Saturday February 19, 2011
Blink and a year goes by. 2010 was a an eventful year for me
on a personal level. Rowan was born (okay, at the end of 2009), I switched jobs, bought a
house. My beloved cat, Wally, died a very premature death. All
of this happened in the context of a crashing economy and a
rising tide of worry. Strangefolk went rudderless without a
manager and nothing happened with the band as a result. I
celebrated 5 years of being cancer free. One dark night a new
kitten wandered into our house with Wally's surviving sister,
Lola, and became a permanent fixture. Went to Mexico to
celebrate my 40th birthday with one of my best and oldest
friends who turned 40 just ten days before I did. Capped the
year off by staying home and going to bed early. 40, indeed. To
paraphrase Dickens, it was the best of times, it was the worst
of times. But ain't that life?
So here we are in 2011. Rowan is 15 months old now, a very
happy, busy little boy. Lola and Charlie have become friends. I
really enjoy my new job, working with great people, still in
Napa working on software for the wine industry. Amber and I have
taken some great steps toward making our house our home. The
band is energizing for some ramped up activity. We had a big
scare when Erik fell ill in January. You can look on his
facebook page for details on that ordeal. But he's on
the mend and able to get back on stage. Feels like things are
coming together. I hope they are for you, too.
I hope to see as many of you as possible on March 11th &
12th. I'm looking forward to visiting Burlington, VT again after
so many years away and, as always, Boston's Hard Rock show
should be lots of fun. Here's to a 2011 with more Strangefolk.
Tuesday November 3, 2009
Worcester was fun. A huge thank you to those who made those
shows. What a great time. I really enjoyed Tammany Hall. For
me there's no time of year I love better than Fall, especially
October. To be able to spend a weekend in New England in
October was a real treat. And it snowed. Twice. It's been
nearly 8 years since I moved to California but I'm still
pretty sure in all my years in New England it never snowed
that early. That kind of set the tone for the weekend for me.
Arriving in Boston at 5AM, driving in the snow, pulling into
what I thought was the hotel but was really some kind of
medical center, finding the real hotel, the hotel allowing us
(I was traveling this time with a friend, my co-worker Bodie
who wanted to tag along for a weekend and see what it was all
about) an early check-in, trying to catch a few hours sleep,
waking up to phone calls from work, getting up to meet the
guys and soundcheck for several hours, all of that contributed
to what I felt was one of our more focused and enjoyable
musical weekends in a long time. We've got a lot of new songs
we are working on, plus we have so many great songs that Erik
recorded for his solo CD. Over time I'll post some of the
demos we're working on in the Music page. Our plan is to
eventually get into a real studio and record because it is way
overdue. For a long time I was on the fence about going into
the studio because I wasn't sure of the format. Do we release
a CD, record some singles and release them separately? I was
reading a Beatles book recently (the one by Geoff Emerick is a
captivating read if you're into the technical side of making
records) and it reminded me that back then it was all about
singles, much like today's digital market. A band would record
a single, release it on 45, and then make an album but often
(at least in the Beatle's case) not include the single in the
record. I love the idea of singles but I also love the idea of
a whole album or CD that you can hold that has cover art and
liner notes. I'm still not sure what the product we put out
will be but I think it'll be all of the above.
I've got a somewhat more immediate project on the burner at
the moment, though . I'm back home settling in and preparing
for the Big Arrival. Amber is due to give birth on November
10th but it feels like it could be any minute. We are both
looking very much forward to the big day. Thanks to everyone
who has asked after Amber. At this point we're packed and
ready for the hospital at a moment's notice.
It'll be some months until the next Strangefolk concert.
Stay tuned here from time to time for sneak peeks at demos.
Sunday August 02, 2009
Back in February I got an email from Reid asking if I'd
like to contribute to the album he was working on, an album of
duets with several artists called "Some Assembly Required." Up
to that point I had been working with Patchen on a project of
writing and recording songs between New York and California.
He and Jen had come out to CA on business in September and
during that time he made several trips to my place. We also
had tickets to the Outside Lands festival so we had a lot
going on that weekend. Between Radiohead, Beck, Wilco, Jack
Johnson, Mike Gordon and several other memorable sets we
managed to record the basic tracks for the song "Don't
Play Me,"
which he and Erik had performed in the Windfalls. I've always
been a fan of using technology as a means and an end. The idea
of writing songs, recording simple demos at home, passing
those demos along via the internet, expanding on ideas and
arriving at a final product has so much appeal to me because
it's a viable way to make artistic progress in this age. It is
born from living 3000+ miles from my musical partners; in
other words, born of necessity, but also born of a love for
tinkering. The guys in the band know my catchphrase for this
process as "Glorified Demos."
Reid's invitation came at a perfect time when I'd been
working on my home recordings, the record light was always
blinking, and I was eager to put the whole glorified demo
idea to the test. The track he chose was "Crest of My Wing,"
one of the first songs he and I assimilated into our
performances as the newly minted "Strange Folk" in 1991 or
so. Actually, I've got some posters kicking around from
those days that suggest we were called nothing more formal
than "REID Genauer and Jon TRAFTON" (the capitalized being
the names by which people seemed to know us best) during the
era that this song was incorporated into our setlist. The
naming isn't as important as the fact that this song goes
back to Day One for us as a musical entity. This is also the
first song of ours where I dared to open my mouth and sing
harmonies, for better or worse. I really fell in love with
harmonizing on vocals and having a wonderful venue to
stretch out on guitar solos with the early-era Strangefolk.
I owe Reid a debt of gratitude for putting up with it,
especially when no one was listening but us. For the studio
version I tried to honor the guitar and vocal heritage of
our united roots in Strangefolk. I think this version is
true and different enough to honor its history as well as
our collective input some 6,570 days later. That's 18 years
for those of you counting.
Reid wrote an
essay
about the song and about the beginning of our musical
friendship on the promo mailer for "Some
Assembly Required." It is a chapter of my life that I am
intensely proud of and it pleases me to join forces with my
old friend so many years later. Good music can be made at a
remove but it requires the love and respect of the music
makers to stand up. I hope you enjoy Crest of My Wing as
much as we enjoyed reconnecting and working together. My
best wishes to Reid on the success of "Some Assembly
Required."
Recording tracks for Crest of My Wing,
Feb. 2009.
Sunday June 28, 2009
I have had some amazing opportunities in my lifetime.
I've been blessed to spend many years traveling in the
United States and beyond, visiting countless wonderful
places, and meeting a long cast of colorful characters. I've
got some great stories from that journey and I hope to amass
many more. I kept a steady journal from about 1991 to 2000,
mostly because I enjoy writing and I used to have a lot of
time on my hands. I still occasionally write and, more
recently, draw in it but I don't know that I'll ever record
another episode this improbable.
In light of Michael Jackson's passing last week I felt
compelled to pull that journal out and hunt for this story
so I could share the details as I recorded them on May 13,
1999. I have added extra details and modified as needed but
what follows is the story, as written in a letter to a good
friend who was recuperating from an illness. I hope you
enjoy.
So here's one for you. I had dinner with Michael
Jackson on Thursday night. (April 29th). I told you I'd
wait until I had a good story to tell you in your infirm
state and now I have one. I'll start from the beginning.
Intro: Why?
My [ex] girlfiend's (her name is Sarah N) father works
for [nationally known toy store] as an executive. Michael
Jackson is really into kids and toys and such, as we all
know, and he has been interested in working with [toy store]
for a long time. Sarah's dad has met with him two other
times to hear his ideas.
In December I was in CA and came within one day of going
to MJ's ranch near Santa Barbara to ride roller coasters and
play with elephants but it didn't work out due to his
scheduling conflicts. So I knew the possibility was out
there somewhere that I might actually meet the guy.
Chapter 1: Have You Seen The Matrix?
So here's the scene. He came to Sarah’s house in NJ.
There were nine of us. He came with two business managers
and one of their sons. Then there were Sarah's parents,
another [toy store] executive, and me.
Let me begin with his entrance. I'd envisioned what this
moment would be like ever since Sarah’s parents invited us
over for this dinner. I pictured him gliding in on a forward
moonwalk stride right up over the steps and into the
entrance where he’d whip off a couple of quick dance moves,
extend his coat out to his assistant, and disappear in a
puff of smoke. It wasn’t that way at all. We were busy
preparing dinner and awaiting a call from his security team
who were in a separate vehicle advancing the route. We got a
call that they’d be arriving in 10 minutes and that
Michael’s van would be 5 minutes behind that. This is really
happening. The front door was a heavy wooden door with a
small glass window situated so that you could see the
circular driveway. As the first van pulled up we snuck peeks
out the window at it. It was his security detail, getting
out, scoping the surroundings. I’d been telling myself I’d
believe it when I saw it and it was clear I was about to see
it for real.
Leading up to this moment I’d been helping in the
kitchen, stirring the risotto I’d been working on. About 30
minutes prior I’d been rummaging in some cabinets for salt
or something and completely forgot that I left the cabinet
door open. Later I looked up suddenly and my forehead met
the corner of the door. It was a jarring impact that created
a big welt with a bloody center. I could feel a giant egg
bump tightening on my forehead like a third eye. I was
hoping this injury was one of those that feel worse than it
looks but a quick trip to a mirror proved otherwise. Not
much I could do at this point. The signal went off that a
vehicle had entered the driveway. We rushed to the door,
jostling for a look out the small window. The moment had
certainly arrived: Up the driveway came a black conversion
van that was done up sort of like a limo, sort of like a
hearse. It looked heavily fortified. The van pulled up and
came to a stop, Mr. N opened the front door of the house,
and I saw a few heads milling around outside. Then there he
was, stepping out of the van and walking toward the house.
What followed was most surreal. Buddy, the friendly but big
and loud yellow lab, couldn’t contain his excitement to
greet the new guests. When the door opened he surged forward
to the threshold while Mrs. N and crew tried to stop him
from jumping up on everyone. Little did any of us know that
MJ is scared of dogs. But he is, indeed, and the first sight
I caught of him was a backward lunge out the door and to his
immediate right, behind a hedge. I thought I was witnessing
something that all people who’ve met Michael Jackson in
private know: that he’s one eccentric dude, far crazier than
you see on TV. When he finally did come in and the dog still
hadn’t been detained he backed up against the wall and
shuffled around the circular foyer, followed closely by a
very curious Buddy who was trying to sort this guy out the
only way he knew how: by nosing straight for his ass. I
thought Michael was trying to hide in the coat rack out of
crippling shyness until he said Buddy, “almost gave me a
heart attack. I’m terrified of dogs.” It’s Buddy? This whole
thing happened so fast it really didn’t register with
anyone. We quickly got Buddy out of there and things settled
down.
That episode was so distracting that it sort of diffused
the intensity of the initial meeting. Still, it is difficult
to describe the sensation of standing next to Michael
Jackson. I mean, we're not talking about a normal human
here. He was dressed in all black with a red swath around
his right bicep. He had totally opaque, black sunglasses on
and high pants with white socks and loafers. His face was
very white, caked in makeup, and he had lipstick on. I
noticed he had huge hands. I also noticed that while his
hands where quite light his fingernail beds were not.
Another noticeable attribute was that both sides of his nose
appeared to have been filled in by some putty-like makeup,
almost like spackle. He may be a superstar but I felt more
like we'd captured some kind of exotic animal or alien. The
first thing he said to me was, “ouch,” while signaling to my
forehead. Oh yeah, that. I’d almost forgotten.
After introductions he loosened up and relaxed and we all
hung around sipping drinks and chatting for about a half
hour. Picture me and Michael sitting on a couch side by side
talking about music, writing, performance, etc. etc. It was
so weird. He seemed really glad to to talk someone about
music and the whole creative process (Yeah, and meanwhile
I’ve written about 15 songs in my life). We asked him all
kinds of questions he asked us all kinds of questions. He
told us about his new record that he’d been working on for a
year and his plans for the millennium. He said he was
planning something for two continents, whatever that means.
We’ll see soon enough. I thought it funny that everyone
around Burlington talks about our local heroes, Phish, and
what they will be doing at the turn of the century. Suddenly
that seemed small. Here’s one of the most famous figures of
this century discussing his plans for the big event. He
asked me all about Strangefolk. It was great to hear him say
“Strangefolk” kind of to himself after I told him our name.
When would I have ever imagined I’d be telling Michael
Jackson what MY band was called? He also asked what I played
and when I said guitar he asked if I played acoustic or
electric. I thought it was interesting that he’d make the
distinction and ask. I wonder if he caught the “folk”
insinuation in the band name. We talked about lots of
musician topics: being nite-owls, writing your best music in
the middle of the night, the art of improvisation, how
inspiration arrives, and many other things. He was impressed
that we make our jams up as we go, like a jazz band. He
could only relate to charting everything out specifically.
Of course, he was oblivious that there is a music scene
devoted to the improvisational approach.
I was totally impressed that he seemed so interested in
being there and talking with all of us. Of course, he’s a
total pro – he’s been in people’s living rooms like a
specimen, making small talk his whole life. Come to think of
it, though, he actually did want to be there – to talk biz
with Sarah’s dad – so I guess it wasn’t like he was fielding
media questions. Just as we were about to go into the next
room for dinner he turned to me abruptly and asked if I’d
seen The Matrix. I had and told him I liked it. He said he’d
go on my recommendation. That’s me, always giving the stars
good advice. I added that Keanu Reeves’ acting was as stiff
as always which was met with a blank stare. I realized I
might be panning one of his buddies. Later Sarah and I asked
him if he wanted to go see it that night. Of course this
would entail buying out an entire cinema and who knows what
kind of capers. He said he’d love to but had early sessions
in the city. Figured we’d at least ask.
So then we ate dinner. We had salmon, risotto, green
beans, and salad. Man, I can’t believe Mrs. N could handle
the pressure of what to feed the King of Pop. As we lined up
to plate our food, buffet style, he leaned to me and told me
to go first because he wasn’t sure what to do. It was
amazing to see how like a little child he is. He dropped his
fork on the floor once and just laughed. He ate it all,
though, and had seconds of the risotto. He ate his salad
with his fingers. He did manage to drink two glasses of wine
with no problems. I was kind of hoping he’d bust loose and
start singing and dancing but the closest we got was him
doing an impression of his Neverland elephants waving their
trunks when he approached to feed them. Even doing this we
got a taste of the hallmark Michael Jackson grace.
