tag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:/blogs/postcard-from-jt?p=22postcard from JT2024-03-17T20:35:00-04:00Jefferson Thomasfalsetag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/36068702024-03-17T18:30:00-04:002024-03-17T18:36:32-04:00Not the least bit Irish, but St. Patrick's Day is always very special to me...<div style="text-align:justify;">I'm not the least bit Irish, but St. Patrick's Day for me is always a special memory of my first-ever paying gig. My dad was the guitarist in the backing band of an Irish singer who would come over from Belfast several times a year and play the US. They always did big business in NYC and upstate NY, and there was an enormous Irish festival there every year for St. Patrick's Day.<br><br>One day, my dad gets off the phone and says they're doing that festival again, and the guy needs a bass player for this gig on short notice. I was eleven. I had taken up bass two years earlier, and had just recently gotten my first-ever instrument, an old Hofner-copy Beatle-esque bass, with action so high you could win an archery contest with it (it still adorns my wall at home)...</div><p style="text-align:center;"> </p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/6b6c3c29a8de4afe63ebc8cb1ce2ae2da9b51cfd/original/20140317-231459.jpg?1395112788/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg?1395112788" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><p> </p><div style="text-align:justify;">...so I was suddenly pressed into duty. One of my friends called as were were leaving, wanting me to meet the gang and play football. "Tell him I gotta play a job" I said matter-of-factly, savoring the words.<br><br>There was no rehearsal. My dad explained to me during the long drive to the festival that "It's pretty much all three-chord stuff, kinda simple and a lot of fun, but it moves pretty fast. Just follow me and listen to the singer; you'll be fine." I got there and met the other guys in the band, who had flown in from Ireland. I could barely understand any of them. I remember my dad being really proud and thrilled that I was joining him. We played about an hour, then took a break and I sat with the guys, having my first corned-beef and cabbage, and my first beer ("Don't tell your mother" my Dad whispered, conspiringly). Then we played another two sets, I got paid a couple hundred bucks and just smiled the whole way home.<br><br>It marked the beginning of the end of whatever football career I may have been destined for. </div>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/71974042024-02-21T13:45:43-05:002024-03-17T18:27:18-04:00Sad? Scared? Hell, no!<p style="text-align:justify;"><span>This morning I was in the hospital for one of several procedures over the past month and continuing over the next several days. Laying there, I suddenly became very emotional and teary-eyed, and the nurse asked me what was wrong, as they hadn't even started the anesthesia yet. I told her nothing was wrong; quite the contrary. I was overcome with the good fortune I've had and how immeasurably wealthy I feel.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><span>When you get into music at an early age (I was fifteen in this photo and already gigging up a storm), the measure of success is always being rich and famous. In fact, the running joke with the lifelong friend who took this photo is that, to this day, every time he sees me, he asks, "So, are you famous yet?"</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><span>It takes a while for you to realize that the true measure of success is the experiences playing music brings you. I've made a lot of money doing this, and there were times when I LOST a lot of money doing this. I've traveled the world and seen a lot of places many folks will never get to see.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><span>Strange that I rarely find myself remembering a particular studio session or gig or musical moment onstage. I'm always thinking about things like:</span></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><span>Cookouts and beers and football at the soundman's condo with the band the day after a hometown gig ...</span></p><p start="1" type="1"><span>Or sitting around jamming with my folks in the old house at an impromptu after-party after playing bass for them on one of their gigs…</span></p><p start="1" type="1"><span>Or feeling the cold wind on the deck of the ferry from Germany to Denmark looking out at the Baltic Sea on the way to my first time playing Copenhagen…</span></p><p start="1" type="1"><span>Or retrieving a round of drinks in a bar for the rest of the band (who were all in their 30s) when I was 17, and having the bartender say he couldn't serve me and I had to leave, and me saying, “Then you ain't got no music tonight, pal.”</span></p><p start="1" type="1"><span>Or growing up sitting around with old friends playing guitars and mandolins and pianos and banjos and washtub bass and funky stuff until the wee hours, eating and drinking too much, while unwittingly learning how to actually play and sing.</span></p><p start="1" type="1"><span>Or hitting on the hottest chick in the room after a gig in Germany; a "chick" who is now my wife and the most amazing person I've ever encountered…</span></p><p start="1" type="1"><span>Or the many great friends who have called and checked up on me the past few weeks to see how I'm doing. My dad used to call these kind of people "foxhole friends." I treasure each one of you more than you can possibly know.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><span>I'm not afraid of anything anymore, and looking forward to making a lot more music - and memories - with all of you. See y'all out there when all this is over.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><span>"CHECK ONE TWO..."</span><o:p></o:p><br> </p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/46827/9bb18db37a0df300b9961418e6862d92c6a4baf1/original/jt-at-15.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><p> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/73242082023-12-25T14:52:27-05:002024-02-21T13:45:35-05:00 Whatever happened to child labor laws?!<p><span>Age 11. Some people have kids to help them carry stuff and do yardwork and chores. My parents just had me because they got tired of trying to find a decent bass player. #jeffersonthomas #americanamusic #americana</span><br><span><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/46827/96abc003895af48e3d639970796a7e0f053084d3/original/jt-folks-onstage.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /></span></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/73228892023-12-22T12:10:29-05:002023-12-22T12:12:02-05:00EARLY RECORDING SESSION MEMORIES...<p>There I was, a young multi-instrumental gunslinger, having just landed in NYC, hired on an album project being cut at Cove City Studios, the place where they had done all those Mariah Carey records and countless other monsters, owned and operated by Billy Joel sax legend Richie Cannata.<br><br>Sitting next to Richie at the console while his engineer tweaked a mix, I began gushing to him what an honor it was working with the guy who had played all those classic Billy Joel sax parts. "I mean, man...Just The Way You Are...that solo was a composition in and of itself. Just an absolute masterpiece."<br><br>Richie smiled politely and said, "Well, actually that was Phil Woods."<br><br>It was the first time I ever recall wishing I could spontaneously combust.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/46827/f81d470dbc10056ad94efd6f6f3929b09c0d8696/original/mixer.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/71221292023-12-19T23:39:33-05:002023-12-19T23:39:33-05:00Yeah, so some folks still send and receive Christmas cards…but are YOUR Christmas cards served on a baritone guitar with a Bisgby? No, I didn’t think they were...<p><a class="no-pjax" href="/a-video-christmas-card" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="A Video Christmas Card" contents=""><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/44fba8b65d8f410fa14bfbd27a319acad742e788/original/ccitc-thumb-streamable.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/72431182023-07-17T10:53:55-04:002023-07-17T11:13:53-04:00Meanwhile, at an airport in India...<p>This is how ya do it, folks. You show me some love, and I’ll show you some love! And I learned something today: I didn’t even know where “Goa” was. Maybe it’s time to include India as a stop on the next overseas tour!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/46827/de9c84b7e1eb1f7937e72e4cdba543592b17324c/original/india-ig.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/72431202023-07-02T22:00:00-04:002023-12-19T23:39:23-05:00Official business before the show starts...<p style="text-align:center;"><a class="no-pjax" href="https://streamable.com/1roscy" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/46827/814d26442da70d3db745aee0a8340025a3711a30/original/national-anthem-thumb.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" />CLICK TO PLAY</strong></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57676232023-05-26T10:10:00-04:002023-05-26T10:20:01-04:00Eat, drink, swim, and party all you want this weekend...<p>Just remember that every day is "Memorial Day" for her...<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/ecdd7a06356b4a5dda7d3fc57614b27fc209bc10/original/memorial-day.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/36571222023-04-14T11:00:00-04:002023-04-14T11:00:03-04:00Happy Anniversary!<div style="text-align:justify;">My dad was playing a gig and some mutual friends set up a blind date. The deal was, the singer who came up to request a certain song would be the one he was supposed to ask out.<br> </div><div style="text-align:justify;">So he’s waiting on this song all night. But the singer (my mom) chickens out and sends her friend up to request the song. On a break, my dad, kind of underwhelmed, says to the guys in the band, “Yeah, she’s all right, but her FRIEND – what’s SHE all about? What’s goin’ on there?”<br><br>They finally got it all straightened out and ended up getting married, a whole lot of April 14ths ago.</div><p style="text-align:justify;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/6c034280524daa9cfa5e0611be56c964d1c94f95/original/folks.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/71827622023-04-02T12:31:52-04:002023-04-02T12:31:52-04:00Playa for life!<p><span>Spent a little time with my dad this morning, in a way. I have his 1961 Epiphone Casino with me down south, in its original case, which of course is an absolute indestructible tank. They don't make shit like that anymore.</span><br><br><span>One of my dad's annoying (and now cherished) habits was that he rarely threw anything away. The compartments of that case are stuffed full of an entire life story of repair receipts, setlists, business cards and flyers from musicians met along the way, and even a couple of unopened sets of strings that are at least 30 years old, which are probably pure rust by now.</span><br><br><span>But the coup de gras was this hotel room key envelope from a Holiday Inn Express, from who-knows-what town. Keepin' it real, pops. Road warrior. No presidential suite for this gangsta. Hit the complimentary continental breakfast, throw down some shitty lukewarm coffee, then head on out for the next town and do it all over again.</span><br><br><span>Playa for life…</span><br><span><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/46827/13f0009bd2b3c9156933f7d72b6a0360a670ee39/original/casino-and-case.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></span></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/71698422023-03-12T12:57:55-04:002023-03-12T12:57:55-04:00New live video!<div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="MCvwP_T9EwM" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MCvwP_T9EwM?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/56707242023-03-06T07:05:00-05:002023-03-06T07:20:02-05:00Happy Birthday, Dad!<p style="text-align:justify;">This is the last recording of my dad, captured by my brother in a high-end boutique guitar store somewhere in New Mexico. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">The only thing he enjoyed as much as a good night playing was prowling music stores by day, trying out instruments and sharing old songs and stories with the staff and local players. He was a curator of great old, lost songs; the more obscure, the more he enjoyed bringing them to life again. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">My earliest memories are of tagging along on these excursions, prowling music stores for great old instruments. I eventually inherited his penchant for breezing right past all the sexy new stuff and heading straight for the “island of misfit toys” - the area in the back with every used and abused, sorry-looking old clunker in town. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">I also never got tired of seeing all the headbangers, shredding away on their raging death-metal, stop what they were doing and come over to see the old man laying down some great old stuff. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">He would leave us not very long after this, and he had clearly lost a step on guitar at this point, but his voice had aged and deepened, like a fine wine. We’re fortunate that my brother suddenly decided to bust out his phone and capture this. The video didn’t come out, but I’m glad; for me, this is like an old-time radio show. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">It ends with him saying "I'll jump right in with your band anytime," and the guy in the store says "Anytime! It's too bad you're leaving so soon." Touche...</p><p style="text-align:center;"> </p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_inline" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="pnahLXDTWbs" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pnahLXDTWbs?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p> </p><p> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/71539832023-02-14T21:33:32-05:002023-02-14T21:33:32-05:00Valentines Day special...<p>A song I wrote a few years ago in the middle of the night, 35,000 feet above the Atlantic on the way back from Europe, about falling in love.<br><br>She now lives in America and is my wife.</p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="fou2eWTEAKU" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fou2eWTEAKU?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/8374632023-02-12T11:50:00-05:002023-02-12T12:55:56-05:00Perspective from childhood...<p>Of all the people who have helped me in my chosen profession, the two who still keep me grounded are a couple of kids I used to play football with when I was twelve or thirteen. When they heard I'd taken up guitar, they came over to hear. One of them said, enthusiastically, "Whoa, isn't it cool that he can do that?" The other, completely unimpressed, just shrugged and said, “So what? If HE can do it, how hard can it be?”</p><p>I guess somewhere between cockiness and humility lies teh truth. Thanks, fellas!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/46827/8d35750f66083159aa6441f1738003ae2526cabe/original/kid-on-guitar.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/71445742023-01-27T15:40:58-05:002023-01-27T15:41:46-05:00Are you suffering from music that sucks?<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="Oo_RE4Ue8R8" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/Oo_RE4Ue8R8/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Oo_RE4Ue8R8?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/71403582023-01-19T14:22:30-05:002023-01-19T14:22:31-05:00It's the JT WINTER 2023 NEWS!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><span class="font_xl">NEW VIDEOS!</span></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="EjziuuslUjk" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/EjziuuslUjk/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EjziuuslUjk?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="yRxJIx6M64k" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/yRxJIx6M64k/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yRxJIx6M64k?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Some particularly attentive observers have noted that the two most recent live videos were both from last summer’s JT residency at John Scotts, and asked if we got a whole John Scott’s show on video. Well no - we got FOUR of ‘em! </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">After so many great summers of great moments out east in Hamptons-land, we finally decided to bite the bullet and lugged the mobile recording rig and a few cameras out there and recorded two afternoon shows and two evening shows. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">There’s no way to capture the magic and vibe of those weekly oceanside hangs on video, but we tried! And, no, there won’t be a “live at John Scott’s” album officially released to the public, but it will be made available exclusively on my site to YOU, the denizens of the JT mailing list. All my talk about you guys getting free member-exclusive stuff…it’s time for me to deliver! Look for it sometime later this year. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_xl"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">NEW ALBUM PREVIEW ONLY AVAILABLE<br>FOR A LIMITED TIME! </span></strong></span></p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="members only" data-link-type="page" href="/members-only" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/ef7bbd8b454afa1d0a343def139f85ba24a4517c/original/el-royale-2022.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><br>Speaking of free stuff - a lot of you have been enjoying the members-only preview of the new album. It looks like we can leave that up until about mid-March, when we anticipate the album to be officially released. So get all your free listening in now! Just click on the album cover above and join the mailing list and we'll send you your password! </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_xl"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">MORE FREE STUFF! </span></strong></span></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/e8a851abbbbb7351fb1e410167e326272a69ffc5/original/unboxed-set-discontinued.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Well, the Jefferson Thomas Unboxed Set (downloadable collection of all five JT albums available exclusively at jeffersonthomas.com) was such a success that we received more than a few suggestions about creating a CD and even a vinyl version of it. The download package-deal of five albums for $25 was the sweet spot. It proved to be quite palatable for a lot of people. However, the onerous production expenses involved in a CD or Vinyl version would make the retail price of such a package far too high for someone as un-famous as me to justify. </p>
<p>But the main reason we’re retiring The Unboxed Set is that the SIXTH Jefferson Thomas album was finished in late 2022 and is headed your way in 2023, essentially rendering the Unboxed Set outdated. </p>
<p>So we put together a “best of” package; smaller than The Unboxed Set, just twelve songs culled from the first five albums. Almost like a sampler. I could call it “greatest hits”, but I don’t even have any “worst” hits. </p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="Best Of JT" data-link-type="page" href="/best-of-jt" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/9331b05b3ba2e6ad2a20c71a9b526dedf4a278b4/original/bojt23.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As an added bonus, this features the new “cinema” (film/TV) versions of Jacksonville and Almost A Sunny Day that don’t appear anywhere else, as well as It Makes No Difference by The Band and Six O’Clock News by Kathleen Edwards - two unreleased cover tunes that, for some reason, never made it onto any JT album. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The best part about all this? Well, the folks at shows will have to buy it. But you - the ever-loyal denizens of the JT mailing list - can get it for FREE right here, right now! Just click on the album cover above. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Stay warm out there, gang!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/abd9636b8861858aa157d6d9e82ba63782230319/original/jt-signature-negative.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/71367692023-01-11T20:38:41-05:002023-01-11T20:39:03-05:00Damn, Jeff Beck...<p style="text-align: justify;">I am always playing so damn much that I rarely get to see anyone ELSE play; friends and colleagues as well as living legends. The last concerts I actually got to see were The Black Crowes in 2005 and The Pretenders in 2006. The number of famous musicians I've been able to personally MEET actually exceeds the number that I've been able to see perform, which is really rather bizarre. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">That said, Jeff Beck was yet another on that list of, "Man, I gotta get around to seeing them while they're still here." DAMMIT. What a giant.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/379d9d1ce0214b89e6cfb894d18148dd3b880bd8/original/jeff-beck-in-amsterdam-1979-cropped.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/68350772022-12-20T20:44:34-05:002022-12-20T20:47:45-05:00The HESS TRUCK is back!<p style="text-align: justify;">It brings a huge smile to my face each year when I see that Hess has come out with its new “Hess Truck” for the holidays. I hope they never stop doing this. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I was probably nine or ten years old, accompanying my mom as she began her Christmas shopping. The very first place we went was a Hess gas station, where she bought the new Hess toy truck. I got all excited, seeing this really cool truck with its working lights and everything, but wondered aloud why she had allowed me to see her buy it, as it surely wouldn’t be a surprise. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">She said that it was not for me, or my brother (or my dad for that matter!). She explained, “Some kids aren’t as lucky as you are. They don’t have a Christmas. They don’t have a tree, or anybody to put anything under it for them. We must always remember that.” She headed straight for the Marines’ Toys For Tots bin and dropped the truck in there. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">After that, we began every season that way until I was old enough to go shopping on my own; we’d hit a Hess station and she’d buy the truck and then let me drop it in the Toys For Tots bin. Some years were leaner than others, and sometimes there wasn’t much under our tree, but some kid I’d never meet, somewhere, would have a nice new Hess truck every year. I found out, many years later, that she continued to do this long after my brother and I were grown and gone. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">THAT was my Mom.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/e3871be41d1c908b5a47dc1bb6ae147721209773/original/hess.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/71255732022-12-19T21:32:32-05:002022-12-20T20:44:28-05:00Lookout! Americans in Denmark!<p>The last thing you expect to hear just after soundcheck somewhere in Denmark is "Hey, JT!" Startled, I turned around and saw familiar faces. It turns out that, this year, some American fans happened to be in Copenhagen when I was there and decided to catch the show. </p>
