This is to wish one and all a Happy Thanksgiving! On this day, I’m thankful for so much: for life, for still being able to play music after all these years, and to get to come to where you are and play it.

This is also to let everyone know that I will be playing in Louisiana (New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and even a foray into Morgan City) in December. A few great friends will be joining me for all of those shows. And I’ve got a new Cajun CD coming to you in time for Christmas–namely, with 18-year-old Cameron Dupuy on accordion, and his dad, Michael Dupuy on guitar. Together, we are the Mid-City Aces, and we’ll be doing our first gig as the Mid-City Aces…in Mid-City–at the Banks St. Bar (Dec. 10).

But before that, I’ll be playing with BOTH The Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band and the Wasted Lives on the same night, Tuesday, Dec. 1: with Bruce at the St. Louis Cathedral from 6-7, and with the Wasted Lives at Mags (10 PM); at the Neutral Ground for First Thursday, Dec. 3, right before Mark Fernandez; and the night after, Friday, December 4, I’ll be at the Red Dragon in Baton Rouge, opening for Greg Trooper, a great songwriter from NYC who I got to sit in with way back in the 90s. With any luck, I’ll get to do that again.

Speaking of the Red Dragon, this coming Sunday, November 29, my friend from Houston, Matt Harlan, will be playing there. Like me, Matt Harlan was an Emerging Artist at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival this year. I love his writing and his understated style. Steve Judice will be opening for him. I can’t recommend this show highly enough.

There is much more to report: I’m still mixing the fiddle CD. That will be out early next year. And there’ll be more news about holiday shows in the coming weeks. With that will be another newsletter or two. If you hear a lot from me this month, that will be why. And this schedule:

December
Tues. 1 St. Louis Cathedral w/ Bruce Daigrepont 6-7 pm
Tues. 1 Mags (N. Rampart at Elysian Fields) w/ The Wasted Lives 10 pm
Thurs. 3 Neutral Ground, 8 pm (First Thursday w/ Mark Fernandez and friends)
Fri. 4 Red Dragon Listening Room, Baton Rouge, opening for Greg Trooper 8 pm
Sat. 5 Dutch Alley w/ David Roe and friends, 10 am
Sat. 5 Morgan City Municipal Auditorium, w/ Tommy G. and friends 8 pm
Sun. 6 Tipitina’s w/ Bruce Daigrepont, 5:30 pm
Thurs. 10 Banks St. Bar ABC Night, w/ the Mid-City Aces 9 pm
Sat. 19 Neutral Ground 8 pm, with special guest Melissa Greener (from Nashville)

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With that, I’ll say that I’m thankful for all of you reading this. Thanks again for listening!