Archives
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
3.30.05
so a friend brought to my attention this morning that today was the 1 year anniversary of the release of Shotgun, my last record. it was a year ago today that I joined the ranks of other domestically distributed artists. amazing how time goes. in one sense it "seems like only yesterday." however, when I look back on all I've seen in the past 365 days, I begin to realize just how long a year can take.
I went to the Virgin Mega Store today in Union Square. had to remind myself of that initial sense of fulfillment, seeing the damn thing on the shelf for the first time. it's silly really. part of me gets so excited, like I want to tell everyone in the store that they "need to buy this record!!" but then I look around and see all the thousands of records sitting on shelves, all equally impressive and tantalizing to the consumer, and I realize at the end of the day, my little Shotgun is merely one more heartfelt contribution to it all. so? happy birthday, Shotgun. may you keep comin' and goin' from them shelves for years to come.
if you don't have a copy of Shotgun, well, go on. it's worth the trip to the store and the what $12? $13 they're asking for it? it's in the "L" section. somewhere after Linkin Park. if you see Luna, you've gone too far.
peace,
TL
so a friend brought to my attention this morning that today was the 1 year anniversary of the release of Shotgun, my last record. it was a year ago today that I joined the ranks of other domestically distributed artists. amazing how time goes. in one sense it "seems like only yesterday." however, when I look back on all I've seen in the past 365 days, I begin to realize just how long a year can take.
I went to the Virgin Mega Store today in Union Square. had to remind myself of that initial sense of fulfillment, seeing the damn thing on the shelf for the first time. it's silly really. part of me gets so excited, like I want to tell everyone in the store that they "need to buy this record!!" but then I look around and see all the thousands of records sitting on shelves, all equally impressive and tantalizing to the consumer, and I realize at the end of the day, my little Shotgun is merely one more heartfelt contribution to it all. so? happy birthday, Shotgun. may you keep comin' and goin' from them shelves for years to come.
if you don't have a copy of Shotgun, well, go on. it's worth the trip to the store and the what $12? $13 they're asking for it? it's in the "L" section. somewhere after Linkin Park. if you see Luna, you've gone too far.
peace,
TL
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
3.16.05
well damn. so much for writing more often. it’s like you make your New Year’s resolutions then you look up and it’s damn near April. crazy.
finally back in New York after a couple of really productive trips to LA and Florida. was out in LA for about a week and a half in the studio working on some new recordings. of course a week and a half was hardly enough time. however, we did get a lot done in that short amount of time and managed to sneak in a nice little show over at the Mint with Joe Firstman and Josh Kelley. that was a blast. really. Florida was a nice little vacation from the cold. played a couple of really cool shows down there, helped my friend Sandy Rodgers raise some money for Cystic Fibrosis. spent a couple days in the loving hospitality of my old friend and former high school tutor, Chuck Yerger. he and his wife Sherri put me up for a couple of nights and I caught some much needed rest. had a few friends come down from New York and Indiana and we got silly for a few days, drinking lots of Shiraz and playing far too many games of Uno in the sun, pool side. got a farmers tan for the first time in close to 20 years. hilarious. speaking of hilarious, if I have to sit through one more interview by some out-to-lunch, half-drunk, or coked up morning radio/tv news personality asking about my relationship with Jay Z Chavez from the Backstreet Boys and what kind of “dirt” I have on a girl named Britney that I knew when she was all of 12 years old, I think I’m gonna lose my mind. I had another enjoyable evening at the oh so cozy Room 3 nine and a rather encouraging turn out over at the Virgin Megastore Friday night. I wanted to say thanks to everyone who made it out to the shows and give a big old “thank you” to Melissa Stevenson and Sandy Rodgers for getting me down there and making sure things went as smoothly as possible all week long.
for those of you checking out the updates, you’ll see that I’m ready to start playing and traveling again. got a ton of shows in the coming months and I hope to see as many of you out there as I can.
be cool. catch you soon,
Tony
well damn. so much for writing more often. it’s like you make your New Year’s resolutions then you look up and it’s damn near April. crazy.