<p>You know folks, you don't have to do that. We'll be back in the USA and we'll come to you.<br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="dNM63shkEck" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/dNM63shkEck/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dNM63shkEck?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/71212572022-12-11T11:28:50-05:002022-12-11T11:30:08-05:00"Fock hyoo, Zheff!<p>What a great surprise tonight! From out of nowhere I got a video call from halfway around the world. It was Carsten and Gerda, who were partying hard in the wee hours in her bar near Dusseldorf. They just called to say "FOCK HYOOO ZHEFF!" Who are Carsten and Gerda, and what is "FOCK HYOOO ZHEFF" you ask? Well, let’s take a trip back a few years to my fourth (I think) European Tour…<br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="7E5SmZyGqjI" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/7E5SmZyGqjI/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7E5SmZyGqjI?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="320" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/71088412022-11-23T07:47:23-05:002022-11-23T07:52:54-05:00Happy birthday, Mom!<p><a contents="" data-link-label="Happy birthday, Mom!" data-link-type="page" href="/happy-birthday-mom" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/db501290c584c1ee3b46a69394ca43e87594a98c/original/mom-str-thumb.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/71063552022-11-19T13:49:02-05:002022-11-19T13:49:03-05:00Hey, we'll take it any way we can get it...<p style="text-align: justify;">You just never know where music licensing is going to take you. I just received an email from someone who says they love “Jacksonville”. It seems they came across the song (the original studio verson) in an online virtual-reality fishing game. OK, that's kind of a strange usage for that song, but we'll certainly take the money.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="3u002z7uvfI" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/3u002z7uvfI/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3u002z7uvfI?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="320" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/70968312022-11-06T04:10:00-05:002022-11-06T18:33:53-05:00Pre-dawn cheese steak detour...<p style="text-align: justify;">When you had a gig Friday night in Charlotte and then drove all day Saturday to your gig in DC and now you're driving four hours to New York City and you suddenly realize that you gained an hour overnight with the change of the clocks, so it's only a three-hour drive now, so you "swing by" the south end of Philadelphia for a pre-dawn cheesesteak. Because you've got an extra hour, right?<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/acab763023b21b2087aa53ffe1b868ea2bdce13d/original/pats.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/70844652022-10-19T12:19:15-04:002022-10-19T12:24:56-04:00It's the JT FALL NEWS!<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="CLICK TO READ" data-link-label="JT FALL 2022 NEWS (ns)" data-link-type="page" href="/jt-fall-2022-news-ns" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/de2f2d097e09bd52d7e215ec3923053a5bada8af/original/jt-fall-2022.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /><strong><span class="font_small">CLICK TO READ</span></strong></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/70544122022-09-06T17:59:40-04:002022-09-06T18:00:30-04:00SNEAK PEEK AT THE NEW JT ALBUM! FEATURING A GUEST APPEARANCE ON HARMONICA BY JOHN POPPER OF BLUES TRAVELER…<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="P4kPWtya0qc" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/P4kPWtya0qc/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P4kPWtya0qc?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/70201282022-07-22T09:25:21-04:002022-08-15T13:45:13-04:00Tracks are POPPIN'!<p>Today's jaunt to tonight's gig in Rhode Island is, thankfully, a charter bus affair. Let somebody else drive for a change, while the band has bloody marys and breakfast burritos. </p>
<p>It also allows me an opportunity to do some laptop post-production on the John Popper harmonica guest appearance you'll be hearing soon. John NAILED it!<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/9a6dde321803d3d864ebf781460bc6b46ae6eb06/original/20220722-085959.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/70067792022-07-03T10:55:04-04:002022-07-03T10:55:05-04:00It's the JT SPRING/SUMMER NEWS!!<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Click on the hardworking newsboy for all the latest NEWS!</strong><br><a contents="" data-link-label="SPRING/SUMMER/2022 NEWS" data-link-type="page" href="/spring-summer-2022-news" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/1c6fbe4589d1c82541ffa1f1392322b46e2bdb3b/original/jt-news-crop.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/70043432022-06-29T13:46:18-04:002022-06-29T14:53:48-04:00The hills may be alive with sound of music, but the walls are alive with the SIGHT of it...<p>My wife surprised me with this interior decorating theme for the new studio in South Carolina. The walls will be a patchwork of early 20th-century German piano manuscript. She is doing this herself. And I thought I was going to be the most creative one in that studio!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/5f84a68103554df214013acf844f1d6436174aad/original/wallpaper.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpeg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69985312022-06-21T13:44:35-04:002022-06-21T14:33:54-04:00The official video for FADE is here!<p style="text-align: justify;">OK, I guess I was wrong when I said “The Switch” would be the last video from the Sixteen Sundays album. A lot of people tell me they think “Fade” is one of my best if not THE best song I have, so how could we not have a go at a visual treatment?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">We shot this while on tour in Denmark and Germany, with some additional scenes shot in New York, and I had a lot of fun doing it. Enjoy! </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="bCbrU_cX6BM" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/bCbrU_cX6BM/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bCbrU_cX6BM?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69879752022-06-06T16:22:30-04:002022-06-06T16:23:19-04:00Fringe benefits of working on music for film and TV...you discover great films!<p style="text-align: justify;">Two jobs I had briefly while I was in college that most prepared me for making a living from music were 1.) a professional mover, and 2.) a telemarketer. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This week I'm working on a tune for the new Amazon series from director Boots Riley. I just watched his 2018 flim, "Sorry To Bother You:, and it was fantastic. And the telemarketer angle was most enjoyable. Highly recommended!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="enH3xA4mYcY" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/enH3xA4mYcY/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/enH3xA4mYcY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69693432022-05-12T07:05:14-04:002022-05-12T11:04:49-04:00Video shoot in Copenhagen today!<p>Video shoot today in my favorite European city, for the "<a contents="Fade" data-link-label="" data-link-type="track" href="/track/704512/fade" target="_blank">Fade</a>" video, coming your way in June! Then we finish out this European run with tomorrow's show on the "Geyser By The Sea" concert series, then we head home.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/531c5c71b3a43bec4ac6502fe896a024eb6bc9d3/original/fade-16x9.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69684242022-05-11T05:16:13-04:002022-05-11T05:20:35-04:00Three great shows in Germany; now on to Denmark!<p>The shows in Germany were fantastic. It started with the sound guy at the first show casually telling me after soundcheck that a German TV station would be doing a simulcast of the show. </p>
<p>Of course, this sort of thing only happens when you've spent the last week bouncing around time zones and busying yourself with logistics and everything except picking up a guitar and actually running through some things and PREPARING... </p>
<p>At the third show I met some folks who had seen me last time I played in the area and bought all my albums, and now wanted to complete their collection, so they bought a copy of Sixteen Sundays. Pay attention, kids...THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT! </p>
<p>Now on to Denmark! (photo by Helga Schöning)</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/b7df98eefc8cdd4ab3080d3d1d121c9875c58b07/original/ibg.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69679342022-05-10T15:28:08-04:002022-05-10T15:28:08-04:00Same shit, different millenium...<p>I was fifteen. Nope - never did get a real job, after all this time.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/84ad37d7a2ee857942b246a59ed9922ece2e7ec5/original/young-rocker-crop.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69661642022-05-08T03:04:45-04:002022-05-08T03:04:45-04:00Happy Mother's Day!<p>Mom backstage at "The Egg" performing arts center in Albany, NY, getting ready to go on. In the dress she made herself. The fire extinguisher says, "In case of classy, badass lady belting out sultry vocals, break glass."<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/291cdbcf937bf32c20fd67644ae30a76a78571aa/original/mom-backstage.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57184162022-04-23T06:00:00-04:002022-04-23T06:00:01-04:00Happy Record Store Day!<p>Show some love to your local independent record store today!<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/9f4c124eaa7dfd8ceeef69acbb8b4da980e49063/original/records-t-shirt.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
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</center>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69545592022-04-22T10:32:19-04:002022-04-22T10:33:30-04:00Hazy memories of the mobile drinking - er, recording studio...<p style="text-align: justify;">Text from a friend in midtown Manhattan this morning: “Hey, didn’t we do backing vocals in this place?” Indeed we did! It became a regular hang for our crew after we discovered it by accident. It was a MAJOR hard-partying Japanese sushi bar, the kind where all the Japanese businessmen go and drink until they fall down. No, really, I mean we would watch them fall down every time we went there.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">We used to reserve the back room for our jaunts (“pay no attention to those drunken idiots behind the curtain!”). I was working on the <a contents='title track of the "Come Alive" album' data-link-label="" data-link-type="album" href="/album/248075/come-alive" target="_blank">title track of the "Come Alive" album</a> at the time, and II decided to bring in a mobile recording setup to capture us all singing (OK, yelling) the hook line.<br><br>Good memory, Steve. Come to think of it, how did you even remember this?! And what are you doing there at 9am? For the love of God, Steve, DON’T GO IN THERE…</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/e464956ad8138eb7fd070ae4538b1b01836e7a72/original/sushi-bar.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69477952022-04-13T20:15:03-04:002022-04-13T20:15:03-04:00TWAAAAANG!<p>All you guitar players will laugh at this. I'm working on some tracks here and was just trying to decide which guitar to use. I grabbed one with a Bigsby and then immediately said out loud to myself, "Man, it can't always be about the Bigsby." Then I looked down at the guitar rack and realized... um, yeah, at this point, it's apparently always about the Bigsby. TWAAAANG! Remember, the first step is always to admit you have a problem.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/5da871a45c2ced64fc7fcb5a37f1520d168781c9/original/bisgby-row.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.png" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69470522022-04-12T21:22:02-04:002022-04-19T08:50:28-04:00Good Night, Doctor… <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/460046e9c5bf3b050535ed0186f625b2fd0f96ec/original/screenshot-209.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.png" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It was one of what seemed to be a thousand nights in a row and I was completely burned out, playing a solo show in some faraway town that I can't even recall. She wandered in about a half hour into my first set and sat down right up front. I told the crowd that I was going to do a few more tunes and then take a break, and she loudly and provocatively exclaimed, “I think you should take a break right now and come sit down with me and let me buy you a drink.” I paused for comedic effect and then hastily announced, “Folks, we're going to take a break RIGHT NOW…” </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">She was obviously drunk already, and getting drunker. As we talked, she mentioned that she lived close by and was going to drive home. She was clearly in no condition to do so, and I suggested she leave her car and retrieve it the morning after, and I would drop her off at home. It was not a pick-up line; I've lost more than a few friends and family members to drunk drivers. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Yes, I know what you're thinking. And you're partly right. I didn't just drop her off. We got to her place and she said I should come in for a drink. We went inside and kept talking, and yes, I spent the night. But no, we did not fuck. We just laid in bed next to each other talking all night. Or rather, she talked and I listened. And boy, could she talk. I might have gotten six words in the entire night. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">She went through her whole childhood, education, and work history. She had come from an upscale Boston family, which is perhaps why she introduced herself as “Kimberly” and corrected me when I called her “Kim.” She had recently graduated with a PhD in pharmacology and had moved to the area to accept an executive position with a pharmaceutical company. She had no connection to the area, no friends close by, and had gradually become more and more estranged from her family back home. As the night wore on, it became abundantly clear that this was an extremely isolated and lonely human being. She had begun “raiding the cupboard” - increasingly availing herself of the opioids to which her new position provided her access. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I sat there and listened to her into the wee hours until we fell asleep. When we awoke around noon, she was sober and clear-headed. The gloom of the night before had dissipated, and she was bright and delightful, laughing at my stupid, awkward jokes. She expressed her gratitude for me not taking advantage of the situation. “I'm glad we didn't do it,” she said. “It was just nice to have somebody to talk to.” She made breakfast and we talked some more and then I said I’d better get going. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">She asked if I would like to come back sometime and have her cook me dinner, and I said that would be really nice. Then I left. I had about a three-hour drive to the next gig. About an hour later she called me, thanking me again, and wondering if we could nail down that dinner date. I said sure, and before we could even get to that, she spent the next 45 minutes telling me more about her life. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">We never had that dinner. In fact, I never heard from her again, and this was over 10 years ago. Just today, randomly, her name came up in that weird little Facebook feed; you know, the one that makes you say, “Holy shit, I had forgotten all about” so-and-so. I clicked on it, and apparently, her friends or family have been curating her Facebook page. Because she died two years ago. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">My first immediate thought was wow, for all the things we've heard about the terrible toll the isolation of the pandemic has taken; all the lost souls and the proliferation of opioid addiction, here was a person who was both a lost soul AND an opioid addict long before we foolishly shut down our entire society and now seem somehow bewildered by the results. Then I immediately felt bad for even assuming that she died that way. However, she had been a young, otherwise healthy human being, and it's not like there's anybody to ask anyway. Besides, I'm not sure I want to know. What difference would it make? </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I'm not even sure what the point is in all this. Maybe it's just a reminder that we can never underestimate the value of human connection. Or the toll exacted by the lack of it. Goodnight, doctor. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">-JT</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69452032022-04-10T13:52:04-04:002022-04-11T09:12:01-04:00A most strange and beautiful confluence...<p style="text-align: justify;">My dad didn't only make a living as a musician - he was an avid listener and collector of recorded music as well. Over the course of his lifetime he amassed a collection of over 3500 records and CDs. When he died I inherited that collection, moving it (ten van-loads in all) into my apartment where I spent the next four years gradually and painstakingly entering all of it into a master Excel file.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I was much more interested in documenting my dad’s collection than realizing any re-sale value. So far I’ve given away about 200 of these records and CD's to musician and music lover friends who I know will give them a good home. I think that’s ultimately what the old man would have wanted – the music to be truly appreciated rather than sold to the highest bidder.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Last week, from out of the blue, I got a message from a radio show host at WHUS, a station where I had done an in-studio interview and performance a few years back. I brought some of my parents' vintage guitars that never leave the house and did half a dozen songs. and we had a blast just hanging out and talking about music, including my dad and his collection.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This radio show host is an old-school devotee of physical music you can hold in your hand, so his preferred medium is the CD. He recently had a major fire in his home and his entire collection of CDs was lost. He wanted to know if I could send him hardcopies of all my albums, and burn him a CD of our night together at WHUS as well.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I said sure - I'll get all of that to him. I also reminded him of my dad's collection, and offered him any or all of it, since this was precisely the kind of "home" my dad would have wanted for his music. And if it would help this radio show survive, all the better! </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Just today it suddenly dawned on me that my dad grew up on a farm about 12 miles from this radio station. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">So thank you, timeless universe, for the magic that you do and the happenstance you bring when we least expect it. After many years, surprise - Dad will be going home again.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="HskvgI2PZGY" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/HskvgI2PZGY/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HskvgI2PZGY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69446872022-04-09T10:52:06-04:002022-04-09T10:53:20-04:00Phoenix soundcheck...<p style="text-align: justify;">I own way too many guitars as it is, but for logistical reasons I won’t bore you with, we did rentals for last night’s gig in Phoenix. I grew up on a Strat, so I had fun re-connecting with my roots on a nice tobacco-sunburst model. And I’ve never been much of a Taylor guy, but I went with one of those on the acoustic side of things, and it was fine. Much thanks to the crew at SIR in Phoenix! It was weird not dealing with guitars at the airport. And kinda nice, to be honest!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="4CP0LHfA4yc" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/4CP0LHfA4yc/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4CP0LHfA4yc?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69332022022-03-26T10:00:00-04:002022-03-27T11:52:17-04:00Wow. Taylor Hawkins....<p>I have always adored the Foo Fighters and Taylor Hawkins. I Inadvertently saw them for free years ago. I was walking home up Sixth Avenue and had completely forgotten that the MTV Music Awards were that night at Radio City Music Hall. The Foo Fighters did a short set on the roof of Radio City, so I just stood across the street having my face melted. Great drummer, and I never met him, but by all accounts a great guy. RIP.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69294622022-03-22T21:28:46-04:002022-03-22T21:31:02-04:00It's vintage tone night...<p>Tonight's axes are from 1958, 1968, and...well, OK, 2006. That's KINDA vintage.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/d93c77b3e0192d349720d29ef9bf5b304432feae/original/vintage-trio-3-21-22.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69122332022-03-03T00:15:45-05:002022-03-03T00:15:45-05:00The song that just won't go away. Although we wish it would...<p style="text-align: justify;">Please keep my “other family”- the Sherwoods - in your thoughts this week as they lay to rest one of their beloved sons, who was only sixteen years old. No one should ever have to do that. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I wrote this song in my teens., and it seems it has come back to visit us again. I am getting damned tired of Sherwoods leaving this earth before their time.<br><a contents="(CLICK TO PLAY)" data-link-label="ms" data-link-type="page" href="/ms" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/f7f9aad30e33a9607fde865863f160a8bb3a9667/original/ms.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="(CLICK TO PLAY)" data-link-label="ms" data-link-type="page" href="/ms" target="_blank"><span class="font_small">(CLICK TO PLAY)</span></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69038912022-02-22T09:31:43-05:002022-02-22T09:31:43-05:00Thursday's Girl - AGAIN!<p>Well, there's good news and bad news....and then more good news. My song "Thursday's Girl" first appeared in the Matthew Broderick/Brittany Snow film "Finding Amanda" years ago. </p>
<p>The good news is that another Hollywood project wants it. </p>
<p>The bad news is that we all agree that the original version is so dated I'll need to completely re-record a more "current" version. </p>
<p>No, wait - that's GOOD news!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/3232bb0cfc943c2617368ef1d2529dabcc5c2b81/original/fa.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69023192022-02-20T01:09:42-05:002022-02-20T13:42:27-05:00Hot fashion trend tip!<p>Attention ladies: if you wanna know what the coming fashion trends are, pay no attention to the runway models. Tonight I played for a thousand drunken Iona College girls, and half of them were wearing...leather pants?! You heard it here first.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/abd87cdd0df113d11b444c6784e82ae0791db8df/original/college-girls.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69000482022-02-17T09:07:06-05:002022-02-17T09:26:31-05:00Can't stop smiling today...<p style="text-align: justify;">For some reason, last night I had a full night of dreams about my mom and dad. Far too often those dreams are not good; focusing on the bad times, just a few years ago when they were older and nearing death and I was constantly running from one dumpster fire to the next in between tour stops from around the country and the globe, in an always downward trajectory that was destined to not end well.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">But not last night. Last night was a non-stop binge-watching session of them at their happiest, and me too - days filled with music, love, and that crappy old shack I grew up in, that I actually miss dearly now (it was torn down a couple of years ago).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I've had a wide, dumb-ass grin ever since I woke up this morning and it'll probably be there all day. Thanks for dropping by, folks.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/a782cf0482e1a1731e0e52c81896a5d0e3f9ca22/original/da-foilks.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/2462a92317340534a3dddd51cc376b1acb9f03a4/original/old-house.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/69000332022-02-17T08:29:24-05:002022-02-18T06:25:30-05:00Escape from the machines...<p>Day after day of technology has me completely burned out. A couple of welcome road days today and tomorrow up in New England to get away from the evil machines, then we'll be back at it Saturday working on the new record (note the state-of-the-art football cap on the vocal mic).<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/9884b53080fc88eb2132db080a9c1f492dbe324d/original/jt-studio-2022.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/68974582022-02-14T14:13:10-05:002022-02-14T14:31:15-05:00Screw it - we're defiantly fading this tune out ANYWAY!<p style="text-align: justify;">We chose to do a fade-out ending on the song we're currently mixing for the forthcoming Jefferson Thomas album. I've noticed that no pop songs fade out anymore. I got curious as to why, and I found <strong><a contents="this article" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://slate.com/culture/2014/09/the-fade-out-in-pop-music-why-dont-modern-pop-songs-end-by-slowly-reducing-in-volume.html" target="_blank">this article</a></strong>. It spends a lot of time on the history of the fade-out in pop music, but it eventually arrives at the conclusion that the demise of the fade-out can only be attributed to what has - sadly - compromised everything else in pop culture; the ever-dwindling attention span. Just as you can't really let a song take the time to develop the way you used to, now you supposedly can't even fade it out anymore...?! The fade out has...faded out!</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Well, screw it - we're sticking with the fade on this mix. And yes, all you film and TV Music Supervisors will scream "GIVE US A COLD ENDING!" - so, we'll cook up an alternate non-fade mix just for you.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/4b2034fcc04c3dcbfc2beb0b6b467a09ad49f01b/original/jt-t-60-small.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/68685022022-01-13T23:02:32-05:002022-01-13T23:02:32-05:00Bourbon - it's not just for breakfast anymore!<p>Restringing for the week's activities. Didn't have any guitar cleaner with me so I had to use bourbon. That's got to earn me some kind of badass bonus points.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/c28a35dd6ccac6e8d062847d4ab13f022f9fd581/original/bourbon-cleaner.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpeg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/68318192021-12-06T15:19:55-05:002021-12-06T15:19:55-05:00Sweet Vintage Sounds...