performance review 4/7 - 4/13 [

Got back from Chicago Wed. 4/9; no Tsunami shows this week.

1. Assembled papers for [my wife] Bree’s official name change application; this involved various steps to dull to go into, over a couple of days. Took the packet to Queen Civil Courthouse in Jamaica (Fri.), only to find out that (since I’m not an attorney, and don’t have power of attorney), she has to file them in person. Still, now we have the application ready for when she’s here in July. (This has nothing to do with a “married” name; the name on her birth certificate is different than the one she’s used most of her life and appears on most documents, and it’s creating issues w/ her insurance.)

2. Human Hearts rehearsal (Sun.) for a show in May; concentrated on unrecorded songs.

3. Positive feedback from editor on revision of copyright chapter, which he returned w/ a very light copyedit. Still have to write an abstract and assemble “Further Reading” list; not sure of deadline, but the heavy lifting is done. Did a minuscule amount of drafting (Sun.) for a paragraph I may want to add.

4. Wrote many emails/replies - people I want to see in L.A., setting up Portland instore, etc.

5. Heard Aubrey Johnson/Helen Sung/Dave Douglas &c., Lives of the Saints CD release, Dizzy’s Club (Thu.); Tape Hiss w/ Peter Gordon, Ki Smith Gallery (Fri.), Tim Berne’s Warped Ensemble, 2 sets, Jazz Gallery (Sat.). Saw King of Hearts (Philippe de Broca, 1966) and Psychotherapy (Tolga Karaçelik, 2025).

2 days cardio, out of 5 days home. Unpacked; arranged for a pair of glasses I left in Chicago to be overnighted home. Better format for the dating of these posts, I think, but I’m not going to go back and change older ones.

performance review 3-31/4-6

1. Learned songs (Mon. 3/31), rehearsed (Tue. 4/1), and performed (Wed. 4/2) for David Nagler’s Oracle Show at Sid Gold’s Request Room: sang and played guitar on “Talk Talk” (The Music Machine), “Lover Lover Lover” (Leonard Cohen), and “Radio Radio” (Elvis C.), plus a fragment of The Archies’ “Sugar Sugar.”

2. After working all day Thursday, submitted second draft of chapter on copyright and music publishing to Eric Weisbard Friday morning, before heading to the airport. There will be further edits, but this was a huge load off my mind; I didn’t want to postpone it until coming back from “tour.”

3. Performed w/ Tsunami and Ida in Detroit (Fri. 4/4) and Chicago (Sat. 4/5); guest performers included “The Electric Bear” (Chicago), Sally Timms, Geoff Farina, and Bob Weston (Chicago). Played keyboards w/ Ida for Sally’s “Ghosts of American Astronauts.” Compared cardiac notes w/ Bob; also got to see Mark Greenberg.

4. Participated in a small benefit for Steve Albini and Heather Whinna’s charity Letters to Santa at The Hideout in Chicago, which involved teaching Karicke, a version of Liar’s Dice, to a table of newbies, and playing a few rounds. Met several nice people, including an Indian-American woman whose parents recently moved to Upland, blocks from my dad. Also did a few card tricks.

5. Visited Art Institute of Chicago w/ my old friend Robert Vodicka, a longtime labor organizer, currently for a teacher’s union. Saw a show tracking Frida Kahlo’s time in Paris, and a lot of impressionist/modernist/“American Wing” greatest hits. Talked about rock aesthetics/econcomics, a few mutual friends, and our respective writing projects over lunch. 

Bonus: Saw revival of Love Life (Weill/Lerner 1948) at NY City Center. Cardio 4 of the 5 days that I wasn’t traveling. Weighed slightly less when I left for tour than when I came back from previous leg.

march 2025 reading

Rachel Kushner, Creation Lake
Aram Sinnreich, The Essential Guide to Intellectual Property
Gabriel Blackwell, Comment Section
Edwina Attlee, A Great Shaking
Fine Gråbøl, What Kingdom, trans. Martin Aitken
Simon Frith and Lee Marshall, eds., Music and Copyright, 2nd ed.
Edmund Wilson, Axel’s Castle
Lisa Lubasch, So It Began
László Krasznahorkai, Herman/The Last Wolf, trans. George Szirtes, John Banki

performance review 3-24/30

1. Rehearsed w/ Laura Cantrell and band for States of Country (Iowa) on Mon., immediately after riding down from Boston Tsunami show w/ members of Ida; played the show on Wed. Played piano, fronted the band on Meredith Wilson’s “Till There Was You,” in more or less The Beatles’ arrangement. Excellent guest appearance by The Everly Set, playing “Poor Judy” and other lesser-known Everly Bros. numbers. Also sang “Copacabana” w/ Joe McGinty at piano karaoke after the show.

2. Played 3 shows w/ Tsunami and Ida, in Washington D.C. (Th.), Philadelphia (Fri.), NYC (Sat.). Guest performers included Mark Robinson (opening set in D.C.), Richard Balayut, Jodi Buonanno. Thought I’d left a little guitar accessory bag (picks, capo, etc.) in D.C., but found it again in NYC - it was in my shoulder/bookbag, not my guitar case. Replaced 9-volts in chorus pedal.

3. Assembled my tax materials (1099s, deductible receipts, etc.), and mailed them to family accountant on Thursday before I got on the train to D.C. Load off my mind.

4. Saw revival staging of Love Life (Kurt Weill/Alan Jay Lerner, 1948) at New York City Center. Not dramatically satisfying, but a worthwhile curiosity with some good music, well-performed.

5. Finished a couple of books on the road, inc. Edmund Wilson’s Axel’s Castle, but I usually don’t count that. Otherwise, unpacked/did laundry/repacked, managed to get myself where I needed to be (train, etc.), didn’t lose any personal effects.

No gym days b/c of travel. Start to feel the effects of backstage carbs and snacks after just a couple days. Not drinking at most shows, though — I had one beer in Boston last week. 

performance review 3-17/3-23

1. Rehearsed with Tsunami and Ida in Catskill (Th.-Fr.); played shows in Woodstock (Sat.) and Boston (Sun.); guest performers included Kate Pierson, Mark Robinson, Mary Lou Lord, Clint Conley.

2. I guess all the packing, getting my equipment in order, train and car travel, and general practical/logistical stuff involved in these shows counts as an “item.”

3. Did some writing/revision on copyright chapter, mostly Mon./Tue., including a trip to the main branch of the Queens Library in Jamaica to check refs. not available in NYPL.

4. Made a chart for the Beatles’ arrangement of “Till There Was You” for a show w/ Laura Cantrell next week.

5. Saw Kenneth Koch centennial tribute reading (New School); heard Wrekmeister Harmonies (drone band from Hudson Valley; The Avalon).

   Only one day of official cardio, but several other days involved a lot of walking.