The dinner conversation was interesting if a bit jumbled
due to the Q & A format. He was asked who his favorite
performers were/are. He said Sammy Davis Jr. was one of his
tops. The other answers were fed to him by his manager. I
know James Brown was one but I forgot the rest. He lamented
that there are no more entertainers like the old school. He
talked about living next to Fred Astaire and seeing him
every day when he was a young man and just moved to Beverly
Hills. He said he was a very special friend and that they
did a lot of TV together in the early days. He said that
Fred Astaire told him he was going to be a huge star and he
laughed bashfully. Yeah, I think Fred called it. We touched
on the subject of the Beatles and I thought it was
interesting that he didn’t know the name of “Here Comes the
Sun,” but he mentioned that song as a favorite. He owns the
Beatles catalog – I thought how uncomfortable it would be
for me to give him shit about buying it out from under Paul
McCartney in the 80s, after Paul advised him that publishing
was where the money is. [There were other uncomfortable
topics we could have touched upon but no one would have
dreamed of going there. This was after one scandal had
happened and been brushed under the rug but before the BIG
scandals.] He also told us about being in the Jackson 5 in
Vegas back when you couldn’t go anywhere unless you were 18.
He said he was a prisoner in his hotel rooms and hated it.
Because of that, he said, he dreamed up all the ideas you
see in Vegas today – the roller coasters, the family vibe –
he claimed that he was the architect of all of those ideas,
that people would fly him to Vegas to consult on his ideas,
and that Vegas is the way it is today because of him.
We talked about the Thriller tour because that’s when Mr.
N took Sarah’s older sister to see him the first time. He
talked about how the stage was the only comfortable place
for him. He talked about performing and how he saw thousands
of kids having the same reaction to the same music all over
the world. He said, “They all cry at the same moments, they
all laugh at the same moments, and they all wave their arms
at the same moments.” You hear talk about how love and music
are universal languages but to hear it coming from this guy
held special weight. He could speak about the music but he
was very intent on hearing how people in the room met their
significant others. He seemed fascinated by the small
details. I realized he’s never had a normal relationship in
his life. He’s been so famous for so long he doesn’t know
the simple boy meets girl story except at a remove. I don’t
think he knows any normal human interactions. He talked
about his kids some. His son and my brother share a
birthday. More small talk.
At some point later he quickly looked at his wrist as if
checking a watch. Like clockwork his people jumped. It was
time to wrap dinner and talk business.
Chapter 2: Strangefolk Anyone?
After dinner his manager asked if I had a Strangefolk CD
on hand that I could give to MJ, explaining that he loves to
check out what young musicians are up to these days. Of
course, I did not have a CD. I told him I’d go check in my
car and be right back. MJ and Mr. N were behind closed doors
for a bit, talking business so Sarah and I flew down to
Tower Records and rifled the racks for Strangefolk. Perfect,
we found Weightless in Water. It’s the only time I’ve ever
bought one of my own CDs. I was thinking the clerk would
probably think it was weird that I was buying my own CD if
he’d known I was in Strangefolk but I doubt he would have
been very impressed. But even his jaded record shop
worldview would have been jolted had he known Michael
Jackson was a few blocks away hanging out and that we were
buying it for him.
Back at the house I presented Michael with the CD. The
only time in the entire evening I actually saw his eyes was
when he lowered his glasses to read the liner notes. He
seemed genuinely interested. He even pulled the CD out of
the jewel case and laughed at the picture of Erik that we
put there, purely for comic value. He asked me to sign it. I
laughed but he was serious. I’ve never been more embarrassed
in my life. One thing I sort of regret is not asking him for
his autograph but I thought it would be cooler for him not
to be asked. I’m sure he wouldn’t have cared at all.
On the way out we took a few pictures. There was a
technical difficulty with a camera which he was the only one
able to fix. We snapped our shots , said some parting words,
he made his way to the van, waved, and disappeared. Three
body guards followed and the van zipped away into the night.
The next day we noticed that the flower gardens under the
windows looking into the dining room had been trampled and
littered with cigarette butts. Nice touch. The guards were
hovering over our entire dinner party from outside, ready to
drop anyone who lifted a hand against MJ. The things they
must have seen over the years.
Chapter 3: Ten Years Later.
A few weeks after the dinner some prints arrived in the
mail. I have kept one in a drawer for all these years,
occasionally emailing a copy to a friend for shock value.
One thing we all discussed after he left was that it seemed
inevitable he would not live long. He looked so far from
normal and healthy.
Here is my picture from that night. It isn't the best pic
I've seen of myself, though the bump on my forehead had
mellowed out by the time we stood for this pose. I think I
was in the middle of saying something (hurry up already and
take the ffffff-click-ucking picture!) because we were
having camera troubles and I had no idea when the shutter
was about to click. Because of that we were standing there
in that pose for quite a few minutes, making little jokes.
Michael seemed totally at home and held his pose perfectly
the whole time. Looking at the pictures later, he appeared
exactly the same in every frame. Obviously he knew exactly
how to control this aspect very well. It was a special night
and I’m very thankful to have this picture as a memento.
I hope you enjoyed reading about this episode as much as
I enjoyed reminiscing. We'll talk again soon.
Take care,
Jon
September 9, 2008
Hi Friends,
First, a quick update. I noticed on Thursday that our
strangefolk site is down. Our good friends Steve Seremeth
and PJ Mattson helped with the creation and maintenance of
the site for years, but I'd say - with a degree of chagrin -
that website has been drifting at sea with no captain at the
wheel for quite a few years. It's like a backyard that has
overgrown with weeds. I keep meaning to get motivated and
bring the site into the modern century but I keep getting
derailed by other stuff. This new site crash may be just the
thing to get me off my ass and spiff it up. Don't hold your
breath, though, okay?
Amber and I trekked up to Anchorage in June and had a
great time with the Team in Training half marathon. It was
during the summer solstice so the sun barely went down at
night. We had a great hotel room on the corner of the 15th
floor, looking out over the mountains and Cook Inlet. It was
hard to put ourselves to bed with the sun shining like it
was 5pm when it was 11pm. Then, on race day, it rained in
torrents. It was so cold. I rented a mountain bike and
followed the race and got drenched. I've got some video
footage that I'm putting together so hopefully I'll be able
to share that on the site. Thanks to all of you who donated
to the cause. There were many of you from the SF community
who chipped in. The community surrounding the band has
always been a point of pride and it showed strong, once
again, with this race. It gave me an excellent excuse to
revisit Alaska (first trip was summer '93, just as the band
was officially forming into a 4 piece), Amber an excellent
experience, and ultimately, a good deal of money going
straight to the cause - fighting cancer and helping families
cope with expenses.
Speaking of torrential rain, we were all very
disappointed that we got rained out at the Vibes. We've done
the festival 13 times or so and there have been many times
when the rain actually stopped for our set. The time finally
came for us to be bumped by a storm and, boy, what a storm.
I guess if you're going to get pushed it might as well be a
full blown hurricane that does it. We did manage to squeeze
in a fun 30 minute set for the few who got word of the where
and when.
I'm not sure when our next appearance is happening but I
think we're looking into Halloween at the moment. Stay
posted. We're also planning for the holiday season so
hopefully something fun will come of that. In the meantime
go check out Russ jamming with Trey on the Northern Exposure
tour. It's great to know the classic TAB is back in action.
Be well, everyone. Thanks for stopping by.
ps. Here are some pics from Alaska
Anchorage & Seward AK - June 2008
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February 3, 2008
Happy New Year to you. I hope you had a nice holiday
season. Out here in California it already feels like spring
is coming. I celebrated the Super Bowl by breaking into a
nice 10-pack "Microbrews of America" thing I bought last
week and running back and forth to the grill in a t-shirt
and winter scarf. The scarf was mainly a prop to make my
wife laugh; it was quite warm and sunny and I was kind of
buzzed.
No one was laughing back home (Maine) when I called, as
the Patriots were losing...then winning...then lost the
Superbowl. I'm not a football fan but I was rooting for them
all the way. None of my office squares worked out either. I
was hoping to win the big bucks and looking forward to
gloating over it tomorrow at our staff meeting. Oh well.
Okay, two big things on the horizon - we've got shows
coming up in March! I'm really excited about this. I had to
throw in the towel after my October hospital stay but I'm
feeling ready for some travel and music now. I brought my
min-Les Paul to my office to do some practicing during the
day. It has elicited a laugh from everyone who's seen it. I
think it's cool but maybe I'm biased. The thing I love about
that little guitar is that it sounds great plugged in.
Doesn't keep in tune very well but it has a nice tone. I got
it years ago to practice in the van. I've noodled on that
thing from here to there to everywhere.
Speaking of here to there, my wife has signed up to run a
marathon in Alaska this June. It's a sponsored race and the
proceeds go The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in
Training. It's a great cause doing great things for cancer
research. We've got a great friend who is a survivor of
Leukemia and, as many of you know, I have been through a
trial with colorectal cancer. We all know folks who have
survived and those who have not. I'm still on the fence
about whether I can actually do the race but Amber jumped
off the fence and decided to go for it. I'll be her wing man
for the trip, training along with her and documenting the
whole thing as we go along. Please visit
Amber's Team in Training page and contribute anything
you can. We both truly believe this is a worthy organization
and an extremely important cause. Your dollars will be going
toward improving the quality of life for people going
through this awful disease.
We will see you in Boston on March 21 & 22. Think Spring!
December 22, 2007 (written on 12/14 but unable to
post until 12/22)
Hi friends,
Best wishes to all of you this holiday season. I hope
you’re doing well and feeling the spirit. I know I am. I
just celebrated my birthday yesterday with my new wife and I
have much to celebrate. I am happy and healthy and enjoying
each day. One large void in this year’s holiday season is
the absence of Strangefolk. It’s an unfortunate omission in
our collective calendar and I am the cause, the fall guy,
the reason we’re not doing anything. It’s not because I’m
not into it or wouldn’t love to strap on my guitar and turn
my amp up loud. No, the truth is much more mundane, yet
borne of necessity. I returned from my honeymoon in October
and was home for about five days when I ran into some
stomach issues. It wasn't the water in Mexico but sort of
indirectly related. I took so much medication to ward off
any Montezuma problems over the course of a week that I wore
my system out and my stomach went to sleep instead of going
into turista mode. This same thing happened to me a bunch of
times while I was undergoing chemo. Basically, your gut
stops digesting and everything you eat and drink goes in
reverse until you’ve been turned inside out. It’s extremely
painful and there’s no drug or procedure that can fix it.
You just have to wait it out. The catch is that it requires
a constant IV drip to keep you flush with fluids so you
can’t just stay home and lay in bed hoping it’ll go away.
People die from it if they don’t get fluids administered.
It's one of those things that's not incredibly serious but
will be if you don't go to the doctor. So, I dragged my ass
to the hospital in the middle of the night and ended up in
the hospital for four days. CT scans and X-rays and being
prodded and poked and eating jello and pudding and chicken
broth was the regime. I got some good reading and thinking
done and came out of the experience determined to take “it”
down a notch. For me that means no gigs for the foreseeable
future. This was a serious reminder that I’m not out of the
woods yet.
That said, I have no intention of stopping music in my
life. Strangefolk is air and water to me. I’ve been saddled
with some pretty heavy realities in the last few years and
things haven’t been the same since. It could be
disheartening but I don’t go there. I’m lucky as hell to be
here right now typing to you. Missing some gigs, missing
some parties, missing my old friends is tough but I’d rather
be here to miss it than not be here. For that I’m sad but
I’m celebrating being alive, healthy, and happy.
Here’s to a happy holiday season filled with warmth and
love. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, have a great New
Year.
June 2, 2007
Last weekend at StrangeCreek was a great time. Thanks to
the Wormtown family for having us and thanks to all of you
who made it such a success this year.
I think it's necessary to shed some light on my last
entry. I seem to have scared or at least confused a lot of
people with what I wrote. First off, I love Strangefolk and
I don't ever want to stop doing it. It's so much fun and I
feel so blessed to have such a great thing in my life. I
can't do it as much as I used to and I can't do much about
that. That's pretty much all I was saying. Also, some
freinds thought I was somehow saying that I was sick again.
I think by now if you've read any of these posts you know
it's not really my style to leave cryptic hints for you to
figure out. I'm pretty direct in my communication. I go in
for checkups every four months and all I can say is so far
so good. In my situation, unfortunately, that's about as
good as it gets for quite a few years. But right now, as far
as I know, all is well.
I've made some friends I probably never would have met as
a result of my cancer ordeal. One friend, a fan of the band,
Nathan Long, is going through a second round of chemo for a
tumor recurrence his doctors discovered. His inital
treatment began around the time mine was ending. We've been
in email contact since that time. It's tough when a fellow
traveler goes back into the trenches and I just want to send
good thoughts and prayers to him. He was just honored two
weeks ago by the Brain Tumor Society for his outstanding
efforts and spirit while participating in their Ride for
Research. I know he's been an active member of the message
boards and many of you know him from his presence there. The
love and caring I felt pouring out from our Strangefolk
community was a huge spiritual factor for me while
undergoing the whole treatment experience. Send your
thoughts Nathan's way.
It's time to begin working on some live stuff. Patchen
has been hard at work picking out tunes for another release
and now it's my turn to dive in and begin the
piecing-together process.
I'll be in touch soon. Take care.
April 1, 2007
Good Heavens, I haven't visited here since November. The
room is empty. Is there anybody out there anymore? It's been
a really busy few months for this kid. The same fates that
conspired to kick my ass a few years back have gotten
together again and seen fit to send me out into the working
world. It's been a long long time since I've collected a
regular paycheck, watched a chunk of it go straight to our
government, gotten up early every morning, had to actually
wear something presentable, tried to squeeze a life into the
weekends, woken up with the Sunday Blahs. But that's where I
am now and I gotta say I'm pretty okay with it. I really
like the job a lot and "normalcy" feels kinda nice. I must
be getting old.
