We ended the month with back-to-back shows at the Main Street Cafe in Concord, Massachusetts on the 27th and at our “spiritual home” Vincent’s in Worcester on the 28th.  Main Street gave us an opportunity to turn the volume down and perform without drums and the result was magical. Due to circumstances beyond his control, drummer Andy performed with a snare drum & percussion at Vincent’s the following night so we really changed up the sound as we’d planned- and unplanned.  Change is good, and I’m excited about presenting the nuances of the songs, the vocals and the musicianship of the band with a more “stripped-down” approach to ensemble performance.  I look forward to perfecting this approach as we go– it sounds more “modern” and it opens up new venues for us as a band.

I started writing again upon my return from Italy- inspired and excited- and we will spend May rehearsing and developing new material.  I recently posted a new piece, “You Should’ve Warned Me”,  on my FaceBook page, http://www.facebook.com/johncatemusic.  Please check out my FB page for current information, both music-related & personal.

I will also return to LA in May to continue licensing efforts with American Music Partners and our longtime publisher, Heavy Hitters.  I missed LA & Malibu in April- it was the first month in over a year I hadn’t spent time in LA and I’m actually “homesick”!  Showing up is its own reward and this month I’ll be seeing some folks I haven’t seen for a few months and preparing for events this summer & next fall with SESAC, BillBoard/Hollywood Reporter and individual writers & directors.  I’ll also continue writing with Jenn Raudman, who produced our first co-written song last month that we’ll be pitching in Nashville.  Amazingly, I re-met Jenn last summer after 16 years.  We first met when she was an intern at the studio where we recorded our very first record, “Set Free”, in 1996.  Life is funny…

We will hit June hard as a band beginning Friday, June 1st with a return to the Dolphin Striker in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  We’re delighted to return to the Striker, especially in time for the good weather!  On Saturday, June 2, we return to Vincent’s Worcester and to Toad Cambridge on Saturday June 9th.  At some point this summer we will also return to the Indian Ranch in Webster, MA and to the Main Street Cafe in Concord.

Life continues to unfold with wonderful opportunities and I’m excited about the months to come here and on the West Coast, and in New York and Nashville.  I’m very grateful to be traveling, performing, creating, recording and working with interesting, passionate people.  Life is good and I am a very lucky guy.

I look forward to seeing you in the weeks ahead.

Love,

John

As the van Gogh Brothers continue to perform & record, I’ve been drilling deeper into publishing & song placement for our vast catalog and the songs and music of several of our good friends.  This is what I’d always hoped my publishing entity American Music Partners would be about so it is a long time coming, and long overdue.  Many of my close friends have encouraged me to pursue this course over the past year or so and I’m grateful for the encouragement and opportunity to do so.

The key to so much of life is showing up.  The music business is largely based in Los Angeles these days, and of course Nashville remains the songwriting center of the world.  My work with the van Gogh Brothers, with eMusic, with TuneCore and the other music-centric companies I’ve been associated with over the years, including work that pre-dates the van Gogh Brothers, has all come together as I continue meeting and re-meeting contacts throughout the business on the East and West Coasts and in Music City.  It’s a small world which continues to expand & shrink as I “show up” month after month.  I’m beginning to get invitations from filmmakers, music supervisors and A&R reps for our catalog and my writing and of course as I navigate the “new” environment for music & film, other related opportunities have appeared.  I’ve heard it said that “TV is the new radio” and I think as things change this is true.  It has always been my personal desire to grow in publishing, and I also believe that our recognition as a band will come from these efforts.

The internet has changed things for creators and of course has had an impact on distributors and the studios and record labels.  What I see as one of the biggest changes is the “dilution” of human contact- we interact at such a fast and impersonal pace that in many ways we’ve lost sight of the human element that is so critical- and may be more critical now in an environment of vast amounts of information- that will always be the most important part of music and other creative expressions. Because of this, I see “showing up” as being more important now than ever before.  It also gives me an opportunity to “video journal” my travels with beautiful photographs and interesting encounters as I go.  I pretty much keep this “travelogue” current at www.facebook.com/johncatemusic.

March & April have shaped up as busy times starting with Jess Tardy’s show at Bull McCabe’s in Somerville on Friday March 9th where Paul & I will guest with Jess & her band, and continuing on the following night at Toad in Cambridge for a full van Gogh Brothers show at 10 with Mike Levesque joining us on drums.  Mid-month I return to LA for more follow-on meetings, photo ops and general chicanery with a return at month end for Vincent’s on Saturday March 31st.  April is still booking out with Main Streets in Concord Mass for Friday the 27th, as a non-drummer, semi-acoustic night– a return to old times in some ways… Mid-month I get to experience my birthday “surprise” which is an amazing 10 day trip to Italy.  I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I’m definitely pinching myself over this one…

For those of you interested in booking, please write to me at the address here and I will forward inquiries to Paul & Steve who are taking over booking our live dates.

Happy Spring to all, and I hope we’ll see you soon!

Love,

John