Thanks to all of you who showed up at The Red Lion last night for the Songwriters Circle. Very cool, right?

Hey! Thursday night... UPPER EAST SIDE! Dodger and I will crank up and play at a place called Sessions 73. (73rd and First Ave.) Music'll probably start around 8:00, okay?

Then, I'm outta here to go play a gig in the British West Indies. When I get back to New York City, we'll be ready to release the new single, "JesusLand".

As always, if you're reading this in another part of the country, or another part of the world... welcome. Take a look around the site. Jump into the "Forum" over there and get to know some of the regulars in the message board.

If you didn't get the news yesterday about the switch in Central Park this summer, scroll down or look through the archives. But, I'll be sure to remind people as the season gets closer. And listen, if you live in or around New York City, try to make plans with your friends to come to the next, big concert on March 4th.

March 4th! There is a great little venue on 57th Street, right across from Carnegie Hall... it's called Columbia Artists Management (CAMI) Hall. The next big indoor concert of the season is gonna be there on Friday Night, March 4th. You can get tickets today, just by clicking on that button over there that says "Buy Now". (Actually, you don't get tickets in the physical sense. You click on that thing, follow the instructions, and your name is automatically added to the "Guest" list. Just show up that night and give them your name at the door.) Very cool.

I'll definitely be doing songs like...

"Crazy on the Same Day"
"Just Hafta Trust Me"
"Where'dat Money Go"
"City Song"

...and the new song, "JesusLand".

There's only 170 seats in CAMI HALL, so get your tickets sooner than later, okay?

Okay. So...

.

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Well, I don't know about you or the rest of the country. (Polls popping up and down like a pogo stick disturb me.) But, personally, I'm kinda laying low about reacting to the "great day" for democracy in Iraq. I'm not saying as of this moment it was not a "great day". I just have developed a very strong feeling that in our culture, mass media and all, we've become very, very short-sighted. Remember when "major combat operations" had ended in Iraq... on May 1 2003, nearly two years ago. What a "great day" that was! 139 young Americans had been killed up until the "great day" that Bush announced that major combat operations had ended.

139.

1,436 deaths later... y'know? I'm just not sure about that "great day".

Remember when the "mission" in Iraq was "accomplished". Yeah... "Great Day!"

So... now the Shi'ite majority came out to vote in droves. The Sunnis stayed away. The Kurds voted... but, will likely have next to no power in the new Shi'ite controlled government. How compliant and ammenable the Kurdish people are going to be with that? Anybody's guess. Those Sunni fighters who are attacking both Iraqi and American forces may be anywhere from 40,000 to 200,000 strong. On either side, the regimes in Syria and Iran would both love to do anything they can to thwart a democratic government in Iraq.

So, Wednesday night the world will hear Bush make yet another speech about a "great day". Y'know, about success and... oh, what is it? Oh yeah, "freedom on the march".

All I can say is... hope so. We'll see.

But, recent history isn't very supportive of his "great days" and great successes. Speeches and rhetoric can be glorious and rosy. But, y'know, reality? Um... not-so-much so far. Still, half the country will probably buy it.

We'll see. Hope for the best in Iraq. It's still a fuckin' mess. Just pray the killing stops.

Anyway, I'll probably be jumping into the "Forum" (message board) later on today. Maybe I'll see you in there.

Maybe I'll see you Thursday night.

Thanks again.