Mick Ronson

One of my all-time fave guitar solos. My reaction when listening to it can be seen mirrored by the girl in the audience at about 1:36, even if Mick looks a little Nigel Tufnel in his own expressions.

Toad in February

Hello kids,

Toad on Saturday nights in February is the place to be and don't let no one tell you nothing else. Thursdays are tough for those of us with kids and/or jobs. I understand. We moved the residency to Saturdays for you. How about that?

Cathy Piantigini wrote a fantastic piece on those Thursdays of yore, last June to be precise. You can find it here.

T-Shirts on the Way for the February Toad Shows

A nice guy named Thomas has a sports apparel company and has offered to make some t-shirts using Stephen Dowling's picture that makes it seem that I rock the stadiums and the coliseums. He might do some fulfillment of mail orders, but we have not gotten that far yet. I think we'll start with 100 for the shows. But if we get a lot of orders, we will make more. Keep your eye on this post and I will edit with more information as it becomes available.

Hot Stove Cool Music

This has to be my 25th year with this event. Honestly, I lost count. It is natural to feel like it is getting old, stale, and for the participants to be less excited as the years go by. And I can only speak for myself, but this is sometimes the ennui-like winter feeling that sets in each December/January. Part of it is the post-holiday exhaustion and typical winter darkness. But it is precisely that inertia and negativity that we must battle in life. And Hot Stove Cool Music proves year upon year to be the unexpected reward for getting my ass out of the house, meet and chat via emails and phone calls with the main organizers, and rehearse the various segments of which I am part. Just when you think it is time to move on, we end up getting down to the Paradise, seeing old friends, playing great music, brushing elbows with young Red Sox stars on their way up (see me and Wild Thing Papelbon, above) and I end up having one of the greatest times, not just of the winter, but of the year. Get your tickets now. Raise money for a great Boston charity event.

Poster by Gary Greenberg

The Amazingly Talented Mr. Dowling

I am tweaking the look of the page. Thanks in great part to our friend Steve Dowling, a kiwi by birth and temperament, and a Londoner by edict and mayoral proclamation, who has been coming to soundchecks and shows for years and taking great photos. The one I am using as the top shot is from the Netherlands in 2007, just about a year ago. He's a good guy to have on the road, as he is skilled at breaking up fistfights, paying off the local constabulary, and serving out local brews. Links to his page are on the right. Here are some other good ones.












See the link to his page in the links section on the right. From his site, you can also explore his Flickr site, which has many compelling pictures of Buff Tom and bands such as Iron and Wine, Calexico and more.

Nice Mention in Today's Boston Globe

Nice mention of this page (have any alternatives for the word "blog" come to the fore?) here in the Globe today. Thanks to the fabulous Sarah Rodman, whom I believe I last saw roaming the streets of Austin Texas in 2006. Say it ain't so, Sarah!