Sunday, April 10, 2011

Odds and Sods for Sunday, April 10, 2011

Morning, world.

What's shaking? Anyone in the mood for a free book today?



"What happens when a frustrated American artist-turned-soccer-mom and her overconfident and charming British cyber-lover plan a three-day tryst of erotic depravity at a hotel in New York City?

Elizabeth and Richard are about to find out.

Elizabeth is about to turn forty years old, facing empty nest syndrome, and wistful about roads not taken. Unhappy in both her marriage and her career, she mourns abandoning her dream of being an artist. She feels like an outsider in her sports-obsessed family and a misfit at work in the corporate world. She's hoping Richard, a refined, British upper class gentleman with unusual sexual preferences, will be her Knight-in-Shining-Armor and rescue her from her unfulfilling life. What ensues is a hilariously poignant sexual romp through the Big Apple.
"


Yep, it's true. My very first published novel, Three Days in New York City, the first of the "sex in the city" trilogy, is TOTALLY FREE TODAY and you can pick up your copy right here at All Romance eBooks.

I feel I should mention that while I've been told Three Days is a laugh out loud comedy, a lot of the jokes revolve around sex and it is extremely graphic, so normally I'd say BUYER BEWARE but hey hey, since it's free today and today only, I say, Go for it! And if you like what you read, don't forget about the second book in the trilogy, Another Bite of the Apple, and the third and maybe or maybe not final installment, Bitten to the Core. If you would like the paperback versions of any of these books, please visit my author page over at Indiebound or directly from my publisher right here. Notice I am trying to steer you away from Amazon, but...sigh...I know resistance is futile, I know, so here is the link for that.

Speaking of writing, guess where I will be on Saturday?



Yep, I'm back, and I'll be with the East Coast Authors at a table selling and signing the reissue of Daddy Left Me Alone with God. And there will be lots of free chocolate! Stop by and say hello. For further details on the festival, here's the link to their webpage. For those of you who still get the morning newspaper, usually the Philadelphia Inquirer contains an excerpt with a map of where of the various authors/events will be but if not, trust me, I'll be tweeting and Facebooking my location.

It really is true about Facebook. Now that I know how it works, I see that's where everyone is. The blogging community as I knew it is dwindling. There are still huge communities of everything from mommy bloggers to entertainment/gossip bloggers, but most people, especially writers who need to be spending their time working on their novels, are now stationed at Facebook. So...if you haven't already, you can friend me right here.

And for me, blogging has become kind of bittersweet. Julie and Eric have apartments of their own; I no longer tour with them...so like, how do I top my stories of the past seven years since I first started blogging? I refuse to be one of those, "Well, today I had an English muffin with peanut butter for breakfast and maybe if I'm lucky, there's some brown rice and veggies left over for lunch...then I plan on writing, reading so and so's novel, and ooh ooh, I took a nap!"

Erm...no.

But yeah, how do I go from writing about meeting Robert Fripp to talking about English muffins and peanut butter?

Yer right. I can't. So I don't.

But the truth is, I have been working on my new book and I've been basically a shut in, taking care of my dog. Gah! I've been housebound for weeks, playing nursemaid to Monty the wonder dog. Yes, I know he is thirteen and has a terrible illness, but he's still hanging in there; I am confident he's not in any pain (seeing as how he still brings me his leash and has a totally voracious appetite)...but his illness, which suppresses his immune system, leaves him susceptible to just about everything and right now in addition to Cushing's disease he's fighting something called demodicosis. Don't google it. I even refuse to be my usual self and look. My feeling is, if the vet is still upbeat and Monty is still acting like Monty, I'm just taking it a day at a time and enjoying every second with him, but yeah, I am afraid to leave him alone and need a babysitter for him if I do go out.

But here's proof that he's doing great - in honor of opening day of baseball season this week, I got Monty a present and he's looking damn fine for a sickly senior citizen, isn't he?



Also, I should mention that when he turned 13 a few weeks ago, since it was his bar mitzvah, we had a party...Julie and Eric came over, we sang Happy Birthday, and this gorgeous cake is vegan peanut butter:



The idea was inspired by my vet, who told me that he has "patients" who do indeed lavishly bar mitzvah their dogs. Since I did not even have a bar mitzvah for my son, heathen that I am, I made up for it with Monty. We also had vegan coconut ice cream with our cake. :)

So, while I've been missing, I am sure you've seen the Facebook and twitters from not only me and the family but by others...Julie and Eric have been busy, busy, busy. From the Pink Revolver concert, featuring legendary musicians guitarist Jane Getter, keyboard player Rachel Z, drummer Camille Gainer Jones, vocalist Vivian Sessoms and bassist Julie Slick...and I understand another show is in the works for either May or June...here are some photos from last month:











I am still waiting for a You Tube to surface from that show, along with a You Tube from another project Julie is involved with drummer Carl Bahner...if you check Julie's website, you'll see she's got another show with Carl lined up as well as some Paper Cat shows..she's also the new bassist for Philadelphia super group Dragon King. But no worries, she's still an active member of the Adrian Belew Power Trio and there is talk of a very interesting tour this fall. Watch this space! Hmm...to save you the trouble, here's a list of Julie's upcoming gigs but I know there are more that she needs to add that are quite, quite special:

04/29 – Phoenixville, PA – Bahner/Slick Duo – Pickering Creek Inn
04/30 – Philadelphia, PA – Dragon King – The Barbary
05/04 – Philadelphia, PA – PAPER CAT – Johnny Brenda’s
06/07 – Philadelphia, PA – with Eric Slick, Tim Motzer, and Chris Cuzme – Triumph Brewing Company

Did you know that Eric has a brand new website? It's very cool but will be even cooler once he's off tour and has the time to update it but for now, here is the link. Eric is currently on tour with Dr. Dog and last night they played at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina where I just read they had quite the monsoon and hailstorm last night. Ha ha, it wouldn't be a real tour if one of my kids wasn't involved in some kind of natural disaster, huh. So, two things. One, here is a photo of Eric from the sold-out Dr. Dog show in Philadelphia on February 11, where management took pity on me (being one of the few people in the venue over 30) and let me sit on the side of the stage...



and two, here, in case you've never been so lucky, what it looks like in the green room backstage at the Electric Factory where they played that night...well, not exactly what it looks like, but look who is hanging out "watching" all the partying...





