Hot kids in the city..

Winston the Gnome and Larry the Lobstah are squiring me safely into Manhattan... Altho the traffic patterns are a little weird just out of the Lincoln Tunnel,they are fine..I guess most of the traffic in NYC is a bit wacky... I'm just glad I know my way back to Hamlin HQ.

I got a great chat in with Jane before I left. All about the business end of this job and alot of great ideas. I have my work cut out for me. And I like it!

Word.. to my mother

Mom... hope the puppy feels even better this morning. I love that you have each other. Makes being away alot easier for me... knowing I was replaced (completely) buy a wee chihuahua.

Love you so much!!!

Sunday in PA

Quiet Sunday morning... early... coffee made, and being enjoyed by only me. The day yesterday proved a bit more challenging in the early part. So challenging in fact that I wondered if mercury was in retrograde or something. I bought and returned a computer after finding that nobody sold a firewire express card for it... not even their competitors! I couldn't even find it online! If you need to upload video, you need firewire... let's just say it was about 24 hours of computer crap and that I think Best Buy has lost my business forever.. which is a shame. Because it was one of the few big box stores I'd actually buy from. Oh well... all signs point to needing to buy a new one so I'll look when in CT tomorrow.I am picking T up at the aeropuerto tomorrow night, then she digs into rehearsals for The Hamilton's and we regroup Thur to leave Fri. for Cape Cod.

The time here with Jane has been great... good bonding with events like going to see School of Rock kids do a concert that had them doing covers of Rock Lobster,Born to Run, and Wipeout with a 7 year old drummer named Rosemarie who kicked ass!! Jane has a photo on her phone I will get of her... that kid has a future! It turned my somewhat cranky mood around (all that computer hullaballoo) very quickly. We kinda bonded over hitting the dear too. She's a damn good egg.

In other news.. Trina's show for the Friday night went fantastic, we didn't get to talk alot as she said the squirrels were interfering with her connection.She's also doing a house concert this weekend that I know she's really looking forward to so it's all good. With any luck, a bunch of new people will become big fans and the base will grow. Im sure it will... it's just what happens.

Jane and I watched Notes on a Scandal last night... good movie... creepy too. A must see.

Ok... more coffee needed.

Gracie and Tess

The cuteness that is Tess and Gracie (shep).

All this and more.

It's a beautiful morning here in PA.
A slight breeze, some leaves dropping from big lush trees and a temp about 60-something. Jane has this great dog named Gracie and her brother's dog Tess is over here too.. so I am getting a really good dog fix. Jane is stopping off at the Wawa Mkt for some bfast provisions so there will be some cooking in order! I got to cook dinner last night too, which makes me happy. That's one thing about being on tour that I miss... cooking. Most people that we stay with are more than happy to have me jump in and rustle something up, so it works. The one set of people I really wanted to cook for and didn't get to were in Martha's Vineyard... so I owe the Baer's a feast next time they have me back. Thinking about this last bit of time off before we hit it very hard... the time will fly very quickly once we load back in the van... The Hamilton's tour to Texas www.myspace.com/thehamiltonsrock and one last stop to see a Susan Werner/Trina show at the Tin Angel in Philly then I go home. This time has sped by..

We actually stopped by a couple of clubs last night... scouting out rooms for shows more or less... We hit Puck (Sophie B. Hawkins was playing)in Doylestown, and Havana in New Hope... it was in between the two that we hit the deer. Both rooms actually had a nice feel to them, and apparently on the patio of Havana in the winter, they crank up scads of heaters so folks can be outside! Freaks!!!

Ok... time to cook...

Blogger slobber

And this one is for Jane...

Deer slobber on the door. Eeeeeew!

For Susan

We just broke the news to Susan that Jane hit a deer... Suze...this pic of Jane taping her mirror onto the car is for you...

New Hope?? No Hope..

No hope for the deer we just hit in Jane's adorable beetle.the pic is a tuft of fur trapped in the mirror. The car in front of us hit it first and it bounced off us. Not a lot of damage, nobody hurt and the deer actually left the scene of the accident. It was a hit and run on the deer's part...

Piko!!

This is the blog reader from far far away... "Piko" welcome!

Computer is back from Andy "Dr. Melonhead" Paul fixing it. I am about to see if I can resume editing video... geez, I hope so. We need some good piano footage for Trina's new website. This computer problem has created such an enormous backlog, that I could be buried for days if I'm not careful.. then again... I guess I have several days to be in it. So we'll see.

