Of Slick Men and Stick Men and Slick Women...a/k/a I'm Back!

I can't bring myself to declare this blog officially dead.

So I won't.

ETA: Fantastic interview by Anil Prasad of Innerviews with Tony Levin! Here'a link for the iPaid/Pod verson: Click!

ETA 2 - ENCORE, ENCORE!



Okay, back to the blog...

It started in 2004 when Julie and Eric were 17 and 18 respectively and our family had just begun the amazing whirlwind that would come with their surprising and successful musical journeys. Obviously they were still living at home, and every day was an adventure.

For Julie and Eric, that still remains true. For me, not so much. Unless you count spending your days for the past year and a half worrying about your about to be fourteen year old dog who suffers from Cushing disease and goes from being really sick to his old self every other day which is enough to make a sane person go mental and let’s be real here, I am not stable to begin with. So you can only imagine…

But that's okay, and it's the natural evolution of things. Yikes, did I really want my 24 and 25 year old to be still living at home? I love them dearly, but um, no. But do I wish I could freeze time and have the dog be young and healthy and be with us until our lives are a wrap?

Hell, yeah.

I know that I was incredibly fortunate to be very close to Julie and Eric while they were growing up and I got to go on tour with them not only during the Rock School years (and in case you’ve been living under a rock or are somehow new to this blog, you can read all about that in my very creative non-fiction book, Daddy Left Me Alone with God) but five years later when they were both in the Adrian Belew Power Trio. Looking back on it, I feel like the luckiest person in the universe. And there was so much to write about!

In fact, two years ago this month, I was on tour with the ABPT and we were about to leave for the west coast part of the tour after spending two weeks on the east coast where we had the rare luxury of two days off in one of my favorite cities in the universe, Quebec, and yep, I ate at Chez Victor both days. Ha ha, we were all across America and Canada and what do I mention? Chez Victor. Know why? They have probably the best French fries I have ever eaten in my life. And as everyone who knows me is aware, French fries are my favorite food in the entire world. (Do I sound like a seven year old idiot? Oh well. Better than a seventy year old idiot .)

I think I miss hanging out with my kids more than anything.

But there’s so much greatness to look forward to.

And there’s been a lot of greatness this year, too, mixed in with the craziness. My God, where do I start?

Though I guess because the majority of you are probably my Facebook friends, most of the stuff I’m going to post here is old news, but I’ll try and make it interesting.

And I guess since there’s so much to tell, I’ll do it in alphabetical order: Eric, Julie, etc.

Eric. Holy cow, his career is on fire. He just wrapped up his first record for Anti with Dr. Dog and the advance buzz on it is through the roof. I was lucky enough to hear some cuts and it’s beyond good…in fact, I think my brain exploded when I heard it. I don’t want to jinx things by saying anything more but this is pretty much life changing stuff. They’re going to be just about anywhere major you can think of in 2012 – if there’s a festival, they’re playing it, and there’s some really cool surprises on the horizon within the next several weeks for both fans all over the world and for some of us local folks and that’s all I’m saying.

By the way, Anti is the record label for Wilco, Bob Mould, Tom Waits. Just sayin…

In the meantime, Eric did an amazing interview for Kick-Snare-Hat, and you can watch the video portion below. Click on the link to read his very insightful commentary on his career, the new record, etc.

Eric Slick/Dr. Dog K/S/H Interview from Kick/Snare/Hat on Vimeo.

Eric is also on the soundtrack of a major motion picture to be released in November and those of you on Facebook already know I blabbed the details about that because I saw someone else did and thought it was okay but apparently it is not okay so those of you who don’t know anything will have a bit more to wait. Sorry. Friend me on Facebook, what can I say?

And if you want to see Eric live, up close and personal, in a totally different mode, he’s going to be DJing at Johnny Brenda’s on October 3. I don’t see it on the website yet but I’ll come in and edit this post when it does appear or I’ll tweet/Facebook or all of the above.

After that, of course, he will probably gig here and there with his other projects but there’s a two week Dr. Dog tour starting November 2 and they’re going to be debuting stuff from the new record so you really don’t want to miss their show in your respective city…here’s the schedule:

Wed November 2, 2011
Cleveland, OH
Beachland Ballroom

Fri November 4, 2011
Bloomington, IN
Bluebird Nightclub

Sat November 5, 2011
St. Louis, MO
The Firebird

Mon November 7, 2011
Tulsa, OK
Cain's Ballroom

Tue November 8, 2011
Fayetteville, AR
George's Majestic Lounge

Wed November 9, 2011
Oxford, MS
Proud Larry's

Thu November 10, 2011
New Orleans, LA
Tipitina's

Sat November 12, 2011
Orlando, FL
Orlando Calling

Mon November 14, 2011
Charleston, SC
The Music Farm

Tue November 15, 2011
Athens, GA
40 Watt Club

Wed November 16, 2011
Knoxville, TN
Bijou Theatre

Thu November 17, 2011
Boone, NC
Legends @ Appalachian State

Fri November 18, 2011
Chattanooga, TN
Track 29 @ The Chattanooga Choo Choo

The show in Orlando on November 12 is a pretty big deal. It’s a festival - Orlando Calling and Dr. Dog is playing along with some bands you might know:

It’s at the Citrus Bowl, which holds 70,000 people and it’s going to be full. Too freaking awesome, huh.

Eric also just moved into a very cool house with his fabulous girlfriend and he’s been cooking up a storm and giving his sister a run for her money. He made arugula scrambled eggs with hash browns the other morning and he’s finding he’s really into it. I’m not surprised. Most musicians are also artists and artistic people are usually into food and cooking, too. Anything art connected. And his Dad the guitar player gave him the hash brown recipe.

But yeah, Eric stopped over the other day and we were talking about all this stuff and it really hit me that he’s a mature, grown man, not my baby son anymore, and more importantly, he’s interesting and smart and funny and just a joy to be around. I will take some credit but much of who he is today comes from some pretty amazing life experiences – being on the road and traveling all over the world since age 18, doing a lot of reading, studying and utilizing TM – I dunno, I think it’s probably a million times better than any college is offering kids today and I doubt most 24 year olds are as level headed and wordly.

But I could be just a tad prejudiced.

Oh yeah, d’oh, Eric, Julie, and Tim Motzer did an amazing two hour jam. Here’s a teaser:

1ks e11 preview clip from Dejha Ti on Vimeo.

You can download all 120 minutes of goodness right here.

Also love the band shot…

And Eric and Julie have a project called Springs with Mike Visser which is pretty damn cool…

Springs - Big Black Sky from Jonathan Low on Vimeo.

Okay. That wraps up the Eric portion of the program, though it’s killing me not to be able to blab the big news just on the horizon. Bah! That’s okay. The minute I see Dr. Dog posts it, I’ll be posting it here, too. So there!