<p>Well, it was bound to happen. Changing of the guard. My dad's 1967 Fisher 220 stereo amplifier (top) has been the heart and soul of my home audio configuration. It finally died, so it will go into the display case of his (now my) vintage audio components collection, along with his reel-to-reel tape machines from the '50s and '60s. For its replacement, I looked no further than that same display case. His 1978 Scott A457 (bottom) now takes over. Old shit still makes music sound awesome even if it's not quite as old.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/c41fda660860c4cb3920c5a1f1b17860fd8f265b/original/amps.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/68210862021-11-25T08:57:08-05:002022-12-13T19:52:04-05:00It's just an empty field now, but...<p>I am thankful for growing up in this house and not having a lot of things, but being taught to be mindful of people who had even fewer things.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/d3f67c75c1ac742aaa8285438d5025a3aaa441a7/original/old-house.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/68200962021-11-24T09:31:38-05:002021-11-24T09:36:42-05:00Be thankful not only for what you have, but what you have had in the past that sustains you… <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="cKt6rWx2p7Y" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/cKt6rWx2p7Y/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cKt6rWx2p7Y?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="320" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/43039062021-11-15T10:53:59-05:002021-11-15T10:57:26-05:00The kid...<div style="text-align: justify;">The kid had to be about thirteen or fourteen. He came sauntering in and took his seat. It was clear he didn't want to be there. Or anywhere, really. He had the whole pre-teen recalcitrant, anti-social "this sucks" body language down, a black T-shirt, the droopy jeans with a little wallet chain, and the not-very-long hair that would have been longer if his parents allowed him to have long hair.<br><br>I "got" this kid right away. I saw myself at that same age, in that bewildering no-man's land of not yet a grown-up but no longer a happy child; brooding, frustrated, impatient; waging a private little war against ...well, pretty much everything and everyone. The one thing that would save me was a world of music to retreat into. "Fuck 'em all!"<br><br>Everything about this kid screamed "budding rock musician." I surmised that he had been dragged there by his older brother, the older brother's girlfriend, and some of their friends. They were clearly really into the music, and it looked like they were goading him into acknowledging me, but he was having none of it. It became a personal challenge. He'd be watching me play and sing and I'd look at him and he'd quickly look away, feigning indifference, but overplaying the hand.<br><br>But I wasn't gonna let him off the hook. I played to that kid the whole night, then went over to his group and said hello. "Pretty cool stuff, huh?" somebody said to him, and the kid looked up from his well- honed art of shoe-gazing and said "yeah" and took my outstretched hand. I remembered how self-conscious I was at that age, so I didn't push it with the whole "So, do you play and sing, too?" thing. I just said, "Thanks."<br><br>Then I smiled as I went up to the bar to grab a drink, having just seen a ghost of myself as a punk-ass kid who had more than a lot of kids in this world back then, and wondering what in HELL I had ever been so mad about.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/105617e01917895335c0199c2c02a5211f4aa493/original/angry-explosive-teen.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /></div>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/66889362021-07-15T13:58:17-04:002021-07-15T13:58:18-04:00Rock the blue!<p>Lots of dates coming in for 2022. July 4th is booked...yet another date with the NYPD. I've done half a dozen of these over the past year. Always very honored to play for these folks. Back the blue? I say ROCK the blue!<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/024fe080a2e56d1a8bedbb3db0ee21789a3765eb/original/nypd-badge-generic-resized-2.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/66017122021-04-12T12:22:28-04:002021-04-12T12:40:58-04:00Hang out and have a drink and some tunes with us!<p style="text-align: justify;">I finally got to hang with my buddy and violinist extraordinaire Aubrey Richmond out in Los Angeles this past Thursday night - without actually having to fly into LAX! </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">A year ago, when musicians everywhere suddenly found themselves home at night, Aubrey decided to just turn on the Facebook Live thing, crank up the fireplace, grab a few instruments, and hang out with a glass of wine or two (or three or four) and just talk. And talk. And talk. About anything. About everything. It has been communal therapy for musicians, and non-musicians for that matter. And this time, I was her special guest! </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Aubrey tours and records with everyone from Shooter Jennings to Guns & Roses’ Duff McKagan. Most recently, she played on Marilyn Manson’s latest release. Now, anyone THAT versatile is somebody you wanna hang out and have a drink with. Which is precisely what we’ve done for years, but now since we can’t do it in person, well... </p>
<p>So we drank and talked - for three hours! Put a bottle of wine in front of an Italian dude who already talks way too much anyway, and that's what you get. We were having so much fun that viewers kept saying "play some damned music!" (which I eventually did get around to).<br><br>There's no way I'd subject you to three hours of that, so here’s a (mercifully) edited recap of our bi-coastal hang…</p>
<p><a contents="CLICK HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/jeffersonthomasmusic/posts/2876202319271264?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZUVBQJJIerBy0did5Cy39N5XGYEPPlRYCsDzM4tLfqsqnp8y13whfd0s1swT-UnMgHWM1VotAB6J2eg3LvaGm25uEQJ42bDdDCEeMMneeXGRuwcRN4QmgmP2IHML2sxaiFpzF3IfsgFXyEEBoS2TwP2LyNDsrdLytxH6vukWxo1yYWScxn6680Bjm-TLDUWLVHtlIG3wyK_Xl4D2CIo9DNG&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/6d6348a1085ff25d892dbf9fdf1b250f0edf1a62/original/jt-aubrey-post-16x9.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="CLICK HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/jeffersonthomasmusic/posts/2876202319271264?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZUVBQJJIerBy0did5Cy39N5XGYEPPlRYCsDzM4tLfqsqnp8y13whfd0s1swT-UnMgHWM1VotAB6J2eg3LvaGm25uEQJ42bDdDCEeMMneeXGRuwcRN4QmgmP2IHML2sxaiFpzF3IfsgFXyEEBoS2TwP2LyNDsrdLytxH6vukWxo1yYWScxn6680Bjm-TLDUWLVHtlIG3wyK_Xl4D2CIo9DNG&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/65833482021-03-24T09:26:33-04:002021-04-03T09:10:45-04:00Becoming Cary Grant...<p style="text-align: justify;">My wife has indoctrinated me into Doris Day films from the late 50s and early 60s, which I've never seen. This is our new thing now; we crack a bottle of wine and watch these at night. I’m still getting used to being home at night, but since all the live dates are coming back, we’d better get in as many movies as we can.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Tonight I saw Cary Grant for the first time and I have assumed his continental English accent and elegant, subtle, nuanced baritone. It shall be the way I speak from this very moment on. Why, I'm even talking that way as you read this, as you can plainly tell. I daresay you'll all find this as dreadfully annoying as she does. The best part is that I've discovered yet another way to be dreadfully annoying.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/f6ba701868d9d4af76cb37cb1953febc447d01af/original/cg.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/65824952021-03-23T13:23:49-04:002021-03-23T13:26:06-04:00Cheesy late-70's yacht rock, live from the van!<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="WRla4TPhAfg" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/WRla4TPhAfg/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WRla4TPhAfg?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/65605372021-02-27T14:30:00-05:002021-04-03T09:17:54-04:00Ah, memories...<p style="text-align: justify;">When I was 15 or 16, we used to do Friday and Saturday nights at this rowdy old roadhouse in the middle of nowhere. The other guys in the band were in their twenties and thirties, so they got me all the beer I could drink, and I just lined the empty bottles up on the top of my amp and played all night and thought, "Man, I'm 'on the road' - this is awesome!" I probably thought I'd hit the big time.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">They owners of the bar would put us up overnight at their seedy little motel down the hill (a place where even congressmen and their hookers wouldn't be found), and these nasty, venomous spiders ("Fiddlebacks" as they're also called) were nesting all over the rooms. Now that I look back on it, that was by far the least dangerous thing about that gig.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/d08fb0e246e31f2992597d94636fd25051925d82/original/fiddlebacks.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/65547202021-02-21T10:50:30-05:002021-02-21T11:34:12-05:00There can be only one...<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/a261d0bb8bf4bd1aeeac9019f201832fcacdaad1/original/highlander.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">To the throngs of you who have inundated me with inquiries about the “other” Jefferson Thomas (I was here first!), I am acutely aware of the problem. You fire up your favorite listening device or platform or whatever, to hear yours truly and you occasionally come across songs that…really don’t sound like me. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Now, to be clear, I have nothing against somebody else calling themselves “Jefferson Thomas” (what impeccable taste!), and I’ve heard the kid’s stuff and it ain’t bad. He’s a kid, just starting out, and it’s his debut EP. I commend him for showing the initiative to get his whole musical thing together and get it out into the world. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I initially contacted his distributor, who was of minimal help for obvious reasons; only he should be able to make changes to his distribution accounts. My distributors have been extremely pro-active and helpful, doing everything they can to get his release out of my accounts.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Finally, I went into private investigator mode (or stalker mode I suppose, depending on how you look at it), and tracked the kid down and emailed him. He responded right away and was very nice and apologetic. I told him there was no need to apologize, he had done nothing wrong; it was his distributor that assigned HIS release to MY accounts. I told him only he was authorized to straighten this out with his distributor, and rightly so, and take charge of his music.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Then I thought I’d toss in a little incentive by pointing out that unless and until he acts, whatever money he should be making will be coming to me, and I really don’t want that. I said, “I can see you really put the time in on this thing and did the work, and I wanna see YOU make YOUR money.” Sadly, he said he didn’t care about that – which may have been the most disheartening part of this whole affair. An entire generation is now completely ambivalent toward the concept of “intellectual property." But I’ll save my prosyletizing on shit like that for some other time… </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It’s been over a year now, but we’re still working on this. In the meantime, kid – I’ll take the eleven bucks I’ll get from your first billion streams and head to McDonalds. Just livin’ the dream…<br><br> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Yea Verily, </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The Jefferson</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/65527172021-02-17T19:00:00-05:002021-02-18T20:45:53-05:00From the side of the road somewhere in Tennessee...we bring you another installment of LIVE FROM THE VAN!<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="IvYiMdoV0qM" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/IvYiMdoV0qM/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IvYiMdoV0qM?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/65390622021-02-03T22:08:29-05:002021-02-03T23:13:21-05:00Today's (NOT) high drama entry from the (NOT) exciting world of the recording studio...<p style="text-align: justify;"><span class="font_regular">Listening back to today's work, we noticed two signature one-bar acoustic guitar phrases with really loud annoying finger-squeaks that we just could not get rid of in post. So we tried punching in just those two phrases, lubricating the strings with "finger-ease", a product that was supposedly designed and marketed specifically for this very purpose (and didn't do a damned thing). Then we tried everything including Wesson Oil, Lemon Pledge, baby powder, and even my saliva (eeew!), all to no avail.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span class="font_regular">Finally, I decided to try a different guitar with older strings, which did the trick. So this song now features a 1977 Guild D-44, except for two signature one-bar phrases, which suddenly (and seamlessly) go back 19 years to a 1958 Guild F-20 as the "stunt-double." All of which just goes to show our dedication; we'll do <em>anything</em> to get the track, including TIME TRAVEL.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span class="font_regular">Goddamn, this is positively riveting stuff. You're on the edge of your chair right now, no doubt...</span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/4d7f2cad7cb28cf01bf4d010e156ace7a4c3a57c/original/guild-d-44.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/b7892c8d3b40dcde79eec66d5cc8546708667c5a/original/f-20.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></span></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/65004682020-12-15T23:16:55-05:002020-12-16T09:02:36-05:00The sad demise of a once-great city continues unabated...<p style="text-align: justify;"><span class="font_regular">Driving a van full of gear into midtown Manhattan just as the cops were closing the streets for the ball drop was always a challenge (i.e. a major pain in the ass), but we had some fun New Years' Eve gigs here for several years in a row. This headline is misleading, however: it was not Covid that "shuttered" this place. It was idiotic Covid "lockdowns."</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/prohibition-era-21-club-close-nyc?fbclid=IwAR12A_QDcYu6EimnAcT88Qtrx-A3R5nu952j40unxrFqOMcU98kAOZjcd0c" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/2678eb1314c8c5eb138fde15a5019a60842e45c3/original/21-club.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" style="text-align: center;" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_large"><strong><a contents="Coronavirus shutters Prohibition-era 21 Club in New York City after 90 years" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/prohibition-era-21-club-close-nyc?fbclid=IwAR12A_QDcYu6EimnAcT88Qtrx-A3R5nu952j40unxrFqOMcU98kAOZjcd0c" style="" target="_blank">Coronavirus shutters Prohibition-era 21 Club in New York City after 90 years</a></strong></span></p>
<p> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/64934842020-12-07T13:22:53-05:002020-12-07T13:23:50-05:00OK, now THIS is hot. The Jefferson Thomas "unboxed" set!<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/R0-sVvOQ3_w" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/c7b796ea5bef89ef8d92903cbd5c331ac3728670/original/bs-fake-yt-link.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS NOW!" data-link-label="unboxed set" data-link-type="page" href="/unboxed-set" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong><span class="font_xl">CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS NOW!</span></strong></span></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/64448812020-09-28T20:59:17-04:002020-09-28T21:00:22-04:00Better late than never...<p style="text-align: justify;">For obvious reasons, our summer weekly residency in the Hamptons didn't get started until September this year. So I guess it's more of an autumn residency. But it's rocking so far, thanks to the continued cooperation of the weather gods. After all these summers of great seaside Sundays, we finally brought the mobile recording rig along. So here's "Big Ocean"...by the big ocean.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="FqllG5cXiRc" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/FqllG5cXiRc/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FqllG5cXiRc?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/64391592020-09-22T08:05:00-04:002020-09-22T08:20:04-04:00Another installment of LIVE FROM THE VAN!<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="IiZ2BXwLGy8" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/IiZ2BXwLGy8/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IiZ2BXwLGy8?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/64391202020-09-21T06:07:14-04:002020-09-21T06:07:14-04:00"Summertime" came late this year...<p style="text-align: justify;">2020 keeps getting weirder. Our "summer" residency at John Scott's in The Hamptons didn't start until September 13th this year (we usually finish by Labor Day). And last night was one of the best audiences ever. I'm used to toweling off between songs in 90-degree heat at these shows, but in this case it was a great bunch of people freezing their asses off in hoodies and jackets and having a great time. Go figure...<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/a40089b3c143ddadfa86aa926438c8344b5be8ea/original/js.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/64332182020-09-14T12:27:04-04:002020-09-14T12:27:04-04:00We're back!<p style="text-align: justify;">Last night marked the resumption (finally!) of our weekly summer residency at (an establishment that shall remain unnamed, since NY State venues are not allowed to advertise live music events, but you all know where). The entire staff came out for the opening song and delivered a rousing ovation. That was really great, and made this whole disastrous summer a little more palatable. You guys are the best.<br> </p>
<hr><p> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/64317662020-09-11T22:01:01-04:002020-09-11T22:01:01-04:00Tonight's somber rooftop view...<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/1709dda3e236933f21fea44c6464f48e94d42a43/original/lights.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/64298932020-09-10T08:38:39-04:002020-09-10T08:38:39-04:00Another installment of LIVE FROM THE VAN!<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="_1PatTFSZVs" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/_1PatTFSZVs/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_1PatTFSZVs?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/64087052020-08-13T14:29:13-04:002020-08-13T14:33:23-04:00"They don't make 'em like THAT anymore..."<p style="text-align: justify;">New York's own Grumpy Ol' Greek George, the world's un-hippest (and best) guitar tech, has been doing hardcore woodwork restoration on two of my vintage acoustics. He's done with the 1951 Gibson Southern Jumbo dreadnought and is now finishing up the 1958 Guild F-20 "parlor" guitar (built back when houses still had "parlors"). These are exclusively recording guitars that are way too valuable ever to see road use. When people say about products of mid-20th century American manufacturing, "They don't make 'em like THAT anymore" - they're RIGHT.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/bc7610c7c29c4c8fa2d8feb42ae8b6b3f2266e0d/original/sj.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/288169d556afa0eea9574f7845458c64e6a222e4/original/f-20.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/64058372020-08-09T11:04:46-04:002020-08-09T11:04:46-04:00Don’t look now, but it’s entirely possible that EVERYTHING MIGHT JUST BE OK.<p style="text-align: justify;">I want to tell you about last night’s gig. It was awesome. Not me, the gig. The people. The experience was awesome. It was a small-scale outdoor affair; maybe a couple of hundred people at the most, seated at tables having dinner. When people finished eating they just wouldn’t leave. They hung around, ordered drinks and just sat soaking in the music. And I want to stress that it had nothing to with me. It was suddenly so palpable to me how much people needed music - and each other. It was like they were so stunned by what’s happened to us all this year, they were like, “Holy shit – live music. Remember this? Can this be possible? We are ENJOYING OURSELVES. Let’s just sit here for a while and just catch our frigging breath.” </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It made me realize two things; first (and selfishly), live music is NOT going away. Secondly, and on a larger scale, humanity itself is not going away. I daresay that I think we’re all going to be OK. So I'm placing my bets where I always have: on music and humanity. I've always shoved my chips to the middle of the table on those bets, and they haven't steered me wrong yet. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Back in the darkest days when we were all locked down tight and all my musical colleagues were doing these live-stream-from-home things, I refused to do them. Don’t get me wrong; I think it was good and healthy that others chose to do that in a time of unprecedented isolation. I watched them myself. But it just didn’t feel right for me to do it. I said, “Screw that. If you miss me, you’ll have to come to a show when this is all over. You’ll just have to…um, WAIT.” How un-21st Century an idea. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps this was because I am always paranoid about the devaluation of music as well as human interaction and humanity itself. That wolf always seems to be at the door these days; we keep refining these amazing feats of hand-held technology - which means retreating into them - further and further. I feared that everyone sitting at home looking at a screen, watching someone play their guitar on their couch would result in the paradigm of live performance being defined even further downwardly, and become a “new normal” (can we PLEASE get rid of that phrase?). I viewed this as another nail in our cultural coffin; we’d now be retreating further into those handheld devices, and further still from each other. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">My dad was a professional musician and a combat veteran (wait, isn’t that redundant?!) Sometimes he was a great guy and a lot of fun, but he was often quite difficult and sometimes a regular pain in the ass, mainly because he got beaten down and allowed himself to become a pessimist. He would always find a way to anticipate and extrapolate the worst possible outcome in any situation. Children always rebel, and I had no idea what PTSD was, but I guess I found the ultimate rebellion; at some point I decided to be an optimist. “Oh yeah? Well fuck YOU - maybe everything IS going to be all right!” If I had been on the Titanic, I wouldn’t have been rearranging the deck chairs as the ship went down; I would have been ordering new ones. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">On the way to last night’s gig I saw this cloud with sunbeams piercing it. To me it looked tenacious, almost rebellious, like great possibilities refusing to be restrained any longer. A light that would not be denied. I was driving, so I just spontaneously aimed my phone up at it without looking, and snapped a photo of it. I had completely forgotten about that until I saw it on my phone this morning. I got in from that gig a little after midnight last night, and I’m writing this at 6am. I awoke a while ago filled with so much optimism and hope, I just had to get out of bed and get this down, so I could share that optimism and hope with YOU. Call me an idiot, call me naïve, but I really do think everything is going to be all right. And I needed to tell you all that.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/f6b6803ed4a975be97d562d813ef25aa356283f1/original/sky-august-8th.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/63964982020-07-29T13:18:24-04:002020-08-16T01:59:39-04:00Live to fight another day...<p style="text-align: justify;">While 2020 has been a complete dumpster fire, 2021 is already shaping up to be the busiest live season I will have ever had in my life. All the spring 2020 European tour dates have now been completely re-booked for next April and May</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, lots of studio work is coming this fall, so recording-only guitars going into the shop on Monday include: 1951 Gibson Southern Jumbo, 1959 Vega E-40D, 1939 Gibson L-7, 1958 Guild F-20. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I can't guarantee what 2021 will have in store for us, but it is going to SOUND fantastic<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/b0b4fa705661a9ba13f2daa951da8f98a366bd93/original/jt-in-rehearsal-filmstrip-b-w.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/63907832020-07-23T10:46:38-04:002020-07-23T11:12:49-04:00NOT a murder hornet...<p style="text-align: justify;">I started the day my usual way; early morning reading with coffee on my rooftop, which features a panoramic view of once-great New York City. I heard what I thought was somebody's weed-whacker across the street. Then the hairs stood up on the back of my neck as I suddenly noticed that buzzing was not a distant weed-whacker, but the SOUND OF THE WINGS of an enormous evil-looking thing trying to carry the huge CICADA it had killed toward...ME. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Of course, as we now live in the age of one panicked over-reaction after another, I immediately thought, "Murder hornet? That was like ten scary-things-that-are-going-to-get-us ago. Murder hornets are SO late April or May, and we're only into July. What the fuck is NEXT?" </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I came downstairs (OK, I admit - I actually RAN downstairs) hoping to research what I'd seen. And then I decided to go back up to try to snap a photo or some video of it so I could properly identify it (OK, I admit - I wanted the photo or video to SHARE, because as much as I might pontificate on the perils of social media addiction, I'm often as guilty of it as everyone else). </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The insect-bigger-than-some-pets-I've-owned was already gone when I got back up there. However, now having researched it, I had completely forgotten about these since I became an oh-so-sophisticated city-dwelling pussy. They were around bucolic upstate New York when I was a kid. Having parents that didn't try to protect me from everything, for all I know I probably ATE one of the damned things. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Anyway, nature is always there to teach you things, and to remind you when you’ve forgotten them. Today's lessons/reminders:</p>
