Carlson's Corner

The last two weeks have had considerable contrasts. A gunman kills 32 people a few days after a radio show host insulted a group people. We live in a country where freedom of speech is supposed to protect even the most vile words. Offending? Sometimes. It seems as though freedom of speech became limited when two 'civic leaders' (who both have deplorable records with their own words) convinced the media that one man's words should cost him his job. While one man's words offended, sparked controversy and ignited debate; another man's inability to express himself lead him to kill 32 innocent people. Freedom of speech and the right to bear arms both come with immense responsibility. Neither is perfect, nor is either fundamentally broken.

Sometimes it just hits you in a funny way. You go about your life as usual, and then you discover that fundamentally, you have been fooling yourself. Sometimes, it is that simple discovery that allows you to make a simple change. Refreshingly, today that happened to me.

I try to give those who enter my life a 'blanket' amount of trust. This is an 'innocent until proven guilty' offering, loosely based on the belief that there is [some] good in everyone. From this base, one can earn more ... or completely destroy what they have been given. Trust is as difficult to explain as any human emotion. In it's essence, it is the ability to open one's self to vulnerability....with the belief that doing so will not lead to exploitation. Trust, of course, means dramatically different things to different people in different circumstances. A lifetime of trust can be broken in a moment. Ironically, the reverse can also be true... A world of trust can be granted in an instant. Recently someone indicated that they trust me in a way that is well beyond the scope of the friendship I thought we had. How did this happen? What did I do to earn this trust? I am not sure I want the responsibility. It is easy blame others when they break our faith. ...

One of the most inspirational bands in my career is back. James the Band has reformed. "Just Like Fred Astaire" and "The Shining" from my " Out of Fashion " CD were originally recorded by James. In 2001, Roger Bardo (an original member of the Jim Carlson Trio, and clearly one of the best people I have ever had the opportunity to know) and I flew across the pond to attend the 'last' James performance at Wembley Arena in London. Their UK tour sold out immediately, and new recordings are pending.

Saturday night I was a guest at the Bucks / Nuggets game in Milwaukee. I'm certainly not the biggest hoops fan in the world, but actually being sideline at an NBA game is an amazing experience. (This was my second NBA game of the season, I was also a guest at a Bulls / Celtics game in December.) Unfortunately, Michael Redd and Allen Iverson were both out with injuries (although Redd warmed up with the Bucks). I was impressed with Carmelo Anthony and the amazing play of the Bucks 5' 5" Earl Boykins . The game was very competitive, (which was a bit surprising considering Milwaukee's 19-32 record) with the Nuggets edging to a 109 to 102 win. Another highlight of the trip was a sitting near Bucks President (and owner) Herb Kohl . Here is a US Senator, multimillionaire, and NBA team owner sitting in the stands among the fans. He was absolutely approachable and treated those around him with complete class. I'm not big into politics, but I am impressed with Kohl'...

Literally. As I write this, Wausau is experiencing a balmy -11°F. Windchill? -37° F. Welcome to Siberia. It is going to get worse, the air temp will drop to the -18° range as the windchill drops to around -41°. Super Bowl Sunday's high will reach -7°. I've always been amazed at the contrast we experience here in God's Country. In the Summer, we reach 100° and higher... I've seen Winter's hit under -30°. That is a 130° temperature change. Think about it. Cars. How can they handle such tolerances? On top of it, cars are engineered to withstand the temperature extremes of the entire country...I've witnessed nearly 130° temps in Phoenix. It is simply amazing. The irony is, this winter has been unseasonably warm. December was one of the warmest on record. We are paying dearly. Dearly.

