A Cup o' Kindness...

Seattle, WA: Columbia City Theater (Bushwick Book Club - Ball Four)

It finally happened: I wrote a baseball song.  After years of 'fielding' inquiries as to whether I had ever married the two great loves of my life, Jim Bouton's seminal book--and my loyalty to The Club--pushed me to it.  And, I must say, I still look pretty good in-uniform...

Photo: Melissa Thompson

Seattle, WA: Musicquarium Lounge at The Triple Door

Back at the MQ--and so (finally!) are the fish!!

Seattle, WA: The Crocodile (Bushwick Book Club - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)

Back to the Croc for Bushwick-Oz gig #4 - this time with wizard-emcee!

Seattle, WA: Columbia City Theater

This is a bit of a full-circle gig for me: a trio version of the band is supporting Rare Elephant in their record release event, and one of the members happens to be my first guitar teacher (and Weddell-ecaster mentor), Tom Armstrong.  I've come a long way since my tenth-grade chops.  But I have a long way to go before I own anything as cool as the massive, converted-wooden-desk all-in-one keyboard contraption RE drags around...

Thanks, Tom, for the patience and guidance.

Oysterville, WA: House Concert

It's been five years since I've played this marvelous series, and I've missed this audience--so engaged, literate, and appreciative!  Given all the literary connections, I structure the afternoon so that the second set will consist entirely of Bushwick Book Club songs, with attendees allowed to vote for fifteen particular books.  Top vote getters: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; Slaughterhouse-Five; and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  Lowest totals: 1984; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; and The Holy Bible--judging from those last two, I know where folk weren't this morning...

Seattle, WA: Central Library (Bushwick Book Club - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)

Most Bushwick shows are one-and-done affairs when it comes to the material (and lineup), so to do a third Oz show (of four!) is uncharted territory.  Fun to see what changes and evolves...and what regresses...

Busy, Busy, Busy

Richland, WA: Tumbleweed Music Festival

Lovely Howard Amon Park lost a tree last year, and the result--at least as pertains to Tumbleweed--is that the West Stage is now west-facing, rotated 90-degrees from its usual.  And, much as I'm enjoying the nostalgia trip that is singing on a west-facing West Stage for the first time since my first Tumbleweed in 2002, that sun is brutal!  Also consented to attaching a GoPro camera to the headstock of my guitar--watch the sped-up footage of my fingers flying through the 40-minute set here.

Photo: Alan Page

Seattle, WA: Musicquarium Lounge at The Triple Door

The Sea Gals' 2014 Calendar Unveiling seems an interesting 3D mainstage pairing, but we got a cool band photo out of it...  And heard a lot of "Woooooo!!"

Seattle, WA: Royal Room (Bushwick Book Club - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)

And down the river we all go...

Seattle, WA: Fremont Fair

Fremont Fair is always a hoot (especially when the Sashimi Tabernacle Choir makes an appearance!), and I enjoy offering up a few Bushwick Book Club tunes to those hearty Seattleites unafraid of a little drizzle...even if I can't compete with Bucket of Honey's choreographed dance routines...  Thanks to the Fremont Abbey for hosting the stage!

Bellevue, WA: Bellevue Library (Bushwick Book Club - Michael Pollan)

For the initial-conscious: another BWBC KCLS gig, this one being recorded by KBCS for future broadcast.

Seattle, WA: Musicquarium Lounge at The Triple Door

Back at the MQ.  Big news here is that the tank, mojo-less for months now, should reemerge soon as a mini-Lake Tanganyika.  Now you know.

Kirkland, WA: Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church

Can't deny the claims of nepotism here: I got this gig because my (second-)cousin and her family are part of the congregation.  Had to come clean, since this morning's sermon--and my set--deals with "Integrity."  Figured a very human song that sets a negative example was one fit...(found a few positive-siders in the rolls, too).  Great room and group of folk!  And cake!!

Seattle, WA: Northwest Folklife Festival

Eight.  That's my number of engagements at Folklife this year: five Saturday (all stacked one after another); three Sunday.  Solo set, Bushwick Book Club, sidemanning with Reilly & Maloney and Nancy K. Dillon, Emerald City Songwriter Circles...  Lotta good music!

Lake Forest Park, WA: Third Place Books (Bushwick Book Club - Michael Pollan)

I'm getting pretty solid on the song, now...

Seattle, WA: Crocodile Cafe (Bushwick Book Club - Michael Pollan)

Anything to reprise Lonesome Dove's cow-or-weed? quiz--fits pretty well with Michael Pollan, if I do say so myself.  Keep Seattle reading, Bushwick Book Club, and keep Seattle grimy, Croc!

Photo: Melissa Thompson

Bookings, Books, & Baseball

Seattle, WA: Copper Gate

A fascinating room with a fascinating history...Google it.  And a great scene emerging here, curated by the inimitable Kubby Casual.  Fun to partake!

