Hey... thanks for stopping by the website today.

Got my fingers crossed for some good weather this weekend, especially Friday and Saturday. I'm not gonna have too many more opportunities to share a stage with Dodger (Roger Bartlett) before he leaves New York City for the lights of Las Vegas. And, you guys aren't gonna have too many more chances to hear this great guitar player make music with me here in town. So, I'm hoping the weather cooperates for this Friday night's "Sunset Concert Series".

Also... Saturday in Central Park... well, I always look forward to hangin' out with you guys on "The Hill". But this weekend, I believe we're gonna have some guests up from Washington DC... a couple of good people who will be instrumental in the VOICES TOGETHER concert we're planning for January. Maybe Dodger will even make an appearance out there on Saturday afternoon. We'll do what we do... make music, share alotta laughs, sing a little Truth.

Then, it's off to the perfect diner!
(Private joke for the Sunday Riverside Park people.)

Today, I'm working on a couple of new songs. One seems to be writing itself and one seems to be giving me a little bit of a hard time. Guess, we'll see how they both flow today. The process of song writing still mystifies me in a lot of ways. I'm always humbled by it, and so grateful for the gift later. (I also write an awful lotta crap that you will never hear! That's also part of the process. Ha! You should see some of the original lyrics to some of the songs that ultimately made it onto the albums! You'd scream with laughter.)

Oh, hey... y'know the mother of one of the 1,842 American soldiers who have already been killed in Iraq? Cindy Sheehan? The angry mother who is waiting on a road in Texas to meet with the coward in Crawford? She is Cindy Sheehan and you're probably starting to see her on the news.

Well, one of the women who is part of the team putting together the VOICES TOGETHER concert is also the mother of a Marine who got his orders to go to Iraq this month. She is my friend, and now colleague, Mimi Evans. The organization Military Families Speak Out is flying her out there. She will be camping out on the road to the Bush... um... ranch... with Cindy next week. This is a shot of Ms. Evans, speaking at a conference in opposition to this unAmerican, misguided and idiotic war just last week. (Sheehan was on the panel with her.)

Anyway... listen the VOICES TOGETHER concert is NOT a political event. It will be simply to raise as much money as we possibly can to help the civilians who's lives are being torn apart by the war in Iraq. It will be all about ordinary people helping ordinary people. there are a very few remarkable peoople who are already helping these people, and we want to get them the support they need to do their work.

These people have real meaning and purpose in their lives. I admire them so much. Motivated by goodness and comapssion, sometimes motivated by anger and Truth, these are the kinds of people who look inside themselves and take action to really make a difference for the better in this world... sometimes one life at a time. They've created their own job description and it's all about repairing the hurt.

Hmmmm... yeah, job description.

I think I'll be writing about that in the "Forum" (message board) a little later today. Y'know, I'm not about politics. I generally don't like politicians of any stripe. But, I do have a job. Part of my job is to reflect the world around me as I see it through my eyes... through the filter of my heart and the reason of my mind.

I'm an American singer/songwriter... and, I'm a lucky man.

Um... oh yeah... the concert. Listen, besides the American soldiers who are dying and being so horribly wounded nearly every day, ordinary people, women and children, fathers and sons, uncles and brothers, are dying every single day. We wanna help those who are lucky enough to stay alive through the violence.

.

Answer?

We do.

Decent human beings... everywhere.

If you wanna get your heart around the spirit of the VOICES TOGETHER concert, here's a link to a recent update. Go ahead and click on this link for the update from July 27th. And, then come back and go ahead and click on this link, too.

Click here to get a general idea of what we're planning and why.

That's all for right now. I will be asking for help from all of you in getting the word out, okay? Y'know, I'm such a lucky man. Doing what I do for a living, I get to meet the nicest people... good people... caring, loving peope. Strong, willful people who live meaningful lives. All ordinary people just like me who, in their own ways are willing to do something extraordinary when it's needed. When the time comes, I'm gonna ask all of you to step up for this project.

Cool?

Thanks again.