So what is this job, you ask. I'm working at a software
company in Napa, CA. We write software for wineries to help
them run their tasting rooms and wine clubs so I am not only
in the IT industry - a goal I've been working toward for a
long time - but also in the wine industry by default. For
me, not a bad combo.
April Fools, right? No. So where does this leave the
band? Well, first, the job was necessary once I got past my
treatment. I was extremely lucky to be able to take time off
to get better because a lot of people don't have that
luxury; however, the time finally came where I felt well
enough to get up and move to the next phase. I moved back
east briefly but that didn't work out for a few reasons and
so after thinking about it 'til my head felt like it would
explode I decided it would be wisest to go back to
California where my health insurance has been golden. When
you have something as serious as cancer in your medical
history it's not as easy to jump around to different health
care plans. You're kind of at their mercy. The other thing
is that I can't ever really tour again, not the way
Strangefolk used to do it. It's too much and I guess I'm a
little more fragile than I thought. We'll still do gigs like
we've been doing but I can't see us getting a lot busier.
That led logically to me needing to find other means. I'm
thankful that my new employers are such cool people and they
understand the band thing and let me take time here and
there to go make rock with my friends.
I hope Spring is beginning to do its thing wherever you
may be. It's lovely here. I just spent the morning playing
my guitar and drinking coffee out on the deck. No Sunday
Blahs this weekend; it's too nice. By the way, my bro Scott
coined that one - I can't steal it. I've got all these songs
that I started writing while undergoing chemo. That is, when
I could actually think and touch things that were made of
metal - like my guitar strings - without feeling like I'd
been zapped by some Martian ray [one of these times I'll
tell more about those crazy months of chemo but not today].
Anyway, I've got a bunch of half-baked songs and I've been
trying to work them out but hitting a wall every time. Today
I think the clouds finally parted so that was nice. I hope
to record some new demos soon and maybe I'll put something
up on the music page.
Have a good one. I look forward to the next trip to
Burlington and Maine. That sounds like the name of a train.
Over and out.
November 14, 2006
Last week I celebrated one year of being done with chemo.
I'm still not quite normal from that experience. My feet are
still pretty much numb and will probably be for the rest of
my life. Luckily my fingers have gotten better. When I first
started doing shows again last year they were pretty numb,
too, but guitar playing seemed to bring the life back to
them. Maybe I'll start playing with my feet like a guy
I once saw on TV. Luckily I don't trip over my feet and lose
my balance like a drunkard anymore. That was a little weird
in the beginning. I still have to go get tested all the
time, which tends to temper these little anniversaries with
pretty serious doses of reality but I guess the underlying
thing is that I am here and we all have our crosses to bear
and I'm really happy to be able to celebrate any little
thing that comes along. Next one is my birthday, December
13, the day they let me out of the hospital from my last
surgery. That's the last real milepost from this experience.
After that it's all healing and moving on.
After our last round of shows I asked a lot of peope I
ran into how they liked each one. As a fan of music myself
I know what I like to see and hear at shows and it's been
interesting to check in with people to see what they like.
The overall conclusion I came away with was that everyone
likes something completely different. That's no surprise,
obviously, as we all have a certain set of ingredients that
make for a great show, a shitty one, or the best one ever.
I used to go to a lot of Phish shows back in the day and
once, after a MSG show which I considered pretty lame, a few
friends and I talked with Mike Gordon at a bar and he was
talking about how the band loved that night and that they
were really finding deep spaces for the slower songs and
connecting on a band level. Being in a band myself I could
understand his take on why the show was great but as a fan I
was left wanting. I mean, you want the band you love to be
psyched onstage but you want to be psyched in the audience
even more. After all, you paid them to kick your ass, right?
I completely understand.
I read the forums when I got home and wasn't surprised to
read mixed reviews of Boston. I'd heard mixed reviews from
the people I spoke with as well so this wasn't a surprise.
I'm usually the set list guy but for the last run I tried
something new. I had the guys tell me which songs of their
own they'd like to sing and then I put it all in order. In
Boston it took me all of dinner to work it out but I finally
arrive at a sequence I felt good about. That's when Patchen
took a look at it and said, "Let's do set 2 as set 1 and set
1 as set 2." So we just flipped it right then and there. I
loved the spirit of that moment. I kind of laughed when
I read some forum posts about x song appearing at such an
odd time during the show, etc. It was cool. You guys know
the ruts we get stuck in and you recognize when we're
switching things up on you. I enjoy that; hopefully you're
all ok with it, too. It is only music we're dealing with
here after all. One thing I have to correct, though, is any
impression that we saved ourselves for Portland. Boston and
Portland are both great places to play and we'd never hold
anything back. What really happened is that the sound
onstage at the Paradise sucked for us and it was incredible
in Portland. Sometimes that just happens. I hate to blame
anything on the sound because I like to think we're
professional enough to play through almost anything at a
high level but the honest truth is that it does throw us off
a little and that can dent your confidence a little. The way
I always think of it is that, no matter what the setlist, if
we play the hell out of it the night can be great. But
sometimes you get thrown a curveball that's tough to recover
from. At the Paradise I know we were having a lot of trouble
hearing everything and I think we were playing by rote a
little bit. On the other hand, there were some beautiful
moments, like the jam during Take it Easy, where we
spontaneously twisted the beat into a polyrhythmic groove.
We got going on that and there was no clear resolution in
sight but we managed to land on solid ground. To me that
exemplifies what I love about this band. We're willing to
drop out of the safe zone, even when things on stage aren't
feeling all that comfortable in the first place, and see
what happens. It's all about the trip. As for Portland,
sometimes the muses hand out a freebie. The first moments on
stage and the first notes we played felt electric. I wish we
could make that happen every night but it's like catching
lightning in a jar. I'm not even sure if what we played was
all that great but I know it felt great to be there at the
time playing music.
I'm really looking forward to our shows at Sunday River
the first week of December. Strangefolk hasn't played there
in ten years. There's nothing like the combination of music,
skiing, and good friends. See you there, folks.
October 4, 2006
After the Gathering of the Vibes weekend my buddy Brett
and I took a cross-country drive. We had our show in Plains,
PA and we got up the next day and kept going west. We've
both done more than a few x-country trips so we decided to
slow down and take some alternate routes. First detour was
down through Colorado and into the Moab Desert region of
southeastern Utah. We took a few fun off-road diversions and
got to see some pretty wild stuff. Then we proceeded through
Nevada on route 50, known as "The Lonliest Road in America."
The name was what drew us in. And the hope that we might see
a UFO. The drive along this road was as promised. Hardly
anybody and we were on it forever. No UFOs but lots of
incredible vistas. Our drive took us through the Donner Pass
and Lake Tahoe, across the central valley and into
California wine country. We ambled through Napa and Sonoma
and finally made it to my new place in Santa Rosa. It took
me awhile to unpack all of my stuff but now I'm settled in
and hopefully I'll keep up with this site better.
Now Eden.
Thanks everybody, for making this year's Eden so much
fun. I just sat down to watch the 10 year overview on the
site and actually applauded when it was over. Big thanks go
out to PJ Mattson for putting that together which finesse.
It worked, buddy; it gave me chills. Seeing something like
that makes me remember what it's all about. Over the years
being in this band has been amazingly challenging and
difficult but also beautiful. Sometimes you get so close to
something you can't make out the forest for the trees. Know
what I mean? That's what happens with me and Strangefolk. I
think back on all the years and it's overwhelming. I can
pinpoint tiny little memories of a moment or sometimes I
think in big chunks of time, phases we go through. There's
always the good, the bad, and the ugly. It's a stressful
life but it's wonderful, too. The video retrospective gives
me a perspective that I don't have - that of a fan. It makes
me think of all the great songs and grooves and
in-the-moment-never-to-be-repeated improvisations that we've
put out into the ether. It makes me think of the road trips
we all take to the destination, the meetings with friends at
whatever bar, restaurant, hotel. The pre-show ritual. The
excitement. Why we do this in the first place.
Eden for me was the culmination of nearly a year of hard
work getting ourselves back together as a band and getting
my self back together as a person. These are both works in
progress but Eden was a nice milestone along the way. For me
it was considering where I was last year at that time. I was
in Chico, CA swerving between feeling okay and terrible as I
did my run of days on and off chemo. It makes me ill to
think about it. Luckily I can't really remember a lot of it
that well. They called it the lost year and they were right.
So now, to be back fresh off of a successful and incredibly
fun Eden it feels good to be back doing what we like to do
and doing a good job of it.
So thanks to all of you who went to Eden and also to all
of you who've come to shows this past year. It's been a lot
of fun and I really appreciate you being there.
So what next? NYC and Burlington this weekend. I've got
my bags packed and I'm ready to go. We'll see you there.
August 9, 2006
Jerry Garcia passed away on this date eleven years ago. A
moment of silence.
Strangefolk held its first Garden of Eden on this date
ten years ago in a small Vermont town by the name of Eden.
It was in someone’s back yard. What a wonderful time it was.
All we wanted to do was thank our fans for being there for
us. 1996 was a watershed year for the band and we thought it
would be fitting to throw a bash to celebrate. Over the
years Eden remained the same: a place for us to relax and
find our groove and for our family, friends, and fans to get
together. The mission is still the same. When we started
doing Eden jamband fests weren’t the norm. In fact, there
was no such term as “jambands.” Now there’s a big festival
every weekend of summer and the whole “jam” scene has grown
to the point of being a given. Jerry Garcia, look at the
seeds you have sown. Nice work.
It has been a while since I’ve written an update on my
condition. I’ve spent the last eight months healing and,
frankly, was too tired and overwhelmed and wiped out to talk
about it. I hit a wall. This winter was difficult. The great
thing is that I’m here and I’m feeling stronger and more
back to normal with each passing month. This type of healing
is measured in years. I’m far from being totally back to my
old self. There’s good in that and there’s bad. I’ve lost
some things and I’ve gained some. The main thing is I’m here
and I’m moving along. That’s a lucky blessing.
And this year we've got our tenth Eden. I haven't worked
it out yet but there's something about rounding out a decade
of tradition on the eleventh year. With this band and all
we've been through it's fitting that it would take eleven
years to play our tenth annual Eden. Here's to many more
years and many more Edens.
To you upstate NY and PA folks: Hope to see you at the
Vibes and River St. Jazz Cafe.
Be well.
June 14, 2006
This image kind of sums up what I've been up to for the
past few months. To read the postcard simply hover over the
image. Click your mouse and you'll get page 2. See you next
weekend. PS. If this doesn't work in your browser no
sweat...the pic pretty much sums it up. Talk with you again
soon. Jon (p.s. couldn't get it to work so now it's just the
r.crumb piece, which does say it all.)
February 9, 2006
That run at the end of January was great. Thanks to
Higher Ground, The Paradise, and the Pickle Barrel for being
such great hosts and thanks to all of you who made the
effort to get there and rock out with us. The folks at the
Higher Ground greeted me with a huge VT gift basket. It was
the best thing ever, filled with stuff made in one of the
best states ever - Vermont. I can't tell you how much I've
missed VT cheddar cheese. You can get it in CA but it costs
about $7 a package so I hadn't tasted it in quite some time.
Chocolates, wine, syrup, yeah! And as you can probably tell,
I could use gaining a few pounds. This will help.
I was just poking around in the forums and got a laugh
out of some of the stuff up there. Practice? Why would
Strangefolk ever do that! We like to keep things fresh and
practicing just kills the spontenaiety. I'm kidding. For
those of you who are worried we might not ever make an
effort to improve I just want to let you know that it was
probably our main topic of conversation during the run. We
were in a panic every night. You can ask the guys in Umelt.
A few of us were supposed to jam with them at the Paradise
but got caught up rehearsing in the band room for a few
hours right up until our set began. The same thing happened
at the Higher Ground. They were cool enough to let us load
in at noon on Friday and play right through to the end of
soundcheck. So, we did reahearse but it takes a lot to get
50 or so songs in good shape. And we've got a lot more than
50 songs to pull together. What felt good to me during the
run was that we were really warmed up each night and the
energy from the crowd was great. I left the weekend feeling
really good that we actually made it through the shows. Man,
let me tell you, I've got so much crazy shit going on I was
just happy to have made it through that. But as we play more
shows we'll be doing more rehearsals and hopefully writing
more and moving ahead. It's been a year on hold for us and
we're just excited to be able to play music in any capacity.
Fear not, forum people, we will pull together in time - one
day at a time, one show at a time.
Here are some pics from the road trip east. Like an
idiot, I only took pictures on one day.
January 21, 2006
It's that time of month again and I'm forcing myself to
get used to staying up late so I can handle the hours next
weekend when we play our shows. I'm looking forward to the
whole thing. It's been a busy winter for me. I had surgery
in December to patch things up from my June procedure. I've
been healing from that and now hopefully all the best parts
of me are intact and the worst ones have been incinerated or
shown to some pre-med students.
My girlfriend, Amber, and I started the new year by
driving from California to New Hampshire. We're doing a
little house sitting for my sister and her family so we
thought we'd drive rather than fly. Everyone thought I was
crazy but traveling like that is in my blood. I love going
from city to city and checking out the sights. And this time
there were no time constraints so we got to be tourists
everywhere. We went to see Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse
monuments, the Badlands of South Dakota, Devil's Tower in
Wyoming, ghost towns, all kinds of cool stuff. Being that it
was winter, no one else was around. It was pretty cool to be
the only ones looking at Mt. Rushmore one fine January
morning. I'll post pics sometime when I get around to
finding my camera in all my bags. For now, there's a weekend
run of shows to pack for!
I can't wait to see the Higher Ground now that it's
finished. It'll be good to see Burlington again. And Boston.
And Killington. I'm bringing my skis, hoping I have the
energy to hit the slopes at some point. See you there!
