Short, Sweet, And Beautiful

I sat on the beach in Santa Monica last night and watched the sun fall into the Pacific. And hour later, I was on a plane to Las Vegas where I laid over a while, then caught the midnight red eye back to New York. We landed at JFK at 7 a.m., and I was into work by 9:30. In just over 6 hours, I’ll be on stage at the Mercury Lounge launching into “Crash Site,” the first of eight songs on our short, sweet, and beautiful EP Release/Tour Launch set.

I felt out of body in Los Angeles this weekend. Like a dream. It’s so beautiful, so tranquil there: Hiking up Topanga Canyon, then leaving the scattering lizards in a cloud of dust as I run down the mountain. Jogging along Ocean Avenue looking out at the tiny white sailboats in the deep blue diamond-strewn Pacific. Coffee and The NY Times on a quiet street side cafe in the sun.

It’s just too much. Too nice. The quality of light and air and sky is breathtaking. I can’t imagine why I would live anywhere else, except that, well, I guess one’s career realities play a part (the battleship is slowly turning). But it’s still a miracle to me that I can go to sleep on one side of the coutry and wake up on another. I’m just so lucky, and I know it, and I feel it, and I’m grateful for it, and I hope I’m endeavoring to do good with it. I presume that space, that feeling, will rub off on tonight’s show (it already has, what with two new songs “California” and “Hollywood Arms”).