Tonight: Eric Slick with Chris Opperman and Dave Dreiwitz

Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, I've been a bad blogger but I really hate this time of the year. I've had enough winter, we had a bizarre snow storm Sunday night into Monday which dumped an uncharacteristic amount of the stuff everywhere but naturally today it's going to be like sixty degrees and almost seventy this weekend so it's all melted and a distant memory. Fun while it lasted; now I'm so, so ready for blooming cherry blossom trees and long walks with the dog in warm sunshine.

But I do have some things to report - well, that which I can talk about...arghh...still waiting for permission to blab the big Eric news but part one of that has already been posted on Adrian's blog so I guess it's okay for me to post it here as well...Eric is now an official endorser of Ludwig drums...yep, the very same brand used by Ringo...and next time you see him on tour, which will be very soon, he'll be sitting behind a new, incredible kit. But not yet, or tonight, when he will be playing a very special gig with not only Crescent Moon but the brilliant keyboardist Chris Opperman as well.



That's the art from Chris' new CD, Lionheart, and in one of those weird small world we're all connected kind of things, Chris' new orchestral piece, The Porpentine, is based on Neil Gaiman's Sandman, and the artists who did the illustrations for the CD were also a Sandman artists, the awesome Mark Buckingham and the equally incredible D'Israeli.

Anyway, the gig tonight is at the Clash Bar, 39 Harding Avenue, Clifton, New Jersey. I think they go on at 10:00 p.m.

In other news, Eric, Chris Opperman, and daughter Julie will be performing at a very special event in New York City this coming Tuesday afternoon, March 10, to kick off Purple Day, and if you click on the logo on the right hand side of this blog, you'll learn all about that, but of course I'll have a lot more to say in my next blog post tomorrow or the next day...just know that it's very, very cool and I will be there as well.

So let's see, what else. Oh yeah, if you follow me on twitter, (and if you don't, please do, you do not know what you are missing har har) then you probably already know how I spent my Sunday night. I mean, I was already standing in the kitchen, which has big windows facing the street, watching the amazingly gorgeous snowfall, when three police cars stopped directly in front of my house. Huh? Nothing prepared me for what would happen next...the 27 year old resident of the house, a guy I watched grow up and go to the same elementary school as my kids (he was in 6th grade; Julie was in 2nd grade)...well, I knew he had "problems" and was in a special ed class, but I had no freaking idea he was capable of this!

Yeah, I know.

I watched him being lead from the house in handcuffs, but still I thought, well, maybe he just freaked out on the cops or something.

But then the coroner's van drove up...

It was a surreal scene to watch; my beautiful, tree lined street, the soft falling snow...and a murderer being arrested.

So the week has basically been spent gossiping with neighbors learning even more sordid details and I think I'll spare you but trust me, as a friend remarked "Have you thought about maybe moving...like, totally out of the United States?" Ha! Yeah, all the time, but there's the little matter of my family, a house I adore, and a dog I worship. Of course had Obama not been elected, my house would probably be for sale as we speak.

Anyway...

I am again reminding you that I have a new book out, which is a chronicle of not only my life (though please keep in mind it's a highly fictionalized version; hence it's why it's called a novel and not a memoir) but an interesting story of the genesis of the School of Rock and the infamous west coast tour of summer, 2004 when I spent three weeks on a tour bus across America with several incredibly talented teenage musicians. Please help a girl out and improve her rather scary Amazon numbers (Ha! Just kidding...as all authors know, those numbers do not mean anything, but it's still cool to be in the top 10,000)...



And here's the link to purchase it over at Amazon. Oh yeah, a note to my contest winners, your books are going out today. I've been trying to finish some guitar pick jewelry to send along with them, but I'm still playing with the results so rather than make you wait, I'll send the books out today and the jewelry/keychains or whatever I end up making to you shortly. But...the first place winner still has not come forward and I have no freaking idea who it is. Ha ha, who else could that happen to? If you entered the contest, please scroll down to the post "and the winner is..." to see if it's you, shoot me an email, and a copy of the book and some guitar pick whatevers will be yours.

In other news, have you been checking out daughter Julie's blog? She's so incredible...and as I've mentioned before, her blog and mine are the prototype for our new joint venture - a rock and roll tour/travel/recipe/restaurant reviews from all over the world cookbook which will also include personal photographs and illustrations by the multi-talented Ms. Julie. I've got the query done; been trying to finish the proposal, and have been scoping out the perfect agent for this project. So we're pretty psyched about that, and the chance of working on something like this with my best friend/extraordinary daughter has me more than a little bit excited.

This afternoon I'm attending the WXPN 4th anniversary blow-out of their Free At Noon Concert Series. That should be interesting. Performing will be Shemekia Copeland (whom I adore!) and the Indigo Girls (erm, not so much)...anyway, should be fun and hopefully I'll remember to bring a camera and take some photos to post here later.

I think that's it for now...I'll be back tomorrow with news from the XPN show today, more about Purple Day...and maybe...just maybe...I'll be able to shout out my blockbuster Eric news.

Later,
xo