these days it's all so vauge

hello reading public. gosh. it's been..ages. I sincerely apologize for the wait, for those of you who actually wonder whats up with lil ol me.

Where to start? I've been on a roller coaster ride for the past year I wouldn't wish on anyone, but it's all turned out quite well, thank you. I've still got some serious holes in the boat to mend, but life is really wonderful in most ways.

Ok, so I ended up homeless for about three weeks, found a new place to live, and things have been slowly but surely on the mend since. I started a band at the end of 2006 and we are still going, despite losing (yet another) bass player and also losing Tom Harris, my friend and lead guitar player/songwriter who was the ying to my yang for the past year musically. It was a good partnership for what it was, and Tom felt like it had run it's course. Things are in start over mode, but Chris (drums) stuck with me and we recruited a young punk named Ben Ziese to be the new bass player. Ben is an amazing musician and has great ears. I think we'll have something going here, if we can keep it rolling. Dark Roads certainly has a future I think. Not terribly sure how it's going to lay out, but it's got a certain energy that hasn't departed despite the absence of Tom, who added a lot in terms of energy and terrific guitar playing. In retrospect, the big problem was allowing Tom to bring his songs and leadership into the situation. Had I kept it purely to a "show up and play yer guitar" type of thing, the situation might have ended differently. As it is, I am very open when people have ideas - especially good ones, and my heart is not to stifle creative freedom - Tom has some great songs - I really dig playing them. But it was a two headed hydra with nowhere to go - me and Chris are in our first serious band - Tom has been in dozens. We were stifling the poor guy by how long it was taking for things to get going. It's sad really. I am faced with whether or not I can actually step up to the plate and front a band now. I think I can do it, but I'm going to have to prove it to myself, much less everyone else. I also have a lack of good gear, so I'm going to have to work on that. This crap costs money though, which has been getting steadier and steadier but is in short supply for making several hundred dollar purchases of music equipment. I need to land more corporate video work to compensate.

I have been doing more and more corporate video work as a means of survival. I got a job with a fellow who is a speaker and he has been terrific to work with, and I'm not just saying that. A more patient and savvy client I couldn't ask for. I've learned a lot through the job but it has been frustrating, I won't lie. Looking forward to getting this thing done.

I have been slowly rebuilding my DVD collection. I have about 30-40 now. The director I worked with Justin Smith back in Hollywood on Thomas Grey's Rainy Day has somewhere in the 600 range. I can't even imagine.

I am working on getting investors for my newest project - a documentary feature film called "Politics and the F Word" The website is coming soon. It's a film that will explore the opinions of Americans about the nature of politics and religion, and how they affect each other. I think it will be a really unique project with great potential. I am awaiting word on an investor who may be putting in a camera package - a significant one - I'll find out about that soon. That would be a huge boost to everything I am doing. I'll still need to raise cash, but it will help me get there.

I am also working on several concepts - both artistic and business related, which I won't bore you with here - suffice to say it's everything from tv and radio to a web 2.0 concept that I am dying to get done. If anyone knows a good web programmer who is interested in possibly doing something for the equity of partial ownership - let me know. It's a rock solid idea with a lot of potential.

I am still attending Solomon's Porch and everything is pretty good - except the current financial crisis, which has me worried to some degree, about the state of what SP is, has been and will be in the future. But I'm not too worried. Maybe I'm just getting intellectually lazy in my old age - in fact I know I am - but I know it'll all work out.

My good friend Luke Hillestad had a show at Flanders, a well known gallery here in Minneapolis, and I think he is starting an incredible journey. Check out his work. http://www.lukehillestad.com

So thats me for now. More to come. I'll be trying to blog and write more now. I have some things I'm trying to focus on and get done. It's going to take a lot of time and thinking.

Hope you all are well.