Again.. Piko... thanks for speaking up and saying hello!!!

Friday

These are cool... Jane has them. Jane has good stuff. But it's not because of the stuff that we love Jane. She is a good friend, a hilarious playmate, and a wealth of knowledge... And she doesn't smoke. All of this adds up to 100% ! Plus, (back on her stuff) she has a little John Deere tractor!

cool people read blogs.

I notice that almost on a daily basis that someone from Gorzow Slaski, Czestochowa is reading the blog.. this makes me very happy. I have no idea who this is, but I send to you a big hello!!! Thanks for reading and being pretty dilligent about it!

is it wrong...

I know it's wrong... terribly wrong.. to make jokes about having "polio" (vaccine) and even though I know it's the tetnus shot that is making my arm hurt... I know I'm wrong. I admit it. It's gonna be a little steamy today in NYC... it's humid now at 9am.

I head to the Philly area after T flies out to Michigan. Janie is going to have her sweet brother Andy look at my computer to see if there is any hope. I have my doubts, but I get that way sometimes when things aren't operating perfectly. That has been one of the things that has fueled my ability to get more electronics.. I have rarely sought to have things fixed. I must be the epitome of an true American!

Yup...

Stunning night. Great show. Now as I walk thru Central Park, all I can think of is Trina's story about a rabid racoon attack....fortunately it's a semi-humorous story!

But seriously.. Beirut was wonderful!

Don't cry for me...

We were not abused during the shot outing for today... in fact I have to say, I felt next to nothing. Daisy treated me very kindly and with a smile as I got my polio,tetnus,and hep b vaccines. We ended up walking alot and that was great as the weather again was stunning. Grabbed a nice lunch in Central Park and then scored literally the last ticket to the sold out Beirut show that is in about an hour and a half. We were walking by the venue as the soundcheck was going on... I heard "Elephant Gun" and got very excited! I love that song! I am thrilled to be going, and I am glad to give Trina some space. I don't go out exploring much on my own... but the truth is we are usually working on something and there isn't alot of free time to be a tourist here.Now we just have to hope I don't get lost in Central Park walking home!

Looks like I may pop over to the Philly area and hang with Janie for a bit while T goes and does some gigs in Michigan. She'll get to see the faboo Ron and Mimi and the absolutely sweet Sandy (he play dobro w/ her alot)and then do a house concert. It's all good... the angels are looking out for us... there is a distinct positive flow that has continued throughout my entire time with Team Hamlin.

Yet more good stuff... love it!!!

human pincushions

Yup.. today brings more vaccinations for India.I get three more and T gets two. Then with any luck we can get to the Indian Consulate's office to do visas. I am going to go look for a new laptop computer... mine is not behaving and I need one not only for work, but for video stuff. I tried in vain last night to upload some Martine Locke vid... and it was for nuttin'!!! Perhaps a trip to the Costco is in order.

I am going to try and get a ticket for Beirut tonight at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park... it may be sold out, but I would really like to see this guy with his band. His music is very rich and layered... and there's accordian!! Also.. on a fun footnote.. my dear friend Cathryn is trying to get her book on healthy living/cooking out to the world.. she has an agent looking her over pretty hard, and it looks like she'll get it done. (It may involve Trina in some way if all goes well... it's top secret how T would participate but there might be an accordian involved in that as well... thats the only hint I can give...) Cathryn and I had a delightful conversation last night... and she summed me up in one word.. and when she said this word it fit... RIDICULOUS! That sums up my thought process.. my dreamer-like life and my meaning that I attach to life's challenges. And I love it! I am touring around in a van called El-Frida!! And I am living my dream!

Livestrong? Not exactly...

Trina and I are sporting the newest rage in overseas travel schawg!!! It's the "Remember Oral Typhoid Vaccine" bracelet!!! They are a lovely orange color and go with practically everything I own!

You can get one yourself by simply popping into your local medical office and getting a vaccine!!

Can you say TYPHOID????

Here is documentation of the "during" portion of the first round of vaccinations... Odessa was kind and gentle with both of us... see Trina is even smiling!!!

Let the buyer beware!

So.. Trina got her tmobile bill from her time in Germany.

