IN OTHER WORDS, THE MOST RECENT ENTRY SHOWS FIRST.

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November 11, 2005

Check out Feast Charlie's true calling:

www.goldofhours.ca

August 25, 2005

Today, on a sad note for musicians and fans of music everywhere, we pay respects to Dr. Robert Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesizer, and more recently pioneer of the modern-day Theramin with his company Big Briar. Ihad occasion to meet Dr. Bob at the NAMM show in Los Angeles in 1998, and I'll always remember it. I told him how I had played a Moog on stage with my band, and had recorded it many times. He told me I had good taste. He urged me to play his own Theramin, dissimilar in many ways to the presentation of the original RCA models: it was a smallish monolithic box with the antennai in the appropriate places ... i couldn't do it - not the way i had seen him attack the thing the night previous when I got to watch him jam with Keith Emerson on piano and Glenn Hughes on bass - it was like this: here he was, looking every bit the mad scientist, leaning on Emerson's nine-foot grand piano, like he was in a piano lounge and not on a concert stage. Emerson played on and on, his genius notched only with the occasional wondering what Dr. Moog was going to do, if and when he was going to do it. The moment came, a lull in the endless runs of piano solo, and Moog turns, not to the audience, but to lock in his gaze the small rectangular box on a table before him. His back hunches over, his arms draw back at the elbows, fingers spread as if conjuring ... and then the sound comes. Pure Theramin. Controlled chaos. Articulated tonality. The Moog of the air ... that memory will live with me forever. I hope someday I can dig up the photo I had taken with him, so many moves ago in my gypsy life. Godspeed, Dr. Bob. See you in the fifth world.

Here is a very nice memorial from the BBC news website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4179350.stm

August 24, 2005

so ... here we are in the homestretch of this little tour. it's gone by so fast in some ways and in others it seems like forever ... last night in teh Hammer, i was joined by the venerable Bob Lanois for a gripping and intense version of our iNtagratron ... definitely the highlight of my night, even the past few nights if the truth must be known. the greatest thing about doing these shows is that every night we can play different songs, and it's always an adventure. The songs from Shannon's new record are amazing - it's pretty much the first time he's played some of them on this jaunt. we've decided to do more stuff together, including write ... and we're talking about taking this little foray into Europe - specifically Scandanavia, and Holland/Belgium. so that'll be something to look forward to. for anyone who's interested, here's some links to recent press - though i have to say, the slant they've given this whole thing is a bit biased, and sometimes they hardly mention Sly & Ad at all! which is kind of defeating the point if you ask me. whatever, you can't expect journalists to be open minded. especially not the dailies, who evidently have their own agenda. not meaning to slam anybody, but i really wasn't very happy about the way i've been represented by some journalists - i won't name names of course, but i don't appreciate being judged by the very people who pretend to support me, by part-time armchair analysts and geeky, smarmy schnooks who think they know what's going on. for the first time in forever, i opened myself up to some extensive questions with regard to my family, my brother and I, and our working relationship, but i think it's the last time that's going to happen. get a grip people, i am a HUMAN BEING, and i DON'T HAVE TO FIT INTO YOUR IDEA OF WHO YOU THINK I OUGHT TO BE! and so help me, i never will - subject myself to such invasive catagorisation and commentary that falls, for me, pretty flat. I hope you enjoyed it, it won't happen again. and don't you rusties start up any conspiracy theories either. that's even scarier. anyway, enough of my rant. so, on to Guelph tonight, then Beamsville on Friday. see you down the road ...

http://www.viewmag.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3260

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050818/
YOUNG18/TPEntertainment/?query=%22Astrid+Young%22

http://www.overhear.com/London_gig_list.php

http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2005/08/1607.cfm

August 1, 2005

This goes out to all you folkies, it's show time once again! we're just getting ready for the media blitz that will launch the Vanderveen Lyon and Young mini-tour! For all the dates and times, CLICK HERE and if the heat doesn't get you before then, come on down ... it'll be great to play with Shannon (first time for me) and to play with Ad once again! anybody who saw us in europe will know what it's all about. Though you know, I don't think you appreciate Ad as much as I do. So there. My broken foot is getting stronger, and the days are long and balmy here on the Ridge. Bill and Misty were up a couple of weeks ago in the scorching heat of July, and we had some laffs ... good luck Misty, she's probably most of the way to LA right now (not Louisiana, okay) for the next chapter of adventure. Can't say I don't wish I was there too ... missing my friends is difficult lately, and the distance seems so great what with all the crazy shit and bushwhackin' going on, if you know what I mean. anyway, see you on the road ...

July 7, 2005

Happy Birthday Jenifer Dean ! Sitting here with a broken foot, broken merely by RUNNING IN THE HOUSE, KIDS - yes, sad but true. In more interesting news, there will be a brief tour here in Canada, I will be joined by Shannon Lyon and Ad Vandeveen for eight dates in August. Most of the dates are confirmed, i'll be sending out an itinerary, if you're on the mailing list ... things are settling down some, the loss of my father a dull throb in some moments still, but he lives in my thoughts exactly the way he'd want to be remembered, as a vital, honest, steadfast and very funny man. It's a better way, and I know he is with me somehow. My cat, Wendy, had immediately thereafter taken ill as well and for a week it was not looking too good for the poor thing, who, as a stray, was probably already on her fourth or fifth life even before falling sick. The good news is - Dr. Chris Rodgers extracted a miraculous recovery from the girl, and she's almost - almost back to 100%. Of course, all things coming in threes, I broke my foot literally the day before Wendy came home from the vet. So work has been easier, with other people having to do most of the heavy lifting at the winery ... but not for long. I am not in much discomfort, and I can actually put a shoe on as of yesterday. Of course it's not my shoe, but nonetheless ...

I'd like to put this out there to you: I am putting together a web page to commemorate my father, and I'd really like it if you have ever met my father, have photos of him, or an anecdote about ho he influenced you, I would like to use it on the site. If you have anything to submit, and mind you it might be a while before the thing will be done, but please e-mail it to me at info@astridyoung.net I am also trying to compile as many of my fathers' columns as possible, any video or film clips, newsreels, etc. I will use everything I get, and incorporate it into the site. I really want people to know who he was, and with a generation already who have grown up without knowing him, I think time is right. I hope to have the first part of the site up by September, so help me out if you can! I would welcome you to send items in the mail as well, if you can't send them digitally. Just drop me an e-mail, let me know what you would like to share, and I will tell you where to send it. And I thank you in advance.

Unbelieveable news on London - all the more reason to be here, I know this is a safe place to be, my home by the Lake. When 9-11 hit, I was in Napa Valley. It was surreal, attending the trade wine tasting in the town of Sonoma, seeing the closed shops, the high tension in the air that said - we should do something - what should we do? What was there to do? Three months afterward of listening to all the consipiracy theories on NPR, and warily nodding with my friends and colleagues about how vulnerable it is north of the bridges in Cali, and might we be the next obvious target ... we've all changed so much since then, don't you think? I mean, the horror of what has happened today is almost hitting a rubber wall, isn't it? the impact is absorbed. The expectation that we're all going to hell at the hands of Al Quada or some reasonsable facsimile is the common climate these days. It's probably more likely that I'll get run over by a bus crossing the railroadtracks. Or something like that.

And on that note ... cheers for now and remember to sign up for the mailer so you can get the tour dates! GIDDYUP!

Scott Alexander Young, April 14, 1918 - June 12, 2005

I thank you all for your condolences to my family and I ... my father was a great man, my hero! some of you may not know who he was, be it that you're too young to have been affected by his wry wit and infectious talent for storytelling. He was a pure soul. There was nothing he said or stood behind that he didn't truly believe. In a world of duplicitous personalities, and amidst the changing moral fabric of modern journalism, he was the only man I ever knew that truly walked his talk. And the talk wasn't complicated. We could learn a thing or two from his simple adage: Be who you are, truly. Do what you love, first and foremost. Feed your heart. Love life, embrace it with the innocence of a child, live each day like there's no tomorrow. He never actually said this to me in so many words, but this was the message. he was always full of wonder, even at things he saw and did every day, whether that was identifying the birds that lived on and around the house at the farm, or foraging wild mushrooms in the surrounding forest. He was a man of infinite patience. I think all the time of the days he spent, driving his car behind me at a snail's pace while I rode my horse to Saddlewood for lessons, or camp. I think of all the ways he found to be encouraging to me when I would decide to switch which instrument I was playing almost on a yearly basis. He never told me I would fail, unless I was being ridiculously unrealistic. He treated me like a person, even when i was a child. When I argued with him about which direction we should turn at an intersection, or told him my theories on life, the universe and everything, he listened to me as intently as if I were a collegue, not just his little girl. I never felt alone when he was in the world, even if I was halfway on the other side. He always took my phonecalls, for better or worse, at any time of the day or night. He was in many ways, the best friend i ever had. You know the kind - you can not talk for months, and then when you do, it would be like no time had passed at all. I remember being a little miffed as a teenager when the boys who would come to visit me would end up spending the entire evening with my Dad, talking about hockey, or just listening to his stories. But you could never be too upset, I could understand why they were drawn to him. His passion for Canada was in him deeply. He was a man of the world, but was never far from home. I have so many stories, so many memories, like pictures in my mind even now, it would take weeks to relate them all. And ultimately, right now I am selfish. Right now those memories are mine and mine alone. But I miss him, and I know that everyone who knew him misses him too. We've missed him for a very long time. Light as air he is now, and always with me in every waking day. Until we meet in the fifth world, my soul mate, I will carry your legacy to the end of mine.

