Hoot!Hoot! This aint Hell!

Well spring sprang and I been out in it. Soaking it up, bursting at the seams, seeming to sing with all of my being.  I played a fun show with Chris Pureka down at the Middle East in Boston recently and had a hell of a hoot sitting in with Peter Mulvey and the Skinny Millionaires at the Rendezvous in Turners Falls last night.  Covering the Tom Waits album RainDogs.  Holyholy what an album!  I brought bones, boxes, spoons and cans to bang on plus a homemade horn with a bottleneck mouthpiece and a coffeecan bell.  And of course a Canophone which was given a sweet solo on tango til they're sore. (I actually played the one that was made for the raffle winner-just breaking it in Rose-making sure it whines well) It was so damn fun that I got roped into doing it again down at Atwoods Tavern in Boston this Saturday.  Twist my arm, ya know?  So the Suitcase Junket continues at a clip, ever grateful to Mr. Scelsa's attentiveness, and proud of the nice review in the local paper.  But for now it is the new Rusty Belle cd that has my attention.  We recorded it in February down at Signature Sounds and had a blast at the session with Goody Goodrich - producer extraordinaire- and Mark Thayer - engineer beyond compare.  So now we are releasing it into the wild.  The packaging for the first 200 copies are going to be handmade and well-loved.  So our living room is being turned into a tiny sweatshop next week as we break out the sewing machines and get to work.  My friend Ben and I are waiting with baited breath to hear about the Bird Bridge proposal in Northampton.  We should know in a couple of weeks (gulp) whether our piece will be accepted and allowed to fly or not.  Crossing fingers, toes, legs, eyes, arms, beams, etc.  So right now I am sitting at the Jones Library near my house. A most beautiful library indeed.  But the sun is beating down on my shoulders and begging me to come back outside and play.  So, without further ado. . . Goodbye computer!  May we meet again on some grey day without distraction!