<ul> <li style="text-align: justify;">CHILL THE FUCK OUT. Not everything in life is a murder hornet. Sometimes it's just a cicada killer.<br> </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">EVERYTHING IS NOT ABOUT YOU. Who needs to fear a cicada killer? Not YOU. But cicadas best be rollin' wit da safety off.<br> </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">MIND YOUR OWN DAMNED BUSINESS. As with most living things, the cicada killer has shit to do, and it doesn't have time for you. It is however, a species of wasp, which means it will sting your sorry ass into next week if you fuck widdit.<br> </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">DON'T BE SO PREDICTABLE. Cicadas appear every seventeen years. I bet cicada killers set the alarm, sleep in for sixteen years, then BEEP BEEP BEEP..."All right, everybody up and at 'em - them cicadas ain't gonna kill themselves." Life should be interesting. Mix it up a little!<br> </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">STAY ON OFFENSE. Life is simple. You can be the cicada killer, or you can be the cicada.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.pennlive.com/life/2020/07/giant-wasps-are-emerging-across-pennsylvania-but-theyre-native-and-relatively-harmless.html" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/b50fbbbab0b69d0d14ff46f09b5288208a696124/original/cicada-killer.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><br><br> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/63695962020-06-28T21:30:00-04:002020-06-29T07:30:34-04:00CD players in cars? That was centuries ago!<p style="text-align: center;">A throwback from the COME ALIVE album/tour. I dropped by WCQL to hang out with morning drive host Shawn Kelly. Featuring "Mary's Night Out." Shawn implores you to throw out whatever CD you have in your player and pop this in. Wow - remember WAY BACK when cars had CD players in them?<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="PQv8UxNKZIA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/PQv8UxNKZIA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PQv8UxNKZIA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br><br> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/63616062020-06-21T18:23:06-04:002020-06-21T18:23:06-04:00Happy Father's Day!<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="on8f7YXocFs" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/on8f7YXocFs/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/on8f7YXocFs?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/63594132020-06-19T16:21:04-04:002020-06-19T16:21:04-04:00It's the Greyhound Bus REMIX! Pump up da jam...<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="m8YLKD_-i1o" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/m8YLKD_-i1o/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m8YLKD_-i1o?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/63467052020-06-08T18:18:01-04:002020-06-08T18:18:01-04:00"Live From The Van" is now actually back in the van!<p style="text-align: center;">A special beach version of the LIVE FROM THE VAN series! Featuring an awesome random cameo appearance by some guy and his dogs!<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="gZrXTUaqqn0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/gZrXTUaqqn0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gZrXTUaqqn0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/63370842020-05-31T12:56:55-04:002020-05-31T12:58:57-04:00This is from two summers ago, but seems sadly appropriate today...<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="XrKYK4dyeOE" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/XrKYK4dyeOE/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XrKYK4dyeOE?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/63163132020-05-14T13:09:06-04:002020-05-14T13:10:49-04:00Final "quarantine edition" of LIVE FROM THE VAN. Remembering all the the folks we've lost to the virus...<p style="text-align: center;"><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="dEcHjbwUT80" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/dEcHjbwUT80/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dEcHjbwUT80?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/63141232020-05-12T21:29:24-04:002020-05-12T21:29:24-04:00Gratuitous selfie!<p style="text-align: justify;">That confused expression you make when the rest of the world is packing on weight under “lockdown”, and you notice that you've somehow managed to actually LOSE a few pounds and make headway toward a “beach body” when nobody’s gonna be at the beach anyway, and you realize you apparently couldn't even get THIS right.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/c32f2c98070c429dc4111ef6a1ebe797da5d07bb/original/photo-may-10-12-45-51-pm.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><br> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/63075252020-05-07T01:38:00-04:002020-05-14T13:14:14-04:00I should be leaving for Copenhagen today...<p style="text-align: justify;">Well, I was SUPPOSED to be boarding a flight for Copenhagen today to go back for my fifth straight year playing at Kulturhuset Islands Brygge tomorrow, then on to a bunch of other dates around Europe. Copenhagen is my favorite European city, and this is always my favorite gig of the whole year. All the acts on the bill are usually from different countries, and we all have dinner together after the show and meet and mingle.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Fortunately, it's all been re-scheduled for the Spring of 2021. But MAN, I was really looking forward to this. We'll see you all next year! Damn, now I'm power-bumming. Click below for a clip from last year's show.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="-FKwqLLrJ_4" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/-FKwqLLrJ_4/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-FKwqLLrJ_4?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/63062002020-05-05T23:18:56-04:002020-05-05T23:23:52-04:00New interview: "Talent In Borders"...<p><a contents="CLICK HERE" data-link-label="TIB Sixteen Sundays Interview" data-link-type="page" href="/tib-sixteen-sundays-interview" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/845bc3f7820d88d0af346a4f38c390f160bcf8db/original/tib-headline.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="CLICK HERE" data-link-label="TIB Sixteen Sundays Interview" data-link-type="page" href="/tib-sixteen-sundays-interview" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">CLICK HERE</span></strong></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/63011792020-05-01T08:40:06-04:002020-05-01T09:31:53-04:00"Selfie" explained (a fan speaks up!)...<p>This week's "fanmail" of note comes from Laura in Virginia, who likes the new album, but thought the song <a contents='"Selfie"' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOf2K_PwkNk" target="_blank">"Selfie"</a> was making fun of girls and their cellphones. Nothing could be further from the truth.</p>
<p>THIS Is what the song is about...this woman's death is sad enough, but what’s even sadder is that people no longer know the magic of just feeling the breeze in your hair and enjoying the view. TAKING A PICTURE of you feeling the breeze in your hair and enjoying the view doesn’t make it more real, it just distracts you from the wind in your hair and the view, and robs you of the experience.<br><a contents="CLCK HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8272613/Woman-falls-death-posing-photo-Turkish-cliff.html#i-ef94547acaa11184" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/e7d6c491f5257ad141b94065e0010876df7c5461/original/hiker.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="CLCK HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8272613/Woman-falls-death-posing-photo-Turkish-cliff.html#i-ef94547acaa11184" target="_blank"><strong>CLCK HERE</strong></a><br> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The song came to me while on a ferry from the northern coast of Germany to Denmark. The ferry ride is about 45 minutes, and you're not allowed to remain in your vehicle (or in my case the train) down in the cargo hull; you have to go up to the upper decks, where there are little shops and restaurants and an outer deck where you can sit and take in the Baltic Sea as you cross it, looking at the Baltic states to the east, Sweden to the northeast, Germany to the south, and Denmark to the north and west. There's a lot to see, but this girl came out and took video of it all - the whole time I was waiting for her to SEE it all herself, but she only experienced it through the screen on her phone, then walked back inside. So she never really SAW the Baltic Sea.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Laura, your point is well taken, and I always like to hear how my songs are being received. If I came off in <a contents='"Selfie"' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOf2K_PwkNk" target="_blank">"Selfie"</a> as too cynical or mocking, that was not my intent, but this is what that song is about...<br><a contents="CLICK HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.npr.org/2017/12/17/571443683/the-call-in-teens-and-depression" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/343adad18507fda483f6621f7dca929646f406ab/original/phones.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="CLICK HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.npr.org/2017/12/17/571443683/the-call-in-teens-and-depression" target="_blank"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></a><br> </p>
<p>Maybe, as a songwriter, I missed the mark on this one. Whether or not that's the case, I sure do like to HEAR IT from you folks if you think I did. "Keep them cards 'n letters comin'!"</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/62968712020-04-28T08:55:54-04:002020-04-28T08:55:54-04:00I made a video. Then Rob and the folks at Hip Video came over with their film crew and we sat around talkin' about it!<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="9_NrJa4y4zg" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/9_NrJa4y4zg/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9_NrJa4y4zg?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="320" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/62900252020-04-22T00:51:44-04:002020-04-22T00:58:56-04:00Man, I REALLY need to get out of here...<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="H7k2SBzUPPE" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/H7k2SBzUPPE/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H7k2SBzUPPE?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/62789792020-04-10T18:24:03-04:002020-04-10T21:50:41-04:00Exclusive video premiere of the first single from the SIXTEEN SUNDAYS album.<p style="text-align: justify;">The folks at Medium.com got the scoop! They asked us to hold back the release of the GREYHOUND BUS video so they could host the exclusive online premiere. Click below to check it out!</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://medium.com/old-pink/premiere-jefferson-thomas-captivates-on-greyhound-bus-70e5e2aa0a44" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/c2e7aa34e26282464cff6d9dec0a61bd6fc434fb/original/medium-link.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/62771482020-04-09T10:06:13-04:002020-04-09T10:07:47-04:00"Its vs. it's" - the struggle is real...<p style="text-align: justify;">TBT - back to those pre-virus days before our spring dates were canceled. Here we have a rogue apostrophe, a clear breach of the “grammatically correct” clause of our contract with our live sound crew.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/1a8de8611f40edbf995e147ac02d8e803318e0f2/original/photo-sep-07-5-34-40-pm.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><br> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/62721282020-04-04T21:06:01-04:002020-04-04T21:20:13-04:00FROM THE FRONT LINES...<p style="text-align: justify;">Well, I won’t lie to you – this shit had really gotten to me over the past couple of days. I’ll admit it; I was down. WAY down. But this town and the people of this ‘hood always pull me through. I went up to the roof to capture our new 7pm ritual in NYC, cheering for our medical workers, tirelessly toiling away on the front lines. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I figured if I can make “official” videos of my songs, I could make one of this. Featuring my next-door neighbor: “We can do this! “Keep pushin’ forward!” This brought me to tears. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Corona virus, your days are numbered. You fucked with the wrong people…</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="mjCduYKQQiw" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/mjCduYKQQiw/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mjCduYKQQiw?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/62716722020-04-04T11:38:52-04:002020-04-04T11:53:48-04:00You know what I could really use right now, in these days of anxiety and uncertainty?<p style="text-align: justify;">A sandwich. Opening up a paper bag, then working my way through the carefully wrapped waxed paper to find the sandwich my mom would make when I was in grade school. Just something between two pieces of bread, which should have been so simple, but it was a work of art when she made it. She would slice it in half diagonally, which made it seem even more magical. No matter how bewildering things might have gotten, opening up that bag made it all seem manageable. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Mom’s been gone for two years. And I’m not the least bit hungry, but I could sure use that sandwich right now.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/5234604248b13c450510ded280ab1f557edcf418/original/sandwich.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/62578572020-03-21T21:47:58-04:002020-04-07T10:40:53-04:00A special QUARANTINE edition of LIVE FROM THE VAN!<p style="text-align: justify;">A special QUARANTINE edition of our new monthly video series for 2020! We pull off the road, fire up a couple of cameras, grab a guitar, and crank out an old classic cover tune! In this episode...when the going gets tough, the tough get going. But the wussy musicians run inside and hide!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="MsMPXqHFoxU" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/MsMPXqHFoxU/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MsMPXqHFoxU?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/62524202020-03-17T13:41:06-04:002020-03-17T13:43:13-04:00The Shroud Of Tourin'...<p style="text-align: justify;">Spring European tour update...</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As of now we've lost all of the UK dates as well as those in the Netherlands and Belgium. Obviously this is a fluid situation that is changing almost hourly, so we're not going to inundate you with needless minute-by-minute missives about what is or isn't happening. And much, much more is at stake for a lot of people all over the world than whether or not I play songs and say stupid things into microphones in several different time zones. Which, come to think of it, is a rather strange way to make a living.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">We'll do our best to reschedule things either in the fall or maybe even next spring. In the meantime, be well, be vigilant, and remember; this virus is to be taken seriously. It is your true enemy, not the ridiculously overblown media-fueled frenzy and panic.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/9df76825012069bac218d2161b445f74dff62354/original/mick.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/62339272020-03-01T21:44:20-05:002020-03-01T21:44:20-05:00Behold, the power of BALLS...<p>"You're in the music business? How do you survive?" </p>
<p>JT: "You have to make friends with bullshit and learn to wield it like a sword." </p>
<p>"Wow. I’m not sure I could live like that." </p>
<p>JT: "That's not all. You must also have balls so great that their power alone can vanquish your opponent."</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="5d5xF_Jqheo" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/5d5xF_Jqheo/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5d5xF_Jqheo?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/62239532020-02-22T11:17:35-05:002020-02-22T11:24:05-05:00Things you see on JT social media are just the tip of the iceberg. Want the WHOLE iceberg? Well, we can only offer you so much when you're out there in the street and we're reaching out the window. ClIck below and come on inside the house!<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="inner circle" data-link-type="page" href="/inner-circle" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/4bbebc0eac3d88a6703ecb58595bc00623deeb0a/original/jt-inner-circle.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/62231212020-02-21T15:17:00-05:002020-02-21T15:43:38-05:00"Live From The Van!" The saga continues...<p>This is gonna be fun! We pull off the road, fire up a couple of cameras, grab a guitar, and crank out an old classic cover tune! Click below for this episode, Marc Cohn's “Walking In Memphis."</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="QABNoKmTn2A" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/QABNoKmTn2A/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QABNoKmTn2A?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/62178762020-02-17T10:51:59-05:002020-02-17T10:51:59-05:00Shoot!<p style="text-align: justify;">We’re shooting scenes this week at several locations around NYC for the first video from the new album. Today we’ll be bringing along vintage Gibson guitars from the 1930s and 1950s that never leave the studio. But as a security precaution, we’re not telling you where and when, because these are priceless. And don’t mess with us...we’re heavily armed!<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/fcd2a030873bbb09002a50e8ec7e928b7090f916/original/all-four.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/62024922020-02-03T22:12:31-05:002020-02-03T22:12:31-05:00Commando-lin!<p style="text-align: justify;">There is only one instrument portable and compact enough for jamming on a charter bus full of jaded and annoyed band members just outside Boston - the commando-lin!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/20d740fd88de910b463bdb2b453fcb0b37c59d86/original/commando-lin.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/61155142020-01-26T06:55:00-05:002020-02-21T15:44:24-05:00New video series - "LIVE FROM THE VAN"<p style="text-align: justify;">This is gonna be fun! We pull off the road, fire up a couple of cameras, grab a guitar, and crank out an old classic cover tune! Click below for this episode, Dire Straits’ “Sultans Of Swing.”<br> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="L7AYEe2ALSw" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/L7AYEe2ALSw/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L7AYEe2ALSw?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/61364092020-01-20T14:04:08-05:002020-01-20T14:09:16-05:00Check out the "BePhaser" - at NAMM in Los Angeles this week! Meanwhile, in Germany...<p>Brunch today in Germany with Roland Meier, inventor of the ingenious "BePhaser." Always full of disastrous ideas, I said "Dude! You should totally call your company ROLAND!" Fortunately, he didn't listen to me. Fortunately, nobody ever does.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/fb3c561ccc32d37cc03cd2f3e10d44c500bf3167/original/roland-jt.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">No amp should be without one of these. I acquired one of these on my last European run. Mine's purple...<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="J_n5iedh_zI" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/J_n5iedh_zI/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J_n5iedh_zI?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/61290922020-01-17T17:31:49-05:002020-01-17T17:34:53-05:00Doctor Stefan...<p style="text-align: justify;">I've been sick for a month now with a flu-type thing that just won't quit. We've tried everything - bed rest, fluids, even a rare doctor's visit with a prescription for anti-biotics. In severe cases such as this, you have to fly halfway around the globe to consult a world-renowned specialst like Stefan and his awesome brat truck in Germany. After a healthy dose of Stefan's currywurst and his own namesake microbrew...<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/47cad41e071e8c144dd65129d443c52e5b98b4eb/original/curry54.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />...Stefan sent me home with another "prescription" just to be thorough. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/cb08f5b7115d13739693d6d9870b3785b344f759/original/bottle.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpeg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I anticipate a swift and full recovery by day's end.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/60531572019-12-31T13:31:31-05:002020-01-01T16:46:10-05:00Old Lang sign...<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/df499dc39e42e0c738fc7481a009a0de90f2022d/original/old-lang-sign.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/60051322019-12-14T13:20:00-05:002019-12-14T13:20:22-05:00More dates are coming in for 2020!<p>Europe, we will see you again in May! Domestically - Charlotte, we will see you in June; Boston, we will see you in July! Stay tuned as the dates come rolling in...<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/cfce6f571f983fb59409806c805a63c88a7768ea/original/serious-roadwork.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/60047322019-12-12T02:44:22-05:002019-12-12T02:45:13-05:00Tone down my "American" bullshit? NEVER.<p style="text-align: justify;">We're trying a lot of new material this week in an off-the-radar location and, admittedly, a bit unsure of how it's going over. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">She came in about halfway through the set and watched me intently, then bought me two drinks and left before we were done, leaving this note on the receipt. For an American guy who's just trying to make "American" music, I'd say this means...mission accomplished. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">We have decided to rename the new album "American Bullshit - Sexy And Talented Otherwise."<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/528365c9f73d854d73251a7035db19cab83b67e5/original/photo-dec-12-2-17-27-am.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><br> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/59951172019-12-06T09:43:52-05:002019-12-06T10:12:51-05:00The HESS TRUCK is back!<p style="text-align: justify;">It brings a huge smile to my face each year when I see that Hess has come out with its new “Hess Truck.” I hope they never stop doing this. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I was probably nine or ten years old, accompanying my mom as she began her Christmas shopping. The very first place we went was a Hess gas station, where she bought the new Hess toy truck. I got all excited, seeing this really cool truck with its working lights and everything, but wondered aloud why she had allowed me to see her buy it, as it surely wouldn’t be a surprise. