Hi all,

Wanted to share some news from my new home in Los Angeles.  It's been a blast to connect with some musicians out here this year... The past several months have included gigs with Angus and Julia Stone (a month-long tour opening for Brett Dennen and then a month of solo shows -- these also included Matt Johnson on drums); one-offs playing bass with Brett Dennen in LA, and also with a fellow former-Bostonian, Kay Hanley (frontwoman for Letters to Cleo).  I've also done some shows with the eclectic guitarist/composer/arranger/musicologist (and occasional Terry Adams sideman) Skip Heller.  A trip to Boston in July gave occasion for an Eye On You EP-release show at the Lizard Lounge with some good friends: Lorne Entress (d), Russell Chudnofsky (g), Ben Keyes (p) and Joe Klompus (b).  Rounding out the bill were Merrie Amsterburg and David Champagne's new group PaperScissors.  Right after that was a quick trip to NYC to play bass with Aimee Mann and her band on the Jimmy Fallon Show.  These gigs were sandwiched between a couple of dates playing bass with the Shinolas, a great band based in Hartford and led by Big Al Anderson's guitarist Jim Chapdelaine.

On the recording end of things, Angus, Julia, Matt and I tracked several songs at producer/bassist Brad Albetta's studio in Brooklyn for A+J's next studio release.  Later in the summer I had the honor of recording a new version of Red Yellow, an old Treat Her Right song, for inclusion in a series of Mark Sandman tribute recordings issued by Hi N Dry.  The band rocked!  It included Amy Fairchild on backing vox, Russell Chudnofsky on electric guitar, Ben Keyes on piano, and Andy Plaisted on drums.  More info on that can be found at HinDry.com.  In addition, August left room for recording a couple new tunes at Paul Kolderie's Camp Street Studios in Cambridge: one is a song written with Aimee Mann, and the other's an old Nat King Cole number.  The band on these tunes is wonderful: Lyle Brewer, guitar; Sonny Barbato, keys; and Lorne Entress, drums.  Last but not least, the opportunity recently arose to play bass with the great drummer Dave Mattacks on some new songs by the multi-talented Dave Godowsky at Hi N Dry.  They're being produced by Neil Cleary and engineered by Dan Cardinal.  A pleasure indeed it is to make music with such fine people and musicians.

- KK