May 4, 2005: ahem ... just wanted to let you know that i'm waiting on some festival dates before i send out the newsletter. content is king ... so sit tight folks ... i'm sure in the meantime you can think of something else to do. Neil W., Chris Thack (Feast of Friends alumni) and I are playing at the uber-hip "Drake Hotel" in Toronto on Thursday May 5, our friend photographer Simon Tennenbaum has a gallery opening that evening and we are part of the after-show fete. It's a private party, but those who know, know, if you know what i mean. In the meantime, i'm just here in the county, keeping secrets and trying to shake the illusion that i have a normal family. I'm talkin' about the law, boy! peace out ...

April 21, 2005: Guilty. I've been hiding myself away. but of course there's always a reason, yes? Recent events have been very interesting ... it's amazing what the right place and the right time looks like! Been out in the 'Hammer' collaborating production-wise on the new Integraton record. Ah, yes i know, we all thought it was a myth. But it ain't. The venerable Bob Lanois and myself have been scheming a new sound, borne of circumstance and whatever cards we were dealt at the time. Vague, yes, i know. That is just my way. Plus, i want you all to read the newsletter, which will be sent out on Monday. Some topics ... Integratron of course, a whole new line of merch, including BassbitchBrand items, Haunted, Matinee and iST stuff. It's very exciting, i'm hoping that you'll all love the stuff and wear the hell out of it!

I know you all know about my brother's mishap, and many have been sending their sincere best wishes, and we all thank you with love. He's feeling good, has everything under control, and is back in the saddle. Neil's message to everyone: watch your blood pressure! (He even sent our brother Bob a blood pressure machine so he could keep on top of it!)

Neil W. (my spousal equivalent) is doing very well with his new-ish company Invisible Pictures. Invisible is a special effects house which specializes in digital Matte-Painting. They recently completed the Disney movie "Ice Princess" and "The Greatest Game" and are currently working on a thriller called "Slither". Matte Painting is a tradition in film making which creates virtual environments, for example you could be shooting in Toronto and have a matte which transforms the background into Washington DC. You can check out their website at www.invisiblepictures.ca (but don't e-mail them unless it's actually business related, okay?)

There's lots more. Matinee and the iST CD may be released in Canada as soon as this fall! and you know what that means -- i'll be touring Canada! Nothing in the pipeline yet, but you'll be the second or third to know! not doing too many shows these days as i'm getting my head more into the record, but .... i will be showcasing at the NXNE festival this year - musically, this is the first time i've played this fest - Haunted was the first film to be programmed when they started the film portion of it back in 2000. Check out this years' goings on at www.nxne.com the fest is run by my a gent named Andy McLean, whose wife Linda has become a friend. She's also played recently in the Benelux, and apparently played the same live radio show in Bergen-Op-Zoom that I did with Eugene Ruffalo in '02. Check her out at www.lindamclean.com

I am hesitant to give away any more details. You'll just have to wait til next week! (There'll be photos too!) cheers for now, strid

September 26, 2004:I suppose it's time for an update, y'all ... As I'm sure most of you have figured out, my former .com site has been scooped by a Porn site ... rather ironic, I thought, but here's the back story:
I witlessly allowed my site ownership to expire, not realizing because I was never notified by my server or ISP and when I found out, of course I contacted the folks who I purchased my site from. Network Solutions tells me (after about ten phonecalls) that at the time, I purchased the site through a wholesaler, but they could not tell me exactly who that was. So here I go, calling a favor from Laurie to figure out what the *@* happened - make a long story short, when I contacted the wholesaler, of course they asked me for my address, phone number, etc. which of course set me thinking about where I had been living at the time ... after a few 'wrong' answers, we figured it out, though the process would suddenly become more complicated, as I had changed ISP's and thereby had a new e-mail address. What I was to do is fax a letter on my 'company' letterhead to them requesting a change in information. Then they would take three or four days to put it in the system at which time they would contact me with a new password and then I'd be able to go in and pay for the site on line. As it happens so often in my world, I got distracted! (me? I know it sounds ridiculous, but it is true) and didn't send the fax. My ninety day grace period slipped by, and the next thing I know, if you type in the .com you go to a PORN site, where they conveniently tell us, this domain is for sale. One clicks on that and it goes to a page where they are auctioning off marketable and available site names - and this i suppose is a credit to all you folks out there, the traffic accross my site is pretty decent so that qualifies it as a marketable venue. Asking price on the domain is $500 USD, but starting bids are $300.00. None of my queries were replied to, and of course there's no direct contact info anywhere on the site. More power to 'em I guess, but just to let you know if you ever thought about owning a piece of me ... just kidding. Anyway, that's the back story.

Now the front story! I am currently starting pre-production on iNtegratron, the long awaited second 'Astrid' record. Deadline to completion is February, and while it originally was going to be an acoustic piece, it drifted into a 'rock' piece, and then I took the whole thing off the drawing board and thoght long and hard about what I really want to do musically. I have, as they say, been around the block a few times, and I've done some incredible things. Why not try to combine all of these pearls of sonic wisdom into a masterpiece? The realization came when I was talking to a would-be new manager (since disappeared into thin air) and he was trying to talk me into putting an iST-like band back together. Sounded like a really good idea, and I was genuinely excited until I started thinking about having to audition guitar players. I think I curled up in a fetal position for a week thinking about it, and then I had an epiphany: I thought to myself, hey! All the amazing players you know, why should it be a bummer having to choose just a couple of them? WHY NOT PLAY WITH ALL OF THEM??? And so, herein lies the beauty of this next record ... it will be a collage built with pieces of my past, present and future, using all the sensibilities and techniques and production 'tricks' I have learned over the years, painted with my best of friends and most respected of colleagues. The result, I am sure, will be spectacular!

As for the content, and I admit I have been teasing all of you for some time now, with the iNtegratron thing, so I will explain in due time. It is going to be a concept piece, about life in the deep desert. There are characters and landscapes, UFO's and flying angels of mercy as well as the requisite demons and enemy contingent. It is my divine hope that I can somehow bring this all to life visually as well, but for now you will have to be satisfied with the tale of George Van Tassel, his life, his loves and his emnity, culminating in a final battle, with the Shadow Government. Any of you UFO people knows what that is, for those uninformed, it's a consipiracy theory that may well have deep roots in truth. Depends on whether you're a fatalist or not.

Here are some items for you to look up if you're interested:

George Van Tassel
The Integratron
Giant Rock
Landers, California
The Guardian Crystal
Jerry Wells
The Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull
Admiral John Lear

I wish you all health and wealth and love

Picton, Ontario

December 2, 2003: Another year draws towards its close ... the cold is in my bones tonight, here in the dark country night, snow covers crunching leaves beneath my feet as i run to the car to find the warm jacket i thoughtlessly left there earlier. No wood tonight, need to go load up tomorrow. Only a half bottle of corked wine, i'm not yet thirsty enough to drink it, nor may i ever be. Suns everlasting set behind my eyes as they close and i wish that all i had to do was be ... the music, the words, the love in me would be enough. but for the needs of today, and more importantly tomorrow ... i am not cut out for these things. as much as i am green with envy at those who flow through the day and have all their friends, and have all their family and have all the warm rays of sun and cool drinks of clear water to fill their in between moments, it is for me to watch but never master. i could be the one who sings, i could be the one who colors the world with music and light and love, i could be and then again i am not the one chosen for this, for i am the one who can never reach that peace. i am the restless one, the one who pretends, i am the one who acts as though, i am only as much as i am allowed by this world, this world which seems only to buy me time but not enough time to let me relax. it's never about me, never has been, never will be i suppose. it's interesting that it appears otherwise. interesting. just know that all i ever wanted was to make music and to be free. God bless my father. God bless my mother. and Gods bless my lover, my only love, truly, and in the end it's just you and me. But enough of this rhetoric ... just want to say i've reconnected with the label, things are well, in general, there is music on the horizon (with many friends, i don't know how we're going to get organized, but we're mostly pros, so ...) good things will come i'm confident! Just wanted to check in, life and love is better every day, the cold brings warmth in a way, and i am grateful that i still connect to that part of myself that finds joy in little things - like finding a friend in a strange place, like the smile on my lover's lips even though he's heard my same schtick a million times, like thinking - no ... finally believing that things are going to turn out okay ... and thinking about stupid things like skating, something i've never thought of fondly, and looking forward to whatever comes next. I'm ready. Bring it ON! (if you want true facts, click here)

