The Rain & The Rail

New Work

2012-02-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

New Beginnings

2012-01-06T05:48:00.000-08:00

2011-10-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

New CD - Beauty,Wit & Speed released today!

"SEEST thou yon smiling Orange, upon the tree still hangs it..."

Okay, yes, I'm quoting Goethe to announce the release of my new cd. Honestly I've never read anything by the man, not even Faust, I just stumbled upon this first line of a poem today in the half price bookstore and as I have had a certain citrus fruit in my consciousness everyday for the last year, I found it fitting here on the eve of sending Beauty,Wit & Speed out into the ether...and time.

It's an odd endeavor this business of putting thoughts and feelings to sound and then putting it out into the world. It most often begins in isolation, usually late in the night with a quiet strum and a whispered vocal which at another time may become a full tilt rock n roll stomp. The goal, however, is most always to make a connection. A connection that you may never know you have made with another human being you may never meet. And of course right behind the desire for connection is the need to make a living. Ah yes, there's the rub. Putting a record out in these days of attention vying, information overload and social media saturation is I suppose a bit like sending out the invites, slaving days in the kitchen, spreading out the buffet and then wiping your hands, leaning back against the counter with a glass of wine and hoping the guests show up.

I had a truly fantastic time making this record and was grateful daily for the collaboration with such gifted and personable musicians. Also, my co-producer/engineer and friend Britton Beisenherz provided the most relaxed and spirited vibe of creativity and fun to the sessions. The skill, mood and musical sensibilities that he brought to this project are the very things that led me to his studio door in the first place. And lastly, my gratitude for those that contributed financially to make the record a reality is immeasurable.

So I hope you will join me at the table. Either way you may find me here with a glass of wine, peeling an orange and cracking open a copy of Faust.
Nathan

*Austin CD Release Show @ FRANK Thursday October 20 10pm

2011-10-13T23:35:00.001-07:00

New Paintings

2011-08-22T12:01:00.001-07:00

"Ripe" oil on wood

"Our Gold Ship Sails On A Still Blue Sea" oil on wood

Seder Table Wine Stains

2011-08-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

The Making of Beauty Wit & Speed

2011-06-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

A little inside peek at all the folks that helped out on the upcoming cd.

Weathered Vessels

2011-06-23T19:32:00.001-07:00

Inside The Cloisters

2011-06-23T19:31:00.001-07:00

Spare

2011-03-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

Knots

2011-01-26T14:48:00.001-08:00

Here we Go,Go!

2011-01-24T13:06:00.001-08:00

2011-01-21T15:32:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I think l learn more from my children's paintings than I ever learned in art school.

Water, Jars & Light

2011-01-19T17:20:00.001-08:00

Scarlet Sky and Branches

2011-01-19T17:16:00.000-08:00

Scenes from a Northbound Train

2011-01-04T08:17:00.000-08:00

they come out early in the morning
to watch as we roll by
no loved ones to send off
or welcome
only to wave at strangers
and imagine
the freedom of motion
to stare into the face of possibility
in a line of silver and speed

Thanks, Giving and Desert Fun

2010-12-02T12:25:00.000-08:00

Fire & Water

Hikes & Sketches
photo: Lois Kim

photo: Lois Kim

Rockets and Robots

2010-10-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

Check out the new song "My Brightest Diamond" recorded at Frogville Studio in Santa Fe with Adam Tyner and Bill Palmer here.

Pour

2010-10-23T07:09:00.001-07:00

The Zen of Four

2010-09-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

I said to the Bird, "You need to listen."
She said, "I do listen, you just don't hear me listen."

Weathered Steps

2010-07-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

New Works for a New Show

2010-06-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

Just a few of the new pieces that will be in a show I have coming up at Balance Yoga Studio in Lakeway,Texas. The opening is July 16 and will be there for a month or so!

