For Unto (half of) Us, A Child Is Born!

So, in the last round of gigs, Michael met me in Chicago, and we played a really fun concert for the folks at Concordia University, thereabouts. (Note to self: you can always get a bigger crowd when your concert is held on Parents' Weekend. Kind of a captive audience.)

Following that, I took Michael to the airport so he could go home early. (The reason for that will be clear in a moment.) The next two nights, I played our portion of the gigs with our pals Agape' and Rachel Kurtz. There were really fun (for me), but I don't think I'd want to make a habit of it. In other words, don't be looking for any solo career out of this piano player. Maybe at some point (if I figure out the technology) I'll post some mp3's from those unusual gigs.

But on to more important matters . . .

So, on September 18th, Geneva Layne Bridges was born at home in Los Angeles. There are stats about length and weight, but really, what do those mean when you think about it, right?

The important thing is that she was born healthy, and the parents are filled with nothing but joy.







And those pictures are worth 2,000 words, if I remember my cliche's correctly. Thus, this is the longest and happiest blog posting you're going to be getting out of this erstwhile blogger!

later,

george

It Is HERE!!!

Okay, we couldn't resist. With all the possibilities, calling our new album "HERE" seemed the right thing to do.

However, it also seems an appropriate name for reasons beyond the ever-expanding opportunities for humor.

HERE was recorded before and after concerts while on tour over the course of a few weekends. That meant, prior to playing a concert, we would set up my laptop, fire up the Protools, and lay down as many tracks as we could each night.

The result is not the smoothest-sounding recording we've ever had. (See if that thought doesn't scare you away!) On the contrary, the sound of HERE is just what it is. And in this virtual-world way of doing things, where I write to you on my computer and then post it on a server somewhere in . . . well, who knows where?. . . an opportunity to focus on HERE is perhaps just a little bit subversive in some ways.

Moreover, in this world of auto-tune, professional studio musicians, professional songwriting teams, and lip-syncing, I like to think there's something to be said for going back to recording like Jackson Brown might.

So, like I say, it's a bit more raw than the other albums you will hear this year, but HERE is actually here. It's us; no smoke and mirrors and studio tricks. If you are familiar with our previous albums, you'll know that we've never put much money and effort into the perfect recording. Our emphasis from the beginning has been on the live concert, where the people are. In a sense, if you are HERE, and we are HERE, then we're exactly where we want to be.

Check out the new album, and come see us on tour when we're in your area.

Wherever you are, it's always HERE, right?

george

Later that same year . . .

So, guess what? We didn't fall off the edge of the earth, that's what! Isn't that cool? Yeah, we thought you'd think so.

However, what has been happening in the past few months seems to have been taking a whole lot of Lost And Found's time. Let's see, from where we left off, it was April, I believe. Half the band had become married, and half the band preached a sermon, and the whole band enjoyed themselves so much that they forgot to update this blog thing for months on end. Since it would be overwhelming to try and tell you everything that happened, I will just blaze through and give you the basic overview . . .

After the wedding, Jesus rose from the dead. Then we played Saginaw, Chelsea, and South Haven Michigan, then Plano Texas (not too fancy, mind you). In May, we played Ann Arbor, I was honored as a "Distinguished Alumnus" by my Alma Mater (I'm guessing they're going in alphabetical order), we played Excelsior and St. Paul Minnesota, and Little Rock, Arkansas. A Few days later, I graduated from school. They gave me a diploma in Latin. It looks really nice, but I can't read it. Apparently one of the courses I should have taken was Latin.



Then we played in St Louis, and called May finished.

The next month turned out to be June, so we headed off to the appropriate gigs. First up was Ft. Wayne Indiana, followed by St. Joseph Michigan. Then I drove the first round of stuff from our apartment to our new duplex in Ohio and unloaded same. Had my own ontological change ceremony. Then we played in Florence Alabama, then Bellevue, Chagrin Falls, Westerville and Groveport, which are all in Ohio. From there, Cowen West Virginia. Then my wife and I went to see Waiting for Godot. With June coming to an end, I rented yet another truck, my family and friends helped us load our final possessions into said truck, and we headed west, into the Ohio sunset.

Which meant, it was July. Within an hour of arriving at our new house, the cat died. This is what is called an inauspicious start. Then with boxes piled high in our home, I headed off on tour. We played the July gigs, which were Washington DC, Wichita (kin about), and Knoxville. Then Michael represented at a party in honor of our old pal Tic, and I unpacked a box or two. Then we spent a few excellent days in New Orleans, and drove to Lamoni, Iowa. From there, we drove to Minneapolis and flew home, where I played at a wedding, Michael performed one, and Troy did as well. It was Wacky Wedding Weekend!

Then came August. After a week at camp with my family, I flew to Colorado, where Michael met me and we played Estes Park, Loveland, and Littleton. From there we went to Minneapolis, where we took Troy out for a lovely dinner in honor of his 10 years with us. Then we had a swing through Nebraska, playing Lincoln, Norfolk, and Grand Island. Then I flew home, and Michael golfed his way to Minneapolis. We met up in Albany, where we played at THE First Lutheran Church in North America. Yeah, I know! Then we had a week off, until we zipped over (or down) to Texas to play in Flower Mound, and flew back home.

And you know what that meant? Of course . . . September.

So, see, it isn't that much to cover when all you do is list the places, right? I'm hoping to get more consistent with updating, now that the move is finished and the cat has been replaced. (Of course, there is no replacing Manny, I'm just saying.)

A few notes of housekeeping:

1) We have no created an actual profile on Facebook, since the groups and fan page stuff seems like too much work. Thus, if you want to befriend us, search for LostAnd Found. (It had to be written that way, since Facebook is all clever and stuff.)

2) We're well into booking dates in the Spring of 2010 in earnest. (Which sounds like the name of a town in Texas.) So, if you've been thinking about contacting us, now is the time. You can write to us at lafbooking@aol.com, or call us at 419.897-9792.

3) We have been recording tracks for a new album before and after concerts for the last month. It makes for some chaotic pre-concert racing around, but just this afternoon I laid down one piano solo on a song, meaning all the tracks are now recorded. The new album will be HERE sometime this month. Details can be found at the website, once we have some details. Meantime, I've got some mixing to do.

4) We trust that you are rocking on.

george