Maximum Update!

This is the super mega update post.

I recently completed a 100-day online course with the Guitar Circle. 100 days is a long time to do anything. I often feel like the train is passing by a high speed and it is all I can do to catch a few notes off of the end as it whizzes by. There is simply too much material to absorb and also live the rest of the busy life. So.. I choose the high priority items for my path and absorb what I can.

Then, the unexpected: a band appears! My new bassist friend Chris and I have formed Astronuts. Chris plays 6-string bass and is working in the same odd tuning as I have been using for the last many years. If you are unfamiliar, the tuning is called Guitar Craft Standard Tuning nowadays: CGDAEG from low to high strings. The D is the same as the "normal" guitar tuning. Anyway, Chris and I have performed our first piece during the course, and it may form a basis for continued work, in addition to working on guitar orchestra repertoire, which is likely to be a focus over the next year. (see also: trains whizzing by). So yes, Astronuts. It is difficult to tell in the beginning whether something is a big deal or not. Because it could be a "biggus dealus" (ob. movie reference, you're welcome, ha).

And another thing! The dynamic power duo Band of Chaperones (Lisa and David Oskardmay) played their longest performance ever, nearly 2 hours, in New Bern, NC at Tonic Parlor. I believe that for certain stretches of that evening, BoC was the best band in New Bern. The L&D vocal duo can nail some serious harmonies. We are refining our set, a combination of mostly older cover tunes and Lisa's originals. I generally close the performance with my solo set, The Story So Far. More shows to come.

Last and most lately breaking news, I have committed to develop the DMLN app with (drum roll..) an app development company. This is not the last you have heard about this, but the wheels are finally in motion. Be happy about this.

In completing the 100-day journey with my guitar friends, I look toward the next thing. This was originally going to include a visit to Raft Island near Seattle for a week of guitar practice, but this is not going to be happening this year. It is a disappointment, but it creates the opening for something vital. The future will be unpredictable. It is here.