Scenes from the West

2010-06-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

Ladies on the Road

Bar Stars

My Brightest Diamond

2010-06-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

In the fall of 2008 I was in Holland playing the Take Root Festival. I saw several amazing performances but two still stand out to this day. One was Bon Iver. I had never heard of Justin Vernon and walked in to the show unsuspecting,out of curiosity from the name alone. I was completely swept up in every aspect of the performance. The melody,emotion,silence and storm. I felt my heart blown wide open as we all,a crowd of hundreds, sang "What might have been lost..." over and again in unison. It was like experiencing one of my first concerts. A time before I knew anything as a performer. Before the inside view of soundchecks and monitors, dressing room food and backstage banter. It was both inspiring and humbling and I was grateful to have been witness to it.
The other performance of the day that struck me, was also a stumbling revelation. I heard the sound of some strange bird warbling what seemed to be a Prince song. I followed the call into the lobby of the venue where another stage was set. There under light and swirl was Shara Worden aka My Brightest Diamond. The music was intriguing and not easily grasped. At one point she quietly stopped to tune her guitar. A task that seemed to go on inexorably. It was probably, in all, about 3 minutes. Which if you count out those seconds in silence can seem a lifetime. The crowd stirred awkwardly and she spoke not one word to aleviate the tension. Finally, when the last string was in tune, she reached into her pockets with both hands and flung silver glitter out over the crowd. It was perfect and I fell in love with her just a little bit right then and there. A few months later, thinking back on that moment I wrote a song for her. Part fact and mostly fiction, titled of course, "My Brightest Diamond." I recently recorded the song with Adam Tyner and Bill Palmer at Frogville Studios in Santa Fe. You can give it a listen if you like right here:
http://www.myspace.com/nathanhamiltonmusic

Friends, Food & Finds

2010-04-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Iwami San

Peace

Hiro & Keta Jamming @ Cafe Bleu

Shin, Tsukasa & Kyoko

Kasa and a few of the beautiful guitars he has built.

Takashi

Shuichi & Jyunpei

The Home of Nakagi and The Shinto Shrine

2010-04-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

An artist by the name of Nakagi was kind enough to let us use his home to practice in. He was also one of the organizers of a concert we did that took place in the courtyard of a 1300 year old Shinto Shrine. These are some objects and art works that were in his home.

Jyunpei Minohara played guitar with me for all but one of the shows.

My view.

Japan Shows (photos: Noboru Takemoto)

2010-04-12T14:01:00.001-07:00

At Dreamboat in Fukuoka

Miyuki & Maggie at Kapone in Hiroshima

With Kanpai Cowboys at Dreamboat in Fukuoka

Street Stuff...Japan

2010-04-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hiroshima

2010-04-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

Japanese Gardens

2010-04-08T10:23:00.001-07:00

2010-03-15T04:58:00.000-07:00

Access

Turrell

Living Panel

Stealing Tarkovsky

2010-03-05T14:32:00.000-08:00

Images taken from Andrei Tarkovsky's, "Nostalghia".
Okay, i realize that foreign films are often the fodder for comedy show sketches and beer commercials. And I get why.
But all the things that people mock about foreign films are the very things I love about them. Slow,obtuse,melodramatic,existential,ruminative and beautifully shot. They often require a patience that flies in the face of our expedited daily existence. It is a small escape to another place. (Granted, WIll Ferrell movies also provide a certain escape and one I enjoy as well but that's another blog post altogether.)

Miette

2010-02-11T21:22:00.000-08:00

My wife Sarah is a photographer and has been doing quite a few kids portraits lately. Here's two she took of our youngest daughter Helena. To see more of Sarah's work check out: Sarah Bork Hamilton and Borklife

Studio Time

2010-02-11T15:49:00.000-08:00

Taking advantage of this cold, rainy day to do some small works on paper.

Silk Ties and Shiny Shoes

2010-02-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

The town hall meeting yesterday regarding the closing of the Cactus Cafe was nothing more than an exercise in placation on the part of President Will Power and Texas Union director Andrew Smith. The latter of which who sat silently on the front row,back to the audience, head down like a cowering pup. Answering to no one, save a few prompting whispers to the president who repeatedly expressed his "appreciation" for our concerns and opinions. Would have been nice if he had shown as much appreciation for the truth. He was engaging in a so called dialogue about how to save the Cactus, all the while standing on the corpse of the place. The meeting was a sham. He walked in with an air of resolve and it was apparent that there was nothing to be said by anyone that could change his mind on the matter. When it came out that the actual number attached to the Cactus and justifying the cut was $66k a year, an audible gasp filled the room. When people offered to "cut a check right now", the president used students as shields to further protect the agenda,the board and himself. It was obvious that the Cactus had been in the cross hairs for a while and to think they thought they could get away with dragging it out behind the barn and killing it off is the most appalling notion of this whole mess. I remain hopeful and will continue to do all I can to fight it, but honestly I won't be surprised if a year from now some corporate entity sits on that site right along with the Starbucks,Taco Bell and Wendy's that sit near it now.

