It’s Friday. If you’re reading this entry contemporaneous to it’s posting, I’m either on my way to, or already at Atomacon in North Charleston, SC, where I’ve been scheduled as the Special Filk Guest for this year’s festivities. I’m looking forward to it, though a little intimidated; although I’ve been playing regularly as myself for a while now (including this past Wednesday night, where I played a kick-ass set as host of Castleburg’s Open Mic), this is the first time I’ve gotten booked as a guest as myself at a con instead of being part of an ensemble, and having my own cds to try and hawk to folks who come to see me perform.

Logically, I’m sure I’ll do fine, though it’s definitely a big step in my “career” (so to speak), which many friends tell me is long overdue. There will be plenty of friendly, supportive people around to listen and (I hope) enjoy, and I’ve got my reputation as the guy “in every band” preceding me, which I can’t imagine will do anything but help.

I’m managing the low-grade anxiety, though it doesn’t completely shut down that voice inside telling me I don’t belong. I am, however, doing my best to shut that little asshole up and get on with doing the job.

It’ll be my first year at this particular event, so I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s all about and being part of it. As for where I’ll be, here’s my parts, as excerpted from the published schedule, which, as goes without saying, is always subject to change:

• Friday, 7pm, Palmetto – Concert
• Friday, 9pm, Conservatory – Open Filk
• Saturday, 10am, Palmetto – Panel: “Comics in the Media”
• Saturday, 4pm, Palmetto – Filk Open Mic
• Saturday, 8pm, Conservatory – Panel: “The Orville”
• Saturday, 9pm, Conservatory – Open Filk

Otherwise, things have gone well enough since my last dispatch. I’ve sold a few CDs online in the week it’s been out; just about enough to cover the investment of having them made, and have gotten good feedback and a respectable amount of streaming listens via bandcamp. The con will be the “official” release, and I’m hoping I can move enough product to make the trip revenue neutral, though the spouse and I are, as I’ve said, looking at this as a mini-vacation/getaway, which we haven’t had for a while, and I can’t say I’m not looking forward to a kid-free weekend, just the two of us.

Politics have been a particular focus to me this week as well, considering the impeachment inquiry, Wednesday’s primary debate, and, perhaps most personally relevant, the current budget uncertainties, with the current continuing resolution expiring midnight on Thursday, and (as I write this anyway), the next stop-gap CR (which is only anticipated to last four weeks, setting this business up again fro Christmas regardless) has not yet been passed by the Senate or signed by the President, and given how well the public testimony is going for him this week, I wouldn’t put it past the man to use the public sector workforce as a pawn (again) to try and gain some leverage. We’ll see; I’d rather not have to swing by the office on Friday morning to sign another furlough notice. Alas, if things do shut down again, I’ll use the time to record my thus-far unreleased tune “Bureaucratic Talking Shutdown Blues”, which I dusted off once again this week for open mic. If I put it up, maybe it’ll buy me a beer or two until this stuff sorts itself out.

An interesting but unrelated tidbit I encountered while checking the usual places for the latest federal budget news, however, is worth sharing. A piece on the Government Executive site talking about the Ok, Boomer phenomenon in the workplace indicates that I, as a member of the largely ignored Generation X, by virtue of being over 40, am covered by federal age discrimination laws, which I guess is a good piece of information to have, however depressing.

Anyway, all that’s left to do is introduce the usual Friday playlist, drawn once again from my Spotify “Discover Weekly” playlist. This week it’s a lot of throwback alternative blues and alt-country, a corner of the musical world I do enjoy stepping into now and then; special appreciation goes to numbers 8, 9 and 12; Izzy (former rhythm guitarist from G’n’R) does Keith Richards better than Keith does sometimes, Jason and the Scorchers deserved better than being minor one-hitters with “Golden Ball and Chain” in ’86, and The Georgia Satellites will always be a sentimental favorite:

1. “Don’t Think Twice” – Mike Ness
2. “Born With A Tail” – Supersuckers
3. “Still In Hollywood” – Concrete Blonde
4. “Repo Man – Demo March 1983” – Iggy Pop
5. “Little Silver Heart” – Lucero
6. “Get Out of Denver” – Eddie & The Hot Rods
7. “Brave Captain” – fIREHOSE
8. “Shuffle It All” – Izzy Stradlin’ and the Ju Ju Hounds
9. “Absolutely Sweet Marie” – Jason and the Scorchers
10. “Eat Steak” – The Reverend Horton Heat
11. “Chick Singer, Badass Rockin'” -Ray Wylie Hubbard
12. “Battleship Chains” – The Georgia Satellites
13. “Haunted” – Shane MacGowan & The Popes
14. “Take It So Hard” – Keith Richards
15. “Golden Shower of Hits (Jerks on 45)” – Circle Jerks