I met Dana Hubbard (first heard here in Songs and Stories #47) last Fall when he played the American River Music Festival in Coloma, CA (where I'm playing this year, BTW.) Dana spent the '80s and '90s making a full-time living playing the bay area "clubs and corporate" scene. As that began to fade, Dana rediscovered his love for fingerpicking and solo playing. These days he travels (and primarily lives in) a Sprinter RV, hitting festivals and venues along the way.

In this "Songs and Stories" two-parter, Dana talks about the festival circuit, what lead to the dimming of the club circuit, the pros and cons (mostly pros) of RV life, and his latest release, "The Grounds Keepers". Note: On Saturday, 7/18, I'll be playing an in-the-round with Dana and our pal Greg Kitchel at The Acoustic Barn in Newcastle, CA. Contact Kevin by email for reservations.

In episode #64, Dana talks about his move from running a band to becoming a solo performer and what led him to travel around in an RV. Click the red podcast button below to hear "Songs and Stories" #64 (time = 27:30, size = 25.35 mb)

In episode #65, Dana plays (and tells the stories behind) the songs "Woody's Guitar" and "Pretty Little Farmer". Click the red podcast button below to hear "Songs and Stories" #65 (time = 27:30, size = 25.35 mb)

Techy Note: These episodes SHOULD just play from a new browser window. If it doesn't, try the "right-click and save-as" thingy to save the file to your desktop. Play the file after it's completely downloaded, and it should work fine. (If you still have trouble, let me know.)

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www.michaelgaither.com

I've been a guest on Rosemary Charmers' "Good Morning Monterey Bay" several times. (The show airs in Santa Cruz every weekday from 6-9 AM on KSCO 1080 AM.). It's always a great visit, and the conversations seem to always settle on mainly two topics: "How are your dogs doing?" and "Would you please play the 'Highway 17' song again?" This last Tuesday's visit was no different, and I couldn't think of a funner way to start my week.

Here's the complete interview with Rosie, which includes a rundown of upcoming shows (full-band gigs at Don Quixote's Music Hall and at The Ol' Factory, and solo slots at Fins Coffee and Sarah's Vineyard.) Complete info for all is on my Shows page.

Note: If you'd like a bit more info about our band, check out the sites for our guitar player Aaron Bagchee and our harmony singer, Breanna Eddy.

This interview includes live performances of "Highway 17" (with a few new verses), "Roselle", and a new song, "Santa Cruz State of Mind".

Click the red podcast button below to hear "Songs and Stories" #63 (time = 27:30, size = 25.35 mb)

Techy Note: This episode SHOULD just play from a new browser window. If it doesn't, try the "right-click and save-as" thingy to save the file to your desktop. Play the file after it's completely downloaded, and it should work fine. (If you still have trouble, let me know.)

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Sometimes a meeting is just a good excuse to chat with an old pal. I spent quite a few years as a stringer for the Santa Cruz Sentinel. I wrote for their old "Spotlight" Friday entertainment supplement, first as a TV critic, and then with a video round-up column called "Rewind After Viewing". "Rewind". Think about that for a moment. Doesn't it seem like decades since you had to physically press Rewind before running a tape back to your favorite local rental store to avoid a late fee? Where does the time go?

Video and TV gave way to occasional jaunts to review the movies the staff writers didn't want to go see. Why anyone would pass the golden opportunities to see classic fair like Adam Sandler's "The Waterboy" or "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer" boggled me (please read the sarcasm between the lines.)

My work with the Sentinel trailed off right around the time I started writing my own songs. Last week, Sentinel Arts and Entertainment Editor Wallace Baine and I chatted about that, along what led to my new CD, "Dogspeed".

Here's the complete interview, titled, "Watsonville songwriter moves along at Dogspeed". It was flattering having one of my favorite writers (seriously) do a piece on my music. But I think it was even more fun having an excuse to reminisce about the old Spotlight, the movies no one else wanted to see and how TV critics can become REALLY tired of watching TV.

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This past weekend made it my fifth year playing the Vintner's Festival up at Roudon-Smith Winery in Scotts Valley. Where does the time go? (Hey, great idea for a song...wait, I've already done that.) Hard to believe that it was just a few years back that it was me and my "band" at the time (Greg Scott on bass) doing the few original songs I had under my belt. It's since evolved into a little two-day music festival, where I not only get to play but also organize the thing and host it.

These days, it's a full-band (me, Greg Scott, Aaron Bagchee on lead guitar, and Darren Walker on drums and percussion), and we did a 90-minute set both days. Wrapped around that were local favorite songwriters like Sherry Austin, Dulcimer Girls, and Alisa Fineman and Kimball Hurd. We were also treated to cover tunes from Rob Hastings and the acoustic duo Harry and Joe. Sunday was particularly special when Hawk, one of our dearest friends - and in big part the reason I can sing and play guitar - treated us to a mini-set of three originals:

Click for more festival pics

All that, plus two days of perfect weather, great friends, and of course wine. It just again reminds you that life certainly does not suck. Especially on days like this.

We'll be back at Roudon-Smith on October 24th and 25th, to do this all again for their annual Post-Harvest Party - another event I've been fortunate enough to rope myself into putting together. In the meantime we're gearing up for our big show at Don Quixote's Music Hall next Thursday, 6/18. Details to all of these are on my Shows page.