Save the Cactus Cafe

2010-02-02T06:32:00.000-08:00

An open letter to University of Texas President William Powers and The Texas Union Board of Directors:

To the Powers that Be,
It is with much concern and respect that I write to you this morning, having learned of the potential fate of the Cactus Cafe. I cannot imagine the degree of responsibility,expectation and pressure that must come with your position. I am a songwriter and a carpenter. My days are relatively simple. Spent by turns with a guitar or hammer in hand. I cannot and do not claim to know or understand the managerial inner workings and fiscal machinations of such a massive institution like the University of Texas. It must be daunting to be faced,on a daily basis, with decisions that will affect the lives of thousands of people in a myriad of ways. I do, however, know the affect that has already been had on thousands of people at the very idea of shutting down the Cactus Cafe. At this very moment, in cafes and clubs and living rooms from Austin to Amsterdam, from Tokyo to Terlingua, there are conversations and laments of concern, sadness and anger at the possibility. I do not know your personal passions or interests and I am sure that you must temper them by degree so as not to allow them to weigh in on policy and decision making regarding the interests of the University. But I would ask that each and every one of you listen deeply and consider greatly, the concerns of those who are in disagreement with this proposal. For a great wave of resistance is headed your way. The idea that a legendary venue like the Cactus would be reduced to a "budget cut" is staggering. The Cactus Cafe is one of the most respected and revered venues world wide by both audiences and performers. The table of our city and it's very image is supported by four main legs of industry. Education,government,hi tech and live music. The city is repeatedly sold to tourists around the globe as the "Live Music Capital of the World." Many believe the Cactus Cafe to be the very heart of it. I have toured for many years across this country and others and can tell you that the Cactus is a very special and unique place. What lies before you as a name on a list to be drawn through and marked off due to cut backs, is nothing short of sacred. What takes place in the space within those four walls transcends "entertainment."
There are many voicing concern over the exorbitant salaries of the coaches at UT and the extreme imbalance of finances between departments in general. I certainly can't claim to know how much of that ,if any, actually comes to play in all of this, but you must recognize the inevitable comparisons that will be made. And while I do not belittle the value and merit of the sport of football and it's provision of joy,entertainment and cultural bonding for the masses, I would call into question it's bulldozing,(whether blatantly or covertly) over the interests and passions of others, be it music,science art or history.
I realize that in the scope of hardships and tragedies that humanity has and will endure, by comparison, the loss of a musical venue is a paltry concern. But what is potentially being lost and fought for here is so much more than a piece of real estate or usable space. Broken hearts and homes have been healed through music and the sharing of the human experience through the medium, through the ages. People on the brink of stepping away from this world have been brought back to it through the power of song. Melodramatic as that may sound, it is the truth. Thousands of people through many years have been moved, comforted and recognized by a story or sentiment, sung or spoken ,with wit or sorrow, from that stage. I have been witness to that at the Cactus Cafe, both as listener and as a performer. The Cactus has been home to the exchange that happens in a darkened room full of strangers who have come together in anticipation, with all of their hopes,hurts,dreams and doubts. A shared experience through melody, word, laughter and tear. A community of spirit. The worth of that is immeasurable. For that reason alone the Cactus should be left undisturbed to remain the spiritual meeting place that it is.
So I ask you all, out of respect for the storytelling tradition, the legacy of the Cactus Cafe and the stirring of hearts and minds through song, please reconsider the proposal before you and maintain the honesty and integrity of our city slogan, "The Live Music Capital of the World."

