Here is to a fabulous New Year to you all! I started writing this post a few weeks ago, and before I turned around, 2019 has already crept in. Last year was a whirlwind year of music for me, with lots of performances woven into my otherwise pretty packed life: total of 28 is what I’ve counted, the biggest annual number in my music journey! Before I go on, I want to thank all of you who came to my shows for your support. There is no live music without an audience, and I love to be able to connect with you through music!

So, lots of exciting musical things happened in my life last year, and I’ll share a few with you briefly. Whistleblowers have performed a couple of times, once as a five-piece band at Ferndale’s New Way Bar with Mark Jewett on the bass, which was part of a fundraising concert for FernCare, a medical facility in Ferndale providing free health services to the uninsured. This was a great show also featuring two other bands The Stormclouds (of my friend Jere Stormer)  and Bill Grogan’s Goat. Whistleblowers also performed on the main stage at Thumbfest in Lexington, MI, for a crowd of several hundred people.

Eastward Bound is continuing to share exotic beats and sweet melodies with audiences in the greater Detroit Area! For example, John Finan and I had a ton of fun opening for Billy Brandt and the Sugarees at Ferndale’s Otus Supply this summer. And speaking of Eastward Bound, this coming Saturday, January 5, 2019 we will be performing at the Trinity House Theatre as a trio: Scott Williams of The Detroit Doors has joined us to play percussion, and we are so excited for this!

Last but not least, I have had a wonderful time sharing music stages with another good friend, Bobby Pennock. Bobby is a singer/songwriter whose music is incredibly beautiful. What a joy it is to be able to harmonize our voices and blend our two guitars. We’ve performed for packed rooms at Plymouth Coffee Bean and Crazy Wisdom Tea Room this fall, and concluded our “mini-tour” with a three-hour show in mid-December at the Black Fire Winery in Tecumseh.

So, stay tuned! Somehow, it feels like the New Year will bring us a breath of fresh air and hope for a brighter near future.