Here's some funny stuff - a friend of mine recently wrote to me for some advice on becoming a BASS BITCH!!! here's how it went:

on 12/1/03 17:42, will at wilnchar@xxxxxxxx.xx wrote: >

Tell an aspiring bass player something.... are you totally self taught or > did you have some guidance? I picked up a Squier about 10 years ago, and also had an Epiphone acoustic for a couple of years too, but ended up selling everything. Hearing people play lately has inspired me to relocate my old Fender and repurchase it. I would like to take some lessons to break some potentially bad habits (ie apparently 'raking' is bad!) and jam with some locals. What would you look for in an instructor? I am self taught by ear listening to Concrete Blonde, Police, lots of 80's stuff etc. I am not a guitar player turned bass, but just always loved the power of bass sound. I see you have a fretless for sale. Fretless is so, so, cool, but a little > out of my league yet. (I think of the opening riff on 'wherever I lay my > hat' or I'm gonna tear your playhouse down' by Paul Young.. sends me chills) spoke too soon about the snow. I should go shovel! > talk to you > > thanks! > will > >

My answer to will (who is a friend by the way, i would never expose a stranger in such a fashion ):

May 4, 2003: I guess as things are a-changin', i should check in every once in a while ... I'm happy to announce that I have signed with new management, enter Tom Dertinger of Fusion Management! already we've got some plans ahead, including a video and possibly a Europe tour this fall / winter. All you folks in Germany, Italy ... lookout! Of course, the Benelux will be seeing me again as well, though I am worried about my record label there, as it seems to have dropped off the map. Heard the new Ad Vanderveen record yet? I listen to it frequently, and the first time was the most telling -- i had forgotten I sang on so many songs! anyway, it sounds great, and you'll love it. been getting ready to write with iST boy Dan, plus a few local dates coming up in Toronto and nearby environs ... i'm glad the weather has warmed up and SARS has seemingly been quelled here ... wasn't really spending much time in the city during that time, suffice to say it was more of a media circus than anything for the average person to worry about. You know these things get out of control sometimes ... We're working on a new dsign for the site here too, I know i've been saying that for months now, but it takes time, and of course anything as fabulous as what we're planning takes even more time ... if you're in Toronto in June, be sure to check out the Here Comes Summer festival at Lamport Stadium, there are more incredible acts being booked as we speak, Jeff Healey's Jazz Band, Kat Goldman, myself, and many others TBA, plus lots of other good clean family fun (i know that's not what you want to hear about though, right?) My brother's on the road again, hope you get to see him around. I won't be with him, but I am sure he will be fabulous as ever. Look for Pegi around May15th - ish wherever they're going to be. The Brian Jones tribute record my friend Len Leonard is doing seems to be coming along ... Pegi and I both sang on it, and I lent a hand with piano and guitar, and even got to write a song around some of Brian's unpublished lyrics! The song is called "Thank You For Being There", and I actually can't take all the credit for it ... Neil W. wrote the song, I just added some parts, did an arrangement and wrote the melody. Our first co-write! With a dead guy! Len might actually have a website for the record soon, but he's one of these old-timers who still think fax machines are swell and cool. Speaking of Neil W., he's doing very well after successful eye surgery, and is starting to see better. Probably soon he won't need me anymore ... oh well. I'll just have to make myself indispensible. Had a blast the other night with Bass Bitch Laurie Green ... she called me up a couple of weeks ago to see if i was interested in getting together with a couple of other girlz to form a KISS tribute band called SMOOCH ... needless to say, i was intrigued, and told her -- if you do it, i'm in! so off we go to rehearsal with Kim Bingham (David Usher/Moist) and Kim ... two Kim's anyway, I'll get details on drummer Kim next time. So I guess I'm Ace Frehley, though we'll all be under makeup, so only you will know for sure! Great rehearsal though, I think when we all have time to put into it, it's going to be a blast. Anyway, enough of this. i'm going to go for a little run outside, it's too nice to stay in here glued to my computer. We love you all, the war is over, and I'll see you down the road. Keep those cards and letters coming in!

March 2, 2003: My ears are beyond gone - went and saw Bionic last night with Cheerleader ... Jonathan Cummings as wiley as ever, proving once again that they are the real deal! If you haven't checked out Bionic before, now's the time, the time is now! There's a new CD kicking around, I think they're on Cargo in the UK at least ... check it out if you need the ROCK -- (and who doesn't?) You can listen to some MP3's here: http://artists.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/bionicMusic/ Bearded Ian Blurton joining bearded Jonathan - the fur was flying! The handsome and fabulous Rob Sanzo (iST co-producer) was there, blowing things up in his precious hands, apparently, i'll have to check in on his wounded self later on. Saw Kiner (former iST axe) but he was fully engaged and we did not chat. Surprisingly enough, Bill was NOT there, (him being a big Cheerleader fan) but by the time Neil W & I left the club, it really was too late to go hang with anyone, despite what Bill sez ... it was an interesting night though, Bionic being the supreme highlight (man, I should've worn earplugs). Then we went home and had a snowball fight. Yeah, it's snowing like a mother, seemingly without end. Sometimes i wonder ... what the hell am I doing here anyway ... then I remember ... oh yeah ... that's why .... This week I'll be in beautiful downtown East Rutherford, NJ, doing some more work on Len Leonard's Brian Jones tribute record -- did I tell you about that? very cool project, anyway, kind of Len's homage to the "lost" Rolling Stone, with some Stones songs, Bob Dylan, and one that Neil W & I wrote for some unpublished lyrics that Brian Jones himself had written before he died. Or at least I assume it was before he died ... who knows for sure, I just twisted the notes around it. My poor 12 string is sick - may be on its last legs, actually. I kind of thrashed it on the road last year anyway, as anyone who actually caught one of my shows will attest to ... so it's had a productive life, beyond what it was intended for, I'm sure. So I suppose I'll have to bite the bullet and buy another guitar. Perhaps that issue will resolve itself soon ... In the meantime, I'll just have to play more bass ... sigh.

February 12, 2003: Life is strange and beautiful. Hope you're all doing well out there in the world ... just a brief update, and I won't bore you with details, but the big skinny is that by some strange twist of fate i'm spending the winter in a very cold part of the world ... some days I look out at the snow and the minus-temperatures and i wonder why. i'm just now starting to get my head around not being in california. and i MISS it -- all you beautiful folks up there in the valley and beyond, I MISS YOU! Richie, Rachel, Geoff, Cathleen (especially you, my dearest friend), Cessalee, Cayla and Chelsea, Gayle, Alex, Sayle & Paul, Vince & Arminee, Thomas & Genna, Cooper, Sean, Rocky, Borys, John G, Ryan, Carlos, Janet, Michael, Jan, Ron Lobo, brother Khristopher, Sonia & Lenny, Fran, Joanne, Barbara - yes, even you, Barbara! Thumby, Dennis, Kelly, Maggie, Lisa & Heyleigh Wells, KJ and the Toad (yes, the Toad is a real person) Sparky and the Gobbler -- Kevin Kathman, rock star chef around the Napa Valley, called me the other night and I felt the pang of being missed, and all that gooey stuff. But now that i've gotten it all off my chest, i feel better. you wouldn't believe what i've traded it all for ... good things, very good things, some i'm almost hesitant to share, just because i'm still learning how to accept it all myself. Not that i'll never be back (planning a side trip even as we speak, for mid-march, so ... lookout Calistoga!) it's difficult, when one has been spending most of ones waking hours in life trying to find new ways to torture oneself with work, higher aspirations and lofty IMPORTANT goals to go crawling and scrapping after ... i come to a point in my life where i must finally humble myself, step back and serve the greater good, think about the BIG picture (scary, ain't it?)(yeah, I'm scared too, right there with ya). so what does this all mean? hey, i never said i was going to EXPLAIN anything. certainly not just yet. but life is good here, though sometimes cold, but my love keeps me warm, keeps me from falling down, no matter how hard Steve Strong (<-- world's biggest iST fan) tries to break me (hee hee -- wish i had a few of those photos to share with you, all the debauchery from new years at Steve's, way way up in the frozen northland -- i must try to ply some from steve for you) i'm scanning some new photos today, so check the photo gallery, and also check the music page navigation for some stuff (big hair stuff from 'back in the day') coming up in the next 24 hours. hey, we're better than CNN here at astridyoung.com -- all fluff, all the time,

and not a shred of anything about IRAQ ... ever! XXX

December 1, 2002: hah! Thought I'd never come back, did you? Truth is, I'm just now starting to get back to feeling slightly uh -- normal -- if you know what I mean. I'm back in Toronto, and it's really fucking cold, but there are lots of fun ways to stay warm here ... had a lovely thanksgiving here in the neighbourhood, with some old friends and new ones too. (Yes, I am subjecting Canada to some American culture, I couldn't help myself). We had a huge Turkey, which I injected with this amazing curry sauce and curry gravy with it (amazing recipe I found in Food and Wine last month) some delicious hors d'ouvres - smoked salmon on fried plantain with herbed creme fraiche and caviar; some mussels in green thai curry. I could go on ... it was fabulous. Wines were an interesting mix - a simple Trimbach Riesling 1999, all lemon and hard candy freshness through the apps, but the real star for balance and a seamless food match was the Leon Beyer Gewurtztraminer 2000 with the Turkey. The subtle curry flavors and the boldly stated spice of this Gewurtz, a wine with enough textural weight and flavor to carry the dish to a new level. At less than $20 CAD both Alsacians are also a very good value. Add a nice assortment of Cotes du Rhones - i found a nice little Cairanne for $12 that was really delightful. of course, everybody brought wine. Had some nice fresh Beaujolais Nouveau (tis the season) and a varied assortment of Zinfandels, which seem to be the rage up here. Too bad the selection isn't what it used to be ... but I'll refrain from using this page as a forum for what I think of the liquor monopoly in this province, but I reserve the right to approach the subject at a later date. As for other stuff - besides food and wine at any rate - i'll be trying to catch up with myself here in the next week or so. I'll have some new technology coming your way as well as ... more intallments from the new episodic pulp fiction action story ... that's right, all new stuff here at astridyoung.com. So stay tuned. See above for the first chapter ... I know it's short, but there's more coming. Also, check the film page for an article on John Cassavetes by Ambrose Roche. Ambrose once programmed my film Haunted in a festival he was running ... so check that out too, a good way to find out who this Cassavetes guy was, if you were wondering. You were, uh, wondering -- weren't you?