Pretty cool, huh. Also, Eric had more than another fifteen minutes of fame last week when he appeared for almost ten days on the front page of the Bonaroo website with this video, where he reminisces about meeting Dr. Dog for the first time...where? At Bonnaroo, of course!



But the nicest thing that happened was this morning, when I received the official "review" from my pal, brilliant photographer Michael Inman (ha ha, Mike, I see you've abandoned your blog, too but you can friend Mike on Facebook right here. I met Mike when J&E first joined the Adrian Belew Power Trio because he is a long time King Crimson and prog music fan, so I was a little nervous about how he would react to the looser, jamband style of Dr. Dog. I needn't have worried. Here's the lovely, lovely excerpts from his FB messages that I came down to when I woke up this morning.

First. Mike sent me a copy of a message he sent to Andre Cholmondelay, who is currently teching with the UK reunion tour featuring Eddie Jobson, John Wetton, and Marco Minnemann:

"Hey Andre,

Just had to tell you this. I went to see Eric last night in Dr. Dog...and quite honestly I didn't get what all the fuss was about that band...till I saw them LAST NIGHT OMG! They were so insanely excellent! He has come such a long long way in such a few short years. You had a significant part in his development for giving him his first break in Project Object. I wish I had seen him in that band too. However I think Eric has found the right place now with Dr. Dog OMG! I never thought I would say that because I SO LOVED him in the Power Trio with Julie.

But last night I saw these boys play their ASSES OFF! They were buggin on the stage...bouncing all over the place I was in the front row and I am still freaking out at the caliber of this band! I am weeping with Joy for how amazing they are. Before I went in Eric came out and talked to me a bit. He was saying how playing iwth this band is so much different than playing where he had a lot more fills. He really had to teach himself restraint. You know what he has learned with this band is how to be a supporting drummer and hold back till it's his time to shine and trust me he has plenty of fills!

I know you have been through so so much lately losing Cheri and all and have gone through and are going through some really rough patches. But something in the cosmos told me I needed to write you to tell you just how amazing this boy has become! He has some incredible parents, an amazing sister and you of course also played a very important part in his journey so far.

I hope when you read this if warms your heart to hear these words. I know you are an amazing musician, and a super addition to any road crew a band could ever have. I am sure that Wetton and Jobson know this and if they don't they are fools! I took many photos last night it was very difficult to capture these boys because they run all over the place...such energy! Such talent...such timing! And Eric has a huge role in that.

Hope that you come through the Charlotte area sometime in the near future and if you do please let me know. And when you get the chance if you haven't already done so.....go see Eric in Dr. Dog. I think you will be grinning the entire show just like I was.

Peace, Mike"


Isn't that the most beautiful message, ever? And here's what Mike wrote to me, directly, when I thanked him so much for his letter to Andre and me:

"You are welcome Rob and Thank You for hooking me up with the photo pass! It's always appreciated! Oh and these guys can really make a huge noise! OMG! I am still in awe of their live show! There is no video and no audio recording that can EVER capture this. Oh and you know as well as me....that Eric will always be in twenty side projects no matter what band he is playing in. AND I pray he and Julie are playing together again.....because they TALK they communicate through music...like Identical twins who have their own language!

Peace, Mike"


I love what Mike says about Julie and Eric. Indeed.

By the way, if you are in the NYC area, you can catch the UK reunion show Monday night. You can find the details right here. Julie asked me if I could go - I think she may be attending - but in light of everything going on right now, I kind of doubt it. Having attended this show in 2009, I can tell you it's incredible (and I saw them without John Wetton so I can just imagine how awesome it is now)...so yeah, if you live anywhere near New York, you really need to GO.

Okay, then. Have I covered everything? Get your free copy of Three Days in NYC today; come say Hi to me at the Book Festival next Saturday (unless you are a stalker then please, do not bother me har har), if you are in the Florida area go see Eric on this current Dr. Dog tour which runs through next week...if you are in Philly do not miss any of the upcoming Julie/Eric shows (though there are some great NY ones coming up that neither have on their respective websites yet so I'm thinking I'd better stay quiet until they are officially announced)...and if you are a praying sort of person, send me some white light for my doggie.

Talk soon...
xo

P.S. Whoops, I did forget one thing. This weekend marks the one year anniversary of The Great Canadian Writers' Retreat. So much has happened to all four of us this year! I really want to do a blog post which gets into that in detail, but this time last year, one of the highlights was hanging out with Susan Henderson five months prior to the publication of her debut novel, Up from the Blue. Well, guess what. A year to the day of our first night together, Susan appeared on the Rosie O'Donnell radio show after receiving this tweet from Rosie!

"@rosie @LitPark - I love ur book - almost done with it - would u like to come on my radio show ?"


Can you imagine how Sue felt when she got that tweet? From Rosie Freaking O'Donnell? Anyway, yep, Rosie sent a car to pick up Sue and you can listen to the whole interview right here. That might not be the direct link, but it will take you there.

Okay, then. Happy Sunday, all. I believe you have some reading to do. :)

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Daddy Left Me Alone with God

ETA: Daddy Left Me Alone with God is now available for Kindle right here!

Today I am ecstatic to announce that my novel, Daddy Left Me Alone with God, has a brand new publisher, a brand new cover, and hurrah, is now available in ebook format.

Here's how it looks now...


Cover art by Amanda Kelsey.

I'm very, very excited about my new publisher, DLP Books.

DLP is basically a small, independent publishing house with a little bit of everything. They offer a variety of quality fiction, poetry, and non-fiction in eBook format and print. Print books will be available on the main DLP site shortly and they are working diligently to get wider distribution. The print version of Daddy should be available some time next month...I'll let you know when...but I'm really excited about today's release because it was never available in ebook format until now. It will also be for sale over at Amazon and Barnes and Noble for Kindle and Nook practically any minute, but in the meantime you can purchase it at DLP Books or All Romance.

Actually, it is available over at Barnes and Noble for Nook as we speak. Here's the link!

Or you can click on my brand new banner/header, which will take you directly to DLP.

I am also thrilled to show you the trailer for the novel, which features music by Julie Slick!



Recognize the song? It's Aphrodite, from Julie's solo CD. You can purchase it right here.

And here's a tiny excerpt from the book's prologue to whet your appetite - I hope :)

"I sat on the edge of a bed in a cheap Los Angeles hotel, two thousand seven hundred miles away from my home in Philadelphia, armed with the uneasy realization that in a couple of hours my life might be changed forever.

