Holiday Tradition

It seems like everyone has some sort of holiday tradition. Some people travel to see loved ones (and not so loved ones), some make meals that will yield leftovers for a week. Some people run between relatives, in-laws, out-laws and shuffle their lives between continents. Reading on the WausauBlog, some people's tradition is to spend time completely alone.

I'm somewhere in between. My immediate family is relatively small, and we really don't have any elaborate traditions. So last year, I started my own tradition, which is hitting Granite Peak and skiing (either on x-mas eve or day).

For all of those who may be holding off on hitting the hill due to snow conditions, there is no need. The snow is in great shape, although there are limited runs open (think of it as the way it used to be before the 'great expansion').

Both Christmas Eve and Day, the hill has been wide open. The normal weekend crowds are barely existent, although there are sill some big city folk (Minneapolis, Chicago) and international visitors (mostly German and Chinese). It amazing that the hill in our back yard has become an international destination.

So, those of you who don't have anything to do on Christmas Day 2007, strap on your skis or snowboard and make a day of fresh air and solitude. I'll see you there.

A Week in Wausau Music

Last Wednesday night, Brian Miller (drummer extraordinaire who I have been lucky enough to travel the world with (Paris & London) and perform with in the Jim Carlson Trio, Doc Holiday and Cool Hand) and I went to catch a beer.

Besides catching up, shooting the breeze and talking about our past, current and future musical, personal and travel endeavors; we stumbled across something quietly new --- there is an open mic on Wednesday nights at Scott Street Steak and Pub. Who would have figured? So now, there are TWO downtown open mics in downtown Wausau (everyone knows about the Intermission one). So music cats, you can walk 4 blocks and play twice in one night.

And I've heard the PI is also joining the circus with a Thursday night open mic. With the Glass Hat on Sunday, there seems to be a bit of an open mic boom in the Wausau area.

Friday night, Will Heisler lit up Nitzy 9's. If you have not been there, go. The atmosphere is super relaxed, comfortable furniture, great service, and a PA that covers the entire bar without blowing your eardrums off.

Unfortunately I missed the John Altenburgh Christmas show on Saturday night. By all accounts, the show lived up to its annual hype.

Add it all up, and it is safe to say it was a great week for the music sceene of Central Wisconsin.

Open Schedule

The last two shows in active support of the "Out of Fashion" CD went well.

On Friday December 1st, Will and I played; on the 8th I performed solo (both at Mickey's). Although both shows featured some new material, my solo show started with 45 min of new, rare, and barely performed numbers. I have to admit, some went well, and I struggled on others. To be perfectly honest, I love the rush of having to think through a song....pure adrenaline.

On some levels, my stepping back is a 'long overdue' summer vacation. As much as I looked forward to taking time off, I am also looking forward to performing in the future. I can not stress enough, I'm taking a break -- I'm not retiring.

Creatively, I have a lot of new ideas and song fragments. The earliest I plan to record will be 2007, as I will take the rest of December to 'normalize' (whatever that becomes).

Last Saturday, I finally saw the band Down The Line. One of the singers is originally from Stevens Point. They are a mix of acoustic based pop/rock with a soul/blues influence. Great vocal harmonies. Ironically, the Point show was their final show of the tour, as they are also going to take time off before releasing their next CD....