COYOTE is Now Available to Stream and Purchase

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This song is a tip of the hat to the great cowboy country writers of the 1950’s, to Mark Twain (quite possibly one of the funniest people I have ever read), and to the end of a long pandemic—finally being able to appreciate the fact that I can tour again, and to count the many blessings of good health and the freedom to roam that which has never been explored by me. I am so very lucky. We are all so very lucky to live in such a beautiful country full of natural splendor.

Link to stream: https://www.songwhip.com/mikevitale/coyote

Link to purchase: https://mikevitalemusic.bandcamp.com/track/coyote-2

Thank you to my friends who worked on this with me:

Coyote

words and music by Michael Patrick Vitale

Vocals, Background Vocals, Acoustic Guitars, Upright Bass, Wood Blocks - Mike Vitale

Drums - Evan Stone

Background Vocals - Anastasia Flionis

Produced by Mike Vitale

Engineered by Mike Vitale, Evan Stone and Anastasia Flionis

Mixed by Ryan Lipman

Mastered by Mark Alan Miller

GOOD MUSIC: Benjamin Jaffe

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It has been a hot second since I’ve written about music that I find compelling.

Benjamin is one of those people.

I saw him perform again last night. He is a force of nature—I assure you of this. I have been so busy in recent months and years, that I haven’t had the opportunity to stay current with all of his music releases.

However, I wanted to take a moment to share what I have been listening to in the past few weeks. I made an effort to purchase his newest release this morning on Bandcamp. A created a link to his Bandcamp if you would like to support his work. All of his creative output that he has released is well worth listening to. Enjoy. I do.

Enlightenment with Bill.E

My Upcoming Tour Dates

An Open Letter to Myself (Fifteen Years Later)

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Side-note:

I found this on my hard drive this morning. I probably wrote this fifteen years ago? Sure. 

I know I was living in Anaheim Hills at the time. I wish I could tell you why I'm posting it—again. Perhaps because it's a time capsule, retrieved from its nearly two decade long slumber to remind myself how much of an idiot I am, even if I am making myself giggle uncontrollably as I write things— like this. I was having the time of my life. I assure you.

Side-note, with a side of note:

I was innocently (innocently) looking up briefs underwear—and I found these this morning [pictured above]. What is that? They come in multiple colors. Here is a purchase link. I am just the messenger:

https://www.amazon.com.au/ZONBAILON-Breathable-Spandex-Tagless-Running/dp/B09ZL1TGPD?th=1 

Dear Mike,

I want to be a bit more upfront with you about the way I’ve felt lately—and I know that you feel the same way I do considering how close we are, both figuratively and physically. I need you to know that the decisions you make have a profound effect on my happiness and general comfort level… and I must say, your decisions as of late, have inevitably led to a great deal of discomfort and unhappiness on my part: hence this letter (don’t bother trying to understand the logistics—yes, I’m left-handed).

You see, it all started with your latest purchase: a pair of briefs—underwear, at the local designer clothing store. For years now, you have done right by me, taking great care in purchasing what I prefer: boxer briefs. Generally, and in my humble opinion, I think you look far more attractive in them; they are loose and casual, comfortable and dynamic in their flow and adhesiveness—I feel quite at home in them.

Now, I am all about self-exploration. I mean, come on! We’ve had our fair share of creative shenanigans together. You remember that time with the rubber bands?

I certainly want you to try new things, or in this particular case, re-retry new old things that you used to do 20 to 25 years ago when you didn’t have a choice (Christmas was always socks and Fruit of the Loom briefs from mom and dad—hi mom and dad), but I digress.

Look, I was fine when you came home with the first pair of brand new designer briefs from the store a week or two ago, but then, as if to add insult to injury, just a few days ago, YOU. BOUGHT. TWO. MORE. PAIR! What on Earth were you thinking? I feel dizzy and sweaty just thinking about it. It’s like I’m stuck with this decision in much the same manner as I am your leg and I don’t like it!

It’s like my creativity and general comfort level suffocates, as the borders of your briefs draw closer and closer to me with every wash and dry cycle—those 100% cotton abominations of nature! YOU! You should be ashamed. That wedgie you are feeling right now up your fault line is no fault of mine and you know it. Think of the cocoa brown stains that could happen if you weren’t thorough! What would a lady friend think of that? Answer me!

[deep breath] I’m sorry…

I need to know: is it something I did or said? Look, I love you, and I want you to be happy. Talk to me. We can work this out. I just want everything (specifically, underwear) to be more like how they used to be—when the things between us were young, new, fresh, more boxer-brief like, and consensual.

Sincerely,

Your Testicles

Verse 25 | Tao Te Ching | Naming the Nameless

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I've been told that this is one of the most widely known and popular verses from the Tao Te Ching. It is no exaggeration to say that it has me tearing up a bit reading it. Life is very good, when we let it be good—when we get out of our own way.

Verse 25

Dyer Translation

There was something formless and perfect

before the universe was born.

It is serene. Empty.

Solitary. Unchanging.

Infinite. Eternally present.

It is the Mother of the universe.

For lack of a better name,

I call it the Tao.

I call it great.

Great is boundless;

boundless is eternally flowing;

ever flowing, it is constantly returning.

Therefore, the Way is great,

heaven is great,

earth is great,

people are great.

Thus, to know humanity,

understand earth.

To know earth,

understand heaven.

To know heaven,

understand the Way.

To know the Way,

understand the great within yourself.

Verse 25

Kwok, Palmer, Ramsay Translation

Before the world was

And the sky was filled with stars...

There was a strange, unfathomable Body.

This Being, this Body is silent

and beyond all substance and sensing.

It stretches beyond everything

spanning the empyrean.

It has always been here, and it always will be.

Everything comes from it, and then

it is the Mother of Everything.

I do not know its name. So I call it TAO

I am loath to call it greater than everything',

but it is.

And being greater, it infuses all things

moving far out and returning to the Source.

Tao is great.

Tao, the Great!

It is greater than Heaven,

Greater than the Earth —

Greater than the king.

These are the four great things,

and the ruler is the least of them.

Humanity is schooled by Earth;

Earth is taught by Heaven,

And Heaven is guided by the Tao.

And the Tao

goes with what is absolutely natural.

Verse 25

Dale Translation

What preceded life? The earth.

What preceded the earth? The universe.

What preceded the universe?

The soundless and shapeless, origin of origins,

ever transforming and having no beginning nor end.

This mother off the universe is boundless, and nameless.

But if we wanted to share with you anything

about this remarkable non-executing executor,

we must invent a name for it.

We will call it the  Tao because Tao means great.

Incredibly great because it occupies infinite space,

being fully present in the whole universe, and in

every infinitesimal particle.

Because this Great Integrity created the universe,

and the universe created the earth,

and the earth created us, we are all incredibly great.

Life derives from the nature of the earth.

The earth derives from the nature of the universe.

The  universe derives from the nature of the great integrity.

And the great integrity is the omnipresent, omnigenous omniform,

the universal material and spiritual substance

and the holoversal interlinkage and coition of existence.