And what was my biggest concern?

How did I look and what should I wear.

Shallow wench.

Disgusted with myself, I got up and paced back and forth all agitated until finally settling on a black t-shirt, tight faded jeans, and stiletto heeled boots.

Perfect. From a few feet away, I could pass for thirty.

Make that thirty-five.

Oh, alright. Thirty-seven.

In candlelight.

Hey, the venue would be dark so I would be fine.

Yeah, right. Like I really believed that. And fine was not a word in my vocabulary."


*******************

And right about now, if you know me personally, you are probably saying to yourself, this is really non-fiction, huh.

Now, now. My lips are sealed.

I also set up a new Facebook page for Daddy but naturally screwed something up when I sent out the "Robin Slick suggests you like Daddy Left Me Alone with God" emails so could you all do me a favor and visit the page and click "Like"?

Facebook Page.

Also...tah dah...I have a new website!

www.RobinSlick.com

Now let's see who can guess what I love most about my site, which, by the way, was designed by the same man responsible for designing the sites of some very heavy hitters - Chris McElroy...

Give up?

Ha ha, no you didn't. You all know the answer. It's the Rock and Roll section. I am still adding Slick family celebrity photos and am having a blast. You'll also see links to a bunch of You Tubes - some actually have to do with me and stuff I've done, but the bulk of it are Julie and Eric Slick's "greatest hits". Surprise, surprise.

So I hope you will celebrate the book's release with me - I have all kinds of things I am in the process of lining up for the Spring - readings, book festivals, etc, so watch this space along with Facebook, Twitter, etc. for details.

I am really stoked!

I'll be on the look-out for the Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other links and will post them here and on my website as soon as they are available. In the meantime, I'm headed back over to Facebook to try and figure out what the hell I did wrong :)

Later,
xo

Monday, February 14, 2011

The Other Life by Ellen Meister

Morning! And Happy Valentine's Day!

So if you've been a regular reader of this blog over the years, you know that I am friends with an astoundingly talented writer named Ellen Meister.



Yes, I know. She's not only an amazing writer, she's drop dead gorgeous, too.

Anyway, February 17, 2011 is a really special day for Ellen - it's the release of her third book, The Other Life. It sold at AUCTION, people. That means various publishing companies fought for the right to own this book. Can you imagine the thrill? I get chills just thinking about it.



The cover is almost as gorgeous as Ellen :)

But, oh, the book. I was lucky enough to read the very first draft of this novel, and my immediate reaction was: Oh. My. God. The premise of the book is completely brilliant, and in typical Ellen style, there are laugh out loud lines mixed in with the tragedies we all endure and somehow manage to survive...if we are lucky.

Remember when I went on my Great Canadian Writers' Retreat and learned about "the elevator pitch" - the line which would sum up your novel in one sentence if you had 10 seconds to pitch your book to an agent who has the good fortune to ride the elevator with you? Here's Ellen's elevator pitch for The Other Life:

What if you could return to the road not taken?


The trailer, created by Ellen's equally insanely talented teenaged son, Max, will give you another glance into the magic that is The Other Life...


In case that didn't whet your appetite enough, here's a brief synopsis:

"Quinn Braverman is keeping two secrets from her loving husband, Lewis. One is that the real reason she chose him over Eugene, her neurotic, semi-famous ex-boyfriend, was to prove to her mother that she could have a happy, stable relationship with the guy next door.

The other is that Quinn knows another life exists in which she made the other choice and stayed with Eugene. The two lives run in parallel lines, like highways on opposite sides of a mountain. There, on the other side, the Quinn who stayed with Eugene is speeding through her high-drama, childless life in Manhattan. Here, the Quinn who married Lewis lives in the suburbs, drives a Volvo, and has an adorable young son with another baby on the way.

But the important part of the secret—the part that terrifies and thrills her—is that she knows it's possible to cross from one life to the other. So far she’s played it safe, never venturing over to see what’s on the other side. Then a shocking turn of events rattles Quinn to her very core, and she makes the reckless choice to finally see what she’s been missing.

There, she not only rediscovers her exciting single life, but meets the one person she thought she’d lost forever. Her mother.

But Quinn can’t have both lives. Soon, she must decide which she really wants—the one she has…or the other life?"


Check out the heavy hitters who have already praised this book:

"How many wonder what their life would be like if they chose a different path? This is the crux of Ellen Meister’s riveting novel, THE OTHER LIFE. This inimitable tale is mesmerizing ..."
-Nancy C. Lepri, New York Journal of Books

"A powerful, moving and emotional story that is going to be a great read for book clubs."
-Bookfinds

"Intriguing, stimulating, original, unpredictable, frightening,utterly engaging--THE OTHER LIFE reminded me why I love to read. EllenMeister is a writer with a limitless future."

-Michael Palmer, New York Times bestselling author of THE LAST SURGEON

"Ellen Meister makes a big leap toward the literary in THE OTHER LIFE, a book where 'What if' becomes the most powerful question in the world. This is the thinking woman's beach read, a love story to the modern family, written with a deep and lovely understanding of mothers and daughters and the sacrifices they'll make for each other
."
-Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING

"Gripping! A truly fascinating story of love, loss, and a magical place in between."

-Beth Harbison, New York Times bestselling author of HOPE IN A JAR

"In her riveting breakthrough novel, THE OTHER LIFE, gifted storyteller Ellen Meister doesn't just peek in on a young mother who straddles between love and doubt, she blows it open with a story of one who straddles two parallel universes, each with its own perilous decisions. It is a brave and honest exploration of the precarious limits of motherhood that will make readers wonder if Meister followed them with a probe and felt their racing hearts and hopes. If you have ever second guessed the biggest decisions of your life (and who hasn't), THE OTHER LIFE is a captivating homage to the question, does love conquer all?
"
-Saralee Rosenberg, author of DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD and FATE AND MS. FORTUNE

"THE OTHER LIFE is a provocative and unique tale of the road not taken. Ellen Meister puts a magical, masterful spin on one of my favorite questions: 'What if?' What if you took both roads? You won't want to miss this one!"

-Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author of THE GIRL WHO CHASED THE MOON

"I loved this emotional powerhouse of a novel that asks a daring "what if..." and manages to be as charming and funny as it is thoughtful and moving. Brava, Ellen Meister!"

