Waning posts and bluegrass hosts

If you've been wondering why this blog hasn't been as active, I can explain it with the title above and my experience over the years. While I think I'm known more as a songwriter, I've actually been a "writer" (not of song) for as long as I've been able to write. An avid journal keeper, I've also dabbled in poetry, fiction, journalism and yes, songwriting. BUT - and here is the problem - I rarely do more than one type actively at a time.

For example, when I'm busy with the blog, I'm usually not writing music. I went through a similar period right out of college when I was writing a novella and didn't write more than one song in a year. I was so busy trying to map out the narrative strings and flesh out my characters, I couldn't bother with playing my guitar, let alone write a tune.

I find myself in another creative flush with music, so the blog posts have become less frequent and less thoughtful, in my humble opinion. I'm thrilled to be writing even if it's in the quiet of my home studio until I let the music out for folks to hear.

What else can I say? I saw an unexpectedly great show last night at UCLA's Royce Hall--Ricky Skaggs with Bruce Hornsby and Kentucky Thunder. I say unexpectedly because quite frankly, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm a bluegrass admirer from afar, like the kind who enjoys bluegrass brunches with pancakes at Burning Man, but I don't know the history, the artists, the recent albums, etc.

And all I knew of Bruce Hornsby was "That's Just the Way It Is" (which they did a rip roaring bluegrass version of last night) and that he toured with the Dead (which I learned from my handsome husband who used to go to Dead shows while in college at Boulder). But I have to say, Hornsby is a great pianist, and I greatly appreciate his sense of "out". He did a lot of 12 tone wandering on the keys, which helped to make the evening a bit more complex musically. I appreciated that immensely because I get bored when the songs sound the same after about 30 minutes. He was also a nice sarcastic foil to Skagg's mostly sincere delivery.

So we had a great night of music with friends, and then paid a babysitter more than the cost of the tickets. And they wonder why date nights are so infrequent in new parents... Find me a competent and available sitter who doesn't charge at least $16 bucks an hour and you'll see Brad and I out a bit more often. But until we're there, we'll be hanging at a pumpkin patch with other parents of R's play group mates and retiring to our couch with a few nice drinks before crashing.

Welcome to the 2nd year...