As I may well have mentioned elsewhere, my recent CD release was my second-ever solo effort. The first one was a cassette, way back in 1990, called Keepin' Up With Your Jones. You can see the cover art for it off to the left. Click on it for the full monty view of the whole J-card.

Shortly after it was released I was playing an open mike at the now defunct Last Exit on Brooklyn, a coffee shop like they just don't make anymore, at least around these parts. There was a guy there who was on his first leave from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis and he bought a copy. He was very nice and said some flattering things about my playing.

I had the letter and its envelope framed and up on my wall for quite some time but it long ago got lost. Life, y'know?

Do bear in mind, dear uke phreaks, that I had played around with a ukulele on a number of occasions but this was still a year and some change before I bought one of my very own.

A few months later my significant other came in with the mail and gave me an envelope. The return address was the Naval Academy and I sort of waved it at her and asked if she knew what this was? I said, "This is my very first fan letter." I opened it up and sure enough, it was.

Not only did he say all sorts of nice things but he also send another $5 since one of his mates at the Academy dug the tape and he duped one off for him.

How's that for cool?

I told you that story so I could tell you this one...

As things settle down a bit out west and the dust is appearing to settle, I've finally gotten around to doing the drawing for the May-be I'll Go Electric contest. This was supposed to be done in early June but life got all up in the way. If you're curious, there's a bit more info after the video.

Yes, we have a winner!

As usual, if you can't see the video here, you can watch it on YouTube.

Congrats to the winner! I'll be in touch via email to get your mailing address.

As for what happened... essentially at the beginning of June I was told I had to find another place to live by the beginning of July. This sort of threw me into a tailspin. Finding a place on my all-but-non-existent budget was a trial.

I ended up in a garage. I have electricity but not hot water. (Showering is still something of an adventure.) Certainly no internet connection. And, up until lately, no place to video that isn't piled with the assorted junk that accrues in a garage.

But all that didn't matter much as I was often earning just enough money busking to eat and pay bus fare to get to the next day's busking. Consequently, I was — and am — too tired to do anything extra. Not to mention more than a little grumpy!

But all that time I was guilting about leaving the drawing just "hanging there" and I'm damn glad to finally clear it off the task list! Things are looking up in a number of departments, including my ability to keep up with the fine folk who I mostly know from the web. Look for more changes and, thankfully, more tunes in both audio-only and video formats coming down the pike.

Maybe even another contest, once I'm sure I'll be able to keep to the stated schedule for one! In the meantime...

Keep on strummin'...

Thank you friends and fans for your incredible generosity! I have ordered a new netbook and Dell assures me that their little elves are building one just for me right now. It should be here around the first of October.

I knew there were those of you out there that would help out, but the scope of it has just floored me. The computer is paid for and there's some money left. I promise I'll use it for real stuff and not fritter — or party! — it away. I've already used a bit of it to pay on the somewhat past due electric bill where I'm staying. The fella who let me move into the place — rent free — when I was initially worried about living under a bridge somewhere needs a little help too. Together we might just make it safe through the winter.

I'll be trying to catch up on a lot of things I've had to neglect over the past few months, including the long-delayed drawing for the underbridge pickup. My apologies for leaving it go so long.

You all have not only been helpful and generous, you've made me feel like some sort of rock star. I haven't been this happy or hopeful about life in general for a long time.

I'm amazed and more than a little bit humbled by the response.

Thank you all!

I don't know how many of you who read my blog are aware of what's going on in my life right now. You've certainly noticed that I've not been posting a heck of a lot.

Well... I hope you've noticed anyways.

Be that as it may, let me give you a brief overview. I'll spare you the gorier details.

Except for the rats. There are rats where I'm living and it's just squicking the hell out of me.

I'm no longer living where I was just a couple months ago. My living conditions are quite primitive. I do have a roof over my head and electricity (at least for now) but I don't have hot water to shower, do dishes (so no cooked meals), etc. My refrigeration is an ice chest. I have no easy web access, just the public library — bless 'em! — and then only when I can get there after busking but before they close.

To add insult to that last injury, my laptop is... well, I thought it was dead but apparently it's just dying. Not much of an improvement.

It's not all doom and gloom though. As I mentioned in my last post, I've managed to turn out a long-delayed solo release, the Busker's Bonus EP. I'm selling the physical disc from my case and online for $6. Digital downloads are "choose your price" with a minimum of $3 for the whole EP. Single tracks are only 50 cents each. But, in the case of digital downloads, you can choose to support your friendly uke-phreak with more than the minimum if you so desire.

So my question is: are there 100 of you out there — not just blog readers, of course, but anyone who might consider themselves a fan — who would be willing to do the download thing at, say, $4? Or even more? (At least one of you has already sent $5 for the download. Bless you!) Or order the physical disc if that's your preference?

Because if there are, I can afford a little Dell netbook to replace my ancient and perishing Dell laptop. The ancient one is heavy and hard to deal with — especially on the buses when I'm already carrying my bag and three ukuleles to busk with. The new one I'm lusting after is less than 3 pounds. It's actually more powerful than this dinosaur. And, of course, it's not dying.

I'll be able to sit at the Pike Place Market during the 2 - 4 hour waits between sets and keep up with business online, my blog, and other things of that nature. Essentially I'll be able to work and be productive in those hours instead of just sitting about with my thumb up.

Who knows? Maybe I'll even get to the point where I can afford a place where I can take a hot shower without it being an adventure.

So if you can, please buy my latest release. Ask your friends to do so as well. If there's just 100 of you out there in the great, wide interwebs willing to spend the price of one yuppie coffee, you could make one ol' hobbit's life a great deal better.

Thanks!

Just a quick note that, after an 18 year hiatus, I've finally released my second-ever solo recording. The Busker's Bonus EP is currently available for digital download. Any purchases gratefully received at this time as I'm trying to replace my zorched laptop so that I can get online more regularly.

Physical copies are only available directly from me at the time but I'm hoping that I'll have 'em orderable online in a few days.