It was startling!!! Because she read the New York Times on her PDA and all of the data from the site was so huge and she got charged per megabyte that the bill was unfreakin' believably HUGE!!!!

DO NOT SURF WEB NEWS OR SITES FROM YOUR PHONE WHEN IN EUROPE!!!!!

Do we hafta???

Oh geez...

The day has come.. much sooner than my brain had planned.. Trina has taken on scheduling our appts. for travel vaccinations.. can you say YIKES???? And that would be today at 1:30 p.m.!!!!

I got my new passport back and need to send it off to get the visa for India so we are in hyper-accomplishment mode for that trip. That'll make the folks who are managing the trip happy. We are the ones holding it up because we were waiting for my passport.

Shots... I think I actually pouted when I heard she made the appt.

it's true..

We miss Martine...

She has left sweets tucked in various places... hope none are going to be undiscovered for long periods of time. At least we know it's not vegemite... she ran out. I know she is looking forward to detoxing from all of the fun times...after a few more margaritas at airports along the route home she'll be in the clear.

And she still owes me two dollars and ninety cents on a bet she lost... for the record. She will say it's one dollar and ninety...

a link to make you laugh

copy and paste this gem..

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=18560309

This will indeed tickle the funnybone!!!

Enjoy!

Monday in Manhattan

Well...

Yesterday was hilarious,sweet,twisted,filling,informative,bonding, and generally in-freakin'-credible! We all had waaaay to much fun.The show Meth and Woj's was faboo.. more great energy, lots of wonderful music and nothing but the best joo joo. Jagoda really added a nice element to not only the performance but the conversation and entertainment in the van. He is a real gem!!!

The van cradled everyone on the way to Miya's in New Haven for the most inventive sushi ever! We blasted Barry White, had the disco ball going and the string lights too... really set the tone for the rest of the evening. One of my favorite parts was realizing that the restaurant folks may have thought Jagoda was Bruce Willis. He actually looks ALOT like him... that may explain the free saki and dessert that came to the table. After breaking the news to them that he in fact was NOT Bruce, Trina and Jagoda did a little musical interlude with harmonica and chopsticks to entertain us all.

Today we say goodbye to Martine... sad but true. I feel a good kinship with her. She lays it all out on the table and doesn't hold back.. just like her music. She is headed into the studio in early Nov. to start her new cd... can't wait to hear it. I also cant wait to upload some of the sweeeeeet video of them playing together. It'll be great to share that. They compliment each other very nicely in musical styles.

I'll be looking to see where to disappear to for a couple of days to give T her home back... hopefully it'll be with a Team Hamlin/Hamilton's to-do list and a place to work on figuring out my video problems then to get to work on uploading some again as the backlog is now beginning to frighten me.

It's again the most stunning day here in Manhattan. We may go play tennis after we drop Martine off at the aeropuerto. And we need to get passport photos taken to get our trip to India visas handled. Silly little details that are good to knock off the list.

That's what's up for today..

Aussie bfast

This morning we wanted to make Martine feel at home. She had aquired a can of beans from the homeland, so there was beans on toast and an egg. Now, it's essentially vegetarian pork and beans... I rather liked it because the chunks of fat in the regular ones freak me out. We had a nice mild sourdough from a portugese bakery.. and over medium eggs.

Now, after a morning of gasious joke and gestures... we are getting ready to head to Meredith and Woj's place for a house concert. Let me just say, that these two are awesome!! I am looking forward to actually getting time with them both as usually it's waaay to much going on to get quality time. They have hosted a very impressive array of musicians at their house concert series. Very top notch taste.

So, it's an afternoon we are all looking forward to and it should be the most beautiful weather to boot. We are picking up Jagoda, driving up.. doing the show.. then all going out for sushi afterwards. Dunno if it gets much better than this. It's a day filled with quality music,people and food!

Oh Jeebus! That's just wrong!

This what we have to contend with when Martine washes her hair. We have decided as a group that this hair would make great key fobs or perhaps necklaces.

Thoughts??

Or maybe it just looks like a hairy piece-o-poo?

Leather diaphram

This is not an S& M reference... Although the maintenance guys at T's building loved kidding about it. There was some plumbling malfeasance while we were at dinner the other night and it turns out it's because T needed a new diaphram...

For the toilet.

So as we are often prone to do we took a photo and blogged it.

We are headed to NJ today. House concert.