Dyer's thoughts on this verse:

Many of the scholars who have written about the Tao Te Ching over the centuries consider this 25th verse to be one of the most significant lessons in the entire manuscript. In my research, all the translations of this passage actually include the word great to describe it.

This verse tells the story that even before the beginning there existed “something formless and perfect.” It goes on to say that this formless perfection is the “Mother of the universe.” Even though it’s nameless, it’s called the “Tao,” and it’s synonymous with what is great. That is, there’s nothing within the Tao that is the opposite of great—there’s nothing that’s puny, insignificant, weak, unimportant, or even average.

The story appears to want the reader to realize there’s a pure, timeless energy that’s within everything on the planet and that remains uncontaminated by the solid appearance of form. The conclusion is a directive to the student, who is you, the reader. To know this formless perfection, you must “understand the great within yourself.” You’re the central character in this wonderful saga!

Since you’re animated by the eternal Tao, this tale’s message of greatness invites you to change the way you live and to see the life you’re living change. You can begin to do so by examining thoughts and ideas that are inconsistent with this phenomenal observation made by Lao-tzu, which has been echoed by others throughout history. In her book The Journey, which was published in 1954, Lillian Smith describes it like this:

The need that one feels every day of one’s life, even though one does not acknowledge it. To be related to something bigger than one’s self, something more alive than one’s self, something older and something not yet born, that will endure through time.

That enduring “something” confirms your greatness, your absolute connection to the infinite. There’s a sense of being permanently aligned with a sort of senior partner that is greatness itself.

Lao-tzu advises you to notice the planet, its people, and the heavens and see greatness. Next, look at yourself and see that you’re a component of them all. That is, befriend what appears to be the great mystery of creation by discovering the greatness within you, then bask in the joy of noting the greatness you share with heaven, Earth, and all of its people. By persistently hanging on to your own “greatness heritage,” you ensure that the always-present Tao is consciously available. From a perspective of greatness, only greatness can emerge from you; from an inner perspective of inferiority, you only attract events that align with those beliefs.

Your greatness won’t be found in a classroom; an apprenticeship; a teacher; or flattering comments from well-meaning family members, friends, or lovers. It is within you. It’s crucial for you to become conscious of the greatness that constantly flows through you—to do so, meet it in meditative moments of gratitude, and cease to be influenced by contrary points of view.

In particular, watch and listen for the critical comments that originate from your own inner dialogue. When such thoughts emerge in your mind, let them tell you what they want. If you allow those not-so-great notions to speak, you’ll always discover that what they really want is to feel good. Give them the time they need to trust that there’s no payoff for their existence, and they will happily merge into the greatness within you. Accessing this quality allows you to participate in the greater whole, where the power of the Tao flows unimpeded by fearful self-judgment. Change the way you live by tapping into this greatness, and the life you’re living will literally change.

Following are the thoughts that Lao-tzu would have you adopt as he wrote out this verse of the Tao Te Ching some 25 centuries ago:

Trust in your own greatness.

You are not this body you occupy, which is temporary and on its way back to the nowhere from which it came. You are pure greatness . . . precisely the very same greatness that creates all of life. Keep this thought uppermost in your mind and you’ll attract to yourself these same powers of creation: The right people will appear. The exact events that you desire will transpire. The financing will show up. That’s because greatness attracts more of its own self to itself, just as thoughts of inadequacy act upon a belief that ensures that deficiency will become your reality. Affirm the following to yourself over and over until it becomes your automatic inner response to the world: I come from greatness. I attract greatness. I am greatness.

Look for beliefs that contradict your status as a being of greatness.

Catch yourself in the midst of any utterance that reflects your belief that you’re average. Silently speak warmly to that belief and ask it what it wants. It may think it has to protect you from disappointment or pain, as it probably did earlier in your existence. But with continued accepting attention, the feeling will always eventually admit that it wants to feel great. So let it! You’re good enough to withstand the passing disappointments and pain that afflict life on this planet—but trying to protect yourself by believing that you don’t embody greatness is overkill.

Look for these misbeliefs and give them the chance to transform to what they (and you) really want. Whatever you desire to become or to attract to yourself, make the internal shift from It probably won’t happen for me to It is on its way! Then begin the process of looking for even minute evidence that what you desire is indeed on its way. It’s crucial to keep this ancient axiom in mind: I get what I think about, whether I want it or not. So think about how fortunate you are to have greatness located within yourself. Now you can live the ultimate paradox: You can be greatness and be nobody, simultaneously.

Verse 24 | Tao Te Ching | Excess and The Ego

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I have been lost.

I have also been found.

I have asked myself on occasion: what is my ego?

While I may not have a clear answer on this question—it would appear that this analogy seems to do a better job of displaying my feelings on the idea of an ego. Excess Ego.

I imagine a teeter totter.

On one side there is pride and ego—and on the other side, there is selflessness and charity.

Perhaps the ego protects us to some small degree—our fortitude—our resolve... it is a boundary that we occasionally draw in the sand to protect us from being taken advantage of by others. If it were to have a purpose... perhaps that is what it is there for.

Additionally, perhaps we find a firm foundation in the balancing of this teeter-totter.

What I can say, is that my ego, my vanity, my self-worth... it can make me ugly.

There is a line in a song that I admire; I feel it displays this notion beautifully.

"Vanity is a tiger that you raise from a cub, that'll one day, split your face."

Wild. No matter the amount of effort to tame or domesticate—it is still wild.



Verse 24 | Tao Te Ching | Avoiding Voids

Dale Translation

Standing on tiptoe will only make you tipsy,

Walking with long strides will not allow a long walk

Shining the light of yourself will never enlighten you

Being self-righteous precludes you from being right

Boasting about yourself will never boost your eminence

Parading yourself parodies leadership


Tao Consciousness avoids

the cultivation of all these ego-bloated voids


Verse 24 |Tao Te Ching

Mitchell Translation


He who stands on tiptoe

doesn't stand firm

He who rushes ahead

doesn't go far

He who tries to shine

dims his own light

He who defines himself

can't know who he really is

He who has power over others

can't empower himself

He who clings to his work

will create nothing that endures


If you want to accord with the Tao

just do your job, and then let go.


Verse 24 |Tao Te Ching

Ames and Hall Translation


Blowhards have no standing

The self-promoting are not distinguished

Show-offs do not shine

Braggarts have nothing to show

The self-important are here and gone


As these attitudes pertain to way-making (Dao)

They are called indulgences and unseemliness

Such excess is so generally despised

That even those who want things

Cannot abide it.


Verse 24 |Tao Te Ching

Dyer Translation

If you stand on tiptoe, you cannot stand firmly.

If you take long steps, you cannot walk far.


Showing off does not reveal enlightenment.

Boasting will not produce accomplishment.

He who is self-righteous is not respected.

He who brags will not endure.


All these ways of acting are odious, distasteful.

They are superfluous excesses.

They are like a pain in the stomach,

a tumor in the body.


