The Band of Brothers: News

Today marks the 6th anniversary of The Band of Brothers as a performing group! We'd like to take this time to thank all of our friends and family for your continued support. When we began we had no idea that our music would be heard throughout the world - much less outside of our little town - or that we would make so many very good friends from so many countries! Blessings to all - we certainly feel blessed by you!

Peace & Harmony,
Michael

I was mowing the lawn last night. Yes. I was bored. I figured, as long as I was bored, I might as well DO something boring. Congruency in action.
Anyway..... I was looking around and noticed what I thought was a crow, picking around the cornfield. I drove up a little closer and the ol' crow didn't fly away. Nor did the cat (yes, it's a cat, a black cat, I see it now) run away. Odd. Then I saw that the cat was eating a pice of raw corn. I shut off the mower and the kitten (yes, it's a kitten, a starving kitten, I see it now) mewled and walked over to me. OK, I see the story unfolding before my eyes. Probably you can too. Probably you're seeing this better than I did. The little one followed me back to the barn, where I set down a bowl of cat food (which he promptly swallowed whole) and introduced her to our resident cat 'Rhett' (who hissed in welcome, such a good boy). End of story? Yep. You guessed it. We're a two cat household. Named her 'Cobbes.' Rhymes with 'Hobbes'.

Peace & Harmony,
Michael

Good ol' Boo. There he was, just sittin' there. Minding his own doggie business. Up flies a hummingbird and hovers a couple of inches from his snout. Boo don't flinch. Boo don't snap. Boo and that bird simply examine each other's differences and then, as quickly as he arrived, the hummer sped off. Glad I was there to see it. Can't imagine anyone would believe me, but that's the way it is sometimes.

Peace & Harmony,
Michael

Blackberry season is here and wow! what a crop! We took a walk through the woods (although it was more of a 'stop-every-other-step-and-stuff-berries-in-your-mouth' activity than a walk.) We've had more rain than usual this August, so the berries were plumper than usual. When we arrived at 'Big Pond' we were delighted by the sight of a large turtle crusing through the water. Biggest feller I've ever seen in the pond. I couldn't tell if it was a snapper, but I think I'll wear some sneakers when I pull up cattails this weekend.

Peace & Harmony,
Michael

For the past couple of evenings, a great blue heron has made its way to the pond behind our house to assess (and probably access) the frog population. Last evening a second heron flew in from the east, landing across the pond from our more familiar friend. It was just one of those moments, folks. Hope you had a good one too.

Peace & Harmony,
Michael

This just in: there appears to be a colony of Bigfoot (Bigfeet?) in the deep woods of Georgia. These clever critters wear gorilla costumes and somehow slip out of these disguises when captured, then rejoining their Bigfeet Brethern. Assuming the initial report to be true, this is the only sense I can make of the report from the Australian Herald Sun (http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24211520-663,00.html). Certainly, it cannot be a hoax - for if it was, Bigfoot hunter Tom Biscardi would be apologizing to the world and the Bigfoot Tip Line would be shutting down in disgrace. Instead, Biscardi appears to have temporarily removed himself to a "Cone Of Silence" and the Tip Line continues to (according to AP) "search for leprechauns and the Loch Ness monster" in addition to "big cats and dinosaurs," requesting "If you see any of those, give us a call.'' So there you have it. the quest continues. In the words of Ed Wood from his film "Plan 9 From Outer Space": "future events such as these will affect you in the future." Take it from me: you can count on it.

Peace & Harmony,
Michael

Thank goodness! The Bigfoot mystery has finally been solved once and for all! No more wondering whether Bigfoot is real or only a hoax. Yep - the news conference the other day laid it out plain as can be. Bigfoot is real - we cannot deny it any longer - that is, as long as we understand the DNA sample showed that Bigfoot is 96% opposum. Yep - Bigfoot is an opposum. Thought so. Them varmints always looked way too bright when my headlights flashed on 'em just before... well, you know. So bascially, the Legend of Bigfoot boils down (in a manner of speaking) to the Legend of Road Kill.

Peace & Harmony,
Michael

Attention Outdoors Enthusiasts & Friends of P. T. Barnum: There's been another Bigfoot sighting; this time Biggy's in a freezer, and with what appears to be a gorilla mask pulled over his Bigfooty Face. And a news conference is scheduled today at noon to prove once & for all, etc. OMG! I'm sorry - I can't go on - this story is so ridiculous, I can't stop giggling while I'm typing! How do the lying liars keep a straight face? Ah well. This way to the Egress, my friends. This way to the Egress.

Peace & Harmony,
Michael

I was so very sad to learn of Solzhenitsyn's death - his life and writings have endured as inspiration throughout my adult life. One of the first books I encouraged my son to read was 'One Day In the Life of Ivan Denisovich.' A brave man and a great writer.