And now to Ms. Julie, who, you might have noticed, is on a sweet little tour of her own. Click here for the fun stuff (Thanks to Tony Levin for the cool diary posts)

By the way, I take that back about saying my life is no longer adventurous. Friday night I got kissed and hugged by both Pat Mastelotto and Tony Levin. Ahem. Just two guys who have played with everyone from King Crimson to John Lennon to Peter Cabriel to XTC. So, um, no. My life rocks. And yeah, that's a pic of Tony wearing the official tour t-shirt with MY DAUGHTER'S FACE ON IT! I'M SO EXCITED! Okay, okay, I'll calm down. But it's not easy, that's for sure.

So let’s start with some reviews of the first week of the tour I found online:

“The basic set-up for the tour is:

Stickmen: Tony Levin, Markus Reuter, Pat Mastelotto
Adrian Belew Power Trio: Adrian Belew, Julie Slick, Tobias Ralph

Big Combined Crimfest: all of the above doing nothing but Crim repertory.

The Stickmen set was probably the most adventurous and varied set of the night (also the most dissonant and projeKct-like). Both trios did relatively streamlined 40-45 minute sets to leave room for the big pile o' KC at the end. The setlist for Stickmen included Smudge, Soup, Slow Glide, Big Dog, Unrelenting, and the Firebird Suite. I thought Slow Glide was probably the highlight of the evening, covering a lot of sonic ground and featuring a climax where both Tony and Pat were using bows (on their Stick and cymbals respectively) to create a swirling metallic shimmer of harmonics that was sort of in the general Glenn Branca/Sonic Youth end of the spectrum. The Stickmen set also included the most Seizure-like musical moments of the evening, which is always a good thing.

Adrian did a set that included no KC material, as he wanted to save it for later. Thus we got a shortened set that included Matchbox Guitar, Young Lions, Of Bow and Drum, Futurvision, and e, along with a few other short instrumentals. The new drummer is very strong, so although I was always a big fan of Eric Slick I can't say I was unhappy with his replacement. Julie if anything is getting more adventurous on bass, with more unusual effects and freedom in her playing. Ade's finally gotten completely comfortable with the on-the-fly looping, so that whole process seems seamless now. Ade was clearly charged up for the first gig of the tour, and anytime Ade gets happy and excited he really elevates the whole concert.

Following the ABPT, there was a short introductory foray into Crim with just the Crim veterans: Adrian, Pat, and Tony. They did 3OAPP, ET, and Sleepless (the last of which being the first time Tony put down the Stick and pulled out the big orange bass and funk fingers). My expectation (... a prison, I know ...) was pretty much that the full group would do Dinosaur, Thela, Indiscipline, and maybe something like Red and call it a night. I was surprised and delighted (as in sitting there with a big stupid grin on my face) when the very first piece out of the chute from the full lineup was B'BOOM. You know it's going to be a relatively deep and creative set when you begin with B'BOOM. And of course the follow up question, if you open with B'BOOM, does that mean the next song will be...? Yup. THRAK. Complete with goofy improv in the middle. Not one of the better Thraks I've heard, but if they keep doing it on tour I suspect it will get better and more extended as the group gets a feel for it. And on some level doing Thrak feels like an attempt to genuinely engage the spirit of the double trio, rather than just give the fans some nice oldies.

The rest of the setlist included (not gonna try to get the order completely right here) Dinosaur, One Time, Frame by Frame, and Indiscipline. Any time there's a question in the back of your mind about "but who got to be Robert?" the answer is Markus. That was particularly impressive during FxF, but Markus also turned in commendable version of Robert's bits on B'Boom and One Time (obviously not full looped mini-soundscapes for One Time like recent performances). Indiscipline was particularly amazing. Was a bit disappointed with the audients in that a fairly large number clapped during the fakeout on Dinosaur. As the band left the stage, I told the guy next to me "they'll be back -- they still have to play Thela". Sure enough: encore= Thela hun ginjeet.

Token appearance by Robert at one point in the form of a sound clip that I assume Pat is responsible for, where we hear Robert say "Good evening, gentlemen! Gentlemen ... and lady ... perhaps even two!".

On the whole, it was closer to a genuine KC experience that I expected. I'm not sure I ever fully felt the dark fairy make her presence known -- songs like Elephant Talk and Indiscipline were comparable to genuine Crim, but those are also sort of the jokey side of KC. Without something like a Level 5, Larks 2/4 or for that matter TPTB2, there are big regions of KC that aren't getting touched, and the whole thing lacks a certain depth. Probably the closest they got to nailing the haunting side of KC was the end of One Time (it started shaky, but coming out of the middle section it was very strong until the end), and they don't really have any of the big audient flattening instrumentals in the set, though I think it would be very manageable to add Red or Vroom/Marine475 to the set.

Incidentally, for fans of the "hypothetical Robertless lineup" game, definitely start including Markus Reuter in your list of candidates. Tony, Pat, Ade and Markus (with maybe Gavin Harrison) makes a hell of a band that could probably work out most of the Crim repertory with a little practice. Though I still want to hear Kimmo Crimson”

Followed by…

“I wanted to avoid this thread before last night's show, and now in light of what we heard, I say Sebz's post is dead on target. On the drive up I remarked to the mistress that while I enjoyed the hell out of Stick Men mk1, I was excited to hear this lineup since Markus's style & approach are significantly closer to the Fripp/ProjeKct mold. I'm happy to say that both that group and the entire sextet benefited a lot from his sensibility. He never tried to sound like Robert per se, but he did a great job at filling in those various spaces (rough & thrashy, looping and 'scaping, etc) in a way that's true to himself and entirely fitting for the material.

The Stick Men set was largely as described above. I agree that this was the most ProjeKct-like portion, combining the best of that Crimsoid forward-thinking attitude (much like TUNER, KTU or BLUE) with enough bounce and funk to have some of the audience dancing in the aisles (not exaggerating). The set was the same as in that first post plus Fripp's "Breathless," which really lived up to its potential. Powerful stuff. Tony introduced it by saying that the bands were leaving the KC material out of their individual sets, but they considered this track a good way of bending the rule.

Apparently the rule didn't apply as strictly to Ade, since he slipped "Neurotica" early into his set and mentioned during the band intros that since the song's about New York, it seemed fitting to play it with "their New York drummer." I was most impressed with Tobias. He's got power and groove to spare and still made tackling the intricacies of this music seem effortless. And as impressed as I was, I have to say Julie was even more exceptional. Set was similar to the above but with no "Futurevision."

The Ade/Tony/Pat portion was pretty short, only two songs (3PP and E-talk). I was surprised to see Markus come out next, but nobody else. What? Hmmm, what would they need an extra guitar for? Of course. "Red." A too-obvious choice, but this lineup really sold it. The song never quite seemed full enough when played by the Stick Men trio, but this combination of instruments was perfect. The double-trio part began after that song.

