1 February - Imbolc and Elsewhere

Today is Imbolc, a Celtic fest day roughly halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox. It's a point along the wheel of the year when the return of the light is celebrated. The promise of a Spring reawakening and all that. It's also known in certain circles as Candlemas or St. Brigid's Day. It is a day marking optimism in the face of difficult circumstances. Long ago, this may simply have meant the natural challenges of Winter itself. But these days, it could be anything. 

31 January - First Month, Last Day

Here we are, staring at the impending February. It's cold. But I'm looking forward to the return of Spring, and also to a solo show I've booked for the last Sunday in March. It'll be the first of a few appearances I'm planning for this year. In the meantime, here are some nice electric guitars for you to look at.

14 January - Confirmation

The Group DeVille Trio is pleased to announce our first confirmed booking for the year. We'll be returning to the Angel Park Concert Series in Williamsburg, Massachusetts on the 15th of July.

11 January - Latest Pedalboard Situation

The four-pedal main board now features a new Boss Digital Delay, the older one having been moved to the secondary board beneath it, which is configured for solo shows. I do not need a dirt pedal when I play solo, just a bit of atmosphere. At lower right is the first tuner pedal I ever bought, which is used as a standalone in the studio. Any other stompboxes you might have noticed in previous posts have all been traded away. I do not collect pedals. The eight shown here are the only ones I own.

4 January - Break Over

Just had a long weekend, five days straight with no Dirt World chores or responsibilities. It was a pleasant stretch of relaxing. And this past Friday, I bought a new guitar. I've been looking for a small travel guitar, (ideally an acoustic-electric, so that it might be another option for live gigs), and found a very nice one at a fave local shop. It's one of Martin Guitars' "Junior" Series, and I've been playing the hell out of it since bringing it home. Getting to know a new instrument is always a fun thing. This one is an absolute blast. Wonderful tone, and a delight to play. I'm very pleased.

1 January - Shiny Happy New Year

Okay. Let's see how this goes.

31 December - Next Year Eve

Let's hope it's a good one.

21 December - Solstice

In other words, it's day one of our annual countdown to the Spring Equinox. Bundle up, kids. Ring out the bells. Enjoy the Yuletide and all the trimmings. The light returns.

16 December - Public Service Announcement

This is your reminder to periodically tighten all the screws on your amplifiers and speaker cabs to avoid annoying noises at certain frequencies. Music is vibrations. Vibrations shake things loose.

I was just playing through my oldest amp, and with the help of a screwdriver killed off a pesky buzz that made itself apparent in the key of B. Took a couple of minutes.

8 December - Remembrance

Today marks 45 years since John Lennon was murdered. Count me among those who still recall the moment we heard the news as if it was only yesterday. He left an enormous hole in the world, and was a significant part of shaping how some of us became the artists we are now. Hard to describe this level of influence. You have to feel it, bone deep.

Sleep soundly, John. No one (I think) is in your tree.