2019 Update

My new CD, "Life's Good to Me," has now been available for one year! In addition, I released a new single in February named "Yard Art." Both are available on the Internet wherever good music is sold or streamed. I hope that you will check them out. All are original songs.

The album and single have been good to me - as of today, I am #1 locally and #30 regionally on the Reverbnation ranking. Listen to my music on Reverbnation and become a fan, and I hope to see my ranking climb even higher.

I have written several new songs this year, and hope to start on album #8 soon. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I have retired from teaching and am now doing music performing and recording full-time!

I retired on June 7, 2019 from my job as a college professor. I'm now working as a professional musician, which includes songwriting, arranging, recording, producing, distribution, promotion and consulting with other bands as well as singing and playing guitar and other instruments.

Please follow my career at http://facebook.com/tomsmerkmusic or check my web site at http://musician.tomsmerk.com.

Keep in touch! Email is tom@aa6ts.com.

I've been busy lately working on my new CD music album. As of September 2018, it is now available as a digital download at your favorite online music retailers including Amazon, CD-Baby, Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, iTunes, and Napster. If you don't like to shop online, you can order it from Barnes & Noble.

The CD is called "Life's Good to Me" and it consists of 13 original songs in a variety of styles including rock, blues, R&B, country, folk rock and surf instrumental.

I am still working hard on promoting the new album, so I will write more here once I get caught up. You can also follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tsmerk and/or https://www.facebook.com/tomsmerkmusic.

Thanks for checking back!

2017 Update

Hi again! I'm still teaching full-time for the San Diego Community College District, going on 30 years now! I'm currently the Assistant Program Chair for Business Information Technology, and teach classes at the new Cesar Chavez Campus. I have also been writing for CQ Amateur Radio Magazine since January 2013 where I am the International Editor and write the monthly column "CQ World Wide." I am an Extra Class ham radio operator and my call sign is AA6TS. Learn more at htp://AA6TS.com.

I am still writing songs and rehearsing and performing with the "Grand River Band." I am also available to fill in with other bands as needed. See http://musician.tomsmerk.com for photos and to download free music.

I am working on five books. One is almost finished, and another two are over half complete. I'll tell you more later when I am close to publishing the books.

Take care, and God bless. May you and your family have a wonderful 2017.

Welcome to 2014 - A great year!

2014 has arrived, and I am optimistic that it will be a better year than 2013. Not that 2013 was such a bad year, it just wasn’t a great year! It was bad for a few of my friends who lost their job during 2013 and are still unemployed. I hope for their sake that 2014 is better.

The Holiday season came and went without much ado. I miss having the kids here for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Peg and I had a turkey dinner at The Golden Acorn Casino. I was good and didn’t overeat – we brought half of our meal home to enjoy on two more occasions! I’m getting to the point in life where I don’t like eating out. Everything is too salty and the portions are big enough for a growing boy. I don’t want to grow bigger – I want to grow smaller! Not to mention the fact that Peggy is a terrific cook!

No special meal for Christmas, but we included a glass of champagne. New Year’s Day brought my favorite traditional meal of pork, sauerkraut and kielbasa. I will never grow tired of that meal! In addition (but on a different day), Costco had a pierogi “road show” where we were able to buy a 3-pound bag of authentic Polish pierogies. It was a one-day-only event and we were there at the right time! Sure, you can get pierogies at the grocery store, but these taste like the ones I enjoyed growing up in Pennsylvania, where they were as common as a hamburger.

Over the 2½ week Christmas vacation from work, I not only enjoyed some extra sleep and relaxation, but I actually got quite a few things done around the ranch for a change. But there will always be things to do.

No New Year’s Eve gig with the band this year. My days as an entertainer are behind me now. But I am always available to help other entertainers and groups perfect their show and their arrangements. Unfortunately, not too many performers want to pay for this service. And then they wonder why nobody hires them back! A few dollars invested in my stage image development services would be a good investment for most of the bands I’ve seen. I haven’t seen that many good bands lately. Maybe they’re out there, and I’m just not getting around enough.

I just finished my 12^th column for CQ Amateur Radio Magazine – one year as a contributing editor! I always wanted to write professionally. I always thought I would have some books published, but this monthly magazine column is OK for now. Once I get better known in the field of ham radio, I’ll try publishing a book or two. I’m also working on a book tentatively titled “Guide for Weekend Teachers” which will hopefully turn out to be a great book for all teachers, not just the weekend warriors!

I’m always anxious to hear from any or all of you, so please feel welcome to share your thoughts. Best wishes for 2014!