finally back in New York after a couple of really productive trips to LA and Florida. was out in LA for about a week and a half in the studio working on some new recordings. of course a week and a half was hardly enough time. however, we did get a lot done in that short amount of time and managed to sneak in a nice little show over at the Mint with Joe Firstman and Josh Kelley. that was a blast. really. Florida was a nice little vacation from the cold. played a couple of really cool shows down there, helped my friend Sandy Rodgers raise some money for Cystic Fibrosis. spent a couple days in the loving hospitality of my old friend and former high school tutor, Chuck Yerger. he and his wife Sherri put me up for a couple of nights and I caught some much needed rest. had a few friends come down from New York and Indiana and we got silly for a few days, drinking lots of Shiraz and playing far too many games of Uno in the sun, pool side. got a farmers tan for the first time in close to 20 years. hilarious. speaking of hilarious, if I have to sit through one more interview by some out-to-lunch, half-drunk, or coked up morning radio/tv news personality asking about my relationship with Jay Z Chavez from the Backstreet Boys and what kind of “dirt” I have on a girl named Britney that I knew when she was all of 12 years old, I think I’m gonna lose my mind. I had another enjoyable evening at the oh so cozy Room 3 nine and a rather encouraging turn out over at the Virgin Megastore Friday night. I wanted to say thanks to everyone who made it out to the shows and give a big old “thank you” to Melissa Stevenson and Sandy Rodgers for getting me down there and making sure things went as smoothly as possible all week long.
for those of you checking out the updates, you’ll see that I’m ready to start playing and traveling again. got a ton of shows in the coming months and I hope to see as many of you out there as I can.
be cool. catch you soon,
Tony
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
I just wanted to send out a big “Thank You” to all of you who jumped at the chance to snag a copy of the latest Live & Limited disc. the discs went on sale Friday night and were sold out by noon on Monday. I can’t even begin to tell you how encouraging that is. you have to know that if it were up to me I would put out new records as often as I possibly could. however, being at the mercy of one of the most ridiculous industries in the world, I still find myself donning a good number of different hats to keep myself afloat and inspired, all at the same time. needless to say, the success of this sale has provided me both a means and motivation to continue making music.
so, thank you. sincerely.
Tony
so, thank you. sincerely.
Tony
Monday, January 24, 2005
01.23/24.05
I’m slowly becoming the adult I always thought of as “adult”. you know how when you’re in grade school, jr. high kids seem so much older? when you’re in jr. high, high school kids seem so grown up? when you’re in high school, college seems like the final frontier and college students pioneers? then one day, you’re watching college basketball and you realize aint no one on the court as old as you? that’s some serious shit, I mean to tell you. I’m not old. I know that. but all of the sudden I have shit, I reach for it, I know where shit is when I need it. I have it because I own it and I’ve had it for awhile and I know where it is because it’s where I put it a long time ago. it’s where it goes because that’s where it belongs, it has a place that I’ve designated a long time ago. simply a true sign of getting older I’d say.
had a wonderful night with some friends and several glasses of really nice tequila. turned 29 in style, in good company, aware of so much and thankful to be so.
happy birthday.
to you.
you know,
when it’s time?
I’m slowly becoming the adult I always thought of as “adult”. you know how when you’re in grade school, jr. high kids seem so much older? when you’re in jr. high, high school kids seem so grown up? when you’re in high school, college seems like the final frontier and college students pioneers? then one day, you’re watching college basketball and you realize aint no one on the court as old as you? that’s some serious shit, I mean to tell you. I’m not old. I know that. but all of the sudden I have shit, I reach for it, I know where shit is when I need it. I have it because I own it and I’ve had it for awhile and I know where it is because it’s where I put it a long time ago. it’s where it goes because that’s where it belongs, it has a place that I’ve designated a long time ago. simply a true sign of getting older I’d say.
had a wonderful night with some friends and several glasses of really nice tequila. turned 29 in style, in good company, aware of so much and thankful to be so.
happy birthday.
to you.
you know,
when it’s time?
