I’m on my way to Christmas dinner with my sisters and neice. I feel at about 80% - likely due to the lack of indoor heating in L.A. It’s weird, because it’s about 60 degrees warmer than Minneapolis, but the indoor temps would be illegal under Minneapolis city ordinance. So, me, Mr. Hearty midwesterner Minnesota guy can’t handle the obscenely moderate indoor temps of one of our nation’s warmest cities.

But we are presently buying wine. Hopefully lots of it!

Merry Christmas!!!

I just arrived in LA and it’s 5:20am. I was supposed to get in 6 hours ago, but the big Minneapolis blizzard changed that plan.

I’m pumped to see my family. Katybeth will be picking me up in a few minutes and hopefully taking me out to breakfast (my treat).

I brought along all the raw tracks for the new record just in case Noah wants to work on producing it with me or maybe I can get everyone to sing on it like last time. That would be grreat!!! Plus, little Noah wasn’t around to sing last time - and I’d love to have his little voice on the record!

My super hot girlfriend, Lisa is coming out here for New Years, and I can’t wait!

It’s 4:30 a.m.  I’ve been hanging clothes, clearing my dining room table, checking in for a flight, holding Chewy, and doing research on house concerts in England.  I’m also tired.  :)  I woke up at 1 a.m., because I was worried that my girlfriend might not have a safe ride home from the bar.  She did. …and then I couldn’t get to sleep.  Not on her account, though.

I am excited about my trip to L.A. for Christmas.  There’s so much to do in the meantime.  Work stuff, music stuff, apartment-cleaning stuff, blogging stuff, and other stuff.

So I had this idea when I woke up that I should book some house concerts on my next tour.  I don’t know what the feasibility of this is, but aparently, the experience is quite grand and the money is good.  What’s not to like about that?

So I played the Dinkytowner last night with two of my favorite people in the audience, Jim J. and Lisa M. I love playing for them! It was a solo show, lacking the flair of my kick-ass band, but it was a kick ass solo show, nonetheless. And I’m not just saying that. Here’s why it kicked ass.

Many times, I play a show, my fingers burning over the fretboard, my voice hitting all the high notes, but my soul never feeling a connection to the audience and the room I am playing in. Last night was not that case.

Last night, I sang songs with a reckless abandon. Like when Old Yeller goes and fights the bear. Or when the dogs in “Where the Red Fern Grows” chase that coon up the tree. I was feeling the raw emotions of the evening. I really felt like I was singing from my gut and connecting with people even though my voice was a bit off and my fingers continually hit the wrong strings.

It felt good.

PLUS, I have video!!!! I set up my macbook in front of the stage and recorded the show. Hopefully the video looks and sounds good (I haven’t viewed it yet…).