I must try harder to make my blog more interesting. I have a vacation next week and this will give me time to think about it. What prompted this is that I realized that all of the replies to my blog posts were ads for viagra and similar messages! What a stupid waste of a good concept! I realize that this is all automated, but still, I wish I could just reach out and say "all you spammers - atay away from here!"

Honk if you agree!

Money can't buy happiness

I was talking on the ham radio this morning to an old timer who grew up in Chicago. He was telling me how his father worked as a furniture buyer for a chain of large department stores and then became a stockbroker when he lost his job during the depression. It made me think about my own childhood.
 

My father worked as a car painter for a Chevrolet-Buick dealership. He probably didn’t make as much money as a furniture buyer or a stockbroker, but as a child growing up, I never had to do without anything important. I had my baseball bat and glove and my little red wagon. One of my uncles gave me a bicycle. We weren’t “dirt poor,” but I’m not sure if we qualified for “middle class.”

 
I married a woman that was also raised without a lot of available money. As we raised a family, we set out to try to provide for our children, but with four children, it was very tough. I guess I might have discovered why I was an only child! To this day, I have always felt bad that we were unable to give our children a car for high school graduation, nor could we provide them with a college education. Thinking back, I sincerely hope that they had everything important, as I did, but I’m not sure that I did as good a job as my own dad when it comes to this.
 

Thinking back on my childhood, I realize now that my experience was a lesson that money can’t buy. Without knowing, I learned many good things, such as “money isn’t everything,” and “the best things in life are free” and all of those other sayings that people without money toss around. All my life, I have wanted “things” and I felt bad when I could not have them. I really did OK and had everything I need, but I didn’t realize that I was greedy and materialistic. Once I realized this, I was able to change my ways. Today I realize that there are not many things in life that I really need, and if I am ever able to get something nice that I have been longing for, the feeling of accomplishment and reward is much greater than ever before.

 

As silly as it might sound, I am now glad that I was not spoiled and pampered as a child because it taught me many lessons. It just took me a lifetime to realize what these lessons were, and now that I finally do understand, I am thankful. Now there is but one thing I wish, and that is to hear that my children were lucky enough to also be instilled with this wisdom. Every generation always hopes to provide for their own children better than they themselves were brought up, but I’m not aware that this happens in many cases, so perhaps we are going about this the wrong way. Perhaps we should have been saying “I hope to raise my children the way that I was raised – to realize that there is more to live than material possessions, and that our efforts should be not to acquire wealth, but to acquire wisdom, humility and a caring disposition toward mankind.

That youthful feeling of anticipation

Have you ever wondered what happened to that “feeling” you had when you were young, teenage and twenties? That magical feeling where everything was new, exciting, and an adventure, where sometimes the outcome was good and other times it was bad? The joy and the heartbreak, the celebration and the disappointment? The dreaming, the desires, the unanswered questions?

I have come to the realization that that feeling that we all fondly remember as we grow older was “anticipation.” There were so many things that we all needed to experience before we could move on to the next step. What does it feel like to hold a member of the opposite sex in your arms at your first school dance? To kiss? To smoke a cigarette? To be in a high school play? To be disciplined by your school teacher or principal?

Now that we are older, these feelings are remembered when triggered by songs that we listened to in that era, in dreams, through pensive thought, by seeing a photo of a classmate in the news or on the Internet, through TV commercials, by watching an old TV show rerun or by seeing an old music group perform in a late night commercial to sell you a collection of sounds from your youth.

What ever happened to that magical feeling? Why do we no longer ever feel that way? The answer is because once we have experienced all of these things, there is nothing left to anticipate! We have experienced love and hate, acceptance and rejection, accomplishment and failure, good health and illness. We have experience working at jobs, buying a car or a house, marriage, childbirth, raising a family, travel, hobbies. The only thing that remains a mystery is death. With possible exceptions, all else has been experienced in one form or another and to various extents and results.

Oh, if we were only able to retain that feeling throughout our whole life. Perhaps some people do. Perhaps that is what makes some people exceptional in one way or another – poets, authors, actors, writers, teachers. I can’t imagine how anyone is able to retain this feeling once there is nothing left to anticipate. The memory of this feeling exists within us all. Some call it nostalgia, some call it melancholy. It comes to us often as we think of past events, or is triggered by a postcard announcing a class reunion or an obituary in the newspaper. There is a popular saying, “If you don’t learn from history, then you are bound to repeat it.” Ah, if only we could, but the sad part is that we have learned from our past. Each of these events has molded us into who we are today. Our past has shaped our beliefs, the way we act, the way we think, and the way we respond.

When this feeling comes to you, embrace it. Linger with it. Reminisce and enjoy. And most importantly, do all you can to assist and support others around you that are going through this for the first time – your family, your neighbors, your friends, your students. Become part of their memories, and hopefully, become a positive influence in the shaping of someone’s life and the molding of someone’s success!

