april joy
“sometimes the universe conspires for us,” i was reminded recently, and that sure seems to be true as i look at the view from my new kitchen window. i’ve been fortunate to have lived in several beautiful places over the years, and my luck seems to be continuing. one of the things i’ve missed about the west coast is the light and space of california. the east has its own version of beauty, but light and space is rare; and to get it, you usually need to be a millionaire. but, by coincidence, association and miracle, i got an out-of-the-blue call about a little place on a little piece of land next to a hundred acres of light and space— a songwriter’s dream— and within minutes, it was to be mine. i see it as a birthday present from the universe and it feels like a giant safety net in a tiny package. thank you, universe!
this was part of the promise of the new aries moon that came on the heels of donna’s birthday, leading up to mine, after the completion of “backroads,” and the next monthly installment of our lifetime residency at vincent’s worcester on the 9th. donna is painting a van gogh-inspired image of vincent’s for my birthday, which we will use as the main image of our new t-shirt. i can’t wait to get the shirts printed!
a good friend in los angeles gave the final listen to “backroads,” and, with a couple of minor adjustments, we will be ready to master the recording and release it with a streaming version of “ghost.” we’re shooting for late april as a release date to the online stores of both albums.
looking ahead, the van gogh brothers are tentatively looking at an august 6th date for a barn concert at magical moon farm. this would be a limited seating, ticketed event with proceeds benefiting the magical moon foundation. the barn space is absolutely beautiful and the sound is incredible. the chuck mcdermott band opens the concert season with a show on friday, may 20th. chuck played last october and he was spectacular. tickets should be on sale shortly at magicalmoon.org or at eventbrite.
other april fun will include a trip to new orleans to visit my son and his family over the easter weekend. if you’re in the boston/south shore area, donna will resume her fabled easter egg hunt at the farm on easter morning, which includes 4,000 eggs courtesy of the teamsters’ women’s committee, and others. the magical moon farm is located at 575 summer street in marshfield, massachusetts.
i worked with pat metheny in his early career, and one of my favorite pieces of his (still, to this day) is april wind/april joy. it sings with hope and the promise of spring. my wish for all of you, and for our world, is that we each resonate with hope and the promise of spring.
love,
jc