Room For Cream?

My train ride was silent this morning. All I could hear was the sound of thoughts trying to make their way into words in my head. Responses to pressures I was feeling. Pressures from many sources and directions. Pressures I didn’t really know were there. Pressure can be a very subtle thing and one can endure a great deal of it without being aware. Expanding and contracting as various aspects of life ebb and flow. This particular day, I hit my internal red zone. Panic began to set in as I became fearful that I could not speak a sentence — perhaps ever again. Tears began to surface... again. They had begun on the train platform a few minutes earlier when I returned a phone call to my sister, Julie. After a brief conversation which ended when she posed the question, “How are you doing?” and I tried to answer “I’m fine” but was rendered speechless. My body wouldn’t let the words out. It wouldn’t allow such deceit. It wouldn’t allow anything to be said. After a long silence I fought to get the words “I’ll call you back” delivered before hanging up. I was overpowered by a breach in the emotional dam designed to protect me. When working properly, it harnesses the powerful force of my emotions and controls the flow. I don’t know if I should call it working “properly” — perhaps “normally” is a better term. Normal for me anyway.

Coffee is my feel good remedy. Aspirin is called the miracle drug. Coffee is simply my miracle. For some unknown reason, which I believe began in college, I have come to think of coffee as some sort of magic potion — an elixir that can transcend my ability to sort things out on my own. Perhaps there’s more to caffein than we realize. Or maybe this is a typical symptom of any addiction. Or maybe coffee is just a superhero for me to believe in — I can always count on it to help me sort things out. Regardless, when we pulled in to Union Station where I transfer from the Gold Line to the Red Line on my daily commute to Hollywood, I decided to stop at the new Starbucks that had gone in days earlier. When I approached the front of the line, I wondered if I could utter my order without losing the words as had happened on the conversation with my sister. When, to my relief, I got my order out (not without a great deal of effort), I was derailed when the cashier asked a follow up question, the answer to which I had not rehearsed in line. The 20 minutes of attempted tear control leading up to this Starbucks visit was clearly evident in my face judging by her reaction. She quickly understood that I was somewhere else at that moment and left the question of whether I wanted room for cream or not to be answered another day. She filled the cup.

Nashville

Just back from a wonderful trip to Nashville. I played Billy Block's show at 12th & Porter which is always great fun. Billy is immortalized in my song "Nashville" that kicks off the new record. I also played a show at the Tennessee State Fair where I had to compete with a trapeze artist hanging from a helicopter over my head. Talk about being upstaged. All heads, including mine, were looking straight up as I sang "Crazy For Hollywood" which seemed somewhat appropriate.

The Americana Music Association conference kicked off Wednesday night with some great shows and a surprise appearance by the legendary John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival, who did a killer set at Mercy Lounge. I was surprised and delighted to see my good friend Oren Waters (who sings on "Sweet Corn") on stage with him. Also caught the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and JD Souther which were highlights for me. As far as newer faces that I saw, hands down my favorite band is the Belleville Outfit. I caught them at the Kerrville Folk Festival in '08 and have been a big fan ever since. Also loved seeing Justin Townes Earle.

Friday I spoke on a panel that focused on placing music in Film, TV and Advertising. Video games were also discussed but there aren't a lot of Americana focused video games in the market just yet. During the panel, Dan Navarro was next door doing a showcase and I could hear him through the wall. Dan's birthday was earlier in the week and we had a chance to tip a glass to his youth. All in all a wonderful conference and visit to Music City -- a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to die there... as the song goes.

Let the blogs begin again

OK, OK, it's been ages since my last post. Been working on a record (which is now finished and coming out 9/15), learning Facebook and Twitter, and trying to figure out all the stuff I need to do as a folk artist in this wacky new world. Currently I'm up in Capitola, CA (Santa Cruz area) breathing some fresh air and taking refuge from the Southern California wildfires with my family.

Alright -- enough excuses. How about a little strange bit of trivia I stumbled upon recently. Perez Hilton, the famous blogger and television personality known for covering celebrity gossip, is my former publicist's assistant. I knew him as Mario Lavandeira when he worked for my company, DeepMix, back in 2002. I reconnected with Mario recently and he has agreed to be our "Guest DJ" for the upcoming DeepMix Bandwidth -- an eNewsletter that goes out to advertising and entertainment industry folks. Regardless of what you might think of Perez's journalistic tendencies, he does have good musical taste. Should be interesting. If you want to get on the Bandwidth bandwagon, just send an email to bandwidth@deepmix.com with "subscribe" in the subject.

