The post below was copied from Americana Roots LA.
I'll be the guy you hear playing drums on the Boz Scaggs track.  Please Buy the CD or download when it is released. Dave Alvin and many other great musicians put a lot of love and work into the tribute. Thanks.

Chris Gaffney tribute CD to be released in March ..

The music of LA country-soul artist Chris Gaffney, who died last year while undergoing treatment for liver cancer, will be celebrated in a forthcoming compilation, A Man of Somebody’s Dreams: A Tribute to the Songs of Chris Gaffney. The project was initiated by longtime friend Dave Alvin after the cancer was diagnosed, as a fundraising effort to help with enormous medical bills. Now a tribute to Gaff's musical legacy, the album features contributions from Alvin, Gaffney's Hacienda Brothers bandmate Dave Gonzalez, Big Sandy y Los Straitjackets, Calexico, Peter Case, John Doe, Joe Ely, Alejandro Escovedo, Freddy Fender, Robbie Fulks, the Iguanas, Jim Lauderdale with Ollabelle, Los Lobos, James McMurtry, Dan Penn, Tom Russell and Boz Scaggs. It's scheduled to be released March 31 by Yep Roc.

For a full song list, go to yeproc.com/news.php?articleId=5810. To learn more about Chris Gaffney and his music, visit helpgaff.com and myspace.com/helpgaff. .. ........

I'd like to send a huge thanks to everyone that attended the Dog and Pony show at Safari Sam's a week ago. It was great to see such tremendous support for Los Angeles musicians. It was a blast playing with Dave G, Hank and David B once again. It was a pleasure to see old fans of the band and meet some new fans as well. I also had a ball on Monday playing with Skip Heller and Mike Stinson. A big thanks goes out to Dave Alvin for having the idea for the benefit and seeing it through. Anyone that deals with musicians and their schedules knows that a three day benefit is no easy thing to pull off. Dave did a fantastic job, not to mention his excellent performances with his bands. I think his good buddy Chris Gaffney would have been happy to see how it all turned out, especially since no one had to miss watching any football in order to attend. Thanks again to all of you music lovers. See you down the road.

If you're reading this, I'm guessing that you know I've been drumming for the Hacienda Brothers for the last five years. I thought I would use this space to clear up any misconceptions about upcoming H Bros' tour dates. With the passing of my good friend and our lead singer, Chris Gaffney, the state of the band has become somewhat fluid. I will be playing with the Hacienda Brothers on June 5, opening for Dave Alvin at the Belly Up. On Saturday, June 7, I'll be playing with the H Bros at the Ink and Iron Festival in Long Beach. Both shows start at 9PM. The band for those two shows will be the four remaining Hacienda Brothers: Dave Gonzalez, David Berzansky, Hank Maninger and myself. We decided to do these two SoCal dates and donate what we could to the Gaffney family for medical bills, etc.

Following those dates, Dave Gonzalez will be touring to support the upcoming release of the final Bros' album, Arizona Motel. I will not be on that tour. Some of those dates will be billed as the Hacienda Brothers. Personally, I can't see being a part of a Hacienda Brothers that does not contain Chris Gaffney, David Berzansky and Hank Maninger. The key word is "personally." I realize everyone will react to Gaff's passing differently. I certainly respect Dave G's wish to continue playing the songs that he wrote for the Hacienda Brothers. For me, playing those songs without hearing Gaff's voice, Hank's solid bass playing and seeing my good friend David Berzansky, who never failed to musically amaze me every night, would make for a very tough gig. I'm confident that Dave G, Hank, David B and I will play together again in various configurations. I look forwad to that.

Again, I realize this is the music business and bands continue under similar situations. AC/
DC went on to sell millions with a new singer. Every band situation is different. I just want anyone that is checking in on my blog to know that I won't be on this tour and my reasoning for that.

I do love touring and I hope to hit the road again, once I find a new musical situation. I've met so many great people and seen amazing places, all while getting to play music. It's a real privilege. When something comes about, I'll be posting it here.

I'd like to thank the good folks that came to H Bros shows and/or purchased CDs. Also, thanks to all of you that gave your money, time and talents to Chris Gaffney during his illness. It was truly moving to see the support from so many friends and fans.

Hopefully, I'll see some of you this weekend at the Belly Up or Ink and Iron Festival. If not, just keep your ears open and I'll see you somewhere down the road.

Here is a link to what I feel is a fine article about the great Chris Gaffney.

http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/2008/04/0424xlgaffney.html

Please check it out.

Also, don't forget to visit www.helpgaff.com . The medical bills will still be coming in after Gaff's unfortunate passing.

Thanks.

I'll be writing something long (probably way too long) about my good friend, Chris Gaffney, in the days ahead. In the meantime, I just wanted to thank everyone for their generous support and kind words for both Chris and the Hacienda Brothers. It's a great thing to know that Chris and his music touched so many lives. I am so happy to have been a part of that for the last five years. This took me by surprise. Perhaps it shouldn't have, but it did. I think it will take all of us quite awhile to get through this, but we will. In the meantime, keep the music playing, think of some funny stuff (probably something Gaff did) and for Chrissake, be good to each other. I think that's probably what Gaff would have wanted.