My dear friend Vangie gets married today. I love her endlessly..and even tho I screwed up my schedule with trying to get to the wedding (thought it was tomorrow..) so I am not in attendance. But I did have the most fabulous gifts shipped in from Charles Kelly at Home in Laguna Beach for them.

We walked over the Brooklyn Bridge last night around 1am. It as so beautiful to just be outside and see the skyline of Manhattan.

Shabbatski

So I attended my firt ever shabbat and it happened to fall on the jewish New Year. The food was wonderful and the company even better. It was hosted by good friends of Trinas Betsy and Anthony. They call it Shabbatski because their pal Rachel's last name has a 'ski' on the end and she and her husband Rich were there as well. And kudos to Babs who cooked the meal and kicked ass at it. A job well done!

OMG !!! WTF???? BFF???

http://perezhilton.com/?p=5880

wow... my world is not the same after this...

Double post-o-rama's

Dunno why... Apparently my posts are so good they get to go up twice...I will do my best to keep this under control. Jeebus! Blogging is such a committment!!

Never let them tell you New Yorkers aren't friendly.

Here's the deal... This is Nick. He is the big cheese at Trina's building. He is hilarious, and this morning he greeted me with his big smile and this tshirt. He is a good man.

I'm definitely having a moment of gratitude for the exceptional human beings I get to intersect with.

Along the lines in that gratitude is most importantly family and friends. I have to give a HUGE SHOUTOUT to my pals Lizzy and Bryant for being the Mom Care Team. They watched her beloved chihuahua Tiana while she had her angiogram yesterday. The good news is she comes home today and they gave her a stint which should make her feel worlds better. I talked to her last night while she was high on morphine (which is always entertaining..) and again this morning. She's in very good spirits and assured me I didn't need to be there. This is where I get my stoic nature from...
I am so glad she is through this.

The day is off and running now...Trina is working on flights to Seattle flor some Susan Werner gigs.. Which rocks!!! She has really been needing a Susan fix.

It really is all good.

Tearful reunion

Here is the famous Maya Papaya.... We were brought back together for dinner at Dan and Janice's.

last night

THe show at Rockwood was great! Martine and Trina have a wonderful comedic quality to their playing together and at the same time they both push each other a little more in how they play. Also.. as a wonderful addition to the night, Jagoda came and sat in with Trina and that really adds an incredible quality to her performance. He is a fantastic percussionist. And it looks like he'll be popping down to New Haven for the show on Sunday too... after that we all went out to a kickass restaurant called Inoteca... cheese plates, panini, and all kinds of wonderful things to put in the starving rock star bellies. Well, I think we have disspelled the rumor of the starving rock star thing. Anyhow, we had lots of fun with Jane and Babs in attendance. I would say our little Martine imbibed to perfection as she got very silly and boisterous. She's quite entertaining when in that state. Now shes off at a movie to just chill and have a day off to herself.

It's another wonderful day here in Manhattan. Perfect temperature and T and I are headed off to see Dan and Janice (remember Maya Papaya and Hannah Banana from Hamburg?) in NJ today for dinner. Looking forward to my tearful reunion with Maya Papaya..

Sending scads of love to my mom today who is having a little procedure done... She went to her tai chi class this morning and I definitely heard a calm in her voice today... thank you, Jeebus!

Word.. to my mother

Mom... I love you veeeeeeery much! I look forward to hearing from you as soon as you can call.
XOXOXOX
W

State of The Blog Address

Good Morning!

So, I have to report that since I have been having alot of video uploading issues that I have been unable to work on any of the great stuff that I have. I am here to say that it saddens me to no avail. I will most likely bust out a credit card and go get a new computer. I can't be held back...

The blog on the other hand has done just fine with just pictures. I prefer both...(of course I do!)

Overall the blog is doing well, I am getting good feedback on it and I love doing it.
That completes the first State of The Blog Address.

Times square

Looks like my only view of Times Square will be Jane driving us thru on the way to the gig tonight...it is however more fun than the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. I think Jane was a NYC cabbie in another life.

Yaaarrgh!!! Are you ready???? Talk Like A Pirate Day!!!

It's true it's International Talk Like A Pirate Day!!!!!! Shiver Me Timbers!!!!

There is a place around the corner from Trina's that is selling jeweled pirate bandanas.. looks like I need a souvenir.