-Melissa Senate, author of SEE JANE DATE and THE SECRET OF JOY

So I met Ellen almost ten years ago...oh dear God, how can that be...at Zoetrope studios where we were both intent on following our dream to be writers. I know I've published this pic many times, but it's from approximately seven years ago, I am thinking Ellen had just gotten her book deal for her debut novel, Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA, but it may have been right before...and of course this photo also features this year's debut novelist star, Susan Henderson.



But yeah, it feels like a lifetime ago...all of us gals met online and just clicked...since we were east coasters, it was only a matter of time until we'd meet up in the real world and the rest is history.

So I did get to read the initial draft of the Other Life, but like the rest of the world, I have to wait to receive my copy this week (though I'm hoping it comes today). I'll post an official review once I have the benefit of reading the finalized version. Below are links for you to get your hot little hands on the book...trust me...everyone in the universe is going to be talking about it for more than one reason...I don't want to tip my hand here, but one of the most interesting things about it is going to be how it is interpreted by various readers across the U.S. In fact, I am willing to bet it's every bit as lauded and controversial as A Prayer for Owen Meany...and dear God, if you haven't ever read Owen Meany, GO TO YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY OR BOOKSTORE NOW, but yeah, I am really interested to see what unfolds here. Let's just say the subject of choice is very open to interpretation here on many, many levels, which is what I love so much about The Other Life.

So where can you buy what is sure to be a NYT best seller?

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Indie Bound

Books-A-Million

Powell's

If you are lucky enough to be in the Long Island area, Ellen's launch party will be held at Book Revue this Friday night at 7PM. And if anyone reading this is from Philadelphia and wants to go and can drive me, I will pay all expenses, i.e., gas, bridge tolls, etc. I would kill to be there but without a drivers license, I'm kind of screwed :)

Anyway, I know Ellen would love it if you would hit the "Like" button on her Facebook Page and guess what? If you buy the book and live in the U.S., Ellen will send you an autographed book plate, free of charge! Details are on her FB pages, but look...isn't it pretty?



So go click on one of the links provided above or get yourself to a (preferably indie if you can find one) bookstore on February 17, pick yourself up a copy of The Other Life, and let's meet back here in a few weeks to discuss it. Cool? Cool!

I love you, Ellen. You're a superstar!

Later,
xo

Sunday, January 30, 2011

It was twenty-five years ago today...

Hello, blog, remember me? No? Okay, then. I can see I have to refresh your memory and oh, man, do I have a lot to tell you.

Let's start with the latest news and then I'll backtrack to my last post of...gasp...November 4, 2010? How is that possible? To quote Dr. Dog: Where'd All the Time Go?

Speaking of that, Happy 25th Birthday to Ms. Julie Slick. Man, I am in shock over that one. In case you haven't been with me since the beginning here, I told the whole tragi-comedy of Julie's birth in one of my earlier posts. Yep, still crazy after all these years. :) Wow, I just checked her Facebook page. She must have 5,000 Happy Birthday wishes from people literally all over the world. If you haven't friended Julie on Facebook, what are you waiting for? By the way, Julie shares a birthday with both Andrew Greenaway, ak/a The Idiot Bastard and Andy Lucibello, the man behind Pink Revolver.

Pink Revolver?



Okay, that's not really their logo, I found it in Google Images, but yep, they're a band.

Who's in it? Well, here's the guitarist:



And that would be Jane Getter. Yeah, you read right. She played guitar in the SNL band. SNL. As in Saturday Night Live.

Here's the keyboard player:.



That would be Rachel Z. Ho hum, she plays with Peter Gabriel, Wayne Shorter, won a Grammy...

And the vocalist:



Meet Vivian Sessoms. Her resume includes working live or in the studio with Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, P. Diddy, Sinead O Connor, and Stevie Wonder.

Joining them will be the world's most insanely talented electric violinist:



You may recognize her. She was a student along with Julie and Eric at the School of Rock and her name is Katie Jacoby. She's all grown up now, that's for sure, and she's performed with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Jon Anderson of YES, John Wetton of King Crimson/Asia, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, Zappa alumni Ike Willis, Ray White, Ed Mann, and Napoleon Murphy Brock, Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers' Jeff Skunk Baxter, Vernon Reid of Living Colour, Exodus, and Ed Palmermo's Big Band.

On drums:



That would be Camille Gainer. Camille has worked with such artists as Antonio Hart, J.T. Taylor of Kool and the Gang, Marc Cary, Greg Osby, Steve Coleman, Michael Urbaniak, Melky Sedeck, Chuck Mangione, Kelis, Monifa, Tom Browne, Roy Ayers, Angela Bofill, Noel Pointer, Lonnie Liston Smith, Christian Mcbride, M.C. Shan and the Juice Crew All-Stars of which she was the musical director.

Also on drums...



Kaleen Reading

I wonder who the bassist is?




Why, yes. That would be daughter Julie Slick

And Andy Lucibello, a brilliant musician in his own right and yes, the very same Andy who shares a birthday with Ms. Julie, was kind enough to be the facilitator of the band and their first gig is as follows:

SCHOOL OF ROCK Presents: Concert for the Awareness of Women in the Arts and Breast Cancer
March 12, 2011 from 7PM to 10PM featuring the debut of PINK REVOLVER
Opening acts will be all female bands from the Chatham, Princeton, and Long Valley Schools of Rock.

I'll have additional details and of course lots more to say on this band/concert in the coming weeks, but oh my goodness, if you are anywhere near the north Jersey/New York area, you do not want to miss this show.

And this is just the beginning for Pink Revolver. They're insanely talented, gorgeous...what else do you need?

Julie is busy recording her new CD, and last night when she came over here to celebrate her birthday a little more, she played some new cuts for me and talked about the "special guests" she's going to invite to join her. Erm...I can't blab, but how can she top the special guests on her debut CD? Well, stay tuned. She just might.

On Thursday evening, we had our usual bon voyage Eric Slick dinner at Silk City - Eric is currently on tour and just played two sold out shows in Washington, D.C. - he's heading to Knoxville today for a show tomorrow -- combined with yet another Julie birthday celebration. Oh, before I give you more Julie news, here's the poster for the current Dr. Dog tour. Cool, isn't it?

''

Here's the remaining Dr. Dog tour schedule. Be advised that the February 11, 2011 show at Philadelphia Electric Factory is SOLD OUT! However, if you really want to see them, if you believe this, private brokers are selling single tickets at $250@! I would say that Dr. Dog has "arrived", wouldn't you?

