hello all, it feels good to write to you. there are a few monk concerts coming up in may that i'd like you to know about. but first i'll take time to pass on the small news from my corner of the world. my lovely wife and i are just around the corner from having our second (and last...) baby. it looks to be quite a spring. josh seurkamp, (one of my favorite drummers and a monk regular,) just welcomed a new little girl into his family this week: providence elizabeth. their third...) boy, it's hard to think about things like changing strings, rehearsing, newspaper interviews and press releases when this kind of stuff is all around you. it's a good life. i just finished mixing a new record for folkie David Wilcox. it's a collection of amazing songs, songs that could be on a joni mitchell record.. and we recorded them with a very specific aesthetic. they are all driven by the voice. i've been lucky to have worked with a couple amazing singers in my time as a musician, and i begin to understand what a wonder the human voice is. in music. almost everything else revolves around it, is subservient to it or is imitating it. its a lesson i wish i'd understood ten years ago. but we can't have old heads on young shoulders, can we? David's record will be released in the fall. we mastered the new Phil Keaggy record about two months ago and it will be released in June. Phil and i collaborated on the arrangements and both played a lot of guitar on this instrumental album. in march, i went out and played a few concerts with Phil. (that'll keep you on your toes.) right after that i found out that i had been nominated for the producer of the year here in cincinnati. thanks to those of you who voted for me. for all my musing about how music isn't a sport and there shouldn't really be a competition, it's always an honor to be recognized by your peers. thank you again. i accepted the Cammy award for best producer in 2001 at the award ceremonies in northern kentucky. (slightly ironic for the CINCINNATI music awards...) which brings us more or less up to date. here are a few concerts: FRIDAY MAY 3rd.- YORK ST CAFE- TWO SHOWS! 1st show is at 7:30.* please note this is an ALL AGES NON-SMOKING CONCERT! it was especially designed for those of you old enough to remember the first time people landed on the moon. you can come have dinner, enjoy the concert and be home in time to pay the babysitter. please come and bring 100 or your closest friends. there is an additional fee for underage folks attending (sorry it's not my policy and that money doesn't go to us.) 2nd show is 10:30. this is a regular old rock and roll show. Read NICOTENE ENHANCED. smoke 'em if you got 'em. this is not an all ages show. you'll want to check in with york st to see if the new policy is 18+ or 21+... if you happen to go to the ani defranco concert at the taft, you can bring your ticket stub and get $3 off your admission to the monk show. there will be slightly different bands and different set lists. and you all know that we can never play the same song the same way twice anyway. if you decide you'd like to stay for both shows, you'll be charged a lower fee for the second. ashley peacock will play a few songs in between the two concerts. so don't be late... THURSDAY MAY 9th. Tickets $10 Trinity House Theatre 38840 West Six Mile Livonia MI 48152 734-464-6302 www.trinityhouse.org w/ special guest ashley peacock FRIDAY MAY 10TH SCHULER BOOKS AND MUSIC 2660 28th Street SE Grand Rapids, MI 49512 Phone: 800 331 1727 (MI only) 616 942 2561 w/ special guest ashley peacock sorry for such a long note, but it's been a while. it'd be great to see you, we'll try real hard not to be in a hurry to get anywhere after the concerts, so please say hello. peace, ric hordinski