When walking the path of the Tao,

this is the very stuff that must be

uprooted, thrown out, and left behind.


Verse 24 |Tao Te Ching

Walker Translation

A man who tiptoes can't stand

A man who straddles can't walk

A man who shows off can't shine


A man who justifies his actions isn't respected

A man who boasts of his achievements has no merit

A man who brags will not endure


To a person of Tao, these things are

excess food and superfluous behavior

Because nothing good can come of them

he doesn't indulge in them


Verse 24 |Tao Te Ching

Scott Translation

If you are up on tiptoes, you will not stand with confidence

If you move along straddling a road, you will be unable to put one foot in front of the other

If you make yourself seen, you will not be illustrious

If you consider yourself right, you will not be taken as a model

If you denigrate others, you will get no credit

If you consider yourself the grip of a spear, you will never become a staff of support


Those who abide in the way

call such things

"leftover food" or "warts of your behavior"

Thus, those who possess the way will be found elsewhere


Wayne Dyer, in his book, "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life" offers these thoughts on Verse 24.

Living Without Excess

In this verse, Lao-tzu advises that the path of the Tao needs to be cleared of any weeds of excessive personal importance. After all, accomplishments derive from the all-creating Source that Lao-tzu calls “the Tao.” Everything that you see, touch, or own is a gift from the Tao; thus, it is your duty to suspend your ego and seek an attitude of gratitude and generosity for the Tao’s creativity. In this way, you walk the path of the Tao by becoming like it is, which is always existing in a state of unlimited giving. It is to this state that the 24th verse of the Tao Te Ching urges you to return.

Notice how the natural flow of the Tao operates: It asks nothing of you as it provides you and everyone else with unlimited supplies of food, air, water, sunshine, land, and beauty. It is always creating for the benefit of all, and it has no need for prideful boasting or demanding something in return.

This poem by Hafiz bears repeating here to illustrate this point:

Even

After

All this time

The sun never says to the earth,


“You owe

Me.”

Look

What happens

With a love like that,

It lights the

Whole

Sky.

The sun symbolizes the Tao at work: It offers its warmth, light, and life-giving energy to all, illuminating the globe without any demand for recognition. Imagine if the sun needed attention and demanded accolades for its efforts—it would shine only where it felt most appreciated or when it received payment for that life-giving energy! Soon the world would be partially shut off from the sun’s magnificence, and ultimately the entire planet would be covered in darkness as wars erupted over ways of appeasing the “sun god.” It’s easy to see why Lao-tzu refers to such inclinations to be boastful and self-righteous as “odious” and akin to “a tumor in the body.”

Walk the path of the Tao by being a giver rather than a taker, providing for others and asking nothing in return. Then view your desires to brag and seek approval as weeds appearing on your journey. Seeing yourself as important and special because of your artistic talent, for instance, is walking the path of ego. Walking the path of the Tao means that you express appreciation for the hands that allow you to create a sculpture.

This is how Lao-tzu advises you to walk the path of the Tao, free of your ego-driven desires to be recognized for all of your efforts and accomplishments:

Change your life by consciously choosing to be in a state of gratitude.

The journey of your life will change when you emphasize gratitude for all that you are, all that you accomplish, and all that you receive. Practice silently repeating I thank You throughout your waking hours, and as you fall asleep and awaken. It really doesn’t matter whether you’re thanking God, Spirit, Allah, the Tao, Krishna, Buddha, the Source, or self, because all those names represent the great wisdom traditions. Give thanks for the sunshine, the rain, and your body, including all of its components. Have a brain-, heart-, liver, and even a toenail-appreciation day! Your practice of gratitude helps 24th Verse you focus on the real Source of everything, as well as notice when you’re letting ego dominate. Make this a silent daily practice: Give thanks for the bed, the sheets, the pillows, and the room you sleep in at night; and in the morning, say I thank You for what lies ahead. Then begin the beautiful day doing something kind for another human being someplace on the planet.

Change your life by examining your urge to boast and be self-righteous.

When you’re about to brag to others about your credentials or accomplishments, momentarily sense the urge and recall Lao-tzu’s advice that “this is the very stuff that must be uprooted, thrown out, and left behind.” On the Tao path, inner approval is healthy and pure, while self-righteous boasting is simply superfluous. When you notice your gloating habit, you can choose to get back on the Tao path by remembering this 24th verse of the Tao Te Ching. Pomposity and self-inflating comments can then be seen as weeds you really have no need for. By returning to radical humility and seeing the greatness within everyone, you’ve then cleared your life of excessive self-importance . . . and this is the way of the Tao.

"Coyote" | New Single on Streaming Services May 26th 2023

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Hey everyone,

I will be releasing my first single for the new year on Friday May 26th 2023. It is by far, one of my favorite cuts from the new album. It's a song called "Coyote."

While I do come from a generation more accustomed to the idea of releasing an album all at once—perhaps this is no longer a wise decision as an artist in 2023. Doing my due diligence, I am confident that the model of releasing one single at a time may be—better.

So, that is what I will be doing. 

I am uploading this single to be digitally distributed, today, for an official release date on Friday May 26th 2023. You may pre-save my single on your favorite streaming service; I was told that it helps to secure a place on popular Spotify playlists. I would be honored to have you do that if you feel inclined. Do whatever feels good for you though. I’m not even sure that it doesn't anything meaningful aside from just reminding you when it comes out (which would be lovely). Here is a link pre-save:

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/mikevitale/coyote

I am very proud of all the hard work that I put into this album and this song. I would like to do it justice by releasing it with as much authenticity and sincerity as possible. I create my music in this way—I plan to release it with an equal amount and measure of heart and sincerity.

My compass is the chills I get up and down my spine when I work on art. Losing track of time. Accidentally being late to things because I was having so much fun making something with all my being and soul. It's my inside poking out like the tag on the back collar of a T-shirt.

This song's inspiration came from touring the United States in 2021 after a long pandemic filled with isolation, self-reflection, and rumination. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, having the opportunity to see the Rocky Mountains. To drive through the beautiful national park between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Who knew that was there? Not me—that is, until I was balling my eyes out because of its beauty and depth. The endless stretches of desert between Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Texas...

We live in such a gorgeous and diverse country filled with beautiful people. I am grateful and on my hands and knees every day for the privilege of getting to do what I do. It's also incredibly difficult, exhausting, contentious, dynamic, emotional, introspective, risky—and the most rewarding thing I can think of doing with my life—yet still, a privilege. Without a doubt. May I strive to continuously stay within the good graces of Fortuna, Hotei, Ganesha, Jesus, Muhammad, The Way, Yahweh, My Inner Voice, and every other personification and archetype of human experience, story, and history that pertains to the spreading of positive creation in this world. I am a student. I have much to learn until the day I breathe my last breath.

I am a 44 year old man who is trying his best to leave this place a little better than how he found it. Even if all my efforts are akin to just vacuuming the floor, dusting and tidying the place up a bit before the next tenant stays the night in this AirBnB we call Mother Earth, I am confident I will never regret how hard I work. Ever. I will not be an old man sitting on the porch thinking, "what would my life had been like, had I actually applied myself where my heart and soul pointed?"

