No, he wasn’t talking about 2020, but Thomas Paine's words are fitting: “These are the times that try men’s souls.” And their relationships. AND their patience with their fellow humans. 

There is no shortage of divisive topics these days…

Pandemic art - it's a way to pass these troubled times, a means of offering a small measure of comfort. It's also how I talk myself down from the ledge -  I like to say the things I need to…

An antique bottle embedded in cement....A concrete angel with a broken wing...

A plastic giraffe surrounded by seashells....

...just a small sampling of the inventive memorabilia decorating the graves at the Whiskeytown Cemetery…

Given that my Shelter-in-Place Comfort Music is "Sea Shanties," things were  bound to get weird. Those old sing-along tunes were work songs for the sailors and the rhythm and the rhymes got them  through the tough jobs with a sense…

The most frustrating aspect of this pandemic has been the sheer helplessness - it seems that the ONLY action I can take is to worry. So I do. Endlessly.

But there's good news coming out of Japan and…

During the quarantine and lockdown that has been in effect for the last few weeks, I’ve watched lots of solo live streams, read posts from musicians who dearly miss their musical comrades, and watched as months of gigs for hard-working…

I joined a peaceful protest last month. I didn’t know any of the other marchers, so I was on my own until a young woman stepped in beside me, put out her hand and introduced herself. We walked through the…

From the musical I'm writing - Tied 2 the Tracks.

Once upon a time, Leo McIntyre was a superstar songwriter who toured the world with his beloved guitar, “Rosie.” After suffering a stroke, Mac realizes that  those days are…

In Act II of the musical I'm writing, "Tied 2 the Tracks," country music legend Leo MacIntyre suffers a devastating stroke that leaves him unable to play his beloved Rosewood guitar.  He's angry, frustrated and, at…

Because I never wanted a conventional send-off....And really, why should doves get ALL the songs?

Doing my part to make  Buzzard Ballads a thing.

“I think she misses her people.” 

Those were the profound words of a friend. It was a few months after the Carr Fire and she was talking about Whiskeytown Lake. I had lamented that I’d been unable to visit…

It started with a cow.  A plain black cow in a neighbor’s pasture who ended up getting a Spring makeover when I painted her picture in bright, joyful pinks and blues and yellows. I called the painting “Fancy Mood.” 

…

For many years, I've organized a North State Songwriter Showcase at Redding City Hall for the quarterly Artist Receptions. The two mediums seem quite complementary: Original music pairs perfectly with visual art created right here in…

I wrote The Turf o' Tullamore a few years ago, but I recently revisited it to correct ONE, small grammatical error. And I ended up rewriting the whole darn thing. The best-laid schemes o' mice, an' men,  an' songwriters, I…

After Whiskeytown Park burned, I spent a lot of time with my watercolors and my memories, trying — with varying degrees of success — to process the loss and create pictures that capture the beauty and the joyful spirit of…

Whiskeytown Park is one of my favorite places on this planet - just minutes from downtown Redding, it has been my escape, my peaceful place to run, hike and explore. We moved to Shasta County a little more than 20…

A little more than a year ago a group of people gathered at Redding's Old City Hall in hopes of getting a California Cultural District designation for Redding. It was a long shot, there were a lot of…

I'm now six months alcohol-free -- so it's  time to have some Fun with Songwriting.

Honestly, the ONLY thing I miss about drinking is the convivial atmosphere at our local tap house. I felt bad about leaving the…

Who's telling the story? That's the first question I consider when I begin writing a new song. For this tune, the storyteller is a business owner -- a business owner who is frustrated, angry and disappointed by the homeless situation…

Lester and Wilbur, those beautiful, ornery beasts who were vandalized a few months ago will be rebuilt by artist Joel Dean Stockdill -- fundraising efforts are underway at this website: Learn how you can help Lester and Wilbur

Meanwhile…

Lester and Wilbur just appeared one day - in south Redding just east of I5. Two giant bighorn sheep - they brightened up the morning commute and it turns out they were created by artist Joel Stockdill…

The hike to the falls makes Banjo smile

These spectacular falls were known only to a few locals for 37 years - then in 2004, they were re-discovered and opened to the public. "The Lost Falls of Whiskeytown"…