I'm glad I didn't read this earlier review, since "B'Boom" was a super surprise to start off with. They had fun stretching with the improv section, starting with a nice quiet dialogue between Markus and Tobias, while Julie and Tony wandered around taking pictures. The drummers nailed the piece itself - maybe not as perfectly as Pat and Gavin did together, but it was enough to flatten the ol' ear hairs pretty handily nonetheless. Then we got "Thrak" (again with a wandering middle improv), "One Time," "Dinosaur," "Frame by Frame" and a really fierce extended "Indiscipline." Here they took the song's usual intro setup (bass vamp with drum improv) and turned it into a wicked (and funny!) solo-trading face-off between Pat and Tobias that ran for what felt like four or five minutes by itself. You could tell that everybody on stage had been having a fun time throughout, but this had the biggest smiles and laughs of the night. Adrian rolled with it by messing with the words a little, e.g. pretending to forget a line until prompted by the audience. Apparently sometimes humo(u)r is permitted after all.

The encore was "Thela" again. I would have loved a couple less-obvious tracks like "Sheltering Sky" or "Vrooom," and I thought at the time "Sleepless" would have made a killer encore jam. But this was effective enough, at least judging by the amount of abuse Ade's guitar got, which I suppose is as good a criterion as anything else.


The idea of KC members playing KC music may have been the biggest advertising gimmick, and it would have been pleasant enough to see in itself, but happily this show is a whole lot more. These are all top-notch musicians in any combination and getting to see these two trios alone is always a treat, so getting to hear them play together and change around and explore in a new context is even better. Ignore that gimmick and those expectations and it's still a hell of a show.”

And finally:

“I was at the Phoenixville show as well, and don't have much to add to SK's or Geno's comments. Excellent, excellent show all around. I was thoroughly impressed with Markus Reuter.”

Here’s a simply gorgeous You Tube of the double trio doing “One Time”…



I was at the show Friday night and it was chill rendering. Tobias Ralph really impressed me on the drums with the ABPT – he had some big shoes to fill in that Eric was with the band from its inception for four years and then he was followed by Marco freaking Minnemann but he is one hell of a drummer and I can’t imagine what it must be like for him to not only be on this tour but to drum with Pat Mastelotto every night…in any event, he deserves to be there and I think people are going to be saying a lot of nice things about him on this tour.

Stick Men. What can I say? They rule. They are like no one else. See them. Buy their records. End of story.

Listening to my daughter trading bass licks with Tony…I know I’ve seen it before in Canada, but trust me, it will NEVER get old. Julie is fucking awesome – she gets better and better. Not to talk about that Tim Motzer download again, but the musicianship that goes on between Julie, Eric, and Tim is mind numbing. Just a beautiful thing to witness.

Back to the tour, I also know they are shaking up the set list every night which is awesome except for the fact that it makes me wish I could be at every show. That being said, I am going to the Wednesday night show at the Iridium with Eric and we’re both spending the night in NYC so we can all hang out afterward (Damn you, Amtrak, and your last train to Philly at 11:05PM. Who picked that arbitrary time? NYC Hotel owners?) …anyway, we’re really looking forward to that.
Here’s the rest of the tour schedule. Again, a must see. Music of this quality just does not come around often.

Sept 27 Boston, MA / Royale
Sept 28 New York, NY / Iridium
Sept 29 New York, NY / Iridium
Sept 30 Fairfield, CT / Stage One
Oct 1 Northhampton, MA / Iron Horse
Oct 2 Montreal, QC / Corona
Oct 4 Toronto, ON / Mod Club
Oct 5 Buffalo, NY / Tralf
Oct 6 Covington, KY / Southgate House
Oct 7 Detroit, MI / Magic Bag
Oct 8 Chicago, IL / Old Town School of Folk
Oct 9 Minneapolis, MN / Cedar Cultural Center
Oct 11 Boulder, CO / Boulder Theater
Oct 12 Salt Lake City, UT / The Depot
Oct 14 Portland, OR / Aladdin
Oct 15 Seattle, WA / Triple Door
Oct 17 Sacramento, CA / Harlows
Oct 18 San Francisco, CA / Regency
Oct 19 Solana Beach, CA / Belly Up
Oct 21 Agoura Hills, CA / Canyon Club
Oct 22 Santa Ana, CA / Galaxy
Oct 23 Phoenix, AZ / The Foundry
Oct 24 Santa Fe, NM/Santa Fe Brewing
Oct 26 St Louis, MO / Old Rockhouse
Oct 27 Indianapolis, IN / Birdys
Oct 28 Nashville, TN / Belcourt
Oct 29 Ashville, NC / MoogFest

I also see that Julie just announced she’s bought a hot plate and she’s picking up her pressure cooker while on this two day hiatus from the tour so she’s planning on cooking for the guys. I also see her first dish is going to be asparagus mushroom risotto. Dear God, they are all going to want to marry her when they taste her food. Kidding, kidding. Adrian already has been the beneficiary of her meals many times and I think Ade and Martha would love for Julie to come live in Nashville permanently.

Anyway, the band is in for a serious treat and I can’t wait for Julie to post the food porn photos.

Julie also has a new record out with drummer Carl Bahner.

You can buy it right here, and yes, I introduced them just like I was the one who was the brains behind Paper Cat.

By the way, this is not Julie’s second solo CD. This is a completely different project. Look for Julie’s next disc in 2012. I believe she’s busy rounding up some special guests ☺ That being said, this record kicks serious ass and it looks damn pretty, too.

Speaking of records, Julie has another new one coming out shortly with another one of her bands, Drgnkng, and click on that link for a free download. Also, have you seen the video for this? Hey, Julie isn’t just another beautiful face in a blue sequin cape – that’s her slapping away at the bass and she rules…as does everyone else in this band. I’m really excited to see how this record does and if this band can get a tour together soon. Their local shows are amazing so if you are anywhere near Philadelphia, check them out.



Hey, this one just popped up from their gig the other night. Cool!


Okay, I think I’ve covered the kiddies for now but I’m hoping to be back here on a more regular basis and even better, with a cool story or two from my night in NY with Eric on Wednesday and maybe permission to blab some of his news.

And now to me. Also known as, you can leave now if you want to. (With a nod to Jimi Hendrix)

Let’s see.

