29 December - Counting Down

Gonna be the new year in a few days. Looking forward to many aspects of it, but NOT the political circus that's coming to town. Okay, enough about that. I hope you all had a decent 2024. It was an emotional roller coaster ride now and then, but at least the music-making was good.

The Mistress Miriam Show begins again on February 1st. Check out the "2025 Shows" list over there in the right-hand column. Anything we've got booked will show up there.

Be well, see you 'round.

7 December - Winter

Well, it's looking a bit more seasonal than it was in that last post. But we're told that temps are going to rise again in the next few days, so this snow won't last very long either. Rehearsals resume this week, and we'll be glad if it's not a miserable slog to the practice space.

1 December - 2 Photos

We got a light dusting of snow the other day, but it was barely enough to mention, never mind shovel. It was gone the next day. Our surroundings here on the riverside still look like November. We're getting ready for the Solstice and the season that follows, but it's not here yet. I suppose my point is that there's a stark beauty to the place during this in-between time of year that I quite enjoy.

19 November - A Fond Farewell

Here's a screenshot of the events I played with the Group DeVille Trio and The Mistress Miriam Show this year. If you were at any of the three GDV3 gigs, congratulations. You were witness to one of our final performances.

The three of us got together last night for one of our monthly sessions, and after much consideration, we have decided to no longer perform as a band. From now on, we're just three friends who'll get together from time to time for coffee, an occasional lunch out, or a dinner party with our spouses. And yes, we may even drag the instruments out now and then and make some music. But no more regular practice schedule, and no more shows. It's time.

The photo above is one a friend took of us during the July show at Angel Park. Oddly enough, we had talked back then about possibly making that gig our last hurrah. Turns out it was. 

13 November - Rehearsal

No, I'm not going to post about the elections that were held last week here in the States. There's plenty being said about that elsewhere.

Today I'm just stopping by to note that we're rehearsing this afternoon for the gig we have on Friday. It will be our last scheduled performance in 2024, and that seems worthy of mention. In the weeks to follow, we'll be working on new material for the act, but also simply enjoying the upcoming holiday season until we resume playing out again in the new year.

Hey, know what I will also mention? How much I love being a part of this. It's unlike any other act I've been involved with before. This isn't a rock band. It isn't any kind of band. It's a Show.

Playing with The Mistress Miriam Show has broadened my approach to music and performance. My guitar technique has grown and strengthened, partly out of necessity, but mostly out of the pure joy of learning new styles of play. Our interaction on the stage is remarkable. Natural. We absolutely own it while we're up there. And as I'm not being the "frontman" in this, I can concentrate on the harmonies, my favorite part of singing in a group.

Fun? It's a F'ing blast.

1 November - Excited

Exactly two weeks from right now (as I type this, in fact), I will be getting ready to take the stage with The Mistress Miriam Show over at Luthiers Co-Op in Easthampton. We go on at 8pm. "Not to be missed," as Miriam says, but if you DO miss this one, we'll be back at Luthiers in February.

27 October - Mastodon Post

I'm not on any of the corporate socials these days, but I do post over in the Fediverse, on the Mastodon platform. This is what I had to say this morning:

Yet another wonderful gig last night with #TheMistressMiriamShow (yes, it amuses me to hashtag our name). House not packed, but appreciably full, and ATTENTIVE. I love it when the comments and praise afterwards indicate that folks were really listening.

18 October - By Invitation Only

But of course you are all invited. We've got this event coming up soon. It's in a very cool space in nearby Florence, Massachusetts. Think "artist's loft." Think "demi-monde salon." Anyway, it's very cozy and glam. Miriam and I played there as a duo last year, and we're back on Saturday the 26th with The Show's current three-piece incarnation. The venue kindly provided the poster image shown below. So if you're intrigued, and able to attend, you can REGISTER HERE. 

17 October - Board Meeting

Here are my two pedalboards in their present configurations. The top one is the main sessions and gig board, and the lower one is a grab 'n go, "just the basics" board - a tuner plus dirt and delay. The larger one provides me with a greater variety of tone combinations, but is admittedly still pretty simple. I like simple. 

12 October - November Show Poster

You should download this image, print it out, and put it up on your refrigerator. It will be a constant cheerful reminder that on the 15th of November you will be joining us in Easthampton, Massachusetts for a spectacular night of top-shelf entertainment.

4 October - Welcome Home, Little Gibson

A couple of weeks ago, I traded a perfectly decent guitar and some cash for the guitar shown below. I have always loved the sound and feel of Gibson acoustics, but their fancier models were never in my budget. My professional-level investments have always been in the electric realm; justifiable expenses because electrics are mostly what I use.

Still, it's good to have a nice acoustic around the place, so when this no-frills Gibson presented itself in a local shop for a really quite reasonable price, I took it off the hanger and tried it out. And then I brought it home. It's a 00 sized guitar, fully acoustic (no onboard pickup, etc.), and all solid wood. So I'll have to take better care of it than a beater, if you know what I mean. The fit, feel, and tone are absolutely wonderful. I finally got one. And I love it.

2 October - Numbers

In 2017, Tom Petty died aged 66 on October 2nd, just eighteen days shy of what would have been his 67th birthday on October 20th. October 2nd is my birthday, and today I turn 67. As a Tom Petty fan, this feels very strange.

30 September - Your Name in Landsat

Not music related, but this is pretty cool. Wanna see what your name looks like made out of Landsat images? Click here.