Federal Way, WA: Federal Way Library (Bushwick Book Club - Michael Pollan)

As I visit more and more KCLS branches with The Bushwick Book Club, I'm continually impressed by the architecture and setting: this one feels like summer camp in the woods!  Nice to test out my Michael Pollan tune, too, in advance of next month's main show at The Crocodile.

Seattle, WA: Egan's Ballard Jam House

Geoff Larson spends so much time corralling Bushwick Book Clubbers that it's easy to forget he himself plays (and occasionally sings!), too.  Splitting the bill tonight with Geoff and Don Hopwood, a duo trying out the name Don Cody (ten years ago they were BythewaY...they haven't performed much in the interim).  Egan's is a great room to hop back into the scene.  Fun to sing a few and also lend some mando to their reemergence.

L-R: WW, Don Hopwood, Geoff Larson

Seattle, WA: Town Hall (Bushwick Book Club - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)

Seems like I was just here...  I've moved on to Huck Finn, though, in what will be an ongoing collaboration between Bushwick and Book-It Repertory Theatre.

Seattle, WA: Town Hall (Bushwick Book Club - The Bible)

This is a big one (two nights!) with a lot of moving parts, from Seattle Jazz Composers Ensemble and the mixed choir backing up the songwriters to the challenge of Bushwick Book Clubbers writing songs about such revered and potentially-controversial material itself...and performing it at Town Hall!  I drew Adam and Eve, and went hopeful (pre-apple) with a honky-gospel feel.  Kudos to all of the folk involved in pulling off such a big, ambitious, and successful production!

Photo: Melissa Thompson

Seattle, WA: Musicquarium Lounge at The Triple Door

Been enjoying the low-key nature of Sundays throughout the MQ residency, but nice to grab some Friday energy, too--especially when it's the boisterous-but-engaged type of energy.  (Ides of March, you don't frighten me!)  Taking a few months off after this to get some recording-thoughts together; back in June.

Gigs, Grants, & Gratitude

Auburn, WA: Auburn Library (Bushwick Book Club - Pride & Prejudice)

The Bushwick Book Club is getting back into KCLS shows (there were several in 2011), and this foray comes on the first brilliantly-sunny Saturday of the year.  Figures.  Nice crowd, nonetheless, and fun to re-live parts of this show.  More library shows coming over the next few months!

Seattle, WA: Richard Hugo House (Bushwick Book Club - Ellen Forney's "Lust")

Ellen Forney's Lust--cartoon depictions of kinky on-line personal ads--lies well outside my usual source material, even as those boundaries have shifted and grown from different Bushwick Book Club selections.  But I'm glad for the challenge, and the chance to see how other writers approached this dirty-yet-affectionately-human work.  Plus, Ellen's on-hand...and willing to participate in tonight's quiz: LustLab username or AsSeenOnTV.com product?

Seattle, WA: Musicquarium Lounge at The Triple Door

The band is working up some of the Bushwick Book Club tunes into nice, full arrangements, and I'm enjoying integrating them into the sets rather than showcasing them as special, sideshow-type numbers in the midst of our 'normal.'  Still a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll...

Seattle, WA: Couth Buzzard

The scene building here at Couth Buzzard Espresso & Books is a neat one, low-key but heartfelt--kind of like a house concert in a cool library.  Knowing how busy a bookshelf-backdrop can look, I threw on my loudest shirt for the occasion: an in-the-round with good friends (and great writers) Matt Price, Joy Mills, and bandmate Alicia Healey.  Clearly, that's me on the right...

Bellevue, WA: Crossroads

Any calendar year really wouldn't be complete without a stop here--got to it early in 2013.

San Francisco, CA: Bazaar Cafe

January's a great time to duck south for a long weekend, and if that weekend happens to include a nice little coffeeshop gig with David Maloney, well, that's even better!

Seattle, WA: Fremont Abbey (Bushwick Book Club - A People's History of the United States)

The Bushwick Book Club Seattle does Zinn, part deux (part une here).  This time I've drawn Chapter 25, an eight-page addendum beginning with the 2000 election, running through 9/11 up to the initial bombing of Afghanistan.  Heavy stuff, and tough build a show-closer from it, too!

Good thing we really closed with Neil Diamond's "America."

Photo: Melissa Thompson

Seattle, WA: Jet City Stream

What's this now?--a new, on-line radio station focusing on local artists?  And broadcasting from the old Rainier Brewery?!  How lovely--thanks, Jet City Stream!  Happy to come in with Bushwick Book Club curator Geoff Larson and Left Hand Smoke's Ben Mish to talk about upcoming shows,  etc.  (And congrats to LHS for placing a song on Grey's Anatomy tonight!)

Listen here

Seattle, WA: Musicquarium Lounge at The Triple Door

I wonder what the scene would have been like had the Seahawks won...  As it played out, most of town's been out-of-commission since early afternoon--but not the WW Band!  Hitting 2013 hard!

Seattle, WA: Annex Theatre

Emmett Montgomery is an inventive local comedian who hosts myriad area events, including the Book Club's 1984 show last September, and he carefully curates his Weird and Awesome shows to be just that.  Glad to be considered one or the other...!