We went out after the show and we played pool,pinball, and had general frivolity at a bar called Hi Fi. I loved it! The music they were playing was awesome! We hung with Lyndell and Ember and a bunch of fun folks. With any luck, we will get to have coffee with them before they head to Worchester. Pronounced "Woohstah".

Let me just say that I had no idea what a pinball wizard Martine was!! Holy Blazing Flippers!!! And Yarrrrgh!!! She is probably the best pinball played I have ever seen! And I'm no slouch at it.

So grab yer grog, and stow yer wenches... tonight Trina and Martine play the Rockwood! Pirates especially welcome!!!

And of course...

Trina played with them...

Mo Pitkins

Here we sit with Ember Swift and Lyndell warming up... Sweet room, and it's gonna sound really awesome. Glad we made it out to this.

Back in NYC

Just arriving back in the city after another stop in CT.

Hoping to make it to the Ember Swift Band show at Mo Pitkin's tonite. Those women rock!!!

Lobstah jiz in motion...

Just in case anyone doubted if Martine actually spewed lobstah jiz all over me... Well. Holy Lobstah Jiz!! I caught it on film!!

Which blurb worked best??

So in my frenzy to get freakin' posting done, I thought the network was dropping service and not sending the previous pics/posts with the girls eating lobstah.

When I realized thry all went onto the blog, I decided to just let it be. You can see my thought process in action. I think.

Touring and food ....quadruple post!!!!!!!

Starving rock stars my ass!!!

Martine took the occasion to disembowel her lobster in my direction... Resulting in a milky substance being sprayed all over me, the booth, and the table....I retaliated later by accidentally nailing her in the head while playing tennis.

Thanks for the comments... this will be the official last quadruple post of the blog!! Tah dah!!!!

XOXOXOX

Touring and food

Starving rock stars my ass!!!

Martine took the occasion to disembowel her lobster in my direction... Resulting in a milky substance being sprayed all over me, the booth, and the table....I retaliated later by accidentally nailing her in the head while playing tennis.

Touring and food

Starving rock stars my ass!!!

Martine took the occasion to disembowel her lobster in my direction... Resulting in a milky substance being sprayed all over me, the booth, and the table....I retaliated later by accidentally nailing her in the head while playing tennis.

Tour food

Starving rock stars my ass...

Waterfront tennis

This is too weird... A public court on the water... Where the hell are we??? Well, it's Newburyport, MA. Unbelievable!

Sea hags??

Trina and Martine in Kittery Maine...

Good stuff..

Trina and Martine with Lisa and Lisa the promoters of the Buckfield Music Festival.

Mornin'!

This is the view from where we stayed in Buckfield Maine. The show went great. The comic element was huge, and now I can add pyrotechnician to my resume.... Video to follow.

Looks like we drive back to the city today. I'm fully rested and ready to bust it out. Want to give a shoutout to Gail who ran sound for the gigs here in Maine... She rocks!!!

Maine

Here we are in Buckfield Maine. This is Lynne Deeves with Trina and Martine. Lots of crazy hijinx last night after the show on the way back from Belfast.
Let's just it was a full moon out.

Transfixed by the tellie..

T, Bunty and Martine vegging out....

The legend... The myth.

This is a screen shot of the masterpiece known as 'The Legend of Billie Jean' which we watched this morning at Bunty's...a movie to terribly bad ... That it's good entertainment.

We head to Maine now... It's rainy and gray out. I feel a grilled cheese and tomato soup lunch coming on.

Martine weilds a knife

This aussie chops some wicked basil.

friday

Ohhhh.... I'm bad! While it has been a busy day, My phone died so I had no way of workin' the blog. Today looked like this:
Donut run
Make bfast
Martine weilds sharp objects
Eat bfast
Play tennis
Trina proves her octopuss-like prowess at the net
Swim/frolic
Clean up
Drive to Northampton
Meet up with Bunty
Have vegetarian sushi
Go see Jodie Foster's new movie
Back to Bunty's to watch Jodie interviews
Now...finally a blog entry.

Lots of laughs. Need to jump on the SE tour stuff. No time to let up on the momentum.

This is Teresa... She owns the Thataway Café in Greenwhich CT. She freakin' rocks!!! Great food is a plus... But her passion for independent music is awesome!!! Stop in and have the Cos Cobb Salad!

In progress...