Lately there have been some interesting rumors concerning my break, my music, and my life. Normally, I'd ignore these attacks, but I'm compelled to make a few comments. First of all, I have not joined Van Halen. David Lee Roth is back with them for a summer tour , but it seems as though Micheal Anthony has been replaced by Wolfgang Van Halen on bass. Am I the only one who thinks this is odd? I was really hoping that we'd be able to negotiate the acoustic folk tour with the VH crew.... Jessica Simpson was not in attendance at my PRIVATE show in Mequon over the weekend. Seems she is happily running around with my 'competition', John Mayer . I would appreciate the gesture if you'd not call me to discuss the situation. I'm not quite sure what happened here, but I assure you she is off my guest list. I have not gotten a breast lift or a nose job. No comment on my alleged 'brow lift', please respect my privacy. I have not moved into the Dudley Buildi...

Lately people have been asking what I've been up to since I've 'quit' playing. I laugh every time I hear that I've 'quit' performing. For one, my blog entry on the subject should have explained my intentions thoroughly. Secondly, I've actually appeared at several open mics (Intermission, Scott Street Steak and Pub) as well as guesting with Will Heisler on several occasions at Nitzy 9's (most recently last Saturday for a full 'duo' set). For the most part, I've been enjoying my time away. I have not missed playing as much as I thought I would (although the open mic/guest appearances obviously help). Musically, I have been writing, arranging, but as of this writing I'm not actively recording.... I am also preparing for a private appearance the last weekend of January. Outside of music, I have been taking care of things in my life that needed attention. I'm taking better care of myself....eating better (actually cooking more)...

It was colder out than I had anticipated, but the skiing was great. Granite Peak is in great shape, and surprisingly there were not as many people out today as I would have imagined....after all, this is a holiday weekend. Suddenly, the Comet Express stopped. We were left hanging in the air for 5 minutes. Finally it started up again... The resurrection of the lift was short lived, it only operated long enough to take us stranded snow-lovers to the top. By the time I finished my next run, the lift was out of commission for the day. Back to the lines of the "Old Rib". Being a season pass holder, I did the logical thing....I left the hill. Leave the lines to the 'tourists', I can come back any day. Tonight my dad and I are going to check out Will Heisler's show @ Nitzy 9's. Stop on out.

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 Pea k 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 fol...

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 ser...

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 8 th 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...

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. Wh...

Hello from London. Nothing went as planned. I forgot my directions, picks, CD's and business cards at the hotel by Paddington Station. Camden is North of London, and by the time I realized that I was without my stuff, there was no turning back. Thank goodness there was cheap internet service in Camden, and within a few minutes of arriving at the Tube station, things started making sense again. Camden is a town with a large punk/goth/rock/alternative scene. The place was happening, as the locals (and tourists) checked out Camden Market, the local shops (tattoos, piercings, leather goods, music...) and the locks. The Green Note itself is a small ( vegetarian ) bar about two blocks from the tube station. I signed up early (Then stepped out to take in the sights). By the time I arrived back at the Green Note, the lead off act was on. I was the first 'open mic' guest, and thanks to a generous table mate, I had found a loner guitar to perform with. The performance went...

I'm near Paddington Station in London as I type this blog. I have purchased 1/2 hour of internet time for about 2 USD , and have less than 10 min to create this entry..... Tomorrow , I will play an open mic at the The Green Note Pub in Camden. I discovered this gig through one of my myspace friends named Steph (Go ahead and check out her site at http://www.myspace.com/stephandshwepp ). I am excited and somewhat nervous to play, as I do not know the format of the event (number of songs or time slots), nor do I know the way my music will be received. That is part of the fun. I have great night shots of London and will post some at JimCarlsonMusicDotCom and Myspace when I get back. Cheers from overseas! Jim

As many of you are aware, I am wrapping up my live performance schedule soon. After four years of giging to support the "Out of Fashion" CD, I'm taking a little break. My blog will discuss my musical endeavors, thoughts on current issues, cover the places I go and the people I meet. I will discuss my career as a singer songwriter in Central Wisconsin. As my sophomore CD "Further Out" continues to be recorded, you'll get the updates here. Over time, I will share my philosophy on gigging, owning an independent record company, web marketing, gig marketing and getting along with band members and club owners. Think of this as the ramblings of a musician who has been able to get away with out playing traditional cover tunes, but playing the music I actually enjoy.