Hello everyone, Last night my heart almost burst as i found myself rehearsing in a neighborhood church facing a semi -circle of young talented classical musicians (14 to be exact) -alongside Damien Jurado. Where does one began..I feel lucky to have found myself there...i questioned how i got there...how did i get this lucky to get to hear my songs brought to life in this way? To get to listen to Damien Jurado in this beautiful setting? These kids aren't getting paid...so i salute them, as they are doing it out of the pure love of music. They are interested, and each one made my heart sing- and i wanted to hug them all afterwards-god, thank you guys! Anyway, to cross paths with these people is a gift that was and has really made me re-think the creeping feeling of any brewing cynicism- and maybe helped cleanse any remaining remnants of emotional shratnel(sp?) left behind- thought to be long forgotten. So, we will be playing this strange and special show (thats hard to explain as there are other things involved... artists, poets etc) in which this orchestra will be backing both Damien and i on two songs each...then we will each play another 3 songs with a smaller group, that will improvise on these songs-scary but cool ! I apologize too, that i had listed the date as the 8th...it is the 7th!!! opps! Lastly, for those of you who have dogs, I stuck an old poem that i send out each year, down below for you to read....4th of july is a time to keep an eye on some of our furry friends!! Well, have a great weekend, and I hope you can make it to maybe one of these shows. All my best- jesse

July 7th "In The Round" w/ Damien Jurardo @ The Triple Door, Sea Wa

July 11th, No Depression Festival @ Merrymore Park (redmond, wa) W/ Gillian Welch and Iron and Wine (we play at 5-full band!! ) .......join us,......if this is your thang!!!




To All American Dogs On The 4th of July

To all American dogs that survived the 4th of July, I salute you. But beware! It's not over yet, as there are still those random neighbors that must unfurl their remaining stash in the wee hours of the morning-the lone M-80 or the singular bottle rocket. Some of you older dogs have lost your hearing, and watch with concern and horror as your younger brothers and sisters have to endure the fever that you still feel, only now in memory- etched deep beneath your bones. It's easy to forgive a passing moment of madness- scratching through the linoleum flooring, curling up inside the tub, something primeval- as long and deep as the need to run fast and hard in a straight line so the sound of your beating heart is louder then the sound of the sky falling. J.S