Voting Pledge

The above drawing is of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States of America. Quincy Adams was an interesting man on many levels, though the song I wrote about him focused on three facts.

1. He watched the Battle of Bunker Hill from his front porch as a young boy.

2. He died in the speaker's room of the House (of Congress), and was carried there atop the heads of his fellow politicians, who remained in the room with him through the night as he lay dying.

3. He rose each morning, all year long, and swam naked in the Potomac before the sunrise. Wow.

So I drew him barechested. This is of course from my new record which was recently discussed on NPR's All Things Considered, which is archived here in the event that you missed it.

On another note, the record label is currently offering a 15% discount if you sign a "pledge to vote." As today is the last day to register if you have not already done so, please rise from your machine and register. If you wish to sign the pledge and buy the record (s) at a discount, go here.

And God bless you Colin Powell. As Bill Callahan sings on the record: "Oh Hell Yes."

Some Things Considered

So it has been a busy time. Travelling for two months with a small (or not so small) seven month old baby can be a rather trying experience. One must maintain a healthy sense of humor for sure. A five hour plane ride, with endless turbulence and the inability to walk/soothe him was well, challenging. One can only make so many funny faces.

Nevertheless, we are now settled (sort of) in the countryside of Ontario, Canada enjoying the woods. And the skunks. And the Mennonites passing by the house with horse and buggy. In the meantime, my home south of the border is awash in economic chaos, and what may well be (or at least seem to be) the most important presidential election of my life thus far. As family is coming over for dinner momentarily, I don't have much time to write about last night's debate, or the dire importance of all that is happening, but instead just wanted to point you dear reader in the direction of NPR tonight. Christian Kiefer, J. Matthew Gerken, and I will be on All Things Considered talking about Of Great and Mortal Men, hopefully sounding like we have something to say. And intelligent. And articulate. A link to the NPR story in the event that you missed it here.

How odd to find yourself on NPR after all these years making music, incapable of driving around in your car or sitting at your kitchen table listening. Instead, I sit here at my wife's desk, looking at the clutter of moving and blank walls, tinny voices coming from the computer speakers.

If interested, you may buy copies directly from the label here, from Amazon here, or a digital download from itunes (with a digital copy of the book) here, and now or in the very near future from your local independent record store.