While I'm still on the subject of Eric, how about some family photos?

Below is a slideshow of our family Thanksgiving, which was held on December 10, because Julie was on tour with Adrian in Sweden on the real date. It was so cool to have everyone here - Eric and his beautiful significant other, Nicky and Julie and her significant other, Matt...and by the way, Matt and his band have a new CD out which is truly wonderful and on heavy rotation on the radio. You can check in out right here.



The same gang got together at Christmas...here's a couple of Nicky's photos at our house on Christmas morning:





Yeah, there were a lot of gifts and yeah I am in my pajamas and not looking so swift but it was early in the morning!

Okay, back to wrapping up my Julie news.

So yeah, she's working on the new CD, and you can hear the work in progress over at Sound Cloud.

What's really cool is that Julie's debut CD made several "Best of 2010" lists...not bad for a one woman show who does not have a record label or distributor. In fact, she's blowing everyone's mind, well into her second pressing with sales still brisk. Hear that, Bob Lefsetz?

Here are links to some sites which gave Julie the best of honors:

Vince Font over at Progopolis has this to say...and you can listen to the podcast right here...

Sea of Tranquility showed her some love...

So did Progressive Ears!

And the one that probably made Julie the most proud...coming from brilliant bassist Steve Lawson, who saw the trio in London this past fall and was blown away if one is to believe his many tweets on the subject...and I do! :)

And if that's not awesome enough, stay tuned for details on something incredible altogether - Julie sold a song from the CD! We don't know yet if it's going to be used for a television commercial or what, but she sold it for a significant amount and too funny, out of all the songs on the CD, they chose the one that's a duo with Eric: February.

Which reminds me. The ONLY real radio station in Philadelphia, WXPN, named Dr. Dog's Shame, Shame as #3 album of the year and their song, Shadow People, as #3 single. While Eric was not with the band when they recorded Shame, Shame, he was with them this summer when they recorded Take Me Into Town, which was voted #25 best single! And their song Black/Red, which you can also access by clicking the first link, has been picked up by not one but two television shows!

And since I saw it tweeted everywhere, I assume it's okay to tell you that Dr. Dog has already started work on their next studio album, and it's being produced by this guy. Yes, I know. Heart be still. I heard some of the rough tracks and got some serious chills.

Let's see. What else. Man, I have a ton of writing news. I want to tell you all about my new publisher but I am awaiting my book's new cover and I don't want that news to be buried here, so I will be back with a separate post which focuses on writing and my writer pals. I have friends of note with blockbuster books either just released or about to be released, and there are two in particular I can't recommend enough. One is Caroline Leavitt's latest, which is called "Pictures of You", and another is Ellen Meister's "The Other Life". Please friend these amazing authors on Facebook. They are sweethearts, they interact with their fans, and most of all, they are brilliant writers. Caroline is getting unbelievable rave reviews and is out on a book tour right now ("the beaded vintage sweater and red cowboy boot tour har har...Caroline is my twin sister from a different mother...she wears all black, too and has long curly hair) and Ellen...man, what can I say about Ellen...how about watch this space for some even more amazing news!

Again, more on writing and the book reviews I promised you months ago -- Ariel Leve's "It Could Be Worse You Could Be Me", Marcy Dermansky's "Bad Marie", and Gina Frangello's "Slut Lullabies" among others -- will be forthcoming. One of the reasons I haven't blogged and really shirked my responsibilities and promises to these authors is that *gasp* I took a "real job" this fall filling in for someone on maternity leave at a local law school. I finished up at the end of the year and have been grappling with some home typing in the meantime while I write my latest book and also look for another job. I loved working at the law school (in fact, so much that it freaks me out that it's over because the people there were so intelligent and so cool it was ridiculous) and decided that when I do go back to work, it will be at a university again. I love being with students and in an academic atmosphere...you know me, I'm Peter Pan...I don't have to explain that to you, do I?

Ha ha, I thought not.

Okay, I started this post at 6:30 a.m. and it's now 10:45. Four hours on a blog post? Ha! And I haven't even told you half the stuff that's happened or about to happen. But my brains feel fried; I need to put up another pot of coffee, and you know the drill...if I think of anything I forgot that I simply must add or if I come across any reviews of this weekends' sold-out Dr. Dog shows...I WILL BE BACK (said in best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice).

Later,
xo

Thursday, November 04, 2010

In Case you missed Eric Slick with Dr. Dog on Craig Ferguson last night...

Gah! I set the alarm for 1:15AM to watch this and naturally could not fall back asleep again.

So today I am dazed and confused but happy. Craig Ferguson called Dr. Dog "brilliant". A big thank you to The Audio Perv for already posting the You Tube so that you can hear it for yourself:



*Yawn*

Later,
xo

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Tonight! All New! Dr. Dog/Eric Slick on Craig Ferguson!

Morning, morning:
I do not want to discuss the election, especially as a Pennsylvanian, but at least "we" still have control of the senate.

America? How dumb can you be.

Sigh...don't answer. It's a rhetorical question, anyway.

I should stick to talking about my family and music. Lucky Eric Slick is currently in San Francisco, where he will not only be fortunate enough to see the World Series victory parade this morning and hang out with his lovely significant other, he's playing two nights at the legendary Fillmore (tickets here), and then late, late this evening (around 1:15AM eastern) Eric will be behind the drums with Dr. Dog on the Craig Ferguson Show (with special guest Stephen Fry!) This is an all new show, but in case you missed Dr. Dog's appearance on Ferguson in July of this year, here's the You Tube:



Julie, Adrian, and Marco, a/k/a the Adrian Belew Power Trio, are currently on holiday in Portugal...at least I think so...because I haven't heard from Ms. Julie in a couple days and I know they had three days off between their show in Belgium Monday night and their performance in Portugal this Thursday. So either there is no internet service available or they are having the best time ever being tourists. In case you missed it, Julie has a new blog post up, and how connected are we - neither of us had blogged in weeks and we both picked the same exact day to write.

I miss my kids. I'm kind of blue today.

That is all.

Later,
xo

Saturday, October 30, 2010

I've got some splainin' to do...

Saturday, October 30
"So I've decided to blog. I haven't decided how I'm going to use this forum yet, right now I'm just playing around to see if I can even do it correctly.

