Newsletter - May 05'

Another birthday has come and gone for me, and again, I had many friends come through for me. Let me first thank all those who came out in support of Steve Zanaveck of Spanky’s, and my birthday, on May 1st. It was so incredibly packed over there, and I have no doubt that Steve got a great contribution to his medical bills. Thanks to Rhett Anthony, Blake Harlow, the Skipmeister, Damon King, "Big" Mike, and Gary "Pops" Thompson for all joining me onstage. Thanks for the b-day gifts from G-man, Liz, and Jenny - just wonderful stuff! And thanks to Spanky’s for taking such good care of all of the musicians, and myself, who played that day. It was an 8-hour music fest/birthday party!

I’m staying busy these days, mainly out of town, it seems. Sundays at Spanky’s are going so good and I am glad Charles Pierce, of the Damon King Band, has been back for a few jams on percussion. The Tuesday afternoons at Margaritaville have been nice, fun, and laid back - I meet lots of folks from out of town and have moved some CDs across the nation. Hopefully, that bread cast upon the water will return to me someday. My first performance at the Columbia Street Tap Room got me two more Thursdays this summer. I’ll be back there for May 12 and June 16. I’ll still make my usual stops at Superior Grill and On the Half Shell this month. Also, I picked up some Wednesdays at Ditcharo’s, also known as "The Ditch," in the CBD of New Orleans - corner of Carondelet and Girod. If you are down there on a Wednesday, there are concerts in Lafayette Square, a couple of blocks away, from 5pm-7:30pm - then I play at 8pm at the Ditch. Great concerts in that square, like Sonny Landreth and Marcia Ball - see http://wats.neworleans.com

Happy birthday to Joel Fitzgerald, and Happy Anniversary to Joel and Angie - both this month. Their new baby should show up this month, too!

Oh, my vacation last month - I said I’d tell you all. I went to Arizona to visit with my Moms. I flew into Phoenix and rented a car and headed up to the Grand Canyon - my first time ever! Spectacular! I spent the night, got up and hiked some, then headed over to the four corners and Monument Valley. That was incredible, too. I had a great guide and my own personal tour of that Navajo land. It is not a National Park and is very jealously guarded and personal to that tribe. My guide was a white man, who married a Native American, and I learned a lot. Fantastic day - check out www.blacksmonumentvalleytours.com if you ever think of going on that trip/tour - ask for Shane. I drove back through Flagstaff, Sedona (I had seen that before, but it is just beautiful), and on down to Phoenix to visit with Mom and Dusty (that’s her guy). Great visit. Also, that night and the next, I saw U2 IN CONCERT!! Oh my goodness - just one of my favorite and world’s best bands, for two shows. Bono is "the" front man - had ‘em in the palm of his hands. Better show on the second night, but really incredible stuff. It was a great trip.

What a cool April and May it has been. I’m moved into the new house and trying to make it my own. It certainly has its own set of issues and keeps me very busy. The weather has been amazing. Oh, we made it to JazzFest to see BB KING!! I’ve got pictures of all these travels and shows. With all due apologies, I will try to update the photos page of my website, soon. I know, I know.... I said that already!

You treat me like a king, my friends - I am so grateful.

See you soon,

Kirk