Yours,

Nathan Hamilton

My Darling Clementine

2009-12-28T10:56:00.001-08:00

2009-11-28T19:34:00.000-08:00

offer and receive

A Hidden Frame

2009-11-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

i'm not convinced
not yet anyway
i'll admit
you do seem fearless
confidant
at ease
but there is something there
in the way you just shifted your weight
from one leg to the other
it was just a hint
a hidden frame
some slight sign of weariness
visible behind that smile and nod
that says you would really love to just lie down
it would be welcomed
i assure you
no mocking tone would ride the breath
of anyone here
warm tea and cool rags
would be delivered with all sincerity
your feet
washed with unguarded hands
i understand that these days
do not allow for the embracing of anything earnest
that the cynics tongue is the rule
and to stand before another with open arms
and not a trace of irony
is to play the fool
but i am willing to take that part on
are you

NH

Space to the Listener

2009-10-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

Love this pic

2009-10-27T08:15:00.001-07:00

The Blue Glow

2009-10-26T21:10:00.001-07:00

From the couch
I can hear the cat drinking out of the toilet
The ceramic reverb of a tiny room
A mosquito feeds on my right hand
The fleshy part just below the thumb
I allow this

The buried ringing in my ears
From too many cymbals
And one ballsy Fender Deluxe
Is a tenacious lover spurned
Relentless and pleading
Try as I might to deny her
She always finds a way back in
Always

I check the blue glow for a third time
Knowing full well I should be creating
Something
But instead seeking
Something
Vanity is a false stroke
Flattery a cold mouth

I have the tools
To dismantle almost anything
I have the ability
And the care
To repair the deepest crack
I try
My best
To utilize my faith
To administer a salve of compassion

NH

Abilene

2009-10-13T10:54:00.001-07:00

2009-10-03T22:06:00.000-07:00

Today I found myself on the side of a barren, two-lane highway, stamping out a grassfire in the rain. The result of a tossed cigarette I'm sure, but odd that it would catch in such wet conditions. I felt almost guilty for extinguishing it. It must have struggled like hell to burn.

2009-10-01T22:57:00.000-07:00

Nature Mobile

2009-09-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

Rain day fun. Made mobiles with the girls.

Forty

2009-09-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

(detail)
(detail)
(detail)

