdoor patio kept things cozy, and the food was terrific. Along the way, Jackson Browne’s brother, Severin Browne, stepped in, introduced himself, and played through some awesome new songs from his new release. He’s written with a number of outstanding writers and artists over the years and it was cool to hear him play his songs in a stripped down acoustic style. He apparently took a liking to my new material from “A Thing Or Three” and at the end of the night, we traded albums. I’ve been enjoying his record while driving up and down the coast ever since the show!

Huge thanks goes out to Brad Colerick for putting on this really neat event every single Wednesday and for continuing to support the singer/songwriter community. It’s an awesome oasis for music in South Pasadena and I can’t wait to get back down there and do it all again on my next coastal tour of California.

Hollywood: where it all happens...

Man, it was a beautiful drive down from Ventura, CA to Los Angeles, CA yesterday to play with my friend Brett Young at The Hotel Café for his CD release event with The Jason Adamo Band and a few other songwriter friends. Sunny skies, off shore winds, light traffic… it was almost too good to be true. I was tempted to paddle out for a session and take a detour along the CA-1 highway to Malibu en route to the gig and see if one of my favorite breaks, County Line, was working, but then I remembered all the rain, all the sewage, and all the pollution that probably washed into the water from the first big rain of the season and though that, having just gotten over laryngitis, it might not be the wisest move. I think the saying goes, “Discretion is the better part of valor…” Or… something like that.

Brett Young and his band rehearsing/warming up at his pad before heading to the gig at The Hotel Café.

When I arrived in LA, I headed to my buddy Brett’s house to check in. He, his band, and The Jason Adamo Band were all in attendance catching up, warming up, and just shootin’ the breeze. It was so fun to hear Brett sing some of his new tunes in a stripped down fashion right there in his living room. They sounded so good… I immediately got fired up: it was gonna be a killer show!

English touring act, Rumer, wowing the audience at The Hotel Café as we loaded in our gear for the show.

When we got to the venue and started loading in, we were just in time to see the last few songs from the English touring act Rumer on their first stab at the States. Absolutely wonderful… Think Adele, but a little softer around the edges, vocally, and a little more intimate, performance-wise. Very cool. If you have a second to explore some new music, be sure to check them out. I believe they hit San Francisco’s Bimbo’s 365 Club either tonight or tomorrow, so friends back home, look ‘em up!

Brett Young kickin' ass and takin' names on stage with his band at The Hotel Café in Los Angeles, CA.

I was so pumped to hear Brett Young and his band kick things off! It was so fun to hear ‘em all on stage. I’ve seen Brett perform a number of times and have shared the stage with him a few of those times, but I’d never seen him perform with other artists. It was awesome. The crowd dropped the chatter, stopped moving, and just plain LISTENED. It was a neat thing to experience. Be sure to check out Brett’s new release on his website and get your copy ASAP. Trust me… It will be money well spent.

The Jason Adamo Band from Raleigh, NC plowing through The Hotel Café with their Southern-folk rock.

Next up, The Jason Adamo Band from Raleigh, NC hit the stage with way more energy than I’ve seen to date at a small club. These guys killed it. Really solid band, great singing and songwriting from Jason Adamo - the whole package. I really enjoyed the music I previewed online before the gig, but hearing them live sold me. If you get a chance, be sure to see these guys live. It’s really where they shine. Follow their tour and listen to their music on their website when ya get a second and get ready to RAWK.

My buddy Joel running the board at The Hotel Café and making it sound purdy.

Of course, no show would be complete or, let’s face, even HAPPEN without a good sound guy. My friend Joel is the man when it comes to this. He deftly dealt with multiple inputs, instrument changes, set changes and more, all while making sure things were running super smooth. When I got up there in the middle of Jason Adamo’s set to play a few tunes, a line check never worked so well… it was seriously plug-n-play, but it was way better than most sound checks I’ve had almost anywhere. Nice work, Joel! I played a few tunes including two of my favorites from my, solo, live-in-studio release, “A Thing Or Three”, titled “It’s Alright” and “Would You Love Me”. I had a blast, won over some new fans, made some new friends, and just had a huge smile on my face the entire time I was on stage. I’ve been wanting to play The Hotel Café for a while now, and the timing just hasn’t been right, so this was a special evening for me in particular. Big thanks to Brett Young and The Jason Adamo Band for inviting me to join the party. It was a hoot!

At the end of the night, everybody got back up on stage and sang "With A Little Help From My Friends" (Joe Cocker style, of course!) to close out the night. Sick!

Lest I forget, this entire evening was a fundraiser for The A 21 Campaign which is striving to eliminate human trafficking in the world. I hadn’t any idea how far reaching or how much of an issue this problem was until I did a little research on their website… it’s scary. Please spend some time on your own to learn a little more about what this amazing organization is doing and how you might be able to help.

