Have you ever been listening to the radio when a song comes on that takes you back to a place or time in your life that you wouldn't have thought about if not for that song?     Songs can do that.   The associative properties they have are powerful.

"If You Leave Me Now"  by Chicago always makes me think of the roller skating parties they'd have at the school when I was in 5th or 6th grade.   For some reason,  they always played that one when it was a couples skate.   "Purple Rain", by Prince takes me back to high school in an instant.     Then of course,  there are the songs that remind me of "her."    "Her"  is different for each song.  Sometimes the memories are wonderful,  sometimes they're painful.   You probably have a "her"  or maybe a "him"  that you think of when that special song pops up on the radio.

As a musician,  I find that certain songs become difficult to perform if I've associated them with someone too strongly.   I get to thinking about things other than the performance,  and I mess up.   Occasionally I even take them off my set list altogether for a while.   Other times,  doing that special song is just what I need to get me inspired.

Here's to hoping that when that one song comes on the radio,  the memories it brings to mind are pleasant ones.

John Lennon said, "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."

In the last week or two,  life has thrown me an unexpected curve ball or two,  and frankly I haven't done much of what I thought I'd be doing.    My music studio and my schedule have basically taken a back seat.      Hopefully,  that will be changing very soon.    I've got a few gigs coming up that will get me back on track,  and I expect to get working on my studio soon too.     I hope you'll join me for some music somewhere along the line. 

It's been a great summer.   Technically it's not over just yet,  but I think the spirit of summer pretty much ends when school starts up again.   I think I will remember the summer of 2007 as one of my best in quite a while.  

One can only hope that when Autumn is over,  I'll be saying something similar.

It was a sunny Tuesday morning.   Right around the time I'm writing this, as a matter of fact.   My mom called me and told me to turn on the TV.    A plane had hit the World Trade Center.    I turned on the TV just seconds before the second plane hit.    I remember thinking how horrible,  but it didn't quite sink in yet what was happening.   I started to go on with my day.   I had things to get done.

A little later,  I was at the hardware store,  and the lady there said that another plane had crashed in Pennsyvania,  and one at the Pentagon.    That's when I realized what was going on.   The rest of the day was spent in front of the TV.  As the towers started to come down,  our minds raced through anyone we might know in New York.   My oldest sister quite often worked in Manhattan,  and it took us a while to reach her.   Thankfully,  she was not in the city that day.

In the next day or two,  you were hard pressed to find a house that wasn't flying the American Flag.  Democrats and Republicans joined hands on the capital steps and sang "God Bless America"   There was a sense that it didn't matter what your political beliefs are, what color you are, or what part of the country you come from.   We were attacked.   It was time to stand up.

God bless those who died in the attack.  God bless those heroes who lost their lives trying to save others.  God bless those who have since served and lost their lives lives trying to fight those who would do us harm.   God bless America.

Saturday was a great day.  I was helping my (ok, I'm going to say it in public) girlfriend, Amy move.   It wasn't really what you'd call fun,  but it felt good to get some work done,  and the move is really going to be good for her.   Then the whole tone of the day changed.   I spoke with a friend of mine who came home from the hospital that day.  Out of respect for his privacy,  I won't mention his name,  but many of you reading this may know who it is.   I was hoping that the fact that he was home was good news.   Sadly,  that's not really the case.   In a best case scenario,  he'll be in for a tough battle.     It just makes me sad.   Friendship and prayers are about all I can offer.  

Warren Zevon said that you learn to cherish every sandwich.  That's a nice reminder,  but I'd prefer to take them all for granted,  and share them with my friend for a very long time.

Seems like I wrote the same front page last year.   Last Thursday my friend Deborah Herbert performed a gig at The Big Tree Inn.   It was fun.    We started off a little slow.   Deb showed up with a migraine that just made it difficult to perform.   After a couple of excedrin started kicking in,  we really got going.   Her spirit on stage is remarkable.   This year,  I got a couple of different musicians to back her up.   In addition to myself on guitar,  Dave Sharman, Gary Holt, and Andrew Laughton  really added a lot to the evening.   

The good news is,  the manager liked the show so much that about three songs into the night,  he came over and asked us back for next week.   So,  if you want another chance to catch Deborah Herbert,  you better come to the Big Tree Inn in Geneseo  on Thursday, July 26.   Otherwise,  you might have to fly to Copenhagen for another chance.

I invited my friend Amy to our Independence Day celebration next week.   She mentioned that as she was telling her kids about the invitation,  it dawned on her that she wanted to explain to them why the 4th of July is more than hot dogs and fireworks.     That got me to thinking........reflecting,  actually.

What an absolutely amazing country we live in.   231 years ago a group of brave men and women got together and declared that they had had enough.  It was not right for them to live under the thumb of a dictator.   That government should be a reflection of the peoples' will.   You have to remember what a radical idea this was at the time.  But it was one that they were willing to die for.  Many of them did.    Once they won their freedom,  they didn't simply install another king or dictator.   No, the revolution wasn't about someone else wanting power.   They started this great experiment called democracy.   They made, to borrow a phrase, a contract with America.   The the rights of all men were guaranteed.   The structure of government was defined.   The transition of power was spelled out.

I've spent time in other countries where the people don't have the same freedoms that we so often take for granted in America.   To this day,  there are places where you can't so much as express your displeasure with a governmental policy for fear of being arrested, or even killed.   Remember that the next time you hear some rich celebrity whining about how unfair it is that she sold a few less cd's because some people don't like her politics.

Is America perfect?   Far from it.   But it is still the most desirable place in the world to live.   That's because of those brave men and women 231 years ago who were willing to die to gain their freedom,  and all those since who have been willing to die to protect it.

Every so often,  I notice that the music I'm listening to has changed.  Sometimes the shift is so subtle that I barely notice it until I look back.   For example,  I still listen to a lot of blues,  but lately I notice that it's not as much the acoustic delta style,  and more of a jump blues with lots of horns.    Sometimes the change in taste is a big departure from the norm.    From out of nowhere,  everything I touch seems to have more of a country style to it lately.   I've been hearing Johnny Cash and George Jones in the new songs I learn.   And I can't seem to get Pure Prairie League out of my head.  

I wonder why.