If you are a fan of the Hacienda Brothers or Dave Alvin, you may already know that my musical brother and great friend, Chris Gaffney, is in need of financial support for the treatment of liver cancer. Please, please, please go to helpgaff.com and give whatever you can. Anyone that knows Gaff or has heard him sing knows that he is absolutely one of a kind.

There will be musical benefits in the future, but the main thing now is to build financial support ($60,000 is needed) for Gaff’s chemotherapy. The info below is copied from helpgaff.com, a website set up by Gaff’s family and Dave Alvin.

HOW TO DONATE

Checks payable to:
Chris Gaffney Recovery Fund
c/o Helen Gaffney
403 43RD ST
Oakland, CA 94609

Direct deposit or wire transfer:
Chris Gaffney Recovery Fund
Wells Fargo Bank
C/O Miles Armstead
151 40th St
Oakland Ca 94609
Account 8862437038
Routing 121042882

If you are donating through a Wells Fargo account from out of state, please indicate that your donation is going into a CA account. Thank you!

You can also e-mail bengaffney@helpgaff.com for the html code to add a HELP GAFF banner to your site.

Thanks so much.

I suppose if you want to really get technical, and so many people do, this will not really be an ode. It's the best term I could come up with, though.

Suzanne Pleshette passed away on Saturday. She was 70 years old. Now you might say, why is this musician writing about the passing of this movie/television actress instead of mourning the passing of some obscure blind harmonica player or something of that sort. I'm not really sure why I'm writing this. I guess I just felt something needed to be said.

Ms. Pleshette was probably best known for playing Emily Hartley, the wife of psychologist Bob Hartley on the Bob Newhart Show. It takes quite an actress to hold her own working with the great comic genius of Bob Newhart. Ms. Pleshette was such an actress. In fact, the New York Times said in Ms. Pleshette's obit that she "redefined the 70s sitcom wife." I would go even further. I think Pleshette redefined the role of a woman, in general, on television. Pleshette's Emily was not a character that mindlessly doted on her husband. Nor was she some sort of new 70s feminist that had a strong dislike for men and their man things. Here was a woman that could be a full time worker, a school teacher in fact, and was even a Mensa member. Pleshette played the part of Newhart's equal in marraige wonderfully. If the line between Emily and Suzanne Pleshette blurred, it was probably because, as Pleshette said in an interview, her marraige was very similar to the Hartleys' television characters. Again quoting the NY Times, Pleshette's Emily was the three S's: smart, sardonic and sexy.

Back in the day, or night, when The Tonight Show was the only game in late night town. Ms. Pleshette would pop in and chat with Johnny Carson on a somewhat regular basis. This was back when people that sat on the Carson couch were just kind of hanging out and talking about life in Hollywood. Robert Blake would get on the couch, stoned out of his mind, and tell the American public that they needed to take the same pain killers that he was currently using. Those pain killers were for back pain, as Carson would quickly point out in an effort to keep everything above board. But, I digress. Ms. Pleshette would come on the show and talk about life at home or shooting the Newhart show, whatever came to mind. You could tell quickly that Pleshette was a woman who was even more frank and outspoken than her character on Newhart. She was just as smart, sardonic and, yes, sexy. Although, I didn't personally find her all that sexy. I think it was probably that hairstyle that was so popular with the 70s actresses like Florence Henderson. That put me off a little. Pleshette was also known to enjoy telling "dirty" jokes and was free with the x-rated expletives. My kind of gal.

In her later years, Ms. P. married Tom Poston, another great character actor from Newhart's shows. He was "the Peeper" on the Bob Newhart Show. Pleshette said of Poston, "He had fun every day of his life." What a great thing to say about your husband. I saw them together one evening as they were leaving the dining room of the Hamburger Hamlet on Sunset. They were chatting with other friends on their way out of the restaurant. I must say, they looked very comfortable and happy with each other. It turns out they lived in the towers in the next block. I think the Hamburger Hamlet was a comfortable hang for them. Mr. Poston passed away earlier in the year.

Again, I really have no idea why I'm so compelled to give Suzanne Pleshette such a send off in writing. Perhaps because she was such a strong presence on what I consider to be one of the funniest and human shows ever to be squeezed into 30 minutes of television, The Bob Newhart Show. If you've never seen it, buy or rent the DVD or catch it on cable. Brilliant stuff.

I raise a glass to Suzanne Pleshette: one classy lady who wasn't afraid to use the blue expletives. Cheers.