TONIGHT, I’m back at Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena, CA to join my friend Brad Colerick for his “Wine & Song” event from 7:00pm until 9:00pm. Check out the details on my Shows Page and meet us out there if you’re near the area. It’s a terrific evening of music, stories, wine, food, and a lot more. Joining me and Brad will be songwriter Erin McLaughlin. Thanks for listening and see ya soon, everybody!

On the drive down to Ventura, CA yesterday amidst a break in the rain, a beautiful view of the Southern California coast.

After doing some promo work and web updates at the local Starbucks in Los Osos, CA yesterday morning and randomly bumping into an old friend on my way out, I hit the road in the middle of what seemed to be an endless curtain of rain along the coast in an effort to get down to Zoey’s Café in Ventura, CA for my gig with Lee Koch and Jamie Drake. As I got about 3/4 of the way down, the rain stopped, the clouds parted, and the sun came out in a brilliant display of color lighting up the coast in just a really cool way. Somewhere along the 101 South, I pulled over and snapped this pic above. Beautiful! With Zoey’s Café just an hour away from this point, and plenty of time to kill, I just soaked in the sunset and watched the world go by from the highway. I love this stretch of coast!

Local Ventura, CA songwriter Lee Koch opening up the evening at Zoey's Café.

After some shuffling of the order on the bill last night, Lee Koch opened up the evening with some sweet, folky tunes showcasing an incredible voice, competent guitar playing, and really nice harmonica work. I gotta say, I really enjoyed his set. He’s been spending some time down in LA recently doing some songwriting, becoming famous… you know, the usual stuff people do in LA. He had a great following, a terrific stage presence, and just a really nice way about his performance. I look forward to seeing and hearing him on the road again soon.

Jamie Drake on the stage at Zoey's Café singing her hit, "Plumbline". Such a great tune...

After Lee wrapped up his set, Los Angeles-based songwriter Jamie Drake hit the stage and captivated the audience with her mellow, folky songwriting and soothing voice. She almost has a classic, retro, vintage vibe to her whole deal that carries you back in time, just a bit. Take an old acoustic guitar, run it through a vintage Gibson amplifier, and add really special voice and you get Jamie Drake. Definitely check out her music when you get a chance and be sure to catch her around the greater Los Angeles, CA area where she calls home. You won’t be disappointed.

After Jamie wrapped up her set, I took the stage to close out the night for what ended up being an extended solo acoustic set. The sound on stage through the monitors at Zoey’s Café is so special: it’s just… well… its perfect. Really. It was such a joy to play this venue where you can hear every little nuance of your guitar, each syllable and inflection in your voice, and connect with the audience in such a special way. It’s truly one of the greatest listening rooms that I’ve found anywhere in the United States. Out front… forget about it: it’s a treat. I played most of my material from my latest release, “A Thing Or Three”, along with a few of my favorites from my first release, “Something Out There” and my favorite new cover tune for this tour. Lots of smiles, lots of great memories, and lots of new friends and fans for the evening to keep me smiling for a while. After my set, I got out front to the lobby, chatted it up with a few new friends, sold some CDs, worked the mailing list a bit, and then enjoyed some long awaited food and a special, hand-made ginger ale from Doc, the house bartender. Dee-lish!!

The one and only Zoey's Café in Ventura, CA.

Big thanks to the crew at Zoey’s Café for making it such a special night and to the musicians, Lee Koch and Jamie Drake, for sharing their talent and making an otherwise sleepy Monday, incredible.

TONIGHT, January 24th, it’s off to The Hotel Café in Los Angeles, CA to join Brett Young, The Jason Adamo Band, and others for a terrific fundraiser/performance kicking off at 9:00pm. It’s going to be a really special evening of music with all ticket proceeds to support The A 21 Campaign. I’ll be performing a few songs as a guest artist for the evening along with a few others and, I’ve got to tell ya, I can’t wait… Find details and get your tickets here and meet us out tonight for this amazing night. 21+ Only and just $10.00 for a killer night of music for a great cause. See you soon, LA!

Ya know it's gonna be a good gig when you pull up and see this at the front gate of the venue...

On Sunday, January 22nd, I was invited to perform a featured showcase set at local promoter Steve Key’s “Songwriters at Play” event at Scultperra Winery in Paso Robles, CA. Steve Key has been a huge supporter of mine throughout the years and has become a good friend. He’s opened up a number of doors for me along the Central Coast of California with venues, radio stations, other songwriters, and more. As a result, if you purchase a copy of my newest release “A Thing Or Three”, you’ll see him listed in my very short “Thank You” section. Quite simply, he is the man.

Goofing around with Steve Key after the showcase at Sculpterra Winey in Paso Robles, CA.

Kicking off the event was the man himself, Steve Key, with a few of his self penned songs from the years. He also treated us to one of my new favorite covers from Peter Mayer about a pumpkin and a jack-o-lantern that I first heard the last time I played in San Luis Obispo, CA just before Halloween when Steve sat in for a few songs during my set. He’s got such an easy way about his voice and playing style that it’s hard not to get wrapped up in his songs.

