SPRINGTIME GUITAR, GARDEN and SANGRIA

Yes Yes!  Having spent the entire winter in Minnesota this year,  I am out of my mind with ebullience as the days have suddenly…just suddenly…turned gorgeous.  The garden here at the “commune,”  as my abode is frequently referred to due to my open-door policy regarding friends and lovers, is out of control spewing apple and pear and magnolia blossoms everywhere.  Plants are screaming their delight and freely giving themselves up to the sunshine and warmth.  We just put up a decadent pagoda-styled gazebo that has already hosted 2 borracheras this week and it is only Thursday.

What a luxury to sit amongst all this glory and play guitar!  Glass of malbec/bonarda/sangria/rioja/ribera del duero—it is all good—at hand and platos de ceviche, pulpo ala gallego y lo que sea covering the table—friends dropping by unannounced—I realized last evening that such an environment is the ultimate stress-buster.

Memorial Day weekend nearly at hand when Minneapolis empties out vast numbers of nerdly types who go fishing or to their cabin “up north” to spend their free time working on their dock or whatever.  Minneapolis suddenly becomes for the Minneapolitans.  And there is a great Latin music festival happening this “puente” at Harriet Island  called VIVE MINNESOTA .  It is free admission and I’ll be playing there with Mandragora Tango at 3PM on Monday the 25th.  Promise.  I’ll be there.

Speaking of Mandragora, we’re attempting to finish up the recording of our latest CD which will have a trilogy of Piazzolla temas from Maria de Buenos Aires among loads of other cool stuff.  And I am getting jazzed about our East coast tour which opens June 18th in Northhampton, Mass and ends in Richmond, VA on the 24th of June.  We’ll be playing in Philly and DC and Woodstock and even Bethlehem.  I love the road—twelve years of touring with my rock band (The Rogues) in a past life gave me a unquenchable taste for the adventures and debaucheries therein.  And, though Mandragora Tango is a relatively well-behaved and cultured, well-mannered group of exemplary individuals—well, there is still hope for them.

Today’s ceviche is made—there remains the sangria to assemble (see my posted recipe for same)—it is time to seriously kick back.  Hasta prontito!