I may post excerpts from my novel in progress; I may whine and rant about my life; or I may just post my favorite recipes - what the hell do I know.

All I know is, I'm doing it and whatever happens, happens.

And now to figure out how to post photos and other cool stuff...."


*****************
That was my very first blog post, six years ago today, and it was even a Saturday! I used to blog daily, sometimes 3-4 times a day. I found the medium so exciting, I could not stay away. But now, yeah, six years later, I am shocked to realize over a month has passed since my last post and I've got some serious splainin' to do, Ricky.



Oh, cursed Facebook, you have stolen my blog writing time from me. That, and I must confess to those who haven't read my FB blurbs, I have a very cool but temporary gig in the real world at a local university (best.job.ever.) though I admit it, I come home and assume the fetal position. So the only time I do have for writing is at dawn and I must reserve said time for my new novel. I've also been mildly depressed this month because it was exactly a year ago that I was on tour with Julie, Eric and Adrian all throughout Canada and the west coast, and it seems like every day during the past couple of weeks I've remarked, "This time last year I was driving through the most amazing scenery ever (Zion National Park in Utah)..or...this time last year I was sunbathing at Redondo Beach where later that night I would eat probably the best restaurant meal of my life at Maison Riz and you must click on that link to see how freaking gorgeous it is - both the restaurant itself and how it seems to sit atop the ocean - and to view the menu because as good as it sounds, trust me, it's even better in person. :)

Here are photos and my blog blurbs from the tour last year, just to refresh your memory and to make you understand why I've been out of sorts this year:





Well, duh, I had to have my photo taken as well. When the fuck am I ever going to get to the Grand Canyon again?




Erm...actually, that's not the Grand Canyon. Now that I carefully look at that pic, I think it was taken in the parking lot right outside of Zion National Park in Utah a few hours later. Oh well. Whatever. Most gorgeous drive/destination EVER. And if you don't believe me, have a look at the rest of the photos from our Utah gig:







Here's a shot of both Eric and me in the parking lot of the hotel where we stayed in Springdale, Utah...it was called Majestic View and yes, it was the most magnificent view ever...but the lodge, oh the horror, inside it was taxidermy heaven...I looked away from the big stuffed bear and various deer heads but when I saw the tiny stuffed mountain lion hanging on the wall in the restaurant where we had breakfast, I gagged and was once again proud to be a vegetarian. If you click on the photo of the lodge Julie took and enlarge it, I believe you can see pretty clearly what I'm talking about
.





*****************

What a difference a year has made, huh. Eric is now in a different band, Julie still tours with Adrian...in fact, she's in Europe with him right now on a six week tour (more on both Julie and Eric will be included in this mini-series of a post...be patient) but she never expected to write and release her debut solo CD, which, by the way, has completely sold out of its first 1,000 pressing and she's currently well into selling out pressing #2...and I will most likely never go on tour with either of them again which leaves me both sad and happy (if you've ever been on tour, you'll know exactly what I mean)...but yeah, if I said I wasn't blue from time to time, I'd be lying. But I think it's more of an "Oh crap, I'm getting older" kind of sadness more than anything. Then I remember that getting older sure beats the alternative and I've now outlived both my mother and her mother by several years, so...

Okay, I'm smiling. Life is good. Julie and Eric are both incredibly happy and that's all that matters. If they are happy, I'm happy. And yet...

Enough. All that being said, oh man, do I have a lot to catch you guys up on.

First, my apologies to Ariel Leve, Marcy Demansky, and Gina Frangello. They are part of my "Celebrity Book Club" and I owe them reviews on their recent releases, "It Could Be Worse, You Could Be Me", "Bad Marie", and "Slut Lullabies", respectively. My new job came as a total surprise to me and I never expected it to consume my brain and body so thoroughly. I still intend to write these reviews, and if I were the type who could write something on the order of "I really liked this book - go buy it" without giving details, photos, author bios, etc., they would have already been posted. But these three books deserve better than that, and I am hoping that at some point in the very near future I can actually sit down and do them proper justice. But trust me on this -- if you can swing it, buy all 3 ASAP and hopefully by the time I post these reviews, you'll have read them and we can have a real discussion. Cool? Cool.

And of course the same goes out to my good friend, Anil Prasad, who celebrated the release of his brilliant collection of musician "Innerviews". Anil sent me an email yesterday which has me so elated!

"We are 50% through first print run in just two weeks!"

And:

"Just a quick note to thank you all for your amazing support for my new Innerviews book that came out last Tuesday. I also wanted to let you know about some amazing things happening with it. Media coverage has been extensive so far, and is exceeding my wildest expectations. Here are a few highlights:

NPR’s Echoes ran a great 8-minute documentary on the book and the history of the site.

Ottawa Citizen, one of Canada’s biggest newspapers, did an extensive review/interview in print.

Ottawa Citizen also ran an even deeper online interview.

No Depression, the revered music magazine, ran this review.

JazzTimes, a highly-influential jazz magazine, continues running excerpts from the book here.

User reviews on Amazon have also been great.

Many more reviews are at the book page on the Innerviews site (which also lists all the artists/chapters featured)."


********************

While I'm on the subject of newly released books, there's one which features Julie, Eric, and Adrian called "Their Love of Music" and you can read all about it right here.

So much to read it's like Christmas! Oh right, according to the displays at our local stores, apparently it already is Christmas. Holy cow, they used to at least wait until after Halloween to put out the decorations, didn't they? And now I just heard that Black Friday is being moved up as well. Ugh, we are devolving at an even faster rate than I thought. Don't even get me started on next week's election. But vote, dammit! I know all the candidates suck, believe me, but do you really want another four-six-eight years of a Bush-Cheney regime or worse? These tea party people are lunatics and they scare the hell out of me.

I know I'm preaching to the choir. If you read my blog, you most likely share my sentiments, anyway. Except for those two Rush L./Sarah P. dementos who still visit me daily :)

So when I last left you, it was release day for my pal Susan Henderson's beautiful debut novel, Up from the Blue, and I have a whole story that goes along with that but first, look at all the attention it's receiving:

The New York Times!

NPR!

Book Club Girl!

San Francisco Book Review!

Book Club Radio!

The Nervous Breakdown!

For more info on Up from the Blue and for links on where to purchase it (though I highly urge you to visit your local independent book store), please visit Susan's website right here.