Instead, I am endlessly strolling. An old desert dog. Amongst sage brush, and bunch grass, and cactus and fog. Slender and gangling my bush tail sags, as I trot through the desert: the cliff face and crags.

You might here my faint howl, when the wind carries my song just right.

Verse 23 | Tao Te Ching | Sincerity

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Dale Translation

Speak few words, but say them with quietude and sincerity,

and they will be long-lasting,

for a raging wind cannot blow all morning,

nor a sudden rainstorm last throughout the day.


Why is this so?

Because it is the nature of the sky and the earth to be frugal.

Even human beings can not alter this nature

without suffering the consequences.


When we sincerely follow the ethical path,

we become one with it.

When we become one with the ethical path, it embraces us.


When we completely lose our way, we become one with loss.

When we become one with loss, loss embraces us.


When we sincerely follow the great integrity, we become one with it.

When are one with the great integrity, it embraces us.


But when nothing is done sincerely,

nothing and on-one embraces us.


Walker Translation

Nature is sparing with speech

a whirlwind doesn't last all morning

a rain shower doesn't last all day


What causes these? Heaven and earth.

If heaven and earth can't make something

furious endure, how could man?


Concentrate on Tao and you'll experience Tao.

Concentrate on power, and you'll experience power.

Concentrate on loss and you'll experience loss.


If you won't trust, you won't be trusted.


Mitchell Translation

Express yourself completely,

then keep quiet.

Be like the forces of nature:

when it blows, there is only wind;

when it rains, there is only rain;

when the clouds pass, the sun shines through.


If you open yourself to the Tao,

you are one with the Tao

and you can embody it completely.

If you open yourself to insight,

you are at one with insight

and you can use it completely.

If you open yourself to loss,

you are at one with loss

and you can accept it completely.


Open yourself to the Tao,

then trust your natural response;

and everything will fall into place.


Dyer Translation

To talk little is natural:

Fierce winds do not blow all morning;

a downpour of rain does not last the day.

Who does this? Heaven and earth.


But these are exaggerated, forced effects,

and that is why they cannot be sustained.

If heaven and earth cannot sustain a forced action,

how much less is man able to do?


Those who follow the Way

become one with the Way.

Those who follow goodness

become one with goodness.

Those who stray from the Way and goodness

become one with failure.


If you conform to the Way,

its power flows through you.

Your actions become those of nature,

your ways those of heaven.


Open yourself to the Tao

and trust your natural responses . . .

then everything will fall into place.

UPCOMING SHOWS

Imago

in

It is a very old word—with several meanings. 

In Biology, Imago is used to describe the very last stage of an insect's life cycle. It is the stage of maturity. The last phase of its ultimate development and its final metamorphosis: the imaginal phase.

In psychology, it is used to describe,

n. an unconscious mental image of another person, that influences the way in which an individual relates to others. 

Have you ever thought about that?

We create mental images of people... and despite our best efforts, we might never be operating from a place of fully formed knowledge on a person, especially when we start casting judgment.

It is a term that can be used to make differentiation between what we might perceive verses the objective reality of an individual. It is extremely subjective—personal to each of us—and is very much filtered through our unique experiences and history, growing as a human being and as an individual.

If we are to make a distinction between actuality and the way we perceive it, an image or representation of a person is the best we can do.

Perception.

Perhaps our growth, our maturity, our metaphorical metamorphosis in which we emerge from our chrysalis, lightly brushing our wings, preparing to take flight, begins with the notion that we are all completely clueless, and that we know nothing, especially in so far as it pertains to someone else.

There is plenty of inner space to explore—a lifetimes worth, and perhaps through that exploration of oneself, we may better communicate with those around us.

UPCOMING SHOWS

What are Dreams?

in ,

My actual dreams. Yes, I have aspirations—and I am doing my very best to will those into existence: from thought to actuality. But I also dream, and I remember these dreams that I have at night while I sleep. I don’t always remember them, but I do quite often, especially when sleeping flat on my back, with my spine aligned.

I’ve been keeping a dream journal. I started journaling entries of my dream content sometime before the pandemic—it was around the time that I moved to Los Angeles. I think it has been one of the most profound experiences of my life trying to derive meaning from them.

I started reading a lot of Carl Gustav Jung last year, and with a bit of guidance in terms of his theories on how to interpret my own dreams, it has been incredible what I have found. Profound. It is changing my life as well as my outlook on it. I’d love to share some of these dreams with you at some point, in a one on one conversation. I have always enjoyed personal conversations with people. Perhaps I will have the privilege of getting to know you under those circumstances one of these days. In equal measure though, I am so busy with all my aspirations (ironically), that talking about my dreams one on one with a person is a rare privilege for me (should the individual have interest in such subjects) so forgive me if that never happens.

I have turned some of these dreams into art pieces. They become songs or even short works of writing that I share on my Patreon page and on my website. Here is an example of one.

As a beautiful article in Time Magazine pointed out, “Modern psychologists and neurologists, armed with imaging equipment including PET scans and MRIs, have taken things to a deeper and more technical level, speculating that dreaming is the brain’s way of dumping excess data, consolidating important information, keeping us alert to danger and more.”

This may also be true. Stranger yet still: all of these notions could be true.

Regardless of your current outlook on dreams: a vast majority of the population have the exact same type of dreams: flying, teeth falling out, being back in school taking an exam, driving a car, being chased by animals, being naked in a public space in front of people, not wearing pants, and so forth.

I find Jung’s theory for this correlation, to be the most interesting of the lot. He speculates that the portions of the brain responsible for dreaming predate written language and deals and communicates in symbols. A portion of our cerebral cortex, called Wernicke's area and Broca’s area (slightly behind and in front of the ears, approximately), is responsible for language: the use of language and the comprehension of it. The cerebral cortex, from which these two regions are a part of, are the most recent evolutionary addition to our brain structure.

Jung’s theory continues that the older portions of the brain, such as the cerebral cortex, the hippocampus, the limbic system, the amygdala, and so forth, provide us with a symbolic and emotional compensatory monologue—a monologue without words: symbols and metaphors using memories and the rich construct of human experience that we all contain in an area called the collective unconscious. Think of the collective unconscious as something akin to—instinct—yet different and unique. It is a collection, a pool of symbols and meaning and archetypes throughout our continued development as a species.

However, his largest contribution was the idea of compensation—that our dreams are often (but not always) compensatory to our conscious waking life. He illustrates this notion, often, in many of his essays, using experiences with his clients. For the sake of brevity, I will use one such experience that can be found in this article: (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4217604/)

“Jung was seeing a patient, who was a highly intelligent woman. Jung’s analysis with her dream went well at first, but after a while he got stuck with the interpretation and noticed a shallowness in the dialogue with the analysand. Jung decided to communicate this to the patient. He then had a dream the night before he was to meet with her again. The dream is as follows:

I was walking down a highway through a valley in late-afternoon sunlight. To my right was a steep hill. At its top stood a castle, and on the highest tower there was a woman sitting on a kind of balustrade. In order to see her properly, I had to bend my head far back. I awoke with a crick in the back of my neck. Even in the dream I had recognized the woman as my patient.