Thursday, January 13, 2005
01.13.05
so Janet bares a boob and the censorship backlash is immeasurable. the war in Iraq becomes a certifiable “quagmire.” Britney gets married. twice. Ronald Reagan meets his maker. Scott Peterson garners the most contempt from Americans since O.J. Simpson. (however, Peterson gets convicted) Michael Moore and Mel Gibson do about as much for the “moral values” debate as they do for Hollywood’s annual box office gross. George W. Bush is still an idiot and yet the majority of American voters still decide he deserves the highest office in the land. yes, 2004 was a doozie. it also happened to be the year I had a record put on music store shelves nationwide. however, true to the funk stemming from a considerable shift in life’s karmic justice, the success of that record was on par with the successes of 2004 itself. hellova year to put your best foot forward, I’m here to tell you.
now, lest my opening statements bare any trace of resentment or scorn, let me be clear that 2004 was a phenomonal year for, well, how should I say...growth? yes. a remarkable “roller coaster.” (for lack of a better word) shook a lot of hands. played a lot of shows. cried a few tears. had some great laughs. yady, yady (insert cliché here.) truth is, what I’m coming to terms with is that every year is a crazy one. every day has it’s own crazy way of unfolding. it’s all in how you see it. how closely or how little you choose to pay attention to things. it seems as a society, we tend to obsess. things are much more easily consumed and digested when we all chip in. seriously. if you were to ask 10 people what they recall from 2004, chances are, with a few exceptions, (and or variations in political affiliation) you might find at least a few of the things I mentioned in my opening paragraph among the top 20 most recalled events of the year. ideally, you’d get 10 distinct lists of various personal experience; successes, accomplishments, milestones. of course there’s always babies and weddings to consider and by no means do I mean to belittle or marginalize the significance of matrimony or child baring. these are unforgettable, timeless experiences that make all the other days of the calendar irrelevant at best. having attended 8 weddings, (standing up in 2 of them) and getting to introduce myself to a number of future class of ‘22 grads, I feel I can vouch for 2004 as having been a busy year for love and babies.
I don’t make “best of” lists and I rarely make New Year’s resolutions. but what I would like to do is take a cue from the calendar to pose an honest question:
who are you and what are you doing about it? what will truly matter in the future? what will you feel to have been important from your past?
I pose this, well these, questions to myself first and foremost. if you’re reading this and you find yourself asking along, great. but seriously. not that we all should aspire to be selfish or reclusive but how nice would it be if we all paid a little less attention to what popular culture tells us to and chose rather to invest our time in ourselves and those close to us. so Janet has a boob. wanna see mine? so what if Brad and Jen or (Ben and Jen for that matter) decide to call it quits. is that any more significant than a loved one suffering the loss of a spouse of 20+ years? what does true empathy spring forth from? I’ll admit. I personally got caught up in the presidential election campaign season to an all-consuming degree. not good. good that I cared enough to pay attention. good that I spoke up and felt reassured by joining in action to be heard. but looking back on 2004, I myself see where I could have thought a few things through a little further before voicing my opinion. do I still think Bush is an idiot? of course. but should that infringe upon my sense of courtesy and consideration of others? certainly not. I recently thought about the poor soul who open fired on members of a band led by the former guitar player of the group Pantera. the guy was an obsessed fan who blamed the guitarist of having “broken up Pantera, man!” so he shot him and a couple other members of the band before turning the gun on himself. wow. again, what’s really important and why is that? who are you and what are you doing about it?
not quite sure where all the heavy stuff is coming from tonight, though I rarely do. I actually just finished watching the Daily Show and I guess it left me feeling astutely observant and a bit self-righteous. thank you very much Jon Stewart.
anyway. on to 2005. may it be a great day filled with great things.
peace.