Anyway, Sue's book was released on September 21, and that Friday, September 24, she was scheduled to give her second reading at Word in Brooklyn. I promised Sue I'd be there -- I was really looking forward to it -- several weeks prior to my re-entry into the work force. Still, since it was a Friday night, I knew I could make it happen. The university where I am employed is literally four blocks from the train station to NYC; it's only an hour and 15 minute ride, so I could technically be in NYC by 6:30, allowing an hour to get to Brooklyn. I called the book store and asked the best route from Penn Station via subway and they advised me to take a cab. The clerk told me I'd need to take two separate subways -- I would have to change trains somewhere along the line -- (and for a klutz like me who gets lost walking in her own neighborhood, this is no small feat) -- and that even though it was rush hour, if the trains weren't timed properly, it could end up taking me over an hour to get there. Since Sue's reading was from 7:30 to 9:00PM, there was no way I was going to risk that. The clerk cheerfully told me that a cab would get me there in twenty minutes; it was less than seven miles from Penn Station, and I cheerfully replied "Oh, I am so taking a taxi!"

Ahem.

I arrived in NYC at 6:25 and the line for cabs stretched around the block. Huh? Wtf? But I've been in cab lines in NYC before, they move fairly quickly, and as they always announce on Cash Cab, "There are 13,000 cabs in New York City" (Btw, Cash Cab is the show on which I not so secretly fantasize about appearing because God dammit, those questions are easy though I'd never be dumb enough to go for the double or nothing video challenge unless Julie or Eric were in the cab with me since my knowledge of geography and weird animals is like...zero) so I wasn't worried. But when my watch said 7PM and the line had only moved a few inches, I started to go into panic mode. I ignored all the gypsy cab drivers hawking the line (in retrospect, I should have taken one but, you know, I could have ended up as fish food in the Hudson River after I couldn't pay the $500 fare) though I did pathetically respond to a rickshaw driver who looked at me incredulously and said, "Brooklyn? You think I can peddle YOU to Brooklyn?" which then made me paranoid he made the comment due to my weight, not the distance har har...anyway, I kept glancing at my watch nervously while I tried to reassure myself that it would all end up fine because Sue's reading was not ending until 9PM so the worst that would happen is that I'd miss the intro.

Erm...no.

Finally, at 7:30, I was first in line and a cab pulled up. I got in, and gave the driver the address.

Well.

"Brooklyn?! You want me to take you to Brooklyn?! What's wrong with you! Why aren't you taking the subway! How am I supposed to make a living, driving you to Brooklyn!"

I was so shocked -- I mean, in Philadelphia, the farther you go, the nicer the cab driver is to you. I am usually the most non-confrontational person in the world, but having stood in that line for an hour and taking a long train ride after work to see my friend whose reading I was about to miss, I yelled back. I still can't believe I did it, but yep, I screamed, while desperately looking for some kind of driver identification so I could report him.

"How dare you yell at me! I'm the customer! I don't know New York (oh boy, saying that was a big mistake but luckily it didn't come back to bite me in the ass and it was a lie, anyway...I know New York, I just don't know the subway system because I am either a prima donna who takes cabs everywhere or I walk)...and I called the clerk at the bookstore and she said it was only a 20 minute, 7 mile drive!"

"What's the cross street!" he barked.

"I don't know! You're a cab driver, you're supposed to know. I gave you the address of the shop!"

Do I believe he continued to holler at me for the next fifteen minutes? And I hollered right back. I so wanted to get out of that cab but having waited for over an hour, I wasn't about to do that and be stranded altogether. Also, he was driving like a maniac through parts of New York I'd never seen before and I had a vision of him pulling over in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge and making me get out of the cab.

Does 911 work in NYC, I wondered, clutching my cell phone.

So even though this maniac told me he didn't know where the book store was and screamed at me for not knowing cross streets, he sped on like he knew exactly where he was going.

He did.

To add insult to injury, I would later learn that the reason the line for cabs was so long was THAT THE SUBWAYS WERE UNDER CONSTRUCTION THAT WEEKEND AND SHUT DOWN BEGINNING THAT NIGHT!

Oooh...I was so mad. I really wish I had his I.D. I'd out him here so bad and if I knew how to work my stupid cell phone (yes, I am the last person in America to not have an iPhone or Blackberry but as you can tell from my last sentence, I don't even know how to work a cell phone), I would have taken his picture and posted it here with a slogan: DO YOU KNOW THIS MAN? DO NOT TAKE HIS TAXI!

Anyway, all that, and it was in fact only a 20 minute ride and the fare was only $12 and because I am mentally deranged, I gave him a $5.00 tip to prove that all Americans are not arrogant fucks like he practically came out and accused me of being, slammed the door, and raced into the bookstore....just as Susan was answering the final question of the Q&A which followed her reading.

I missed the whole thing. I was so distraught and so frazzled by everything that preceded it I could hardly talk.

But there was a bright side. I did get another copy of the book, Sue signed it, and we all went to a bar around the corner. Not only that, but I got to meet my friend Martin Lennon, the brilliant singer/songwriter I wrote about here. Martin and his lovely friend, Sarah Anderson, who sings on the CD as well, were visiting NY from Scotland so that Martin could do a series of open mic nights that weekend. That being so, along with the fact that I knew we would be partying after Susan's reading, I booked a hotel for the night so I could see Martin play on Saturday and not have to worry about rushing home for the last train to Philadelphia, which is inexplicably at 11PM. Sigh...getting that hotel room was the best move I made and I even checked the New York Bed Bug Registry first to make sure I chose a decent place and don't click on that link unless you have a strong stomach because if you've been to New York recently, chances are you've visited a bed bug infested location. My skin is crawling right now because yeah, I see in the recent updates I stayed at a bed bug hotel last year. Ew, ew, ew!