Looking forward to the Americana Music Conference in Nashville which begins on September 17. I'll be speaking on a Film, TV, and Advertising panel on Friday the 18th at 4pm. Come say hello if you're attending the conference.

Kicking off the CD Release with a show in Lincoln, Nebr. at CGS Music on Saturday, September 12. Steve Hanson will be joining me and it'll be big fun -- come on down if you're in the area. I promise to blog again before Sugar Larsen's birthday on Sept. 23!

New Single "There" (for Michael & Cora)

I have a new song written to honor two wonderful kids, Michael and Cora Betts, who were lost in a tragic car accident in January. Proceeds from the song will benefit the Michael and Cora Betts Legacy Fund. I hope you'll buy the CD Single and pass the word around for others to do the same. The song will also be available through iTunes but not until September 8 so I encourage you to order now from the "Buy Now" link on my home page. The artwork is by a wonderful young artist by the name of Megan Stringfellow. You can find more of her work at stringfellowart.net

The Birchmere

On a rainy night in Alexandria, Virginia, I got my introduction to the legendary Birchmere club. I was opening a show for my friend Suzy Bogguss who nearly sold out the 500 seat dinner theatre. I had heard so much about this great venue, just outside of Washington D.C., and it surpassed all of my expectations.

The minute I walked in I felt as if I had entered the Ritz Carlton of Honky Tonks. Not by décor but by the incredibly well-oiled machine that it is. The staff was so welcoming and helpful and yet seemed almost transparent because everyone was going about doing what they do so well.

Prior to my soundcheck, I walked through the hallway outside the theatre and gazed at the pictures of so many of my favorite artists – like a family tree of my musical influences. When I took the stage at 7:30 sharp, everyone was well-fed and ready to listen.

Suzy was kind enough to come out and sing “Ring of Fire” with me midway through my set. When we recorded the song for my CD, we cut our parts at different times, in different cities. So doing it live together and hearing that blend of our voices was a gas.

What a memorable experience! I hope to make it back to the Birchmere real soon. If you ever get a chance to attend a show there, jump at it – you won’t be disappointed. –BC

Lines In The Dirt update

Well, it’s been a crazy summer around here since the official release of Lines In The Dirt on July 10. I’ve been a little out of touch, but family vacations, work at my company, DeepMix, as well as the CD promotion, have kept me hopping.

I christened the album with a couple of CD release shows back in Nebraska, which were a blast. In late July, I had the great pleasure to make my headlining debut at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley – one of the finest folk clubs in the country. Also heard from a few friends from as far away as Florida who caught me on West Coast Live -- a syndicated radio show out of San Francisco hosted by Sedge Thomson. An Associated Press writer, Steve Wine, did me a great favor by reviewing the album which appeared in papers all over the country including the San Francisco Chronicle . The CD has fared well on a couple of radio charts – #7 on the US Folk chart and #5 at Euro-Americana. And a few songs from Lines are currently in rotation on XM Radio’s “X Country” channel 12.

Upcoming shows in the next few months take me to California, Texas, Tennessee (Bluebird cafe debut), Colorado, Washington, and finally Virginia where I’ll be opening for Suzy Bogguss at the legendary Birchmere. Hope you can make it out to say hello. Show details can be found on my website .

If you haven’t picked up the CD or if you have some friends who might enjoy it, you can order Lines just about anywhere CDs are sold. If you order through my website , I make a few extra bucks and shipping is free on orders of 2 or more. You can also purchase the downloads at iTunes or MySpace. I appreciate the support and any help you can provide spreading the word about the record! Cheers. –BC

Kate Wolf Festival

Despite growing up in the same city and being the same age (although she's aged better than I), it wasn't until yesterday at the Kate Wolf Festival in northern California that I met singer/songwriter Laura Love. I had finished my set and was hanging around to hear Richie Havens who I worked with about 15 years ago. From the stage I heard Laura mention her Nebraska roots. I caught about half of her very entertaining set and we chatted afterward. Very strange that our paths had never crossed until now. She was playing with a banjo player named Danny Barnes who I've been a fan of for some time. Danny is a wonderful artist who has been in a number of bands that I like. Also performing at the festival were my friends, Lowen & Navarro, who sang background vocals for me on the new CD (on "Paperboy"), and Kenny Edwards, who I hope to do some shows with in the near future. It was a great experience with thousands of people all having a wonderful time camping, celebrating life and enjoying music in a beautiful setting. Hope to make it back next year! -BC