West Coast Songwriters: a terrific organization that helps develop, support, and promote writers and artists.

I am very pleased and honored to report that my song, “Hole In My Heart“, has been awarded 1st place in the Singer/Songwriter category for this year’s West Coast Songwriters International Song Contest. I am so thrilled… It’s always terrific to be able to finish a song that you are proud of, but to have that song recognized and validated formally by an industry panel of judges is an absolute treat. Big thanks to West Coast Songwriters for their support and enthusiasm for my music and, in particular, this song. If you haven’t heard it, please take a moment to listen to a live cut from my new, solo, acoustic album, “A Thing Or Three”, here.

A little bit about West Coast Songwriters:

West Coast Songwriters is a tremendous organization that has provided a number of opportunities for me personally. It has been a resource for learning, sharing, and developing my own writing and performance skills and has provided a forum to network with industry professionals and other independent writers and performers in and around the western states of this great country of ours. Its mission statement, “To foster creativity, build community and provide opportunity for music career development through education and connection“, says it all. If you live or work on the west coast of the United States, please take some time to check out this wonderful organization and consider joining, participating, and learning from their professional events, workshops, and conferences. I guarantee you that you will find it useful and, more importantly, a lot of fun.

It's a baby girl! My new GS Mini from Taylor Guitars.

She’s just over one month old and she’s already been to South Africa, Botswana, Florida, Georgia, and now, Tennessee. She’s a tiny one… but she’s got a big voice. Clear, warm, pure, and she always speaks true. Pretty incredible. We’ve gotten so close that her older sisters are starting to get jealous. We’ve written some songs together and, sometimes, we’ve brought in a few friends like Dave Yaden, Jason “Slim” Gambill”, and Bob Rea. Mostly, though, we hang out in our quiet little home here in Nashville, just singing together into the wee hours of the morning. Check out her newborn stats here and maybe you can get crackin’ on making one of your own someday when the time is right! It’s a lot of responsibility, but she sure has been worth it…

I take 'er everywhere... even on a dicey Air Botswana flight. (Hopefully, Child Protection Services won't get wind!)

That's CooL. No, it really is the name of the venue. And, actually... it IS pretty cool!

After arriving in Nashville, TN during the middle of the annual Tin Pan South event last Tuesday, I was all fired up to find a place and start playing out. Turns out the latter would be easier! While I’m still looking for a pad, I did end up on a pretty neat little round at a new venue called That’s CooL that my friends at Durango Songwriters Expo put together. On stage with me were writers Tim Fagan and Amy Dalley. Tim has written some great pop tunes and has worked with artists such as Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz while fostering a really successful solo career as well. Amy Dalley has written and cut some great country tunes with Curb Records, toured with a remarkable cast of country artists, and continues to write, perform and tour throughout the United States. It was pretty cool to share the stage with these guys for a while, hear what they’ve been up to, and listen to their music.

Jack Hayford from Durango Songwriters Expo introducing the show.

Later in the evening, a number of other artists and songwriters who are part of the Durango Songwriters Expo family took the stage and wrapped up the evening. It is absolutely amazing, inspiring, and at the same time, daunting, to see and hear how much talent there is in this town. Everyone is amazing, everyone can sing, everyone can play, and pretty much everyone keeps you on your toes. If you think you’re on top of your game and are starting to rest on your laurels, just come to Nashville for a few days and prepare to get your ass handed to you. It’s quite an experience.

Friend, songwriter, and host for a few days here in Nashville, Bob Rea, bringing the house down at That's CooL after the round I played with Tim Fagan & Amy Dalley.

Huge thanks go out to Jack and Jim from Durango Songwriters Expo for putting on the night, as well as the crew over at That’s CooL here in Nashville for hosting the event. Thanks, too, to the amazing songwriters and musicians that performed throughout the night. It was a terrific evening and a great way to kick off my first show here in town as a new transplant to the area. See you all again soon! For now, it’s back to the apartment hunt and time to get crackin’ on some new material!

A beautiful Texas sky en route to the venue in Fort Worth.

I’d never been to Fort Worth, TX before… unless, of course, you count flying through the DFW airport. So, when I drove down from Amarillo, TX, I didn’t know what to expect, really. At first, I gotta say, it felt like Los Angeles, CA: so much traffic, a ton of construction, fairly spread out, and pretty crowded. But, when the traffic subsided, the sun set, and the party people made their weekly pilgrimage to the downtown bars, I immediately knew I wasn’t in California. This was Texas, and people are serious about their Friday nights!

Friends and fans hanging after the show: (L-R) Shameela, Chuck and Randee.

