Wow! Very cool! James Marino (webmaster of this site) and I had a great meeting yesterday about the Podcasting project we're gonna put together soon. (I should probably stop talking about it so much until we get it going. But, I'm excited about the possibilities. I happen to be a "possibility junkie". Anyone who knows me well knows what I mean.) But... HERE'S THE THING!

My Podcast is gonna be in the same spirit as most of my gigs. I'm gonna introduce you all to other Podcasts by other people.... Podcasts that I think you guys should all be turned onto. Just like... the same way I love introducing you to guest artists at my gigs. I'm gonna try to book a different guest artist to join me in Central Park each weekend. And, I'm gonna be recommending other Podcasts on the internet by people I think are cool and deserving of a listen.

Anyway, more about that later.

Hey listen, we're passing the 3rd anniversary of the American invasion of Iraq. Please visit yesterday's update for a chance to "pay attention"... okay?

But for today? Welcome to the website. I hope you're all being cool to each other today.

It really won't be long until we're all hanging out in Central Park again... sharing music, smiles and a few laughs.

I'm also meeting this week with the people at Hudson River Park about this year's "Sunset Concert Series". That's a really great way to hang together, too. Especially cool for you Downtown and Village people. (Although, I don't do any "Village People".)

I play at the end of Pier 45 as the sun goes down.

Oh yeah, and a friend of mine and a good friend of all the "People on the Hill", a guy named Ed Grimm, is talking to the administrator of Riverside Park this week about playing on Sunday's over at "The Storyteller's Hill". (That went pretty well last year, don'tcha think?)

Yeah, it'll all be happenin' before you know it.

Now, THIS IS PRETTY COOL!

Click on this link and listen to a Podcast called The Jersey Todd Show.

This guy Todd sounds like a good guy. I'll be doing all I can to promote his show as well. You can tell... the guy loves music and loves what he does.

Oh, listen... one thing before anything else. A little unpleasantness.

I received at least a half a dozen really disturbing emails over the weekend about the "Forum" (message board). I'm gonna talk to James Marino about pulling it down again. (He fired it up again on his own while I was doing a gig in Guadeloupe earlier this winter. I was actually surprised to see it back up when I got back to town.) But, I'm thinking about shutting it down again. Maybe we will. Maybe we won't. James and I are gonna hafta have a heart-to-heart about it. Because, several people have urged me to poke my head in there to see what's been going on lately. Let's just say...

Well, I'd better not say too much just yet. But, let me make this clear. I try my best every day to be a good man. But, I am NOT in the business of giving jerks a place to be heard. This site takes work, time and money to operate. Some people seem to feel like it is their mission to drive good people away from this site with their bullshit. I'll talk to James about what to do.

Let's leave it at that for now.

Moving on...

In the meantime, I am sooooo excited about everything on the horizon... musically, personally and professionally.

Musically, I'm writing again and getting ready to record a bunch of songs that have never been laid down.

Personally, I feel like I've just come out the other side of another period of real personal growth and understanding.

And, professionally... we're gonna jump into the Podcasting world this Spring and Summer.

Yeah, I'm really excited about launching the audio-Podcasts in preparation for ramping up the video-Podcasts from Central Park this summer. Well, as soon as the weather gets warm enough and the fence around "The Hill" comes down. (And, no... not those little audio clips over there on the right. We're talking about real Podcasts.)

Nobody really understands where it's all going. But, the potential is awesome and it is a big part of the future of entertainment on the internet. All you hafta know right now is that it's basically like a radio show on your computer that you can listen to or download and take with you in your mp3 player. That's all.

And, then once a week... we'll have a video camera out in Central Park, or down at Pier 45 in The Village, or over in Riverside Park, or at any of the venues I'm gonna be playing this year. If you're at the gig, chances are you will be part of the show. Y'see, we'll shoot video of you guys singing, maybe give some of you a chance to say "Hey" to friends and family in different parts of the country or different parts of the world, and then make the video available for the whole world to see here at thatguitarman.com the following Monday.

Very cool.

Confusing?

Ahhhh, you'll see.

For now, here... here's a link to a FREE song I've been sharing with you guys lately... just to give you an idea of the awesome potential of your computer and what's possible on the internet.

(Just click on the photo to hear "A different Cowboy's Lament" and download it for FREE.)

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Okay, gotta go.

Um, check back and I will let you know what I decide about the "Forum".

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Oh, and once again... THANK YOU! To all of you who are helping out with this year's Permit Fund.

Seriously. Very soon I'll try to send a personal "Thank You" email to every one of you, okay?

If you feel like helping out with this year's "Permit fund"... now would be a good time to do it. I put the paperwork and fees in for most of the permits to play on "The Hill" in Central Park already. If everything goes smoothly, and it doesn't rain like it did last Spring, we'll be hanging out together before you know it.

So if you feel like it, the webmaster has made it really easy. There are two buttons over there on the right. PayPal actually keeps a smaller percentage of your donation. But, either method is good.

But, only if you feel like it and only if you can afford to help out. Remember, it's most important to me that you show up... with or without your money.

If you feel like emailing me about anything at all, just click on the "Contact" button. I can't answer all the email I get. But, I promise I eventually read every single one. And listen, I know there are people reading this in different parts of the country and different parts of the world. If you're new here take a look through the "Archives" to see what we've been up to. There's alotta fun stuff in there... FREE songs to download, original political cartoons I've drawn... all kindsa stuff.

Thanks again.