Summer Solstice

Hey everybody,

Just a few days and we’re officially into summertime. We’ve had a beautiful Spring here in Nashville, mild and warm, not too much humidity yet. Plenty of rain which is usual for that time of year but nothing torrential and mercifully quiet on the tornado front so far. My old hometown of Phoenix, Arizona hit 117 degrees the other day and a massive wildfire remains out of control there. Yikes… a little early for that kind of heat even in Arizona. As you might imagine our old Weber kettle b.b.q. has already seen some heavy action and is ready for this year’s cookouts. Sadly, this might be the old girl’s last season as the bottom of the kettle is rusting through where the leg sockets attach and I see daylight coming through. I expect I’ll come out one morning to find she’s collapsed and expired. A darn good run and testimony to how well things were once made. My wife and I bought that grill in 1976, the year we were married. It has survived 45 summers and winters, sunshine and rain and umpteen thousand hamburgers, hot dogs, chickens and steaks. They don’t make ‘em like they used to.

We received our second Moderna vax’s the end of March and are feeling much less vulnerable to the virus. That said, it has taken a little while to inch back out into the world again, I guess we became accustomed to being home. So far it is a careful and curated return. It’s been wonderful catching up with friends again over lunch. I’m really pleased to get back to my own record that has patiently been waiting for the last 14 months. I’ve recorded the final tune and am just wrapping up the mixes and snipping off a few loose ends. Look for it to be a late summer release and I’ll keep you posted. I’m calling it Tall Tale Tunes and am very happy with how this record’s turned out.

And on the subject of records, Yield Brother Records is announcing a drawing for a test pressing of the Code Red album they re-released earlier this year. A test pressing of a vinyl record is just that, a copy sent to the artist and label for their approval prior to full manufacturing. It will have the manufacturing plants generic label on the disc and a plain cover. When the winner is chosen I will personally sign this test pressing for them and send it out. Scroll down to their announcement below.

Tomorrow’s Father’s Day in the States. Here’s wishing all the dads a good one. I’ll be firing up that Weber, hope her legs hold up and cook some cheeseburgers and corn on the cob. Don’t forget the beer.

’til next time,

Richard