The gig was at this cool martini lounge turned music venue in a renovated loft area in downtown Fort Worth, TX called M Lounge. These guys made more types of weird but delicious martinis than you could shake a stick at and commanded a pretty massive crowd. It was a fun time, a great group of people, and a terrific sounding stage and venue. I played for about two hours, then without any sign of the crowd subsiding, I kept it going and unleashed some fun covers for kicks that I hadn’t played in ages. We had a great time, a sing-along or three, and then closed the place down in the wee hours of the morning.

BIG THANKS to Echo and the crew at M Lounge for putting together a fun night, and a big shout out to my buddy Chuck for making me feel so welcome in town and my friend Randee for driving all the way from Tulsa, OK to see the show! Wow! It was a terrific evening and I hope to see you all again in Fort Worth, TX soon!

Hanging outside of The 806 in Amarillo, TX after the show. Photo: Nancy Smith-Blackwell

Man… last night was so much fun, and fairly unexpected. I started the morning off in Albuquerque, NM after playing the night before, then drove the five or so hours east on I-40 through crazy winds to Amarillo, TX where I spent many an hour looking for a PA repair shop and a hook up for a last minute gig since my schedule got a little out of whack on this leg of the tour. I ended up finding a shop or two first, but no luck on getting the part/repair done, so I moved onto looking for a gig. I lucked out and found one at The 806 on Sixth Street.

The River Monks from Des Moines, IA laying down their indie folk mojo after my set.

It turned out that these guys, The River Monks, who were on tour from Des Moines, IA, were scheduled to perform, but I guess the opening act had cancelled earlier in the day. As they say, timing is everything, so I jumped at the opportunity to hop on the bill and was psyched to check out this cool venue along the historic Route 66. I played a short little acoustic set, then got a chance to meet the folks in the audience, sell some merch (people went nuts over the ChiMcClean.com logo pint glasses), and then kick back and enjoy The River Monks’ set.

Hanging with photographer Nancy Smith-Blackwell from Amarillo Music Scene, after the show at The 806. Photo: Jimmy Joe

In attendance last night was local photographer from Amarillo Music Scene, Nancy Smith-Blackwell. It turns out that she shot most of my set, so we got to talking and I met some of her buddies who came to join her for the show. We had a great time catching up during the performance from The River Monks and decided to shoot some photos for a minute, so shoot we did… I’m not a camera guy, but we had some fun anyway and got a few really interesting shots, too. Big thanks to Nancy for hanging and posting all the great photos. If you ever come through Amarillo, TX, be sure to check out her page on Facebook for all the local happenings. It’s awesome.

Surprise! You're on camera! Watching The River Monks after my set at The 806 in Amarillo, TX last night. Photo: Nancy Smith-Blackwell

BIG THANKS to the crew at The 806 for hosting me last night (and for giving me a couch to sleep on afterwards) and to The River Monks for giving me some stage time to warm things up for them before their set. I had a terrific evening, met some great folks, and got to listen to some amazing music. Now, it’s time to get back on the road in search of another town and another gig. Hope to see ya soon, Amarillo!

On the road again... Somewhere in Texas.

My view for the better part of Sunday, March 18th.

After another great gig in Arizona the night before, I woke up around 4:00 AM, showered the sleep out of my eyes, grabbed my gear, and tip toed out of my buddy Josh’s place to drive the hour to Phoenix, AZ and catch a 6:45 AM flight to Oakland, CA to take part in a television performance / taping for MTV at the legendary Freight & Salvage. If I had planned my travel properly, with connections, a cab ride, and all… I’d arrive just in time to load in, say hello, tune up, take a deep breath, and go on stage. The stars aligned, fortunately, and I made it there with a few minutes to spare to run down the street and grab a chai latte. Winning!

Hanging with friend and Executive Director of West Coast Songwriters, Ian Crombie, during the MTV taping yesterday.

While I technically am not allowed to share the name of the show we were taping for, or when it will air, etc., I can tell you that it was a ton of fun. I got to perform a full song on a killer stage with wonderful sound in front of a packed house and a number of industry professionals, all while on camera. It’s always tough to pick just one song to perform, but based on all the traveling and minimal sleep I’d had recently since being on the road, I decided that I was feeling a little bit like the third track from my new, solo acoustic release, “Hole In My Heart“, so that’s what I went with. The lack of sleep, caffeine, nerves, and constant travel added a bit of a quiver to my voice which I just went with and, in the end, seemed to add to the vibe of the song for that particular moment. It was sort of cool… Before and after my performance, I listened to/watched a handful of other performers do their thing, including friends David Luning and Karmina, and then the featured act perform a great, new, original song. Without giving away too much of the gig, this kid really did a terrific job and has a great future… it was fun to watch him play his first industry showcase and neat to learn about his journey from never having performed a note in a “live” performance setting to where he sat yesterday on stage in the spotlight in front of a crowd. Cool story…

My new friends from the band KARMINA performing a tune at Freight & Salvage yesterday.

