Music Tale

Sound check before the show. The audience is building.

Day one of the 2026 Two Day Two City Tour (TDTCT) is over. My friend Rob McDonald joined me on stage at Folkfest in New Braunfels to replace the friend David Pagan originally planned. David threw out his back. The three of us make up a group when we play together that we’ve come to call the Withering Roots, because we’re all old. Yesterday’s show went on without much of a hitch and we even had a good crowd, mostly made up of friends, but there were some strangers who stuck around to hear us play and sing.

Day Two this afternoon will find me at the Benefit for Alyssa in Austin where I will be the opening, opening act for a long afternoon of excellent performers. My time on stage is brief, but fun. The event is hosted by my friends Martha and Jerry Jones whom I’ve known since I first met my late wife more than fifty-seven years ago. They’ve been kind and consistent supporters of my music, which re-bloomed during my late wife’s illness as I found ways to cope.

It seems a long time ago that I first picked up a guitar in response to the folk wave of the sixties and learned three chords. Those chords and their brothers and sisters have stood me in good stead over the years and I’m happy they came back to me in such a rush for my later years. As refuges go, it was a good one to run to, and music has brought me much relief and pleasure. It’s also brought me many new friends to renew my spirits and give me hope for tomorrow and help me live what I consider to be a good life.