I got word today that Sharma Kay—dear friend, fellow writer, inveterate encourager, and bass player in our brief Portland band—died, with her dad, in a car accident in California. She was, like, 37. Right now, her Website, www.musesk.com, is being maintained by friends—which she has a lot of. I’m sure it’ll take a little time to sink in; right now, it just feels weird, realizing that no matter what happens, she won’t be around any more.

Labor Day weekend is here, but for the unemployed, it’s nothing special; every day’s a non-working day. Music at City Hall with the Friday Night Group went well—nice crowd, with a bunch of out-of-town folks—and there’ll be music Sunday at the Tillamook Forestry Center. Monday afternoon I’ve arranged to video Rufus the dog doing Dog Things for Episode 4 of the “Joe Show”—I want to do “Me and Rufus, and Burnin’ Down the House” for the song. The discussion will—one more time, I think—be about inspiration. It would be nice if I could film something appropriate for background for the discussion, too.

The 19 September gig at Urban Grind East will be a short one, so there should be time to attend Mason’s bluegrass thing the same day. I still don’t know if I’m just listening, or if he’d like me to play. I did get an invite to play a Hillsboro coffeehouse, the Insomnia Coffee Co., Saturday night 5 September (their scheduled act apparently bailed on them), but I decided to pass—this time; I would like to do it, but one day is really short notice. I’d like to have enough warning so I can do some serious marketing.

And I hope I did the right thing. They haven’t responded to any of my e-mails since I told them “no,” and it’s possible that was my only shot at a gig there

Jeannette, our retired concert violinist who’s been playing with the Friday Night Group, said she’ll still be coming out from Portland to visit until the weather turns bad, so I hit her up to play fiddle on a couple of songs on the New Album—and she’s willing and interested. (We did one of the songs tonight at City Hall—“Hey, Little Chicken.”) I have a couple more Friday Night Group musicians I want to tap, too—Wayne on lead guitar, and “Chippewa Bob” on the musical saw. I’ll give them all CDs with “their” songs on ‘em, and then we’ll be on John’s schedule.

I want to record a “base” track that’s just rhythm guitar and drums, I think (we’ll include a “scratch” vocal and bass, too, that John can replace later), and then we can layer the lead instruments one by one as the opportunities present themselves. I am assuming that in most cases we’ll be able to record the lead in one or two takes; we’ve been able to do that thus far. Everybody is really good at what they do. I want a “whiny” lead (fiddle, harmonica, or saw) and a “non-whiny” lead (me or Wayne on lead guitar, or Denise on Jews’ harp) on every song this time around, I think.

I’ve got the studio to clear out and turn into a computer-repair facility, a computer to build from the parts I got at the college’s yard sale, a DVD drive and extra hard drive to install in “Alice,” house to clean, and classes to register for. And I’ve done none of it. I still need to re-do the Episode 3 video, too, which I’ve been putting off—I like things to be perfect the first time.

Still need, too, a lead player—and it pretty much doesn’t matter what instrument—for the “Rocktoberfest” concert on 10 October. I guess that one devolves on me, too, as part of the job of being front man for the band. I am supposed to know people. I wonder if I do…

Joe