icord

2009-09-05T14:25:00.001-07:00

Atwater: An Appreciation for Joe Henry

2009-08-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

From Here

To Here

In 1990, i was working in an antique shop and living in the back. I say back but it was really just a storage closet that was four feet wide by eight feet long. It had a cot, a small table, and a wall of book shelves filled with hat boxes, doll parts, assorted ceramics, a variety of salt and pepper figurines, a pair of womens' black victorian lace up boots, stacks of 78's, brittle paged books and numerous Sharpie marked boxes, yellowed with age,that i never dared pry into. I had also managed to wedge in my old Kenwood turntable, amp and two speakers and what records i had brought with me on my exodus from my hometown of Abilene,Texas. I bathed in the bathrooms cold water sink and warmed cans of soup and beans on an upside down iron, a trick i had picked up from a passage in "On the Road". My main companion was a black Harmony acoustic i had picked up in a pawn shop for 80 bucks. It was all self inflicted hard scrabble and i was enjoying every bit of it.
I was manning the store for the owner, a working actor who was out of town for several months performing in a play. The store was located on Glendale Blvd. in a part of Los Angeles known as Atwater Village. At the time the only thing "hip" about the area was the highly modern, Italian restaurant two doors down, sandwiched between the tackle shop and the liquor store. Everything else around looked like it probably had for the last 40 years. Everyone on those two blocks of storefronts knew each other. Each morning at sunrise was a Mayberry moment. I would walk past the bird lady at the pet shop, the insurance salesman with the leaky window unit above his door, the cranky old sailor that ran the tackle shop(he truly looked like Popeye only with a little more weight on him) and other colorful neighbors, too many to mention. I would make my way down to the German Bakery for coffee, pastries and that first morning smoke, that, at 23 feels like the entire world opening itself up to you but at 40 feels like your stacking the final stone up onto the Great Wall. Afterwards, I would walk next door to the thrift shop and search for possible items to buy and resell in my store fifty yards away. Lastly, like savoring the last bite of a perfect meal, i would flip through the record bins.
It was on just such a morning that i came across an album that would stand me up, turn me around and send me on my musical journey. Unlike books, I have always judged records by their covers and while i know there have been many gems i have overlooked, more times than not my instincts have proven to be dead on. The title was intriguing enough, "Shuffletown", but it was the name that really grabbed me. The generic, everyman, John Doe quality of it...Joe Henry. I had grown up with my father singing songs to me filled with names like that. I was raised on Johnny, Kris, Hank, Tom T, Willie and more. I could tell a storyteller when I saw one without even hearing a single note. At the time, the writers I was listening to the most were from across the sea. David Sylvian, Lloyd Cole, Shane McGowan and such. I had found them in cut out bins and though I had not yet been schooled in the music business, i knew that something was amiss when artists and albums this good were landing in racks with 99 cent stickers on them. I immediately bought this new discovery, took it "home" and played it. Repeatedly.
I didn't get it the first few times but i let it play again and again while i busied myself with tasks around the store. It was about the 5th play thru that i remember actually sitting down in a "whoa" kind of moment. The roomy, live quality of the recording, the pace and the patience required and the way the lyrics drew me in and slowly revealed themselves, all took me back to a time and a place i had never been before but somehow felt i belonged. Nostalgia for something I had not even experienced. It was filled with everything i was drawn to and, in that store, surrounded by. Worn leather satchels , torn furniture, dusty shades and silver flasks. I was 23 in an old mans clothes and I had found my soundtrack. Many years later, my wife and I would dance to "Date for Church" at our wedding and further still name our second daughter after "Helena by the Avenue".
Back then, there was no internet to search or Google, to discover up to date facts about the artists you liked. The mystery was allowed to remain intact. I would have to wait for the occasional article in underground music rags to find out about new releases or, as many discoveries were made, follow the liner notes from album to album and artist to artist and the chain of associations that exist. I was surprised how few people seemed to know about this guy though, even people i met that worked in the music business would say, "How have I not heard this?" I wasn't obsessed with the man, hell, maybe I was, but every young songwriter has their Dylan. Mine just wasn't Dylan. In my own writing, I tried to avoid imitation, but influence was inevitable. I followed each release and every one was like a gift and an education. There was an urgency in them, a vitality and they were ever evolving in unstrained strides. You could tell they were being made first and foremost for himself and every other intention trailed behind that.
We all have those things we discover under the radar that feel exclusively our own. A film, a novel, an artist or an album that we feel protective of. We want to share it with the world but we also want to keep it under out hat. But I like to think that I've done my little bit to spread Joe's music around to friends and strangers over the last 20 years. (Not that he needs my help.)
I can't say that "Shuffletown" is still my favorite of the albums. There have been too many great ones to pick just one. "Scar", "Civilians" , "Short Man's Room" and more. But now as I sit here, many miles and years later, listening to the new album, "Blood From Stars", i can't help but smell the coffee in the German bakery, hear the parrot on the bird ladies shoulder and see the water slowly dripping from the insurance mans window unit. Appreciative of the long journey now behind and the one that lies ahead.

NH

Filigree

2009-07-29T17:01:00.001-07:00

is that an angel or a tree
this silhouette of desire
that hangs above me
reaching across waters
transcending time
to stir up the embers
of a fire i let die

nh

Advances in Technology

2009-07-29T17:00:00.001-07:00

Walls and Curb

2009-06-17T19:36:00.001-07:00

Just Another Day at the Movies

2009-06-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

2009-04-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

Sunset Shadows

Little hobos.

2009-04-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

photo: Sarah Bork Hamilton www.sarahborkhamilton.com

Sometimes Nails Will Weep

2009-04-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

not in this day buddy
there is no place for it
everything is a joke now
everything
why can't we just slow the hell down
and actually speak to one another
feel the others presence
like a rat on the shoulder sniffing at your ear
to afraid to let the screens go dark
we raise our walls and build our fences
and sometimes the nails will weep
will we continue to whitewash them over
or let the stains show thru
nh

Heels & Blades

2009-04-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

Peace House Concert

2009-04-08T18:52:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Jason & Penny Jo for hosting such a nice night.
photo: Corey Hayes www.coreyhayesphoto.com
(I am available for house concerts.)
You can contact Laura Thomas: www.comboplatebooking.com

Accidental Art

2009-02-16T07:01:00.000-08:00

Walking along a sidewalk path and came across this odd, burnt formation.

