It’s been a whirlwind 4 months!  Having performed over 30 shows, in addition to appearing at, perhaps, 40-some-odd Open Mics, finally assembled an incredible band, and almost completely sold out the first run of my new album (9 copies left, for those of you keeping track), I officially call it a wrap.

I’ll be taking a month off from shows and Open Mics to devote my efforts into scheduling my ‘07/’08 college tour.  Want me to come to your school?  Comment below and I’ll get in touch with you.

I will return with news of my pending tour on October 13th, when I rock the Twisted Tree Cafe with Sarah Donner, Ben Sbar, David DiGioia and Mike Shearer.  In the meanwhile, you can grab your fair share of the few remaining, limited release, numbered copies of my new album, Disconnect, over in the store, or download it from the music section.

And bonus points go to those of you who caught the Peter Searcy reference in the title of this post.  Pat yourselves on the back; you rock!

We played The Saint, last night.  It was our first time playing out together.  Hell, it was my first time playing out with a band, period.  It felt really good, and everyone who was there seemed very impressed (not the friendly, “you were so good”, but a serious amount of surprise from people so used to hearing me acoustic that they had no idea how much rock I had pent up inside me).  I picked up a recording of the night, on CD, from the soundboard, but they didn’t have my guitar up enough in the mix and didn’t mic the bass amp, so even though the sound was great in the room, it didn’t translate well to anything worth posting here.  However, I’ll put up some video in a few days.  There’s also completely unconfirmed talks of last night being the start of something good.  More full band stuff?  We’ll see (I hope).

It was such a thrill seeing Peter Searcy, live.  I’ve been such a fan for so long, and I would have been there, hands down, whether I was on the bill or not (it was our first time being in the same state as one another in 8 years…I wasn’t going to pass it up).  Even just hearing him sound check was a thrill.  He played his way through songs off all four of his albums, switching off between guitar and cello, with a terrific piano player and a drummer who really knew how to pull back and let the songs speak.  It was such an insane pleasure hearing him sing, live.  He’s got such an incredible voice.  Oh, and not only did I pick up Trust Falls, Peter’s not-really-released third album, but I also found out that my copy of Could You Please and Thank You, his debut album, is completely out of print, and a collector’s item (his piano player told me that even she had to download it on iTunes).  So, if you missed the show, who knows when Peter will be back again, but do be sure to pick up his new album, Spark (which I found at FYE and on Amazon.com, so I’m sure it’s out there for you to find).

Thanks to everyone who came out, to Scott Stamper for the opportunity, to Peter Searcy for being so personable and not letting me down in the slightest, to Leo Zaccari for speaking kindly of me during his radio interview with Peter and, of course, to my incredible band, featuring Graham Schumann (of The Key to Our Secret), David DiGioia (also of The Key to Our Secret, and an incredible singer/songwriter in his own right) and Mike Shearer (of Semipop, whose forthcoming debut album is going to kick all of your asses).

If any of you have video footage or photos from last night, please be sure to post them in my You section.

This Friday will be the debut of my band. That’s right, folks. You heard it here first. My years of hoping and asipring are at an end. You finally get to hear my songs the way I hear them in my head when I play them for you on acoustic guitar. The band is comprised of Graham Schumann and David DiGioia (of The Key to Our Secret) on guitar and bass, respectively, and Mike Shearer (of Semipop) on drums.

And even that news pales in comparison to the fact that I’m OPENING FOR PETER SEARCY! Holy crap! Does this get any more exciting? Well, only if you get excited by acts like The Anderson Council, Stellar Sweet and The Specters and Matt Koziol (which you know you do).

So, to sum it up, I’ll see you at The Saint, in Asbury Park, at 8pm, THIS Friday, September 14th, where you will only pay $10 to see one of my favorite artists, the debut of my full band, other great area acts, and somebody naked (you’ll just have to show up to find out who). Oh, and bring a friend.

And for those of you celebrating, L’Shana Tova (the show starts afters sundown, so I’ll see you after services).