The AMA award results are in on the Hacienda Brothers nomination for Group of the Year. Let's just say it was great to be nominated. The award went to the Avett Brothers. I will say once again, it was indeed an honor to be nominated. Thanks to all the folks that voted for us. It was an unbelievable experience to be on the Ryman stage on a program that included Emmylou Harris, Joe Ely, Lyle Lovett, Jim Lauderdale (the excellent master of ceremonies), Buddly Miller and the house band and all the nominees.
The Hacienda Brothers performed the title track from "What's Wrong With Right." Dan Penn joined us onstage in his finest overalls. The Ryman is a very resonant room because of all the wood in the auditorium. Every performer sounded pretty good from where I was sitting. During the show there was very little chatting backstage because the sound carries out to the front of the hall very easily.
A big personal moment for me was getting to meet and chat with monster drummer, Brady Blade. He's a fantastic guy and a musician's musician. He was the drummer for Buddy Miller's house band. There's a photo of Brady and me in my photo collection.
After the awards show, the Bros hot footed it over 3rd and Lindsley for our afterparty gig. The Bros were joined onstage by Bill Kirchen, Sarah Brown, Mike Stinson, Randy Weeks and Earle Poole Ball. It was a gas getting to play with all those fantastic musicians. A big thanks goes to Beatle Bob for the fantastic introduction and, of course, for his top notch dancing.
The days immediately following the awards have been spent in Dan Penn's recording studio. The Bros are working on tunes for the next album. As much as we would have loved to have caught some showcases, the sessions resulted in some long days that kept us from getting out to see any bands. That's the way it goes. It's a trade off. I did manage to get to have breakfast with my old pal Dallas Wayne. He tells me he has a new album in the works. I can't wait to hear it.
The last note about the AMA awards - Hank had his photo taken with Lyle Lovett to prove that they are not one and the same.

Until next time...

So. The Hacienda Brothers are about to hit the road, or in my case the skies, again. We'll be starting in the Midwest (my favorite area) and working on down to the southeast on this leg of the tour. The middle of the tour will be marked by the band getting the high honor of playing at the Ryman auditorium in Nashville for the AMA Awards (that's Americana Music Association, not the doctors). We've been nominated for group of the year. The house band for the show will be led by Buddy Miller. Emmylou Harris is scheduled to perform, as are Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, Ricky Skaggs and a list of folks too numerous to mention here. I can't even begin to explain what an honor it is to know that I'm going to be on the same stage as all those folks.


The Bros work a lot and we've been very fortunate. One of the areas where we've been fortunate is in the quality of bands that often share the bill with us. Of course, it goes without saying that playing with bands like Los Lobos and Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men is an absolute pleasure and an education. But, there are other bands out there as well that I've really enjoyed hearing and getting to know.

On our last European tour, we played twice with a great band called Ollabelle. The band blends gospel with folk, blues and whatever else they want to throw in. Their vocal harmonies and musicianship are just outstanding. Check them out on myspace or, if you live in the northeast, you can check them out live pretty often.

On our last tour of the Midwest, we played a house concert in St. Paul with Molly Maher and her Disbelievers. They're another fine band. I guess I would put them more in the roots rock category, but I dislike all the categories. It's like writing about the color red. You just have to check it out for yourself. The descriptions won't cut it. Molly and the band work regularly in Minneapolis/St Paul. Don't miss them if you're in the neighborhood.
Also on our Midwest tour, we met up again with Trampled by Turtles. They are more friendly Minnesotans. These guys tear it up with acousic instruments and NO DRUMMER! I still dig them, even though they work without a drummer. Hard to believe. Last time we played with them, they closed with a smokin' version of the Sloop John B.

Right here in L.A., we were on the bill with one of my all time favorite singer/songwriters, Mike Stinson. Mike mixes the high lonesome sound with a telecaster, a great band and the evening's beer of choice. His songs are excellent, and I mean every one of them. The Mother Truckers, from Austin, were on the same bill. Every player in that band is a monster. The songs are once again, top notch. Josh, the guitar player, puts the rock in country rock. They blow the doors off everywhere they play.

There are lots more great folks that we've played with, known and lesser known; Joe Ely, Shooter Jennings, Martha Scanlan, Band of Actuals, Dale Peterson. I could try to do them justice with my descriptions, but it's better if you just trust me that they're worth checking out. Hopefully, you know about some of these folks already.

I should be packing instead of writing, but I just felt that people who take the time to read this stuff should know that there are great bands out there. They deserve support. It's not easy out there in these days of the American Idol.

Thanks for checking in. I hope to see you out there on the road. Please come up and say hello.

I've had some people asking how things went in Denver on Saturday night. That was our first performance since Dave G. broke his wrist in a motorcycle accident a few weeks back. It was also the first Bros gig in about three months, our longest break since the band started touring. People from Denver could and just might write in and say how they felt the show went. I thought it went pretty well, given the givens. Dave's hand flew off in the middle of the first song and everyone in the first couple of rows was sprayed with blood. I'm kidding, of course. Dave played like a champ. I don't think anyone could have known that he was even injured. We did the usual one hour set with no short cuts in the set list. We had the pleasure of opening for Big Sandy. They turned in a top notch performance. I was very impressed by their new drummer. The audience was mighty nice and very appreciative to both bands. The Arvada Amphitheater is a great outdoor venue with a professional and very friendly crew. It felt good to be back on stage with the guys.
Now it's back to a month's worth of gigs, starting with a big free show at the Santa Monica Pier on Thursday night. There should be some more stories to tell in the weeks ahead. Check back at your leisure.