So much going on...

Spent yesterday catching up after returning from a kind of a whirlwind concert trip in Berlin, Germany over the weekend. I'm gonna try to get some video and photos from the gig here on the site before the end of the week!

Today.... um.... still catching up clearing the decks.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for good weather on Friday night so we can close out the season downtown in The Village. This Friday night is supposed to be our final "Sunset on the Hudson" concert on Pier 45 in Hudson River Park. We'll play the Sun down one mo' time and then start looking toward what's next.

Got some kinda bad news about hanging out with all of you in Central Park this weekend. Besides the fact that it might be a little shaky weather-wise, we're running into the same problems over at the Permit Office of the Parks Department as we have in the past year or two. So, we weren't issued the Special Events Permit I applied for this coming weekend or the weekend of September 11th. (It's a long story and I don't much feel like getting into it right now. I'm feeling too good about Life in general and all of the possibilities it holds.)

So, I hope I see you all in Central Park the first weekend in September!

Hey... I'll tell you what!

If YOU wanna ask why we're being granted permits 3 times a month in a seemingly arbitrary way, go ahead and ask. I mean, the jazz combo on the 72nd Street transverse is playing all day on both Saturday and Sunday and they are much much louder and visible than we are over in our little corner of the park. The disco roller-bladers play their music both Saturday and Sunday every weekend. The agreement I made back in 2000 with Central Park administrator, Doug Blonsky, (who is a good guy) was to play one day a weekend instead of two, and that if Operations Director Nelson Nicholas, (another good guy) ever relayed any problems I would make adjustments in the volume level of what we do.So, this decision to limit us to 3 weekends a month flies in the face of that handshake agreement.

Hey listen... I know it's not my park. I know it's not my right to be playing there and that I'm a very lucky man to be playing there at all. I just love being "That Guitar Man from Central Park" one day a week in the summer. Call me nuts.... but, with genuine humility and gratitude I can say that I think it's actually become a good thing for New York City and for Central Park.

Still I'm not a fist-in-the-air kinda guy. I don't wanna cause problems for anyone. (I just feel that it's possible a problem is being created where none has existed for 18 summers.) It's not the end of the world. Not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

I'm kinda done trying to figure it out.

Moving on.

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The NEW CD is here!

And, I'm gonna try to figure out a way to really celebrate it's arrival. Of course, I'll have it with me at any gigs I'm playing.

But, I know that there are a whole lot of you checking in here every day from across the country and in different parts of the world. The CD doesn't seem to be available to buy online quite yet. And I haven't seen it uploaded and available on itunes yet. But, I will let you know the minute that happens, okay?

I'm already thinkin' about the "Year-End Concert" in December to get all the artists on stage with me to play this thing LIVE.

Here are A few 2-minute clips from the CD:

KEEP HOPE ALIVE

ANY OTHER WAY

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AND HEY!

Yes, it looks like Attorney General Eric Holder is sticking his toe in the water regarding an investigation into the practice of torture in this country and the violation of numerous laws by members of the Bush administration.

But, this cannot be viewed as legitimate or even be taken seriously unless we all put pressure on those at the Department of Justice to actually do their jobs and prosecute everyone who broke the law. The scope of this investigation cannot be narrow or limited. It cannot be window dressing for political expediency.

My message and feelings are all here in this song and music video.

PLEASE pass it on to every single person you know in this country and around the world. (Even those people who condone the use of torture for the sake of their own security.)

Then go to YouTube and leave a comment.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO WATCH IT.

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See you guys here at the site all week with anew update every day! If you're new around here, or if you're checking in from a different part of the country or a different part of the world, take a few minutes (or hours) to browse through the ARCHIVE. Lotsa cool shit in there.

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Thanks for everything.

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PEACE