Farewell, Jane

Today, I said goodbye to a very old friend. We wrote songs together, played together, recorded together, toured together, laughed together, cried together.

Today, I said goodbye to my Larrivee D-03 Acoustic Electric, who I fondly called "Jane".


Jane was purchased over 10 years ago. I was told then that Larrivee's were considered the Canadian Martin's. I couldn't afford a Martin back then, and since I was born in Vancouver, I thought it was a perfect fit. I named her Jane when I found out that guitarists for the Barenaked Ladies used Larrivee's. (For those that need the extra clue, one of my favorite BNL songs is "Jane".)

Her standard dreadnought shape offered a nice, big, warm tone and I had a Fishman Matrix pickup installed so I could take her to the stage. Later, I opted for the smaller folk-size guitars for live shows (Martin OM's and 000's), but Jane was still around for recording sessions. With custom light .11 D'Addario's, Jane was always a big part of my early singer-songwriting career.


There were many sleepless nights spent up with Jane. We played, laughed, wondered, agonized, vented ... it was like having a shrink with six strings listening to all you had to say while singing back notes of encouragement.

Some of the first songs I wrote were written with Jane. Among them, "Stare (Yeah, Yeah)," "1000000 Miles," "Back Where We Belong," "Better to Forget Her," "Every Day Ain't Enough" and "Forever Starts Today".

My first three records - the Uncertain Air EP, Everything's OK and Acoustic Boogaloo - were all recorded with Jane. Every acoustic chord and note was played on that Larrivee.

My first shows were played with Jane by my side. Those early shows at the Cellar Bar on Richmond Ave. in Houston, the Sidecar Pub, Dean's Credit Clothing, Diedrich's Coffeehouse on Westheimer, the Borders Books Showcases in the Houston area ... memorable gigs and memorable times with Jane. She always sounded great and she never let me down.


The reasons for deciding to sell Jane once and for all were few: lack of space in my New York City apartment, extra cash for bills, making press kits, buying recording software, a PlayStation 3, whatever ...

Also, I'm now playing a Gibson J-45 (Ramona), a Martin 000-16 (Allison), my trusty Yamaha LS-400 Paul Simon copy (Kathy), and a Guild GAD-F212 12-string (Jan). They're prettier, sexier, more trustworthy, and much better lovers, but Jane will always be my first, and for that, will always hold a special place in my heart.

In a bittersweet, and somewhat surreal moment, the guy that bought Jane from me came to my apartment tonight and had apparently Google'd me and looked up my music. He was really impressed with my work and kind of talked to me like he was a fan.

When he handed me the cash and I said my final goodbye to Jane, the guy asked me to autograph the guitar. I couldn't believe it. I thought it was really sweet of him and I was honestly touched by the gesture. Reluctantly, I grabbed a Sharpie and signed the back of Jane. The guy was so appreciative. I was just in disbelief the whole time, I forgot to take a pic of the sig. Shoulda done that!

Then suddenly, she was gone.


Jane, I'll miss you. It was fun while it lasted. Thanks for the memories, for the songs, and for the inspiration. I wish you the best.

~j

Happy Birthday to me

Golden State of Mind

Good morning from the Venice Pier. I've tweeted that I'm dangerously falling in love with Southern California. The weather is awesome, my two best friends live here, the music scene is hot, (most of) the people here are great ... ugh. I don't know. New York is still my first love, but L.A. is tempting.

Played my first West Coast gig here on Tuesday night. Awesome show. AWESOME. And thanks to all of you that made it out. The venue was Genghis Cohen Restaurant, a Chinese restaurant with a connecting venue set up for acoustic performances. The room is really cool, too. It's set up like a small chapel - benches lined up in two rows on either side, all facing the stage. Very cool, intimate place to play.

The gig itself went really well. I don't think there were many uncomfortable moments onstage for me. I felt really good vocally and for some reason, everything just seemed to flow naturally. This isn't that unusual for me, but paired with the fact that I was kind of nervous to play my first L.A. crowd made that feat a bit more impressive.

I managed to pay tribute to MJ by playing my cover of "The Way You Make Me Feel," which I recorded on my 2005 album Acoustic Boogaloo, as well as ending the show with a Paul Simon-esque arrangement of "I'll Be There". I thought it went OK. I was really nervous about the vocal on the J5 song. Don't think it was terrible. I actually got kind of emotional singing it. RIP, MJ.