"Where You Lead..."

2009-01-23T06:08:00.000-08:00

"Where You Lead..." mixed media 2008

A Violinist in the Metro

2009-01-15T16:10:00.000-08:00

(I found this story online)

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes that the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats average $100 each.
Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

The Mud Room

2009-01-10T08:10:00.001-08:00

Valentine,Tx

2009-01-10T07:56:00.001-08:00

Prada Underpants

2009-01-10T07:54:00.001-08:00

Not quite Duchamp's mustached Mona Lisa, but whoever tagged this piece had a similar sense of humor.

2009-01-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

photo:Yves Klein: Leap Into the Void, 1960

i find it fascinating, though not surprising, when millionaires and billionaires start throwing themselves out of windows and in front of trains after losing their fortunes in times of financial crisis. i would think that if a person has the ability, the drive, and the vision to achieve such success, that they would apply those same traits to their new situation. but to actually take your own life because of the loss of money or status is bizarre to me, if not a little pathetic.
is it embarrassment? is it the fear of living without an expected level of comfort? is it shame for the way in which the success might have been gained? is it guilt for those whose lives were also affected by those actions? is it the "seeming" loss of power and freedom? or is it the stark realization of being forced to face who and what one really is when everything else is stripped away? perhaps that presentation of self, or lack of, is what takes them to the ledge. i certainly don't know. but i'd like to think that if i were in their shoes. i would instead, take a leap into the void and soar into the discoveries that this new life would present.

Scotland

2008-12-30T14:29:00.000-08:00

Fell in love with this place and the people on the last tour. It is the land of my ancestors and felt strangely familiar though i had never been before. Cannot wait to return.

Stoke On Trent

2008-12-30T14:07:00.000-08:00

Woke to the morning fog of the English countryside. I almost expected to see a dragon raise it's head from out of the mist.

2008-12-23T09:09:00.000-08:00

"Art is central to all our lives, not just the better-off and educated. Every child ever born, they all want to hear and to tell stories, to sing, to make music, to act out little dramas, to paint pictures, to make sculptures. This is born in and we breed it out. And then, when we have bred it out, we say that art is elitest, and at the same time we either fetishize it with high prices, jargon and inaccessibility. Or we ignore it altogether. The truth is, artist or not, we are all born on the creative continuum and that is a heritage and a birthright of all our lives."
- Jeanette Winterson

Young @ Heart

2008-12-08T15:11:00.000-08:00

Rent it, watch it...it will lift your day. I love this film!

2008-11-17T22:28:00.000-08:00

Cargoes

2008-11-15T19:21:00.000-08:00

A section of the poem "Cargoes" by John Masefield. It reads even better when spoken with a Tom Waits voice.

Newcastle

2008-11-15T18:46:00.000-08:00

the train rumbled itself into being
took me further still from you
passed river, brick and spire
and carts of fish and fruit
one hundred hungry nights
fueled the longing of a fool
for the soft touch of a woman
in a world both kind and cruel
NH

Falling Water

2008-11-12T18:16:00.001-08:00

From a monolithic fountain in Cardif,Wales.

2008-11-04T20:54:00.000-08:00

"It's been a long, a long time comin' but i know...a change is gonna come!"
- Sam Cooke

street stuff & more

2008-10-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

Broken Black Umbrellas

2008-10-27T20:15:00.001-07:00

Soundchecks,Setlists & Shows...

2008-10-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

In the Woods Concert. (performance photos:Rudi Leeuw)

Take Root Festival (performance photos: Rudi Leeuw)

Adam Roach

Joeren van Niele

Arthur Brenkman

Moss Art

2008-10-24T06:20:00.000-07:00

Walking in the woods behind the Roepaen venue, I found this old, metal storage trailer covered in various types of moss & lichen that had created these painting like colors & patterns.

Roepaen Festival

2008-10-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

We left on a foggy morning and traveled to Ottersum to play the Roepaen Festival. This takes place in an old monastery that has been converted into a venue. It is a beautiful place both inside and out and our show there was definitely one of the best of the tour.