July 2010 Update

It's been almost 18 months since I added anything to my blog. I've been a little more busy with my blog for guitar players and musicians, but on my personal blog here I haven't kept up because I didn't think anyone would be interested. If anyone is actually reading this thing, please leave a comment or send me an email to tsmerk@sdccd.edu. I'd love to hear more from you. I've been able to reconnect and keep up with many old friends on Facebook. Make sure you connect with me on Facebook so we can keep in touch. I give frequent updates on Facebook.

Now, what has happened since my last blog update? Well, we finished buying all the furniture we need for the new house. It's hard not to end up with too much "junk." Peg and I have our little "collections" going. Peggy is collecting British tea cups and saucers, and I have once again formed a nice collection of German lidded beer steins. I also have a few knifes as before, but nowhere near the collection I once had. I've got a nice set of books in my office. The recording studio is almost complete. I have a BOSS digital 8-track recorder instead of computer software, and a few good microphones and accessories. I record a lot of the tracks directly on my new Yamaha keyboard, then add the rest of the instruments and vocals on the BOSS.

I had my carpal tunnel surgery as scheduled, and it was successful. About a month after that, I also had some surgery on my nose to help me breathe better. It was painful and bloody, but it helped a little - not much, just a little. I think if I had it to do over, I would not have the nose surgery. Too much misery for the little bit of relief I got.

It's been a year since I taught my guitar classes, so I'm going to teach a two week "refresher" course for folk guitar and also for classical guitar beginning next week.

I joined a new band last November, and it's turning out to be quite successful. We released a new CD in May, and I am more pleased with this than anything else I have ever recorded. I think this CD has the drive to promote us into the major concert circuit, but I'm not sure everyone else in the band is willing to put aside all they have going on and follow a career as a professional musician, so if nothing else, we’re probably the best country gospel rock band in San Diego County. We're nominated for "best gospel band" for the San Diego Music Awards 2010. The name of the band is "Rightside," and our website is http://rightsideband.com.

I'm still teaching Business Information Technology for the San Diego Community College District. My current job site is at Mid City Continuing Education Center in City Heights. We've been very strongly affected by the budget cuts at the State level. A lot of classes are closing, and there is no money for books or supplies. I can already see that this is having an impact on enrollment. Our state government in California is so screwed up, it sickens me to have to wait 8 more years before I can retire and move to a more sensible state. I've learned not to complain about anything because it never does any good.

Well, thanks for following my update. Please leave a "comment" and let me know you're out there. And don't forget to check my web sites tomsmerk.com, rightsideband.com and www.grossmont.edu/tomsmerk.

February 2009 Update

Things are almost back to normal. Gee, it's great to be home! The furniture arrived (all except 2 chairs that we still have to pick up) right after New Year's Day. What an awful experience dealing with this furniture. They are the rudest, most obnoxious people I have ever met. They are not from this country, and continue to do business the way they were brought up. They have no understanding of how our country was built on the fundamentals of honesty and trust. I would slander their name all over the Internet, but I've decided instead just to report them to the Better Business Bureau because they gave me an idea for a new book I have begun writing. It will be titles "What ever happened to 'The customer is always right?': A guide to customer service." It's getting so hard to shop for products or services lately. I think the book will be a best seller!

We got the spa set up. We ran out of insurance money and had to take out a loan. Ouch! I hate making payments, but we sure love sitting in the spa at night and looking up at the stars. The night sky is amazing where we live 40 miles out of the city as you begin to climb the mountains. We also enjoy just sitting on our patio swing at night.

I finally made arrangements to have my carpal tunnel damage repaired with surgery. I'll have that done on March 13. I don't have a lot of things going on that would require extensive use of my right hand, so this is a good time to have the work done. I want to be well by Spring so I can play for some outdoor concerts.

In addition to my full-time job teaching computer and business applications and skills, I have been teaching two guitar classes at night. The new semester, which began last week, was so successful that we're going to open up a third class to accommodate all the new students. I enjoy teaching guitar, but three nights a week is too much for me, so I'm going to give two of the classes to another teacher.

Keep in touch, and please feel welcome to post some comments so that I will know that there are people out there reading these ramblings!

