Not a lot of time to blog at length so far this year - I've been too busy playing. Eighteen gigs since January, and sixteen more already on my schedule through June. Overall this is a good thing - though I was exhausted last Monday after four gigs in three days, I was also very happy. Most of this activity is due to The Gobshites, my Irish Punk band. In addition to playing at The Middle East Upstairs (a well-known venue in Cambridge MA), we did our biggest show to date: 2000 people at the Harpoon Brewery St. Pat's Fest. And next month we'll be opening for Gaelic Storm at Harpers Ferry, as well as another round with Black 47 at The Call in Providence. We've released various versions of the full-length CD we recorded in November, and have spiffy new tee shirts for sale as well. And in between GS gigs I do one or two a month with BRB, and an occasional solo gig. I remember last year around this time having a discussion with the members of my short-lived band The Rescue Party, as well as with other people I knew in bands, like Mer, about how many shows per month was "doable". The consensus among them was two or three, which I personally thought sounded low, but presumed that was due to my being naive about the realities of gigging. So I cherished each occasion to play out, assuming once or twice a month was the norm. But I wanted more... and for now, I've got it: 4 gigs in January, 7 in February, 11 this month. Am I crazy (remember, I have a full-time day job as well)?! I don't think so, as long as I come out feeling happy, alive, fulfilled. And I'd have to say that this is the happiest I've been in any period of my life. My main task right now is to stay balanced - I know, how can I say I'm "balanced" with an activity load like that? But I mean that I'm trying to balance my activities - GS gigs, BRB gigs, solo gigs, an occasional classical gig to use my really nice new violin. eat well; e.g., packing something edible, like whole-grain bread w/ natural peanut butter, on treks to "Bar-food" venues. get some exercise - hardest to do; I'm frequently stuck for hours at a club whose location is not safe to go out for a walk alone. keep fresh by developing new skills - next up: voice lessons to try to learn how to sing "rock" instead of "choral"! and not get SO excited/high about all these opportunities that I over-commit; e.g., while the universe seems determined to find me a replacement student for the one who just quit, I think that's one thing too much for now.

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