Friday, April 1, 2016

April 2016 -- Bad News No Fooling

Studio 55 is closing and my unnamed songwriter series is homeless.  Damn!! Running a venue is very much a labor of love, and Ken Frankel and his family put a lot of heart and not a little money into it. Ken has contributed much to the Bay Area music community over the years; and you can read a bit about that, and hear his music and see some fine videos too, here.  What will he do next?

So, my songwriter series is on hold for now. Big thanks to all the people who sent in name suggestions -- over 50 in all.  I am keeping them and will rekindle the contest when I have a place.  To be continued . . .

To find that place where I can hold house concerts and control my own destiny (hah!!), I am busy house hunting in the greater Santa Rosa area.  Add hosting music to my other criteria -- quiet location, aesthetic surroundings, good neighbors not too close, not hard to find or get to, commutable to SF and Bodega, and affordable -- and it is quite a challenge.  I have looked at a lot of places, and the perfect spot has not shown up yet. Something like this maybe?  Wish me luck and send me leads if you have any.

I was down in Santa Barbara a few weeks ago rehearsing with Susan Marie Reeves for our May mini-tour.  Her CD "Young Heart" is a well worth some of your ear time (here) and she has many fine songs that are not yet recorded. (I have a few myself :-)  Please check out our show dates and if we are coming to a town near you, hope you can join us.

That's May, and this is April and I'll be playing with my good pal, Floyd Latimer on the 23rd at the Cloverdale Ale Company (formerly known as Ruth McGowan's and still the same great place).  Floyd and I have been picking and grinning together since 1972 and we just step right into the groove whenever we get a chance to play together.   Here is our version of "Midnight On The Water", with Floyd on mandolin and harmony vocal.  (The mighty fine Doug Wilcox played guitar with us.)  

Hope life is good over your way, and I always enjoy hearing what you are up to.

Very best,

John
Roy Zat
Croizat
Whatever