On February 28, 2021 we will premier Episode #3 of the Sessions. It’s a ticketed event (cheap). For tix go to http://www.performancetonight.com. I’ll be live from home moderating the pre-recorded songs. Should be a fun time

It's snowing off and on here. In other words, it's getting to be that of year again. Marti and I are still holed up at the farm like we have been since June. And as the weather closes in I'm remembering what it was like before the years we'd head south. There's things I miss about being on the river in Sebastian, FL. The warm breezes, the creatures in or around the water, the palm trees, and mostly the friendly folks I've come to know. But, there's things I also love about being in the hills, on the mountain, near the little towns and villages that have been home since the late 1960s.

The accounts on the news paint a dire picture of the season, with more and more people having to deal with the raging pandemic, filled hospitals, and losing loved ones. That's pretty much true everywhere. So for now, we're staying where we are, snow and all. It's a good time to communicate online via the internet, although we've had some problems with that too. Like most everyone I know, we're making the best of it. Although for many friends, the best of it isn't saying much.

That being said, it is that time of year - the holidays - when we remember what hopes and dreams are made of. I am remaining hopeful, but vigilant. I remember the story I used to tell onstage about meeting my old and dear friend, who was also a distant cousin - Hoyt Axton. He had a look in his eyes that said he wasn't looking for trouble, but wasn't necessarily trying to avoid it either. I'm feeling a little like that myself these days. It's going to take some hope but also some vigilance to get through the holidays, and beyond the new year.

It'll take some good old fashioned good will among people of all persuasions political, and otherwise. That's what the holiday songs and stories are in some ways about. Good will. That means you go out of your way to be friendly, even if you don't particularly feel that way.

I love the holidays, the smiling faces of little kids. It makes me want to go and and play in the snow. And this year I may get to actually do that for the first time in a very long time. So, despite the struggles, the calamities, the craziness and the trepidation I'm looking ahead to better days for everyone.

Happy Merry Everything to all...

adg

Well, it's not going to be a normal Thanksgiving this year. But, with technology being what it is, at least we'll be able to see what everyone is doing. Not a great time to be visiting family or friends, or even going anywhere. I suppose I'll get lots of pictures of food. I may have to take some myself. Here's wishing everyone reading this a fabulous Thanksgiving! The holidays are just beginning. I like holidays personally, no matter what they are. There's never enough occasions to celebrate.

It’s been a great 50+ years of being a working entertainer, but I reached the difficult decision that touring and stage shows are no longer possible. That’s the short version. For the longer version continue reading…

As a folksinger, I never really thought much about getting older. It seemed to me that I could just continue year after year, decade after decade, singing and playing as I had done for most of my life. As the years went by, it got more difficult to keep touring, but I did it, mostly because I’d been doing it my entire life. It was the life I knew and loved.

In 2016 on April 1st, April Fools Day, I got really dizzy in the parking lot of the hotel, and started seeing as though I were looking through a kaleidoscope. That evening the show went on as though nothing had happened. I had no idea I’d just encountered a mini stroke until weeks later, when I was told about it. It didn’t appear to affect my performance, or my state of being. I continued touring for the next 4 years.

Then, on Thanksgiving Day 2019 (of all freaking days) it happened again. This time I was on my way to The Church / The Guthrie Center to help out with our annual Thanksgiving Dinner that we hold every year. I had pulled over to fuel up and realized I couldn’t continue to drive safely, as everything was spinning around, sort of like the old days, but without the help of illegal substances. I was taken to the hospital, and was under evaluation, when I broke out. I had an important gig at Carnegie Hall in New York - The end of an annual series I’d been doing for decades and it was Sold Out. I had to be there. It was imperative.

The next morning I left the hospital, took the family and headed for New York. And what a show it was! We wrapped up 50 years with a terrific evening with the entire family on stage. I really enjoyed it.

The following day I flew to my home in Sebastian, FL just as I had done for years, this time with the history of Carnegie Hall behind me. My girlfriend, Marti picked me up at the airport, and we settled into the routine of being on the river I loved. Two nights after arriving home, I awoke in the morning and was lurching from sIde to side. I knew something was wrong, and went to keep a doctors appointment we’d previously set up. The doc said “You need to go to the hospital - Now.”

So, Marti took me to the hospital nearby in Vero Beach. They kept me there for 3 days, running tests of all kinds, and essentially informed me that I’d suffered a stroke. This time was more serious, as I’d lost some ability to walk, and I wondered if if would be able to play music. I spent about a week in a rehab center to re-learn the basics, like walking. I went home after that, and began a regimen of playing guitar, walking… All the things I would need to continue touring and performing. During the entire time, Marti kept the family and close friends advised as to my progress, and took really great care of me. I needed all the help I could get. And she was there to see it done right.

By the the time our first shows began in 2020, I was at about at 80% and felt like I was improving. Then the pandemic hit. All the shows we had planned for 2020 were at first, postponed, then rescheduled and finally cancelled. My hopes for a gradual recovery onstage came to an abrupt end.

Meanwhile, I’d decided back in 2018 to move from the home in Florida. And just as I’d returned from our last gig in Tennessee, a buyer appeared, and we had a deal on the table to sell The CrabHouse. I wasn’t in any shape to go through the intricacies of selling a guitar pick, let alone a home with 30 years of stuff we’d collected. Marti ended up doing it all. She finalized the deal, and dealt with the stuff that either had to be sold, moved or thrown out. It was quite a lot. But, through garage sales, online markets, movers and friends, she’d pretty much emptied the CrabHouse of everything, and we moved into her place about a mile away.

We were there for a few weeks, before it was safe enough to return to The Farm in Massachusetts. That was in June 2020. Since then we’ve been holed up at The Farm trying to keep out of harms way, and also trying to provide some online entertainment for our friends who were, and continue to be, holed up wherever they are. My band and crew arranged a few short gigs that were filmed at The Church, but when I saw the play-back in the editing room I realized that it was not up to the standards I expected of myself, let alone the expectations that our friends and fans had come to enjoy.

A folksinger’s shelf life may be a lot longer than a dancer or an athlete, but at some point, unless you’re incredibly fortunate or just plain whacko (either one or both) it’s time to hang up the “Gone Fishing” sign. Going from town to town and doing stage shows, remaining on the road is no longer an option.

I don’t remember answering the question on the other side of that piece of paper when I was asked “Kid! Have you rehabilitated yourself?” But, the short answer is now clearly, “No!” In fact, I hope to be a thorn in the side of a new administration pretty soon. Tom Paine once wrote “To argue with a man who has renounced the use … of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead….” In other words, you cannot and should not argue with people who don’t care, or hold the caring of others in contempt. A healthy suspicion of authority, left, right or center has been the hallmark of my career since the beginning, and I will continue to poke fun at cultural, political, or personal absurdities as I see it. I’m actually looking forward to it.

I’m happy, healthy and good to go, even if I’m not going anywhere. I’ve taken back 6-9 months that I used to spend on the road, and enjoying myself with Marti, my family and friends. In short - Gone Fishing.

It's an amazing thing that happens every year around this time. The colors of the trees turning gold, yellow, purple, red - Just beautiful! I was out taking pictures like I do every year, and I'll try to post some for anyone interested. I wish everyone an amazing fall this year, especially as so many of us are still not working. Winter will be cold and dark enough without the problems we've got ourselves into. But, for now - for today, it's wondrous out there. I hope everyone gets to see it live or in pictures, which ever comes easily.