Seattle, WA: Northwest Folklife Festival

As thin as I've spread myself this year at Folklife, I'm performing exactly one song under my own name over the four days--with The Bushwick Book Club celebrating Dr. Seuss.  (I've drawn the poem "Too May Daves," an allegory confronting all-too-real problem of...people named 'Dave.')  The rest of the time is spent backing Reilly & Maloney (3 engagements), Nancy K. Dillon, and coordinating the inspiring Emerald City Songwriter Circles.  And remembering to eat.

Portland, OR: Artichoke Music

The Artichoke Music 'Backgate Stage' is one of the great regional songwriter-spaces: nice, comfortable room that sounds great and keeps both performers and audiences happy.  And after teaching a six-hour Advanced Songwriting Immersion class for Portland Community College earlier in the day (on the Rose City's first 80-degree day, no less!), Dick Weissman, Nancy K. Dillon, Larry Murante, and I are delighted with the relaxed feel in the room and the round.

Photo: Scott Docherty (more here)

Seattle, WA: Richard Hugo House (Bushwick Book Club celebrates National Poetry Month)

The last time I performed on this stage was indeed a memorable experience, and tonight's Bushwick Book Club event with/at Richard Hugo House looks to continue the tradition.  For this show, each songwriter has been paired with a local poet in celebration of National Poetry Month, and the duos charged with forging a collaboration however it might work best.  I've drawn the impressively articulate Ed Skoog, and we've focused on his poem "Like Night Catching Jackrabbits in Its Barbed Wire."

The poem is an account of Ed's 35th birthday in Joshua Tree, CA, sprinkled with the presence of various musical greats (most notably--and not surprisingly--Gram Parson).  But what's grabbed me is not the chance to write a Gram Parsons-style song (that's been done and done), but to visit a new-to-me part of the country through Ed's words and stories, which proves a delightful way to travel.  With Ed's wife having gone into labor this afternoon, however, I'm on my own for the performance:

Tulalip, WA: Washington Library Association 2012 Conference

The Tulalip Casino & Resort is an interesting spot for the subdued and thoughtful atmosphere of the Washington Library Association 2012 Conference--beyond adequate and very nice, certainly, but so close to hundreds of noisy slot machines.  I'm here with Geoff Larson and Tai Shan of The Bushwick Book Club presenting our 'wares' in the form of a Time Life-y 'best of' revue that I think plays quite well.  But what to do with all our down time...

Seattle, WA: Musicquarium Lounge at The Triple Door

The lights are off-upon-arrival in the MQ fishtank--an ominous sign... The rest of the evening unfolds like this:

Occasionally in conversation I note that some performance-related experience from my past strikes others as more incredible or noteworthy than it does me, and I realize that I have different expectations as a result of logging many performances over the years. It is not, I hasten to point out, that I am jaded and cannot again be taken by a moment--indeed, that possibility is still a huge part of my commitment to live performance--but it take more to catch me off-guard. And it can still happen...like in the, um, intensity showcased by tonight's late-Sunday, post-mainstage-show dance party... (Good thing the band kept our hoedown set handy!)

Two lingering observations:
That was a lot of dancefloor touching!
And does that sign say "Blame Wes Weddell" ??

Seattle, WA: Columbia City Theater (Bushwick Book Club - Fahrenheit 451)

For something new at this Book Club show, I'm emceeing in addition to performing. The song ("Just Like Me"), then, is general and broad--an introductory piece to welcome the crowd and let others go deeper. The between-song bits, however, are much more detailed, culminating my grand bring-contestants-onstage quiz on the following theme: "Who said it? - Ray Bradbury or Mark Zuckerberg?!"

Roasting The Half Brothers

Seattle, WA: Town Hall

I've said it before, but I don't mind repeating myself: it's a kick to hear 75 voices sing your song! I'm here with the Nelsen Middle School Concert Chorus from Renton, WA, directed by bandmate and dear friend Brian Hoskins and the only middle school choir invited to perform at this year's Northwest American Choral Directors Association Divisional Conference. They're including a revamped arrangement "Carry On" in their program, and I'm tremendously honored.

I know folks' eyes glaze over when they hear about kids' choirs, remembering the excruciating experience from when their neighbors dragged them to see their kids or the last saccharine offering from church. But this is different: these kids bring it, not in a nice-for-a-bunch-of-kids way, but in a real, present, 'wow' way. Brian chooses music from myriad cultures and traditions, which is nice both in comparison to other programs and given the diversity of the choir itself, a reflection of its hometown. They sing, they move, and we do our best to keep up in the backline.

Thanks, as always, to Don Shawe (1917-2007), whose story is the song.