The interpretation of the dream was immediate and crystal clear to Jung: if in the dream he had to look up at the woman, his analysand, then in waking life Jung had probably been looking down on her both intellectually and morally, as according to Jung, ‘“dreams are, after all, compensations for the conscious attitude”’. Jung shared his dream and interpretation of it with the patient and it produced an immediate positive change in the effect of her treatment thereafter.”

It is a deeply fascinating rabbit hole of curiosities. However, please, “you don’t have to take my word for it,” as Lavar Burton would say.

CATCH ME PLAYING LIVE NEAR YOU

Booking Three United States Tours for 2023

Friends: I am working on booking several tours for 2023 at the moment, but the most immediate is a June 2023 tour through Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and back down California. I just booked my first show for the tour:

Saturday June 17th - Targhee House of Tunes in Driggs, Idaho

I am looking for house concerts, venues, coffeeshops, shopping malls, street corners, restaurants, bars, and any valuable opportunities for me to find people that might like my music, on either side of this date. For routing purposes, a show in Salt Lake City, Utah on Friday June 16th would be delightful. Perhaps a show in St. George on Thursday June 15th, and a show in Las Vegas on Wednesday June 14th.

On the other side of this date, I would love to make a show in Montana or Wyoming happen (or both). I have never been to either of those states, which is criminal. Please, someone either arrest me or help me to change that.

I would then love to swing into Washington and Oregon before heading back down California to Los Angeles.

If there is one thing I can say with certainty at nearly 44 years old: we do great things together and I can use your help if you have any to provide.

I am releasing my new album DESERT DOGS this year, single by single. One song per month. I hope that I am able to find ears that will appreciate what soul and life experience I had to put into its contents. I worked the hardest I ever had on this album, and hope that it shows to those who listen.

I just recently added a show date in Denver, Colorado on July 15th and a show in Grand Island, Nebraska on July 16th.

Additionally, I added a show in Las Cruces, New Mexico on November 11th and I will be adding a Florida date to the calendar in the last week of October. My current Bandsintown show calendar has a listing of these show dates below.

Touring is quite an expense. My dream is to tour with a band. However, I think it is well within the realm of possibility to tour with a smaller ensemble—perhaps as an acoustic duo. If you are interested in helping me to accomplish this, I am trying to raise money to tour as a duo. This is not charity. Anyone who contributes will receive a copy of my newest album DESERT DOGS, which I will be releasing single by single every month. I will send both a download code that can be redeemed on BANDCAMP as well as a private streaming link that can be used on Soundcloud.

https://gofund.me/4fde555e

Chess Park Lounge Residency | Fridays in April and May of 2023

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The band and I at Chess Park Lounge in 2019. Photo courtesy of Katie Ferrara

The band and I have a residency in Glendale, California nearly every Friday night in April and May of 2023 at a place called CHESS PARK LOUNGE. The first picture is us playing there back in 2019. They have since then, built a beautiful stage for the musicians, an amazing lounge area to enjoy the music, and started bringing in top-tier talent. I was so shocked to have them invite us back out to play, considering the acts they have been booking since I have been out touring the United States.

I recently played Maui Sugar Mill in Tarzana for HONKY TONK SALOON with the band on January 11th. The audience there was so kind and beautiful and engaged. It was a lovely lovely experience. We would love to have that same energy at Chess Park Lounge as well and we will do our very best to spread the good vibes. In fact, the pictures listed after the top image, are all from Maui Sugar Mill for Honky Tonk Saloon.

We would be honored to have you there if you feel inclined. We will be playing original music, as well as choice covers from 7:30pm to 11:30pm. The evening has no cover cost. All you need to pay for is a little bit of parking (and it's not Hollywood parking rates).

One of the Fridays, April 21st: that is my birthday. I can think of no better way to celebrate another year on this beautiful planet, than to be playing music with my friends and to hopefully be surrounded by any friends that are free to attend. I would be honored to have you there.

Here are the dates we will be performing:

Friday April 7th 2023

Friday April 21st 2023

Friday April 28th 2023

Friday May 5th 2023

Friday May 12th 2023

Friday May 19th 2023

Friday May 26th 2023

As mentioned previously, we play from 7:30pm to 11:30pm. It's free. All that we ask is that you support the Lounge by purchasing drinks or food.

Englishman in New York | Sting (Mike Vitale Cover)

I originally covered this song on Youtube 13 years ago on a camera in a living room. It's my most popular video on Youtube with nearly 200,000 views—I'm also incredibly embarrassed of my performance in that video.

With that being said, I re-recorded this video today to show myself how much I've grown as a musician, recording and mixing engineer, and so forth.

I'm proud of all the work I have put into my craft in the years since recording "Englishman in New York" back in 2010. The comfort I feel in front of a camera now is amazing. 13 years ago, it was an entirely different experience than what it was today.

I am an enormous fan of Sting's work in both The Police, as well as his solo work, and this cover is me tipping my hat to his continued genius as a musician, songwriter, and performer.

Chili in Fort Mill

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Fort Mill, South Carolina (while on my walk)

If there are reasonable amounts of chili to be consumed, I know nothing on the subject. It only occurred to me after 10pm rolled around and I felt a bit drowsy. I had worked up quite the appetite on my five hour drive between Woodstock, Georgia and Fort Mill, South Carolina, which is nestled slightly below the community of Charlotte, North Carolina—right along the border of the two states: this is where my aunt hangs her hat. My aunt Ruth. It’s around 8am at the moment, the next day. She has a lovely home and I’m thankful for her being kind enough to allow me a place to sleep, for the good company, and naturally, the enormous bowl of chili that greeted me, nearly the moment I arrived. I have been fairly religious about maintaining a ketogenic diet while on this tour—however—exceptions have been made in some sort of slightly freckled fashion on my clean bill of health in that dietary department, if one were to subscribe to such beliefs. The diet seems to work for me, however, I also enjoy chili, cowboy toast, and a few slices of pie from time to time.

There was probably a 17 year stretch where the two of us did not see each other, because she moved to the east coast, along with my younger cousin Ryan. On my first United States tour last year, they both came out to see me perform while I played in one of the bedroom communities surrounding Charlotte. I drove to North Carolina on two separate occasions last year. Once this year. Three times of visiting is a gift.

My house concert in Woodstock, Georgia. Thank you brother John for having me.

