A word about the title:

Softly Softly Catchee Monkey is an expression I first heard used by my dad as I was growing up – I have some vague recollection of hearing him say it during a chess match when I was a kid (nerd alert!). Bemused by the absurdity of the phrase, I would shake my head at its use (it’s not unusual to here it in New Zealand), but began to understand that the phrase was used to indicate a cunning, patient and determined tactic. I’m going to simplify here, because I’ve heard variations on the same theme (even the phrase itself alternatively appears as “Slowly Slowly”, rather than “Softly Softly”), but the origins

My fellow humans, a happy 2010 to you all!

Greetings friends!

I’m getting ready to drive to Long Island for a show tonight with my acoustic trio (of which I am a part, i.e., a total of 3 ). It’s a new performance lineup that began with in-store shows in June and has turned out to be a lot of fun…if you would like to come see us sometime, we’ll be playing in Philadelphia (August 22nd) and NYC (August 25th). I also wanted to share the news of an upcoming New Zealand tour in October. The details of the shows are below.

It’s always an interesting experience to perform songs that I wrote a couple of years ago, but that are only now reaching their audience. “Do you get tired of playing the same song over and over again?” is a question that I feel artists get asked from time to time. The answer, in my experience, is a resounding “No”. But the reason for that is more humbling than it is noble.

Hey gang! I’m back in New York after a very exciting New Zealand Music Month in May. Here’s a video with some excerpts from our show at Backbeat, in Auckland.

I’m mad as hell

I woke today to a 23-hour day and immediately felt, for a second, a slight twinge of anxiety. And then I laughed at myself.

I heard Hiding So Long on the radio for the first time today! Somewhat challenging given that it was airing in New Zealand, and I’m currently in New York…but you can see here that it worked out. Even if it meant being filmed in my bathrobe.

A trip to Sydney, Australia, last week…
At last, a chance to see what all the Guitar Hero hype is about…
What now?  Do I dump my axe in favor of a tambourine?

Hello hello,
It’s been a real thrill to see “Hiding So Long” being covered by other singers/guitarists/musicians!  Thank you for giving new expression to the song.  To me art is dynamic, never static, and always evoking something new in the moment in which we find ourselves, so it’s cool to watch the song continue to unfold.
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