Two nights ago I was sleeping in my van in a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike. The night before that I slept on a friends floor in a cabin tucked up in the hills of north-west Virginia. The night before that I crashed at Thomas's house, a waiter at the Little Grill where I played in Harrisonburg, VA. The guestroom was called "the red room", painted bright red. I didn't have the lights on for long so the color didn't keep me awake. The night before that on a feather bed in the guest room of David and Nina in Chapel Hill. I remember the sound of the hard rain outside pouring on the thick, lush trees as I fell asleep.

This is typical when touring. People unfamiliar with the rigors of the travelling musician often ask, "where do you stay while you're touring?" My answer is both vague and precise: "I'll stay anywhere.............and everywhere". This tour was a quick little jaunt down to North Carolina and back through Virginia and New Jersey. Being as I came home with no more money than I left with I prefer to call this tour a "vacation" instead; an "investment" tour if you will. I can afford to do something like this once in a blue moon, and since there were two blue moons earlier this year I figure I still have one waiting in the bank for me.

The best part of the tour was spending an afternoon with my son Sather. He's seven and lives during the school year with his mom, step dad, and little sister in Chapel Hill. I hadn't seen him since January and every single minute with him that day was worth the entire trip. Besides, I've been in a good mood lately.

I've been in a good mood because some good stuff is coming up in June. I'll be going to Nashville to record my next CD with a guy by the name of Bil VornDick producing it. Bil has won a couple of Grammy Awards for his work with Allison Krauss, and the Ralph Stanley Tribute. He's also worked with Mark O'Connor, Doc Watson, Maura O'Connell, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Judith Edelman, and the list goes on..... So, all this and the fact that I've got a handful of new songs within the last month puts me in a good mood. The overall feeling is that I'm ready for a shift to occur. I don't figure I'm done paying my dues by a long shot, but it will be nice having somebody with industry credibility lending a bit of their weight into my own work. Until then I'm laying low with plenty of lawn mowing and concerts close to home. I'll let you all know how the recording comes out. I figure if things happen in a timely manner we may see it released on an indie label of some name recognition early next century (that is...around New Year's).  

As always, I'd love to hear from y'all out there. We're working on a guest book for the website that will make it even easier to send me your greetings. But don't wait, let us know what you think of this site.

Meanwhile, enjoy what's left of the spring!
Dana