December 23, 2005
What
a year of years this was for me. It was last Christmas Eve
that I discovered I had a problem that might be pretty
serious. And was it ever. That was the beginning of a
surreal but also amazing ride and this year I'll celebrate
that I pulled through with the hope of many more good years
to come.
We'll see you at the end of January. It's going to be a
fun run.
Happy holidays everyone. I hope you are surrounded by
loved ones and happiness this year.
November 21, 2005
It's late and I'm up so I figure I'll sit down and write
something in the ol' Jon's Room corner. I can't believe it's
been a month since the Big Easy show. That was a lot of fun
and I'm glad everyone was able to get together for it. It
felt so good to get up and play some music with the guys.
Truly cathartic after the year I've had. And it was also
really nice to see so many familiar faces before, during,
and after the show. Thanks to those of you who sent in Best
Set Ever lists. They were all really great. In the end
I used them all as an inspiration and confirmation for the
list that I'd mentally worked out beforehand. Don't fret,
though, if you spent a lot of time working on your set -
there were some ideas in there that may just pop up at a
later date.
The weekend of the show was also the weekend that my
cousin Andy, the intrepid traveler, went to Austin, TX for
the Lance Armstrong Ride for the Roses. 100 miles on a bike
in one day. For a rundown of his experience check out his
site at
http://www.livestrong.smartneighborhood.net/. I know a
lot of you were very generous with your sponsorship and I
thank you for helping him help out a good cause.
After the show I went back to California and underwent my
last chemo session. It's now clearing my system and I'm
starting to feel pretty good again. In a few weeks I've got
a small but significant procedure to reconnect all the
things that were left dangling from my major surgery in June
and that will be the end of the treatment phase and the
beginning of getting my life back in order. I'm looking
forward to being whole again.
The myspace experiment continues. I set up a page for
Strangefolk and you can find it at
http://www.myspace.com/strangefolkmusic. Head on over
and join the friends list. I'm hoping to get everyone in the
band involved so we can make it an interactive extension of
the Strangefolk site. Erik's Place has been collecting dust
for 378 days and counting. I'm thinking myspace will make it
easier for everyone to chime in if they have anything they
want to share.
Finally, I've been working on some music with a friend
here in Chico. His name is Chris Shadt and he's been playing
the scene here for many years. Most of the jamming I've done
here over the years has been with Chris and his band. If you
scroll down to the August entry below you'll see him in the
band shot on the far right with the blue shirt on. Anyway,
he's got some great songs and we decided to record a few
this past week. Check out the music
page to hear what we cooked up.
Have yourselves a very nice Thanksgiving and I'll check
in later on.
October 13, 2005
Hi all,
Just a quick check in before next Friday's show. I'm
sitting here getting ready - strumming the guitar, learning
the songs that got rusty during this downtime. It's amazing
how quickly some songs fall away and how others are stuck in
your brain forever. Anyway, your "best set ever"
contributions have been a lot of fun to read. We'll unleash
the product of your efforts on Friday.
I can't wait to get back to Maine this week. Lots of
family and friends to see and hopefully some good foliage,
too. The icing on the cake is the gig on Friday. A year's
worth of bottled up energy is about to bust loose. People
get ready.
On a side note, I'm working on setting Strangefolk up on
myspace.com. It's kind of an experiment to see what happens.
I'll let you know when it's up. For now you can check out my
page (http://www.myspace.com/jontrafton)
and add yourself as a friend if you'd like. I haven't done
anything with it yet but plan to make it an extension of
this page with maybe more random entries and music.
See you in Maine.
September 27, 2005
Hello friends,
It's been a busy and fast flying month. I decided to skip
out of town for a week to visit my brother in Montana for
some fishing and relaxation. Much rather go fishing than
stay at home and stare at the walls like I've been doing
lately, so off I went to gaze at some Rocky Mtn beauty
instead. Some good mountain air is just what I needed. My
parents were there visiting, too, so it was a small family
reunion. Very nice. And for once I finally caught a fish - a
nice brown trout - worth taking a picture of.
My cousin Andy is in serious training for his Lance
Armstrong Ride for the Roses in October. There has been an
incredible show of support for his ride which is a wonderful
thing. The Lance Armstrong foundation is a great resource
for people like me who are working their way through this
quagmire called cancer and need a place to find info, links,
help, etc. I thank all of you who are sponsoring Andy and
for those of you who are interested in sponsoring him here's
the link to follow
to his introductory letter and appropriate sponsorship
links. He's past the $7,500 mark at this point, a goal he'd
set but didn't think he'd make. I told him he'd nail it,
just like I'm going to nail my situation. Now it would be
great to see how far we can push him past his goal.
In Folkland we're getting ourselves on the same page to
see about when we can play next. It might be sooner than you
think. We'll be sure to let you know as soon as we nail any
dates down.
In the meantime take care and so will I,
Jon
August 20, 2005
I'm sitting here listening to Strange Folk, the band from
England that I mentioned back a few months ago. Fun stuff.
The british 
Strange
Folk stopped playing somewhere around 1990. About a year
later the idea would dawn on me that Stange Folk would be a
fitting name for the music Reid and I were playing. Since my
inspiration sprang straight from the pages of Lord of the
Rings it didn't shock me to find that there was another
Strange Folk out there somewhere. The thing is these guys
arrived at their name directly through their music - truly
strange folk, replete with instruments such as tea-chest
bass, Japanese harp, whistles, and kitchen-staves (something
I have to go look up). The current incarnation is a group
called Striding Edge, an eclectic four-piece. My big plan
was to try to have them come to Eden this year but obviously
that got thwarted. In lieu of that I've pulled a track from
their CD for your perusal. I could see these guys (and one
gal) going over well with our crowd. You can check it out
here.
I'm glad that the guys were able to pull Don in for a
Winfalls set at the Gathering of the Vibes. It's only
fitting that some representation of the band be present;
Strangefolk is one of the only bands to have played that
festival since the beginning. And what do you think of
Stevie Jones? That guy is not only one of the most solid and
deep guitar players around but he's a good friend and one of
the nicest guys you'll meet.
I've been having some fun playing in Chico here and there
with buddies. Here's a shot from last weekend - a going away
party for some good friends in town.
I'm not sure if you can tell by the photo but we were
definitely smack dab in the middle of a big freebird moment.
It's one of the only times I've ever experienced a three
guitar lineup where there was no toe-stepping and everybody
found their own niche in the groove. Gonzo, the guy in the
red shirt, and I come from very much the same school of
playing so we had a lot of fun soloing together. Good times.
I'll check in again before long. Still doing well and
hanging in there. Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend and know
we're all really going to miss getting together with you at
Eden this year.
July 6, 2005
I originally sat down and wrote out this long tale
of my surgery and roller coaster recovery but then found that I
had no desire to relive the experience nor did I really want to
drag you all through it. The main points are that the surgery
went very well, my recovery went very slowly and painfully, and
now I'm on the mend, feeling pretty good a month later. I had
excellent views of San Francisco from all three of the hospital
rooms I occupied and I had a couple of cool nurses who were from
VT and knew a lot of my good UVM era friends, most notably a Mr.
Luke Smith. So, far away from my east coast roots, there were
nice reminders of home along the way.
I also wanted to mention that as I was going into
surgery and starting to get a little freaked out at the idea of
what awaited, the idea popped into my head to try to envision
all of you out there thinking of me on that day. I visualized
every face, email, card, phone message that I could muster up,
one by one. I actively drew all your prayers, thoughts, good
vibes, energy into myself and what I felt was a tangible warmth
like a blanket. It was kind of like counting sheep and it put me
in a totally relaxed state of mind. So thank you all again for
so much outpouring. I'm a lucky guy.
Okay, next big thing to relate: my pathology came
back totally clean, no lymph nodes involved. The tumor came out
in one chunk and the margins around it were clear. This is what
you want to hear when you wake up from surgery so, again, I feel
lucky. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Now, Eden. It sucks to have to decide this but I
realized during my post-surgery recovery that I got knocked down
too far to try to pull it together in time for Eden. I lost 20
pounds in about a week, a lot of it during one overnight period,
and with it went a lot of strength. I'm gaining it all back but
I've got a follow-up round of chemo waiting for me when I
recover from this and I think it'll all be too much. I'd rather
say no now than string everyone along only to have to pull out
at the last second. It's a major disappointment to me but it'll
be worth it later on when we can truly return to the stage and
lay it down in top form.
I've been doing a lot of playing during this time.
I'm staying with my relatives in Berkeley and there's a lot of
music that goes on in this house. My aunt has jams with her
friends every Wednesday and Saturday and I join in when I can.
The house is full of dogs, a cat, a jungle of plants, aquariums
full of fish, even a handful of snakes (in aquariums of their
own). My parents have been here with me for a month. So there's
a lot of life, love, and music going on here on the hillside and
I'm soaking it all up.
I'll check in again soon.
Much love,
Jon
June 2, 2005
I've been doing well since I last wrote in. That
last post was a few days out of the hospital and
since then I've been gaining my strength and weight
back in preparation for surgery, which will take
place on the 10th. I'm feeling great right now
physically and hanging in there mentally. I took a
trip to Maine a few weeks ago to see some family and
friends on the east coast. It was a really nice
visit. A highlight was catching Erik and Patchen up
in Waterville for a night of jamming. As always, it
was great to play with them and I look forward to
the next time.
That brings to mind Eden. I want to make sure people
understand that I have to wait until after surgery to see
how I'm doing before I can make the decision about whether
I'll be able to pull it off. My chemo and radiation back in
April were just the first phase of treatment and there will
likely be more chemo following surgery. How that affects me
will probably be the biggest factor in deciding about Eden.
It's frustrating for me and for all of us because I wish I
could just say "yes, let's do it" but I can't. The main
reason I mention this is because I know there are folks out
there who need to make travel plans from significant
distances. We'll do the best we can to make the right
decision as soon as possible but we need you to hang with
us. The great thing is I know everybody understands and it
takes a lot of pressure off me while going through this.
I'm not sure if you guys remember this but I have a
cousin in D.C. who is a National Weather Service
meteorolgist by day, rocker by night, and avid cyclist
whenever he's got time between the other two. He's got a
band called Strangewax - WX being weatherman shorthand for
"weather," thus, strange weather became Strangewax. This was
all before he even realized he had a cousin in VT who had a
band called Strangefolk. Kind of a cool coincidence. Over
the years we've corresponded frequently and gotten quite
close. When Andy heard about my cancer diagnosis he
immediately wanted to do something to help, like many of you
have expressed the wish to do. He came up with a great idea
that allows everyone to help in a huge way - He decided to
ride in Lance Armstrong's Ride for the Roses this fall and
solicit sponors. He wrote me a letter and requested I post
it so here it is.
I'll let him do the talking.
I read Lance Armstrong's book, "My Journey Back to Life"
back when it came out. Interestingly, it was a gift from
Andy. That book was my first real exposure to the trials one
goes through in the fight with cancer. I found it incredibly
inspirational. When I was diagnosed I went back to my
bookshelf and pulled it out. As I flipped through the pages
I was amazed how similar some of his initial experiences
were to mine, with the exception of his amazingly horrible
prognosis and my relativley good one. I leave that book on
my coffee table as a reminder of what hope is all about.
Your emails of thoughts and prayers and anecdotes are
still coming and I enjoy reading each one. Keep your fingers
crossed for me on June 10th. I'll be relieved to have the
tumor removed and hopefully be able to start moving toward
100% health very soon.
I figured I'd post a one month follow-up photo so you can
see that I'm doing fine. I think it makes ME feel better
posting these pictures up, especially after seeing so many
friends in Maine who figured I'd be bald or totally
emaciated. So far so good... and I'll pray it stays that
way!
Take care and I will too,
Jon
April 26, 2005
Hi all,
Just got out of the hospital after a brief stay. I made
it to the end of my treatments and finally caved in at the
finish line. It was nothing a few good days of hydrating IV
fluids and a clear liquid diet couldn't fix and now I'm back
on track feeling better than I have in weeks. Being on the
west coast and far away from so many friends and a lot of my
family has been tough but I'll tell you what, the care I've
gotten here in Chico over the last six weeks has been
amazing. What I didn't really think about when I began all
of this was that there would be a team surrounding me,
covering all the different facets of treatment. These people
have made my experience the best thing it could be.
Word got around that I was in a rock band and every so
often I'd walk into an office or around a corner at the
cancer center and one of my nurses or radiologists would be
huddled over a computer scanning strangefolk.com. Pretty
amusing. If you guys are reading this, thanks a million for
the work you do. Every time I went there I walked out
feeling better. And that's a strong statement considering
what goes on in that building.
I figured I'd post a pic of myself just to let you know
I'm hanging in there. I've got my recording gear all fired
up and I'm working on some new stuff. Look for some posts as
soon as I get it finished.
I'm hopeful that I will be feeling strong and ready to do
some rocking by the end of summer. This will be the 10th
Anniversary Eden. That's a big one. What a crazy ten years.
We'll let you know how things are going in early summer.
Thanks again for all of your support, caring, love,
prayers, good vibes, everything.
Be well,
Jon
March 2, 2005
Dear Friends,
It's been a crazy week to say the least. Life in
Strangefolk has pretty well tuned my system to shocks and
even this one, while enormous, is something I'll bounce back
from. The outpouring of love and concern from so many of you
- loved ones, friends, folks I've met in passing, and those
I've never met - is absolutely overwhelming. I can really
feel it. At first I was a little afraid to read my emails
because I was afraid of even thinking about this head on.
Reading the first message melted that fear away and buoyed
my spirits in a way I could never have expected. Each day
more emails and calls pour in and they're helping so much.
All of your words and energy are at work and I can feel it.
It's so real, it's positively amazing. Thank you all for
taking the time and praying for me, for sending so much love
my way. I truly am blessed to be surrounded by so much good
in all of you. I want everyone to know that I'm hanging in
there, staying positive and ready to take this challenge on.
I'll check in again later on.