"The one and only substitute for experience which we have not ourselves had is art, literature” - A. Solzhenitsyn

Peace,
Michael

The intense thunder storm of the early morning gave rise to a beautiful day. As occurred last year, we were honored to follow the legendary "Salty" Austin on stage. Salty is celebrating his 90th birthday in September. It is amazing (and inspiring) that he is performing and entertaining at his ripe age - he is truly a Living Legend.

Following a months-long campaign, the family was successful in convincing me of the 'need' for another family member. Joining Rhett-Cat and Daisy-Dog is 9-month-old Boo. He seems to be half-black lab and half-pointer. I made the pointer diagnosis the other night when I took Boo for his late-evening 'stroll-'n-sniff.' Boo was busy digging a hole in my front lawn with his nose when his attention was diverted. He snapped into the finest point I have ever seen - left leg raised, tail extended, ears perked - the whole package. I, of course, was eager & interested also. What did Boo see? A raccoon? A opposum? A bear? Nope. It was an ant. A little ant. A little bitty ant that became a late-night little bitty doggy-snack. I gave a tug on Boo's leash and we went indoors. Boo held his head high with the thrill of a hunt well-done. Good boy, Boo!

Big Rain Yesterday -
Down in the valley there was flooding after 3 inches of rain pelted Dansvile in an hour. Rained pretty steady through the day and evening. Saw some spectacular lightning bolts on the drive home last night from our performance at Epworth Hall.

A doe and her two fawns stopped by our dining room window this morning as I was having coffee. Later, a buck stood and stared at me while I mowed the grounds down by the big pond. I waved and called out a big "Hello." I'm not claiming any cross-species communication, but it sure was a good moment up on the hill. Hope your day was fine too.
Peace,
Michael

The internet is a wonder I tend to take for granted. Yet, once in a while I get knocked out of my complacency. Although we put our website on-line to help our local fans get to our shows, our site statistics tell us folks come from some unlikely places. Yesterday, it was Niue, the "Rock of Polynesia." A quick check at Wikipedia told me the island nation of Niue has a population of about 1,600, with a rich musical culture. Singing is frequently a cappela, yet many modern Niuean artists have produced records and at least a couple have created music that charted. Here's my point, directed to my fellow independent musicians: Indie Music is world-wide now and no matter where you live, your music is important and capable of touching people throughout the world. Do not lose belief in your ability!

Peace,
Michael

My son Sean Smith (of "Sean Goes Pop!" fame) won First Prize in the electronic music category of the the "Upstate New York Songwriting Contest" for his composition "New York."
You can listen to it here:
Congratulations Sean!!

Arrgghh! 'Draper The Pirate' rose to #7 on the iTunes folk music chart for Pirate Songs! Blow Me Down!

Peace,
Michael

Good day for it - sunny and warm up on the Hill. Received a card and a framed watercolor painting from my son. He's a talented young man, no doubt about it.

Peace,
Michael

Standing on the back porch with a cup of coffee - watching a doe lick her fawn clean by the pond. Later, a yellow finch sits in a tree and sings to my banjo picking. Gentle rain falls. Yep. Pretty nice day.

Peace,
Michael

Doc took the splint off my little finger today - it's about as flexible as a fence post - but free to the light and air after six weeks! Woot! Woot!

Peace,
Michael

Whew! It was hot in the studio tonight! We recorded several takes of Alan Fox's song "The Palm Of Your Hand" tonight. Alan brought this song to us shortly after our last CD was completed, and we have performed it at almost every show since then - it' has always been on the 'short list' of songs for recording.

Peace,
Michael

As Bo said: "It seems to me that nobody can come up with their own thing, they have to put a little bit of Bo Diddley there." Too true - and for good reason - those 'Bo-isms' are FUN TO PLAY!! His legacy will endure, and I'll continue to slap a little Diddley into my own music. I saw Bo decades ago on a double bill with Chuck Berry at the University of Rochester - he was cool for cats and had us all jumping. Thanks for all you did Bo - you'll be missed.
Here's a video:
Peace,
Michael

Made the trip up to Rochester yesterday - walked around Highland Park and sniffed all the lilac we could stand. Beautiful. Next stop was Park Ave. for a Chocolate Almond Frozen Custard. Then on to the George Eastman House for a tour of the gardens and a showing of 'Blade Runner' at the Dryden Theater. Sci-Fi-Noir Bliss.

Peace,
Michael

Got my battered pinkie x-rayed today to make sure the tendon is staying where it belongs while healing progresses. Doc says 3 more more weeks of bondage for the little fellow. Thanks to all who have sent me well-wishes & prayers.

Peace,
Michael

Happy Mother's Day to all - we spent a relaxing morning watching two doe browsing at the edge of the woods. A turkey wandered by and birds were singing everywhere. True beauty.
Peace,
Michael

Tulips are up. May Apples too. Went outside and tossed the ol' football around with my son. Dinged my pinkie finger & now its sporting a brace for the next 6 weeks while the tendon heals. Guess it's time to brush up on three-fingered chord positions. All prayers gratefully accepted.
Peace,
Michael