September 10: my hands are aching, my muscles have given up aching cause it's not worth the energy ... i am entering my third week of crush season and it is starting to pick up pace, slowly ... harvest is very late this year and all looks well for most every body. If anything, there will be too many grapes! A home winemakers market, somebody said last week, and that's true. if any of you were thinking of making wine, now's the time. You just might be able to get some prime grapes, or juice, for next to nothing. All that aside, I am on day 17 in a row working, and wondering how the next 2 months are going to pass ... quickly, i'm sure. But down in the trenches, and at the time, you feel like it's going to be forever! ah, the glamorous wine business. almost as glamorous as rock and roll. almost . . . my friend charles whaley took a bunch of great photos at my last rancho relaxo gig in toronto, check 'em out! there's some there of maria, trip, laurie and diane (who was in my film) also. new developments on the video portion of the site, which is soon to be launched. i will send out an alert when it's all together, so if you want to see what comes together, please add yourself to the mailing list by clicking here. if you get the time, i have updated the wine section of my site with more links and a different organisation ... it's difficult to find the time to keep everything up to date, but i will try harder. there's just so much going on, and when i sit down to think about it, writing it all down seems like a daunting task. I apologise for being lazy, and that's exactly what it is ... and speaking of sleep ...

Newsflash ... The Rolling Stones are playing at the Palais Royale (in Toronto) tomorrow August 16th for a $10 cover. Figures ... but hey, i'd blow off the party and go see the Stones if I could ... wouldn't you?

august 15: I am soooo tired. i have created this huge volume of work for myself which I can't possibly finish, and in between trying to have a little fun (and succeeding in that) plus working out with Biker Barb (my trainer) regardless of how little sleep i've managed to get, or how much Sake I drank with my sushi the night before (Ellen is such an instigator). SO ... Maria and the boys played a little showcase for this industry guy last night, and she invited me down to participate, but from where I stood it was a typical industry guy attitude - not really getting it, as usual. I don't mean me, of course, cause he actually left before i played. it kind of made me laugh - no wait, more than KIND of - I almost pissed myself laughing cause Maria sez "you've got to hear Astrid's stuff" and he says how he's got to go, then turns to me and sez "maybe next time". To which I said as he was leaving "yeah, maybe. But probably not ..." as we all know i'm leaving the damn country in 2 days! whatever ... but there is some interest in Matinee for release here apparently. My performing rights rep, Dave Betts, passed it along to a label just last week. So we'll see ... and Marc Arsenault from The Day also found a record store that's interested in selling it too. So things are good, overall. I had an amazing weekend, staying with an old friend Neil way way far away in Picton Ontario, right on the lake ... so beautiful. In my heart, in my mind, i'm still there. It breaks my heart, sometimes, there are such beautiful people in my life, who really fill my heart, and then I have to leave again. Life is like that for me, as much as you might think it's all very exciting (and it is) it's impossible to find love and keep it. But I feel like I'm moments away, as close as the island to the shore. Swimming distance ... against logic, against the odds of time and distance, there is always the possibility, however remote, that there is a higher plan. Sigh. Well, tomorrow is amother day - the birthday, and the birthday party as well ... my employer here gave me a room at the Academy to party in, and hopefully a few folks will show up. Me & Trip Phoenix from The Day are getting together on a few songs that we're gonna do tomorrow night - should be way fun. Then Saturday I'm outta here for a while. Looks like I may be back to play and scheme with The Day later in the year though, if it all comes together like we're thinking. Hey, I'm not abandoning iST, I just have to say that, we are still planning to tour next spring in Europe if that all works out ... did I mention that the Belgium Fantasy and Horror film festival wants to program Haunted? I got an e-mail from the programmer the other day and it looks like it's gonna happen! That's so cool ... now you can all (all my friends in Belgium anyway) get to see it on the big screen! How cool is that gonna be? Anyway, just checking in, I've really gotta run now.

August 4, 2002: Cavan, Ontario: Finally, a little break from the craziness ... Toronto has been so hot and disgustingly humid. Luckily I've been spending my time in a nice cold wine cellar. It's a long weekend in Ontario: apparently this doesn't extend to Quebec, and I'm not really sure what it's all about. Seems to me it's just another excuse to Barbeque and drink beer. It is Canada, after all. Looks like I'll be here for my birthday too, which isn't such a bad thing, though somewhat circumstantial, which is another story altogether - I'll spare you the details. My longtime friend Ellen sez she's gonna come - all the way from Quebec! I remember her 40th birthday, all these ladies sitting around a table comparing labor horror stories. I walked out of there (Twin Oaks on Beverly Glen) thinking to myself how I would never have children! Anyway, I think my birthday might be a little more rock & roll. Maria and 'The Day' boys and I may do some music-ing before I depart ... Mar had this amazing idea that we should all be in a band together. Imagine this: 4 amazing voices, 4 strong songwriters in one band! Kinda like Fleetwood Mac, but not so WHITE if you know what I mean. The world may just be ready for something like that ... sadly, I'll have to cancel the LA date, but there will be other times. The Caribana festival is in Toronto this weekend, and that's quite the cultural event. I'm amazed at how many folks from the USA and all across Canada come to this thing. I guess I came at the right time, eh? The Pontiff, Caribana, the end of the Garbage strike ... what could be better? It's a fucking miracle. The gig at Rancho on Friday was very good, all the girlz came out and we had a great time. The night before, me & Mercedes went to this place called Stanley's on the Danforth. They were having a jam night, which was mostly pretty lame, but after a few cheap Bourbon's I thought it might be a good idea to sing. So I hooked up with the guitar player from Edwin and an unknnown rhythm section, and we did a little Black Sabbath set: N.I.B., War Pigs and Sweetleaf. Man, was that fun! (coming full circle, as my first band was a Sabbath cover band, oh yeah!). Saturday I was hanging around with my pal Carrie down in the Liberty Village 'hood, enjoying a glass of wine and the passing Caribana color ... the costumes on these people are amazing. So there's this guy, this really really white guy, playing acoustic stuff on the patio at the cafe, all the while the Caribana revellers are going by, stereos pumping, singing, yukkin it up, and here's Whitey giving up some Hotel California. In that moment there was no doubt that he was the H O N K Y E S T honky there ever was! I feel for ya, Whitey. It's a tough crowd. Anyway, back to work tomorrow. I'm moving forward leaps and bounds with this wine list ... some purchasing next week, some education, then when it's all together, i'll let you in on where the goods are to be found. I love what I do ... now if I only had some love in my life, everything would be perfect. I think. Oh, bite my tongue, what the hell am I thinking? What I really need is ...

July 26, 2002: Toronto: Well, I got an Ibanez Tube Screamer for Bass bitch Laurie Green ... then we went to Q-Bar for Karaoke and Laurie and Maria Del Mar did a very interesting version of "Love Hurts" that was somewhat modified to reflect the fact that she'd had so many spankings that her ASS hurt. It was pretty funny, especially the line up of folks coming to spank her. I was right at the front and gave her a few stingers ... (it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that sting, like the song sez). Last night at Rancho was fun, Art Bergman is amazing, what a character! And Chris Houston played a set with a trombone player of all things ... very cool indeed ... and Chris' wife Mistress Jen, who is an amazing keyboard player, did a very funny set of her songs at the start. I managed to nail down some wine work in Toronto so i'm going to be here for a few extra days, and so being have added another show at Rancho Relaxo next Friday, August 2. I'm kind of pushing my time here, and it's going to be crazed when I leave, all the places I want to go before the black hole of work begins on August 19th. But it's all good, you know. I'm not quite ready for relity yet, though I'm easing back into it fairly well, working out with a fitness trainer and trying to study some. I know this is all boring for y'all, you want to hear about the debauchery, right??? I'll have to dig up some dirt for ya ... tonight is the Q-Bar with Maria's new band "The Day" - they're doing an acoustic set then I play, then they do a band set. The place we're playing is actually a diner, really small and right on the busiest corner of the Queen West scene. It's going to be PACKED! Hope to see you there if you're around ...