Much love,
Jon
February 25, 2005
I've always felt close to the fans of Strangefolk
through my little Jon's Room section so it feels appropriate to
share this news of mine with you here. Three days ago I was
diagnosed with rectal cancer, the kind they tell you not to even
look for until you're 40. I think some of you might recall my
mentioning that if I wrote an autobiography it would be called,
"You Must Be #@$*ing Kidding." Here's another chapter to add.
Anyway, initial tests look good, it seems as there
has been no spread and what I'm looking at is one area. During
the next weeks I'll be undergoing a lot of radiation, chemo, and
surgery.
Over the years I've answered a good many emails from
people who had fought or were fighting cancer. Being told that
Strangefolk's music helped pull them through and was a key
factor in their recovery is one of the biggest prizes someone
who makes music can receive. If I ever doubted the reason I
decided to play music professionally, hearing from people like
this was all the reason I ever needed.
Now it's my time to fight and fight I will. This is
going to be okay but I'm going to have to lie low for the next
few months while we wrench this bugger out. I'll try to check in
from time to time if I can.
Love to you all,
Jon
February 9, 2005
[I have a new strangefolk email. You can reach me
at
jontrafton@strangefolk.com. The old one is just
too spammed out.]
What a busy month I've had. Right after New Year's I took
a temp position as a help desk/PC technicican at the local
hospital in Chico. Yep, I got to stride around with a
stethoscope and be a computer doctor. Just kidding, no
stethoscope. But the job was a really interesting way to
spend a few weeks while waiting for the next SF show. Let me
tell you, it's very odd setting up a printer over a network
while banged up emergency room patients are getting wheeled
by. It's also interesting getting dressed up in a surgical
NASA suit just to go into sterile areas to rid certain
computers of viruses and spyware. Somehow felt appropriate.
Working this job for me was quite literally putting on a
different suit.
In other strange news, I learned last week that there was
a British Strange Folk. I thought it was a joke at first but
it isn't. This was the email that arrived in my inbox:
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 2:11 PM
Subject: Re: Heard of the brit Strangefolk??
Yup......serious.
The group Strangefolk ran from 1986 to 1990 and
played severl hundred gigs in English folk clubs and
festivals...even got a mention in the 'Guinness Book Of
Folk' from the same era!
We were an acoustic duo featuring guitars, japanese
harp(!) harmonicas, melodeon.
We caused quite a stir on the scene because we were
so 'off the wall' (and fondly remembered on the English
scene still now)
We recorded one L.P. 'Unhand Me, You Bearded Loon' :
yeah, can probably get you a copy, if I can get hold of a
record player to tape off,,,,
I was half of that duo! I now play in Striding Edge,
Lakeland roots band....
www.striding-edge.org
(similar type of music; perhaps a bit rockier)
cheers
Mike
---------------------------
On the spur of the moment I wrote back. Patchen
immediately thought it was a joke, citing the "Unhand Me,
You Bearded Loon" title and all the bizarre instruments.
When I thought about it twice I figured it was a joke, too,
but a clever one. Here's my response:
---------------------------
Mike,
This is amazing. I always thought it was incredible
that no one had thought of Strangefolk before. Appears my
instincts were correct - someone had to have thought of it.
I actually pulled it from Jack London's "White Fang" and
then saw it again within months while reading "Lord of the
Rings." I figured that was a sign. We started as an acoustic
duo and I used to make really strange sounds on my guitar
and so Strangefolk was a cool, fitting name. We've since
expanded into a band and don't really sound strange or folky
anymore. The inspiration for the name struck me in 1991.
Interesting that you stopped playing under that name in
1990. Perhaps, like a virus, the name wants to live on
despite its host.
I would love to hear your music. I'll have to post a
blurb about this on our site.
Take care,
Jon
---------------------------
So now, you see, I'm writing a blurb on this site. I
googled (amazing this word is now a verb in languages around
the world...Lewis Carrol would be proud) Mike and his
current band and that led me to some interviews and articles
written a few years back. Lo and behold, there really was a
Strange Folk in the late 80s. This music sounds very
interesting so I asked Mike to send me some Strange Folk as
well as some new stuff. As soon as I get it I will upload it
for you all to hear.
I'm already in Maine eagerly awaiting this Sugarloaf
show. Get your skis shined up, grab a stick of Juicy Fruit,
the taste is gonna move ya, take a sniff, pull it out, the
taste is gonna move ya when you pop it in your mooouuuthhh!!!
Juicy Fruit, it's gonna move ya, chew a stick, it sticks
right to ya, Juicy Fruit, the taste, the taste, the taste is
gonna move ya!!
See you on the slopes.
December 23, 2004
I love that Patchen wrote about those claymation specials
that come on every year as the holidays roll around. I lived
for those when I was a kid. Still do in a way. I actually
own the classic Heat Miser one, A Year Without Santa Claus.
For some reason that one always seemed the coolest, the rare
gem that didn't get aired as much. Watching it now I can
understand why it may not have gotten the airtime that
Rudolph did - it is a bit odd. Anyway, a few facts to
supplement Patched In: this year marked the 40th anniversary
of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, when it was made (1964)
it was unbelievably high budget; a single doll cost about
$7,000. It
took 18 months to film. Oh, and the studio people came up
with a fancy name for the animation - Magimation! Magimation
indeed.
Correction: it's Animagic, not Magimation. I knew that
sounded wrong.
I am excited to make some music in the new Higher Ground.
If anyone knows how to do it right those people do. Harper's
has become a fun place to spend a few nights and I'm looking
very forward to hanging out in the Boston area for a few
days. And the State Theater just feels like home, a big
cavernous home. It'll be great to ring in 2005 with friends
and family.
Here's hoping your holidays are warm and bright and full
of friends and loved ones. See you in a few days.
November 5, 2004
It has been a while since the band has hit the road and
there's not much to report so I'll do a little reminiscing.
Anyone on the band circuit knows that there are some
classic band rooms out there. Some of the rooms are great
because they have a certain vibe. There's the pillow filled
band room at the Rave in Milwaukee. There are the Oriental
rugs, great showers, and amazing spreads of cheese and fruit
at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR. The Fillmore is
filled with incredible photos of the venue's history. The
House of Blues in Chicago has a special room with a giant
bronze Buddha. The best band room ever was in Indiana
somewhere when we played with Gregg Allman and Friends. We
were in a huge room that was decked out with fake tropical
trees and tons of good food. I want to say that it was a
mini-golf course but it probably wasn't. I still feel
strongly that I saw some of the guys putting with golf clubs
in there. Anyway, great room.
Then there are the rooms that stand out because of their
graffiti. There's the beguiling Wall of Ham at the Crow Bar
in State College, PA. There's the unbelievably depressing,
dark scrawl all over the walls at the Blind Pig in Ann
Arbor. Pretty much every band room has some form of graffiti
or mass stickering from bands but the Webster Theater in
Hartford takes the cake. Amidst a blizzard of cartoon
penises and characters engaging in just about every
contortion you can render in 2-D we found this gem:
I think it speaks for itself. I wish I'd thought of this
one first. This could be made into a sticker and applied to
almost every band room wall across the country. It would not
go unappreciated.
Okay, enough of that. I hope you all had great Halloweens
and I'm sorry we didn't get to be there with you. We'll make
up for it during the holiday run. I'm looking very forward
to it.
Until then,
Be good or be good at it.
September 28, 2004
The subject of this month's installment eluded me
for awhile. Of course there are many thanks due to
Mark and the Wormtown folks for helping make this
year's Eden a possibility, let alone such a success.
Of course there are many many thanks due to all of
you who showed up and made it so much fun to play. I
loved this year's Eden. I can't think of a time when
I felt so relaxed and ready to play. This year was a
breeze for me. And speaking of breeze, the weather
was great this year. Thank you, Mother Nature, for
that one. Okay, that didn't take up much space. What
else to write about? Then it fell into my lap: a
bunch of people emailed me directly with links to
the latest forums. Seems a popular topic is "No Fall
Dates!?" So that's where we'll go today, my friends.
You are right. You guessed it. There are no fall dates.
Based on the tone of the posts one would think the band was
maliciously holding out on its fans. The truth is we never
thought about it. The truth is that we went on tour this
summer - our first tour of any sort all year - just to have
fun and enjoy it for its own sake. We had so much fun
playing with Russ in the spring that we wanted to solidify
the music with him. And we did. It was a lot of fun, despite
the fact that we lost all of our gear. We went into summer
half thinking we'd book some studio time in the fall if
things were feeling good. The gear getting stolen was a
massive financial disaster and that pretty much wiped out
the potential game plan. We hadn't even thought about a fall
tour. We were taking things one step at a time to get
through the summer in one piece. We've been forced to take
things one step at a time for a few years now. In this
business you have to plan months and months in advance.
Folks, the simple truth is that we just didn't think far
enough in advance. We got a major ball dropped on us (again)
and it left us with no plan B for the fall. We are busy,
though. Patchen and I are working on a project that will
make the guitar players out there smile. We're gearing up
plans for winter. There will be a NYE run. It will be in New
England. The Folk will ride again soon.
When I read those posts I feel good. I am really happy
and blessed to be in a band that has fans that feel this
strongly about what we do (or don't). Thanks for being
there...Go easy on the tone though! Shit, you guys are a
tough bunch! Here's my message to you messagistas: the sheer
fact that Strangefolk still exists should be a testament to
our drive, or maybe at this point our insanity. We have been
through a lot. There will be more shows. Man, last year at
this time that alone would have been good news. It's good
news to me. We still have to work around a lot of variables
to make big things, like a tour, happen. We love you all and
thank you for your support. We're still getting things
together and hoping for the best.
August 10, 2004
"Well...THAT happened."
-Bob Barrenger, State and Main
The coolest tour ever was hotter than hell and a lot
of things got stolen. Somehow it still ended up being a lot
of fun. Being forced into new gear brought about some
interesting changes in our approach. The whole process of
having all our stuff stripped from us and having to grow new
wings, expensive new wings, showed me again what a great
group of people I have the pleasure to associate with in
this band. After the initial freakout we all sat down and
thought about our options, decided on one, and committed to
it. Within a few hours we were in New York City making it
happen. We had to sacrifice one show to make it work and we
regret that we didn't make it to Baltimore. Haven't been
there in a few years and was looking forward to it. Arriving
at the Gathering of the Vibes with brand new stuff that we
hadn't tweaked was scary. Thanks to all of you there for
being so kind as we warmed it up in real time. By the end of
the tour I could hear all of us coming into our own again. I
look forward to the next few shows because we really started
to hit stride in Portsmouth, our last real show of the tour,
and I felt ready for more. We've got a couple of gigs and a
week of rehearsal before Eden and we'll be ready to come out
on fire. We learned 10 new songs before this tour began and
only got to pull a few of them out due to all the hang ups.
I'll think of this last as The Most Challenging Tour
Ever.
We're all really excited for Eden this year. For the
last few years our Eden festival has been a major challenge
to pull off due to some unbelievable prior ball-droppings.
In 2002 the local police forgot we were having a festival
and sent all their guys on vacation that weekend, forcing us
to cough up more than it just cost us to buy new gear to pay
a bunch of police to drive over from Rutland. We were
required by law to have them there. This ball was dropped on
us a few days before the show! That's only one of many
stories I could tell you. Maybe I'll write a book someday.
It'll be called, "You're F@#*ing Kidding, Right?"
Push a mountain up a hill. And perch it on a
windowsill.
When these things happen I ask myself why we keep
going. The answer is that we love to play.
I think the reason I'm telling you this now is
because I want it to be known that we put our all into our
annual Eden shows and this one will be no exception. I am so
excited that we can pull this one off because it wasn't
looking very good for a while there. The Wormtown folks are
working closely with us to make this one as great as any
before it. The band will be showing up ready to kick it down
so I hope you're all ready to come and have a great time.
Thanks for being there for us.
Over and out.
May 29, 2004
Today I write to you from the sky. Way up in the
blue yonder. Seems like I write most of these things in planes
nowadays. How glamorous, right? Yeah, right. Airline, railroad,
highway miles. Actually, we have yet to put in any railroad
miles in Strangefolk's touring regime. Maybe that'll be the next
thing - a tour by train like The Grateful Dead did in 1970. Then
I can sing that line for real.
Traveling across America is a rite of passage.
Everyone should give it a go at least once. Get your copy of On
the Road, jump in your car, and go for it. But do yourself a
favor and avoid the highways. They're boring and increasingly
offer only a generic view of what's out there. I guess it's
comforting in a way to see a Starbuck's or Barnes & Noble
everywhere you go because it feels familiar but it's also
disturbing not to see much in the way touch. I like towns that
hold on to what they've got as much as possible. Burlington, VT
has a pretty good downtown but it's changed a lot since my first
year there, 1990. It seems the 1990s were the decade of
ubiquitous corporate presence and growth. All the cool venues
lost their names when they were bought by massive corporations.
From Boston Garden to Fleet Center? MCI Center? . Continental
Airlines Brendan Byrne Arena? Come on. The E Center in Salt Lake
City gets irony points (at least if you're there to see Phish)
and I'm not sure it is owned by any corporation, though I assume
it is. At least Madison Square Garden has held on. Maybe one day
it'll be the Google Center.
That leads me to the story of the gig at Google
headquarters that I mentioned in my last ramble. What a funny
day. We all got up at some ungodly hour, like 5 AM, and met at
my buddy Steve's (percussion) house. What a sorry lot we were.
Musicians pretty much as a rule do not wake up at 5; they stay
up until 5. We loaded our gear into Calvin's (drummer) massive
pickup truck and hit the road. Because Calvin's truck is so
deluxe yours truly was able to curl up in a ball on the back
bench and sleep for an hour or two under a hail of XM Satellite
modern jazz radio. Sleeping through that much Weather Report,
ARU, Steve Morse, and Galactic put me in a pretty funky mood for
the day. By the time we rolled into Google land, fueled by the
music and a stop at Starbucks (only choice available off the
highway...I'm telling you, take the backroads) that had my
synapses reeling like a lottery wheel full of ping pong balls, I
was feeling pretty ready to rock.
