madison wrap-up

It's my last week in Madison, WI before I head off towards elsewhere, and it's a pretty effective one. I just spent the last two days in the studio laying down tracks for Dietrich Gosser's new album project. His tunes are really fantastic, and playing with him and the great percussionist Dan Kuemmel on this project has been a blast. We've been playing as a trio at Mickey's Tavern throughout July in order to get used to playing together. Dietrich and Dan have a really great language with each other--as results from playing together for 13 years--so it was both fun and intimidating to jump into the mix. We layed down about 11 songs in 2 days. I'm really excited to hear what becomes of these recordings as they continue to develop them over the next few months. Jeremiah Nelson, another great musician and songwriter, is helping with production. We recorded at DNA Music Labs in Madison, a studio that I hadn't worked with before, and working with Brian Daly was a great experience.

The next thing on my docket this week is our Watercourse Quartet show with Thollem McDonas tomorrow. Seeing Thollem play when he came through Madison this spring was incredible, so sharing the bill with him this time around is a superlative honor.

My final show/going away party is on Saturday at the Project Lodge with Lovely Socialite. The Project Lodge is a fitting venue for my departure. I've certainly performed there more than anywhere over the last couple of years, and the future of the venue this fall is just as unsure as my own. My good friend Tom Teslik is also playing his last show before leaving town for a few months on tour, so it's even more cause to celebrate. We'll also be joined by the talented electronic artist Chants.


Oh yeah! And the new Bell Monks album is out TODAY! I'll be at the Dragonfly Lounge tonight for their release party! (You can hear me playing some bass on a few tracks...)

Not sure when I'm going to pack.