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Taking a Break

Much ado about nothing. My intention was to quietly take a break from performing, but as many of you are aware, today's City Pages printed a nice little write up encouraging people to catch my 'last' couple of shows.

For much of my life, performing music has been part of who I am. I've been fortunate enough to perform original songs as well as the cover songs that mean something to me, fully understanding that this path would be more difficult than becoming a 'human jukebox'. Surprisingly, despite conventional wisdom, this approach proved to be successful. Performing has been a tremendous experience. I've played locally, and ventured both out of state and internationally with my music. Not too bad for a singer songwriter from Wausau, Wisconsin.

So, naturally, with the news of my "break," people are asking me why I'm taking time off. In the four years since "Out of Fashion" was released, my performance schedule intensified. When I set out on this journey, I was fully aware that certain sacrifices would have to be made in order for my music to be successful. Performing music requires late nights and weekends, times when non-performers are with their families or out with friends. Often the schedule is set months in advance and as a direct result, performers miss out on the events in life that appear once the schedules are filled.

Someone once said, "Music is the celebration of life." That being said, I'm going to go out and live life for awhile without the restraints of a 'regular' performance schedule. By no means am I retiring. I will still play the occasional show and open mic, make guest appearances, and continue writing and recording.

I am fully committed to completing my second CD, "Further Out". At this point there is no timetable, but I am looking forward to spending time recording without juggling a performance schedule. Once the CD is complete, undoubtedly, you'll see me return to live performances with a renewed energy.

Thanks for your continued support,
Jim

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