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">She said that it was not for me, or my brother (or my dad for that matter!). She explained, “Some kids aren’t as lucky as you are. They don’t have a Christmas. They don’t have a tree, or anybody to put anything under it for them. We must always remember that.” She headed straight for the Marines’ Toys For Tots bin and dropped the truck in there. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">After that, we began every season that way until I was old enough to go shopping on my own; we’d hit a Hess station and she’d buy the truck and then let me drop it in the Toys For Tots bin. Some years were leaner than others, and sometimes there wasn’t much under our tree. But some kid I’d never meet, somewhere, would have a nice new Hess truck every year. I found out, many years later, that she continued to do this long after my brother and I were grown and gone. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">THAT was my Mom.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="DIaOBeIDkzY" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/DIaOBeIDkzY/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DIaOBeIDkzY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/59844732019-11-29T06:59:32-05:002020-01-15T07:44:41-05:00News and more news!<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font_xl">NEW ALBUM! </span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/6fc3d1140f8d946754e82da9999f4f9da858182a/original/its-here-long-version.gif" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It’s finally here! The new one! Well. technically, it won’t be released until early 2020, but here's a <a contents="fancy video promo" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSK7qPnnIWU" target="_blank">fancy video promo</a>. You can get it <a contents="here" data-link-label="music" data-link-type="page" href="/music" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It’s admittedly about six months behind schedule, as I got a little sidetracked earlier this year producing a couple of other albums by <a contents="RAY GREICHE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/album/3AtwmDOIAnRq8GAPLKU2UG" target="_blank">RAY GREICHE</a> and <a contents="JONES" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://jones-music.com/" target="_blank">JONES</a>, but better late than never! </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_xl"><strong>NEW VIDEOS! </strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">We’re doing another round of videos for <a contents="SIXTEEN SUNDAYS" data-link-label="music" data-link-type="page" href="/music" target="_blank">SIXTEEN SUNDAYS</a> just like we did for 2017’s <a contents="PLAY HURT" data-link-label='"Play Hurt" album videos' data-link-type="page" href="/play-hurt-album-videos" target="_blank">PLAY HURT</a> album, although my timing is a bit off there, too. I did about two dozen shows at or near beaches this summer, yet we just now did a video shoot on the beach…yesterday. November 26th. Froze my ass off. I can’t get anything right! While we’re cooking up the full-length videos for the new album, you can lick the spoon for a taste of them <a contents="HERE" data-link-label='NEW! "Sixteen Sundays" album videos' data-link-type="page" href="/new-sixteen-sundays-album-videos" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_xl"><strong>A LITTLE HOMETOWN HOLIDAY MINI-RESIDENCY IN DECEMBER! </strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">And now it’s time to get out of the studio and take these tunes for a test drive (i.e. see if I can actually play them!) before all the touring madness begins next year. So, every Wednesday in December (except that last one, the 25th – seems most folks are busy then), I’ll be chillin’ wit da homies at our great little local musical watering hole, <a contents="LIC BAR" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.licbar.com/" target="_blank">LIC BAR</a> in…well, um…LIC (just one train stop and 90 seconds from Grand Central). </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I’ll do the first one solo, then we’ll torque this beeyotch up with Pete O’Neill on bass and Jon Wert on drums for the other dates. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">After this you’ll have to wait until the spring for more hometown live dates. So I suppose we can consider this a little holiday hang. ‘Cause, um…it’ll be the holidays. And, um…we’ll be hanging. I’ll bring the egg nog. We’d love to see you! <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/b8dff64c5434ab58586321422bb436e33e07d7e6/original/lic-bar-12-19-square.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
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<p>Love, </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/f7023a4078759f9bf0f617d2335ecfcde599a2e7/original/jt-signature-negative.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/59550912019-11-09T13:04:44-05:002019-11-09T13:04:44-05:00Final NEW MUSIC PREVIEW!<p style="text-align: center;">“Coming attractions” preview from the new album, SIXTEEN SUNDAYS, coming this fall. Get your popcorn ready! Track #10 (closing track)...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="Slgr7sIZXcg" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/Slgr7sIZXcg/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Slgr7sIZXcg?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/59500712019-11-05T09:17:18-05:002019-11-05T09:17:18-05:00Another NEW MUSIC PREVIEW!<p style="text-align: center;">"Coming attractions” preview from the new album, SIXTEEN SUNDAYS, coming this fall. Get your popcorn ready! Track #9...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="BOf2K_PwkNk" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/BOf2K_PwkNk/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BOf2K_PwkNk?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/59474402019-11-02T08:56:28-04:002019-11-02T08:56:28-04:00Another NEW MUSIC PREVIEW!<p style="text-align: center;">"Coming attractions” preview from the new album, SIXTEEN SUNDAYS, coming this fall. Get your popcorn ready! Track #8...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="sPDhz1WyYFw" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/sPDhz1WyYFw/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sPDhz1WyYFw?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="320" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/59440872019-10-30T14:19:27-04:002019-10-30T14:20:40-04:00Another NEW MUSIC PREVIEW!<p style="text-align: center;">"Coming attractions” preview from the new album, SIXTEEN SUNDAYS, coming this fall. Get your popcorn ready! Track #7...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="RUssdGL8SpY" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/RUssdGL8SpY/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RUssdGL8SpY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/59396512019-10-26T06:20:32-04:002019-10-26T18:28:31-04:00Another NEW MUSIC PREVIEW!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color:null;">“Coming attractions” preview from the new album, SIXTEEN SUNDAYS, coming this fall.<br>Track #6...the album’s only cover song: a mashup of Citizen Cope’s “Son’s Gonna Rise” and Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner..</span><br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="X-nVIMMEHX8" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/X-nVIMMEHX8/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X-nVIMMEHX8?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/59310452019-10-18T11:38:51-04:002019-10-18T11:42:02-04:00Another NEW MUSIC PREVIEW!<p style="text-align: center;">"Coming attractions” preview from the new album, SIXTEEN SUNDAYS, coming this fall. Get your popcorn ready! Track #5...<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="FK4FNAeG5bg" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/FK4FNAeG5bg/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FK4FNAeG5bg?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/59243692019-10-12T12:26:27-04:002019-10-18T11:41:06-04:00Another NEW MUSIC PREVIEW!<p style="text-align: center;">Coming attractions” preview from the new album, SIXTEEN SUNDAYS, coming this fall. Get your popcorn ready! Track #4...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="CvvM2sSF-fo" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/CvvM2sSF-fo/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CvvM2sSF-fo?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/59179322019-10-07T07:49:40-04:002019-10-18T11:41:15-04:00Another NEW MUSIC PREVIEW!<p style="text-align: center;">"Coming attractions” preview from the new album, SIXTEEN SUNDAYS, coming this fall. Get your popcorn ready! Track #3...</p>
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nePb78UfqvU" width="685"></iframe>
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</center>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/59114992019-10-01T11:33:47-04:002019-10-18T11:41:23-04:00Another NEW MUSIC PREVIEW!<p style="text-align: center;">"Coming attractions” preview from the new album, SIXTEEN SUNDAYS, coming this fall. Get your popcorn ready! Track #2...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="vUj1gZM3354" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/vUj1gZM3354/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vUj1gZM3354?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/59041262019-09-24T21:04:03-04:002019-10-18T11:41:34-04:00NEW MUSIC PREVIEWS are here!<p style="text-align: center;">The first “coming attractions” preview from the new album, SIXTEEN SUNDAYS, coming this fall. Get your popcorn ready! Let's start with track #1...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="PrXh6JVkiWA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/PrXh6JVkiWA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PrXh6JVkiWA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/58953232019-09-18T03:10:00-04:002019-09-18T03:10:18-04:00Lead vocals and lucky charms...<p>It is 3:08am. Completely wired, I have just finished the final track on the new album. And an entire box of Lucky Charms. Livin' the dream...<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/3657c6c2ae146a4f751bbd3a210deb0d11ca2599/original/vocal-booth.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/58792202019-09-03T15:04:11-04:002019-09-03T15:23:12-04:00Here it comes...<p>We're almost ready to start sharing sneak peeks of the ten new tunes on this album. The whole thing will be done this month and released this fall Stay tuned!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/f39d059ff3464db904fb02d88e8869cfc157a7a7/original/ss-cover-final.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><br><br> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/58543852019-08-11T11:30:51-04:002019-08-13T11:48:33-04:00JT in da house!<p style="text-align: justify;">I was competely crushed last week to discover that the <a contents="Hometown Hotel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1srdfvB_ljk&t=13s" target="_blank">Hometown Hotel</a> - the house I grew up in (photo 1) - was finally bulldozed. Every time I go back, I park by the old house and sit for a few minutes, looking at the tree over the pond where as a tyke I took one of my dad's guitars and learned how to play. And at the fireplace in the back where we would sit out at night with famliy and friends, and sometimes just sleep out there. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Some years after I left home, my folks were finally able to buy a house. WhIle it wasn't "my" house, since they left us I have been taking care of it, like watering a flower they left behind, and watching it blossom. (photo 2). </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I would say the stark comparison between the two domiciles represents some progress, woulcn't you? Lesson...always cherish your memories, but then get in the car, get out of there, and move forward (is NYC forward?!). Your humble beginnings can define you, but don't let them CONFINE you - into thinking that's all you deserve or all you'll ever be.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/d66b291c590e333bfcf986a8654c6a744c7e41cd/original/old-house.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/264766f03079b1110f26981afc5c5db24916d4a8/original/new-house.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/58543712019-08-10T23:30:00-04:002019-08-11T11:31:10-04:00Tapeworm...<p>It happens every once in a while. The sound crew is trying out a new kid and when he tapes the cables down on the stage, he tapes ALL the cables down on the stage. So you come on like a rockstar and go to grab your guitar and get at it, and...DAMMIT!</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/58534832019-08-09T22:32:06-04:002019-08-09T22:32:59-04:00MAN up!<p style="text-align: justify;">Suddenly getting closer to having this new record in the can. Four tunes done this week! I was gonna cut something with ukelele, but since everybody and their mother has come out with a record with ukelele lately, I went with a stereo-panned mandolin/mandola combo instead. I doubt that'll catch on as a trend.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/84c125ed96abb40a2e3ec2c72c32564b226a87d1/original/photo-aug-09-10-25-14-pm.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/58357432019-07-24T23:38:25-04:002019-07-24T23:38:54-04:00And then, suddenly, four bars in, you remember that you're in a 1500-seater...<p style="text-align: justify;">...and your "brilliant" idea of a solo acoustic version of your little downer ballad about manic depression ain't exactly hard-partyin' fare. You're gonna have to hold 'em all for the longest four minutes of your life and you think, "What did I doooooo..."<br> </p>
<center><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="1DbXBVjKsT0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/1DbXBVjKsT0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1DbXBVjKsT0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>
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</center>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/58152682019-07-14T08:55:00-04:002019-07-14T08:57:18-04:00Phone bootleg recording from the front row at the annual Fourth of July throwdown in Long Island City...<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="W402ttNcfGA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/W402ttNcfGA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W402ttNcfGA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/58136582019-07-04T08:28:13-04:002019-07-04T08:28:13-04:00England was just another psycho girlfriend<p style="text-align: justify;">So basically, what it comes down to, is that in 1776, England was every psycho girlfriend I ever had. "I'm gonna treat you like shit...wait...you can't leave...I'LL KILL YOU!"</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/0726f27c68b2c2eed1fb4dcb8b354987ec4580fc/original/flag.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/58045622019-06-25T08:15:00-04:002019-06-26T09:07:32-04:00Every day is a gift...<p style="text-align: justify;">Took a break from recording. Went up to my roof and was greeted by the beautiful sunset. Today and every every day is gift. Never forget that. And a gift even more valuable is...tomorrow.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/383d79c04dc112719ee5c97d581be14d57f0997f/original/rooftop-6-25-19-zoom-2.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57953832019-06-18T08:40:17-04:002019-06-18T08:41:11-04:00JT's Half-Assed European DIaries...the drama continues...<p>Over the past couple of years, it seems that my “half-assed European tour diaries” are everyone’s favorite JT thing (um, we were kind of hoping it was the MUSIC you were into)...</p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BySr000HtZ4/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Over the past couple of years, it seems that my “half-assed European tour diaries” are everyone’s favorite JT thing (um, we were kind of hoping it was the MUSIC you were into). #newmusic #newsounds #americana #indiemusic #guitar #musicismylife #instagood</a></p>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/officialjeffersonthomas/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Jefferson Thomas</a> (@officialjeffersonthomas) on <time datetime="2019-06-04T14:55:41+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Jun 4, 2019 at 7:55am PDT</time></p>
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</center>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/15435292019-06-16T11:25:39-04:002019-06-16T13:01:32-04:00Happy Fathers' Day!<!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><!--StartFragment--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A few years ago my folks were visiting me, and my Dad and I went for a walk around my neighborhood with a couple of cigars. He told me that he’d been in Nashville quite a bit before I was born, and on his last trip a big-name country star (name dropping is not essential to the story) had taken him under his wing and given him a place to stay at this big flophouse the star rented for aspiring musicians and songwriters.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">“This was gonna be it. But after a few days, I looked around at all these guys, leaving their wives and kids, most of them not going back ‘cause this was their big shot, and just said to myself, ‘I’m better than this.' I missed your mother, and I went home.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Integrity. I think about that, on some level, every night.</p><!--EndFragment-->Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57794472019-06-04T11:04:51-04:002019-06-18T08:32:07-04:00Workin' the irony...<p>So you take a break from recording to do a gig and your beer of choice is a "session."<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/1dd2af47bc5866e399f4a27c12c2c721269ec2db/original/itony.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57747912019-05-31T07:53:39-04:002020-04-21T14:01:49-04:00RIP Leon Redbone...<p style="text-align: justify;">I once went up to visit my folks and they said "Hey, we gotta go see Leon Redbone...he's doing an outdoor show." There was a nice little crowd, over a thousand, on a beautiful late summer day, until the skies opened up and (almost) everyone ran for cover. Leon, on a tiny arch-top acoustic guitar and his "band" (a trumpet player and a clarinet player) were on a covered stage and continued playing, while my folks and I and about a dozen other hardcore sociopaths stood there getting drenched, happily and fearlessly soaking in (literally) Leon's ersatz brand of post-neo-vaudeville-ragtime. It was like our own little Woodstock. It is truly one of my top ten memories of all time</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57686082019-05-26T09:44:00-04:002019-05-26T09:44:00-04:00Our Hamptons reality show has been renewed for yet another season! <center>
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<div style="background-color: rgb(244, 244, 244); border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px; text-align: justify;">And so itt begins. TOday!</div>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx7SmfNH60m/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Our Hamptons reality show has been renewed for yet another season! #newmusic #newsounds #americana #indiemusic #guitar #musicismylife #instagood</a></p>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/officialjeffersonthomas/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Jefferson Thomas</a> (@officialjeffersonthomas) on <time datetime="2019-05-26T12:53:30+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">May 26, 2019 at 5:53am PDT</time></p>
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</center>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57676222019-05-23T15:40:00-04:002019-05-25T00:12:04-04:00Chicago Soundcheck....<p>"Hello, ChIcago!"</p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx0Osv3n6vm/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Chicago soundcheck. #newmusic #newsounds #americana #indiemusic #guitar #musicismylife #instagood</a></p>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/officialjeffersonthomas/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Jefferson Thomas</a> (@officialjeffersonthomas) on <time datetime="2019-05-23T19:06:00+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">May 23, 2019 at 12:06pm PDT</time></p>
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</center>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57622672019-05-21T07:59:59-04:002019-05-21T07:59:59-04:00Because YOU asked for it!<p>Over the past couple of years, it seems that my “half-assed European tour diaries” are everyone’s favorite JT thing (um, we were kind of hoping it was the MUSIC you were into)...</p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxtHgsYHbng/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Over the past couple of years, it seems that my “half-assed European tour diaries” are everyone’s favorite JT thing (um, we were kind of hoping it was the MUSIC you were into). #newmusic #newsounds #americana #indiemusic #guitar #musicismylife #instagood</a></p>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/officialjeffersonthomas/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Jefferson Thomas</a> (@officialjeffersonthomas) on <time datetime="2019-05-21T00:51:13+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">May 20, 2019 at 5:51pm PDT</time></p>
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</center>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57563612019-05-16T00:49:46-04:002019-05-16T00:49:46-04:00Congrats to all you graduates!<p>Is “Throwback Thursday” still a thing? If so, this one goes way back, and it goes out to all those graduates out there!</p>
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<div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxgp87xi4L9/" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke="none" stroke-width="1"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></a></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxgp87xi4L9/" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div></div>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxgp87xi4L9/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Is “Throwback Thursday” still a thing? If so, this one goes way back, and it goes out to all those graduates out there! #newmusic #newsounds #americana #indiemusic #guitar #musicismylife #instagood</a></p>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/officialjeffersonthomas/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Jefferson Thomas</a> (@officialjeffersonthomas) on <time datetime="2019-05-16T04:38:31+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">May 15, 2019 at 9:38pm PDT</time></p>
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</center>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57554442019-05-10T18:25:00-04:002019-05-15T12:26:05-04:00Live update from Copenhagen...<p style="text-align: justify;">55°. A little early in the season. to be playing an outdoor show on the river, so we’re trying to keep warm. About eight bars into “Dirty Girl” an entire female Danish rowing team comes by in their bikinis. The moment was perfect. And so was each and every one of them.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57485292019-05-09T12:56:06-04:002019-05-09T12:58:10-04:00Bootleg video from last night's show in Germany...<p style="text-align: center;">Three tunes from the upcoming album...</p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxPv29LHyDY/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Bootleg video from last night’s show in Germany! Three tunes from the upcoming album. #newmusic #newsounds #americana #indiemusic #guitar #musicismylife #instagood</a></p>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/officialjeffersonthomas/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Jefferson Thomas</a> (@officialjeffersonthomas) on <time datetime="2019-05-09T15:03:21+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">May 9, 2019 at 8:03am PDT</time></p>
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</center>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57447392019-05-06T13:56:00-04:002019-05-06T13:56:00-04:00Hey, ya can't do it all. There are only 32 hours in a day...<p style="text-align: justify;">We're going for a new record this coming weekend. Friday-Saturday features the following back-to-back: 6-hour train ride, one-hour show, 2-hour midnight flight, 5-hour layover, 10-hour flight, one-hour taxi ride to pick up the van, one-hour drive to gig, 4-hour gig, one-hour drive home. I am the routing king. Only by traveling across seven time zones was I able to create the world's first 32-hour day. I've pushed it before, but this one's gonna be a CLASSIC.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57425352019-05-05T05:30:00-04:002019-05-06T02:56:47-04:00Live on the river as the sun sets over Copenhagen...<p>Excited to return to Denmark for one of my favorite gigs out of the whole year!</p>
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<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw_-wt0n3qK/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Jefferson Thomas (@officialjeffersonthomas)</a> on <time datetime="2019-05-03T12:06:37+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">May 3, 2019 at 5:06am PDT</time></p>