It feels of fall here. It’s around 47 degrees outside at the moment. I have spent the better portion of the past several weeks in the lower south, where it still feels of summer water amusement parks, shorts, flip-flops, tank tops, koozies, BBQ, and the like. There were a few occasions of folding lawn chairs to enjoy an outdoor concert, or to dip one’s feet in the warm water of Gulf Coast. My bare feet now, are cold, as I write this. I am thinking about hunting for my socks in a moment, while I ruminate on the next several words to put in front of the other. The cold is not uninvited, unwarranted, or unwelcome to me. I can recall purchasing a jacket, mere weeks ago, while in Austin, Texas, waiting for any opportunity to wrap it around myself, should that opportunity had ever arisen in the first place; Austin had other plans, none of which involving jackets.

Apache Junction, Austin, Houston, Mobile, Panama City, the pan-handle, Leesburg, Dunedin, St. Petersburg: Fall almost seems to be a rumor in such places—maybe even a lie told to those with cold cold hearts. I have been reading about it in books—well, for the sake of accuracy—listening to it from narrated books. It has been a lot of driving, and a lot of listening.

Because no great story ever started with someone eating a salad.

I just devoured what could be one of my new favorite books of all time: “The Passenger” by Cormac McCarthy. This has revitalized my interest in his cornucopia of literature I have yet to read. So, after the two day consumption of this new book of his (it was recently released on October 25th 2022), I went back to the year 1992, and started to read his classic “All the Pretty Horses.” There is much talk of Fall, Winter, snow, and the many traits that are cold weather in there—so I know it exists; well, from his literature—and my cold feet. More importantly: Cormac McCarthy is a national treasure. Someone give the man a Nobel Prize. He deserves a monkey trophy. His writing is beautiful. His story telling is exquisite. His conversations are organic and deep and unbelievable, yet within the realm of possibility. I can’t stop thinking about what he writes, for days on end after consumption.

I have decided to take a long stroll around the neighborhood—if just to walk off the copious amounts of chili and pie—and, perhaps to garner a remedy for cold feet. Excuse me for a moment.

This wouldn’t have been an issue yesterday in Woodstock, Georgia. However, there is news of a hurricane in Florida; yet another, above and beyond that of which was previous and has since disappeared with a wake of destruction: Ian was its name, if memory serves me correctly.

No, this yet still, a new hurricane, the one that is brewing over the entirety of Florida at the moment, is a Category 1. It has a name from what I understand, as well: Nicole. I hope Nicole is a lady of easy demur, and that she smiles with only light tears over the coastline. Her breathiness could be to a minimum, however, reports are suggesting otherwise. No matter: I cross my fingers for those who are in its headlights as it drives up the interstate, along with myself. There is no doubt that the cold storm I am feeling on my feet, are a result of Nicole’s currents. May the weather buy a vowel using Wheel of Fortune rules, and give us all the sweet currant of fruitfulness, rather than the rags of battered sails, as we both traverse together.

Some of my extended family in Mobile, Alabama

And yet, only the day before my arrival in Woodstock, Georgia, I found myself in Mobile, Alabama—along the Gulf Coast. I could have sworn that it was swimming weather, sure as it was, also a day for Church for the residents of the area. Even the Flora-bama had a service, flanked as it may be, by the endless shelves of alcohol, to be dispersed shortly after service had concluded (maybe even during for all I know). Speaking of church services held in a bar, and subjects that straddle the line of propriety. The Flora-bama: it straddles the line of the Florida and Alabama border, right along a coastline, freckled with high-rise resorts and the whitest of fine demolished sand one will ever have the privilege to crawl between their toes while walking the beaches of a red neck riviera. I found residents apologizing to me about a place I had yet to visit, and others continued such a trend, well after I had visited the place. I rather liked the joint. There where multiple stages for music, and quite the well-spring of libations to socially lubricate even the most rusted jointed gates of good times to be had. The remnants of feminine approval to musicians world wide, hanging from clothes lines above one of the audience congregations adjacent the stage: enough bras and varieties of which to fill a department store inventory.

Me at the Flora-bama on the Florida/Alabama border.

There was a 1.9 billion dollar jackpot for Lotto, and line of folks standing in line to buy tickets at the Florida/Alabama border. Alcohol and Lotto, given equal billing on the sign outside of the establishment. A line of Alabama residents, buying tickets, as the Lotto is not a legal privilege in their state. Loop holes. Good on them.

It was a jackpot, having the opportunity to play for my friends and family in Mobile, the night before. Playing music I wrote, for cousins I didn’t know that I had, save for the past several years. My cousin Mia, is a musician herself and is very supportive of all my musical whimsies and storytelling tendencies. I love my family dearly, and between you and I: my family is not as close as we used to be. I wish it were not the case. I have tried to make it not the case, through choice phone calls to an aunt, voicing my concerns that we are not getting any younger, and are only becoming more comfortable in our own bubbles of social interaction. This rings true of not only my immediate family, but also of my extended family, much to my chagrin.

The Frog Pond. A house concert venue outside of Mobile, AL.

Were I man of more means, perhaps I could invite them all over to my place for dinner. I am hesitant to think that they would make the trek to Los Angeles, albeit being 4 hours away from my home town of Visalia. My younger brother and I both live here in southern California. My mom refused to make the journey to visit for Thanksgiving. I spoke to her yesterday, and she is open to being picked up by my brother and driven to southern California to stay with him for a week, before the Christmas holiday, something that excites me a great deal (she hasn’t been here to visit me since I moved to southern California to go to college in 2002, and when I graduated from college).

Perhaps the key to this discussion between family, is to truly try to understand the schism between all of us—or that we were never really that close to begin with… I am uncertain. I do know that the cost of being close, is our time and our energy. While I may not be very rich, I do have time and energy to provide to anything that fills my heart with joy.

I am not here to complain either, or to point fingers. I take responsibility for myself, and also wish to make as much effort as possible towards accomplishing whatever I can. I am not afraid to work hard. I am not fearful of being the first to reach out. I do that often, whether it is in friendship or insofar as family is concerned. It does get a little tiresome feeling like no one meets me halfway, but I suppose that is relative—if not also my responsibility to recognize when I am overexerting effort on the wrong people, or that my love is not being put in good places.

Parallel lives. It was something that someone said to me once when I apologized for not reaching out more often. He simply said: no worries my friend; parallel lives.

I can dig that also.

There are numerous ways to look at life. I do my best to choose the methods that feel good, and do not create suffering, where it is unnecessary in the first place. Believe you me: we create our own suffering.

Perhaps we should simply be thankful to be greeted by a bowl of chili and to hug our aunt and our cousin when we can. Be thankful when our mother comes to visit. Be thankful when we discover we have cousins we never knew about. Try our best to get to know our family—and be accepting of parallel lives as well.

I am not a perfect specimen. But then again, neither is anyone else around me, either.

Upcoming Show Dates

$1,016 to the Wind & Suddenly in Charleston

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Charleston, South Carolina

Life changes in a heartbeat. On the flip of a dime. At the whim of my next lousy and trite analogy. Point that moist finger to the sky to gauge the course of the current. It only takes a single moment for opportunities to shift—for the wind to lift contents from my own hands—one’s hat and his right-handed grip on a deposit envelope—the lending towards quick decisions.

