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Setting the Intention… Years ago I was studying under a Yaqui Indian elder and he spoke, and speaks, at length about defining our purpose, about setting our intention, establishing our identity and reaffirming it daily, hourly, every minute, and every second. Doing so helps us live our most authentic life. Some do this by quoting chapter and verse. Some meditate and chant mantras. My prayers are carried to heaven by Brian Wilson’s tender falsetto. My intentions are set through poets, songwriters, and novelists. I recently recommitted myself to this essential exercise in the form of a simple playlist during my morning shower. I stagger outRead More →

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It’s the heart that matters most…. In the song “Omaha” from the Counting Crows’ debut album August and Everything Adam Duritz sings “get right to the heart of matters, it’s the heart that matters more.” It’s easy to take that lyric pretty much as written: it is the heart, of any given issue or idea, that matters more than whatever window dressing or bullshit going on around it. This past Sunday, July 22nd, the band performed at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in the Woodlands, TX just north of Houston. I was there with my best friend…as has become a bit of a tradition over theRead More →

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Mountains and Glass This past Saturday the 14th brought The Glass back to the stage to honor and perform the music of Soda Stereo, the great Argentinean rock group that has influenced more bands than anyone realizes.  But more important than it being another performance by one of Houston’s best bands sharing a bill with other fantastic artists, was the reason for their gathering. It was a benefit show raising funds to help reunite families that have been separated at border crossings. As a friend put it, the evening was “our chance, however small it is, to try to move toward dignity and justice.” TheyRead More →

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The Sticks! So a few months back a friend of mine turned me on to Mother Mother and I’ve written at and spoken at length of my obsession. Well, it seems to have bled over to my 3-year old son Young Master Oliver. No less than a dozen times yesterday alone did I hear “DAD! I want to hear THE STICKS!!!!” And so, as any loving and accommodating father would, call out “Alexa, play the Sticks by Mother Mother.” As soon as the drums come in, Oliver starts stomping his feet and bobbing his head and when we get to the “cause they’re ain’t noRead More →

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Man it’s hot. Seriously, this is bad. I can’t live like this. The “heat index” had us dancing around 108 over the weekend. 108! By comparison, Seattle is endured a high of 72 and will suffer through a week that will see the thermometer hover around 68. On the bright side there are a bunch of fantastic shows coming up. First up MIEARS has a pair of shows to wrap up a month that has seen her take her unique sound to New York and back. June 29th will find her in Austin at Cheer Up Charlies for a bill that also features Memory Keepers,Read More →

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Mornin’! So I saw Paul Simon over the weekend! As far as I’m concerned Paul Simon is on a very short list of the greatest American songwriters…greatest songwriters ever. Being roughly 15 feet away from someone like that is always quite surreal. The show itself was mostly a quiet review of Simon’s incredible songbook. While there were nods given to his 60s work with Art Garfunkel, This show, at least in my eyes, was designed more for fans of “Paul Simon” and not just fans of “Simon and Garfunkel”. The crowd was mixed with at least three four generations of fans in attendance. Many wereRead More →

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So I thought it would be a fun exercise to make a list of “My Beatles Songs”. You know…the songs that really mean something to me, whether because of the lyric or because the song was linked to a specific moment or feeling in time but I gave up a few minutes into the process when by the time Rubber Soul came along I had listed about 90% of preceding albums’ tracks and then instead of just listing songs from Rubber Soul and Revolver I just wrote the album titles. haha No matter how far I stray into more “modern” artists I always come backRead More →

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In: Musings

So last week I found myself doing something I had not done in quite some time. After a long day at the office, I raced home to change clothes, pack up a couple of guitars, my amp, cables, music stand, and headed to spend the evening in front of a packed house. Butterflies swirling, sweat beginning to bead on my forehead, pulse picking up a bit, I toiled away at soundcheck hoping to get things set up before the crowd filed in…most performers know that feeling we get just before the lights go on and we hit the stage. There was that minor panic whenRead More →

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In: Friends of the Cathedral

This is the latest in a series of articles about some of Houston’s most fascinating female members of our music community. I’m not sure I meant for it to become a series but what began with wanting to showcase people who live lives in and around our community, juggle responsibilities, manage what often seem like conflicting goals, led me to the women you’ve read about here at Cathedral Records. I’m inspired by people who live with their feet firmly planted in different worlds; musician and parent, spouse and business owner, band member and athlete, songwriter and business executive. That duality and those seemingly diametrically opposingRead More →

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In: Musings

Wow…what a few months. If it seems like I’ve been away or like things have been quiet it’s because things have been more than a little busy…tumultuous even. Quick rundown: I had a brief health scare that turned out to be nothing I can’t manage, nothing tooo serious. I quit smoking, and I hurt my back (again). I’ve been drowning in school work, but the end is in sight to the point that I was able to take part in commencement. I even got to visit New Hampshire to visit the university campus. It was awesome! I have to say, the Irish pub there inRead More →