After the event wrapped up, I did an interview about the event with the camera crew from MTV, then chatted it up with some industry folks, the other performers, my friend, Ian Crombie (Executive Director of West Coast Songwriters) and then split for lunch with my friend, and a terrific songwriter and performer, Kaitlin McGaw. We found some crazy Indian place in Berkeley and I did my level best to eat that place under the table. Sadly, they won… I could only put away two plates worth of food, a chai (of course!), and some weird Indian dessert that was just about the most delicious thing, ever. Before the food coma settled in, Kaitlin drove me back to the Oakland, CA airport so I could log more time at the Southwest Airlines terminal, take a much needed nap, and get ready for my flight back to my truck that would hopefully still be waiting for me at the short term parking lot at the Phoenix, AZ airport.

A brief break to enjoy some sunlight and fresh air on a layover on Southwest Airlines yesterday.

Every time I take a flight and travel with my guitar, I get looks from my fellow travelers… some are curious, while others are sneering (”How is that man going to fit that GUITAR in the overhead bin?! Why doesn’t he just CHECK that thing?!”). Now, Southwest Airlines has always been really terrific in terms of being helpful whenever they can with my guitar sidekick, but yesterday, they even asked me to perform on the plane. Ha… Now, this happened once before on a flight to Colorado mid flight, but yesterday, they had me perform by the cockpit as the plane loaded for the second leg of my trip back to Phoenix, AZ. It was hilarious. I was in an alternate tuning that I use for just a few songs, so I was stuck playing those and gave the unsuspecting passengers a taste of “Hole In My Heart” and “Build Me Up” from my new release, “A Thing Or Three“. Almost everyone took photos, some passengers in front took videos, others just smiled and waved hello. The flight attendant and the pilot/co-pilot were all having a great time and it was an experience that, pretty much, only could have happened on a day like that. Hilarious… Of course, my phone died earlier, so the only documentation I have might be from the passengers last night. So, if you’re reading this and were on my flight, contact me and send me some photos and video, a way to contact you, and I’ll return the favor by sending you a free, autographed copy of my new release!

HUGE thanks to Ian Crombie from West Coast Songwriters, the crew from MTV, Freight & Salvage, my friend Kaitlin McGaw, and the crew at Southwest Airlines for making yesterday an incredible experience from start to finish. It just as easily could have been a nightmare all the way around, and instead, it was a day full of memories that will last a lifetime. THANK YOU and see you all again soon!

Tour poster for my performance at the original Ground Control location in Goodyear, AZ.

I saw lots of green… everywhere. It was St. Patrick’s Day at Ground Control in Goodyear, AZ and I was scheduled to perform a solo acoustic set there [the original location] for a few hours. Having performed at their second and newest location in Buckeye, AZ the night before, I was sort of curious to see what the spot that got it all started would look like. It did not disappoint: probably more craft brews than I’d seen anywhere else along my travels, an absolutely HUGE wine selection from the cavernous wine cellar adjacent to the performance area, the same great food, coffees and teas that the Buckeye location had, and just great people working there along with fun folks in the audience. Throw into the mix some St. Patrick’s Day energy, and we had the makings of a fun night…

My compact performance area at Ground Control in Goodyear, AZ.

I performed for about two hours straight before thinking about taking a break. The acoustics were terrific, the vibe was cool, and the audience seemed to be in the same groove I was, so why stop? But, hunger prevailed and I succumbed to a killer burger and salad to refuel before getting back up there to finish out the night. A new cast of characters filtered in after my little break and we closed out the night together as I dusted off a few cuts from my first record, “Something Out There”, and experimented with a new spin on some of my old favorites. I had so much fun and couldn’t believe I had played for about 3.5 hours when all was said and done. Despite being tired, I just didn’t really want to stop. However, looking ahead to a 4:00 AM wake-up call the next morning to catch a flight from Phoenix, AZ to Oakland, CA to do a taping for the MTV show “MADE”, I knew I had to call it quits. So, I packed it up, said my goodbyes, and got back to my buddy Josh’s place to try and catch a few hours of sleep before another epic day on the road and in the air.

Just one of the many cool scenes from a little hike I took prior to my show on 3/17 here in Arizona. So awesome...

As I fell asleep that night, I had to smile from all the good folks I met here in Arizona in both Buckeye and Goodyear, and began to dream about the cool desert stroll I took earlier in the day, just outside of town. Absolutely beautiful… BIG THANKS to my new friends at both of the Ground Control locations and, especially, to Josh and his family for so generously tolerating my crazy schedule and putting me up for a few nights. I couldn’t have imagined a better couple of days here in Arizona. THANK YOU and see you all again soon!