November 2008 Update

Life is finally beginning to return to normal. We lost out house last year on October 21, 2007. The new house was finally completed on October 20, 2008, ready for us to move in on the 21st, exactly one year later. It took us longer to move that I had anticipated, so we didn’t actually make it back home until October 29. It is now November 18, 2008, and we are still living out of boxes, trying to find a place for everything, and hanging pictures. We are still waiting for most of our furniture to arrive. It will be easier to complete the move when we have drawers to put things into. We had our furniture custom made in India from solid rosewood. As a longtime guitarist, I am aware of the lasting qualities of Indian rosewood – that’s what most of the fine guitars are made from. We are waiting for a dining table with chairs and a bench, bed frame with headboard and footer, 2 night stands, dresser and mirror, chest of drawers, living room coffee table and 2 end tables, dining room hutch, curio cabinet, and a DVD and VCR cabinet. Hopefully the furniture should arrive soon and we can put an end to this chapter in our life. By the way, you can see the furniture on picasaweb.google.com/tsmerk if you really want to. They sent us photos before it got loaded on to the ship.

Our outdoor spa should arrive tomorrow. It is a nice large unit with music, lights and a waterfall. I’m all ready for a nice soak! The pool arrived last month, but we decided not to install it until next spring. It is a 20 foot above ground “Tuff Pool” with all of the accessories. It will be a lot of fun, but right now there are not that many warm evenings left to keep the pool water warm enough to use.

The trip to visit our children and grandchildren in July was wonderful. No problems getting there or getting back, I was in good health this trip, we saw a lot of interesting sights and had a really great time. I really like the Kentucky and Tennessee area. We saw the country’s largest (in size) church in Louisville, saw the Gibson Guitar factory and went to the company showroom where you could play and Gibson or Epiphone guitar (and of course I played a few), we visited Daniel Boone’s grave site, my favorite vintage guitar shop, Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, and a lot of other sites of local or historic interest.

It is so nice to be home that I don’t even mind the extra hour each direction of driving to and from work. It is a nice scenic drive, and it’s always so nice to arrive home. Living in the rural mountain area is like coming home to a campground, only no quite so rustic. I used to love to sit out on the swing at night and listen to the sounds of nature under the big, bright starry sky. We bought a swing at a yard sale for $20, so we are able to once again enjoy this. It is so nice to be home!

July 2008 update

It has been five months since I last posted in my blog. Since then, I have become less optimistic about the completion of our new house. We originally expected to be moving back home at the end of May, then that got pushed to the end of June, then to the end of July, and now I’m hearing that it might even be August before we see the majestic beauty of Dulzura, California once again! Why can’t contractors realize their limitations and schedule work accordingly. Do they honestly think hat a client is going to say “go ahead an build the other houses first, I know you’re busy, and I don’t mind waiting?”

Peg and I have been buying so many things for the new house that we no longer have room to move around the apartment. Since my last communication, I have acquired some new guitars. I picked up a nice 1966 Epiphone Riviera thinline electric guitar which will be great for blues and smooth jazz, and I met a local luthier, Dan Altilio, who owns Top Gear Pro Shop in La Mesa. I bought two guitars that he had hand made, a steel string acoustic electric thinline guitar and a nylon string acoustic electric thinline guitar. I also purchased a 1967 Fender Twin Reverb guitar amplifier from a store in Oregon. I took it to Top Gear, and their tube amp expert, Tim Pinnell, worked his magic on it. I would now put it up against any other amplifier in the world for tone and versatility.

We also bought a vintage farm/construction tractor, a Case 430 from the early or mid 1960’s. It is equipped with a bucket loader on the front and a gannon box scrapper with ripper teeth on the back. If you want to check it out (although I don’t know why you would) there are some photos at picasaweb.google.com/tomsmerk.

I ordered some custom accessories for our 2008 Dodge Charger, and next week it will be wearing a new rear deck spoiler wing and a new hood scoop. The Charger has always been a sporty car, and this will help its appearance a lot.

We visited our youngest daughter, Georgette, on her 22nd birthday, June 21, at her home in Phoenix, Arizona. While we were there the temperature stayed at around 117 degrees!

Peggy and I will be traveling to Kentucky on July 22 to attend the graduation of our daughter, Melody. She attended a community college studying medical office courses and hopes to work at a family practice office in Louisville. While we are there, we hope to visit a business associate of mine, Kelly Poelker, who lives in western Illinois near St. Louis, a 4-5 hour drive from Louisville. Kelly and I are getting ready to open an online business school. I have already written one course for the school and it will be available soon. We also hope to visit one of my favorite entertainment spots, Nashville, which is within driving distance from Louisville.

I’ll let you know more next month. See you then!

Life goes on, good or bad, it still goes on!