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With song titles like "I Wanna Be Up Front Like Dolly Parton" and "Every Man I Ever Loved Is Either Gay, Married, Or Dead", you can be pretty sure that Kacey Jones has a knack for getting your attention and putting a smile on your face with her music. In this phone interview from her home in Nashville, Kacey talks about her new release, "Donald Trump's Hair", balancing art and business, and her upcoming trip back to her roots here in Santa Cruz. (Click here for Kacey's complete tour calendar).

Kacey is also running a Donald Trump's Hair contest. Enter a photo of you (or your pet) for a chance to win a slew of prizes, including a guitar and lunch with Kacey. Note the numbered diagram below. It explains how to achieve the legendary Trump combover. (Kacey explains this in the interview.)

Click the red podcast button below to hear "Songs and Stories" #62 (time = 35:20, size = 32.5 mb)

Techy Note: This episode SHOULD just play from a new browser window. If it doesn't, try the "right-click and save-as" thingy to save the file to your desktop. Play the file after it's completely downloaded, and it should work fine. (If you still have trouble, let me know.)

Bay area audiences know award-winning songwriter Jay Howlett both as part of the songwriting collective BlahBlahWoofWoof and a solo performer in his own right. In this kitchen-table talk, Jay and I talk about his upcoming release "Carnival Lights", how BlahBlahWoofWoof formed, other songwriters such as Chuck Brodsky and Chuck McCabe, his association with Breedlove Guitars, and the alternate-tuning sounds he gets by using multiple capos.

Note: Jay will be doing a special "Carnival Lights" CD-release party at Mobu Dance Studio on Saturday, June 27th. (Click here for more info.)

In "Songs and Stories" #60, Jay and I discuss the pros and cons of "multiple instrumentation" vs "underproducing" a CD and talk about the unique approach he's taken to this current project. (He's recording material for multiple CDs in one long recording stretch.) Click the red podcast button below to hear "Songs and Stories" #60 (time = 39:52, size = 36.6 mb)

In "Songs and Stories" #61, Jay gives us a "Carnival Lights" preview, playing (and telling the stories behind) "Long Black Dress" and "King of the Parking Lot". (Jay also explains the multiple-capo positions in both songs.) Click the red podcast button below to hear "Songs and Stories" #61 (time = 22:55, size = 21.1 mb)

Techy Note: These episodes SHOULD just play from a new browser window. If they don't, try the "right-click and save-as" thingy to save the file to your desktop. Play the file after it's completely downloaded, and it should work fine. (If you still have trouble, let me know.)

In the last couple of "Songs and Stories" episodes, we heard how Martin Giles and Strings (of the former British band "Stryngs") made a literal journey from England to touring the western U.S. in a motorhome. In these next two episodes, we chat with singer/songwriter Annie Moscow. Annie's made a musical journey of another kind: She was a classically trained pianist who eventually found herself in L.A. writing for such varied clients as Sister Sledge and Disney. These days, she's based in Arizona and tours frequently.

She's now where she wanted to be for a long time: A songwriter singing her own tunes. In this "Songs and Stories" two-parter, Annie tells us about the path she took, her training along the way, and some plans for her third record.

In "Songs and Stories" #58, we do the "kitchen-table talk" for the podcast and hear Annie's story. Click the red podcast button below to hear "Songs and Stories" #58 (time = 29:13, size = 33.4 mb)

In "Songs and Stories" #59, Annie plays "11 Blocks from the Beach" and "Buy the Bitch a Cadillac" off "Wolves At My Door" (2001) and "Make Believe" off "Visible" (2007). Click the red podcast button below to hear "Songs and Stories" #59 (time = 29:13, size = 33.4 mb)

Techy Note: These episodes SHOULD just play from a new browser window. If they don't, try the "right-click and save-as" thingy to save the file to your desktop. Play the file after it's completely downloaded, and it should work fine. (If you still have trouble, let me know.)

Folks who've put out a CD or two know one of the ironies of production: It still costs more to put out a record in a simple cardboard wrapper instead of an eco-unfriendly plastic jewel case. Still, with "Dogspeed", I liked the simple look of the cardboard packaging and thought it would just be a good thing to do.

Yesterday, Grateful Dread Public Radio tagged me as their Artist of the Day, with particular emphasis on the eco-friendly cardboard wallet that "Dogspeed" is packed in.

Grateful Dread Public Radio is based in Baltimore. Besides being a big-time supporter of my music, they also rebroadcast my "Songs and Stories" podcasts every Friday evening at 7:30 pm. Plus, they're just a cool station. But maybe I'm biased.

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Lots of fun coming up this weekend: If you're within earshot of Nevada City (or the Internet) on Friday morning (4/17), tune into Laurie DesJardin's "The New Brick Road" on KVMR from 10-noon. At around 10:20, Laurie and I will be chatting about "Roselle" and "I Miss My Town" off the new "Dogspeed record. KVMR is in Nevada City, CA. Tune in locally at 89.5 or on the web at kvmr.org.

Free MP3 for KVMR listeners: If you hear the interview with Laurie, send me an email about it. I'll send you back a live version of "Roselle".

After visiting with Laurie, it's north for Redding. On Friday (still 4/17), I share a night at the Post Office Saloon with Jim Dyar and Steve Bachman from 8:00-11:00 pm. On Saturday (4/18), I'll be at Little Fillies at 7:00 pm, as part of a songwriter's showcase presented by the North State Songwriter's Group.

(And on Sunday, I come home and collapse.)

Click here for complete detail on all the upcoming shows.

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