OK, the best part about Genghis Cohen is the restaurant itself. Such a great ambience and the food was ridiculously incredible. I strongly recommend a visit if you're ever around. I'm definitely going back just for the food.

I'm driving up to San Francisco tomorrow to visit some family and mix in some open mics. I've always loved it in the Bay Area and I'm really looking forward to that drive up the coast. Should be great.

OK. Hope you're all well. Here's my set list from the other night. Take care ...

• Now
• Untitled (The Man That I Am)
• Not Guilty
• The Way You Make Me Feel (Michael Jackson cover)
• Supposed to Be
• Rely on Fate/The Crime
• Bundle of You
• Wondering If I Belong
• I'll Be There (Jackson 5 cover)

The King of Pop (1958-2009)

I'm in L.A. to hang with my friends and play some shows, but despite the Pacific breeze and the bright rays of the sun, it was a very, very dark day on Thursday, June 25, 2009.

While shopping on the Third Street Promenade, around 2:30pm PST, I received an abundance of phone calls and texts about rumors involving Michael Jackson - my childhood hero, my everlasting musical influence, my King of Pop. Shortly thereafter, my iPhone battery dwindled down in juice due to constant Google News refreshing, I heard the confirmation:

Michael Jackson was dead.

In 1984, the Vancouver Sun Newspaper was holding a contest: Draw "Michael Jackson in Action" to enter in a chance to win two tickets to The Jacksons' Victory Tour concert at B.C. Place. I was 6. I gathered my pencils and crayons and drew what I thought was my Mona Lisa. My Mona Michael, if you will (cuz I will). It was the greatest creation I'd ever concocted in my six years of life.

I was the youngest contestant to enter and I not only won two tickets, but the local news came to my house to see me dress and dance like MJ, and I was invited, along with the other winners of the contest, to come and meet Michael and his brothers.

So my father brought me to B.C. Place. I wore a "Beat It" jacket, one sequenced glove and oversized aviator sunglasses. I remember going to the stadium and meeting the other winners, all of whom were at least twice my age. And I remember getting up to go backstage to meet the Jacksons. Unfortunately, I don't remember the rest. My father claims we met Michael Jackson, but I must've blacked out because I don't remember a second of it.

Then I saw my first live concert and, at 6, was already convinced that Michael Jackson was the greatest entertainer on the planet. He could sing. He could dance. He could make a stadium full of tens of thousands of people go crazy just by moving a finger. There was no one like him. And there never will be again.

In eighth grade at Kingwood Middle School in a suburb of Houston, my choir conductor convinced me to perform "Remember the Time" for the Pop Show. I wanted to play my guitar and sing "Homeward Bound" with a friend of mine. But instead, I put on a black fedora, wore high-watered black slacks, bright white socks and choreographed a "Billie Jean"-esque dance postlude to "Remember the Time".

The assistant principal of the school called me to his office the next day, not because I grabbed my crotch in front of teachers, parents and other middle school kids, but because he wanted me to teach him "some of those dance moves."

In 2004, I was playing a gig at Clarks in Downtown Houston. I had attracted some new fans by playing unexpected cover versions of R&B classics by the likes of Bobby Brown, Bell Biv Devoe, Mariah Carey, etc. I had just arranged an acoustic blues version of "The Way You Make Me Feel". I began to play, and a guy who had played before me walked up with his tenor sax, asking if it'd be OK if he played the song with me.

The collaboration was so good, I decided to replicate it on my 2005 album Acoustic Boogaloo, featuring Mr. Kelly Dean on sax. Just guitar, vocals and saxophone. Such a simple, stripped down version of a dance classic, and my tribute to Michael Jackson.

A lot of people that I've known for years said they thought of me when they first heard the news. He had his troubles, eccentricities, and was probably one of the most misunderstood human beings on the planet, but my connection with MJ was one on a musical and emotional level.

I'm an aspiring rock star because of the following: Michael Jackson made me want to be an entertainer. Elvis made me want to be a singer. Paul Simon & The Beatles made me want to be a songwriter. But it all started with Michael.

His performance of "Billie Jean" at the Motown 25 Celebration will remain legendary, as it was the first time we saw the moonwalk and probably the moment in his career when he really stepped out of the shadow of his Motown years with the Jackson 5. But my favorite Michael Jackson moment was during the 1995 MTV Video Awards when he took the stage for a 15-minute performance of truly epic proportions.