Then there’s the loss of a nearly $800 show guarantee because my car retreated into “limp mode” on a foreign Interstate freeway in the middle of Florida. Perhaps it was a problem with the transmission? Perhaps it was the car’s computer acting in self-preservation? Who’s to say these days? Not even the Honda dealership knew for certain, and they created the thing. What they did know is that the car wouldn’t move, because they couldn’t mobilize the now over-glorified-four-wheeled art piece of plastic, metal, and glass into their workspace. I ascertained that symptom as well, while driving on Interstate 75; I was in cruise control—and when I removed my chariot of fire from cruise control, the gas pedal reprioritized itself to a device meant solely to rev an engine that was not in gear. I watched the R.P.M.’s roar across a dial as if I was a little further northeast—in Daytona. Alas, I was one hour and thirty minutes shy of my house concert in Dunedin, Florida—and I never made it there to play. A nice slow goodbye wave to currency, but more importantly, to all the people who were kind enough to be there to see me.

The Animal Kingdom at Disney World Resorts

One might realize he has no road-side assistance, although he could have sworn he did. This insurance was procured during the pandemic, so it also doesn’t surprise me that I was caught with my pants down—or that my hat was lifted suddenly away by a hurricane current. One might watch $1016 be carried off in a mighty gust of wind, flopping and dancing towards the wide and hungry mouth of massive storm drains in a Houston metropolis skyscraper complex.

I was in Houston looking for a credit union co-op ATM that takes large cash deposits. The goal was to eliminate all the worry having such large amounts of cash on my person. Ironically, it was the witches brew within a cauldron of chaos that led to the contents of a deposit envelope being thrust into the open gust of a mighty breeze funneled through the endless span of tall buildings peppered about downtown Houston. I watched in shock and horror as the countless amounts of money did tiny somersaults, or sailed like a vessel, dancing macabre in the currents of air, free from their neatly ordered and cramped deposit envelope. Scattered to the wind as the old saying goes—and I was in hot pursuit, as the contents of that envelope were nearly all that I had to my name at that very moment. While there may have been curse words I didn’t have the chance to get to, I’m fairly certain none were emitted from my vocabulary in those moments, that became an hour of hunting for money I had, and then lost.

Savannah, Georgia River Walk

That is, besides the precarious stack of belongings packed into a 2015 Honda Civic—ordered in some half-hazard manner like Tetris blocks, so that the affects of my business, a touring songwriter, may all neatly fit within the confines of such a small space.

At the moment, I imagine my car, and its contents are ten feet off the ground on a hydraulic lift in a Honda dealership, while the good people of Leesburg, Florida try to ascertain its dilemma as a now stationary and non-moving vehicle (this assertion, point-in-fact, was incorrect, I regrettably inform you, dear reader—I was hopeful as I wrote those words—now, I am simply smiling and pragmatic from a coffee shop in South Carolina).

I wrote those non-parenthetical words, pockmarked as they are, within a Microtel not far from the dealership. It’s not a fancy place. I can’t afford fancy. It does however, have Internet, A/C, power, a warm bed, and enough niceties like continental breakfasts and fresh towels, that one should never complain. I deeply and truly, try not to complain.

I, in the past, have found myself complaining. Perhaps we all do from time to time. I don’t want to be that person any longer. I try not to be that person. I fail sometimes at being that person. I also, recognize, that there is nothing wrong with complaining in some reduced capacity. We, like a steam engine, need some sort of release for the welling of emotional burden percolating and brewing in its fleshy tank—albeit, a steam engine with no destination, is just wasting its steam and its reservoir of momentum.

Savannah, Georgia River Walk

My decisions have brought me to this point. There are also, perhaps machinations within the seemingly mechanical? Or perhaps I the writer and you the reader, subscribe to freewill. Things are bound to occur and do happen. Am I the type of person who feels he can control the wills of people or the outcomes of seemingly chaotic events? That is never a possibility insofar as I can tell. This thought was echoed by a gentlemen sitting on a curb, near a minimart gas station, in Leesburg, Florida, asking for me to buy him a few Swisher Sweets to roll a blunt. We talked for quite some time.

Does my fear of the unknown cause me to feel anxiety within uncomfortable situations, or is it the compulsion to control that causes me to cry when things get hard—realizing that I have no control over the current outcome of a verdict-less existence? Maybe yes, and maybe no. Consistency in action would seem to provide answers. Truth for all of us, is also moot and plural. What I can say is that I do the best I can with what I have available to me.

Anymore, difficult situations for me are treated the same as me walking a path. I put one foot in front of the other. I am putting on my jacket, one sleeve at a time. I have countless fragments of problems that arise from one problem, so I deal with each problem, one at a time, until they are accounted for.

I try to picture myself lucky. Perhaps in a manner that is not yet completely evident to my flimsy understanding of reality, The Universe, it’s concoctions, or better yet, my own for that matter.

It is also easy to say things such as, it is God’s path for me—and perhaps that is true as well? However, I move under my own will—just as the wind does, if not with my own unique purpose. Who is to say precisely that wind moves with what particular purpose? No sooner do I say that, than someone reading this mouths the words of what that purpose might be.

We don’t see the wind. We see it act itself out in the nature of that it pushes about: $1016 for example. I watched it sail and scatter and disperse itself into an economy of pavement, sidewalk, grass, flower gardens, parked cars, and moving traffic. I can feel the wind. However, I can’t see it, aside from what it motivates to move.

Charleston, South Carolina

I can’t see the future either.

I can be hopeful though. I can try not to worry.

My car payment went from being $338—to $580, now, with a used vehicle that I drove off the lot of a Honda dealership. I am in South Carolina at my friend Jasmine’s place in Charleston.

I was telling her about a dream I had, shortly after this debacle:

It had to do with deodorant. I was searching for deodorant, and I found it. I swiped copious amounts of it under my armpits. I can’t remember precisely, whether I felt relief over its application to my person. However, my dear friend Josh, appeared in my dream next, telling me “You see? It’s too much.” On his hand, was a copious spread of deodorant, in a rich-red-colored hue, that he was exemplifying his statement with.

House Concert in St. Petersburg, Florida

Perhaps my unconscious mind was trying to express something to me. Maybe the car is too much? I had little choice in the matter though, and little time to work within. I was hemorrhaging money. I had already lost $800 in donations, and who knows how much in merchandise sales, from my car breaking down the night before. My hotel room that night costed $115, and the tow to Leesburg was $167. I had yet another house show to get to in St. Petersburg, Florida, two hours away from Leesburg and its Honda dealership. There was money to be made and one month of touring still ahead of me. I acted in the best capacity I could, with what little time and option I had before me.

We wear deodorant trying to cover up the natural fragrance of our person and its perspiration—perhaps because we worry as to how our body odor would come across to others. Worry is the optimal word. Perhaps I am full of worry. As I write these words, I feel calm and collected.

I don’t feel worry or anxiety at the moment. This may change later as my responsibilities, my fiscal obligations, rear their burden more closely in my face.

I have a beautiful new-to-me car. I suddenly care about its shiny nature. It being clean all the time. It’s interior.