3 Hats and the Mysteriously Moving Captain

2008-10-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

What stories could he tell?

Let's Get Lost

2008-10-24T05:48:00.000-07:00

We played at this very cool club in the north called Porgy & Bess. It was ghostly to play on a stage that had been graced by Chet Baker and more.

2008-10-23T09:31:00.001-07:00

OBA Radio Show in Amsterdam with band (Adam Roach,Joeren van Niele & Arthur Brenkman)

Amsterdam in the morning.

Leaving Austin at sunset.

Tour

2008-10-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

The tour of Holland & the UK was fantastic. Great gigs, amazing food, big hearted people and some truly stunning scenery.
I was unable to post pics of the tour on a day to day basis as it was happening, so I will periodically post some highlights over the next few weeks. A big thank you to all the venues and everyone who came out to the shows! (Special thanks to Sandra & Luciano at Lucky Dice Music and Laura at ComboPlate booking.)

"Receive"

2008-09-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

Well I recently finished recording a new cd. This was a bit of a "bedroom affair" having recorded 5 of the 7 songs at home. Not only are many of the songs quieter in mood and tone, the process was laid back as well, out of neccessity more than anything. Stealing bits of time late into the night after everyone was asleep and having to sing a bit quiter as a result, lent an intimacy to the overall vibe only glimpsed at on previous records. I have often recorded demos that I enjoyed more than the songs that ended up fully produced on an album. So I wanted to capture something that had that kind of live and raw sensibility. Working alone (for 5 of the tracks) and not being in a professional studio, I didn't have to work too hard to acheive this. Of course there were also moments when recording that I could here ABBA bleeding into the headphones and then I realized that my daughters were blaring it in the living room.
I must say that I will always prefer a live drummer, but for this little project it was fun to experiment with writing to loops
and playing with minimal percussion like bicycle spokes and boot taps. And though I consider myself more of a songwriter than a guitar player and know well my place in the chain, i enjoyed the challenge of tackling the guitar solos on my own. The cover is a loose drawing of a cup i drew sometime ago, which seemed to fit the tone of the songs as well.
Now, I must give a huge nod of appreciation to producer Craig Ross (Shearwater,Patty Griffin) who helped with two of the tracks. Though scheduling conflicts prevented us from completing the entire album together, i found working with him incredibly inspiring and enlightening and he played a huge part in my approach and direction to the songs.

(This will be a limited hard copy release and availavble first on my upcoming European tour. After that it will be available on line.)

2008-08-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player
in a whorehouse or a politician.
And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference.
I, for one, believe the piano player job to be
much more honorable than current politicians."
- Harry Truman

nine ounces of strychnine

2008-08-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

"my wife fed me nine ounces of strychnine. didn't kill me but it ate up part of my brain. they say i'm certified nuts. they keep lockin' me up and lettin' me out. i ain't supposed to be on the streets. they're afraid i'll flip out and kill somebody. but i ain't no worry to nobody....hey...do you know where paula abdul lives?"

(i copied this down after hearing it from a street person just released from oregon state penitentiary on bus #180 hollywood,ca. in 1992)

addendum: it is now 16 years later and i just heard that a man took his own life in front of paula abduls house. what is it with her and the mentally unstable?

curious

2008-07-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

today
i watched a man
walking down the street
pushing his cane
in a wheelchair

something like desire

2008-07-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

though i have experienced the flutter and nerve of the first corsage
i miss the wallflower stare of dance card days
i recall a late night walk along dark water and reflected moon
silent swans nesting in the grass
she had invited me so as not to be alone
nothing more
nothing less
to her friends i was an oddity from another continent
the first orange to be seen on the mainland
a strange tree climbing beast
or native warrior with foreign tongue
she too felt out of place among them
this was her way of taking comfort in the isolation
we both knew this engagement would carry no further than this one night
still the tenderness was genuine
our open exchange with one another both sweet and awkward
the touch of our fingertips as we held hands
though born of obligation
was no less exciting
and carried with it a rising warmth and electricity
the first and final kiss of the night
the scarlet seal with wax and ring
took our breath for just a moment
resembling briefly
something like desire

NH

The Fall

2008-07-15T22:55:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed seeing the birds flying out of the man's mouth. "I opened up my mouth to speak, six black birds flew out of me."