Here's what is new since my last update in November:

In December, during the Christmas holiday season, Peg and I went to Kentucky to visit our two daughters and our 3 grandchildren (the other daughter & grandchild lives in Phoenix, and we'll be going there in February). About half-way through our visit, I became very sick and too weak to walk. I came home on a wheelchair. When I went to the doctor, I found out that I had developed diabetes. To give you an idea how bad I felt, books say that if your blood glucose level is over 300, notify your doctor, if it is over 500 it is critical. Mine was 668! It took me 3 weeks to recover, but I now have my diabetes under control, and I haven't felt this good in a long time. Apparently, I must have had this coming on for a long time, and I just thought I was weak or had the flu whenever the blood glucose levels would go p or down. Then on my first day back to work, I came down with a weird flu that is going around and had to take off another week!

I am gradually starting to rebuild my music career. I now own three guitars - A Carvin AE-185 for blues & rock, a Heritage Golden Eagle for jazz, and a Martin D-42 K2 (all Koa wood) for folk. I also bought a Presonus Firestudio Digital mixer, an Audio-Technica 3035 studio microphone, a Music Man RD50 guitar amp, a Zoom H4 4-track field recorder and some multi-track recording software. I am almost ready to begin recording again. When the new house is complete, the Audio Barn recording studio will be moved inside and will occupy bedroom #3. I am scheduled to appear at the Telemagica festival on May 22-26. I'm not sure yet what day I will perform. Maybe I'll camp out and perform several days!

Plans for the new house are progressing nicely. We have most of our furniture bought and on hold for delivery, and the contractors should be getting started in about a two weeks. We had the opportunity to design the house exactly the way we wanted it, and we are very excited. The new house will be larger than the old one. We even bought a top-of-the-line spa for relaxation! We still have to make plans for a pool and a pond, as well as have the landscaping re-done. I'll post pictures when the project is complete.

Please respond or email me. It would be nice to hear from you.

Recent turn of events

Things have changed dramatically since my last post. On Sunday, October 21, 2007, my house, along with 1,493 other homes, was destroyed by the wildfires that roared through San Diego County at 50 miles-per-hour. Peggy and I are now living in a condo in El Cajon while we are making plans to rebuild the house in Dulzura.

We were not home at the time of the fire, so we were unable to save anything from the house. Along with all our furniture, photos, collectibles, computers, CD's & DVD's, etc., I also lost 18 guitars, 10 guitar amplifiers, 3 PA systems, a set of drums, 20 harmonicas, a bass, mandolin and banjo, and all the recording equipment in my recording studio. The past is wiped out, the present is a dull blur; I hope the the future will bring better things!

I will be temporarily out of work as a musician, and it will probably be a long while before I can rebuild the studio. I am hoping to save up and get a nice acoustic guitar and continue to write new music. I will also continue to perform with the Gosple Revival Band as we continue to reach out to more and more people with our music ministry.

My deepest thanks goes out to all those that helped us in any way to get through this ordeal, especially Wanda for saving our pet dog, Howard & Donna for giving us temporary shelter, the American Red Cross for offering food, clothing and necessities, Farmer's Insurance for prompt claims settlement, and my students and all the people I work with for their heartfelt donations.

Please keep in touch!

End of Summer Update

Well, we're back from the 40th Anniversary of the Summer Of Love concert on September 2, 2007 at Speedway Meadows in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. The TV news said "some of the bands had only one or two original members because the rest of the band wad dead!" I had a chance to see some of the bands that played the free concerts in the park 40 years ago. A lot of young people were also present, and the one common theme that arose from the event is that we all need the "peace, not war" feeling now just as much or even more than we did then. In 1967, we were against an unpopular war and an unpopular president. Need I say more? I wish these concerts were a weekly thing, and happened all over the USA. We learned our lesson about drugs, so we wouldn't have the same problems we did in the `60's, but why have we forgotten about peace, love, understanding, sharing, equality and brotherhood?

We rented a new Ford Mustang for the trip, and I'll have to admit that it is a nice car to drive. But I'm still waiting for the new Chevy Camaro to come out next year. I'm thinking that I'll like that even more! We took the "scenic" route on the trip up, along the coast and through Carmel and Big Sur. I really enjoyed some of the small towns in the wine country and Morro Bay areas. We also stopped by the Los Padres National Forest to see the fire damage from the recent Zacca fire. We also had time to see some of the San Francisco attractions such as Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, Chinatown, Lombard Street, Haight-Ashbury, the beach, and a few other neighboorhoods. I enjoyed San Francisco and would like to go back. It seems more laid-back than San Diego, and the people are more friendly and polite.

I have posted some photos of the event at tomsmerk.com/photos.html. Enjoy!

