Next Thursday I am performing in NYC for the first time since 2019, in "Works in Progress: A Night of Song Exploration and Stories" along with my fellow artist-educators and longtime friends Mike Errico and Kat Reinhert. Kat's invitation to be a part of this show, and Mike's suggestion that we present works in progress, meant that I had to actually progress on some (song) work. I'm relieved and a wee bit chagrinned to say that to meet the challenge, I actually did some songwriting for the first time since 2018's "Desert or Sea" recording project. Yikes. The two new songs are rough and my confidence in them uncertain, but one must start somewhere.. Come tell me what you think! In any case I am eager to hear the artistry and humanity sure to emerge in Mike and Kat's new stuff.
Tickets are available here:
Next I'll be back with my fearless comrades Jamie Fox and Stephan Crump to reboot our August tradition of shows in Atlantic Canada. We'll play three shows at Ovens Natural Park in Nova Scotia, on August 13th, 14th and 15th before closing out our tour at the wonderful Second Wind Music Centre in New Brunswick on the 19th. The concert on the 14th, by the way, will feature our interpretations of some favorite tunes from New Orleans, from a rich musical tradition to which the world owes eternal gratitude. Please check out the details and reserve by following the links on my site.
Previously, Jamie and Stephan and I had much fun on a mini tour in the midwest this past March, which included sharing the stage with the excellent Shana Morrison and Kim McLean over 3 dates in Wisconsin (photo credit Nathan James Leatherman). We closed out the shows together with Stevie Wonder's Higher Ground, (a bit more fleshed out than the version Stephan and I recorded with the inimitable Chris Cheek some years back.)
Otherwise this summer I'm doing a ton of reading and writing towards completion of a second Masters Degree in Africana Studies, connected to my (almost) all-consuming September - June role as teacher of Global History to Brooklyn 10th graders. My focus is on the history of the nation now known as Democratic Republic of Congo, or DRC. (And yes, somewhere in there I aspire to read Mike Errico's new book and fill in the wide gaps in my knowledge of Mexican history..)
That aforementioned last NYC show was in June 2019 at the Cutting Room, where we presented another work-in-progress, my autobiographical theatrical concert, "Essential Stories". Were you there? The piece has come a long way since then but has a long way to go. I'm excited to continue developing and performing that project after I get this Masters thesis out of the way -- summer 2023?