No Mere Prank

2008-07-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

i have been walking around with you in my mind for the last 36 hours
little marble in a can
the disappointment hangs like smoke
and there is no reason that i should care
but i do
most everyone in this room thinks that they are so damn cool
myself included i suppose
but we look like little children in our fathers clothes
the swagger and stare
the hitch and glide
i've no use for it
blue lights
candles
concrete
and skin
i think i understand now why andy kaufman
took his audience out for milk and cookies
it was much more than an exercise in comic absurdity
it was no mere prank
it was a great equalizer
he knew the desire of even the hardest heart
and in that moment
by throwing his arm around the shoulder of his world
he allowed us all to relax a little
and be who we were
not who we thought we wanted to be

NH

Joe Henry "God Only Knows"

2008-07-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

2008-07-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

Details of a "pressed painting" from a series in the works.

The Rising of Everything

2008-06-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

my six year old
asks her mother
mom, when you get a kiss on the lips
does it go straight down to your heart
and suddenly
i am all too aware
of the cynism,sarcasm and contempt
that far too often
muddies the lens
thru which i view this world
in her sing song voice
she asks for ice cream after dinner
in the background
NPR speaks of carbombs in market squares
the rising of everything
tempers and temperatures
food and fuel
she knows of none of these things really
but the harsh realities of this world
are beginning to reveal themselves to her
it is difficult to witness
but inevitable
if not necessary
like the first scuff on a new white shoe
it is a daily lesson to be learned
to feel with innocence
to believe that yes
a kiss on the lips
truly does go
straight down to the heart

NH

2008-06-17T01:53:00.000-07:00

"The Faithful" (mixed media)

2008-06-17T01:47:00.000-07:00

"The Good Red Road" (oil on wood)

105 in the Shade

2008-06-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

the rattle and skid
of a can being kicked down the street
has no room for echo in this heat
somehow a dove with electric blue eyeshadow
has managed to make it's way to the seeded feeder
while a male lights beside her hoping to generate
a little heat and seed of his own
my beer is full of flies
drunk and drowning
and the sunflowers have all wilted
under the wrath of their namesake
my youngest
newly two
squeals and splashes in six inches of water
and yet again
i realize that i have alot to learn from her

NH

2008-06-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

there is nothing in this room
save the sound
of ice
slowly melting
in a glass

Amsterdam

2008-06-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

it is hard to imagine
that a mere seventy years ago
these streets were filled
with the tremble and sorrow
of guns, tanks and boots
this elegant antiquity
of stone, brick and morter
now plastered with placards
for ipod and prada
techno kids
dressed for space
swarm to the house beats and blips
with swimming eyes and sweating lips
eons away from the grounded ease
of accordian and violin
still
romance thrives
in each spoke
of every bike
along each canal

NH

The Weeping Meadow

2008-06-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

Music and stills from the film by Theo Angelopoulos. I watched it the other night and these images have been haunting me since. A stunningly beautiful film. It is Greek Tragedy for sure and very slow paced, but I welcome that in the midst of these mad rush, non stop, sound bite, instant gratification, ever grinding days. And too, I am, of course, a sucker for melancholy.

The Cheap Sweet Stuff

2008-06-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

you can always find the junkies, whores, cops and poets
at the donut shop
they've all got a weakness for the cheap, sweet stuff
sucking the sugar off their thumb and forefingers
white powder in the corner of their mouths
eyes rolling in the back of their heads
as the eyelids slowly drop closed
staying up too late
working too many hours
under strenuous conditions
all providing a service
all but the junkies that is
the donut shop owners are almost always korean
with some gaudy little shrine over the register
while some fruity incense burns and blends
with the smell of fried dough and stale smoke
a 70's cop show flickers on the black and white t.v
with tinfoil and a coat hanger
like some alien stork fallen from the sky
they fled their country for this
a better life
their little slice of the pie
and each of us under these buzzing fluorescent lights
are taking some kind of comfort in the others presence
all milling about in the american dream

NH