I haven't done much recording yet on my new CD projects because I've been busy rehearsing with our new "old-time gospel" group. So far, we have lead and rhythm guitar, bass and drums. Three of us take turns singing lead and the others sing harmony for two or three part vocals. Our songs are mostly standards, country and bluegrass. I have also written a few songs for the group, and am continuing to write more. We would like to add more singers, steel guitar, and keyboards to achieve a bigger sound. Once we get everything sounding like the groups you are used to seeing on TV, then we would like to go on tour and play for churches, revivals and festivals around the country. Right now, we are playing twice a month at the Faith Fellowship Christian Church in Lakeside. If you would like to come to one of our services, let me know and I'll tell you what days we will be there. For October, we will be playing on the 21st and 28th at 10:30 AM.

The same group has also been practicing secular country, rock and blues songs hoping to be able to play in some local nite clubs or for festivals. When we start playing for some local shows, I will let you know both here and also on my web site.

Please, don't forget to take a moment and leave your comments on any of my posts. What good is having a blog if nobody is going to write comments?

Thanks.

Summer of Love, New Studio, 2 Requests

Just a few things to report. First of all, since I was talking about the 40th anniversary of the "Summer of Love" in a previous post, I though some of you might be interested in knowing that there will be a free concert in San Francisco Golden Gate Park’s Speedway Meadows between 10 AM and 6 PM. Confirmed acts as of July 9 include: Country Joe McDonald, Taj Mahal, Lester Chambers (from Chambers Brothers), Canned Heat, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Jesse Colin Young (from the Youngbloods), Jerry Miller Band (from Moby Grape) featuring Tyran Porter and Dale Okerman (from the Doobie Brothers) and Fuzzy John Oxendine (from the Sons of Champlin) , Banana (from the Youngbloods), Michael McClure and Ray Manzarek (from the Doors), San Francisco’s First Family of Rock (TBA), Brian Auger, Nick Gravenites Band with David Laflamme, Dickie Peterson of Blue Cheer, Chris and Lorin of the Rowan Brothers, The Alameda All Stars (from Gregg Allman band), Brad Jenkins, Terry Haggerty (from the Sons of Champlin), Tony Lindsay (Santana), Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, George Michalski - Pete Sears Dueling Keys, Freddie Roulette , Ron Thompson , The Charlatans, Leigh Stephens (Blue Cheer), Greg Douglas (from Steve Miller), Pete Sears (Jefferson Starship), Essra Mohawk (from Mothers of Invention), Barry “The Fish” Melton, All Night Flight featuring David Denny and Steve McCarty (from Steve Miller), Jack King (from Cold Blood) and Dale Ockerman (from Doobie Brothers ), Merl Saunders (supporting the event), Squid B. Vicious with Buddy Miles, Jim Post (Friend and Lover, Siegel Schwall Blues Band), Fayette Hauser and the Cocketts, Terrance Hallinan (former SF DA) Ruth Weiss (Beat Poet), Richard Eastman (marijuana initiative), Lenore Kandel (Beat Poet), Paul “Lobster” Wells, Dr Hip (Eugene Schoenfeld), Artie Kornfeild (Producer of Woodstock), Wavy Gravy, Mouse man (Bagpipes), Leigh Davidson (Height Ashbery Medical Clinic), Bruce Latimer (Bruce Latimer show), Rabbi Joseph Langer, Bruce Barthol (Mime Troup), Doug Green, Howard Hesseman (schedule permitting), Benjamin Hernandez (Harts hands and Elders), American Indigenous people’s, Agnes Pilgrim and 13 Grandmas (schedule permitting), Lakota War Pony’s, Merle Tendoy (6 th generation of Sacagawea ) Shonie, Harry Riverbottom (Chippewa), Chief Sunne Reyna, Iroquois Tribe, Dakota Tribe, Seminole Tribe, Emit Powell and the Gospel Elites. A web cast of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park 40th Anniversary Concert will be streamed throughout the day on the Apple QuickTime website.

I already made my hotel reservation. If you are interested, act quickly because rooms in the area are almost completely booked already.

Also, I got my new digital recording studio up and running, but now I realize that I have a lot to learn in order to maximize it's potential. I ordered two books and a video, and will soon begin the learning phase. After that, I plan to take my time and come up with an album that everyone should like. It will be musically superior to my previous work and the arrangements will be more artistic. I really think that the new CD will take me to the next level. I'm also available to record other bands, if you know of any. Or I can do demo tapes for songwriters.

I just wanted to let you know that these blog and/or mailing list communications are for amusement and informal communication only, and are not to be taken too seriously. I recently had an incident with someone on my mailing list that too something I said the wrong way and then used the information against me causing a big mess that I haven't been able to resolve yet. So have fun reading my ramblings, enjoy, but check with me before you quote me on anything!

One more thing - The last time I checked, there was only one response to the blog postings. What good is a blog if it's only one sided? So come on everybody - post your comments, and then let's comment on each others comments until we have a real community thing going here!

