Below is a former post that somehow got deleted. Not my fault. It was the computer’s fault. It always is.

Well it’s official. I have been inducted into the great Moss Mountain Project, and I’m absolutely honored. I first heard these guys at Toad, here in Cambridge, when a few of my remaining synapses connected and started doing the tango in my head. For some reason Toad almost exclusively books people that have recently decided to read their diaries over the three chords they just learned how to play on their $3000 guitar. Moss Mountain Project had no business being there.
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Just wanted to let you all know I’ll be playing this Saturday at Kennedy’s Midtown, at 9:00. I’m doing a solo set with cello and guitar, then joining Moss Mountain Project with the cello on the second act. This is part of our “Evening of Doom Folk” series, so if you like folk, and you happen to be a doomed soul, then by all means stop by and have a beer with us.
Plus, there’s a possibility for extended partying afterwards, as some friends who will be attending have mentioned a goings-on of a mighty “fiesta!”…

Kennedy’s Midtown
42 Province Street
Boston, MA 02109
Phone: 617-426-3333
Saturday, February 2nd.
9:00PM
$5

Would love to see you there…
-El Bus Rey

This is awesome:

“Volunteer says he was ‘very unhappy’ about changes to his jazz selections…

…AUSTIN, Texas - A volunteer at a community radio station set fire to the station because he was upset that his song selections for an overnight Internet broadcast were changed, police said.

Paul Webster Feinstein, 24, has been charged with second-degree felony arson for the Jan. 5 fire, which caused $300,000 worth of damage to the studios of 91.7 FM KOOP. He faces from two to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted…

…Feinstein was a jazz fan and his Internet program was called ‘Mellow Down Easy’…”

Read original article…

Just put another song at the bottom of my music page. It’s another John Fahey tune I recorded a few years ago, called “Poor Boy Long Ways From Home.”
Check it out: Poor Boy Long Ways From Home
I also put it on Youtube a while back.

I’ve started a new blog, called “The Aging Chronicles.” It’s intended to be a news source about the science of aging. This is a topic I’ve been interested in for a while, and after doing some web surfing I realized I couldn’t really find what I was looking for. There are plenty of sites on aging research, but they are either not interactive, or too technical, or trying to sell bogus rejuvenation products, or all of the above. I’m going to try to keep an updated blog on the latest interesting scientific findings, and summarize them all in one place for the general public. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep up, but I figure I’ll try it for a few months and see how it goes. Also, it forces me to educate myself about it again. Right now, all I’m doing is building up a list of links and books on the topic. You can keep track of my progress, and let me know how I’m doing by commenting on the posts, or just emailing me.

Other blogs I’ve been thinking of starting:
- Something on cichlid fish that bridges between the scientists/research, and the hobbyists who just have to know everything about every species in the family, Cichlidae.
- A site on social injustice, covering topics such as The City of Cambridge Department of Traffic, Parking & Transportation, illegal wars, people cutting you in line in CVS, John Edwards’ haircuts……….

South of the Pumphouse
This is a mediocre book, by an extraordinary musician. I went to his reading at Porter Square Bookstore a while back. Why he came to this sorry excuse for a bookstore, I still can’t quite comprehend…but that’s another story. Anyways, I didn’t even care whether or not the book was good when I bought it. It was written by one of my musical idols.
If you’re a big Les Claypool fan, I would say go ahead and buy it. Many of the characters are drawn from his real-life friends and family, so you can get some insight into his past, and what makes him tick. It’s an easy read, and good for a few laughs. However, in the end I had to reluctantly admit to myself that this could have been written by any average 5th grader.
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So it turns out there exists such a thing as a “mandocello.” It is a big mandolin, tuned like a cello. All this time I thought I was pioneering my way through every dive bar in New England, playing my cello like a guitar, and it turns out people have already built an instrument just for this purpose. Not only that, but from what I gather it’s been around for centuries. Why wasn’t I notified about this?
This video is really cool for anyone interested in the instrument. They launch into a good rendition of “Whiskey Before Breakfast.” Wait for it…

And now I want one.

Whether it was out of deep admiration, or genuine pity, a gigantic philanthropist gave me my first tip of $5 today. Thank you, kind dude. Thanks for starting the cyber busking revolution.
Bus King go make music now.

I had to post one more video from the Cafe Nomad show. Once again, I’m accompanying the boys from Moss Mountain Project” nyaaaah! This was the first song we opened with, called “Sandtrap.” They are the real deal holyfield.

So I stumbled across this video on some web site. It turns out there’s this smart guy who goes by the name of Rx (I think). Here is his “video crash up of george bush & friends performing john lennon’s ‘imagine’ vs. lou reed’s ‘walk on the wild side.’” He has more pretty videos on his Youtube site. This video makes you really think what is and what could be. He basically took all the hypocritical words out of the president’s mouth, shuffled them up, and shoved them back down his throat to make an honest man out of him. Brilliant work, Mr. Rx, whoever you are.