so Janet bares a boob and the censorship backlash is immeasurable. the war in Iraq becomes a certifiable “quagmire.” Britney gets married. twice. Ronald Reagan meets his maker. Scott Peterson garners the most contempt from Americans since O.J. Simpson. (however, Peterson gets convicted) Michael Moore and Mel Gibson do about as much for the “moral values” debate as they do for Hollywood’s annual box office gross. George W. Bush is still an idiot and yet the majority of American voters still decide he deserves the highest office in the land. yes, 2004 was a doozie. it also happened to be the year I had a record put on music store shelves nationwide. however, true to the funk stemming from a considerable shift in life’s karmic justice, the success of that record was on par with the successes of 2004 itself. hellova year to put your best foot forward, I’m here to tell you.
now, lest my opening statements bare any trace of resentment or scorn, let me be clear that 2004 was a phenomonal year for, well, how should I say...growth? yes. a remarkable “roller coaster.” (for lack of a better word) shook a lot of hands. played a lot of shows. cried a few tears. had some great laughs. yady, yady (insert cliché here.) truth is, what I’m coming to terms with is that every year is a crazy one. every day has it’s own crazy way of unfolding. it’s all in how you see it. how closely or how little you choose to pay attention to things. it seems as a society, we tend to obsess. things are much more easily consumed and digested when we all chip in. seriously. if you were to ask 10 people what they recall from 2004, chances are, with a few exceptions, (and or variations in political affiliation) you might find at least a few of the things I mentioned in my opening paragraph among the top 20 most recalled events of the year. ideally, you’d get 10 distinct lists of various personal experience; successes, accomplishments, milestones. of course there’s always babies and weddings to consider and by no means do I mean to belittle or marginalize the significance of matrimony or child baring. these are unforgettable, timeless experiences that make all the other days of the calendar irrelevant at best. having attended 8 weddings, (standing up in 2 of them) and getting to introduce myself to a number of future class of ‘22 grads, I feel I can vouch for 2004 as having been a busy year for love and babies.
I don’t make “best of” lists and I rarely make New Year’s resolutions. but what I would like to do is take a cue from the calendar to pose an honest question:
who are you and what are you doing about it? what will truly matter in the future? what will you feel to have been important from your past?
I pose this, well these, questions to myself first and foremost. if you’re reading this and you find yourself asking along, great. but seriously. not that we all should aspire to be selfish or reclusive but how nice would it be if we all paid a little less attention to what popular culture tells us to and chose rather to invest our time in ourselves and those close to us. so Janet has a boob. wanna see mine? so what if Brad and Jen or (Ben and Jen for that matter) decide to call it quits. is that any more significant than a loved one suffering the loss of a spouse of 20+ years? what does true empathy spring forth from? I’ll admit. I personally got caught up in the presidential election campaign season to an all-consuming degree. not good. good that I cared enough to pay attention. good that I spoke up and felt reassured by joining in action to be heard. but looking back on 2004, I myself see where I could have thought a few things through a little further before voicing my opinion. do I still think Bush is an idiot? of course. but should that infringe upon my sense of courtesy and consideration of others? certainly not. I recently thought about the poor soul who open fired on members of a band led by the former guitar player of the group Pantera. the guy was an obsessed fan who blamed the guitarist of having “broken up Pantera, man!” so he shot him and a couple other members of the band before turning the gun on himself. wow. again, what’s really important and why is that? who are you and what are you doing about it?
not quite sure where all the heavy stuff is coming from tonight, though I rarely do. I actually just finished watching the Daily Show and I guess it left me feeling astutely observant and a bit self-righteous. thank you very much Jon Stewart.
anyway. on to 2005. may it be a great day filled with great things.
peace.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
01.02.05
well we made it. back in Brooklyn and into 2005. resolutions anyone? I think I’m gonna make them up as I go. try and stay cognizant of all things “good for me” as long as I can. anyway, thought one of those things might be writing in this blog a bit more frequently, shed a bit of the grandeur and try to keep things simple. honest.
