A Blog in the Life...

***this review was written and originally posted on Facebook on Thursday, September 6, 2017. It has been updated here to include the two extra songs included on the "Deluxe Edition" CD available exclusively at Target stores in North America*** I've listened to " Egypt Station " a couple of times now, and I'm pretty confident that this is where I stand on the album as a whole. First thing, right off the bat, I want to state that I won't be talking about his voice. In fact, I think his voice sounds much better here than it does in concert. That's ALL I need or want to say about his voice. I've never been one to complain if a "legacy artist" like McCartney tries to make a "modern" or "current" sounding record. Truthfully, I admire artists that try to keep their sound fresh, and evolve with the times. "Egypt Station" does this very well. I have to admit that I love the production. It's crisp and punchy...

It's hard to believe that it's already been a week. As some of you know, I have a tendency to ramble form time to time. So I apologize in advance for the length of this post. First of all : Mark, Carol, Michelle & Tilly Lapidos -- Nobody really knows how hard it is to create, produce and curate an event like this. Thank you for everything you've done and continue to do to make this happen year after year. It's been an amazing personal journey for me since 1991 to go from being an attendee, to becoming a featured performer on the Apple Jam stage. Once again, I thank you for the opportunity. I look forward to being a part of the Fest for many years to come. My friends on the Staff : Jim Demes, Leigh Whitney, Victoria Pichla Luz, Joan E. Moran, Danny Abriano, Dan Berkley, Jorey Wvs Guillermo, Walter J Podrazik, Joshua Riley, Caitlin Johnston Riley, Susan Ratisher Ryan, Al Sussman, Daniel Raudonis & Barb, Roland Ramos, and last but certainly not least, Deco Be...

OK, we've covered how I got started. So now we'll get into how and why I perform my shows the way I do. This may be a little long. So I'll divide it into parts. In the meantime, grab a beverage, sit back, relax and read on... I've always wanted to be in a band. Well, I should clarify a bit. I've been in bands over the years, and for the most part, I've loved the experience. But what I've really wanted, was to be the frontman and leader of my own band. I never wanted to rule with an iron hand. But at the same time, I've always had specific ideas of what I wanted and expected from a band. Here's the thing though. I've always been difficult to work with. What I didn't really understand until now though, is why that's been the case. I'm moody. I'm opinionated. I suffer from depression (which exacerbates those things), and for a long time, I was never very good at interpersonal communication. That lead to a lot of misunderstanding (but...

I've been a singer ever since I was a kid. Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to sing. I wanted to be Elvis (my dad was a HUGE Elvis Presley fan. He practically raised me on his music and early TV appearances). As I got older, I could never find someone to accompany me, and let me just sing. So I learned how to play guitar. I'd heard (and seen in the movies) that girls liked guitars... and they really seemed to like guitar players. Of course, what I didn't realize, was that those guitar players were famous, and had much more self-confidence than I did (or still do, to be 100% honest). So, my quest to meet girls kinda failed. After a few years of playing, (and seeing some improvement) I thought to myself, "Hmmm... Maybe I could get paid for this!". So I started going to local Open Mic nights and learning how to perform in front of an audience (there are recordings... No, I won't be sharing them). I slowly built up my show, and learned enough songs to put t...