Starting with a medley of hits that ended with one of the most soulful guitar solos that guest guitarist Slash has ever played, Michael then performed a rendition of "Dangerous" that features choreography that was pretty much a shiny new textbook for every student of dance. I'm not a dancer by any means, but I've heard from many that that performance was genius on so many levels. Even those that don't know much about dance can appreciate how great that choreography was.

He ended his MTV performance with "You Are Not Alone," singing to his then-wife Lisa Marie Presley. It was both touching and cheezy, but it was the climax to an unprecedented awards show performance that featured every aspect of Michael Jackson's talents. His singing. His dancing. And his ability to just floor an audience already expecting greatness and getting even more in return.

It's still surreal that he's gone. It's still numbing to think about. It's still shocking that it happened. But Michael's gone. His comeback tour will never be. His new album won't be finished (at least, not to the level of perfection he would have desired). And he'll never walk on the moon again.

But thank god that the greatest thing about him will remain in our lives for as long as we live. We can listen to his music whenever we please, and like the entertainer himself, it will never disappoint.

In the infamous interview with journalist Martin Bashir, Bashir was kind of poking fun at Michael's obsession with all things Peter Pan. "Why, Michael?" Bashir asked. "Do you want to be Peter Pan?"

"I am Peter Pan," Michael said. "I'm never gonna grow up. I'm gonna live forever."

He was right.

Blog Blog Blah

Happy Sunday, friends. Not much to blog about today. Just wanted to say "hi".

Working on a West Coast trip. Shows are iffy ... may just turn out to be a bunch of open mics. I'll keep you posted. Definitely going to LA, but would love to make the trip up to the Bay Area as I have family up there, and it's probably the only city in America that I'd give up New York for.

Went to Elizabeth & the Catapult's CD Release Party at Joe's Pub the other night. What a great show. Props to Elizabeth - she's such a talent. And Pete was in top form as usual, but special kudos to my boys Alan Hampton and Danny Molad, both of whom have played on Jason Consolacion records. Gotta support the Citizens!

Finally, conundrum: I've got a great seat here at Starbucks, but I really have to pee. I don't wanna get up and leave my MacBook Pro here, nor do I wanna get up and possibly lose my seat. WHAT TO DO?!?! I think I'm gonna have told hold it. Wish me luck!

Song of the Day: "The Hang Up" - Elizabeth & the Catapult

Later.

Summer Tour(s)

So it looks like a good possibility that I'll be playing on the West Coast and back in Texas over the summer.

A few things have to fall into place before plans can be finalized, but Houston is a strong possibility, as is Southern California and hopefully the Bay Area, as well. And while I'm down in Texas, I'd like to throw in an Austin gig if possible.

More details to come. Hangin' out in the East Village right now. It always rains when I'm here ... hmmm.

The new plan, Stan

OK, so it's June 1, 2009. Time is fucking flying.

I've decided on a plan for the summer. First and foremost, I gotta get some exercise. I'm at Jack Black status right now and I'd like to get to the new and improved Seth Rogen by summer's end. So running starts NOW ... or, well ... tomorrow.

Gotta start eating better, too. The wife makes healthy, hearty foods every week, but I keep succumbing to my vices ... fast food, sweets, midnight snacks ... OK, midnight MEALS, etc. Gotta start eating better, dammit.

In addition to getting healthier, I really need to finish these two albums I'm working on. I'd like to have November Sessions done by month's end. After that, I'm going to work on an EP called More Sessions, which are tracks that I wrote while writing November Sessions that won't quite make it on the record, but I want to share them with you all anyway, hence the upcoming EP More Sessions. I hope to finish that by mid- to late-July.

My next album 12, made up of the 12 songs I wrote in 12 days in January, will hopefully be finished by the fall ... September or October, methinks.

All these albums will be released on the newly-founded Family Tree Records, a record company my friends at Family Tree Collective and I are starting up. Should be fun fun fun.

And all this while I work on another project: a series of demos that will comprised of songs I'm writing for other people. I'm gonna try and sell out ... I mean, sell some songs to record producers for performers that don't write their own songs. I've been told that I should do it and that I'd be really good at it. So I'm gonna go for it ... and I'm kinda scared/excited/something ... stay tuned.

Just thinking out loud here.

Also, two albums I've been listening to non-stop for the past couple of weeks ... I really think you should give them a try if you haven't already:

• Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
• Elizabeth & The Catapult - Taller Children

And I've been throwing in some Bell Biv DeVoe in between that. Try it out! You won't be sorry!

That's all I got. Happy June!