Johnny Rich

Summer solstice a couple days back and that means a couple weeks before that I got credit for another trip around the sun. Now starting a new decade, yikes! It's pretty crazy, you just keep walking up and the clock keeps ticking, most remarkable !

We took a long trip thru Eqypt beginning the day after tRump decided it was time to start bombing Iran. That had the effect of virtually killing the tourist business in Egypt at the end of the high season. The people there were very nice to us, fwiw. Everything there was “more” than I'd imagined - the scale of things, the sense of history, the geography, the Nile, you name it. In my next life I'm going to shoot for being a Pharaoh, it looks like a nice gig if you don't get poisoned (!).

We've got a new place to play - Kulak's Woodshed - in early August. Looking forward to that.

Thanks for the perspective, Jimi … the world's going to hell but hasn't yet managed to take me (or my guitar) with it. Not yet, anyway. Still gigging and still playing with great musicians so count your lucky starts. I donated a guitar and an amp and a PA to the Altadena folks a couple weeks back and that was nice to be able to help in a little way.

Cutting back on doom-scrolling is a help, I recommend it. Don't want to be uninformed but too much is too much, you know. Hang in there, everybody.

Armistice Day, 2025 … Kurt Vonnegut refused to go along with Veteran's Day but I suppose we should honor everyone who put on a uniform and got in harm's way.  I always thought Kurt had his head screwed on correctly so I'm going to go with that today.

The shutdown is about to end and nothing good came out of it other than how tRump and the R's proved they could be more cruel than the opposition. Good luck, America. 

Mid-July, 2025 and here we still are … the world is still pretty much going to hell but hasn't succeeded in taking me with it. Not yet, anyway. The ‘never thought it could happen here’ quotient is steadily increasing and I wonder when (if?) the fever will break.

On the good side of things, playing with Tony and Lamar is still quite amazing. Not sure when the next gig will be; some scheduling problems at the moment. Working on getting into new venues. Stay tuned !

And Ringo turned 85 a couple of days ago and he looks great in his picture on the front page of the NY Times! Go, Ringo, love ya.

2025 - a wild year so far. Good musically but pretty bad just about everywhere one looks. I thought the Comrade Bonespur tune would be retired as irrelevant in 2020, but boy was I wrong about that. It's all coming to a head so tighten that seat belt.

We played the Old Towne Pub last Wed and they want us back in a couple of weeks. Nice ! Tony Shibumi and Lamar Little killed it as the rhythm section. Last time we played there was pre-pandemic - seems like a lifetime ago - and now there's new mgmt and, best of all, they have a great sound man. People in the audience said they could, for once, actually hear the lyrics. Amazing ;-)

Ok, bring it on, 2024 !!! Best of luck to all of you in your travels and adventures ;-)

Robbie Robertson gone … not too many left from those days any more. Heavy sigh … In my mind's eye I can still see all of us (loudly) playing those seminal Band records in the Goddard dorms. They really had something special that stood out.

I'll bet people will be playing The Weight at jams and backyard parties for the next hundred years. It's really quite timeless and also easy to play. Can't say that about too many songs.

TripTease Burlesque coming up on Wednesday (July 19) - a fun gig. We play at 8pm

Back to the Trip to open the TripTease burlesque evening. Always a fun gig. The usual guys are on tour that date so I'll have some new faces in the rhythm section. Should be a good adventure !