Well... Trina is forgetting words and the girls are hilarious!
Meredith and Woj are in the house... Meredits quote...'It's jazz!

Bad teeth from a gumball machine...

So here we are...Martine has holes in her teeth, Trina has just gums, and I have wonky rat teeth. All that for a buck fifty!! That's entertainment!!!

Bad teeth??

Now, Martine wanted this to be titled ' Yer not frum around ther are ya?? Are ya British?' I have decided to post to pic sans title ...

Discuss.

Bad teeth from a gumball machine...

So here we are...Martine has holes in her teeth, Trina has just gums, and I have wonky rat teeth. All that for a buck fifty!! That's entertainment!!!

My latest subscription!

Not really...

We are at a rest stop in NJ and we found this gem. Happy day. Off to Greenwich CT.

Martine

We are off and wasabi loading...

caffeine,eggs El-Frida, and the most beautiful day.

We are all up, over-caffeinated, fed and ready to hit the road in about a half hour. The mood is very jovial.. and Martine is a freakin' hoot... she ups the ante considerably. Plus, her guitar playing is outstanding!

I will be filming quite a bit.

More later.

oh... and in tour news..

Martine Locke flies in today from San Francisco. We start our run with her in the DC area tomorrow. There should be a fair amount of total insanity, Australian attitude, attempts to have us party with the Autralian National Women's Basketball team, and things along that nature... I believe the blog may become a little less PG rated during this time if the time in Normal Illinos is any indicator.

And a big shoutout to my pals at Feast in Tucson... if you live in the Tucson area.. go eat there,have fun, tip well and tell Doug the owner that Wendy sent ya. He was a little down today... I want to help cheer him up.

Word... to my mother

Hey Mom,

I love you. Alot. You are the best mom ever!

Hello to Hamburg!

Petra!!!!! I just wanted to say how much we love you and Florian and Finn and Willy!!!

You made Trina soooo happy this morning. Not like she's not usually happy... but getting to talk to you lit her up like a christmas tree!! Yeah!!!

Big hugs to you and your men!

I posted this pic just for you, Petra...

XOXOXO

Sept.11th in NYC

So, just I just wanted to mention that the first things I thought of this morning when I woke up was that it was raining and I realized it is September 11th. The enormity of the impact that's had on the world defies using words to describe it.

Do me a favor,tell your friends and family how much you love them and smile at random people as you pass through the world today.

Did I mention..

In the above picture you see Miss Trina Hamlin. Have I mentioned that she is one of the hottest female harmonica players out there?? It bears repeating.... one of the hottest harp players....and they are saying this all over the USA and Germany. Yes.. a shameless plug for the nice lady I work for (she hates for me to call her "boss") but when I sit down anfd think of what she has coming up in the next several months, I know how lucky I am that I get to work with this talented woman.

A moment of gratitude. And not a brief one either!

Thank you, Trina.

Uke and hula hoop DO go together!!!!

This is the fabulous Maura Kennedy (of The Kennedy's) proving why she is a force in the folk world...

Playing a ukulele and hula hooping at the same time. WOW!!!! Needless to say, I'm a fan!!! Not just for the kitsch factor, but really they did a killer set and I can't wait to get some more in the near future. Really good stuff!!!

folk, tennis, and looks like rain.

Good morning!

So, we are sitting around talking about the politics of music and having some coffee. I must say, not only does the conversation have my brain firing on all cylanders.. but the coffee rocks!!! My learning curve is still tremendous. We are off to play the parking game here in NYC.

More later.

stamford

A beautiful morning in Stamford. Now the big question is,should Jane cook???

Hamilton's!!!!!

Take note... AK Healey is RARELY photographed smiling (second from left) so not only is this a good photo of the band, it's as rare as a Nessie sighting in these modern times. And of course... I am giving her a hard time... because I can. XOXOXOX

So. The Hamilton's played at this big ol' annual party and it was good! Last minute silliness. A few weird things like no mics on the drum kit and the like.... But great afternoon.

They were well enjoyed by all. Who doesn't like a chick band???? And they're talented!!!

how many months?

this is funny... I know my haridresser doesn't read my blog.. prolly because he's pissed I don't cut my hair anymore. Not really.. but I looked at myself today and was like, "Holy Shit! Look at my head!" It's been like 5 months since I had a cut.Had to document it... more for my mom and my own entertainment.. but whatever.