I have to say that I think this past New Year’s Eve was one of the most enjoyable I’ve ever had. things at the Mint shaped up real well. the night seemed to move like clockwork. well, it kind of had to. we were keeping an eye on that little puppy for the majority of the night. this is the third consecutive New Year I’ve rung in from the stage and I gotta be honest, I get so nervous about it. you realize the significance of that one precious moment when a room full of people are looking to you to make it pass just right. I have to say, I think we nailed it this year. the party was cool and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves for the most part. but after we counted it down and plugged in to play it just felt like an entirely different party. 2005 was underway and everybody I was with was smiling about it. it was good to be back at the Mint too. they’ve got a great group of folks over there taking care of things now and I look forward to getting back in the coming months. I want to say thanks to everyone who showed for entrusting me and my friends with your New Year’s celebration. we all had a blast providing the best time we could. may it be an indication of things to come in the New Year.
I’d like to extend a special New Year’s wish to those with loved ones serving abroad, that we might see an end to this seemingly senseless conflict and that they are able to return home soon. and I would also like to wish peace to those suffering from the devastation in South Asia. I wish that those contributing to the enormous relief effort be blessed with guidance, patience and perseverance to help bring peace and stability to the countless victims of that unthinkable disaster.
Happy New Year everybody. and as always, thanks for tuning in.
here’s to a prosperous 2005. may it bring much health and happiness to you all. and here’s to life, love and abundant laughter, cheers!
Tony
well we made it. back in Brooklyn and into 2005. resolutions anyone? I think I’m gonna make them up as I go. try and stay cognizant of all things “good for me” as long as I can. anyway, thought one of those things might be writing in this blog a bit more frequently, shed a bit of the grandeur and try to keep things simple. honest.
I have to say that I think this past New Year’s Eve was one of the most enjoyable I’ve ever had. things at the Mint shaped up real well. the night seemed to move like clockwork. well, it kind of had to. we were keeping an eye on that little puppy for the majority of the night. this is the third consecutive New Year I’ve rung in from the stage and I gotta be honest, I get so nervous about it. you realize the significance of that one precious moment when a room full of people are looking to you to make it pass just right. I have to say, I think we nailed it this year. the party was cool and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves for the most part. but after we counted it down and plugged in to play it just felt like an entirely different party. 2005 was underway and everybody I was with was smiling about it. it was good to be back at the Mint too. they’ve got a great group of folks over there taking care of things now and I look forward to getting back in the coming months. I want to say thanks to everyone who showed for entrusting me and my friends with your New Year’s celebration. we all had a blast providing the best time we could. may it be an indication of things to come in the New Year.
I’d like to extend a special New Year’s wish to those with loved ones serving abroad, that we might see an end to this seemingly senseless conflict and that they are able to return home soon. and I would also like to wish peace to those suffering from the devastation in South Asia. I wish that those contributing to the enormous relief effort be blessed with guidance, patience and perseverance to help bring peace and stability to the countless victims of that unthinkable disaster.
Happy New Year everybody. and as always, thanks for tuning in.
here’s to a prosperous 2005. may it bring much health and happiness to you all. and here’s to life, love and abundant laughter, cheers!
Tony
Sunday, December 19, 2004
12.19.04
Sunday. a gray one. still no snow here in Brooklyn. hasn’t gotten terribly cold either. not complaining, just thought it worth it mentioning. tried to put on some holiday tunes this morning, Johnny Mathis even. no luck. couldn’t quite seem to catch the “spirit”. I think that unfortunately, the older I get, the more the holidays become about logistics and economics. when I was a kid man, Christmas couldn’t come soon enough. we’d count down the days, go to bed early on Christmas eve and everything. now it all sneaks up on me. for the past several years it’s always been about getting home to MIchigan, making travel arrangements, deciding to bring gifts or buy them there last minute. then it’s always about which gifts I can pack and take with me and which ones I leave in Michigan and that’s never cool. (my Mom gets so upset when I do this, understandably so) as well, I’ve performed the last three New Year’s Eves and that always makes things a bit tricky. what I have grown to appreciate are all the holiday gatherings and moments I get to share with people I don’t normally get the chance to throughout the year. I trust the holidays will always provide those sort of opportunities to reflect a bit longer and a little deeper.