I also care whether I am living outside my means.

Oddly enough, my friend Taylor told me, as I was purchasing the car that just took a dump on me: “The Universe doesn’t throw anything at you that you can’t handle.”

And so I put one foot in front of the other, and then another, and then another.

Janice and I in Panama City, Florida. She was kind enough to host me and have me pay her backyard the night before my car broke down.

It’s starting to get a bit chilly from the wind outside, rustling the leaves and the trees. I put on my jacket, one sleeve at a time, and continue my journey forward into the unknown.

Perhaps my dreams are like that breeze. As I sleep at night, I collect my unconscious mind’s observations. It is always there: watching and observing. Perhaps it has insight into my behavior. After all, it is me, and I am it.

But perhaps most of all, it is like the wind. You can’t see the wind without its interaction with the world around us, and likewise, we can’t see our unconscious mind, without its interaction with the world within us.

I only lost $22 to the wind, out of $1,016 being carried off by it. I found all the rest of it.

I lost my old car to who knows what, but it was replaced by yet another.

I am trying my best not to worry, and to just be. To smile. To have gratitude. To appreciate the wealth of everyone around me, both friend and stranger alike. I work to not have any strangers in my life. I fail at that sometimes as well.

I’m in Charleston, South Carolina at the moment. I am writing this now, from Jasmine’s dining room table. She’ll be moving with her husband to Ireland, shortly. This opportunity may never happen again. I stare outside, through her dining room window at the leaves on all the tall trees, moving with the breeze. Tears roll down my face as I write this.

It’s a good life, and Bob Marley was probably right.

Don’t worry about a thing… because every little thing, is gonna be alright.

FIND ME ON YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA

COME SEE ME WHILE I TOUR THE UNITED STATES

Austin, Texas

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S. Congress in Austin, Texas

Austin. Austin City Limits. Being within Austin City limits—literally, not so much the hit musical phenomena that encompasses and personifies the great city in which I speak. It’s magic. The city is pure spectral spectacle.

I would live here. I have a feeling I will live here.

Growing up playing music, I was entranced by stories of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and his brother Jimmie. Willie Nelson. Johnny Winter.

These days, you can find murals and statues that celebrate the music of Stevie Ray Vaughan. He died young, but he made a lasting impression on his adopted home of Austin, Texas—who lifted him on their shoulders in celebration of his music and his passion for the blues.

An acquaintance of mine in Long Beach (another musician), once shit all over the name Stevie Ray Vaughan, saying that he couldn’t stand that white horse shit that passes as blues. It bummed me out hearing him rant on a guy whom he never met… nor have I for that matter—however, I carry his spirit in reverence, much as I do Eric Clapton as well, for they helped to introduce me to wide variety of African American talent that contributed to years of truly authentic American Culture and American History. Yes, they were white: but, they loved black music and carried it in the deepest reverence and respect, which showed in their craft. Furthermore, they brought black music to me, a kid in Visalia, CA, who passionately researched who Stevie Ray Vaughan’s influences were, and then listened to them, hearing all the riffs he lifted from their repertoire: Albert King for example. You can listen to Albert King and hear his inarguable influence on the playing of Stevie’s.

Then again, what does a guy in Long Beach, CA know about Austin, Texas? What do I know about Austin, Texas for that matter? Nothing. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I keep coming back. I keep returning because the place is pure imagination and sorcery on my senses.

There are more music venues here than I have ever seen in my entire life. There is talent of such a caliber, that it constantly has me questioning not only my own merit as a musician, but also my sanity in continuing to create music as a songwriter—that is until I meet said musicians after they have proceeded in tearing my face of with their talent, and politely handing my facial features back to me at the end of the night: feeling their genuine sense of connection and intolerance for being overly vain insofar as it is concerned with themselves—their curiosity of my own music, their kindness in listening to it, and in showering me with compliments.

I was connected with a local musician and guitar player in the area named Phil Hurley. He is a Los Angeles transplant as well, who has been living in Austin Texas now for around 14 years. He has lived all over the place. He has played guitar for countless people of merit and distinction, and has operated within bands and musical acts who were signed to major labels, from an early age. We became quick friends and I am astounded by his talent and generosity.

He was kind enough to make time to meet with me, and to show me around a bit, to take me to some of the coolest hangs in town such as Donn’s Depot on a Monday night. There is a weekly residency that has been happening at this old venue, constructed from the remnants of 5 old train cars, nestled politely and sheltered within the entrance of tall tall buildings and sky scrapers. Chris Gage has been playing piano and singing there on Monday nights for nearly 27 years. Phil brought me down to Donn’s Depot, and shared me with the all of the wonderful folks who are a community. They haunt that establishment every week, and listen, in deep love, of what Chris Gage provides as a musician and pianist.

As we walked around these 5 train cars, everyone greeted Phil Hurley, as he was acquainted to nearly every individual in that place. Chris Gage recorded and produced his latest record, which is available to listen to right now on all the streaming services. Phil and Chris quickly began catching up with one another on one of Chris’ breaks from playing, and Phil asked if we both could come up and play a few songs, to which Chris was beyond receptive.


I met more beautiful and wonderful people in Donn’s Depot in one night, then can possibly be expressed in words—or good intentions for that matter. There are good people here in Austin, and Donn’s Depot is just a small subset of the greater whole that is this beautiful city. Don Emmons for example. A photographer and gentleman, and scholar. Or, the videographer Jay Curlee, who was a Hawaiian transplant—him and his wife both, who have been living in Austin now for 7 years. Don Emmons came from New Jersey, if memory serves me correctly (we were having drinks—quite a few of them).

Performing with Chris Gage at Donn’s Depot in October of 2022. Photo courtesy of the winker with an eye, Don Emmons.

A place is always the people who live there. Austin is exceptionally lovely.

Truth be told: most places I have the privilege to visit in order to play music, are exquisite and lovely—because they are full of good people who let a ragamuffin such as myself, stay and play some tunes he wrote about life. They listen to my stories. I am the luckiest man alive—and my brood (artists and musicians most specifically) are thankful for the love, gratitude, kindness, and open hearts being displayed by individuals who understand that we just travel around trying to spread some love. Sure, now and then, we all get a little lost sometimes—but love is most certainly the answer to nearly every quandary asked… and gratitude is the doorway to happiness… and happiness is work. It does not come easy to us. We work for it and we work at it.

A deep and special thanks to my friend Scott Spencer. He is an Austin native. I met him through my brother from another mother, Frank Reina. Both of these gentlemen are Texas natives. Scott, has shown me more kindness and support than I could ever hope to repay to an individual in a lifetime. Nonetheless, I hope to one day. I suppose the first step in that endeavor would be success at what I am trying to achieve. I will focus on that notion with all my might—and swing back to previous when I have more to offer this world than the love in my heart, the songs that I write, and the stories I tell. In the meanwhile, may those suffice my friend.

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Come see me live on my 2022 FALL TOUR around the UNITED STATES