Happy New Year! It's time for renewal, a new chance, a new beginning, and that's why I've resurrected the Radio 418 podcast. I'll explain more later, but I'm in a rush because my first guest is arriving RIGHT NOW and I need to set up for the interview.
Whaa.....?
No time to explain, just check out Episode 1 and I'll tell you later!
Be well
JM
A rainy Thursday in NYC, perfect weather for bringing Francesca to the Party Gym. Just spent a weekend in Florida, visiting dear friends and going to Disneyworld! Say what you want about Disney; as a parent bringing their child to an amusement park for the day, they've got it down to a science. Clean, efficient, perfect. And my daughter had plenty of magical moments to brighten her sweet face: meeting Pooh & Tigger, Cinderella, and of course The Mouse Himself. And no major meltdowns!
It is a life that I am proud to provide for her, and easily the life that I would have wished for when I was 25. And I'm thinking about 25 only because I've ben listening with fresh ears to "Enjoy Your Dessert," my first solo album that I recorded at that tender age back in the summer of 1997. After avoiding that disc for many years and being hyper-critical of myself, for some reason I am now able to appreciate it for what it is: me, at 25, bringing [...]
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A Facebook message I received today:
who do you think you are not blogging on a regular basis? you can't leave me hanging like that. for years i've faithfully stopped by your site in order to get my regular jpm fix and you give me nothing since september 9. i might as well cancel my internet. what the hell else am i gonna do?
Wow. You have to admire young Thomas' ability to simultaneously convey both righteous indignation AND high praise! One should also admire his ability to snap me into action, since…well, here we are.
So to his question: why have I not been blogging? A good question, which forces me to go deep and ultimately question just about everything I've been doing with myself and how I've been doing it. My site has mainly served to present and promote myself and my various musical endeavors. (There's been no "master plan" at work here; my only goal has always been to make good music with good people.)
When [...]
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We landed at JFK at around 8pm last Saturday night. My ladies were with family in Delaware until Sunday, so I had an entire night home to myself. This solo time was perfect, just what I needed to adjust and get back in my home groove. Jump back in too fast, and you'll burn up on re-entry.
Then the week flew by: Labor Day day off play date first day of school private event band showcase second day of school weekend. Whaaa..?
Here I am, home for a week, and still floating between my many lives: rock-star-for-hire, father/husband, local working musician, house keeper, citizen of New York City. I'm rushing to finish the upcoming CD of my music from the top-rated comedy podcast in the nation, contending with as-yet-unfulfilled orders for the recently-released Hay Jude disc, and Google-mapping directions to tomorrow's house party in MT Kisco, NY with Godfrey and the boys (hot & fresh off a summer of touring). All the while, I'm doing my [...]
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I'm home from the tour in a week. I've done all the worrying that I can do about Irene. But now I have to stop, for the sake of my mental (and physical) health, and pull it together.
I've never believed in end times, apocalyptic prophecies, or any of that nonsense, and I still don't. But after 3 weeks on the road and bus-induced sleep deprivation, Mother Nature's bitch-slapping of NYC had me confronting and challenging my own iron-clad belief systems. And it was terrifying. (First an earthquake, now a hurricane. WTF?)
Despite all appearances, I was a nervous wreck for a few days. I started to wonder if I'd actually be spending the end times on a tour bus going thru Kentucky, Illinois and South Dakota. Panic and dread were making it hard for me to focus. Onstage I felt like I was phoning my performances in; backstage I was avoiding people because I had nothing to say and couldn't make eye contact with anyone. [...]
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