July 24, 2002: Toronto. My gig tonight got cancelled cause the promoter and the club owner weren't seeing eye to eye, so to speak. anyway, I couldn't remember for the life of me who said they were actually coming to the show tonight, so i didn't call anybody to cancel. i just don't have that many phone numbers ... anyway, i hope it didn't inconvenience anybody. Thursday is still happening, and i just added Friday, which will be a show with Maria Del Mar's new band at the Q Club on Queen street. That should be way fun ... both, actually! hope you can make it. Feeling somewhat better about things in general. I think my biggest issue was realizing i'd been a hapless victim of someone's mid-life crisis. So it goes, I won't comment further on that. Toronto is lovely, hot weather, thunderstorms and maniacal fun-seeking hedons abound. Lunched at the Academy of Spherical Arts today with my former employer. We're going to drive down to Niagara on the Lake and check out a couple of wineries and such. I'm hoping to see Daniel Lenko, which is the hot item up here right now, and rightly so - I tasted the 1999 Old Vines Chardonnay, and it falls into a style category that surpasses many 'great' California chardonnays in quality. And it's only $23 Canadian dollars (about $16 American)! The Pope's in town, they're getting ready for the melee which will take place this weekend starting thursday. There are Catholics EVERYWHERE! I've been staying at Bill's place, which is an adventure unto itself, lemme tell ya. Bill's been on the road doing pyro for Usher (who I'd never even heard of before last week) so he's in full destructo-mode. He's lucky I'm a good sport! (ha ha) Anyway, the adventure continues, in spite of itself. It's bass bitch Laurie Green's birthday tomorrow, what should I get her? Hmm ...

July 15, 2002: A town in north ontario ... just had three shows added in Toronto, hope some of you can make it to one. Check out the tour dates page for more info. Not really feeling myself lately, I feel kind of lost. Post-tour depression I guess. Not like I haven't been having fun, but I'm still so far from home and where I ought to be. My personal life suffers for it, but I suppose that's really the story of my life. Anyway, come see the shows and say hi. Hope to see you there.

July 12, 2002: Toronto. Back on the continent ... sigh. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that, but I am definately ready for the next phase ... at any rate, it's nice to be in a hotel with a bed the size of a football field and a bathroom to match! London was fun, I was there for three days, visited a couple of awesome wine bars, the famous Kettners for one, which was lovely. Che also, which apparently has a fabulous restaurant that I did not dine at ... instead went to the Gaucho, an Argentinian place with great atmosphere, dark and intimate like a cave really. Enjoyed a bottle of the 1999 Catena Cabernet Sauvignon -- which I remember in the past to have liked, but after all the old world wines I've been drinking it was somewhat of a disappointment as the new oak treatment is just so over the top ... all in all, good solid wines but still for my money Rioja is really the way to go with Argentinian beef. The last two gigs were awesome, sold out and really a lot of fun, especially De Zolder. Met some interesting folks there, and enjoyed the company of Dirk, who booked the gig after seeing me at Toogenblik. I was intending to go to Antwerpen for a couple of days when I got done, but ended up going back towards Amsterdam to do some recording with Ad. We laid down a great, scary version of Laney, but neither of us are quite satisfied with the mix at the moment. You can listen to our recording of Powderfinger on Ad's site if you CLICK HERE. Basically it doesn't look like there's a link on the page, but if you roll over the words Real Audio or MP3 you'll get the download prompt. The Scarabee was fun, although I got a very lukewarm review in the the local paper the next day. The guy basically said that he wasn't terribly impressed by the show, although he did say it was entertaining. Funny, I thought it was great. So did ALL THE PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT MY RECORDS THAT NIGHT - so 'scuse the fuck outta me, and I'm sorry your life is so frought with mediocrity. My advice to you dude: meditate. Failing that, I'm sure there's medication that can help, let me know if you need a recommendation. And lighten the fuck up! Hey, it's only rock'n'roll! On the other hand, there's a fabulous review of the Paradiso show on Underwater Amsterdam, (in English) you can CLICK HERE to check it out. There's also a nice review of Matinee (in Dutch) HERE. Saw the young Dan Cornelius last night, drank too much, etc. Bass Bitch Laurie Green and I have been catching up, doing what girls do (men bashing mostly) and it's been great to see Isabel and Dave & Jen Betts too. Tomorrow I'm going to go visit with the old man out in the country, get some rest and maybe some sleep too. I'm kind of itching to get back home though. I start work at Copain Wines in August, which I am so excited about! I not only get to work directly with a brilliant winemaker, Wells Guthrie, but it's also a custom crush facility, so I'll get to be involved in a lot of various things and many different styles and varieties of wine. It's what I really moved to California for in the first place, but I got side-tracked into working at All Seasons. For all the right reasons of course, but this is a particularly good move for me I think. I miss Europe and my new friends, but it's really lonely travelling on your own. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I feel kind of lost right now and I'm not sure what to do about it. Drinking a lot of wine is always an option, I think I'll get on that right away. Speaking of wine (as I so often do) I have posted a couple of tasting notes on the wine page, so check it out. I'm looking forward to next year's potential touring, we're trying to put together an iST tour starting in March. My hope is that we'll cover a lot more European ground with the band, like Germany, Denmark, and the UK as well. Looks like the Neil USA-tour that was potentially going to start in the fall will probably not happen, of course this could change. I have a plethora of new photos (not NUDE photos, just NEW ones) and info that is forthcoming ... now that I have my FTP issues sorted out (I'm not quite sure what happened but it's all working fine now) but it's going to take some time to get it together, so keep checking back as often as you can and find out what those things are. Coming soon: music on the site! E-Commerce and various items of swag to be available soon. As I've mentioned before, if you don't have the CD's and would like to order, CLICK HERE. Also, I have to thank all you amazing people out there who have been so kind and supportive during my tour. If you weren't able to see any of the shows because of geographical challenges, my hope is that I will be somewhere where you can see me soon. The web site has been a great success, averaging about 1,000 hits a day, and for that I thank all of you and invite you to continue to visit regularly. When I get home, I will continue to have a running commentary like this, although it may turn into an episodic novel - strictly for your entertainment - and mine, of course. And David, if you're out there, the stupidest thing I did today was ... getting out of bed. Okay, I'm off to drink wine with Lorraine and Tracey. I'll let you know how it goes.

June 27, 2002: Amsterdam, once again. Alas, the adventure is over. David went home today after a long night on the train between Milan and Paris. Then we sat in the Paris Nord station for a couple of hours - what a psycho-delic trip that is, I tell ya. There seems to be this team of young women with babies, working the station, pestering everybody for handouts - to feed the baby of course. But it's so freaky - they're all dressed basically the same, long skirts, rope sandals and they all seem to have a similar ethnic or maybe familial background, although not all of the babies seem to share their apparent origin. Hmmm. And it's like swatting flies trying to get rid of them. I mean, if you do get rid of one, there's another one who looks remarkably like the one that came before. Very strange. Anyway, Italy ... Piemonte. Wow. I could've easily stayed there another week or so. We stayed at a B&B in Tre Stelle (Barbaresco) and it was the most beautiful house, right up on the hill, with a fabulous view, and an enromously gracious hostess (Giovanna) who if I thought I could convince her to adopt me I would certainly try. The place is called Cascina della Rosse, and I highly reccommend it. We didn't have too much organised in the way of wine tasting, but we did get to Produttori and tasted through a bunch of wines. And of course there were many fine restaurants to be tried. I think my favorite was a little place in Nieve where we ate lunch on the first day (I can't remember the name of it but I will figure that out for you). All this eating and drinking, my good intentions have gone straight to hell, but I intend to get a good night's sleep tonight and get up and run in Vondelpark tomorrow. I do have a bunch of new wines that I tasted and as soon as I input the tasting notes you should be able to find them HERE. I will also attempt to give forth some information on the regions and some of the places we visited as soon as David e-mails me some photos. All in all, it was a blast. But reality calls once again ... I'm trying to decide when exactly I should go home. It might be Canada next, go visit the old man and chill for a while. But I haven't decided, nor do I intend to right away. I mean, who knows what could happen, right?

