9/8/06 Well...it has been a while since we updated even one iota of this website...so here it goes. Thank you all again for your continued business and support of the artists we represent. Newsworthy items of the moment: We may be attending the PAE conference in Baltimore later this month. You can get more info at www.southarts.org. See ya there if we go. Keller Williams will be on tour this fall. Select fly dates for colleges are still possible in December. Thinking about Keller for the spring? Call us soon to get your preferred dates. That 1 Guy will be hitting the road with Buckethead pretty much all of September. For the dates, go here. That 1 Guy is possibly the most ingenious musician / mad scientist that I have the pleasure of knowing. The people from America's Got Talent actually called a few months ago about him. We sent a tape. I think we confused them...Watch this and you will see what I mean. Mike Errico has been editor-in-chief at BLENDER online for several months now. From what I can tell, he seems to be having a blast, and doing a great job. His recent interviews include: Gene Simmons, David Lee Roth, Keane, and Jewel to name a few. If you want to keep up with Mike's activities, follow his blog. Mike also has a new record in the bag but he is not telling anyone when it will be officially released. We can only hope it will be soon. What originally attracted me to Mike's art was the pure genuine quality of his music AND it's lyrical content. Fact is, the man can write....and then write some more. Very aptly, the first music I heard from Mike was a pre-release of Pictures of the Big Vacation. It moved me from the moment I heard the first note. I could visualize it all in my head immediately. It was like he was reaching in to my mind and soul with those first songs I heard...Mike has the natural ability to bring the lyrics of the song right home with the music. For anyone who has ever attempted songwriting, you will know that this is a formidable task. Mike does it with (what seems like) relative ease, but I know for a fact that he puts every ounce of his soul into a song. I'm not kidding....he can take you from wanting to smash the guitars on stage to spiritual inspiration, and then right into a world of relationships, emotional rollercoasters, dreams, and all the other good stuff that makes our world turn. Oh yeah, Mike has also been known to rescue random tumbleweeds and travel with them for miles while on tour. He has a soft spot for Salsola kali. As one who loves the natural world....I can't blame him. Jim Donovan has been having just a stellar year, as well. I joined him for four days at the beginning of August in Loretto, PA at Saint Francis University for the annual Rhythm Renewal. All drummer's and non-drummers alike need to listen up here... As you may well know, drumming is a very powerful force. Science has shown that drumming reduces stress and increases your body's ability to fight disease. Drumming also brings people together, something we need a great deal more of in this world. When I drum, I smile. When I drum, I feel relaxed. When I drum....I feel peace. Although sometimes when I drum I pretend I am John Bohnam, and I guess that is more of a crazy - bang the shit out of something - feeling, but it still makes me smile. Okay...back to Loretto..Jim recently became part of the full time faculty at Saint Francis, and has been doing the Rhythm Renewal for I believe three years now. We spent 4 days in workshops covering many aspects of group drumming that you simply will not find anywhere else. When you mention group drumming to someone, they will often paint a picture in their mind of drugged out freaks banging on congas. Nothing could be futher from the truth. The mornings at Rhythm Renewal were more like a Yoga/Chant type thing, which put me in a place I never quite visited before. It was refreshing and enlightening. The afternoons were then spent with various guest drummers from all over the world. For the faculty list, click here. They were all top notch. I took a tabla lesson from Jim DiSpirito, which, once again, proved to me that in order to become competent at that instrument you need to dedicate enormous amounts of time. Maybe when the kids leave for college in 2020... The evenings were a little more free flowing with choose your own adventure type sessions, a concert, and then the inevitable jam. It was drummer's paradise for four days and you will see me there every year from this point on. The environment of Saint Francis is very rural and peaceful, which makes it an ideal place to study just about anything. I came away from this event with a true learning experience about myself that I am now willing to share with just about everyone. It was a paradigm shift in my thinking, and is actually one of the reasons I am even writing right now. Aside from drumming, I learned how to focus more on what needs to be done in my life everyday. Start. Finish. Breathe. We all know deep inside what we need to do in this life, but for some reason we push those thoughts aside or try to bury them. We go on with our daily routines and simply pass up opportunities to better ourselves and the world. Sometimes we are actually obsessed with the procastination of our inner self and potential. We actively fill our lives with meaningless crap to avoid what is best for us and everyone else. I finally learned how to get rid of the crap and focus on my potential. Funny enough it was there in the drum the whole time...since I was 12, but it took me four days in rural PA with 30 of my new best friends to finally make the real connection. Go to this event next year and I promise that you will be a better drummer, a more focused employee or business owner, and just a better human who can effortlessly tap into their talents and take action to help yourself and others. Thanks again Jim and the entire staff for an unforgettable time. Well...that's it for now...I'll update you some more in the coming weeks. Peace- Dan O.