The first thing I noticed about the Google compound
is that it felt like CIA headquarters. Or at least the way
seeing it in movies makes me feel. It was kind of eerie. The
architecture was modern; it appeared somewhat severe and
off-kilter with lots of dark reflective windows and odd angles.
I felt we were being watched. People appeared out of nowhere to
greet us and we began the loading process. To get on an elevator
someone needs to have clearance. Everyone has a laminated ID
card which needs to be swept in front of a scanner in order for
the door to open. If you were to by chance jump on the evevator
with the doors open without gaining clearance, which some of us
did, you would be stuck on that elevator because the doors close
and don't open again until someone with an ID rescues you.
So you get the idea on security at Google.
Apparently, and not surprisingly, there's a lot of technology
there that they don't want casual snoopers to examine. Fair
enough. Once we were inside I realized the place is huge. They
refer to it as a campus and that's exactly what it is. It's a
big college campus with cameras everywhere and everyone seems to
know exactly where they're going. We were to be the afternoon's
lunch entertainment, being that it was Earth Day and the company
likes to keep Friday afternoon lunch sessions pretty upbeat.
There was a nice stage set up, lots of kegs of Anchor Steam and
other great beer, food galore, lots of people milling around. In
other words, the makings for a pretty good time.
I forgot to bring my digital camera so we asked
someone there for one. Within minutes we had one in hand. I knew
it would be a weird scene and I was right about that. The
problem with capturing the vibe of our show on camera was that
the crowd was so far away from us physically and so removed
emotionally from what we were doing that it was impossible to
fit it all in a single frame. I took a few shots, mostly of us
drinking beer and rolling our eyes and having a laugh at our own
expense and I wish I kept them but I gave the camera back and
let it go. Sorry folks. If anything it would have been good to
introduce you to the band guys.
The great thing about the show was that we played
some really good music. Being in a touring band like Strangefolk
I'm no stranger to playing to indifferent audiences in random
stops around the country so it was no problem to enjoy the
hospitality that Google offered. We refer to it as Paid
Practice. The Jack Shat and the Know It Alls boys kicked out
some really fun, tasty stuff and it just dissipated into the sky
like smoke from a dying campfire. We got a small smattering of
applause that sounded like a mild summer rain after the first
song or two and then we got nothing. After the show one of the
guys who sponsored it said we got a better response than most
bands they have. I wonder. If so I think the Google ants might
prefer Kraftwerk next time.
Well, the plane is either crashing or we're coming
in for a landing so I better pack up. Chances are I'll post this
after the Strangecreek Campout so I hope everyone had a good
time. I'm excited for the July run. Looks like we're going to be
doing some driving for a change, spreading out to some more far
flung cities and towns. I hope to see you all out there.
Seacrest, Out.
4/19/04
Hi folks. Time to check in. I think I skipped a
month or two but I’ve been busy so you’ll forgive me. You’re
good that way.
The shows we did the other week were lots of fun.
Big thanks to Russ Lawton for helping us pull it together in
time to have one last celebration of Higher Ground and all the
great music they’ve brought to the Burlington area scene. We’ve
been good friends with everyone over there for years and it was
important for us to get back in some form to play in that space
one last time. It was unfortunate not to be able to make the
shows with Luke but Russ, with his incredible professionalism
and enthusiasm, made the shows easy and fun to play. We’ll be
seeing more of Russ this summer and we’re looking very forward
to continuing the groove we started. Luke is still very much in
the picture but, as many of you know, he’s got things going on
at the moment that make road life less possible. We’ll see what
the future brings because right now there are no solid answers.
To me, Strangefolk is becoming synonymous with evolution. Our
lineup has changed, our music has changed, our lives have
changed. To paraphrase from our buddy, Reid, we will remain.
Somehow or other we’ll keep the torch lit. And to think tomorrow
is 4/20.
Speaking of 4/20, I’ve got an interesting gig going
on with some friends tomorrow. Here in Chico I’ve got a great
group of friends and musicians to play with. One particular
group is called Jack Shat and the Know It Alls. They kindly let
me play with them whenever I want and they still haven’t forced
me to learn their tunes by heart. Now I know them all by heart
even if I don’t actually know all the chords. We’re going to hop
in our cars at about 6 AM and haul on down to San Francisco and
make our best attempt at entertaining the tweakers at
Google.com. I might bring my camera just to make a photo journal
of the event. Stay tuned.
January 20, 2004
Happy new year everyone. Here's to a brand new
year. I think we ended last year on the right foot
and started this one out the same. I'm glad we got a
chance to play some good shows over the holidays.
Still no solid plans for this year but we're taking
it as it comes.
I mentioned that I would upload some new stuff to the
music page and then I went ahead and forgot all about it so
for this installment - since I don't have much to say - I'll
get the music up there. I fixed a bunch of things on Lost
Soul that warranted re-posting it so if you're interested in
checking the new version out please feel free. Basically, I
didn't like the way the vocals were so loud you couldn't
crank it and listen to the music. Also, it sounded too much
like an army of Me. So I fixed it. Now you can crank it up
and hear the groove. The other songs are Livin it Out, which
we debuted at Eden. I like how this little demo version of
it came out. And finally, Last Confession. I wrote and
recorded this one a few years ago. It's kind of a fun little
tune that never saw the light of day.
Enjoy and I'll check in again next month.
December 23, 2003
The holidays are here. I never did bother to check
in during the month of November but hopefully you all had a nice
Thanksgiving and felt thankful. I know I did. Now the holidays
are pulling into view and hopefully the spirit is being kindled
everywhere you go. I just left the lights up from last year so
all it took was plugging them back in. Poof! Instant Holiday
Vibe.
Speaking of plugging in, I need to plug some new
stuff into the site and unplug some other stuff. The mailbag was
fun before it got buried by the spam monster. The subject
headers alone are worth keeping just for comic value but
unfortunately your emails are getting lost in the mire. If you
do write me make sure that your subject is something I'll notice
but not pornographic, pertaining to viagra, home mortgages,
pills to make me young, contraptions to increase the size of
anything on my body, or "hi." For now I'll take the mailbag down
pending a flood of emails that aren't spam.
I intend to add some music to the page sometime in
the next week or so. Keep an eye peeled.
I'm looking forward to playing in three of my
favorite places for our holiday run. The Rusty Nail is always a
great time. You feel like you're actually in a barn and that's
because you pretty much are in one. But it's warm. We're trying
something new in Boston and I'm looking forward to it. Smaller
venue, intimate feel; I've heard good things about it. Plus,
being anywhere for multiple nights is always a good time. And
returning to the State Theater is always a treat. Mostly I'm
looking forward to playing with the guys and seeing friends and
fans. We're going to have a good time.
After the New Year is rung in Erik and I are talking
about doing another show at The Wharf Tavern in Hallowell,
Maine on Jan. 4th. Last time was a lot of fun. If it's
possible for it to happen we'll make sure to post an
announcement so be sure to check back on the site.
May your holidays be bright whatever, whenever,
however you celebrate.
Peace,
Jon
October 29, 2003
It's been a busy month since I last spoke with you. Not
having a tour schedule staring me in the face has given me a
little time to stretch out and enjoy the homelife, though I
still seem to have spent my fair share of time in the
airport and car. Now I'm packing my bags for another trip
east and I'm looking forward to doing some playing on the
Strangefolk stage. For those of you who make the trek to
Vermont make sure to bring a costume. We'll be judging the
best ones for a prize as yet undetermined.
Last night I had a bunch of friends over to carve
pumpkins and have a little dinner. If we had made it into a
contest Mr. Don Scott would have won the award for best
jack-o-lantern, hands down. Here we see him etching what
looks to be a convoluted mess onto his pumpkin.
The next shot shows the design coming to life a little
bit, though we all thought it looked like an abstract bunch
of slashes. Don was already explaining that he didn't really
expect much when we threw a candle in it and stepped
outside...
Lo and behold! The Harvest Reaper comes alive. Nice work
Don Scott!
Happy Halloween Everybody! Hope to see you at the show.
September 15, 2003
Shit, I thought taking a week to go fishing would be
a great way to cross the threshold into a post-Eden bliss. And
it was. But I’m home now and all I want to do is go fishing
again. It didn't make my crash landing back into reality any
easier. I think for the first time in my life I can honestly say
I'd Rather Go Fishin'. I had such a fun time at Eden but it all
went much too soon. I hope all who went had as much fun as I
did.
My brother and father angle for trout on Flat Creek,
Jackson, WY
Every Eden that we do leaves me amazed that the show goes
off at all. There’s so much excitement and adrenaline and
work that goes into putting on a show like this. Over the
years we, as a band, have gotten a lot better at being
relaxed which goes a long way toward playing good music. We
can only achieve that state buoyed by the hard work of so
many of the people behind the scenes who scramble to make it
all come together. It’s a wonder to witness what goes on
behind the scenes: all the flying by the seat of the pants,
all the things that fall apart at the last second, all the
energy that goes into making sure that the show goes on. You
wouldn’t believe it. Honestly, I do my best to avoid
witnessing as much of it as possible. It's way too
stressful. Anyway, I want to take a minute to point the
spotlight at those in our organization who put in so much
time and energy and love to help make everything come
together. Without these people the show would not go on:
Al Ostroy, our good friend and manager, who has
kept our world organized, somewhat sane, and always fun;
Jean Sienkewicz, our office manager, unofficial
doer of all things undoable, overseer of things unseeable,
keeper of the smile, and she who scored me an autograph from
Beck (major points);
Shaun Keegan and Brian Lynch, road crew/utility
guys extraordinaire, the first line of defense, eternal
peers to the band in the road race to see who will get THERE
first, peerless in the "who gets the least sleep"
department;
Steve Seremeth, PJ Mattson, our web gurus, keeping
it online, keeping it up to date, and keeping it smooth;
Ned and Kate Beebe, Andy Francke, our
artistic directors and saviors, lenders of great talent and
time to the visual side of Strangefolk;
Ben Collette, archivist and general good vibesman;
Diana and Don over there on the merch table all
summer providing good cheer, great merch table service,
superbly accurate merch sheets at the end of the night, and
the occasional zip of kickin’ aged scotch from a flask;
Marc Drouin & Strangers Helping Strangers and all
the great folks who give their time organizing and
delivering for that wonderful cause;
all of you ladies and gents deserve a tremendous thanks
and here’s me sending it your way as loud as I can. I may
only be typing but I'm typing with fervor. Tell me, can you
feel it? I hope so. There are many others out there who
deserve our thanks for being great friends and supporters
and helping us pull Eden together. Thank you all so much.
I'm excited that we got the offer to put on a show in
Vermont on Halloween. There's no space in time I love more
than New England in October. I'm so happy to have two great
reasons to go there. The Halloween show gives us a chance to
illustrate that we don't plan on being done with music;
we're just taking time from constant touring. When we
announced that we were taking a break from the road a lot of
people inevitably took it that we were "done." People were
coming up to me all summer asking about "what's really going
on." It's mid-September now and I still don't know what's
going on. But I do know what isn't going on: a Strangefolk
Fall Tour. It's not music any of us needs a break from. Or
each other. It's simply time to rest, regroup, and let what
be will be. Que sera sera. Erik just went out and did a
bunch of dates with Al Schnier, Patchen is lining up dates,
and I am going to join Reid in Maine on Oct. 4th and I can't
wait. We're going to visit the old days with some acoustic
jamming and I think I'll bring in my electric rig in case we
need to do any Dusting later in the night. It should be a
fun one, especially with Patchen, Jen, and Erik down the
street the same night rocking until the bars kick everyone
out.
Until next time, be kind - rewind
in with the good, out with the bad.
August 23, 2003
Hello Friends,
How's everyone doing out there? I'm sitting here in Maine
enjoying the weekend. I just got back from a trip to VT and
took the above picture to give you an idea of where we'll
all be hanging out next week. We all got together last week
for an Eden session and we had a lot of fun. We're all
excited for this year's show. Obviously, it's a big one for
us. This year the site is a cause for us to be excited. You
won't have to sleep at a 45 degree angle and wake up with
your head about to explode because you passed out with your
feet going up-slope. This place is nice and flat. And the
lake. Always nice to be near water. The only thing I'll say
is watch out for Champ. If you don't know about Champ check
this
web site out. If you go in the water after dark just
pray you don't feel a strong water current whooshing under
your feet, or even worse, the touch of its slippery skin.
It's probably cool, though, so don't worry.
Getting to see many old friends is going to be fun. It's
been awhile since we've been able to spend some quality time
with our buddies in Percy Hill. It'll be fun having Reid up
with us. I've played with AOD before but we've never had a
chance to have Reid back with us. It'll be a lot of fun.
This Eden will cover a broad scope of music. I'm looking
forward to Max Creek. We've done some stuff with them this
summer and it's been a lot of fun. Those guys are pros.
Every band that's coming is going to be fun. This year I
hope the setup allows people to check out thedaytime music
while hanging out by the water or doing whatever they do. My
memories of it from the GOTV a few years back are really
good. I did a lot of wandering there and got a good idea of
the layout. This is a great place for a show. In case you're
wondering about the ferry, my recollection is that it's a
simple ride, just north of Burlington (follow signs from 89
N and I don't think you can miss it). It's a short ride and
it drops you a few miles from the site. Or you can drive
around the lake which takes a little longer but avoids the
ferry toll (which is small). I think the party pretty much
starts at the ferry. But make sure your driver isn't doing
any of the partying; you just never know when the shit will
hit the fan and you can be sure cops will be keeping an eye
out on that area.
Speaking of partying, a lot of people have written in
with concern about getting through "The Gate." This is my
advice to you: pack wisely; alcohol from outside is not (and
has never been) permitted. We're not allowed to allow it.
We're doing all we can to insure that the experience of
going through the gate will be just like any other
festival/concert rather than the entrance to a state prison.
I do know that the liquor inspector in good ol' VT is really
into her job and has been the cause of a lot of the, shall
we say, buzzkill in the last years. We moved to NY for a lot
of reasons and one of them was to avoid some of that
garbage. Let's hope we do. Part of it is in your hands. I'll
say it again: Pack Wisely. Expect the worst and hopefully
you'll be happily surprised. We don't have total control
over what happens at the gate but we are doing all we can to
make sure that it's different from past years.