I just finished the first draft of my first new novel in almost two years. It's called Squirrel Jam and the original tag line was "a grieving widow must rescue her children from the clutches of a madman" or something like that but then I gave the grieving widow panic attack disorder and when I started researching that and similar anxieties, I realized it's what I wanted the focus of the book to be, instead of on the madman, which was my original plan. Christ, I even had an outline I was actually sticking to for the first time in my writing career. Anyway, I got hooked reading about cognitive therapy, and didn't realize...okay, I knew it damn well...that I suffered from a lot of the phobias and neuroses about which I was passing on to my character in the book but once I started my research and I actually used some of the "cures" myself. I have to admit, it led to some bittersweet humor in the book. One of the techniques of coping with panic is to make actual coping cards. Like, on one side you write, "I'm afraid I'm going to hurl in public." On the other side you write, "I'm going to take deep breaths and since I'm not a fortune teller, the chances are pretty good that I will be vomit free.”

Needless to say, I am having a ball with what I wrote on my protagonist's cards, too.

By the way, not to be condescending, but for those of you who are not writers, the protagonist is the main character, the narrator, in the book. Her name, in this case, is Allison. In keeping with the Squirrel Jam theme, one of the sections of the book is called “Allison in Chains” and those of you who are music fans will get it.

What I am seriously deliberating now is this: Do I go through the motions of querying a new agent and subjecting myself to all that torture again where even if I get really lucky, my book probably won’t be out until 2013 and by that time, everyone and their mother will have a Kindle, anyway? Or do I say the hell with it, I’m not putting myself through all that waiting and rejection, I am staying indie and putting this out as soon as my incredible editor takes a look at it and gives me the thumbs up. Because really, anyone who thinks publishing isn’t going the way of music is insane and with over 300,000 visitors to my INACTIVE blog, why the hell should I even consider the traditional route? It’s all in the marketing and promotion. Sad but true.

Anyway, you know what? I’m exhausted. So maybe I’ll devote an entire post just to me in a day or two. I just remembered I have a lot to talk about after all. But for now, here’s two things to put on your calendars, har har:

(1) I’ll be at the Collingswood Book Festival this coming Saturday, October 1 hawking Daddy Left Me Alone with God and handing out free chocolate;

(2) I’ll be a panel member at the Push to Publish Conference on Saturday, October 15 at Rosemont College. I’m on the genre panel and um, Steve Almond is the keynote speaker. Yes, I will be needing CPR.

Actually, I’m kidding. I’ve already met Steve, had drinks with him, and had him totally captivated for a couple of hours telling him my Three Days in New York City story. I could tell he was dying to steal it, but I burst his bubble when I told him I’d not already written it, it was about to be published. But a good time was had regardless. At least on my end.

Alright, enough. It’s time to feed the dog (fun, fun, fun, playing hide the pill in the hamburger), feed myself, and stick a straw in a bottle of Jack.

Later,
xo

Hey ho

Oh, happy 1st of May and oh, Mercury how thankful I am that you have gone direct :)

In fact, here's how my May horoscope started out...I don't think I want to click on the "read more" part because the first paragraph on the splash page is good enough for me...

"What an extraordinary month you have in store! May will be one of the happiest months of the year, and it will have none of the crosscurrents that you had to deal with in other months, ones that detoured your progress. In April, for example, Mercury had been retrograde nearly all month, from March 30 to April 23. That was then, but this now - what you see in May is a nearly picture-perfect month!"



Well, it is true that in the past couple of days, lots of awesome stuff has been happening and even more is on the horizon but I've been told by both kids I am not permitted to blab. That being so, while I will always love this blog and will definitely keep it around for when I can announce huge news, I am moving over to Facebook notes for my daily journal. That way, I can update regularly with my crazy private thoughts and links but I will be able to control who reads it because yes, you will have to be my Facebook friend and that can be accomplished by clicking this link.

But again, this blog is far from over. One thing I really wanted to do but never quite got off the ground was to make this a review site for books and music I love. So that might happen. And then there's my fascination with food. Do I believe I am a vegetarian for almost two years? Crazy. Who would have ever thought. So you might be treated to excerpts of the cookbook in progress that Julie and I have been threatening to write for the past year.

So this is not goodbye, just more of a heads up as to where you can find me and my latest news...but continue to keep your eye on this space because it will be evolving and who knows...

But yes, both Julie and Eric do have major announcements about upcoming shows and collaborations. And so do I!

Talk soon. xo

Odds and Sods for Sunday, April 10, 2011

Morning, world.

What's shaking? Anyone in the mood for a free book today?



"What happens when a frustrated American artist-turned-soccer-mom and her overconfident and charming British cyber-lover plan a three-day tryst of erotic depravity at a hotel in New York City?

Elizabeth and Richard are about to find out.

Elizabeth is about to turn forty years old, facing empty nest syndrome, and wistful about roads not taken. Unhappy in both her marriage and her career, she mourns abandoning her dream of being an artist. She feels like an outsider in her sports-obsessed family and a misfit at work in the corporate world. She's hoping Richard, a refined, British upper class gentleman with unusual sexual preferences, will be her Knight-in-Shining-Armor and rescue her from her unfulfilling life. What ensues is a hilariously poignant sexual romp through the Big Apple."

Yep, it's true. My very first published novel, Three Days in New York City, the first of the "sex in the city" trilogy, is TOTALLY FREE TODAY and you can pick up your copy right here at All Romance eBooks.

I feel I should mention that while I've been told Three Days is a laugh out loud comedy, a lot of the jokes revolve around sex and it is extremely graphic, so normally I'd say BUYER BEWARE but hey hey, since it's free today and today only, I say, Go for it! And if you like what you read, don't forget about the second book in the trilogy, Another Bite of the Apple, and the third and maybe or maybe not final installment, Bitten to the Core. If you would like the paperback versions of any of these books, please visit my author page over at Indiebound or directly from my publisher right here. Notice I am trying to steer you away from Amazon, but...sigh...I know resistance is futile, I know, so here is the link for that.

Speaking of writing, guess where I will be on Saturday?



Yep, I'm back, and I'll be with the East Coast Authors at a table selling and signing the reissue of Daddy Left Me Alone with God. And there will be lots of free chocolate! Stop by and say hello. For further details on the festival, here's the link to their webpage. For those of you who still get the morning newspaper, usually the Philadelphia Inquirer contains an excerpt with a map of where of the various authors/events will be but if not, trust me, I'll be tweeting and Facebooking my location.

It really is true about Facebook. Now that I know how it works, I see that's where everyone is. The blogging community as I knew it is dwindling. There are still huge communities of everything from mommy bloggers to entertainment/gossip bloggers, but most people, especially writers who need to be spending their time working on their novels, are now stationed at Facebook. So...if you haven't already, you can friend me right here.

And for me, blogging has become kind of bittersweet. Julie and Eric have apartments of their own; I no longer tour with them...so like, how do I top my stories of the past seven years since I first started blogging? I refuse to be one of those, "Well, today I had an English muffin with peanut butter for breakfast and maybe if I'm lucky, there's some brown rice and veggies left over for lunch...then I plan on writing, reading so and so's novel, and ooh ooh, I took a nap!"