14 September - 15 November

If you click this link to jump over to the Luthiers Co-Op site, you will see that they have a heading named "calendar." And if you choose that, and travel forward in time to November, check out the listing for the 15th. It's going to be an outstanding night of quality Pioneer Valley entertainment. If you're in the 413 (or within a reasonable drive to get there), you really shouldn't miss this one.

4 September - Still More Summer Fun

And here we have yet another fine review of my recent Bandcamp offering. This one is on a music blog called Bloggerhythms, which is a great name in itself. Please click here if you'd like to read it.

1 September - More Summer Fun

What a nice way to start a new month. Another favorable review for my recent Summer Fun release has surfaced, this time on Power Popaholic. 

28 August - Poprock Record

Yesterday I received a very pleasant email via my Bandcamp page, with a link to a review of my recent Summer Fun release. It's a cool blog (screenshot below), and I encourage you to click here and check it out. And honestly, it's always gratifying when one can tell that a reviewer listened this attentively.

20 August - Got a Gig Tomorrow

18 August - Summer Fun

For several years, it was my habit to release a single online at some point during the Summer, and then take it down on Labor Day. Just a bit of temporary seasonal mischief.

Fast forward to August of 2024. While digging around in one of my external backup drives, I rediscovered a folder of these "Summer Singles." There were a couple of other standalone song projects in there as well. I gave them all a listen again, and they made me smile.

Long story short, I decided to dust off and polish up a few favorites and re-release them as a collection. So here they are: Summer Fun. But now you can listen all year 'round.

You can click HERE (or the link over there to the right) to go get it. Enjoy.

16 August - Coming Up

12 August - More Downsizing

I'm now back down to eight guitars thanks to the Strat trade/acquisition mentioned below. There were thirteen guitars in the house at one point, but I'd rather have fewer instruments and play each of them on a more regular basis.

Current pedalboard situation: two small boards: one with five pedals (tuner, dirt, delay, reverb, boost/comp), and another with four (tuner, dirt, tremolo, delay). 

Regarding amplifiers, I've done some culling of the herd in this category, too. Apart from a tiny custom half-watt number a friend built, and my little Ampeg practice bass rig, the only workhorse amps I have now are the three Fender-based tube combos pictured below. The black one is a totally stock Pro Junior IV, while the other two each have a Fender chassis in custom cabinets built for me by Mather Amp Cabs. They're all I need.

4 August - Upcoming Shows

We're pleased to announce that The Mistress Miriam Show has been booked for a residency/rotation at one of our favorite venues next year. We'll be rocking the 8:00 to 9:30pm set at Luthiers Co-Op in Easthampton MA on the first Saturdays in February, May, August, and November.

While you're marking your calendars, please note that we have another show at Luthiers this year as well, 8pm on November 15th. We're also closing out the Angel Park music series in Williamsburg MA, 6pm on August 21st. 

17 July - Anniversary

Fender's Stratocaster model was introduced in 1954, so this year marks its 70th anniversary. This was not on my mind when I found the one pictured in the previous post, but an online aquaintance posted a link to an article about Fender's most ubiquitous guitar today, and I was amused by the significance. Click here if you'd like to read it.

14 July - I Was Wrong

Back in the early 2000s, Fender introduced "satin" finishes to their line of Standard guitars, and I clearly remember thinking "Those aren't going to age well." I expected they'd discolor easily through use, and get all blotchy and unappealing. Well. Silly me. This past Thursday I came across the 2003 Standard Stratocaster shown below in a favorite local shop. It had been upgraded considerably by its previous owner(s) over the intervening 21 years, and seemed worth a look. So I looked.

Long story short, I went back the very next day with some older/superfluous gear. We made an even trade of it, and I brought the Strat home. It's a wonderful axe, and to say I'm pleased to have been proven wrong about the satin colors is an understatement. I truly love how the finish has aged.

3 July - Promo Photo

The Mistress Miriam Show - Band Selfie

27 April - Now We Are Ten

Downsizing the gear again. Yes, the pedals. Traded in six yesterday, came home with two. Mathematically, that's known as "subtractive progress." For the curious among you, the new ones are the Screamer and Reverb stomps from the simple yet amazingly versatile 3 Series by JHS.

This whittling-down of things means I now own a total of just ten pedals, and three of them are tuners. One tuner is a standalone, an old Boss TU-2 that stays out in my little studio for general use. And then I have two pedalboards. One with six pedals, another with three. My style of play doesn't demand more than a minimalist approach.


That said, I'm always impressed and intrigued by many players' giant pedalboards showcasing all the amazing effects and combinations thereof available to them. But I also hold the belief that that one's pedalboard ought not take up more real estate on stage than one's amp, and I use small combos. My 2x12, 4x10, and half-stack days are over.


But hey, remember: there is no wrong. Go big, stay small, do whatever works for you. The important thing is making Music.

7 April - Retirement

Crazy, right? As of this month, I will begin receiving Retirement Benefits from the Social Security Administration. Please bear in mind that I may have left the full-time rat race behind, but I'm not retiring from writing, recording, or performing Music. I might have scaled back the public events, but have no plans to quit the business entirely.

In fact, I'm currently involved with a full-band reboot of The Mistress Miriam Show, featuring three of the original members plus a new bassist. I'll post our bookings in the sidebar once we get to that point.