after a long absence...

Good Morning!  I know Lester Bilbo will be happy to see that I'm making an appearance.  Things have been crazy around here.  I presented at CNIE conf. 2008 in Banff that last week of April. Then a couple of days meeting at the U.of Calgary with OUETD.  A short holiday in Red Deer with my brother and his wife.  Saw Drumheller, and the hoodoos, and a lot of other stuff.  Back home in time for my wife to have bilateral knee replacements.  Now 8 weeks later she's doing very well. Walking without a cane, straight legs!  Fantastic!  And then a trip to Las Vegas for infoComm '08! Cirque du Soleil's KA was spellbinding!  In the meantime a ton of great music has been released. While in Calgary I got a copy of Tom Phillips Downtown Cowboy, Albertan country singer; Tom Petty's Mudcrutch (the resurrection of his old band) which is lots of fun.  Found a copy of Ersi Arvizu's Friend For Life produced by Ry Cooder (not as immediately great as Mavis Staples, but an excellent album nonetheless), and Elvis Costello's Momofuku (which hasn't grown on me yet.)  T Bone Burnett's Tooth of Crime is just too weird for me, I think I'm finished testing his solo records...while his productions just get better and better!  Bill Frisell's history, mystery was a disappointment too, not enough guitar on it, too much band for my taste.  Not that it's bad...on the contrary...but it wasn't the Frisell album I was hoping for.  Other purchases?  Tony Joe White (who played at HCI one Friday night when I was in grade 13), John Hiatt, Sonny Landreth, Bette Midler's greatest hits (excellent), Eliza Gilkyson's Beautiful World (she's fantastic), Paul Weller, Walter Becker, Solomon Burke, and Ry Cooder's I, Flathead (the deluxe edition).  By the time I finish listening to all this...it'll be August.  Saw Steely Dan on the weekend at Casino Rama.  They were precise, and tight, and their guitarist is fantastic.  Great show.