Erm...no.

But yeah, how do I go from writing about meeting Robert Fripp to talking about English muffins and peanut butter?

Yer right. I can't. So I don't.

But the truth is, I have been working on my new book and I've been basically a shut in, taking care of my dog. Gah! I've been housebound for weeks, playing nursemaid to Monty the wonder dog. Yes, I know he is thirteen and has a terrible illness, but he's still hanging in there; I am confident he's not in any pain (seeing as how he still brings me his leash and has a totally voracious appetite)...but his illness, which suppresses his immune system, leaves him susceptible to just about everything and right now in addition to Cushing's disease he's fighting something called demodicosis. Don't google it. I even refuse to be my usual self and look. My feeling is, if the vet is still upbeat and Monty is still acting like Monty, I'm just taking it a day at a time and enjoying every second with him, but yeah, I am afraid to leave him alone and need a babysitter for him if I do go out.

But here's proof that he's doing great - in honor of opening day of baseball season this week, I got Monty a present and he's looking damn fine for a sickly senior citizen, isn't he?



Also, I should mention that when he turned 13 a few weeks ago, since it was his bar mitzvah, we had a party...Julie and Eric came over, we sang Happy Birthday, and this gorgeous cake is vegan peanut butter:



The idea was inspired by my vet, who told me that he has "patients" who do indeed lavishly bar mitzvah their dogs. Since I did not even have a bar mitzvah for my son, heathen that I am, I made up for it with Monty. We also had vegan coconut ice cream with our cake. :)

So, while I've been missing, I am sure you've seen the Facebook and twitters from not only me and the family but by others...Julie and Eric have been busy, busy, busy. From the Pink Revolver concert, featuring legendary musicians guitarist Jane Getter, keyboard player Rachel Z, drummer Camille Gainer Jones, vocalist Vivian Sessoms and bassist Julie Slick...and I understand another show is in the works for either May or June...here are some photos from last month:











I am still waiting for a You Tube to surface from that show, along with a You Tube from another project Julie is involved with drummer Carl Bahner...if you check Julie's website, you'll see she's got another show with Carl lined up as well as some Paper Cat shows..she's also the new bassist for Philadelphia super group Dragon King. But no worries, she's still an active member of the Adrian Belew Power Trio and there is talk of a very interesting tour this fall. Watch this space! Hmm...to save you the trouble, here's a list of Julie's upcoming gigs but I know there are more that she needs to add that are quite, quite special:

04/29 – Phoenixville, PA – Bahner/Slick Duo – Pickering Creek Inn
04/30 – Philadelphia, PA – Dragon King – The Barbary
05/04 – Philadelphia, PA – PAPER CAT – Johnny Brenda’s
06/07 – Philadelphia, PA – with Eric Slick, Tim Motzer, and Chris Cuzme – Triumph Brewing Company

Did you know that Eric has a brand new website? It's very cool but will be even cooler once he's off tour and has the time to update it but for now, here is the link. Eric is currently on tour with Dr. Dog and last night they played at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina where I just read they had quite the monsoon and hailstorm last night. Ha ha, it wouldn't be a real tour if one of my kids wasn't involved in some kind of natural disaster, huh. So, two things. One, here is a photo of Eric from the sold-out Dr. Dog show in Philadelphia on February 11, where management took pity on me (being one of the few people in the venue over 30) and let me sit on the side of the stage...



and two, here, in case you've never been so lucky, what it looks like in the green room backstage at the Electric Factory where they played that night...well, not exactly what it looks like, but look who is hanging out "watching" all the partying...





Pretty cool, huh. Also, Eric had more than another fifteen minutes of fame last week when he appeared for almost ten days on the front page of the Bonaroo website with this video, where he reminisces about meeting Dr. Dog for the first time...where? At Bonnaroo, of course!



But the nicest thing that happened was this morning, when I received the official "review" from my pal, brilliant photographer Michael Inman (ha ha, Mike, I see you've abandoned your blog, too but you can friend Mike on Facebook right here. I met Mike when J&E first joined the Adrian Belew Power Trio because he is a long time King Crimson and prog music fan, so I was a little nervous about how he would react to the looser, jamband style of Dr. Dog. I needn't have worried. Here's the lovely, lovely excerpts from his FB messages that I came down to when I woke up this morning.

First. Mike sent me a copy of a message he sent to Andre Cholmondelay, who is currently teching with the UK reunion tour featuring Eddie Jobson, John Wetton, and Marco Minnemann:

"Hey Andre,

Just had to tell you this. I went to see Eric last night in Dr. Dog...and quite honestly I didn't get what all the fuss was about that band...till I saw them LAST NIGHT OMG! They were so insanely excellent! He has come such a long long way in such a few short years. You had a significant part in his development for giving him his first break in Project Object. I wish I had seen him in that band too. However I think Eric has found the right place now with Dr. Dog OMG! I never thought I would say that because I SO LOVED him in the Power Trio with Julie.

But last night I saw these boys play their ASSES OFF! They were buggin on the stage...bouncing all over the place I was in the front row and I am still freaking out at the caliber of this band! I am weeping with Joy for how amazing they are. Before I went in Eric came out and talked to me a bit. He was saying how playing iwth this band is so much different than playing where he had a lot more fills. He really had to teach himself restraint. You know what he has learned with this band is how to be a supporting drummer and hold back till it's his time to shine and trust me he has plenty of fills!

I know you have been through so so much lately losing Cheri and all and have gone through and are going through some really rough patches. But something in the cosmos told me I needed to write you to tell you just how amazing this boy has become! He has some incredible parents, an amazing sister and you of course also played a very important part in his journey so far.

I hope when you read this if warms your heart to hear these words. I know you are an amazing musician, and a super addition to any road crew a band could ever have. I am sure that Wetton and Jobson know this and if they don't they are fools! I took many photos last night it was very difficult to capture these boys because they run all over the place...such energy! Such talent...such timing! And Eric has a huge role in that.

Hope that you come through the Charlotte area sometime in the near future and if you do please let me know. And when you get the chance if you haven't already done so.....go see Eric in Dr. Dog. I think you will be grinning the entire show just like I was.

Peace, Mike"

Isn't that the most beautiful message, ever? And here's what Mike wrote to me, directly, when I thanked him so much for his letter to Andre and me:

"You are welcome Rob and Thank You for hooking me up with the photo pass! It's always appreciated! Oh and these guys can really make a huge noise! OMG! I am still in awe of their live show! There is no video and no audio recording that can EVER capture this. Oh and you know as well as me....that Eric will always be in twenty side projects no matter what band he is playing in. AND I pray he and Julie are playing together again.....because they TALK they communicate through music...like Identical twins who have their own language!