Enjoy this week. Pray for great weather. We'll see you on
Saturday.
July 13, 2003
Hi all –
I wanted to check in with you since I see there’s a
good deal of message board conversation, speculation, and
theorizing about what on earth is going on with the band. If
only I had a nickel for every time we in the band have
questioned what on earth is going on I’d be rich. But I’d
still be here writing to you about this very topic. Well,
maybe not, but I’m inclined to say most likely I would.
There are various factors contributing to our need
for a break. For me it’s just general fatigue. Fatigue can
be overcome with time so, for me, it’s really about taking a
break, taking some time to breathe and figure things out. We
did this when Reid left and looking back I’m amazed we were
back in action so quick. What it came down to then is that
we love to play music and it was worth it to seek out some
new blood and continue the quest. Now, three years, one
major domestic terrorist attack, and a flailing economy
later we find ourselves at another crossroads in what feels
like a different world. Things change and evolve and that’s
what’s happening to us. Again. Here we go for another round.
When I looked at the band statement the wording
seemed so harsh and permanent. I don’t know what the future
will bring but I can tell you that we very consciously are
not breaking up. We want Strangefolk to stay alive and we
want to leave the door open for that to happen. That may
mean we all go in different directions and come back
together in a month, a year, or maybe five years later
because we love doing it too much to stop. To borrow a
phrase from Jack Black, "the road is a bee-eye-itch, my
friend, but it’s the only road I know." That’s really what
it is. We’re just pressing the STOP button right now because
things feel kind of crazy and overwhelming. That stop may be
permanent or temporary. It may include all present members
and it may not. None of us knows and time will tell.
To be clear, it’s not about money, it’s not about
living in far flung places. We could keep going the way
things are now and survive indefinitely. The issue is not
inner-band conflict. It’s that to operate as a happy healthy
group everyone in that group needs to be happy and healthy
and not everyone is. Being on the road, away from loved ones
and creature comforts, staying up all night in smoky bars,
living on Denny’s, driving all day, hanging out in the most
depressing, broken couch and shadeless lamp, beer stench,
graffiti-ridden band rooms (The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor wins
All Time #1) can be wearing on a soul. We’ve got a soul or
two that really need a break so that’s what we decided we
must do. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
I’ve used a lot of words to say little. Not unusual
for me. Anyway, I wrote a song that’s kind of relevant to
this situation. It’s called Lost Soul. Here’s the
link to it. There you'll find mp3s of Lost Soul and
Don's new song, Shelly. Lost Soul is me, Don on keys, and a
good friend, Johnny, from Chico on bass. This recording of
Shelly resulted from an afternoon with Don after he'd been
busy writing songs. He brought a six pack over to my house,
we hung out, and he laid this down in one take. After he
left I added guitar and bass. Didn't put a whole lot into
programming the drum machine; it's kind of there for a tempo
guide for me but I left it in. I think it lends the song a
kind of stark John Lennon quality. For the well connected
(broadband users) I included a folder with an SHN version of
Lost Soul. The difference in sound quality is very
noticeable. If you want the full experience download that
one, decode it to .wav, and listen with headphones. And then
tell me can you feel it.
Well friends, I hope to see you in the coming weeks. We
sure have some fun stuff lined up.
Take care.
June 24, 2003
Summer summer summer. It's here and going full tilt. I
can't believe the solstice has come and gone. Days are
already getting shorter so get out and enjoy it. The flip to
that is that night's are getting longer which means by the
end of summer, by Labor Day Weekend, we'll have some nice
long evenings in which to make music for you on Lake
Champlain at our 8th Eden festival. Ya know, it just
wouldn't be Strangefolk if we didn't announce the festival
later and later each year. We apologize for the lateness; it
appears to be our own little family tradition. This year the
site promises to be much cooler than possibly any year we've
done it. There will be water, there will be late nite
potential, there may be boats, and maybe the lake's own
mystery monster, Champ, will come out and rock with us. It's
been years since a sighting has been reported. Another very
exciting development is that we can all camp together and
the ground is flat. Wow. And there's plenty of room.
The only thing we need to stress is that you please
buy your tix early if you think you're going to come. This
will help us figure out exactly how much stuff we need. It
will also help us keep the authorities off our backs and
yours. Eden started off mellow, got a little bigger, and now
is back to the mellow level again and we're trying to make
some changes to bring that aura back. Assuming everything
goes through as planned we'll be announcing site specifics
as soon as we can.
Here's hoping we'll see many of your bright smiling
faces this July as we hit some familiar and new venues.
Summer touring wouldn't be complete without some island
shows. If you haven't been yet make sure you get to
Nantucket. We've got some rehearsals to do and we'll see you
at the Gathering of the Vibes.
April 29, 2003
This month we're going to take a field trip to the studio
of David Gomes, the luthier who made my acoustic guitar. He
lives in Hawaii so bring your shorts.
Dave
lives in Kapaau which is on the northwestern tip of the Big
Island. He crafts his guitars in a studio perch overlooking
the Kohala Coast. It is a truly inspiring place to work and
Dave builds some beautiful instruments. He is also a
reknowned Ukelele maker. Born and raised in Hawaii, he spent
a number of years in Spain studying the art of guitar
building. He has been making guitars and music, primarily
Hawaiian slack key, for 25 years (for more info on Dave go
here). I met him through a friend in 1998, visited his
studio, played some of his creations, and more or less
ordered a guitar right then. It was one of those moments in
life where you know you've found a true mate. There was a
pretty solid waiting list for his instruments but he managed
to get my guitar to me in less than a year.
Dave gathers many of the materials for his instruments
locally whenever possible. The wood from the one he made for
me came from the Kiawe tree which produces an incredibly
hard, good sounding wood. The bonus is that the thorny Kiawe
is so overgrown on the islands that harvesting it is
actually a good thing. The headstock, however, comes from a
beautiful piece of curly Koa. The distinctive shape was
inspired by a view of the Polulu Valley right near Dave's
home. Dave also does intricate mother of pearl inlays from
shells he collects. I asked him to do a Green Sea Turtle on
my headstock. 
You
would be able to tell in the photo below if I hadn't taken
the shot out of focus.
I've had this guitar for nearly five years now and every
song I've written since then has been with its aid. I rarely
take it with me on the road but did have the pleasure of
using it for our acoustic set at last year's Eden.
If you should find yourself in Hawaii or looking for a
unique guitar give Dave a call - (808) 889 5100 - and I'm
sure he'd be happy to send you some info.
Looking forward to some gigs in the northeast coming up
soon.
Until next time we meet,
Aloha.
March 17, 2003
I feel like a kid going to school and telling the teacher
that the dog ate his homework. I just spent a good hour
updating this page and my computer ate it. Instead of
rewriting it I'll briefly go over what I wrote.
First, had a great time last weekend in VT. It was truly
heartwarming (though it was freezing) to go back to the home
of this band and be received so well for our 1000th (ish)
show celebration. The celebration continues this weekend in
Maine and Boston. Between VT, Maine, and Boston we will have
covered the towns where we really got our start. Thank you
all for the support.
Second, there's a poll on jambands.com that someone
mentioned to me the other day. This one has to do with band
lyrics and their importance to fans. Let's rock the vote,
you and I. Lend us your
vote and we'll see if we can jump up the chart.
Third, happy St. Patrick's Day. Go drink a green beer (or
Shamrock shake).
Cheers!
February 9, 2003
Checking in from somewhere in Route 15 northbound up on
through Idaho. This western trip has been fun. I always say
that but this time I mean it. Just kidding. Sometimes
touring gets boring and tiring and this trip has had those
moments but for the most part it's been a really good time.
Some highlights: Don's brother hooked us up with an
unused yacht in San Diego and we used the hell out of it. We
played with a band called Ten Mile Tide in San Francisco and
L.A. and asked them to join us for the night in San Diego
since we had no opener and they'd driven all the way down
the state with us anyway. Ten Mile Tide is a really good new
band and we've got a lot in common so we all had a great
time together. A bunch of them joined us on the boat and had
a great time out on the water. The captain took us for a
sail sometime in the morning. It was SuperBowl Sunday and
I'm sure you all know the game was in San Diego so we got to
get away from everything and just be on the water. It was
really nice. But we did make it back in time to watch the
game in the marina bar. I passed out on my table. Never was
much of a football fan.
Another highlight was seeing our old sound man Gnat Koren
in San Francisco. He's doing well and it was great to hang
with him for a bit. He wears glasses now and looks quite
stately.
Let's see, what else? My girlfriend's mom made us about a
pound of guacamole and we had a post show parking lot party
with a huge platter of tortilla chips in Los Angeles. In San
Diego we walked along the beach and watched the sun go down
into the Pacific Ocean. We also watched Keegman get mired
over the ankles by a rogue tidal wash; Slow White Boy Taunts
Mother Nature, Mother Nature Responds. Never try to run away
from a wave backwards. He said it didn't bother him and I
believe it but I could also hear him sloshing around all
night. 
The crew boys and Patchen took a trip to Mexico the next
day. Came back with some slick hats. And syphillis. Just
kidding. But the hats are badass and now they look like real
caballeros. By the way, our crew these days, if you haven't
met them yet, consists of the Large Shaun Keegan and the
Estimable Brian Lynch. Bryan does our sound and I think he
does it well. Shaun's been on the team for a while so you
probably know him. It's a pleasure having these guys aboard.
More high points. Well, all of Colorado was high. We
played in Breckenridge at 9600 feet (almost two miles) above
sea level. What a workout that is for us low elevation
dwellers. Being in that kind of altitude drains you and
makes you feel hung over all the time. You get used to it
but it takes a while. Your body goes through all kinds of
subtle and not so subtle changes. Anyway, Colorado is always
fun. There are always great restaurants and lodgings. It's
almost like vacation. Almost. The difference is that we have
to entertain the vacationers and sometimes that can be a
touch challenging. Nothing cooler than some dudeski waving
his drink at you, spilling it on your expensive and highly
electrical gear. Ah, showbiz. Life and death hang in the
balance (or lack) of a slippery grip on a frozen margarita.
If you wanna be really cool to any band you go see remember
this: Don't Ever Put Your Drink Near the Monitors or
Pedals!! You'll be loved. But most of the people are really
cool and the local's scene in the Colorado ski towns reminds
me of Stowe and Mad River Glen. I felt very much at home
there.
We got to see a lot of familiar faces from the east on
this trip. It's always cool to see old friends in new
places. Thanks to all of you who traveled to see us. You
too, Tim Panico, even though you came from the west.
We're hauling ass up to Missoula right now. Seattle and
the northwest loom around the corner. So does our 1000th
show. That's a biggie. Puts things in perspective. Too much
bloody perspective. Sorry, can't help the Tap references. We
rented it the other day just to laugh our asses off even
though it sometimes feels like our own story. Long live Viv
Savage. Anway, 1000 shows is an awful lot of shows. I'm not
sure if the math is right but people are telling us that the
Higher Ground shows are where the odometer is going to turn
over. What a long strange strange trip its been. Come
celebrate with us if you live nearby; it's sure to be a fun
time.
Much love to you all for supporting us through the years.
See you soon.
PS. Thanks for all the tips on good burrito joints in the
northeast. I will try to check some of them out and give you
my ratings. Also, we met this 18 year old fiddle prodigy
named Bobby Britt in Colorado and he joined us on a bunch of
dates. The kid is amazing and his band, coincidentally
enough, is named Open Road Bluegrass Band. They're on tour
right now in the northeast so definitely go check them out .
You will not be disappointed.
www.openroadbluegrass.com/
January 21, 2003
Has anyone noticed we've been touring our asses off? I
have. Will someone count the shows we played this year and
tell me how many it was? I'd sure appreciate that. It's
probably not as many as it feels like but It's been fun to
be back in such full swing again. The only drawback is that
we've had no time to write and get together on ideas. This
spring we'll probably take a little time to get that stuff
together because I don't want to go much longer without some
new fun stuff to play.
The Gregg Allman and Friends tour was great fun. Now
we're off to some new adventures and plenty of misadventures
in the West. I am looking forward to playing in some warm
weather again. And I'm looking forward to some good burritos
in So. Cal. I still can't believe no one on earth has
figured out how to transplant the West Coast Burrito (as
opposed to, say, a Mexican one which would probably be like
Italian pizza is to American pizza) to the east coast. It
just seems odd. Maybe if Strangefolk goes bust I'll start up
a stand with the boys.
Non-sequitur time.
Hi.
Um, yeah. Not much to say. It was great to play in the
snow up north. Sugarloaf was a blast for us. The whole month
of December, traditionally a very slow time for us, was
great. Thanks to all of you for coming out and making it so
much fun. We clearly feed off your energy and you clearly
feed off ours so let's keep getting together to share that.
Great great and, yes, definitely great.
Did someone say great? Great then. Onward. If I said left
would I be right?
Surf, sun, mountains and snow, and a swing through the
Great Northwest. That's the menu for the next few weeks.
Don't you wish you were on the road? I'm sure I'll put up a
few more daily road journals just to show you that you're
glad to be tucked in your very own little bed every night.
Well, maybe you're not but you ARE glad it's not you driving
all day trying to find random clubs and hotels. Left means
Right I mean Stop wait Go. Excuse me, someone flicked the
blinker on the wrong way. Anyway, the great part is the
night. Vicarious living is the way to go so I'll be your
friendly guide, bringin it all home for you.
Adios, friends. Until next time.
--
Where in Hell are the Van Keys? On the road with Gregg
Allman and Friends.
Day One, December 26/27. Begin drive from Maine to
Florida at about 9am. Drive through the aftermath of a nice
Nor'easter which keeps things nice and slow for hours on end.
Erik patiently drives us through it. The ride begins with three:
Erik, me, and my girlfriend Harmony (refer to scene in Spinal
Tap where David St. Hubbins shares the news that Janine is
coming with Nigel), who will be doing merch duties on this tour.