June 22, 2002: On the train, en route to Milan from Lyon. Burgundy was equally as fascinating as Champagne; we mostly spent our time in the Cote de Nuits, and easily could have stayed another two weeks to cover all the territory. Had a great visit at Domaine Dujac in Morey-Saint-Denis, tasting the 2000 vintage from barrel, then later to George Comte de Vogue to visit with winemaker Francois. The wines of course were sublime, most particularly (for me anyway) the incredibly sexy Chambolle Musigny "Les Amoreaux" of which there is practically none available anywhere (though I think I know where to find some regardless). The Grands Crus of course were unmistakably Grand Crus, but my fave is still the Les Amoreaux. What can I say. Stayed at a 14th century Castle in Gilly les Citeaux called Chateau Gilly, which we happened on by a chance recommendation from a Hotel in Dijon. The weather has been hot, humid and nasty all the way around. I'm sure Italy won't be much different, but it is on the other side of the mountains, so you never know. The alps, which we are railing through RIGHT THIS MINUTE are very large, sometimes snow covered and are peppered with the cutest little towns. It's Saturday today and many of them have open air markets. Passing though Torino right now, and should be in Milan shortly to pick up a car and drive to Piemonte. It will be good to be in one place (basically anyway) for 4 days. The time is going by too fast now, as it usually does, and reality will once again be part of my world. Still waiting to hear whether there will be more tour dates in July, but at the moment it looks like I'll be home by July 4th. Jill and Johnathan are coming to visit the Napa Valley for the 4th, so that'll be fun. Look at me, thinking ahead! I beg your collective pardons - I certainly wouldn't want to shatter your image of me. Okay, more fun stuff to come.

June 19, 2002: Okay, so it's been a while. the last week or so has been ridiculous in its going here and driving there and getting this and doing that. Plus I couldn't get on line for a while, the hotel in amsterdam was not hooked up that way. We've been to Leeuwarden (home of the leaning tower of Leeuwarden, photo to come), Veendam, Grognigan (sp?), Amsterdam (right on the Vondelpark, very nice). Played the Paradiso to a somewhat enthusiastic cunch of folkies. I was hoping that my last gig with Ad was going to be a little more of an event, but it was cool to play Paradiso anyway. The last gig, in Leeuwarden (opening for a Doors cover band believe it or not) was great for me, but apparently the sound in the house really sucked. You can't win. So, as it goes with life on the road, we are both exhausted, and fighting some kind of ick ... so we've decided that yesterday was the official start of the holiday. Paris was all right, hot, humid and tiring. Champagne, on the other hand, has been beautiful. Toured Gosset yesterday, and our man Philippe at the winery hooked us up at a Relais & Chateaux up on the hill overlooking Ay. The food last night was stellar, much more impressive than Michel Rostang in Paris, which was all right. David's experience was that the food had no flavor. Of course, he was still sick. It was interesting though, I described the flavors to him. A good exercise in ... something, I guess. Last night we took the guitars up the hill behind the hotel and played & sang and drank a really nice bottle of Tempranillo, a 1991 Castillo de Valdestrada that we bought in Veendam of all places, for about 5 Euros. It would be nice to be able to find such great values everywhere. Maybe I'll have to go back to Veendam ... or NOT! Actually the gig there was very good, the folks at the club, the band, the folks IN the club, everything was really nice. If only all my gigs were so congenial ... by the way, there is one more gig in Holland added. I will update as soon as I find the info ... wait, maybe I have it here. (checking) okay, I have it check it out if ya like HERE. Yeah, so anyway ... we're going back to Gosset to buy some stuff we can't get on the other side of the pond (Marc de Champagne among other things) and then on to Burgundy. More food, more wine. I don't know how much more of this I can take. But I'm sure we'll manage.

June 9, 2002: Getting ready to leave Elsloo forever ... did my last run in the Bunderbos today. And I never did dine at the Castle. Oh well, maybe in the next life. Yesterday we were in Venlo at a fabulous record store called Sounds Poptotaalzak and I think I finally got my set list to where it's just fucking seamless. There was a ton of folks there, and I must say, it's really a great feeling to look out there and see young kids, rockers dontcha know, really grooving! I wish every gig was like that. And Venlo is a really cute little town, right on the German border. Wish I could go back and spend some time there, but it's kind of out of the way in terms of where I'm headed. Hey, I even got an amazing SALAD there!!! Can ya believe it? Balsamic Vinegrette and everything. UNbelieveable. Anyway, thanks to all the great folks at Sounds who made it all possible. Plus, it's a great record store. I wish there was something like it in America - knowledgeable, helpful, nice folks with a great selection. THEY EVEN HAVE A STONER ROCK DEPARTMENT! I bought a ton of stuff there, some Nebula, some Desert Sessions, plus the new Bowie record. Always in need of some good driving music! No new Queens on the horizon yet, but I'm still ISO. Anyway, on another subject, I got an interesting e-mail from an old Toronto pal, drummer Steve Lederman ex of the 80's hair-band Reckless ... he's put together a site for Reckless (who don't actually exist anymore and haven't since the deepest darkest 80's) but the story is more Spinal Tap than Spinal Tap. So you should check out the site if you wanna laff ... click here So off I go to Amsterdang today. Maybe I'll even get some work done (studying I mean) as I have been quite neglective lately. Cow for now ...

June 7, 2002: Hardenberg, The Netherlands. I won't even start with where things went wrong today ... it's difficult enough being on the road, but factor in having to drive three hours in traffic, (and yes, I am actually doing the driving too), getting a 20 minute soundcheck and then being told you have a half hour to eat dinner. And I mean, who wants to eat right before you sing anyway? But I'm starving, so off I go ... okay, all things considered, is it so difficult to get a SALAD? Anyway, enough about my food issues. I could go on, but I'll get on to the more pleasant stuff ... played in Zandam (near Amsterdam) yesterday (June 6), and did an instore at a guitar shop there. It was really fun - there was no PA or amplification, I just played like it was in my living room (well, Rudolf's living room, actually). It was awesome! The gig that night was in a club down the road from there, with the fabulous Ad Vanderveen once again ... a real rock club, I think iST would do very well there ... and a good crowd too. The radio interview earlier in the day was an experience. They played 16mm on the radio, the version from Matinee. There was also an article in the local paper there which pretty much covered everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-me-even-if-you-never-thought-you-cared. It's interesting how fascinated folks are with the wine thing ... i am finding myself in possession of many more gift bottles of wine lately. Tonight was a 300 seat theater, played with Ad and Iain Matthews and did a couple of amazing versions of some neil songs, "I Believe In You" and "Helpless". Our voices were great together ... plus they had an awesome Yamaha grand piano that I played some stuff on. I was having some serious tuning issues with my guitar (I'm thinking because of the humidity and heat in the theater), and if I had had my druthers, I probably would have played more stuff on the piano. The crowd was definately there to see Iain and Ad, but they were very gracious ... tomorrow an instore at Parade 66 Record store in Venlo, then for my last night in Elsloo, I plan to dine at the Castle. Then on to Amsterdam on sunday morning. Bet I can get into some trouble there, eh? There is a rumor of some more dates coming up, two more here in holland after i get back from my road trip with David, then maybe ... scandanavia? I will know next week. I kind of want to go home, but what the hell. I'm out here already. I'm not sure that I've sold enough records to buy that vineyard on Spring Mountain yet. And speaking of California, there was a guy at the show tonight whose mother actually lived in Kelseyville or Middletown or something. Lake county anyway (That's only scant miles away from where I just moved out of on Cobb Mountain.) Small world. Wouldn't want to shave it. So, I'm really on the fucking road now. I don't know where I am. I have no idea where I'm going. All I know is that in 4 days my sweet man will be here. And then the real adventure begins ... but have I mentioned anything about the COWS here? I have never seen such lazy cows in my life. Things must be all right if you're a cow in Holland. Everywhere you look, there's a bunch of cows. Eating grass. Lying down in the green green grass, and munching away. Just lying there. These are the most laid-back and happy cows I've ever seen. And they're everywhere. Makes ya wanna be one in the next life, ya know? Not to sound cheesy, but ... moooooo! i think if i was a cow i probably wouldn't have to drive myself to all my cow gigs. Just a thought. Here's a photo from the Toogenblik gig in Brussels. Pete took the photo.

June 2, 2002: Herlen, The Netherlands. The Lexor theater. And while we're on the subject -- Lex. What a character. I mean, this guy is a star in his own right. and this theater is sooo cool. The crowd ... well, i wondered sometimes if they were awake or not. About 180 degrees from last night. But still one of the most awesome venues i've had the pleasure of playing, ever! I'll have some more info on Lex and the venue on the site soon. Trust me, it's worth it. More later, folkies. xo P.S. Got some photos from the radio show I did with Eugene Rufolo at BRTO Radio in Bergen-Op-Zoom (did I tell you I found a "Bionic" CD in a store there? nice.) Anyway, that's coming up.

