So, Ret-Con last week was cool. I was made to feel very welcome by all, and had fun doing neat panels, even if I didn’t get much of an audience for my show. Oh well, it happens.

This past week in the real world, as you might imagine, seriously sucked, apart from my regular after-work walk with the dog. Stress in the public sector is through the roof. We’re working long hours right now to get all the things we can done before the expected shutdown in two weeks, Elon’s “five things” email to train his AIs, and the regular dispatch from the agency Chief of Staff Thursday morning finally including the acronym RIF. And that’s not even including being insulted regularly as a class and a human being by the guy at the top of the org chart.

So yeah, I’ve not been the best frame of mind. I’ve been so damned emotionally broken (tears and random breakdowns all week; I cried while watching Godzilla X Kong: New Empire…) that I’ve barely been able to pick up a guitar, and I have ConVivial this weekend, where I’m playing FIVE shows in different configurations, and I really hope I’m up to it.

That said, I will be surrounded by good, supportive friends who I love very much; they are very much a family, and I cherish them, and will always feel welcome. If I’m wearing a little more of a mask behind the guitar or playing less complex bass parts than usual, they’ll understand and I’ll get by. Besides, the new records (mine, and the new Humdingers record we put out this week) are really good, and I’m looking forward to sharing them.

Anyway, for the curious, here’s where I’ll be when:

• Friday 4pm – Chuck Parker Concert, Richmond Hall B+C
• Friday 5pm – Rise of Nostalgia Panel, New Market C
• Friday 8pm – Blibbering Humdingers Concert, Richmond Hall B+C
• Saturday, 2pm – DIY Music Production Panel, New Market B
• Saturday 4pm, – Dimensional Riffs Concert, Richmond Hall B+C
• Saturday 8pm – Guest Meet & Greet, Richmond Hall B+C
• Saturday 9pm – Blibbering Humdingers Concert, Richmond Hall B+C
• Sunday 11am – Role of Music in Pop Culture Panel, New Market C

So yeah, I’ll be pretty busy, looks like. When I’m not doing these things, I’ll be otherwise catching up with friends, listening to more live music, and trying to drink other people’s booze (hey, it worked last weekend!).

But anyway, I’m really hoping I can keep it together. It’s hard.

Anyway – some tunes. The first one on this list is a banger, as the kids say:

1. “Jealous Moon” – Sarah Jarosz
2. “People Watching” – Sam Fender
3. “Helplessness Blues” – Fleet Foxes
4. “Your Spark (Blows Me To Pieces)” – Cardinal Black
5. “Dirty Laundry” – Don Henley
6. “The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boots” – Traffic
7. “Old Tape” – Lucius
8. “Bobcaygeon” – The Tragically Hip
9. “If I Had A Boat” – Lyle Lovett
10. “Tomorrow Wendy” – Concrete Blonde
11. “Cutting Teeth” – Dear Rouge