I felt so terrible missing Sue's reading and then when we went to the bar, it turned out to be a tiny place which luckily had a beautiful garden out back with picnic tables to sit and drink so we all sat down communal style and I still didn't get a chance to really talk with Susan! But, every dark cloud has a silver lining because I got to chat with Martin and Sarah a bunch and then, terrified that I would encounter a similar experience with a cab driver getting back to NY, practically begged them to take me with them which was kind of funny, given the fact that they are from Scotland and knew more about transportation in NYC than I did (that's how I found out the subways were down)...we ended up with a very sweet cab driver who dropped me off at my hotel first (though not before circling the block 87 times trying to find it...argh...did NYC not hear of GPS systems that their drivers can see, not the backseat passengers? What is up with that?)...and at midnight, I finally crashed into a lovely, clean bed with plans to meet up with Martin and Sarah the next day. Martin had two open mics planned, one in the afternoon that I could make, and another that evening when I'd already be back in Philadelphia. I didn't want to say anything to Martin to deter him but I had weird vibes about a Saturday afternoon open mic event. Who goes to a bar on the lower east side at 2PM on a Saturday to hear live music? And this was really the lower, lower East side...when my cab pulled up, a homeless guy was sitting on the steps of the venue eating something I'd just seen him fish out of the trash, and the bar itself, Banjo Jim's had a big metal gate over the doors and windows. In other words, that place was closed. Having arrived there before Martin and Sarah, I groaned. This really was going to be one of those weekends from hell, wasn't it.

I am happy to report I was wrong. Dead wrong. At 2PM, the gates went up, and the place filled with aspiring musicians and their significant others. I had a 5PM train to catch and I was a little worried about time for a change, but Martin was #3 on the sign-up sheet and the bartender/emcee/sound guy (all the same person and the poor fellow sliced his finger cutting lemons prior to start time so he pretty much bled everywhere but I prefer not to think about that right now, especially as I'm still scratching from the thought of bed bugs but yeah, he poured me wine and if there was ever a time I should have asked for beer in a bottle...) announced that each performer would do two songs and if there was time, they'd go around a second time.

I really wanted to write a comprehensive review of the open mic show, too, and even wrote everyone's name down in a notebook, but I currently do not know what the hell I did with it so it'll have to wait.

All I can tell you is this: If you are ever in NYC on a Saturday afternoon, a visit to Banjo Jim's is a must. I had tears in my eyes from these performers. Okay, not all were great - there was one guy who thought he was Leonard Cohen and I don't even like the real Leonard Cohen let alone his out of tune clone. Okay, I love Leonard's poetry, but could/would I sit through one of his concerts? Hell no. I'll leave that for the hipsters who think they discovered him. Blech. That being said, here are a couple of lines from one of my all-time favorite Leonard Cohen lyrics, and the reason I could never really hate him:

"And quiet is the thought of you,
The file on you complete,
Except what we forgot to do,
A thousand kisses deep."


Those lyrics just kill me, and yeah, the song is indeed called A Thousand Kisses Deep.

It's just too bad I can't stand his droning delivery, huh.

Sorry, I'm a rocker chick.

Getting back to Banjo Jim's, so the first guy who performed looked like a 60 year old government worker - thinning hair, Hagar slacks up around his chin, glasses held together with tape...he sits down at the piano and does a rousing rendition of the Doors' Love Me Two Times. I almost died. And I teared up. It was a truly beautiful moment.

But Martin was the show stealer. He performed my favorite song, the one which first introduced me to his music and the title track of his CD, The Crow. People came up to him afterward and told him how fucking awesome he is. Leonard Cohen wishes he sounded 1/2 as good as Martin because Martin is the one who should be selling out Madison Square Garden, not Lenny.

Have a listen right here.

Hearing Martin perform live totally made up for missing Susan's reading. I cried throughout the entire two songs, I was so verklempt. There was indeed time for another round but I had to catch my train so I bid Martin and Sarah a tearful farewell and made it to Penn Station just in time. Whew.

So that was my weekend in New York City. I always have a lot to write about whenever I go there, huh. By the way, if there's anyone left reading this blog who has not read my first book, Three Days in New York City, well, what are you waiting for? I refer you to my Amazon Author Page. Three Days is the first in the trilogy, followed by Another Bite of the Apple, and Bitten to the Core. They are available in both paperback and Kindle, iPhone, and all that other happy electronic stuff. If you want to read my very, very creative non-fiction autobiography which includes the evolution of Julie and Eric's careers in music, that would be Daddy Left Me Alone with God and that is available both in print and digitally via my Amazon page as well.

And now for the real reason anyone reads my blog - news about Julie and Eric Slick.

Eric is currently on tour with Dr. Dog in the United States and he's out on the west coast. Very important: This Wednesday night, Dr. Dog will appear on the Craig Ferguson Show (it's their second appearance this year) and the special guest that night will be Stephen Fry. Last night, they played in Seattle and if the tweets I read are any indication, it was yet another kick ass show. Dr. Dog has released four brand new songs with Eric on the drums, and I know I'm his mother, but holy cow, these songs take the band to a whole new level. Especially Black-Red, my all-time favorite Dr. Dog song. To listen and/or purchase these tunes, which are also available on a limited edition seven inch vinyl that you can pick up at their shows, please click here.

They will be playing two nights in San Francisco next week, and Eric is all happy because he will be joined by his significant other, the lovely Nicky Devine. You should see those two together - they are soulmates. You know how most mothers never think anyone is good enough for their kids? Well, I lucked out. I adored Nicky the minute I met her, and I hope she doesn't mind me doing this, but you should all friend her on Facebook right here. Nicky lived in San Francisco and is from the area so her parents will be coming to the show at the Fillmore - I am sure they will love Eric, too. How can you not love Eric?

I miss J&E so much right now it's ridiculous. At least Eric will be home in time for Thanksgiving, and since Nicky is going out west now to see him and visit her parents, that means I get the two of them for turkey day. Which is good because, sob, for the first time ever, Julie will be on tour and won't be home until December. After the European tour wraps up on November 20, Julie, Adrian, and Marco head for Sweden, where they will participate for one week at an extremely cool event you can read all about right here. Julie wrote to me the other day that Thomas Olsson, who coordinates this event, has gotten her access to a kitchen where Julie can prepare a Thanksgiving meal for the many musicians participating. In other words, she's going to cook a massive meal for a massive amount of people. If she didn't look exactly like her father, I would swear they switched babies on me in the hospital. Eric, too. Where did I get these two brilliant, gorgeous people from?

Okay, I've been working on this blog post for the past four hours. I know I have a lot more to say and as usual, if I think of anything else, I'll pop back and edit it. In the meantime, in case you are not on Facebook and haven't seen the most recent You Tubes, etc., here are a couple of Julie on tour last week in Europe and Eric and Dr. Dog on the wonderful television show, On Canvas along with a You Tube of Black-Red.





Watch the full episode. See more On Canvas.





Later! For sure!

xo