How to Maintain Your Beard

Originally published in Seattle Weekly In 1986, when I first attempted to grow a beard, the general consensus was that beards were for murderers and maniacs. Almost no one in mainstream America wore a beard during the eighties, and even in… » More inside

Sex and Being in a Band

Originally published in Seattle Weekly “My reputation as a ladies’ man was a joke. It caused me to laugh bitterly the 10,000 nights I spent alone.” -Leonard Cohen It is almost universally assumed that rock musicians avail themselves of copious, practically… » More inside

Deadlines

Originally published in Seattle Weekly The next few weeks are going to be a stressful time for me. After a period of many months where all I’ve done is restfully contemplate my navel and dig holes in my garden, my band… » More inside

Light Rail and Liquor in Seattle and Portland

Originally published in Seattle Weekly I took the train down to Portland over the weekend to play a variety show called Live Wire, which is broadcast on the Oregon Public Radio. The show is like A Prairie Home Companion if you… » More inside

Selling Out, Again.

Originally published in Seattle Weekly One of the most prevalent misconceptions about music, and the music business, is that the truly talented musicians don’t need to, or shouldn’t have to, promote or publicize themselves. Publicity is naively thought of as the… » More inside

Collaboration is Hard for Anyone

Originally published in Seattle Weekly It’s not a simple thing to collaborate, let me tell you. Songwriting, unlike painting or novel-writing (or meditating) lends itself easily to team effort because there are two distinct halves to a pop song — music… » More inside