Off to NY to meet back up with Trina and hopefully Jane for The Hamilton's gig at about 1:45. Looking forward to being out and about. It'll be great to be re-bonding with El-Frida.

Y'all also need to know that my pal Vange became a grandmother this week!!! Little baby Joshua.. on the 5th. She says he has musicians hands... cool!!! Congrats to Granny Vange!!!

Bouncing baby boy (gnome)!!!!

This is Winston...

He will inhabit El-Frida and keep Gnils safe and entertained.



And just FYI.. he's holding a little gnome pipe in his hand... originally I thought it looked like a....

Well, let's just say this is open for discussion...

and from my vault... back from when we were in Ames Iowa..

This is not a video I did...

And while it's not a video I did... and IT'S NOT SAFE FOR THE WEE ONES OR FOR WORK!!!!
It is hilarious!!! Some of you know my fascination with trailers/boats/old cars/RVs..
Well, this is possibly the most pissed off,chaotic guy I have seen in a long time. I had to put this up just because. I laughed so hard I wanted to share!!!

Sunset over El-Frida

Yes... El-Frida and I wer reunited yesterday... And it feels soooo good! Happy to report that Big Bamboo survived the alone time in the van. Woohoo!!

I am off in search of my local Trader Joes....

This is what happens when...

This is how it looks when I have forgotten the cord to certain key electronic devices and I am supposed to be working on new video... older video that I never got around to uploading gets to come into view. Strangely enough, someone sent me a message thru youtube.com last night and asked if I had Susan Werner doing a particular song... I thought I had already uploaded it... and low and behold, it never made it so Susan doing "May I Suggest" from Kerrville Folk Fest is uploading as I type this.

And.. I guess my sleep is still a bit wonky from the trip. I went to bed early.. and am up before the sun. I am however in that awesome room on the water that has the most incredible sunrises... so I guess I can really appreciate this one as it's just starting to get a little light out. There's even a lighthouse way off in the distance to monitor.

In cool fun news, I talke dto my pal Cathryn in South Carolina yesterday and she is going to try help put a lil' Trina house concert together in her neck of the woods for November. That will be sweet!

Well.. video is uploaded... here is Susan at Kerrville. I love this song. It's quite a way to start a beautiful quiet morning.

I think it's Thursday.

Jet-lag be gone!!

I'm ready to conquer the world... after a few cups of coffee. Today brings some fun stuff with any luck. I have some video to work on, and I am really hoping to put the kayak in the Long Island Sound and go paddling for a couple of hours. My pals here in Milford are up early and working already so I thought it best I get to work posting on the blog. I spent a good portion of yesterday catching up with people and emailing and calling for booking stuff for Trina. I asked for a list of things to do while I am here in CT. She's a busy woman!

Overcast skies... slight breeze... might be time to take Maggie the dog for a walk.

back in the USA

We arrived damn near on time to JFK aeropuerto. I developed a bit of a headache, and lost my appetite, and Trina had sushi. That sums up how it went when we got back to Manhattan. Now it's back to booking out the rest of November, and getting out of Trina's hair for a couple days to go work on my video stuff in CT. She has recording and rehearsals for The Hamilton's and then a gig with them on the 8th. We will reconnect there at the gig.

As a recap for Hamburg..
GREAT PEOPLE!!!!
Beautiful city
wacky fun weather (rain,sun,never above 75 degrees)
Fantastic food (currywust)
great coffee everywhere
a real appreciation for Trina's talent (one of my fave aspects)
a very easy city to get around in
the best lawyer in all of Europe ... Florian Koenig!
And the lovely Petra... our "German Tour Wonk"
And really so much more!!!

This list is not in any specific order... just as it came to my slightly jet-lagged mind.

It's kinda surreal that I just got to go to Germany on tour with Trina... I am very lucky to have had that experience. And in all actuality, we are headed for another very busy stretch of touring. Martine Locke comes in on the 11th, and we head off with her for 2 weeks all over the east coast. Then we are readying for October which will be damn near the whole month out. And the latter part of that some very hardcore travel all the way out to Texas and back with The Hamilton's. Then strange as it seems.. after that November will be upon us and I'll start looking at going home... that'll be weird too. It'll be a good thing. My mom misses me... HI MOM!!!!