My new directions - Please stay with me as I grow!

I hope everyone on my mailing list have found their way over to this weblog. I have some new information to pass on, and as I stated before, I do not intend to send out any more emails. Also, this "blog" is for anyone to use - you don't have to be on the mailing list to participate. So if you just stumbled in on this while wandering around the Internet, feel welcome to participate!

First item of business: After last weekend at the De Oro Mine Company, I have decided that I do not want to play any more shows this year. This means that any future shows that you may have been invited to are cancelled. I'm doing this for a number of reasons; one, I could play my ass off at one of these shows, and who would notice? None of you were there, were you? So why bother? Two, even though my arthritis is under control and no longer affects my guitar playing, it does hurt me a lot to haul around 3/4 ton of musical equipment, set it up and tear it down. After a 2-gig weekend, I can hardly walk for two days afterward. And the small amount of money I make on local bookings is just simply not worth the pain. Reason number three, I'm used to playing for a concert audience that knows my music, pays attention, listens, sings along, etc. In bars, all the people want to seem to do is drink, play pool, cuss and show off. A garage band is all the entertainment they need. People don't even seem to dance any more like they used to. And the fourth reason is that this is a good time to break away from my old routine and begin working on the next evolution of my music. Now that I have received all the pieces for my new digital recording studio, I want to set it up and begin recording some of the best music possible - something that hasn't been heard since the likes of St. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band! If I can come up with a nice product, I can hopefully reach a mass market, and then I will be able to have the kind of budget necessary to play the bigger shows. I'll even be able to hire someone to haul and set up my equipment so I can remain "pain free!" This has to happen sometime, and I think I am ready to reach for the next level. If I don't make a clean break from the old ways and just "go for it," then it will never happen.

I do have some plans for the meantime. As I reported earlier, we sadly lost our drummer, Dave Dinsmoor, last month to heart disease. (If you haven't seen my memorial tribute page yet, go to tomsmerk.com/dinsmoor and learn more about this remarkable person.) Dave will be impossible to replace, so I'm not even going to try. I would have to go to New York, Las Vegas or Nashville to find a musician of that caliber. I think that I would instead like to play some gigs with other bands. One band in particular has approached me with the idea, and I think it would be fun to go out and play "their" songs for a change. I look forward to having a lot of fun doing this.

I also want to begin to thank the Lord for the talent he has given me. He has convinced me that I may be wasting my talent by not following what he has in mind for me, so I plan to devote a lot of time to writing and performing praise music. The timing could not have been better, because over the last few weeks, I have had several conversations with an old friend and professional musician, Pastor Howard Kischassey. He wants to become more active musically, and he has a "circuit" of gospel performances that we could participate in. I hope to see something nice come out of our discussions. Who knows, some day you might see me up there in your church singing and playing guitar! I’ve thought about this before, but I’ve never gotten the call. Maybe I wasn’t good enough. I believe that my present singing and guitar playing are the best I’ve ever done, so last Saturday, I heard the Word “It’s time.” I haven’t been following the praise music scene, but I have seen and heard some excellent entertainers in this genre. I’ll have to study the music for a while, and then see what I can contribute. I imagine that the style will be the same as I play now, which is sort of a country-folk rock with a pop beat and an occasional blues/jazz feel. Of course, I wouldn’t mind doing some of that great old-time bluegrass gospel music with the fast pickin’ and the great harmonies!

And then, hopefully (keep your fingers crossed for me), I'll be back sometime next year on a new concert tour promoting my new CD, with a brand new kick-ass band and an awesome stage show! Stay tuned to this blog site, because I'll tell you every step of the way how it's going!

Remembering the Summer Of Love while planning for the future

Thank you, Ed, for being the first to respond to this blog. One of the reasons I switched from the mailing list to the weblog format is that I wanted to get more 2-way interaction. I hate just talking about myself; I want to hear from all of you. My whole act is based on interaction, so if you're not happy, I'm not happy. Feel welcome to use this forum to freely express your thoughts.

I wanted to write a little today about the fact that this summer is of much significance to me; it is the 40th anniversary of the famous "Summer Of Love." I began learning guitar in 1964 and was playing in a band by early 1965. It was easy to be in a band at the time because the music of the day was fairly simple. By 1967 I was into my 3rd year of performing, and I was also in high school trying to figure out what the future will hold in store for me. In other words, I was in my biggest "growing" phase. Then this new kind of music began showing up on the radio and TV; they called it "psychedelic" music because the bands were probably using mind-altering drugs while writing and recording the music. I began to buy a lot of record albums to study the new music: the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," the "Mothers Of Invention," the Doors, Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Moody Blues and others. All of a sudden, the music is challenging, and local bands tended to slip into two categories; those who could learn the new, more difficult music, and those who could not. Not wanting to be left behind, I started practicing more and taking my guitar playing more seriously. This challenge is probably what set up my career as a professional musician. Because of this, I have always been particularly fond of the music that came out of the "Summer Of Love."