had a beautiful trip through the southeast (with a brief cameo on the West coast) a couple weeks ago. it was both a whirlwind of shows and meetings and a nice several days of visiting some friends and family I haven’t seen in years. wanted to say thanks to my cousin Dan for puttin’ me up for the weekend in lovely Salisbury, Maryland. Dan’s been married a handful of years now and has a beautiful little daughter named Grace that I was finally able to meet. got down to Charlottesville to visit my friends Devon and Paul for a night. drank a bit of wine and shared thoughts of song writing, relationships and vices. stuff that keeps you up into the wee hours. the Atlanta and Nashville shows went rather well. my voice was a bit stronger after endless days of doing vocal scales in the car on the road by myself. Nashville was cool. friends Dale and Melissa were most hospitable and provided plenty of laughs as always. as well, I finally got around to catching up with Matt Morris, which was well over 2 years in the making. he showed me some new songs and yet again, blew my mind wide open. after a week and a half away from my lady though, I was ready to get home and do a little catching up with her. my truck pulled through and made it from Nashville to Brooklyn in just under 17 hours. crazy!
been puttin’ this New Year’s show together and am looking forward to getting back out to LA for a couple nights to ring in 2005 with everyone out there and of course look forward to seeing as many of you as can possibly make it. planning on sharing the stage with some of the best in town so if you’re on the fence about it, I strongly recommend you make go ahead and get yourself a ticket, make plans for settling in for the evening and we’ll take care of the rest.
otherwise, Happy Holidays to everyone. thanks for checking in and continuing to make my efforts worth while.
peace.
Sunday. a gray one. still no snow here in Brooklyn. hasn’t gotten terribly cold either. not complaining, just thought it worth it mentioning. tried to put on some holiday tunes this morning, Johnny Mathis even. no luck. couldn’t quite seem to catch the “spirit”. I think that unfortunately, the older I get, the more the holidays become about logistics and economics. when I was a kid man, Christmas couldn’t come soon enough. we’d count down the days, go to bed early on Christmas eve and everything. now it all sneaks up on me. for the past several years it’s always been about getting home to MIchigan, making travel arrangements, deciding to bring gifts or buy them there last minute. then it’s always about which gifts I can pack and take with me and which ones I leave in Michigan and that’s never cool. (my Mom gets so upset when I do this, understandably so) as well, I’ve performed the last three New Year’s Eves and that always makes things a bit tricky. what I have grown to appreciate are all the holiday gatherings and moments I get to share with people I don’t normally get the chance to throughout the year. I trust the holidays will always provide those sort of opportunities to reflect a bit longer and a little deeper.
had a beautiful trip through the southeast (with a brief cameo on the West coast) a couple weeks ago. it was both a whirlwind of shows and meetings and a nice several days of visiting some friends and family I haven’t seen in years. wanted to say thanks to my cousin Dan for puttin’ me up for the weekend in lovely Salisbury, Maryland. Dan’s been married a handful of years now and has a beautiful little daughter named Grace that I was finally able to meet. got down to Charlottesville to visit my friends Devon and Paul for a night. drank a bit of wine and shared thoughts of song writing, relationships and vices. stuff that keeps you up into the wee hours. the Atlanta and Nashville shows went rather well. my voice was a bit stronger after endless days of doing vocal scales in the car on the road by myself. Nashville was cool. friends Dale and Melissa were most hospitable and provided plenty of laughs as always. as well, I finally got around to catching up with Matt Morris, which was well over 2 years in the making. he showed me some new songs and yet again, blew my mind wide open. after a week and a half away from my lady though, I was ready to get home and do a little catching up with her. my truck pulled through and made it from Nashville to Brooklyn in just under 17 hours. crazy!
been puttin’ this New Year’s show together and am looking forward to getting back out to LA for a couple nights to ring in 2005 with everyone out there and of course look forward to seeing as many of you as can possibly make it. planning on sharing the stage with some of the best in town so if you’re on the fence about it, I strongly recommend you make go ahead and get yourself a ticket, make plans for settling in for the evening and we’ll take care of the rest.
otherwise, Happy Holidays to everyone. thanks for checking in and continuing to make my efforts worth while.
peace.
