September 2024

Hello Dear Friends!

Thanks so much for checking in.

Things have been good with me. Making lots of records for folks, playing some cool gigs and working with some amazing students at the University of New Orleans.

The biggest thing going on is that I have been spending several years, and a lot of time, trying to set up a low key arts center somewhere in Portugal or Spain. In the last two years it has become apparent for a variety of reasons that Valencia, Spain is the place to do it. It is a huge puzzle of logistics, legality, lots of spreadsheets, and finding a building and the money to make it all happen. Progress is being made on all of the fronts. I really love the people in Valencia, and there is an incredibly talented music community that is desperate for quality places to perform.

The center is not going to be exclusively about music. I see visionary culiunary artists curating meals, non-fiction writers doing workshops, visual artists creating and sharing, etc, etc. I really want to help birth a space that can exist beyond the neesd for constant capitalisation and beyond me, frankly. Not that I plan on going anywhere soon, but to be blunt, my end is certainly closer than my beginning :) I want artists of all types to be able to connect with their fans and supporters as directly as possible. I also really look forward to connecting all of my incredibly creative friends from around the world with the beautiful, warm and kind artists I have met in Spain and Portugal. If you want to know more, or how to get involved, or would like to make a charitable contribution to the project, please reach out!

I’m really getting close to finishing the third Organic Trio record entitled There You Have It. It has been a long time coming. (My bandmates would say something snarky at this point). I am probably going to release it in a very experimental way. Reality is that all of the old ways of releasing things is just not working out for artists, so someone needs to try different stuff to see what could be sustainable.

I am currently working with Brad Walker on a beautiful two album set of small group improvisational music. Brad is such a force, and I feel so blessed to get to work on another project with him. I am a huge fan, and it is really a joy listening to the tracks as we work.

This past year saw some tremendous releases that I got to be a part of. They include Byron Asher’s Skrontch Music’s Lord, when you send the rain, Matt Booth’s Sun Prints, Carlos Medina’s El Salt Del Cavall and Anna Quinn’s not quite released Quinn & Barrett. I hope you check all of these out when you get a chance! I’ve also had the pleasure to consult on a number of other wonderful recording projects. What I can say is that as discombobulated as the industry is at the moment, there certainly is no shortage of great sounding and artisically compelling projects in the works.

I am really looking forward to hitting Europe in September and October for a run of dates with the Organic Trio. Watch the calendar for details. I’ll be back in Spain in December for more work on the arts complex.

So - that is my report! I am wishing for you all the best that I can.

Peace,
– B

Thanks to the people that keep me sounding good with their fine products: Mesa Boogie, D’Addario Strings, Bryan Galloup Guitars and Robert Keeley Effects.

ps: I started an email list thing a while ago, the big plan being to send out my news and my gig list about once a month. So far I’ve sent out exactly one mailing! I swear I will get it together eventually. So, if you want to take the chance that one day you might get something, click these words. If, at some point, you become terminally swamped by electronic correspondences (which at the rate I’m going could never happen!), you can un-sign up too, the convenient and automatic disconnect link comes with every email! Also, you have the option of letting me know where you are, so I won’t bother you with gig notices for stuff nowhere near you.