June 2, 2002: Elsloo, The Netherlands. It's been pointed out to me that there were some typos and omissions that I should address on this page, which I am more than happy to, but I just want to put forth the thought that these are MY thoughts, my PERSONAL STREAM OF CONCIOUSNESS THOUGHTS, and not an advert for whatever or whoever is involved in my day - to - day biz. Nuff said. If I leave out a name or two, or I miss-spell something or someplace, hey, cut me half a break, okay? I'm in a foreign country, I meet a hundred people every day or two and I can't remember all that IN ADDITION TO remembering all the other things that make up my life, currently. Okay, I won't bitch anymore. But I will tell you about a couple of places I played in the past few days, and if I leave out a name, or miss-spell the name of the club, excuse the fuck outta me. JUST CALL ME STUPID, OKAY? Spent the day in Brussels the other day, did a radio show (this time with the Flemish national radio, Radio 1, and a very happening DJ named Christina Van Geel - obviosuly quite popular because many folks who came to the gig heard the interview on the radio earlier. My song "The Story Of My Life" seems to get played quite a bit apparently. Go figure that) and played a very cool place (club), called Toogenblik (?) anyway ... the club itself was originally a minister's residence (not sure whether it's Catholic or not, pardon me). The building itself was built within the last 200 years, but the church that it is next to is 17th century and apparently has some beautiful fresco's inside ... didn't get to see it, more's the pity, but so it goes. I've been told there's actually some decent Belgian wine, and Willie (one of the the club's proprietors) was telling me about a very small production Fendant, the experience of which I have every intention of persuing. There's also a local aperitif which is a herb infused wine (not fortified) which seems to be an indiginous treat which I will also seek out and report back. Brussels is a fabulous city, but let me tell you about driving there ... man, all you have to do is look around at the cars, almost all of which have considerable dings and dents in the side. For any Americans reading this, imagine no stop signs, and folks just peeling out of side streets literally out of nowhere (you have to give right-of-way to the people coming from the right, but they don't even look, they just bowl on out of their streets and if you happen to hit one, it's your own stupid fault). Thing is, I'm going back there tomorrow on some personal day-off business, so if you don't hear from me for a while ... no, just kidding. I'm VERY careful. Especially knowing what I know now. Which is: LOOK OUT!!!! Anyway ... yeah. Last night I played at a tiny little club (refer to my tour dates page for the name please: or just go ahead and click HERE and reference June 1) with Ad Vanderveen - my first gig with him, and we did some recording earlier in the day, which was all fabulous. It was great playing with Ad - we seemed to really hit it off musically. Nice when that happens, and quite rare. The club itself - much more like what I'm used to, except for the smoke and not being able to understand anybody. Folks were drinking, smoking, yelling, and generally having a great time, as we were as well. I was able to prove, once again, that I can sing louder than anybody can talk. There was a piano there too, which was nice, I actually used it on a couple of songs. Anyway, I think there'll be some more recording with Ad before I leave the country. Plus we have a few more gigs coming up - I'm really excited! What a great new friendship. After the drive home I had to dose myself with vitamin C - all that smoke for a California girl ... it takes its toll on the body. (FACT: one cigarette kills 25 mg of Vitamin C in your body. Think about what the 600 cigarettes all being smoked at once will do!). Took a 9km walk around the Castle today (Kasteel Elsloo) - what a gorgeous spot, and a nice day for it too. It's probably about 78 degrees (farenheit, folkies), and the sun is shining. Hope this keeps up, it puts a smile on my face. I took a look at the restaurant's menu, looks typical French, Sole Meuniere, Veal Cheeks, stuff like that. Should be great ... I plan to check it out very soon. Anyway, tonight a gig (by myself, sadly) at the Lexor Theater in Heerlen. I've heard that this is a very cool place - an actual theater, 64 seats. Last I heard they've already sold at least half of it out. I will report back in due course. David will be here in ten days. (I bet you're thrilled, aren't y'all?) Cheers for now ...

May 28, 2002: Geleen/Elsloo, The Netherlands. Day off today. I took a drive around until I found a place that looked like home: all big trees and windy mountain roads (well, not really mountains, but as close as one gets here), found a nice hiking trail and hiked through a beautiful forest. It was like Alice in Wonderland. I even saw a rabbit (it wasn't white though) and there was a thousand birds singing all around me. I had, on a whim, bought some pastels and paper in town earlier, so I found a spot and captured a moment in time. There was a sense of danger there, probably my imagination, but so feeling, I painted like it might be my last work. It's hideously beautiful, and when i look at it now i can't take my eyes off it. It looks like it could be home (the most beautiful place on earth, Napa Valley). You'll be able to see it in the Gallery section of this site when I get it scanned. I think I'm going to go back there today and maybe take a a different trail. Later, there is a big carnival in Galeen, so I went experienced that - thousands of people, lots of rides, a huge ferris wheel. I sat in a cafe and enjoyed a Pastis while I watched all the young Catholics with their hordes of children passing by. Ate at the best reatuarant I've eaten at so far, Indonesian/Chinese, very good though I can't remember its name. I also spied what looks like it might turn out to be a fine dining establishment, at the Elsloo Castle (also a hotel). Looks interesting. I'll have to check it out one of these days soon. What better way to end the day than talking with David and hearing him say he's coming to visit me soon ... he'll be here on the 14th, which means he'll miss the Paradiso show, but will be able to catch the last date of this leg in the Netherlands. I should have word very soon on the Scandanavian and German dates to follow. On to Brussels tonight for dinner and a radio show at the Belgian French National Radio, a very popular show on Radio 21 called Rock-A-Gogo. (Note: The show was the best, I had a lot of fun and the DJ, Jacques de Pierpont, and I spent a lot of time talking about stuff, and playing songs. There was a translator there, whose name, forgive me, I can't remember, and nobody wrote it down for me. But they were both FABULOUS! They played 2 songs from the iST CD, 2 from Matinee and I played 2 songs live ... we even talked a lot about my film, Haunted, and I think I may have made a connection as far as getting it into a film festival in Belgium, which is kind of like the Canadian "Fantasia Festival" where I originally met Julian. Dario Argento is a pretty regular pesonality at the festival, which of course turns my head. I'll keep you posted on developments. Thanks for the help, Luc.) I love Brussels, I wish I was playing there a little more. I'll just have to spend some time there on the other side, I guess.

May 27, 2002: De Ridderhof, Koudekerk, The Netherlands. Interesting place, we drive up and it looks like an elementary school. It's actually a recreation center, and they do lots of shows there. A really nice room with a lounge vibe, comfortable couches to lay back on, and the people actually listened! What a concept - one gets so used to playing these loud clubs with folks yelling and drinking ... a great bunch of people too, the sound people (wish I could remember names, but sometimes that's too much for me to intake) were fabulous, and the crowd was friendly, and really enjoyed the music ... i played 2 sets, which was nice to be able to throw some oldies at them too. Of course they're only old to me, whos to know, really? Beautiful little town, canals everywhere. I am told that there is a very complicated loch system there because the area is below sea level. I was invited to stay and experience the whole thing, but i had to decline ... long drive back to the deep south and all. Had a lovely little Gigondas, notes from which will appear on the wine page shortly.

May 26, 2002: The Netherlands. First gig last night ... a Neil tribute show somewhere up here. It went very well, I played a few Neil songs and even a few of my own, and folks seemed to like it. Some of them even bought the record ... what a concept! There were two bands playing last night, one bunch of cats from Amsterdam, some of them with interesting musical backgrounds, but all a really fun bunch of cats, great musicians, and great fun to play with. I'm sure I will see them all again, at the very least at my show in Amsterdam (at the Paradiso). We laughed so hard I had tears running down my face ... it's a joke I would share with you, but I'm sure it won't be anywhere near as funny as it was to us last night. Has to do with Chinese food and ... Ham. Anyway ... the drummer, Kim Haworth, has a studio in Amsterdam that's worth a visit: check it out: www.parkstudio.com So there ya have it. I was starting to lose my mind, not playing, not knowing anyone here, not having much of a routine as yet, but I think I'm settling in. Went for a run around the town here yesterday morning and checked out the local color (very green). I've been told that the folks are moe fun around these parts becase they're Catholic and Catholics love to party. Apparently on the other side of the river, the protestants are really uptight and humorless. Not much fun at all. Now we know . . . I went for a walk around the club neighbourhood last night and visited with some sweet, fat little ponies. A little bigger than Shetlands, maybe a Shire. They were soooo cute, fuzzy and roly-poly. I didn't have any peppermints to give them though, sadly. Horses LOVE peppermints, by the way. I usually stock up on a pocketful everytime I'm in a restaurant that has some. There's a little village carnival going on here. (Is this a village or a HAMlet??) I don't think I'll get to go unless it's still on tomorrow, cause I have another gig tonight. It's going to be a long one too, two sets, and a 2-1/2 hour drive there and back. Enjoyed a nice little Rioja last night, Marques de Riscal Reserva 1996. Very ripe and juicy, I'd say about 80% Tempranillo, soft and ripe on the mid palate with rich black plum and some dried fruit and smoky creosote, tobacco and floral notes evolving through the finish. I quite enjoyed it.Of course, it's nothing you can't pick up at your local wine shop, and it was about 15 euros: translates to under twenty dollars stateside, always a good value. Drink it up! If you're interested in wine, check out my wine page: i'll have some interesting stuff up there soon. I have a fun tasting group in the Napa Valley, and I'm going to share some of our past events with you, also maybe some current ones that are happening in my absence. Anyway, til next time folkies.