Peace, Mike"

I love what Mike says about Julie and Eric. Indeed.

By the way, if you are in the NYC area, you can catch the UK reunion show Monday night. You can find the details right here. Julie asked me if I could go - I think she may be attending - but in light of everything going on right now, I kind of doubt it. Having attended this show in 2009, I can tell you it's incredible (and I saw them without John Wetton so I can just imagine how awesome it is now)...so yeah, if you live anywhere near New York, you really need to GO.

Okay, then. Have I covered everything? Get your free copy of Three Days in NYC today; come say Hi to me at the Book Festival next Saturday (unless you are a stalker then please, do not bother me har har), if you are in the Florida area go see Eric on this current Dr. Dog tour which runs through next week...if you are in Philly do not miss any of the upcoming Julie/Eric shows (though there are some great NY ones coming up that neither have on their respective websites yet so I'm thinking I'd better stay quiet until they are officially announced)...and if you are a praying sort of person, send me some white light for my doggie.

Talk soon...
xo

P.S. Whoops, I did forget one thing. This weekend marks the one year anniversary of The Great Canadian Writers' Retreat. So much has happened to all four of us this year! I really want to do a blog post which gets into that in detail, but this time last year, one of the highlights was hanging out with Susan Henderson five months prior to the publication of her debut novel, Up from the Blue. Well, guess what. A year to the day of our first night together, Susan appeared on the Rosie O'Donnell radio show after receiving this tweet from Rosie!

"@rosie @LitPark - I love ur book - almost done with it - would u like to come on my radio show ?"

Can you imagine how Sue felt when she got that tweet? From Rosie Freaking O'Donnell? Anyway, yep, Rosie sent a car to pick up Sue and you can listen to the whole interview right here. That might not be the direct link, but it will take you there.

Okay, then. Happy Sunday, all. I believe you have some reading to do. :)

Daddy Left Me Alone with God

ETA: Daddy Left Me Alone with God is now available for Kindle right here!

Today I am ecstatic to announce that my novel, Daddy Left Me Alone with God, has a brand new publisher, a brand new cover, and hurrah, is now available in ebook format.

Here's how it looks now...


Cover art by Amanda Kelsey.

I'm very, very excited about my new publisher, DLP Books.

DLP is basically a small, independent publishing house with a little bit of everything. They offer a variety of quality fiction, poetry, and non-fiction in eBook format and print. Print books will be available on the main DLP site shortly and they are working diligently to get wider distribution. The print version of Daddy should be available some time next month...I'll let you know when...but I'm really excited about today's release because it was never available in ebook format until now. It will also be for sale over at Amazon and Barnes and Noble for Kindle and Nook practically any minute, but in the meantime you can purchase it at DLP Books or All Romance.

Actually, it is available over at Barnes and Noble for Nook as we speak. Here's the link!

Or you can click on my brand new banner/header, which will take you directly to DLP.

I am also thrilled to show you the trailer for the novel, which features music by Julie Slick!



Recognize the song? It's Aphrodite, from Julie's solo CD. You can purchase it right here.

And here's a tiny excerpt from the book's prologue to whet your appetite - I hope :)

"I sat on the edge of a bed in a cheap Los Angeles hotel, two thousand seven hundred miles away from my home in Philadelphia, armed with the uneasy realization that in a couple of hours my life might be changed forever.

And what was my biggest concern?

How did I look and what should I wear.

Shallow wench.

Disgusted with myself, I got up and paced back and forth all agitated until finally settling on a black t-shirt, tight faded jeans, and stiletto heeled boots.

Perfect. From a few feet away, I could pass for thirty.

Make that thirty-five.

Oh, alright. Thirty-seven.

In candlelight.

Hey, the venue would be dark so I would be fine.

Yeah, right. Like I really believed that. And fine was not a word in my vocabulary."

*******************

And right about now, if you know me personally, you are probably saying to yourself, this is really non-fiction, huh.

Now, now. My lips are sealed.

I also set up a new Facebook page for Daddy but naturally screwed something up when I sent out the "Robin Slick suggests you like Daddy Left Me Alone with God" emails so could you all do me a favor and visit the page and click "Like"?

Facebook Page.

Also...tah dah...I have a new website!

www.RobinSlick.com

Now let's see who can guess what I love most about my site, which, by the way, was designed by the same man responsible for designing the sites of some very heavy hitters - Chris McElroy...

Give up?

Ha ha, no you didn't. You all know the answer. It's the Rock and Roll section. I am still adding Slick family celebrity photos and am having a blast. You'll also see links to a bunch of You Tubes - some actually have to do with me and stuff I've done, but the bulk of it are Julie and Eric Slick's "greatest hits". Surprise, surprise.

So I hope you will celebrate the book's release with me - I have all kinds of things I am in the process of lining up for the Spring - readings, book festivals, etc, so watch this space along with Facebook, Twitter, etc. for details.

I am really stoked!

I'll be on the look-out for the Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other links and will post them here and on my website as soon as they are available. In the meantime, I'm headed back over to Facebook to try and figure out what the hell I did wrong :)

Later,
xo

The Other Life by Ellen Meister

Morning! And Happy Valentine's Day!

So if you've been a regular reader of this blog over the years, you know that I am friends with an astoundingly talented writer named Ellen Meister.



Yes, I know. She's not only an amazing writer, she's drop dead gorgeous, too.

Anyway, February 17, 2011 is a really special day for Ellen - it's the release of her third book, The Other Life. It sold at AUCTION, people. That means various publishing companies fought for the right to own this book. Can you imagine the thrill? I get chills just thinking about it.



The cover is almost as gorgeous as Ellen :)

But, oh, the book. I was lucky enough to read the very first draft of this novel, and my immediate reaction was: Oh. My. God. The premise of the book is completely brilliant, and in typical Ellen style, there are laugh out loud lines mixed in with the tragedies we all endure and somehow manage to survive...if we are lucky.

Remember when I went on my Great Canadian Writers' Retreat and learned about "the elevator pitch" - the line which would sum up your novel in one sentence if you had 10 seconds to pitch your book to an agent who has the good fortune to ride the elevator with you? Here's Ellen's elevator pitch for The Other Life:

What if you could return to the road not taken?

The trailer, created by Ellen's equally insanely talented teenaged son, Max, will give you another glance into the magic that is The Other Life...

In case that didn't whet your appetite enough, here's a brief synopsis:

"Quinn Braverman is keeping two secrets from her loving husband, Lewis. One is that the real reason she chose him over Eugene, her neurotic, semi-famous ex-boyfriend, was to prove to her mother that she could have a happy, stable relationship with the guy next door.

