Thanks for stopping by the website today. I'll give you the rundown on the music this weekend... then, talk a little bit about the Voices Together Concert... and, I'll guess I'll share a little thought I had today.

You guys know where I'm gonna be this weekend, right? Tonight, is the last of the "Sunset Concert Series". So, I'll be on Pier 45 at the end of Christopher Street with my long time friend and partner, Roger Bartlett.

Dodger and I have walked out on a whole lotta stages together over the years. And, we'll make music together in for years to come, I'm sure. But, Dodge and his wife are moving to Vegas next month and this is one of the last times we'll be jammin' together in New York City for a while. Try to make it down if you can.

Here's an inadequate tribute to a great talent, Roger Bartlett.

Then tomorrow (Saturday) of course, I'll be at "The Hill" in Central Park. If you're staying in town, I hope you decided to spend some time with me out there. I have a feeling about this weekend. A Good feeling.

Saturday in Central Park

Um, oh yeah... and then on Sunday afternoon, weather permitting, I'll be at the new "Storyteller's Hill" over in Riverside Park. Park administrator K.C. Sahl has been cool enough to let me do a very special kinda thing over there. It really feels like a little New York Secret right now. The crowd isn't that big and the secludedness of the venue really kinda makes it feel like... it's just us.

ALSO!

(Wow! This is gonna be a busy next few days.)

On MONDAY NIGHT, I'm gonna be at the Red Lion on Bleecker Street in The Village, to sit in at the SGA Songwriters Circle. That is a very cool thing. If you've never been to one, try to get some friends together and make it down this Monday night bewteen 7 and 9.

Okay... right now.

Click on this logo to go to that new website... okay?

It's where you'll find out how you can help and be a part of the "VOICES TOGETHER CONCERT". I've been so blown away in the past week. I asked you guys... ordinary people just like myself, to pitch in and help us to help the ordinary men, women and children in Iraq whose lives are being torn apart and who are being so badly hurt in the war there.

The response has already been amazing. One kid from the hill... y'know our 11 year old friend, Walter? Walter sent in $10. I was smiling from ear to ear.

Please, please, please... if you are reading this for the first time... if you are reading this in another part of the country or another part of the world... go to the VOICES TOGETHER website and lend a hand. (Well, whatever you can afford to give, okay?)

Listen, I'll tell you more further down the page... all about the concert and how you can help and really be a part of it. Right now...

TODAY'S THOUGHT

Y'know... I hafta laugh.

You guys know that in the "Forum" (message board) here at the website, I sometimes pop in there and write my thoughts and feelings about things that are going on in the world. You're all welcome to do the same. I've also been posting the "News from Iraq" in a thread, because today for example... there were nearly no items about the war we're in on the morning news shows. (Certainly no stories about the civilians being killed and wounded.)

But, it's funny. Every so often, somebody accuses me of being not-so-nice. Y'know?

"...you really are not as nice as you seem to be." That kinda thing.

Cracks me up.

I'm partly doing this concert, making it a full-time job, really showing up for it, because, Ha! Yeah... I'm really pissed off! This war pisses me off. Deceit pisses me off. Hypocrisy and selective reasoning piss me off. Blind ideology pisses me off. Especially when the ones doing most of the talking are letting others do the fighting and dying.

Yes, I can say with sincerity that I'm a nice guy. I spend a whole lot more smiling than I don't. I laugh often and love openly.

But, I'm a man... a human being, and I don't want a cure for that.

Anger can be a cancer, or it can be a motivator. I tend to use the natural instinct of anger as a motivator. But, with reason and compassion.

If I'm not as warm and fuzzy as some of you would wish...

DOH!

Um... what're ya gonna do?

Anyway, back to the concert and actually taking action.

When this thing gets off the ground, I will be grateful for every nickel that was sent in to help. But, I hafta tell you... the money that is coming in right now, from ordinary people... good-hearted people... so fast, in $25 donations, and $200 donations... and, $10 donations... and even a few $1,000 donations! It's blowing me away.

We have a long, long way to go. We really do. Hoping for an angel or two to step up with 5 or 10 thousand dollars or more... y'know, only someone who can afford it.

But... wow!

Walter's $10 means so much!

Thanks!

I'll tell you guys all about it on Saturday in Central Park! Who knows how much we'll have in the Fractured Atlas 501(c)(3) account by Saturday. We're aiming to do this concert in January at the Hammerstein Ballroom. It's gonna be an amazing night, and we're gonna raise alot of money to help the ordinary people in Iraq, especially the children, who reeaallllly need medical help right now! But, we're gonna need your help to do it.

Y'know what?

Here's another easy way to send money in, if you're not all cool with the credit-card-internet thing! Just send a check to this address:

Voices Together Group
Park West Station
P.O. Box 20515
New York, NY 10025

Make the check out to: Fractured Atlas (And, on the memo line write - VOICES TOGETHER CONCERT)

Okay?

You'll get a "Thank You" letter from us and a receipt form Fractured Atlas... the 501(c)(3) we're operating under.

It's ALL tax deductible!

Cool?

Anyway, listen... go to the VOICES TOGETHER website and have a look around. If you have ANY quetions, email us there. Dennis, Sue, Mimi, Beth, me... everybody is ready to talk to you about what you can do to help.

Why am I... a singer/songwriter, and my good friends and colleagues so fired up about this?

.

Here's why.

.

Despite the sanitized images we're seeing on the news... it's a damned "war". And in this war, the massive brunt of the horrific casualties are being taken by the civilians... ordinary people like you and me. Mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and children... the children.

What is this concert about? What is this concert gonna be? Another "celebrity-hoo-ha-where-dat-money-go" thing?

No.

It's gonna be a night of great music, smiles, laughs, some tears... but, it's gonna be a night where good-hearted people will have a chance to come together to raise as much money as possible to help some extraordinary people who are reaching out and helping the innocent civilians, especially the children, in Iraq who are being killed and horribly injured in the war. Yeah, the unspeakable suffering is being largely ignored by both our government and the American news media, but my friends and colleagues and I will not ignore it. You are welcomed to join us.

Y'see, if you help us now by donating tax deductible money to go to the production of the concert right now, then we will be able to say to people that ALL of the proceeds from every ticket they buy will go directly to people like Elissa Montanti and her one-woman Global Medical Relief Fund.

Go check out her website, and see the miracles she's working in this world. It's amazing. There are some really remarkable people on this planet. When you help... you are counted among them in my book!

Y'know, to make it even easier... if you wanna donate something right this minute, you can go right to the Fractured Atlas account and select "VOICES TOGETHER CONCERT" in their drop down menu. (On Behalf Of) Just click on this link:

Donate at Fractured Atlas

*****

See you guys somewhere around town this weekend, I hope.

Oh yeah... and yesterday I posted the tune "JesusLand". Thanks to Mr. Pat Robertson, I think I'll be writing another verse for that song. Maybe I'll do it this weekend. If you want a copy of that song for free... just put on the headphones, click on Mr. Robertson's photo and hear it, download it, and pass it on to all your friends.

Pat Robertson

Thanks again.