May 24, 2002: Elsloo, The Netherlands. Much has happened behind your sleeping back. Night 2 at Brixton was cancelled, due to Neil being sick. A combination of heat/cool air and stress on the system, I suppose. Anyway, he's laid up with a sore throat and congestion. Probably at home by now ... I spent my night off drinking with Zak Wylde from Ozzy's band, and from which I think I am somewhat recovered. It's really a test of endurance, having to then get up, pack, fly to Amsterdam, drive for 2 hours to god-knows-where the hell I am ... but I have a radio show this afternoon and so I suppose I should be on the ball. I could use an extra day of sleep. It's becoming really difficult to sleep although I'm tired enough, that's for sure. I heard rumors that we'll be making up the Neil dates in August, around 5 dates which I'm guessing is going to co-incide with a trip to Copenhagen that Pegi has to take in August. I was kind of hoping I'd be back home in the beautiful Napa Valley for my birthday August 16th, but perhaps not. I'm starting to feel homesick. Maybe it's just my weakened condition. I'm going to have to get into some kind of a routine or else I'm going to end up sick myself. That would not be good ... the Matinee CD looks great - first time I've seen it was yesterday. The iST CD was not ready yet due to the fact that the folks putting them together mixed up the artwork on the first run: put the Matinee insert with the iST tray card or something. But we should see that by end of next week. Ah, rock and roll. You gotta love it, or hate it. Kids, be careful what you wish for ...

May 22, 2002: London. Finally got some sleep ... first night of a two-nighter at Brixton Academy. Hot, stinky and sweltering, it was a workout for sure. I'll have to re-think my wardrobe tonight. We're filming tonight too. The director asked me to bring my super-8 camera to shoot some stuff as well ... it takes pretty good pictures. I shot some stuff at Rock in Rio last year with Crazy Horse and it turned out amazing! Of course, I let Neil have first shot at the footage, so I havent' actually seen the transfers yet. It's kind of holding up production on my "Music In Head Starring The Head" film, which should have been done by now ... something to look forward to. A little art film, somewhere between the Wizard of Oz and Eraserhead. I'll keep you posted, but I have no idea when I'll finally be done with it.All my footage is in the 'black hole' of Neil's archives right now. Hard to say ... Poncho has a funny story. He got me good on the plane the other night on the way back from Germany. I don't think I could do it justice, but it's pretty funny. And slightly embarassing pour moi, but I can take a good practical joke like a pro. I will try to get his version of it and post it. Matt Cornelius, Dan's brother, came to the show last night. Good to see a friendly, familiar face. I'm working on getting some Dan content for the site, maybe Matt will send me some photos soon. After tonight, on with the adventure. I have a meeting with my agent over here tomorrow and will find out about some more gigs. Sounds like some big ones too, i think I heard him say 20,000 seats or something. I think I'm starting to get nervous ... or excited. Ain't life grand? Jill sez she's coming over to visit for a while. It'll be good to travel with someone I know. We've been talking about doing something like this for a while now. All right, later all.

May 20, 2002: London, England. Okay, so I'm all out of whack with the time thing. I'll get it together. What a great couple of shows! Last night's was the best, an amazing crowd and just possibly the most stellar rock show in history! It's so great to be out here ... I really should be outside enjoying what's left of the day (I got up really late: 5pm, I'm embarassed ...) and now here i am on the computer. Well, it's gotta be done. I have a bunch of new shows to add to my itinerary; i will post some tonight, but it also looks like there will be some scandanavian gigs, and one in Hamburg as well. I have a feeling I might be here for a while; nothing wrong with that! They've been filming us the past couple of nights ... you may even see some on MTV as apparently they have the right to use three songs from the first night. Too bad it wasn't last night, cause it was better. But c'est la vie. I'm sure that'll pop up somewhere too. Two more shows to go ... then the real adventure begins ...

May 17, 2002: Frankfurt, Germany. Jet Lag hasn't quite got the best of me yet. I intend to sleep tonight while my brother, on the other hand, is trying to stay on a pacific west-coast schedule. Of course they're going home in a few days, I'm not. Walked around Frankfurt for a couple of hours tonight - beautiful city. I'm so unfamiliar with the geography here, I actually have been asked wine questions I could not answer. Will have to remedy that as soon as possible. It's impossible to know it all, but I try. The city is so alive though, by sunset there were hundreds of people sitting out in the cafe's and in the squares, drinking beer and enjoying the balmy weather. It's really quite lovely out: Neil, Pegi and Elliott went to see Star Wars at the theatre tonight. Myself, I had to pass. Not much of a fan I have to admit. You know where I was the day the first Star Wars film was released? Sitting through three consecutive showings of "Eraserhead". Now that ought to tell you something about me. I had a taste of the struggle I'm going to have being able to satisfy my dietary restrictions tonight ... in case you don't know, I'm a vegan. Basically, anyway. I do eat fish (can't miss out on all that great sushi that's out there) Anyway, out waiter tonight - who, by the way, spoke perfect english, did not connect with me on the "no dairy" issue when I ordered. I guess I failed to realise that "dairy" is American vernacular. He didn't get it. So my meal was butter free, but virtually smothered in cream. Live and learn. I will have to work on the language barrier, at least inasmuch to be able to take care of my dietary needs, which I consider to be pretty damn important. Food's always a challenge in Europe unless you eat pretty much anything. Gone are those days. Anyway ... gig tomorrow, three and a half hour ride to the gig from the hotel. Neil has a different arrangement of "Differently" that we're going to work on. Got the big thumbs up on the second set of the Fox Theater gig though. He's really happy with it. He's happy, everybody's happy. I'm thrilled.

May 14, 2002: How can I summarize the last few days: played the Jay Leno show on Thursday the 9th. It was pretty cool, we played Are You Passionate ... that show certainly doesn't mix sound for their live audience (read that as IT SOUNDED LIKE SHIT IN THERE) but of course it's over in 3 minutes and the whole day that you spend soundchecking and messing with shit to make it sound better doesn't matter much in the end. My man David flew down for the show and we had some fabulous sushi for dinner, then hung out with my best friend Jill (who also does my hair) and her man Jonathan. It was a Hollywood night, replete with club-hopping fun. I wish I could remember the name of the club we went to first, it's right where Jack's Sugar Shack used to be at Hollywood and Vine. Way cool place. Had these glass booths behind the bar with dancers in them, very sexy and entertaining. We ran accross the street to watch the segment on Leno on TV, then on to the Beauty Bar, which is pretty strange - a club where you can actually get a manicure or buy some shoes. Whadda concept. I think I recall that it smelled like nail polish remover in there. Ethyl Acetate - yuck! Sensitive noses we have, David and myself, I don't think we stayed long. David and Jonathan drank all the vodka in LA county, or so sez David. Back in the Bay area, we played a show at the Fox Theater in Redwood City Friday night (the 10th) did two sets, tried out lots of the new stuff. I think it went really well, and of course the crowd was digging it heavily. And so were we ... one show down, four to go. I'm on a plane right now on my way to Toronto to take care of biz before I leave the planet. It wasn't easy getting out of dodge: I have so many things on my mind I managed to forget one thing after another until I was positive David would just ditch me somewhere. But he didn't, he's so cool. Last night some of my friends and former co-workers at the restaurant I've been Sommelier at for the past year and a half had a party for me. This is a funny fucking story - so I'm a vegan, right? pretty much so anyway, I do eat fish, but nothing else animal. anyway, they all know this. They made a ton of food, really good fabulous food, but not one thing was meat or dairy free, everything was just saturated with cheese and mayonnaise and not one dish that I can eat at all! Can you believe it? They go to all this trouble to have a party for me and don't make any food I can have. And they all know! What a bunch of turkeys! Lucky I had some Tempeh and avacados in the car, my pal Ritchie (who is the chef at Cakebread) made me up some tempeh tacos with a strawberry salsa. It was fabulous. Looking forward: one day in Toronto ... one night in Toronto ... I'm going to have to try to stay out of trouble. I have a lot of hard travel ahead and I'm so easily distracted. Bass Bitch Laurie Green is picking me up at the airport. I see cocktails and pool in my future ...

May 7, 2002: Way too much coolness and fun we're having. The new songs, the old songs, everything sounds amazing! I'm playing piano on two songs now. Neil is really happy and everybody's grooving heavily on what's going on. The little theater we're rehearsing in is pretty cool also, kind of like the warfield, but smaller. Pretty loud in there with two guitars and a screaming leslie -- my ears are ringing hard. In a good way, although I know that's not necessarily a good thing. Hearing rumors of a club date before Europe. One of the great mysteries of life.

May 6, 2002: Somewhere in California - second day of rehearsal at the barn with Booker T, Duck Dunn, Steve Potts, Pancho Sampedro, Neil of course, and me & Pegi. Things are sounding great, though rehearsal was cut short tonight due to the Sharks game ... some folks have priorities ... word is we're doing Jay Leno on Thursday the 9th, but things are ever changing and if you live in my world you just have to be flexible. Worked on songs from the new record today and i actually get to play piano on one song! Pegi and I are singing on pretty much everything, which is really great after last year not being too much a part of the show for the crazy horse tour. Pancho sounds so great, it's all just coming together like it's the most natural thing in the world. Europe looms, four shows just around the corner for us in the UK and in Germany, then starting my own tour for the Matinee record on May 25th. Can't wait! Early rehearsal tomorrow at yet another venue.