But while my music was changing, so were my political views and views of life in general. The "hippies" of the era were strongly against authority, and against the "straight" way of life. Businessmen were referred to as "plastic" (meaning artificial) people because they went along with whatever they were told in order to get ahead in life. It didn't matter if what they were doing was right or wrong, good or bad. And of course, there was a strong resentment against the war in Vietnam. Our young people were being sent off to die by politicians and industrialists who were profiting from the war. They tried to fool us with the slogan "War means work for all!" Anyone who felt we had no business in Vietnam and who protested the war was simply referred to as a radical, a troublemaker or a commie.

Now, on the 40th anniversary of the Summer Of Love, we are once again engaged in an unpopular war that many believe we have no business participating in. What is that old saying, "if you can't learn from history, then you are bound to repeat it?" But that's only one problem. At least in 1967 we had artistic and creative, absolutely beautiful music to listen to (although many parents still didn't like it). What do we have to listen to today to get us through the war in Iraq? Rap? House? Hip-Hop? 19 "cuss" words per sentence? Can you hum the melody of a rap or hip-hop song for me? If I want to be popular, do I need to overuse the "F" word and jump up and down on stage while grabbing my balls?

The last time I played at the De Oro Mine Company, the bartender told me the house made more money that night than when any of the "popular" bands play there. Could it be that maybe I am one of the only performing artists left over from the "old days" who is still playing "music" rather than proliferating noise?

I would like to get your opinions because I am about to sit down and record a new CD that I would like to release through commercial channels, and I would like it to be universally accepted by people of all ages, backgrounds, races and lifestyles. It is going to be a large part of my retirement income. If I could hear back from a cross section of older and younger people what you like and don't like about my music, and what are your favorite songs that I perform, it would help me plan the song selection for the new CD. So please, keep those comments coming!

New Home of the Tom Smerk Mailing List!

For those of you who wandered into my space here, let me fill you in on what I'm up to. I am an entertainer currently performing in the San Diego area. My current act has been together for about four years, but I have been a professional entertainer since 1965. I sing and play guitar, and use a notebook computer controlled MIDI multitrack software program to provide backup music such a bass, drums, keyboards, strings and brass. My web site is tomsmerk.com if you would like to know more.

I have been sending an announcement each month to a select group of people who have signed up to be on my mailing list. The monthly bulletin announced my upcoming shows and also let everybody know what I have been up to lately. I have decided to discontinue my mailing list and monthly bulletin for three reasons:1. People don't come to see my show just because they got an email from me. They only come when they want to. It has to be the right type of venue, not too far away, and not too late at night. (People don't seem to go out like they used to!)2. Many more people would like to be on my mailing list, but they are very afraid of giving their email because of spam and malicious practices on the Internet. By disseminating the information here in this weblog, anybody who wants can recieve the information without having to identify themselves.3. I'm noticing from my teaching experience that more and more people are embracing the latest technologies such as smartphones, weblogs and RSS feeds. Because this blog has an RSS feed, those of you who would like to always be up to date on what I am up to can subscribe to the feed and automatically recieve updates.

I will be sending my final email to my mailing list this week. From then on, all information will be posted here. Please either subscribe to my feed, or at least check in frequently. We now have the opportunity for interactive discussion about music, rural living, or anything else we have in common.

For those of you who found this on your own, I will begin by posting a compilation of recent emails so you can get caught up on what you missed by not being on the mailing list. I really appreciate all of your suport and encouragement. Just because you may not have heard of me (yet) doesn't mean you shouldn't take notice and get involved. I was a popular entertainer in the 60's, 70's and 80's, working with many major acts either on the same stage or as an opening act. Then in 1988 I was offered a job teaching in the Community College system, and that led to a full time job with one school and a busy part-time job with another. Plus I am currently working on opening a national online business school and writing textbooks to go with some of the curriculum. I have just been notified that my biography will be published in the 11th edition of "Who's Who Among America's Teachers."

Now that I am nearing retirement from teaching, my music has once again become a big part of my life. My playing and singing at this point are better than ever and my new songs are the best I've ever written. I am upgrading my personal recording studio with hopes of creating some great new CDs for the international market. I am soon goig to stop playing in bars and nightclubs and concentrate on the concert circuit. So please join me on my new musical venture and let's see what happens!