the year ends in furry

I’ve been woefully unattentive to this for the last couple of months.

its almost midnight in England. kinda want to be there for some good ole british merrymaking; freezing, drunk, cosy, unnecessary. you know. the last few years there’s always been something big going on in town here but this year the vibe is mellow. In contrast to the year that could arguably be the year of Nevada City. Or at least from this household it seemed that way; many changes here and many new projects, people and events that truly seemed to rise out of … its been like a whirling fission machine for this tiny community; mainly in the music scene but also just peoples lives, decisions and actions. Every step one of us made would seem to trigger something else somewhere else in town. From just hanging at the National in January to a show at the NCCA in December where no less than 14 (or 18 i can’t remember) acts played sweet music of all kinds to a packed house. Its not the bandroom to the stadium but its something very positive. From a solo acoustic show played to 10 people at the Magic Theatre to some swirly fuzzed out noise in the city of San Francisco. This town has been a constant source of frustration for me as an observer; a huge amount of talent and a lot of it unheard or unexposed. At last people are hearing of Them Hills and Casual Fog and even Aaron Ross who ended up not only playing some of the best shows i;ve seen but singing as the voice of Hella. Yes! There’s so much of this stuff happening; Mariee went out on tour with Brightblack (unbelieveable record). Jo Meade recorded Made-IN. We got to back up the wonderful Lee Bob Watson! Si extended his stay here and took some incredible pictures, not to mention. Alela got under the skin of the pacific northwest and the NY Times took notice. The Boat party happened and self destructed in a most spectacular manor. I met David Torch. We visited our spiritual home in the desert and witnessed Noah and Luckey playing to thousands at Coachella and Bridgeschool. Jeez, they visited Broken Arrow! I met Bert Jansch and played on his record. That is all too much. Marc started a record label! I mean. Al moved from the National and then came back! I spent several nights with friends watching YouTube videos. Adam made a great record and owns a record store with Jaime. Andi and I became Aunt and Uncle. I spent the best part of the summer sitting around leafing though old books with Jo and making artwork for a record that has captured the imagination of everyone from Pitchfork to Time Magazine and bewildered the foes of true music (Rolling Stone – goodbye). We took our song book and now we have half a record and a hot little band. I mean, Hischke! Torch! It amazes me that despite all the awfulness going on around the world, from the ice-caps to the noose, there is still all this light, creativity and understanding among humans. Today, the sun just broke through the clouds here in Nevada City, California. 2006 will be hard to beat but i have this feeling that things are just beginning.

alright, this accidentally turned into a year in review, I could go on and on but its time for a pint and to hang with my cat. I wish you all a peaceful, happy new year.
(check this weirdness i never finished last year. Maybe listen to this while doing that: the dream ends in fury)