So... I got the cutest talking gnome named Winston from my pal KK up in Juneau... we can record stuff and he says it back... that should prove not only entertaining.. but dangerous in the next few weeks. And the only other update is that BLT suffered a little neglect while we were gone, but she is bouncing back quickly. It was prolly for the best as it forced us to trim her a bit so that the parts of her that were crispy could just come off and allow her to send all her energy to the parts that survived in our absence.

That's it for now..

Farewell to Hamburg

Waiting in the airport to board our puddlejumper to Amsterdam. Said goodbye to our wonderful friends in Hamburg, and I am sucking it up in preparation for Northwest Airlines.. Aftger flying Emirates... Damn near everything is going to pale in comparison. If you ever get a chance... Fly Emirates!

It's a beautiful day. I leave Germany with a sense that Trina will actually get to do some great things over here... She is something unique, and they appreciate her. Seems all quite nicely in order.

So... Of to boarding... Thank you, sweet jeebus.. the first leg is on KLM.

last day in Hamburg..

The day is like this... we saw the stern-looking but nice lady who serves us breakfast... she monitors the breakfast buffet and I admit I have been a little frightened of her. We then found out that Trina's new pal Mattias had arranged for Trina to get to a studio to play some harp, and to possibly meet some "industry types" in the commercial production biz... so after getting a few souvenirs, she is off with Matthias and I will hook up with Flo and Petra a little later. I have to say, the weather has been interestng with all the rain, but I like it as opposed to being really hot for months on end.

So, yet more good things happening... and even better, is that I made Jane Paul a bet that she wouldn't be able to quit smoking for 6 months... she quit yesterday... let's hope this is one bet I lose and that she really stays away from those damn things.

I am headed outside... the sun is actually out, and I think a nice long walk is in order. Shoutout to my pal Lizzy... miss ya back! Oh, and big ol' yard cleanup shoutout to Molly... I'm not gonna recognize that yard, am I??

It's noon already??

Holy crap!

The morning flew by.. because we both slept till 9:30.. I swear! This touring stuff really wrecks a lifetime of being an early morning person. So does having the "Y" key and the "Z" key backwards.. weird.

Trina did 3 shows yesterday.. and really gave alot. I think she's got some lower chi this early part of the day. keep hearing T's pal Jagoda's words in my head about how intent of a listening crowd the German people are... and it's so true. Not only that, but they really "get" the soulfulness of where Trina is comng from. They have called her "The Joan Armatrading of the 21st Century" "The New Melissa Etheridge" and "Better than Janis Joplin" all this in the last 5 days. Today is fairly light on the schedule till tonght.

Before I forget to mention it...we loved Ilse, one of the owners of the club from last night... and it was great when she came up to me and said Trina's music made her so happy she cried..

I asked Trina to send and email to all of our new fans over here to invite them to her farewell performance at The Stage Club here in Hamburg. I know we have a few folks coming in from other cities to see the show.

I don't know if I mentioned it, but we are staying in the Portugese area of Hamburg.. and it's a really sweet tightknit neighborhood filled with great food, loads of cafes and smiling people. You can get a killer latte macchiato in this town!
Everything seems so close, and Hamburg as a whole..what we've seen of it is a fantastic city to spend some quality time in. I know Hamburg will welcome 'The Amazing Trina Hamlin' back with open arms... her music resonates really nicely with the vibe over here.

Ok... off to email some folks..

Oh!!! And Happy Belated Birthday to Meredith!!!! Woohoo!!!!!! Trina has your gift all picked out.

Wow!!!

I am gonna say..'Trina On Fire!' what a killer set!!!! And they loved her!!!! It just gets better and better.

This photo

This photo is 2 things:

The epitome of Germany efficiency.. A steel table with a trash shoot in the middle for snacking on (Reeperbahn)

And...proof that we actually ate at this table at about 1am and we ate currywurst AGAIN at the best place in all of Hamburg, Luculi's.

Trina got a boyfriend!!!

Finn is entranced by Trina... He is so proud to be around her! She is his american girlfriend. He also has a keen sense for playing drums. It's all good!!!

Word...to my mother

Guten Morgen!!

Today's brekkie was a throwback to when my mom uses to make me soft-boiled eggs... So Mom, this pic is for you!

Soft boiled on toast with salt....

Of course Trina didn't have as much luck with her egg...video to follow....

More in a bit.