And a month long hiatus comes to an end …

I’ve always been prone to do things in fits and starts, and that characteristic gets even worse during the summer months. Basically, I’m the opposite of a bear that hibernates in the winter; I shut down as much as I can and wait out the heat by trying to move as little as possible (mentally as well as physically). I have little desire to do much of anything through the weeks of heat and humidity, which includes practicing the Stick. So, when I finally picked up my Stick last Thursday for the first time in weeks, yes I was incredibly rusty in technique, but it was soooooo much fun. For three days I practiced at least 3 hours a day. A busy work schedule this week has prevented me from making it a daily routine, but I’m anxious to get back at it as soon as things settle back down to a more regular pace.

I’ll be playing at One Love on 26 September. Although I’ve heard a lot of good things about this bar/restaurant/music spot, this will be my first time to visit. One Love has been the sponsor of the Miyajima Full Moon Festivals held usually twice annually on a local beach, with the most recent being at the end of August. Apparently the festival was a financial wash for the sponsors this time, due to a rather strong typhoon that decided to pass through and rain (and blow, and wreak general havoc) on the party. The event on the 26th will be a fund raiser, with all musicians volunteering their time and all proceeds contributed to help pay for the losses.

My friend and Stick player Derek Dallenger has finally joined the cyber world (with baby steps so far), and we’ve been exchanging emails over the past few days. He sent me a link to a website that has a brief interview with him, as well as a video clip of a sample of some of his music. Even if you can’t read the Japanese text on the website, I think it is well worth checking out to have a look at the video sample of Derek’s music. (Scroll about halfway down the page; the link is under the red text.)