Tour poster for the show last night at Ground Control here in Buckeye, AZ.

Having had perhaps a little too much fun in Las Vegas, NV the night before after wrapping up my gig at The House of Blues, I had a hefty drive across some pretty barren, dry, but beautiful desert country to Buckeye, AZ, just outside of Phoenix. The scenery was wild and the roads were winding, so the 5+ hours in the truck went by relatively quickly. I arrived about  an hour before my set in the development of Verrado in Buckeye and unloaded my gear, sound checked, had a minute to throw some water on my face, wake up, and then get to work.

A quick snapshot before starting the show last night at Ground Control in Buckeye, AZ.

It was definitely a different scene than the night before in Sin City, but it was a ton of fun to hang and play an extended set in a cozy venue with good people, a great staff, warm acoustics, and awesome food in between! Huge thanks to Tara and the gang at Ground Control for hosting me, and big ups to Josh for putting me up for the night afterwards here in town. All in all, it was a terrific evening and I am looking forward to performing at their second location TONIGHT on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, in Goodyear, AZ from 8:00pm until about 11:00pm. I’m sure it’s going to get rowdy, so why don’t ya come on down and have a little fun?

This crazy cactus, the dry desert, and a neat span bridge in the distance. Lots of cool stuff like this here in Arizona!

Hanging at The House of Blues in Las Vegas, NV after my performance this Thursday, March 15th.

Quite possibly one of my favorite gigs, The House of Blues in Las Vegas, NV offers up great sound, a killer stage, a professional sound crew, and a great audience from all over the world. In just a one hour set, I had so much fun and made some new friends and fans from almost every corner of the globe. And, just when I thought it couldn’t get any better than that, I ate some killer barbeque from their kitchen! Yep, this is a good gig…

The best company a guy could have on the road... my twin 814ce's all tuned up and ready to rock backstage at The House of Blues.

After the show, I walked out and caught up with some new fans, talked music, and, of course, hit up that barbeque I mentioned earlier. So good! When the night was through and the last band wrapped up their set, I packed it up, said my goodbyes, and walked my gear back to my room that I splurged on upstairs at Mandalay Bay. Every time I play Las Vegas, I have to do it… They have the MOST comfortable beds and rooms around for less than a lot of dives I’ve stayed at elsewhere on the road and it’s always nice to get one good, solid night’s worth of sleep on the road. BUT, before I did, I took a stroll down on the casino floor and then found myself getting some VIP treatment at The Foundation Room on the top floor of the hotel (part of The House of Blues). This place has INSANE views of the Las Vegas strip and you wouldn’t believe the craziness that, I have to think, probably happens up there every night.

View of the infamous Las Vegas strip from atop Mandalay Bay on the outdoor patio at The Foundation Room.

Huge thanks to the on-site crew from Soli Concepts and Live Nation for booking, promoting, and putting on a terrific night of music and taking good care of me. I had an outstanding time and can’t wait to get back there and tear it up again. Until then, take care, keep rockin’, and be good, Las Vegas!

Performing at Brad Colerick's "Wine & Song" songwriter series at Firefly Bistro. Photo: Cleo Dia

Every time I come down to Southern California for some shows, I try and line up a performance with my friend Brad Colerick as part of his weekly songwriter series called “Wine & Song”, which he hosts at this really cool venue, Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena, CA. It’s the mellowest, most relaxed, and most unpredictable gig I’ve ever done, mostly because you never really know if there are going to be celebrity musical guests in the audience taking cameo slots on the bill or not. It keeps you on your toes and keeps the night moving really well, which makes it fun for everyone.

The entrance to the outdoor/indoor garden patio and performance area at Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena, CA.

Brad Colerick opened up the night with some of his signature, self-penned songs that his home town audience ate up. He is a terrific talent. A really natural, easy going voice, a relaxed style of guitar picking, and thoughtful songs make Brad a triple threat behind the mic and I’m always glad to have an opportunity hear and watch him perform. A few other guest artists joined the bill this past Wednesday, including Severin Browne, Ed Tree, and others. It was a nice mix of music for the evening and so fun to hear all of the various styles, stories and influences.

Host of "Wine & Song", Brad Colerick, opening up the night at Firefly Bistro.

Big thanks to Brad for hosting the night, huge thanks to all of my friends and fans for making the trek throughout the greater Los Angeles area to join the fun, and thanks to all of the songwriters and musicians that shared their talent and inspiration throughout the evening. I had a blast. Take good care, friends, and see you again in Southern California again soon!

A couple front row fans and friends getting fired up in between sets!