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</center>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57425362019-05-04T05:35:39-04:002019-05-04T05:35:39-04:00Watchful eye in Amsterdam...<p>That thing has more shows to do this week. Handle it carefully, boys. I’m watchin’ you.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/b7ea91fb938d3dab1834c739390873e3e2e5f18b/original/klm-guitar.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57419272019-05-03T15:17:21-04:002019-05-03T15:17:21-04:00Why every blues song starts with, "Well I woke up this morin'..."<p style="text-align: justify;">When you crash at the promoter’s place after a show in the UK, and you wake up for breakfast and see this and remember that nobody went to bed right away last night. And that explains your aching head.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/060d79a0ae6862f0a583a65f93a0155abaab79f0/original/morning-blues.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57425342019-05-01T05:25:00-04:002019-05-04T05:22:48-04:00Returning to Germany...<p>Coming back to Die Weberei one week from tonight!</p>
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<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw6l-E1H2Ul/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Jefferson Thomas (@officialjeffersonthomas)</a> on <time datetime="2019-05-01T09:52:40+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">May 1, 2019 at 2:52am PDT</time></p>
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</center>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57425312019-04-25T05:10:00-04:002019-05-04T05:08:34-04:00Back in the UK...<p>One week from tonight!</p>
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<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwrmSXjnNPd/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Jefferson Thomas (@officialjeffersonthomas)</a> on <time datetime="2019-04-25T14:05:27+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Apr 25, 2019 at 7:05am PDT</time></p>
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</center>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57387232019-04-22T05:30:00-04:002019-05-04T05:28:35-04:00Even the monks are hip now...<p style="text-align: justify;">All hope is officially lost! Among the many things I have always loved about my extremely variegated neighborhood are its Tibetan monks. I've always marveled at how they adhere to their meager tenets, gatherng food offerings from us locals of varying creeds and colors at the Laotian laundry on the corner on Monday morrnings, and walking barefoot or in sandals in their robes in the dead of winter. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Now it seems they're all rockin' maroon sneakers to match their maroon robes, and it's hard to see in this photo, but this one is walking along looking down at his phone. THE MACHINES HAVE WON. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Do you suppose he's texting his Buddhist Friend Forever?<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/6076d50c9cb5e0bc52adf895d46323ff1c58e71c/original/monk.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/57127262019-04-09T07:25:12-04:002019-11-14T06:39:43-05:00Long Range Dinner Plans...<p>You wake up to an email from the venue in Copenhagen inquiring as to your dietary preference for the after-show dinner, a month before the gig. And then people still ask you, "Hey JT, how come you don't play at home here in NYC that much?"</p>
<p>They asked me if I was vegetarian. I wrote back: "Actual footage of me eating"...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="G-k1XbvHhtg" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/G-k1XbvHhtg/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G-k1XbvHhtg?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/56912812019-03-24T11:55:07-04:002019-03-24T11:56:57-04:00The travails of booking tour dates...<p style="text-align: justify;">Those "Facebook memories" things are often unsettling (or sometimes downright creepy), but this one was kind of funny:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">***</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Jefferson Thomas</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">March 24, 2015 · New York · </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Booked three tour dates today: a radio-sponsored show in northern California, a festival in New Hampshire, and a club in Copenhagen. That has to be the worst job of routing EVER. Maybe it's time I hired somebody who knows what in hell they're doing.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/56857142019-03-19T15:38:16-04:002019-03-19T15:38:16-04:00Hanging with the fine folks at KACC in Houston...<p>Visiting with Mickey J at KACC's studios in Alvin, TX (just south of Houston) for a chat and a song. Featuring an exclusive solo acoustic performance of "Pay For It."</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="gS8TEzJwQFU" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/gS8TEzJwQFU/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gS8TEzJwQFU?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/56791992019-03-13T16:39:16-04:002019-03-20T18:29:54-04:00Even More New Live VIdeo From the UK...<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="kPgE2CDX82Q" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/kPgE2CDX82Q/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kPgE2CDX82Q?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/54340172019-03-11T19:45:00-04:002019-03-19T19:45:16-04:00Hangin' with the fine folks at KPFT radio in Houston...<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="4rb30PM34_U" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/4rb30PM34_U/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4rb30PM34_U?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/56584552019-02-25T11:08:56-05:002019-03-20T18:23:54-04:00Escape from New York...<p style="text-align: justify;">I’ve spent 2019 so far sequestered in the warm and cozy confines of the recording studio, cooking up all kinds of new things for you. But last Saturday night I came out of hiding to do a private show and test-drive some of the new things we’ve been recording. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Anyone who lives in NYC knows the trick to living here is getting the hell OUT of here once in a while. So we did this at the original "Darryl's House" (where Darryl Hall filmed the first two seasons of "Darryl's House" before building the current location nearby). It’s a fantastic place, but not really the kind of venue that has its own website, so the closest thing I could find was this:</p>
<p><a contents="CLICK HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/an-over-400-acre-upstate-new-york-farm-with-rock-n-roll-ties-84790" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/74700b626854eda37f4b33ce92720f9a389c8cb8/original/frfarm.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" style="text-align: center;" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="CLICK HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/an-over-400-acre-upstate-new-york-farm-with-rock-n-roll-ties-84790" target="_blank"><span class="font_large"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></span></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Almost as nice as the venue was the two-hour drive north of the city. The owners at Fraser Ridge first brought me there to play last summer, and they're such warm, hospitable hosts. It was great to go back and knock around some new music to an appreciate bunch of folks (fortunately we were INDOORS this time, since it was a cold and snowy February night.) </p>
<p>We’ll probably do something like this again, and if we do it before the new album is out, we’ll record it live and make these “test drive” versions of the new songs available only to you special people, the JT.com subscribers.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/56861052019-02-18T19:55:00-05:002019-11-14T06:57:38-05:00More new live video from the UK...<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MA-t7zzA-A" target="_blank"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="7MA-t7zzA-A" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/7MA-t7zzA-A/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7MA-t7zzA-A?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="320" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/55948482019-01-14T10:43:57-05:002019-01-14T10:44:16-05:00Country vs. Folk...<p style="text-align: justify;">Just heard some over-educated pseudo-intellectual blowhard postulating at great lemgth and with unnecessary nuance over what makes country different from folk. Dude, chill. Stop making shit difficult. It’s simple: country is Dunkin’ Donuts. Folk is Starbucks.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/55886652019-01-09T18:38:16-05:002019-01-09T18:41:22-05:00No fun allowed...<p>Cutting a couple of tracks for the new record with Aubrey Richmond on violin. As you can plainly tell, no fun whatsoever was had during this session.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/d22753be66164935224cdfb7405dff05d675b94c/original/img-2849.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/d6b8d650231e17e6d28b7171a010b2a24857f5bb/original/img-2841.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/2b5c5a008f3007c753ef9b0f376635aac8a09685/original/img-2844.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/54990512018-11-04T11:51:50-05:002018-11-04T11:51:50-05:00No one will ever buy something that you're not selling...<p>"Nobody buys music anymore." I have seen this statement on social media several times in the past week, and it is patently false. Of course streaming has greatly overtaken downloads and music sales in general, but to misinterpret this as no one buying recorded music anymore is absurd.</p>
<p>The saddest part is that it is musicians who are saying this. People do buy my music. No, not by the millions, but they do buy it. If people aren't buying your music, maybe it hasn't occurred to you that at some point you stopped selling it to them.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/54792832018-10-21T12:51:38-04:002018-10-21T12:52:02-04:00A word about Twitter...<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/e07bcd7a7384e36e00a2a5df67d8696be89281d3/original/twitter-logo.png/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.png" class="size_s justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">While we strive to engage everyone in a vibrant social media experience and bring the Jefferson Thomas presence to all the most popular and widely used platforms, we have been experiencing periodic irregularities with Twitter; sudden spikes of people liking and retweeting JT content. While I would love to just sit back and allow this to stroke my ego, a cursory look at these accounts doesn't pass the smell test. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This is the sort of thing I might have expected once I became like, all world famous and stuff. In the meantime, it cheapens the role of social media and our desire to share lots of stuff with you, to spread the JT gospel, and for everyone to have fun doing it (which was the whole point, remember?) </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">So we're not going to go so far as to take the Twitter acount down, just giving you a heads-up that we just aren't there very much anymore, compared to other platforms. We'd rather see fifty of you sincerely engaging with us than having smoke blown up my ass from a thousand people who may not actually even exist. In any event, if you're just dying to find me on Twitter, you can still go here:</p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://twitter.com/jeffersondammit" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/2e2df328542d53f10d67107d9ad5f14399d8a612/original/jt-twitter.png/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.png" class="size_s justify_center border_" /></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/54750602018-10-18T10:14:05-04:002018-10-18T10:14:05-04:00New live video from the Paramount!<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="xEPAZ7y8mAA" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/xEPAZ7y8mAA/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xEPAZ7y8mAA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/54414272018-10-10T07:30:00-04:002018-10-10T07:30:15-04:00Hanging with the fine folks at WHUS in Connecticut<p style="text-align: justify;">Since this one was close enough to drive, I grabbed a few vintage guitars that usuallly never leave the house and tossed them into the van. Well, OK, I didn't TOSS them, but you know what I mean....</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="HskvgI2PZGY" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/HskvgI2PZGY/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HskvgI2PZGY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/54589782018-10-07T19:20:00-04:002018-10-07T19:20:00-04:00So much for a quiet fall and winter...<p>Well, it was going to be a sleepy, low-key stroll to the end of 2018, but suddenly, I’m somehow now involved in production of THREE records this fall.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/46a065be20bbf68d7e4884e5856a247cc3bf1d16/original/jt-t-60-small.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/54530992018-10-03T00:43:41-04:002019-03-20T18:33:31-04:00Live in the UK!<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="f8IuB0Vk8X0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/f8IuB0Vk8X0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f8IuB0Vk8X0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/54042802018-08-28T06:48:19-04:002018-08-28T06:48:19-04:00Melt with you....<p>Oh, look, another heatwave. And just in time, another four days in a row playing outdoor dates. Brings a whole new meaning to "Sonic Reducer."</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/6b4211843c8c46c863719af5fdd331e8ccb6200a/original/melting.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/53998552018-08-24T11:39:29-04:002018-08-24T11:39:29-04:00It's not easy being green...<p style="text-align: justify;">New soundman. He’s a little green, but he’ll get the hang of it.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/16a30d5a340418aea1ab7bf289cac325653a0d01/original/green-soundman.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/53920832018-08-17T19:18:08-04:002018-08-17T19:19:30-04:00New video, live from the Paramount Theater!<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="o3ODzgEjv98" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/o3ODzgEjv98/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o3ODzgEjv98?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/53821532018-08-10T09:24:55-04:002018-08-21T00:51:53-04:00“Rock forth and prosper.”<p style="text-align: justify;">I probably own somewhere between two dozen and two thousand instrument cables. But of course, this week, in a brief spate of domesticity and personal life, I completely unloaded the van to transport people instead of gear. Now, I’m on a gig with no instrument cables because I forgot to grab a few. So I found the closest music store and went in and bought one. The guy behind the counter rings me up, hands me the cable, and says, “Rock forth and prosper.” That alone was worth it.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/51156712018-08-02T09:06:39-04:002018-08-02T09:12:36-04:00Back to Belgium in 2019!<p style="text-align: justify;">2019 tour dates are coming in, and The JT traveling musical circus returns to Belgium on May 5th and again September 28th. A magical land where the hotels have beer vending machines in the lobby. Be more like Belgium! And the first show is in part of Antwerp called - what else? - BEERSE.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/cf5cf9fb68a8c87abe6bd641c0359e55d5e1c182/large/beer-vending-machine-brussels-central-station.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/53468352018-07-15T23:00:00-04:002018-07-15T23:01:11-04:00Bug in your ear...<p>OK, more tales from the darkside of gigging. Just as I was about to go on tonight, something flew into my ear. And stayed there. To the point where it was flapping around inside and I couldn’t get it out. I went into the men’s room and tried water, the blow dryer, anything I could, and I could still feel - and HEAR - it fucking around in there (and it was LOUD). I came out and went on and made it through one song with this shit, and then took my vodka and grapefruit and poured it in there. It finally came flying out during a high note in the second song. What really pisses me off is that it didn’t even have the decency to offer to buy the next round.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/53324222018-07-05T12:20:37-04:002018-07-05T12:22:15-04:00"What's Going On?", you ask?<p style="text-align: justify;">From last Sunday at John Scott's. Join us again this (and every!) Sunday, all summer long. It's the closest I've ever come to attending church...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="XrKYK4dyeOE" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/XrKYK4dyeOE/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XrKYK4dyeOE?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/53277292018-07-02T09:17:11-04:002018-07-02T09:17:11-04:00Heads up for those of you coming to the pre-fireworks 4th of July JT show...<p>Heads up for those of you coming to the pre-fireworks 4th of July JT show …the NYPD (in its much-appreciated efforts to make sure the only things blowing up in NYC on the fourth of July are fireworks) will be closing all streets to vehicles for pretty much a quarter-mile radius around where we’re playing. We HIGHLY recommend public transit, namely the E, M, R, G, or 7 trains, which will deposit you just a few blocks away from the venue. </p>
<p>For more information about the venue, maps, street closings, etc., here are some handy links, go <a contents="HERE" data-link-label="7/4/18" data-link-type="page" href="/7-4-18" target="_blank"><strong>HERE</strong></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/53258762018-06-30T09:26:46-04:002018-06-30T09:27:21-04:00Join us again tomorrow for another installment of mayhem out east...<p style="text-align: justify;">Join us again tomorrow! You never know WHO'LL show up; the rich and famous, the bored and horny housewives of the rich and famous, the poor and obscure, dignitaries, luminaries, socialites, college kids who think it's still spring break, angry loners...and THIS guy.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="EPVr7RgnDN4" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/EPVr7RgnDN4/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EPVr7RgnDN4?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/53198952018-06-27T09:13:45-04:002018-06-27T09:47:50-04:00Wake of destruction...<p style="text-align: justify;">When you go through road mandolins like girlfriends. The wake of destruction from the past seven years. Welcome to our new "natural" (right). They were all out of red, probably because I keep wrecking them.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/5f906d5cb118abc5701e676fad29b20b8c054f1b/original/mandolins.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/53134812018-06-23T11:52:54-04:002018-06-23T11:52:54-04:00Your new digital assistant, "Frank"...<p style="text-align: justify;">You know what I don't understand - with all the allegations of rampant sexism and a patriarchial society, etc., how come all of the digital assistants are women? We tell Siri, Alexa, et al, to do demeaning, mundane little tasks we're all too lazy to do. Can't we yell at some guy to do this shit too? Like maybe "Frank." </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">"Frank - play the fucking song, Frank." </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">"Frank - where'd I leave my sandals?" </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">"Frank - how many vodka tonics did I drink last night? And what time did she leave this morning?" </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">"Frank - what's the capital of South Dakota? Frank? ANSWER me, Frank, goddammit."</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/53079372018-06-20T21:37:09-04:002018-06-20T21:37:09-04:00Quick lobster run...<p>If I can drive 11 hours to Charlotte, do a 3-hour show, then turn around and drive back to NYC, surely a quick 6-hour run north for some Maine lobster is like running an errand.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/260b4942fe9892e63930db8f03c235720c869ac7/original/jt-maine.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/53003332018-06-16T21:38:58-04:002018-06-27T09:14:26-04:00Rooftop chillin'...<p>Sometimes I just like to end a night off with a smoke while looking at the pretty lights with the pretty sky behind them.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/ccc7323c1b8bb4c2da40ae63a7d6f89e1f762b85/original/rooftop-6-16-18.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/52792872018-06-06T14:58:58-04:002019-11-14T06:59:50-05:00”We’ll get there, Pop...”<p>Gig tonight - private event at the <a contents='"Fraser Ridge Farm" in Amenia, NY' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/an-over-400-acre-upstate-new-york-farm-with-rock-n-roll-ties-84790" target="_blank">"Fraser Ridge Farm" in Amenia, NY</a>, which I din't realize was "Darryl's House" until I got here.</p>
<p>I have been given a gate code. To a farm. My dad grew up on a farm. They had no gate code. I'm not sure they could even afford the gate. He would be so proud. As Michael Corleone said to The Godfather, "We'll get there, pop."</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/52716672018-06-02T06:53:08-04:002018-06-02T06:53:08-04:00High Fidelity...<p style="text-align: center;">So, um, will this sound, like, really awesome if I make an mp3 of it and share my earbuds with my BFF on a screeching F Train on the way to Coney Island?</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/9b83f848973ca582b48f6cc14c962f1399841460/original/tech.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/52553322018-05-25T08:30:00-04:002018-10-12T22:00:28-04:00"Art, in may ways, is about finding a solution"...<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: center;">Yesterday I posted an article about the devaluation of music. This week, it's about "artists" who just don't have what it takes and, sadly, don't know what it is to WORK FOR IT. Best quote here: "Art, in may ways, is about finding a solution"...</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="CLICK HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://nypost.com/2018/05/19/these-columbia-students-could-be-the-death-of-american-art/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank"><span class="font_xl"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></span></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/52553302018-05-24T16:24:23-04:002018-05-24T16:24:23-04:00Wonderful article on the devaluation of music...<p style="text-align: justify;">Please take a few minutes to read this article. I have argued for a long time now that the larger problem facing music and musicians isn't the latest gizmo, delivery platform, big tech villain, or proliferation of lousy music. It's that we, as a culture, have made a conscious, collective decision over the past twenty years or so to marginalize the role music plays in our lives. But there was no way I was ever going to say that as succinctly as this piece does...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="CLICK HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://medium.com/cuepoint/the-devaluation-of-music-it-s-worse-than-you-think-f4cf5f26a888" target="_blank"><span class="font_xl"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></span></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/52455922018-05-20T15:48:19-04:002018-05-20T17:08:42-04:00Home!<p style="text-align: justify;">Seventeen days in Europe; five countries, five planes, five trains, four cabs, three buses, three autobahns, one Baltic Sea ferry, and one heavy-ass guitar case. Back home decompressing on my roof (because too much compression will ruin any mix).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/97130895189cb017f977ea57713d272f10a1a6e7/original/5-20-18-rooftop.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/52427572018-05-18T15:18:40-04:002018-05-20T22:50:26-04:00Russians!<p style="text-align: justify;">Today’s audience in Denmark featured some appreciative - and particularly boisterous - Russians who wanted to meet me after the show. Here I am colluding with them...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/5c01a238d2f45ab9362989fc87927f9fa15e0747/original/9b729372-6fa8-4ee6-9a84-c98f53f05978.jpeg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" style="text-align: justify;" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/52330982018-05-14T09:56:34-04:002018-05-20T22:50:42-04:00And then you always have that ONE KILLER GIG that almost single-handedly recoups the entire tour's expenses...<p style="text-align: justify;">Thank you, people of Gutersloh, Germany! Great show at <a contents="DIe Weberei" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.die-weberei.de/" target="_blank">DIe Weberei</a>, and you almost totally cleaned us out of our supply of PLAY HURT for this run of dates. I thought people didn't buy CDs anymore...?