Thankful for '23!

Thankful for sooo many things in 2023.....

On stage, December 2023, charity event.

Last year, I wrote a fairly comprehensive piece on being thankful, loaded with a fair bit of detail, professionally speaking.

This year I'd like to focus on something more personal and more general. I do focus on some 2023 highlights in my annual birthday post if you're interested, however....

It is often bragged - in song, poetry, moving pictures, literature, & the like - that one has made it on their own. That no one provided any assistance. That the person clawed out of the gutter and climbed the mountain all on their own.

This is a romantic vision and is, perhaps in some cases, absolutely true. But it isn't true for me.

From my first gigs to the first key to a recording studio door all the way to the day before yesterday, I have been blessed with opportunity and a helping hand from all manner of people - some family, some friends, some almost complete strangers.

I am blessed beyond belief.

And I am as grateful as I can possibly be.

I definitely have NOT done it all on my own. The life of a self-employed musician is hard, but mostly its hard on those around you. Every woman with whom I've had a failed relationship (that's ALL of them) and every woman I've ever been involved with will attest to that. My kids and my family and my friends can attest to it as well. Its a volatile industry and an incredibly stressful lifestyle for those who love us....or even just like us a little bit, for a little while - a few moments in time.

So, yes, it can be hard personally and financially and about any other way one can think. But its also incredibly rewarding, incredibly fulfilling, incredibly....magical. And it stuns me every day to realize this has been my life for decades.

On stage, June 2023, Woodsongs.

And I never could have done it on my own. 

So cheers to YOU, everyone who has ever lent a helping hand (financially, emotionally, or let me crash on your sofa when my life was falling apart), put cash in my tip jar, shared my music, attended my gigs, recommended me to others for music instruction, gotten me a gig, trusted me to teach a loved one or to play on your record, hired me to compose music for your business or to play music at your event or to produce your recording, collaborated with me (music, teaching, events, etc), and the like.

Saying "thank you" seem inadequate, to say the least. But being less than gifted as a wordsmith, its all I can find to say, I'm afraid.

But I can say: Its been a wonderful life and I look forward to every single day.

Thank all of you for making my dream a reality.

HAPPY 59

on stage with Michael Johnathon, June 2023

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" - Satchel Paige

My annual obligatory birthday post!

Sooo...another trek around the sun, as they say - 59 such treks. This year, as every year, has been quite the roller-coaster ride...from another successful Lexi Music Awards event to hosting open mics to performances at local charity events to national TV to a couple of fabulous studio sessions to performances at both the Prince Tribute show and the Tina Turner Tribute show and so much more on the professional & creative front!

And, of course, its been amazing to continue to watch students & former students go out into the world and be creative and chase their dreams!

Eddy, Carol, & me!

Here at SD Universe, I made 12 entries, including a percussion workshop article, a lesson article of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", and four RIP pieces (Tina Turner, Harry Belafonte, Gordon Lightfoot, and Jeff Beck).....while at SD Magazine we published two "Sonic Sorcery" lessons, a Superbowl Music lesson, and two "Looking Back" articles ("Synchronicity" by the Police and Revel Yell" by Billy Idol).

So....my birthday weekend:

Friday (10-20) was a hard workout at the gym (final pre-birthday workout) and included 60 minutes of cardio, 30 minutes full body resistance work, and capped it off with weighted carries (45 pound plate in each hands while walking laps around the gym).

a coupla random adults hanging with my main man G!

Saturday (10-21) was a set at a charity gig for Greenhouse 17 organized by Ned Bellau at The Cellar, and then a pizza party with the kids!

Sunday (10-22) was the annual Birthday Jam! We packed the patio at Goodwood and had a blast! I also broke a 30+ day alcohol-free (also an annual thing for me) with a really good scotch!

Serena w/ backup from me and Haywood!

Monday (birthday) I got up feeling a tad ragged from the weekend festivities, but after getting the kids off to school, I hit the gym HARD, then went home to a super-rare steak with shrimp and guacamole, raw mixed nuts, and a nap! 

Unfortunately, the ragged feeling turned out to be a cold or mild flu which lasted for over a week, but if that's the worst thing that happened, nothing happened (haha!).

Also blessed to receive hundreds upon hundreds of birthday wishes via text, email, snail mail, social media, phone calls, & the like...and as I do each year, I took my annual ODIS (Old Dudes In Shape) pictures as a challenge to my buddies who also post ODIS pics. Good accountability and keeps us all motivated and disciplined! (pic at bottom)

On the off chance that you are interested in the stories & photos from past birthdays, you can punch THIS LINK, which will list them all.

That's it for now. Gotta get to work prepping lessons, Lexi Music Awards, my annual "thankful" post, and more....and please check out my Patreon page ($5/month for Total Access to writings, performance clips, music instruction, diet & fitness writings, AMAs, etc)!

See y'all soon...in person, online, on TV, or wherever we shall meet!

#StayFierce #SkinnyDevil #FierceAF #SDMLguitar #LexiMusicAwards #ThisIs58 #PirateLife