The other is that Quinn knows another life exists in which she made the other choice and stayed with Eugene. The two lives run in parallel lines, like highways on opposite sides of a mountain. There, on the other side, the Quinn who stayed with Eugene is speeding through her high-drama, childless life in Manhattan. Here, the Quinn who married Lewis lives in the suburbs, drives a Volvo, and has an adorable young son with another baby on the way.

But the important part of the secret—the part that terrifies and thrills her—is that she knows it's possible to cross from one life to the other. So far she’s played it safe, never venturing over to see what’s on the other side. Then a shocking turn of events rattles Quinn to her very core, and she makes the reckless choice to finally see what she’s been missing.

There, she not only rediscovers her exciting single life, but meets the one person she thought she’d lost forever. Her mother.

But Quinn can’t have both lives. Soon, she must decide which she really wants—the one she has…or the other life?"

Check out the heavy hitters who have already praised this book:

"How many wonder what their life would be like if they chose a different path? This is the crux of Ellen Meister’s riveting novel, THE OTHER LIFE. This inimitable tale is mesmerizing ..."
-Nancy C. Lepri, New York Journal of Books

"A powerful, moving and emotional story that is going to be a great read for book clubs."
-Bookfinds

"Intriguing, stimulating, original, unpredictable, frightening,utterly engaging--THE OTHER LIFE reminded me why I love to read. EllenMeister is a writer with a limitless future."
-Michael Palmer, New York Times bestselling author of THE LAST SURGEON

"Ellen Meister makes a big leap toward the literary in THE OTHER LIFE, a book where 'What if' becomes the most powerful question in the world. This is the thinking woman's beach read, a love story to the modern family, written with a deep and lovely understanding of mothers and daughters and the sacrifices they'll make for each other."
-Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING

"Gripping! A truly fascinating story of love, loss, and a magical place in between."
-Beth Harbison, New York Times bestselling author of HOPE IN A JAR

"In her riveting breakthrough novel, THE OTHER LIFE, gifted storyteller Ellen Meister doesn't just peek in on a young mother who straddles between love and doubt, she blows it open with a story of one who straddles two parallel universes, each with its own perilous decisions. It is a brave and honest exploration of the precarious limits of motherhood that will make readers wonder if Meister followed them with a probe and felt their racing hearts and hopes. If you have ever second guessed the biggest decisions of your life (and who hasn't), THE OTHER LIFE is a captivating homage to the question, does love conquer all?"
-Saralee Rosenberg, author of DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD and FATE AND MS. FORTUNE

"THE OTHER LIFE is a provocative and unique tale of the road not taken. Ellen Meister puts a magical, masterful spin on one of my favorite questions: 'What if?' What if you took both roads? You won't want to miss this one!"
-Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author of THE GIRL WHO CHASED THE MOON

"I loved this emotional powerhouse of a novel that asks a daring "what if..." and manages to be as charming and funny as it is thoughtful and moving. Brava, Ellen Meister!"
-Melissa Senate, author of SEE JANE DATE and THE SECRET OF JOY

So I met Ellen almost ten years ago...oh dear God, how can that be...at Zoetrope studios where we were both intent on following our dream to be writers. I know I've published this pic many times, but it's from approximately seven years ago, I am thinking Ellen had just gotten her book deal for her debut novel, Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA, but it may have been right before...and of course this photo also features this year's debut novelist star, Susan Henderson.



But yeah, it feels like a lifetime ago...all of us gals met online and just clicked...since we were east coasters, it was only a matter of time until we'd meet up in the real world and the rest is history.

So I did get to read the initial draft of the Other Life, but like the rest of the world, I have to wait to receive my copy this week (though I'm hoping it comes today). I'll post an official review once I have the benefit of reading the finalized version. Below are links for you to get your hot little hands on the book...trust me...everyone in the universe is going to be talking about it for more than one reason...I don't want to tip my hand here, but one of the most interesting things about it is going to be how it is interpreted by various readers across the U.S. In fact, I am willing to bet it's every bit as lauded and controversial as A Prayer for Owen Meany...and dear God, if you haven't ever read Owen Meany, GO TO YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY OR BOOKSTORE NOW, but yeah, I am really interested to see what unfolds here. Let's just say the subject of choice is very open to interpretation here on many, many levels, which is what I love so much about The Other Life.

So where can you buy what is sure to be a NYT best seller?

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Indie Bound

Books-A-Million

Powell's

If you are lucky enough to be in the Long Island area, Ellen's launch party will be held at Book Revue this Friday night at 7PM. And if anyone reading this is from Philadelphia and wants to go and can drive me, I will pay all expenses, i.e., gas, bridge tolls, etc. I would kill to be there but without a drivers license, I'm kind of screwed :)

Anyway, I know Ellen would love it if you would hit the "Like" button on her Facebook Page and guess what? If you buy the book and live in the U.S., Ellen will send you an autographed book plate, free of charge! Details are on her FB pages, but look...isn't it pretty?



So go click on one of the links provided above or get yourself to a (preferably indie if you can find one) bookstore on February 17, pick yourself up a copy of The Other Life, and let's meet back here in a few weeks to discuss it. Cool? Cool!

I love you, Ellen. You're a superstar!

Later,
xo

It was twenty-five years ago today...

Hello, blog, remember me? No? Okay, then. I can see I have to refresh your memory and oh, man, do I have a lot to tell you.

Let's start with the latest news and then I'll backtrack to my last post of...gasp...November 4, 2010? How is that possible? To quote Dr. Dog: Where'd All the Time Go?

Speaking of that, Happy 25th Birthday to Ms. Julie Slick. Man, I am in shock over that one. In case you haven't been with me since the beginning here, I told the whole tragi-comedy of Julie's birth in one of my earlier posts. Yep, still crazy after all these years. :) Wow, I just checked her Facebook page. She must have 5,000 Happy Birthday wishes from people literally all over the world. If you haven't friended Julie on Facebook, what are you waiting for? By the way, Julie shares a birthday with both Andrew Greenaway, ak/a The Idiot Bastard and Andy Lucibello, the man behind Pink Revolver.

Pink Revolver?



Okay, that's not really their logo, I found it in Google Images, but yep, they're a band.

Who's in it? Well, here's the guitarist:



And that would be Jane Getter. Yeah, you read right. She played guitar in the SNL band. SNL. As in Saturday Night Live.

Here's the keyboard player:.



That would be Rachel Z. Ho hum, she plays with Peter Gabriel, Wayne Shorter, won a Grammy...

And the vocalist:



Meet Vivian Sessoms. Her resume includes working live or in the studio with Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, P. Diddy, Sinead O Connor, and Stevie Wonder.

Joining them will be the world's most insanely talented electric violinist:



You may recognize her. She was a student along with Julie and Eric at the School of Rock and her name is Katie Jacoby. She's all grown up now, that's for sure, and she's performed with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Jon Anderson of YES, John Wetton of King Crimson/Asia, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, Zappa alumni Ike Willis, Ray White, Ed Mann, and Napoleon Murphy Brock, Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers' Jeff Skunk Baxter, Vernon Reid of Living Colour, Exodus, and Ed Palmermo's Big Band.