</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/99c8da2dee0588d87a99ba2235ac33e5647c98c7/original/dw-1.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/9a0ccc12420f726e3eb1647cf9b98b382f185436/original/dw-2.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/6e518457fdd8fb219aa1ae6c0c72454ee7f7ff44/original/cd-sales.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/52243162018-05-10T10:25:00-04:002018-05-10T10:25:18-04:00The "always drink the local brew" touring edict continues during rehearsals, with a new wrinkle...<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/ecf6727e072ca58774e80153dc0833fc695efafa/original/img-2179.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/7610d8a1443493df6ab21a3acfcc353abee2a483/original/img-2180.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/304190bbc384189c9dec7cc4b3bbbb7f9328e572/original/img-2178.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/52242692018-05-09T03:16:32-04:002018-05-09T03:48:25-04:00Thanks to Outline Magazine for the kind words on last week's UK show...<p style="text-align: center;">RIGHT! (I can't stop saying that whenever discussing all things UK)...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">To read the article,</p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.outlineonline.co.uk/content/grapevine-at-the-guildhall/live-reviews-/120629/2486" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/474f4a313073478bdaea6743167a9c8284b69ce2/original/click-here.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" style="text-align: center;" /></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/52225822018-05-08T09:38:08-04:002018-05-08T09:38:08-04:00Scenes from the first show in Germany...<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/1cd08617c9c34e00594b3139a80a3c9ca7fb443a/original/ok-let-s-see-what-those-klm-baggage-handlers-did-to-this-thing-edit.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/eec1b0eaddf54c504703ca645abeeaa995019532/original/the-mighty-jt-music-brought-to-you-directly-from-god.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/20613e52d3d2ccdf12e0562cd3b7a7277371719d/original/slow-dance-with-my-baby-after-the-show.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/52225782018-05-08T09:19:01-04:002018-05-08T09:39:21-04:00Scenes from the opening show, UK...<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/e3c6f8a2768cec249b6214ca447f2b6ea5fc1ebd/original/img-2174.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/df2516984f51d1248a0faf6fd58b7626f7ff6c9c/original/img-2175.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/dad31d1b87aed930e621e052cee9db0b5f35fc13/original/jt-norwich-guitar-5-3-18.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/be7ad4e9a15b9727a7df5ca31f2a25ca54e5825d/original/jt-norwich-piano-5-3-18.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/52035542018-04-26T14:30:00-04:002018-05-06T18:29:29-04:00Ah, youth...<p style="text-align: justify;">There is a middle school right up at the end of my block. At 2:30 every afternoon, the kids get out of school, and I love watching and listening out my window as legions of them walk by, the savage ballet that is adolescence in full bloom.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Not much has changed. The guys brandish their contrived swagger, overcompensating for their awkwardness and lack of confidence. They swear and yell and insult each other and fight. They are such awesome, lovable little pricks. I look at them and I see myself way back when (like, oh, maybe last Tuesday, or this morning).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">And the girls still break their hearts. One gutsy little guy clearly has set his sights on one of them, and had decided today would be the day - he was gonna try to walk her home. She said, gruffly, "What are you doing walking this way? I thought you lived THAT way."</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Hang in there, kid. Keep swingin.' Nothing worthwhile comes easy. And you, honey - don't hurt him too bad. He seems like a sweet little dude.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/51982272018-04-23T19:11:32-04:002018-10-12T22:02:47-04:00"Kiss my ASS, stardized testing..."<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="3VzOmZ4bdTw" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/3VzOmZ4bdTw/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3VzOmZ4bdTw?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/51828612018-04-15T10:23:39-04:002018-04-15T10:26:16-04:00Still a great job to have...<p style="text-align: justify;">A few years ago I had completely overbooked myself, and after a particularly long stretch of non-stop live dates, I was exhausted and my perspective was all out of whack. I was only seeing live performance from my myopic little point of view, and not that of the audience. My girlfriend at the time said something I have not forgotten: "You may be sick of these songs, but you're the only one who has to hear them every night. Many of the people are probably hearing them for the first time. Who knows, maybe someone's on a first date, maybe someone lost someone close to them that morning, or maybe someone's just really into the music. Whatever - you have no idea what they might remember from seeing you. You create moments for people." That put a lot of gas in my tank, and I have not forgotten it.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/721bc0682e67b4ca74f04a8a418374e5316fc1d3/original/setlist-mic-stand.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/51762002018-04-11T20:40:00-04:002018-04-11T20:40:19-04:00Out of my league...<p style="text-align: justify;">We played at Pier 60 in New York City for about an hour and a half tonight and helped raise $1.2 million for Alzheimers research. I am now sitting at a fundraising dinner with over seven hundred multimillionaires from the metro New York area who are all casually bidding at an auction for $10,000 dinners and $30,000 Hampton yacht rides like they’re just going through the Burger King drive- through. There was a $150,000 bid for something just now. Guess which guy doesn’t belong in this room! I’m almost drunk enough to raise my hand and say “one seventy five!” and then sheepishly admit that all I have on me is a couple of twenties and a spare set of mandolin strings.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/67b41a597d835b6ada4f70e87e06625af2116f24/original/jt-at-pier-60.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/51529862018-03-28T19:15:17-04:002019-08-28T01:53:29-04:00My favorite couple...<p style="text-align: justify;">They are my favorite couple. I don't know their names, but - well into their 80's, they come into the local bar for happy hour about once a week. There was only one avaliable seat at the bar today, next to me, so I got up and said "Please, sit together." They thanked me and sat down together. I know they like Sinatra, so I dumped a twenty into the jukebox and punched up a marathon of however much non-stop Frank a twenty will buy you here. Then I stood behind them and just watched. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">He is the consummate old-world gentleman; pulling her chair out for her and taking off her coat, and ordering drinks for both of them (and hey, they can DRINK, don't try to go toe-to-toe with them!). She is beautiful. Her smile is as vibrant as it must have been when she was in her twenties, and she raises her glass with a youthful, mischievous twinkle in her eye. You can see he worships her. They laugh and sing together. They hold hands. It's like they started dating two weeks ago. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">OK, so maybe his belt is up around his chest, but the dude has CLASS, and he still knows he struck gold many years ago . There is just a lifetime of lessons to be witnessed here. Always drink with old people. And respect your elders.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/bc97ad6d15ed1d863a45aac0ba2c7b9800d11e15/large/img-2023.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/51521582018-03-28T11:54:01-04:002018-03-28T11:54:01-04:00Thank you, WOCM!<p>And then you read on today's radio report that WOCM has you in regular rotation with 17 spins this week, so you find their <a contents='"listen online" link' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://onlineradiobox.com/us/ocean981fm/playlist/?cs=us.ocean981fm" target="_blank">"listen online" link</a> and just two minutes later they play your record. So you can go back to bed now...</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/51417282018-03-22T09:26:49-04:002018-03-22T09:27:04-04:00Radio warming up to the new album...<p>Thanks to our new "believers" this week: KPFT (Houston, TX), KFAI (Minneapolis, MN), KSYM (San Antonio, TX), WGDR (Plainfeild, VT), KHSU (Arcata, CA), and KBMF (Butte, MT). Over 50 stations now spinning the new album! Some scenes from "recent episodes", click <strong><a contents="HERE" data-link-label="bootlegs" data-link-type="page" href="/bootlegs" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</strong></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/51136872018-03-06T10:19:31-05:002018-03-06T10:19:33-05:00We're now booking Spring 2019 US and overseas tour dates...<p>Hmmm...<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/1d7c38a755b867982fa2a8e30eb1ecebd17e606a/original/frankentouring.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br> </p>
<p> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/51077012018-03-02T12:32:40-05:002018-03-02T12:38:18-05:00Crossing the pond again two months from today!<p>Back to the Guildhall in Norwich UK for another show in May...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="76p3iNnLyAQ" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/76p3iNnLyAQ/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/76p3iNnLyAQ?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Brace yourself, Europe!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="u7APmRkatEU" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/u7APmRkatEU/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u7APmRkatEU?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/50788652018-02-14T08:45:35-05:002018-02-14T08:45:37-05:00Important NYC parking bulletin...<p>Attention all New Yorkers: alternate side parking is suspended today. Obviously.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/bf7c31241e4fe09531182bec513dfd20ff3244e4/original/scooter.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/50696952018-02-08T18:07:07-05:002018-10-12T22:04:39-04:00More new video! From the Union Square show in NYC back in September...<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="cZ7bkVTTb_8" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/cZ7bkVTTb_8/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cZ7bkVTTb_8?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/50509542018-01-29T21:54:43-05:002018-10-12T22:06:21-04:00New video! From Union Square back in September...<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="BkTn9IaRWds" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/BkTn9IaRWds/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BkTn9IaRWds?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/49878802017-12-21T10:30:58-05:002017-12-21T10:31:01-05:00Get the biggest BANG for your holiday BUCK...<p>OK, so we don't even go to radio yet for another month, and a cursory distribution check shows that you people are BUYING the new record, which is pretty cool in a world where people supposedly don't buy music anymore. But you're doing it a lot at iTunes and Amazon, which is fine, except you're not getting the most bang for your buck with the exclusive EXPANDED EDITION, featuring alternate versions and bonus live tracks...</p>
<p><a contents="CLICK HERE" data-link-label="store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/b15b4ff1cb1e53a54b5cad3168b10b4f7394bfe2/medium/booklet-page-1-expanded-edition.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="CLICK HERE" data-link-label="store" data-link-type="page" href="/store" target="_blank"><strong><span class="font_xl">CLICK HERE</span></strong></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/49118292017-10-30T15:23:47-04:002017-10-30T15:23:47-04:00Still good advice...<p>When I was 16, we were playing some roadhouse in the middle of nowhere, and on a break, that ubiquitous drunken know-it-all guy comes up to us and tells me and my teenage cohorts (backing up a veteran artist) how we’ve got a long way to go. He said to the drummer, “you’re OK” and the keyboardist, “you got your shit together” then told me I had a major attitude problem and was too loud. He pointed to the artist we were backing up and said “Your job is to make him happy. He’s the guy who is going to get you the whore you’re gonna to have, the pipe you want to buy, and the alcohol you need.” After many years of doing this, I never got that whore, I don’t wanna buy a pipe, and I don’t need alcohol. But still, it was pretty good advice.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/49087252017-10-27T11:41:24-04:002017-10-27T11:42:14-04:00Ssshh...listen...<p style="text-align: justify;">Today I drove past the high school up the street and saw the marching band practicing outside on the basketball court. It took me back to the seventh grade (all-state trombonist, bitches!) and I pulled over and just sat smiling for a few minutes with the window rolled down. I thought, "Hey, kids outside in the fresh air and sunshine and actually doing something that doesn't involve a smartphone", and as I got my own phone out to take a video to "share", I realized the irony and said "fuck that" and put it back in my pocket. Then I sat and listened. Just as you'll have to sit and use your imagination now to hear it. Unplug your device and use your own "microprocessor" in your head for a minute. Hear that? The sound of a high school marching band practicing on a basketball court in NYC on a crisp autumn day? Of course you do. That is my gift to you today.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/49077602017-10-26T18:06:09-04:002018-10-12T22:10:17-04:00Spring European tour dates coming in...<p>Spring European dates are coming in. Returning to the Geyser By The Sea concert series at Kulturhusset Islands Brygge on the river in (my favorite European city) Copenhagen on Friday, 5/18. And yes, I typed that in Danish without any help.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="m1LEiT81h8o" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/m1LEiT81h8o/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m1LEiT81h8o?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="380" width="685" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/48673372017-09-27T11:47:30-04:002017-09-27T11:47:30-04:00This probably doesn't happen in Idaho...<p>New York City. Still the only place where you can bump into Huma Abedin - literally - on the street while picking up your police permits for your show in Union Square.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/48420382017-09-08T09:55:52-04:002017-09-08T09:55:54-04:00Pizza truck on-site!<p>From now on all gigs have a clause in the rider that stipulates an on-site antique pizza truck.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/2979c220e84195129e3cb34116899b4fc876402b/original/pizza-truck.jpg?1504878939" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/43674702017-09-04T23:30:00-04:002017-09-04T23:30:22-04:00OK, well NOW the summer is over...<p style="text-align: justify;">With equal parts appreciation and sadness, we bid farewell to another summer residency at John Scott's, after they added an extra date for today. No gig has ever been so much fun and so much hard work at the same time, and taught me more about what it is I do. We put together a lot of new music out here this summer, music you'll be hearing in the fall and into 2018. We have a good thing going out here, and I'm really proud if it.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/b54342fb85a8a9c5f5082237ed2706a99554557d/original/goodbye-js.jpg?1473650563" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/48072722017-08-08T18:54:25-04:002017-08-15T00:03:13-04:00"Excuse me - do you guys carry those Sonic Youth baby wipes?"<p style="text-align: justify;">And then you see a Sub Pop merchandising store on the concourse in the Seattle airport, resplendent in its newfound mainstreamdom. And alas, rock 'n' roll dies all over again.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/f77ef9195ade549807167db2dba4dd5db2d32f26/original/sub-pop-store.jpg?1502232826" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/48052682017-08-07T11:46:59-04:002017-08-07T11:47:39-04:00Stuff you can't find in New York City...<p style="text-align: justify;">Headed to the airport in Twin Falls, Idaho. How many pink Packard 400s can there really be in the state of Idaho? And this place has TWO of 'em! And look - 20 to 50% off! Only problem is I can only drive one back. I'll have to come back sometime soon to get the other one.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/46c32ed01037ef7d966987b9e035970c32761df3/original/packards.jpg?1502120792" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/47637622017-07-01T12:39:32-04:002017-07-01T12:41:46-04:00July 4th NYC pre-fireworks gig travel advisory...<p style="text-align: justify;">Heads up for those of you coming to the pre-fireworks 4th of July JT show …the NYPD (in its much-appreciated efforts to make sure the only things blowing up in NYC on the fourth of July are fireworks) will be closing all streets for pretty much a quarter-mile radius around where we’re playing. We HIGHLY recommend public transit, namely the E, M, R, G, or 7 trains, which will deposit you just a few blocks away from the venue. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">For more information about the venue, maps, street closings, etc., here are some handy links… </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a contents="VENUE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.licbar.com/" target="_blank">VENUE</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a contents="Street closures" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ny.curbed.com/2017/6/29/15895266/4th-of-july-fireworks-parades-new-york-city-street-closures-routes" target="_blank">S</a><a contents="STREET CLOSURES" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ny.curbed.com/2017/6/29/15895266/4th-of-july-fireworks-parades-new-york-city-street-closures-routes" target="_blank">TREET CLOSURES</a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/47335762017-06-05T03:25:23-04:002017-06-05T03:25:25-04:00Headin' south!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/8c5544d529c2005f82e54cf762ed1659fadc95f8/large/tos-poster-6-9-17.jpg?1496647505" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/47253972017-05-28T13:15:49-04:002017-05-28T13:17:48-04:00Tubes 'n buds...<p style="text-align: justify;">There is nothing more American than having the tubes you ordered from Memphis arrive and installing them them in your late 70s Fender Vibrolux Reverb amp while drinking watered-down American beer from a can.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/cde6db5749272690a01b74856bdbfdf4aff9d3d4/original/tubes-n-buds.jpg?1495991729" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/47096972017-05-15T17:22:27-04:002017-05-19T09:49:30-04:00Back in NYC...<p style="text-align: justify;">Back in NYC, going through photos and video from the past three weeks. We managed to get shows in England, Germany, and Denmark captured in their entirety on video, and some new fans are sending us some fun cellphone bootlegs. I don't usually like to wear shades when I play (always look the people in the eye when you sing to them!), but the sun was reflecting off the river in Copenhagen, so I had to do the "disassociated artist thing."<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/d499ef00665e2797420174f03dbf80953c24efa5/original/jt-copenhagen-5-12-17.jpg?1494883339" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/47061632017-05-12T07:58:16-04:002017-05-12T08:49:28-04:00Punctuality...<p>At the venue in Copenhagen. Three hours before soundcheck. Same overly-punctual shit, different country. Just can't seem to get that irresponsible, unreliable rockstar thing down. But there is already a vibrant scene and a lovely sunny day for an outdoor show, overlooking the Copenhagen waterfront with a bar and genetically engineered Danish women, with their exquisite Nordic cheekbones, on bicycles. I'll work with it.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46999122017-05-11T06:47:11-04:002017-05-11T06:47:11-04:00On to Denmark...<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/3e2f04fe28e90ef97c43691f21c913bcaafdaba9/original/eu-spring-poster-5-12-17.jpg?1494180856" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/47046352017-05-11T06:27:34-04:002017-05-11T07:36:51-04:00So long, Germany!<p style="text-align: justify;">For my final show in Germany, I made a joke between songs about promising them some German music, then realized I didn't know any. So I improvised about eight bars or so of an ill-advised impromptu acoustic guitar mash-up of Beethoven's "Ode To Joy" on the top strings and "Ninety-Nine Red Balloons" on the bottom strings. The fact that this actually almost worked is a testament to the awesome power of German wine. However, I am not expecting to make it out of the country without some German coming up to me and saying, "Never do that again. Ever."</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/e5fde21c929464797324eb050ab3284e0c8a3d83/original/100-5341-crop.jpg?1494498907" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46997122017-05-07T06:56:53-04:002017-05-07T06:58:11-04:00Eleventh-hour guest vocal session...<p style="text-align: justify;">Germany's Kristin Shey just cut the final track on the new record, a guest "scat" vocal that takes Chaka Khan and that chick who sang on Pink Floyd's "The Great Gig In The Sky" and kicks them both in the ass. We're having a power outage here listening to the takes.</p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.kristinshey.com/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/6d9a994033c4b659ff1fd310ca7fb97bb7cd0c5e/medium/ks.jpg?1494154549" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" style="text-align: center;" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT KRISTIN!" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.kristinshey.com/" target="_blank"><span class="font_large"><strong>CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT KRISTIN!</strong></span></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46990752017-05-06T08:56:12-04:002017-05-06T10:33:14-04:00Closing night in Germany...<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/7d7447a56feaaf426da8bad4ad8f03417d03d8c5/original/eu-spring-poster-5-6-17.jpg?1494081093" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46977082017-05-05T06:09:59-04:002017-05-05T08:21:03-04:00Second show in Germany. I ask you; how is this not the ultimate gig and the perfect day?<p style="text-align: justify;">Second show in Germany. "Bunte Hunde Abend" festival. Outdoors. Beer, brats, burgers, bikes, classic cars, dogs, photographers, handmade crafts and tattoo artists – and JEFFERSON THOMAS LIVE. How is this not the ultimate gig and the perfect day? All day long on the main drag in Holzhausen, Germany. JT begins ogling timeless vehicles he’ll never own, ingesting awesome tubular meats and killer local beers, and then whatever’s left of him goes on at 6pm. <br><a contents="CLICK HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n78Vm4Ha0bo" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/927f2b475dd3b0804af9f253b0e7c217c81b2510/original/bha.jpg?1493978950" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="CLICK HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n78Vm4Ha0bo" target="_blank"><span class="font_xl"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></span></a></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46970762017-05-04T18:41:25-04:002017-05-06T05:38:57-04:00First of three consecutive nights in Germany...<p style="text-align: center;">"OK, soundcheck's over. Where's the beer?"</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/17b5a67fc07dcb8d3b04db5882d027da2d352ef3/original/jt-soundcheck-5-4-17-gutersloh.jpg?1493937582" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">View from the front row. Or the mosh pit, either one...<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/de29b3735b8205aec1c1230153b503958af94b36/original/jt-guteraloh-5-4-17-front-row.jpg?1493938895" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Soundcheck, same venue, almost a year ago to the day. Time flies. Hair grows...<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/d0e95c6c8c671159c28db0e1070461d1e5508c64/original/5-6-16.jpg?1494063501" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46961862017-05-04T07:05:01-04:002017-05-04T07:05:03-04:00Opening night in Germany...<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/4e15de1282150313bd2d7fbc119bfae0dbb6f2b2/original/eu-spring-poster-5-4-17.jpg?1493895882" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46932072017-05-02T03:23:04-04:002017-05-02T03:23:06-04:00Second night in Amsterdam...