Reach Brooklyn to pick up Patchen and Col. Matthew Peskie at
around 6pm. We have the pleasure of Matt's company and
proficiency behind the soundboard (and planning board) for this
run. He also has a great collection of mp3s and keeps us
entertained with liberal doses of Crank Yankers episodes.
Actually, only one episode but it bears repeated listening. Matt
pilots us out of Brooklyn at 7:30 after we get some food. At
this point I decide that it's bedtime because we've got about 20
hours left to drive and we have to go straight which means
someone has to be able to take over when Matt's done. We haven't
done this kind of kamikazee mission for many years and it's kind
of fun to be back in the saddle. Anyway, down I go into a deep
sleep, waking up only when we reach Washington D.C. and stop to
pick up Luke, and then all I could really do was open my eyes
for a second and say hi to his brother in law, Sayre. It's about
11 or so at this point. Or maybe it's 1am. I really don't have
an idea because I'm so out of it. We push on into the night. At
about 5:30 we stop for gas and I take the wheel. There's less
than an hour until daylight and we're in South Carolina. The sun
rises strong and I suddenly wish I had my sunglasses. The heat
feels good. This is far from the snowstorm we drove out of
yesterday. I squint my way through Georgia and into Florida. The
trees are all hung with spanish moss and there's mist rising
everywhere. Quite the southern scene. We get to Orlando at about
11am, pick Don up at the airport, and head to the hotel. We get
there and they won't let us check in early so we get the worst
breakfast I've ever had at the neighboring IHOP and play video
games in the hotel rec room. Air hockey is never so much fun as
when you've been riding in a van for over 24 hours. Harmony won
when I slammed the puck and accidentally scored a goal on
myself. The real victory was being able to finally check in and
jump in bed for a 45 minute nap.
We head over to the House of Blues which is situated
right in the midst of the Disney World fracas. There are
tourists everywhere. We head into this magnet shop and are
amazed that someone would go to such lengths as to make a magnet
that looks just like a cheeseburger. Even more amazed by all the
people in there buying this kind of stuff. Ain't that America.
The club is really nice and the people there treat us well. Some
guys from Gregg's band are jamming on stage, waiting for the
soundcheck. We mill around and make ourselves comfortable which
is very easy to do at this venue. There's great catering and our
green room has couches and television aplenty. This is one of
the reasons I love opening for bigger acts: classy venues and
treatment. It's almost like taking a vacation while touring.
--
Our set goes well that night. The crowd, I'd guess
around 1500 people, seemed to like us and they gave us a really
warm applause. Later that night, right before he kicked into
Sweet Melissa, Gregg gave us some props with, "How 'bout them
Strangefolks." The response was great. So now we're officially
Strangefolks.
Day Two, December 28. Jacksonville FL.
Wake up to find out that the van keys are MIA. Matt
insists he gave them to Luke at the hotel vending machine
the night before. Luke informs him that this is not
possible, as he wasn't near Matt or a vending machine at the
hotel last night. We conclude it was all a dream. The keys
are located inside the van. Thank you AAA!
This night we're doing our own show. We drive up to
Jacksonville and do our thing. There are two bands opening
for us that night. One is an acoustic band who were really
nice and fit really well with the bill. The second band was
good but so so so wrong for the vibe that night. It was a
punk band. Promoters have this magical way of totally
screwing everything up when it comes to putting a show
together and this night really stood out for it's lack of
cohesion. How anyone could have dreamed this would be a good
bill is beyond me but someone did dream it and it became our
nightmare. The venue folks were nice to us and we had a fine
time entertaining the very few who were there to share the
rest of the evening with us.
And then we sleep.
Day Three, December 29. Myrtle Beach, SC.
Back to the House of Blues franchise. This night I
realize that they make these places from a cookie cutter.
It's a good cookie cutter, though. The experience is
essentially a repeat of the Orlando show: all good. The
crowd was especially lively that night. They really seemed
to get into our set and Gregg once again gave the
Strangefolks props, this time right after the first song.
Antoher really fun night.
Day Four, December 30. Asheville, NC.
I love this town. It's one of the few southern towns
that seems to come out and support us when we play there. We
played in a new venue called the Orange Peel. Great place
for a show. This was a night for me where the mileage kicked
in and my playing wasn't what I'd like it to be. I think we
all felt a little off but we still had a pretty good set.
After the show we headed to a good friend's apartment and
dragged some of Gregg's band with us. We also had the
drummer from Lynyrd Synyrd with us which added an
interesting, if surreal dimension to the evening. Good
times.
Day Five, New Year's Eve. Atlanta, GA
Hot 'Lanta was a little cold and rainy this night.
Widespread Panic was in town. The Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl
(one of the more egregious yet funny examples of the
over-corporatization of everything buyable and sellable in
America) drew 75,000 football fans in for the night.
Strangefolk had the pleasure of squaring off in front of a
good sized crowd at the Tabernacle. We decided to throw a
little Zeppelin their way to see how it would go down.
People love their Zep everywhere and Gregg Allman's Georgia
people were no exception. Our opening set was fun. This
night we got an hour instead of 45 minutes so we got to
stretch out a little more.
We've noticed that Gregg does the same show every
night and we see how that works for his scene because no one
is touring from show to show and there's not a huge internet
or tape trading scene. Basically, he plays the tunes people
want to hear every night. You see the show once and that's
all you need to do. We decide to follow a similar format
just to see what it would be like to be, say, In Sync but
without the fans or money. We're working on the
choreography. This way we can give any stray Strangefolk
followers a good dose of us and we can put a solid set
together for Gregg's fans, who are a totally different
demographic. The plan seems to be working for us. After all,
who would notice?
After Gregg's set we bust our gear downstairs to the
Cotton Club. We played there with The Big Wu last spring and
had a really good time so we were all excited to get it
going again this night. As soon as Gregg's show ended we
started. We had the great fortune of having two-thirds of
the horn section from GAF come down and jam with us all
night. His band and crew are all great guys and we'd talked
a little about getting together for our late night jam. It
was such a pleasure to have Jay and Richard come down and
just blow the night away on sax and trumpet, respectively.
Having an instant top-notch horn section added to the
Strangefolk mix was a rare treat for us. Having it go on
throughout the night was even better. Pure musical fun.
Day Six, January1. Drive toward Cincinnatti. Stop in
Knoxville, TN. Go see a late showing of The Two Towers. Go
to sleep with a big smile on my face. Great start to a new
year.
Day Seven, January 2. Cincinnatti, OH
It is cold and snowy. The south was nice. We have
this night to ourselves so we can go for two sets and
stretch it out. It's a nice change from doing short sets but
we're back on the hellish club circuit which is jarring
compared to the posh living we've been enjoying as guests on
Gregg's tour. The few faithful turn out in the cold and snow
and we play a low key but long and, for me, enjoyable show.
Day Eight, January 3. Fort Wayne, IN
What a weird venue. I think Piere's Entertainment
Center is the biggest, craziest bar I've ever been in. It's
an entertainment complex with seven bars, many dance floors,
many odd labrynthine twists and turns leading to places
called The Foam Room and golf tee simulation room, internet
stations, and Lord knows what else. There's a big-ass stage
just plopped down in the middle of it with a whopper sound
system and that's where we played. Gregg and Friends manage
to pull a good crowd everywhere and the denizens of Piere's
and Fort Wayne begin to pile in. We all noticed a change in
vibe here in Indiana. Lots of leather and Harley gear. I
thought we'd get fried in the south but everyone was really
kind to the band there. The southern fans really seemed to
take to our music and bob their heads along with the beat
and cheer really loud after songs. This Indiana crowd was
less receptive but they were okay. One of the things we've
noticed on this tour is that when we take the stage the
crowd always thinks we're Gregg's band and they welcome us
like kings...until they notice Gregg Allman has not taken
the stage. Then we're on our own. That's when we dig in and
rock them. Just like Tenacious D. And we've done fine but
Fort Wayne is a little slower on the SF uptake. We decided
in advance that we'd give them "Last Dance with Mary Jane"
to give the ol' Indiana shizzout out. (Yeah!!) To this they
responded well but I'm not sure we were loved overall. Maybe
it's because we played at 7pm. Whatever the reason, we
walked offstage, immediately repaired to the karaoke bar and
rocked that section of Piere's until very very late.
Day Nine, January 4. Chicago, IL
We woke up and realized that the van keys were
missing for the second time on this trip. Panic, bag
searches, hotel room searches, a flurry of activity and they
finally turn up in the pocket of our road crew, who are
already on the road but dutifully turn around and kindly
return the keys to us. And away we go toward Chee-ca-go.
At the original House of Blues I realize that they
aren't all made from a cookie cutter. This one created the
mold. This one is the One. We had a fun set but experienced
a little of that Indiana vibe again. I find it interesting
that we have no fanbase in the south yet Gregg's fans like
us but in the north where we do have a fanbase Gregg's fans
don't seem quite as keen. I'll work it all out some other
time. Our set is fun and Gregg puts on a good show. After
it's over we go downstairs and there's this rockin blues
band playing on a small stage. Luke strikes up conversation
with them and they invite him and all of us to jam. Luke got
up and kept the groove going on drums while Jay (sax man
from Gregg's band) got up and ripped. Don joined them on
keys and they got the house jumping. It was a lot of fun to
watch. A lot of times these jams go south really quickly but
this one smoldered. These are the little moments that make
nights so much fun.
Day Ten, January 5. Kalamazoo, MI
This was the final show with GAF and we had a good
time. By the end of the show we were all tired from such a
fun week and we got together for a little bit and said our
goodbyes. Doing this tour reminded me why it's so good to
tour with other bands. Getting to meet new people, listen to
new music, and make friends is what it's all about. Many
thanks to Gregg and his band for letting us tag along for a
little bit and thanks to the people who came to the shows
who were so kind to us.
--
December 2, 2002
Here we are in December. Truly is amazing how fast
the months go by. This looks to be a fun one. We're going to dig
into acoustic territory for the first leg of the tour. We had
such a fun time at Eden with it that we decided to revisit the
idea this winter. After Christmas we will be heading straight
out on the road with Gregg Allman, which I talked about last
time. Very excited for that.
I updated the mail bag today and decided to bid
farewell to the neglected (by me) tablature section. Too many
things to do, so little time. So the site gets whittled down to
the manageable.
I look forward to seeing you during the holiday run.
November 12, 2002
Home again, I like to be here when I can.
When I come home cold and tired,
it’s good to warm my bones beside the fire.
Yes, indeed. Now I’m home and all the leaves are
falling. I raked about 400 pounds of them today. Man, when I
left this place it was sunny and hot every day. I’ve given you
snapshots of what it’s like on the road this Fall and now I’ll
give you one of what it’s like to get back home after a tour. I
got home to a pile of mail. Mostly bills. I found out that the
telephone company decided to cancel my long distance plan and
sign me up for a new one at a much higher rate. What a joy it
was to see a gigantic phone bill for a period of time when I was
barely home. It was heartwarming. Pacific Bell is a great
example of a monopoly being a really bad thing. There’s no one
else to turn to and they seem to enjoy screwing with people.
When I call them I picture a bunch of robot zombies on the other
end, endlessly thunking into each other while they wade in a
mire of red tape. (By the way, can anyone tell me where the term
“red tape” came from?) I remember when I was a kid there used to
be film shorts on HBO between movies. Remember Video Jukebox? I
didn’t think so. It preceded MTV by a couple of years. Well,
when a movie ended you either got Video Jukebox or these film
shorts. One of them was a stop-action animation about this reel
of film that came to life and started unraveling and filling
rooms up with piles and piles of itself. It swamped anyone that
came near it. When I think of PacBell I think of that film, only
I substitute red tape. And the way they treat you after they ask
you how they can “provide you with excellent customer service
today” makes me wish my little daydream would come true. Now I
have to wait 10 days to be approved for a calling plan that I’ve
been on for a whole year. I think I’d go 100% cellular if I
wasn’t afraid my head would melt. There’s the internet
connection to think about as well. Can’t quite afford broadband
on my rockstar salary. So anyway, the phone bill fiasco was
mission #2 upon returning. #1 was sleep.
So what next? Big trip to the Grocery Store! There’s
nothing like being able to cook for yourself after a long tour
of the nation’s most generic, unhealthy, and boring eateries.
After all, you are what you eat. That would make me Two Eggs
Over Easy on Dry Toast With a Side of The Hashbrowns and Maybe
Sausage with a Box of Cheerios with a Banana If You Got It. And
my name would be Denny. When you’ve got to get to the next gig
in time sometimes things take a back seat. (Or, in Erik’s case,
a Window Seat -- ha ha.) In our world Sleep is #1; fitting the
rest in between waking and getting to the venue is our
specialty. Hence, the dining experience is somewhat like taking
medicine. It makes you feel not hungry anymore and hopefully
that’s it. Would you like some butter with your butter?
Okay, so back to the big Grocery. This is where I
get to fantasize about all the things I want to feast on, all
the things I’ve been denied. And I always get the same boring
things no matter how wild my imagination might be. I’m a
creature of habit and my habits are pretty simple. I hold dear
some idea that broccoli will make me Better so I get lots of
that. Spinach, too. Anything green after such a long gray
stretch of Middle America Diet is Goooooood. Being hook, line,
and sinkered by the Popeye Spinach Propaganda at a young age
might have something to do with it. Anyway, it makes me feel
good and what’s good for you is the right thing, right? Right.
Now I’m spending my days working on new songs and
learning more on guitar. I’ve been jamming to the accompaniment
of my Casio keyboard quite a bit. If you could hear the music
that assaults my neighbors you’d laugh. It’s me cranking out the
Casio Jam with Hank, the dog next door, barking in tandem. Maybe
I’ll record it and put out a solo record. One Man’s Garbage.
Wait, that’s already been done.
We’ve got some fun shows coming up next month and
then an exciting run with Gregg Allman. Some big stuff coming
up. I’m looking very forward to it but also to this time at home
to gather my sanity. You rest up, too. See you in exactly one
month.