On drums:



That would be Camille Gainer. Camille has worked with such artists as Antonio Hart, J.T. Taylor of Kool and the Gang, Marc Cary, Greg Osby, Steve Coleman, Michael Urbaniak, Melky Sedeck, Chuck Mangione, Kelis, Monifa, Tom Browne, Roy Ayers, Angela Bofill, Noel Pointer, Lonnie Liston Smith, Christian Mcbride, M.C. Shan and the Juice Crew All-Stars of which she was the musical director.

Also on drums...



Kaleen Reading

I wonder who the bassist is?




Why, yes. That would be daughter Julie Slick

And Andy Lucibello, a brilliant musician in his own right and yes, the very same Andy who shares a birthday with Ms. Julie, was kind enough to be the facilitator of the band and their first gig is as follows:

SCHOOL OF ROCK Presents: Concert for the Awareness of Women in the Arts and Breast Cancer
March 12, 2011 from 7PM to 10PM featuring the debut of PINK REVOLVER
Opening acts will be all female bands from the Chatham, Princeton, and Long Valley Schools of Rock.

I'll have additional details and of course lots more to say on this band/concert in the coming weeks, but oh my goodness, if you are anywhere near the north Jersey/New York area, you do not want to miss this show.

And this is just the beginning for Pink Revolver. They're insanely talented, gorgeous...what else do you need?

Julie is busy recording her new CD, and last night when she came over here to celebrate her birthday a little more, she played some new cuts for me and talked about the "special guests" she's going to invite to join her. Erm...I can't blab, but how can she top the special guests on her debut CD? Well, stay tuned. She just might.

On Thursday evening, we had our usual bon voyage Eric Slick dinner at Silk City - Eric is currently on tour and just played two sold out shows in Washington, D.C. - he's heading to Knoxville today for a show tomorrow -- combined with yet another Julie birthday celebration. Oh, before I give you more Julie news, here's the poster for the current Dr. Dog tour. Cool, isn't it?

''

Here's the remaining Dr. Dog tour schedule. Be advised that the February 11, 2011 show at Philadelphia Electric Factory is SOLD OUT! However, if you really want to see them, if you believe this, private brokers are selling single tickets at $250@! I would say that Dr. Dog has "arrived", wouldn't you?

While I'm still on the subject of Eric, how about some family photos?

Below is a slideshow of our family Thanksgiving, which was held on December 10, because Julie was on tour with Adrian in Sweden on the real date. It was so cool to have everyone here - Eric and his beautiful significant other, Nicky and Julie and her significant other, Matt...and by the way, Matt and his band have a new CD out which is truly wonderful and on heavy rotation on the radio. You can check in out right here.

The same gang got together at Christmas...here's a couple of Nicky's photos at our house on Christmas morning:





Yeah, there were a lot of gifts and yeah I am in my pajamas and not looking so swift but it was early in the morning!

Okay, back to wrapping up my Julie news.

So yeah, she's working on the new CD, and you can hear the work in progress over at Sound Cloud.

What's really cool is that Julie's debut CD made several "Best of 2010" lists...not bad for a one woman show who does not have a record label or distributor. In fact, she's blowing everyone's mind, well into her second pressing with sales still brisk. Hear that, Bob Lefsetz?

Here are links to some sites which gave Julie the best of honors:

Vince Font over at Progopolis has this to say...and you can listen to the podcast right here...

Sea of Tranquility showed her some love...

So did Progressive Ears!

And the one that probably made Julie the most proud...coming from brilliant bassist Steve Lawson, who saw the trio in London this past fall and was blown away if one is to believe his many tweets on the subject...and I do! :)

And if that's not awesome enough, stay tuned for details on something incredible altogether - Julie sold a song from the CD! We don't know yet if it's going to be used for a television commercial or what, but she sold it for a significant amount and too funny, out of all the songs on the CD, they chose the one that's a duo with Eric: February.

Which reminds me. The ONLY real radio station in Philadelphia, WXPN, named Dr. Dog's Shame, Shame as #3 album of the year and their song, Shadow People, as #3 single. While Eric was not with the band when they recorded Shame, Shame, he was with them this summer when they recorded Take Me Into Town, which was voted #25 best single! And their song Black/Red, which you can also access by clicking the first link, has been picked up by not one but two television shows!

And since I saw it tweeted everywhere, I assume it's okay to tell you that Dr. Dog has already started work on their next studio album, and it's being produced by this guy. Yes, I know. Heart be still. I heard some of the rough tracks and got some serious chills.

Let's see. What else. Man, I have a ton of writing news. I want to tell you all about my new publisher but I am awaiting my book's new cover and I don't want that news to be buried here, so I will be back with a separate post which focuses on writing and my writer pals. I have friends of note with blockbuster books either just released or about to be released, and there are two in particular I can't recommend enough. One is Caroline Leavitt's latest, which is called "Pictures of You", and another is Ellen Meister's "The Other Life". Please friend these amazing authors on Facebook. They are sweethearts, they interact with their fans, and most of all, they are brilliant writers. Caroline is getting unbelievable rave reviews and is out on a book tour right now ("the beaded vintage sweater and red cowboy boot tour har har...Caroline is my twin sister from a different mother...she wears all black, too and has long curly hair) and Ellen...man, what can I say about Ellen...how about watch this space for some even more amazing news!

Again, more on writing and the book reviews I promised you months ago -- Ariel Leve's "It Could Be Worse You Could Be Me", Marcy Dermansky's "Bad Marie", and Gina Frangello's "Slut Lullabies" among others -- will be forthcoming. One of the reasons I haven't blogged and really shirked my responsibilities and promises to these authors is that *gasp* I took a "real job" this fall filling in for someone on maternity leave at a local law school. I finished up at the end of the year and have been grappling with some home typing in the meantime while I write my latest book and also look for another job. I loved working at the law school (in fact, so much that it freaks me out that it's over because the people there were so intelligent and so cool it was ridiculous) and decided that when I do go back to work, it will be at a university again. I love being with students and in an academic atmosphere...you know me, I'm Peter Pan...I don't have to explain that to you, do I?

Ha ha, I thought not.

Okay, I started this post at 6:30 a.m. and it's now 10:45. Four hours on a blog post? Ha! And I haven't even told you half the stuff that's happened or about to happen. But my brains feel fried; I need to put up another pot of coffee, and you know the drill...if I think of anything I forgot that I simply must add or if I come across any reviews of this weekends' sold-out Dr. Dog shows...I WILL BE BACK (said in best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice).

Later,
xo