<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/9f184baaa092d58081665c16399ab96a75eaad76/original/eu-spring-poster-5-2-17.jpg?1493709773" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46916852017-05-01T07:54:40-04:002017-05-01T07:54:41-04:00Tonight! The fun moves to Amsterdam...<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/e424bb772e7a3a71acd5cc2843c6d05e13794caf/original/eu-spring-poster-5-1-17.jpg?1493639672" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46913792017-04-30T18:44:41-04:002017-04-30T19:16:50-04:00I am...the most confused man in the world...<div style="text-align: justify;">Ever the suave, debonaire, worldly gentleman on tour, tonight at dinner I thanked a waiter in perfect Danish, and was quite proud of myself. After he left the table with a puzzled look on his face, I remembered that I'm in Amsterdam. We don't get to Copenhagen for ten more days. </div>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46856392017-04-26T08:34:06-04:002017-04-26T08:34:06-04:00Sunny London...<p>Left a cold, windy, rainy NYC and arrived in a warm, sunny London. Which is completely backwards. I can't get anything right.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46806932017-04-21T18:09:06-04:002017-04-21T18:09:08-04:00How to get the most pleasure out of your vibr...<p>Revving up the Vibrolux. Sorry to disappoint you, ladies - a "Vibrolux" is just an amp.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/6fc70f02499d6ca0607f0d1a159a559c1d06b544/original/vibrolux-reverb.jpg?1492812531" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46726992017-04-15T23:52:36-04:002017-04-15T23:56:08-04:00Booking agent...<p>I wanna be a booking agent just for a day, so I can arrange a double bill of Rage Against The Machine and that Pink Floyd tribute band, "The Machine" - just to see what happens.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46570262017-04-04T01:06:35-04:002017-04-04T01:06:35-04:00Back to England...<div style="text-align: center;">...in just three weeks!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/c9339ed3d404c99f8d08582d872a88db3f79fe55/original/norwich-4-26-17.jpg?1491282386" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></div>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46455562017-03-25T12:35:42-04:002017-03-25T12:35:44-04:00Final session with the chamberlin today. <p>I need someone to create a diversion so I can steal it...<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/6ac1ee453ab45984afe8450c5e7ed2a86ceef92c/original/chamberlin.jpg?1454091385" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/46325602017-03-16T12:53:57-04:002017-03-16T13:40:37-04:00Thinking warm thoughts...<p style="text-align: justify;">We only got about 4 inches of snow, but NYC snowplows gathered up all of it from around the neighborhood and buried my van in about two feet of it. While digging out, I will distract myself with warmer thoughts of playing an outdoor waterfront show at the gorgeous Kulturhuset Islands Brygge in Copenhagen, which is just a couple of months away.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/02b1b3fd39ca7205246baad4cde125ab324f65a9/large/kulterhusset.jpg?1489683222" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/d9c9eb501237f0e7f07f4a96a94cac56d5992318/large/kulterhuset2.jpg?1489683024" class="size_xl justify_center border_" style="text-align: center;" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/45881912017-02-13T12:38:55-05:002017-02-13T12:45:31-05:00Horn section tracking with a stiff breeze today...<p style="text-align: justify;">We currently have sustained wind gusts upwards of 60 mph in NYC. That's down here on the ground. And yet, there is an NYPD chopper that's been hovering overhead, perfectly in place, at about 1000 feet for twenty minutes. An awesome display of piloting skills. Either this cop has a death wish or the grooves we're working on are so killer and we have this shit turned up so loud that he or she is taking his or her lunch break over my building. But man, the way is it out there today, just looking down and taking your hand off the stick for one bite out of that sandwich, you could look up and suddenly find yourself somewhere over Delaware.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/45828202017-02-09T10:04:36-05:002017-02-13T12:44:22-05:00Almost there!<p style="text-align: justify;">So then you waste several days deciding a track that was "finished" (and already mastered) a long time ago needs to have the acoustic guitar in the beginning replaced with the warmth of the '51 Gibson so you cut that and set the track up for re-mixing and hear it back all day and you decide the '51 sounds "too good" (?) and you say, "Aw just leave the original, it's fine, and bring up the viola section a little and fuck it" and you realize people are going to listen to it while, like, totally sharing a pair of earbuds with their BFF in a screeching subway car anyway and it's Tuesday and you're wearing the same clothes you had on while watching the Super Bowl and you smell like a fucking petting zoo and your life has become a series of sleep-deprived megalomaniacal, narcissistic run-on sentences and that's when you realize your new record is pretty close to being done.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/44945782016-12-03T02:04:41-05:002016-12-15T07:22:55-05:00Still the best job I ever had...<p>Two thousand drunken college kids. This is no way to make a living. Maybe I should have gone to law school...<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/7800a3a3e9e20462ff632bf509af8ca95b318667/original/stout-12-2-16.jpg?1480748637" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/44790232016-11-22T09:31:14-05:002016-11-22T09:31:14-05:00Heckling and anti-heckling...<p style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps the greatest heckling and anti-heckling exchange between performer and audience member ever was revealed in a recent nostalgia-fest. My first professional gig was taking over my dad's guitar spot in a band when I was fifteen, and most of my awesome (and unbelievable) touring stories to this day are from those next couple of years. But I hadn't heard many from the time my dad was in that band.<br><br>It seems that one night some drunken lady right up front would not shut up, so the bandleader said to her, "Hey, lady - how much do you charge to haunt houses?" She paused pensively, and asked "How many rooms?"</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/44623302016-11-11T12:34:18-05:002016-11-11T12:34:18-05:00So long, Leonard Cohen...<p>There is a difference between being cool and thinking you're cool. Leonard Cohen was cool. The rest of us just think we're cool.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/44297532016-10-20T22:27:28-04:002017-05-10T03:08:59-04:00Breakfast in London...<p style="text-align: justify;">A couple of great new tunes came together quickly here in London, and they'll definitely make it on the new record. But more importantly, I haven’t been here in a while, and I had forgotten how acerbic and devastating the British wit can be when properly riled. Check out these excerpts from a review of breakfast offerings in yesterday’s issue The Times of London: </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">“…the breakfast served at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford was the worst food I have ever been served in any establishment of any kind ever, anywhere in the world.” Harsh! It gets better. He goes into detail, describing the mushrooms as “…cuttings taken from the scrotum of a tanned badger.” SO cold.</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/44222022016-10-17T06:05:37-04:002017-05-10T03:07:45-04:00That's a wrap!<p style="text-align: justify;">Well, that's a wrap! Today's final European show, at Parkbad in Gutersloh, Germany,, was SRO and a great way to close out another crossing of the pond. It seems like months ago that things kicked off in Copenhagen. A couple of quick stops in Berlin and London and then we're back in the states later this week.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/7c84a9d9732b04c7efa359797fe2ce630d51c799/large/jt-b-w.jpg?1476706220" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/44205962016-10-15T07:54:23-04:002018-01-29T16:59:48-05:00Honor Thy Father...<p style="text-align: justify;">I spent my first European tour expecting a call any minute that my dad had died and I'd have to head back home right in the middle of everything. He was almost gone before I left, but he managed to hang in there until a few weeks after I got back. This was a man who had criss-crossed the US doing thousands of gigs for decades. But In our very last conversation before I left, he said, "You're gonna tour Europe? Man, that's something I always wished I'd been able to do."<br><br>Based on notes and a receipt I found in the case, I found out that it was sometime In the late 70's that he acquired a gorgeous 1953 Vega arch-top guitar that he adored. I had it restored (mostly) last year. So I brought it along this time.. Well, whaddya think of Europe so far, Dad?<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/a800d058623ff51e11b905ee82175621939e3ee7/large/jt-stellwerk-10-14-16-2.jpg?1476532273" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/d0bec8e8dc48c88d98e7ab087ef222d869b8a00e/large/jt-stellwerk-10-14-16-3.jpg?1476532388" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/44104382016-10-08T14:03:32-04:002017-05-11T08:03:10-04:00Reporting from the touring front-lines in Germany...<p style="text-align: justify;">I chose to spend the thousand-odd hours behind the wheel this summer listening to a "Learn German" audio course. So last night I had my first full conversation in German, so suave and debonair and worldly, ordering dinner in German. It was probably something like "Yes, I'll have the broiled ceiling fan with the helicopter on the side. And might I say, you look very umbrella tonight." (Raising glass) "Fire hydrant!" </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Next up - learning Danish!</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/43984772016-09-30T17:21:01-04:002017-05-11T08:05:34-04:00For all you guitar geeks - they don't make 'em like THIS anymore...<p style="text-align: justify;">For all you guitar geeks: the 1953 Vega arch-top is along for this run of European dates. It started making some funny noises onstage the other night in Copenhagen, so I called ahead to Germany for some guitar tech recommendations. Today at MusikGalerie in Gutersloh, Germany, the esteemed PER opened it up. I've only had this guitar for about three years. All this time I had just assumed someone had gone in there and re-wired it at some point since the mid-fifties, but we laughed when we saw that the original switches, pots, and soldering from over sixty years ago were all still going strong (apparently, in those days, shit was made to LAST). Well, almost all of them. Per located the likely trouble spot and bypassed the neck pickup's volume pot (so it's locked in at full volume) until I get back to NY and have all the electronics re-done. It's all ready for the first date in Germany tomorrow night.<br><br>Thank you PER!</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/43948242016-09-28T17:48:43-04:002016-10-08T14:04:33-04:00Reporting from the touring front-lines in Denmark...<p>First night across the pond on this run. Great audience, great venue. Most Danes are multi-lingual, but the bass player in one of the bands tonight, at the post gig-hang, was not.<br><br>DANISH BASSIST: "My English...no good, but...you...the American...play tonight...'chikka chikka chikka'...very good!"<br>JT: "Dude, your English is fucking IMPECCABLE."</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/43659262016-09-10T09:09:01-04:002017-01-11T08:12:18-05:00"Hey, this expiration date is six months old...."<p>So the "record more, gig less" approach for 2016 has been great, but we're now already locking down dates for next fall and EU dates for spring 2018. I sense a return to the "empty refrigerator at home" days in 2017...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/cfce6f571f983fb59409806c805a63c88a7768ea/medium/serious-roadwork.jpg?1458914568" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/269a898a5ff7c74b2900e5ecb670b35bb30f91de/medium/off-the-road.jpg?1473513029" class="size_m justify_center border_" /> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/43038502016-07-31T22:05:48-04:002016-08-01T10:59:56-04:00The big cleanse...<p style="text-align: justify;">I am sitting in the dark watching a rainstorm out the window. I don't mean while I'm doing anything else; the rainstorm is the focus. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Of all the things in this world that I love to watch, my favorite has to be the onset of a good old-fashioned no-nonsense gully-washer like we're having in NYC right now. With all the monstrous shit we do to this planet, it's like the planet sits back quietly, increasingly indignant, until it can no longer restrain itself and finally just loses it and says, "All right, ENOUGH. I have HAD it with you fucking assholes."</p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/42758662016-07-12T18:42:17-04:002017-01-11T08:12:18-05:00Another beautiful night, another great audience...<p>The offensive line Sunday night. Always blocking for me so I can make the big play. We're REALLY getting lucky with the weather for these outdoor shows. In fact, I should really shut up about that now...<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/e9d0424e01e78d13458b5394818c83aa6fc5c569/original/offensive-line.jpg?1468247013" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/42098642016-06-03T09:10:50-04:002017-01-11T08:12:18-05:00Putting the rock back in Rockefeller Center... <p>We escape the prison - er, I mean inner sanctum - of the recording studio with a couple of hometown shows at Rockefeller Center, this week and next week. Here's scenes from lat night's show...<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/54d2d92dec4cd272267576dc189f0e8d30dd9128/large/rc-6-1-16-1.jpg?1464943420" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/2098372c8eeab28ea243127d725bd16ed67b5ec3/original/rc-6-1-16-4.jpg?1464943410" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/8895faf91680e3837727c6c9a9e1cfab0d13df88/original/rc-6-1-16-3.jpg?1464943410" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/6c56ddd8e46d43a5e437d7fc577b95c2ef8d08f0/original/rc-6-1-16-2.jpg?1464943410" class="size_l justify_center border_" /> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/41941252016-05-24T05:30:46-04:002016-05-24T05:32:55-04:00Up at 5am. Most decidedly un-rock and roll...Up at 5 am for no other reason than there are new songs to work on! Life is easier when you love your job. But first, a two-mile pre-dawn walk!Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/41816642016-05-16T08:00:00-04:002017-01-11T08:12:17-05:00Back home again, back to work...<p style="text-align: justify;">The living room and dining room now feature the vinyl collection (four generations of over 3000 pieces including a healthy dose of 45s, 78s, and acetates dating back to World War I) and vintage turntables and reel-to-reel tape machines from the 1950s through the 1990s, as well as antique furniture including a 1915 grandfather clock and 19th Century marble-top Victorian tables. My grandparents' china cabinet with smoked glass and silver from the 1940s is in the kitchen. So it's becoming a pretty dope retro domicile. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">But when selecting the furniture for the studio, I left class and eloquence behind and went straight for "man-cave." That's right, bitches...the leather sofa in the playback area is full-on dude-motif, and has CUPHOLDERS. No one should ever be expected to create anything without CUPHOLDERS.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/6665120fd5a2afd2d998cbc25b35c87dcff2aba2/original/studio.jpg?1463320881" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br> </p>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/40147422016-01-29T13:16:45-05:002017-03-27T11:01:25-04:00New toy for the new tunes...<div style="text-align: justify;">OK, it's not mine to keep, but...for the foreseeable future, we've loaded in an old Chamberlin from the late 60's/early 70's, and I get to play with it! A lot of the new stuff I'm coming up seems to have a vintage soul and R&B undercurrent, and exploring this old warhorse is so much more fun than punching up some pristine samples from some state-of-the-art fancy keyboard.</div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/6ac1ee453ab45984afe8450c5e7ed2a86ceef92c/large/chamberlin.jpg?1454091385" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" />Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/38728012015-09-28T18:10:51-04:002015-09-28T18:14:50-04:00Final score from tonight's EU tour kickoff in Amsterdam...<div style="text-align: justify;">So I just drank for free and met women with long, flowing raven manes and impossibly exquisite cheekbones who speak Dutch (which is insanely hot to listen to), after getting paid to play my songs. And now I'm supposed to go out and BUY drinks and PAY for women to sleep with me? Do I have the word "chump" stenciled across my forehead?<br><br>Thomas 1, Red Light District 0.</div>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/38626542015-09-20T11:55:05-04:002015-09-20T12:06:34-04:00Perspective...<div style="text-align: justify;">Driving home last night, exhausted but elated from a really great gig with a really great crowd that just would not let us go home, Patrick (drummer) and I suddenly found ourselves stuck on the FDR between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. Really bad accident, whole highway closed. Everyone got out of their cars (except me - drivers, always stay with your vehicle!) and suddenly it was like a community on the FDR- a really gorgeous community, because it was 3:30am in New York, and all the girls who had gotten out of their cabs were obviously on their way home from a night of clubbing. I suggested we all order some pizzas and have them delivered by chopper, since the east side heliport was close by.<br><br>Anyway, the accident had apparently just happened a minute or so before we got there, because we were swarmed by emergency vehicles coming from behind that passed us and then stopped in front of us, leaving us at the front of what became a nightmare miles-long backup. After a while, Patrick got antsy and curious, and walked up to take a look. An NYPD officer told him the accident was fatal.<br><br>When we finally made it through nearly an hour later and drove past the spot where someone's life ended suddenly and violently, we quickly stopped bitching about how much time we lost, and how tired we were, and how we just wanted to be home and asleep, and became acutely aware of how tremendously fortunate we are to be happy and healthy and make a living doing what we love. Very humbling.</div>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/37831662015-07-19T02:26:57-04:002017-01-11T08:12:17-05:00Polaroid from hell...After tonight's gig in 90 degree weather and 1000% humidity. Some guy with a Polaroid thought my Scorpion tattoo was cool. And hey, I haven't really looked at it lately - it IS cool! In other news, apparently some people still use Polaroids. What do I know? When I first heard of "Instagram", I thought it was a cocaine vending machine.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/ae0fe00a80d4219e086d0365a6456f8a16210949/large/jt-polaroid.jpg?1437287183" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="" />Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/37571122015-06-27T14:06:34-04:002015-06-27T14:06:34-04:00There's probably more to Copenhagen than the airport...Last time I played Copenhagen, we got there, played, and left. And it was at the end of a grueling run; five countries in ten days, so we didn't truly appreciate the city. This time, the fall tour ends in Copenhagen again, but I'm arriving a day early so I can actually SEE Copenhagen.Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/37273452015-06-03T12:50:41-04:002017-01-11T08:12:17-05:00In with the old, out with the new!It's been unseasonably cool around here, so I decided to warm things up a little. 1961 Epiphone Casino through a late 70's Rat pedal into a 1966 Ampeg Gemini I amp. What's that you say? Apple just came out with a new iPhone?! Windows has a new operating system?! Yeah, lemme just run right out and get NEW stuff. 'Cause, like, old stuff sucks.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/f77e30c741e6b6282d4deb29c94e3d6e5df3ff86/large/vintage.jpg?1433350232" class="size_xl justify_center border_" />Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/35649182015-02-28T13:20:34-05:002017-01-11T08:12:17-05:00Got the vintage audio setup ready to go<div>It ain't mp3's, but it'll have to do...<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/18ba500175d8b7f7290b302fad745a1c9e9afb82/large/vintage-audio.jpg?1425147624" class="size_xl justify_center border_" />
</div>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/35425722015-02-19T13:30:39-05:002015-02-19T13:34:41-05:00Hang tough, you groundhogs...<div style="text-align: justify;">It is a long, cold winter. So many of us are sick of it, and some are just plain sick at the moment. I also happen to be in the midst of some very difficult personal things this week, and dealing with it all while totally alone and isolated; not a soul around to talk to. But this too, like the winter, will pass. We're all tired of the cold and the wind and the now-grey snow and ice, long ago stripped of its December purity and novelty. We're all wondering "is this going to go on forever?" By late February, it is not uncommon for us to start turning inward, doubting our own worth and the worth of our pursuits.<br><br>So let me be the first to remind everyone...NO, it is NOT going to go on forever. Don't let the cold IN (you, that is). The best part of winter is that there will always be a spring to follow. Hang tough and stay the course, and I'll see you over the first outdoor brunch in just a few weeks, when we can look back and laugh and say "whew...that was a rough one." We're almost there.</div>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/35384342015-02-17T22:59:52-05:002017-01-11T08:12:17-05:00When we say "oldies", we MEAN "oldies"Incredible. I just found these in a dust-covered box. "Thomas Family" 78rpm vinyl. You probably can't read the date, but it says "February 21st, 1941" - three generations of loud-mouthed-bad-attitude-musicians-named-Thomas ago. You've heard the phrase "Our latest single"? Well, this is our EARLIEST single. Unless I find some stone tablets or something dating back even further.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/46827/6c7e8ed152077c0fac4591a873652af8b6048f54/large/thomas-family-78s.jpg?1424231984" class="size_xl justify_center border_" />Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/31374772014-08-14T18:03:54-04:002015-08-05T11:47:46-04:00"Maestro!"<div style="text-align: justify;">The SECOND most awesome thing in my apartment building is the old Greek lady who walks her little terrier Dmitri (best dog name ever). She'll tell him, in the thickest Greek accent you can muster, "Come Dmitri - do your business." The MOST awesome thing is that, now knowing I'm a musician, she calls me "Maestro." But it comes out "My-YAY-stro", which makes it even better.</div>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/30859742014-07-18T21:23:01-04:002014-07-18T21:23:01-04:00STUFF IT!<div style="text-align: justify;">A neat trick when flying with acoustic guitars; you can (carefully) stuff socks and underwear in the body through the soundhole and save a little room in your bags. Of course, it's best to remember to remove them when you're done traveling. I just found two pairs of socks and underwear inside my Seagull acoustic today, stuffed way down by the endpin/input jack. That guitar's last flight was from Copenhagen to JFK...on NOVEMBER SIXTH of last year. No wonder it hasn't been feeding back in high-volume situations. And no wonder I've been doing laundry more often.</div>Jefferson Thomastag:jeffersonthomas.com,2005:Post/30503852014-07-01T08:36:04-04:002014-07-01T08:47:05-04:00Nature invades the show. And the show STOPS for nature.<div style="text-align: justify;">Sunday was a gorgeous day - great weather, great audience, great everything. I was closing out a four-day run, looking forward to a day off. Suddenly, in the middle of a song, in the quiet breakdown part, I could hear this racket from somewhere up above. It was this bird who had perched about a hundred feet up in a tree, and he was just chirping his little ASS off. I finished out the song and told the audience, "You hear that? I don't speak 'bird', but this little guy definitely has something to say. Let's take a minute. Forget your smartphones and all that technology crap. Let''s all just unplug for a second and take this in. You hear that? There ain't no 'app' for that." We all sat for about ten seconds and just listened. And they applauded. Not for me, for the bird. Then I jumped back in to the next tune. I wish I had snapped a photo, but...well, that wouldn't really be "unplugging" now, would it?</div><br>Outdoor shows. Yeah.Jefferson Thomas