Steve Key singing his hit "Record Time" to the barrel room crowd at Scultpterra Winery in Paso Robles, CA.

Afterwards, John Sandoval played some folky guitar and harmonica tunes from some recent writing sessions followed by a really nice set from local guitar virtuoso, Martin Paris. Martin can really play that guitar and is the pro I aspire to be in terms of his familiarity with a number of open tunings and the easy fashion with which he works his way around the fretboard. You should check out his music when ya get a sec if you like solo, acoustic, instrumental music. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Central Coast virtuoso Martin Paris owning the barrel room stage at Sculpterra Winery in Paso Robles, CA.

Afterwards, San Diego songwriter Gayle Skidmore graced the stage for a few tunes with her mysterious, haunting, melodic style. If you are not yet familiar with her, please check her music out online. Having had a chance at a label deal, she decided to go the other way, start her own, and manage herself. She’s done so very successfully over the last several years and has toured all over the place while expertly managing her career and her new, independent label. She’s a terrific pianist and a skilled guitar player and banjo player along with myriad other instruments including the dulcimer and more. I don’t think she played the same instrument twice during her entire set! Very cool to see and hear.

Gayle Skidmore from San Diego, CA working the crowd with another one of her delightful compositions.

After Gayle wrapped her set and we loaded her arsenal of instruments off the stage (how one person can lug around so much gear is amazing), I set up, did a quick sound check, and then proceeded to perform the featured showcase set in the barrel room at Sculpterra Winery. I ran through most of my new material including a new co-write I recently penned with Erica Sunshine Lee via Skype named “Going South For A While” and my new, favorite cover tune, “Heard It Through The Grapevine”… man, I do love that song! I had a great time performing for some new and old friends and fans, enjoying a few laughs during set, and sharing some of the stories behind the new recording. It was a great afternoon and I’ll remember it fondly.

BIG THANKS to Steve and Bonnie at “Songwriters at Play”, the entire crew at Sculpterra Winery, all of the songwriters who made the day possible, and to all of my fans and friends that made it so worthwhile. I couldn’t do it without you all. Thanks and see ya again real soon!

Next up on the tour schedule this January is a performance with Jamie Drake and Lee Koch at one of my favorite listening rooms anywhere, Zoey’s Café TONIGHT (Monday, January 23rd) in Ventura, CA. It’s going to be a fabulous night of original, acoustic music and I really can’t wait… Just $5.00 and all-ages, saddle up to a cozy table or booth, order up some tasty food, and make an evening out of it to kick off your week. Tickets and more information is available on the Zoey’s Café website. Hope to see you Ventura, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, and other surrounding area folks soon!

Incredible wines fom Big Fish Wines were debuted at Gravity Bistro & Wine Bar during my performance on 1/21/12.

What a fun evening! The sun came out (for a change), chased away the rain for a while, and welcomed the release of a few new wines from boutique wine maker, Hunter Landers with Big Fish Wines. With a great turn out, delicious food from Gravity Bistro & Wine Bar and incredible wines, it was a really fun event. I performed a solo acoustic set during all the fun and introduced Bay Area wine lovers to my new music from “A Thing Or Three” while playing some selections from my first release, “Something Out There”. Things got a little crazy with a solo acoustic dance party towards the end of the evening and more than a few laughs and memories to last the weekend.

Mm... More, please!

Big thanks to Hunter Landers and the crew at Big Fish Wines for hosting me for this special event. They’ve been tremendous supporters of my music and my career ever since I met them. If you’re looking for a new, refreshing taste for your next glass of wine, be sure to check out the offerings from Big Fish Wines and let ‘em know what ya think!

Half Moon Bay, CA's newest addition to the live music scene: Crab Landing.

Man… the weather was just not cooperating last night! Pouring rain during load-in, pouring rain during my three hour super set, and pouring rain during load-out. I’m still drying out! But, weather be darned, I had a terrific time performing at Crab Landing in Half Moon Bay, CA last night. I love this joint… I set up in the bar area, but there’s a HUGE ceiling with a second story above and music carries all the way through the restaurant. The acoustics are terrific, and it’s just such a warm, inviting atmosphere. Killer food, a great bartender, and just really nice folks running this place…

Despite the weather, a few die hards came out and to see what was happening and we had a great time. I met some really nice folks from all over the place, traded stories, played ‘em some music, and caught up with some friends and fans that I hadn’t seen in a long time. All in a all, a pretty nice evening, even with the torrential downpour! Big thanks to everyone for making the effort to brave the elements and come out for some music last night!

Be sure to keep tabs on my upcoming dates during this California tour here on my Shows Page. I’ll be playing in Palo Alto this evening for a cool wine release for Big Fish Wines, then I’m off to Paso Robles, Ventura, Los Angeles, South Pasadena, San Diego, back to Los Angeles, then Arcadia with a few stops in between before I get back to San Francisco, so check out those show details and come on out! I’d love to see ya…