Hello, old friends...and welcome new ones!
Let me start by saying how excited I am about 2019. I've got several fun musical projects in the works and I cannot wait to share them with you.
First, I am now completing the mixes for a new album that will mark the culmination of one of the coolest, craziest musical journeys I've ever been on. Over the course of the last year, I re-visited a dozen or so of my favorite original songs and along the way re-wrote, re-arranged, re-recorded...and re-imagined them all. Not only that, I used the opportunity to re-connect and collaborate with musical friends from every stage of my life--from high school daze to the here and now. Each song features a different assortment of players and a lot of very magical moments. I'll soon be telling you more about the project--which I hope to have in your ears by springtime.
Speaking of springtime...I just finished a musical collaboration of a very different sort--with my dear, late, favorite aunt, June McCarty.
Here's the story: when she was clearing out the house she grew up in, my cousin Marietta McCarty discovered a sheaf of song lyrics written by her late mother in the 1950s. Few people even knew they existed...but they are wonderful. One lyric was titled "Hello Spring," and I decided to write music for it. What a joy to spiritually collaborate with my aunt, June McCarty. It's the closest I ever got to co-writing with someone named McCartney! Enjoy the song...and read the beautiful book Marietta wrote about her discoveries, "Leaving 1203."
Finally (for now), I'm looking forward to playing live in 2019, and I hope to see you out there!
In addition to putting together a new band to play my new material wherever they'll have me, I'll be performing great music by some true pop legends. For the third season in a row, I'll be touring with the terrific Beach Boys tribute band Still Surfin'--check out our calendar and pick a date to come out and enjoy the timeless songs of Brian Wilson and his brothers. And on April 6 at The Barns at Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA, I'll be joining a merry band of crazy-good musicians in a Bandhouse Gigs tribute to XTC--definitely one of my favorite bands of all time.
Hey, 2019--I'm glad you're here!
Jonathan