Well, another year is coming to a close. Don't know where in the country or where in the world you're reading this. But, maybe it's because it's raining today here in New York City... that this update might be just a little reflective.

I'm not really big on New Year's Eve. Never have been. Like I say, "At midnight on Saturday, at the bottom of the ocean... it's business as usual."

But, it's a good time for me to do something that's kind of important to do once in a while... sit quietly and imagine possibilities for tomorrow... and, glance back.

Glance... not stare.

Listening to the rain on the window, looking back over my 2005... well, this has been another year of adventure and wonder, indescribable happiness and incredible sadness, heartache and laughter, outrage, acceptance... creativity.

Y'know... Life.

Thanks to you, I had another amazing summer. (I would think that it's a cool thing that a town like New York City has something called "That Guitar Man from Central Park". It just blows me away with gratitude when I realize that... y'know... it's me.

This year, it was "Saturdays" in Central Park

I've written a bunch of new songs this year. Among them... "I Love the Company", "JesusLand", "You Don't Know", "A different Cowboy's Lament" and "Festivus Time".

Ha! Started cartooning again! Here are a few of the most recent. Click on the image for the larger version to print out.

. . . . . .

I call them, "Damned Scooter!" - "The Wheels Came Off" - "'At's My Boy!" - "Who Knew Pants Really Catch Fire?"

Made some wonderful music with some wonderful people this year! Had an awful lotta fun.

In the "That's Life" Department... I spent this year single and unattached, sorting through the mystery that is my heart.

Let's see. This year I started to receive pretty intense and whacky hate-mail for the first time in my career from people on the so-called "conservative-right" of things over some of the songs I've written and things I've dared to say on this website. (That's been kind of interesting.) But, for every one of those bizarre message I've gotten, I've received 100 beautiful and supportive emails, from people who "get it".

This year, my long time collaborator and musical partner, "Dodger" Bartlett moved to Las Vegas. That was sad. But, I was also introduced to a whole new audience and community of artists at Birdland every Monday night. I've had unexpected successes, enlightening failures, perfectly explainable miracles, dreams unrealized... and, alot of laughs.

Life.

Man!

It's also important to say that in 2005 I've continued to "pay attention".

In the past 12 months, at least 840 more Americans will never see their mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters and freinds again because they were killed in the war in Iraq. (2,174 in total so far. Creeping up on the same number of Americans who were killed by Saudi Arabian, Osama Bin Laden just a few years ago.)

But, hundreds of thousands more Iraqis... civilians, ordinary people, women and children in that country have had their lives ended, irreparably damaged or torn apart in the war.

So, one of the very first undertakings for some of my friends and I in the new year will be the Voices Together Concert.

Please make a resolution... TODAY... to join us, okay?

Really. While you are reading this... right now. Make the decision to start off your 2006 by being a part of something really Good.... really making a difference for the better in this world. (Not a bad way to start another lap around the Sun, hah?)

Here. Click on this logo and visit the Voices Together website.

On Saturday Night January 28th, this concert at Symphony Space in New York City is gonna be a night of purpose, goodness, smiles, togetherness, laughter, some tears.... but most of all, an evening of wonderful music.

And unlike alot of charities and BIG name benefits... every nickel of the proceeds from every ticket you buy, all of it is going directly to the people who are helping out the ordinary civilians caught in the nightmare in Iraq. (So, you can also write it off as a tax-deduction if you want.)

The two group that we are helping are Elissa Montanti's Global Medical Relief Fund, and LIFE.

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Elissa makes trips to Iraq to get kids who've been badly hurt and bring them to the US for tthe medical care they so desperately need. and, LIFE actually has many, many people on the ground in that dangerous part of the world who can get help to places that Americans can't reach.

Here's the musical lineup so far.

(And, we're not done yet!)

Christine Lavin
Roger Bartlett
George Wurzbach, Dave Buskin, Rob Carlson (aka Modern Man)
Karlus Trapp
Sam Leopold
And... I'm gonna be sharing the stage with them, too.

You can get tickets, right now... today... at the Peter Norton SYMPHONY SPACE website.

We also have a very limited number of VIP tickets available. But, if you want to order those and be invited to the reception after the show, you have to contact the Voices Together Group at:

Get VIP Tickets

The VIP section will get all kinds of stuff, and the artists will all hang out at a reception after the gig.

Yeah... I'm hangin' out after the show with Christine and Roger and Sam and George and Karl and everyone. The reception is in the Thalia Cafe, right inside the Symphony Space complex.

Okay, that's it from me today.

Gotta get to work!

Um... would you do me a HUGE favor and pass this website on to few more people today. Tell some of your friends to visit the Voices site and get involved, okay?

I'll be back soon with a new cartoon.

And, if you feel like emailing me about anything at all, just click on the "Contact" button over there. I can't possibly answer all the mail I get. But, I promise I eventually read every single one.

Thanks again.