What I've Been Doing...

I feel kind of awful that I haven't posted a blog in a month now. In my defense, I've been busy. I moved to a new apartment a month ago---anyone who has moved knows how stressful that is! But it's a really nice apartment in the Lower Garden District, a very beautiful neighborhood. I am now just a few blocks from Lafayette Cemetery #2, the creepiest cemetery in NOLA, and from LaSalle Park, where the Mardi Gras Indians parade on the weekend closest to Saint Joseph's Day.

 Two views of Lafayette Cemetery #2.

 I've also been putting together a new band. While I've been using the band name Darwin's Monkey Wrench for concerts while on tour, Darwin's Monkey Wrench has always been an ever-changing ensemble of whichever musicians I can convince to show up. Now the band will have permanent members (or as permanent as musicians can be...) with a focus on my original songs, and on traditional Swing and Jugband music. We've done our very first gig together here in NOLA, and will be playing at the Homegrown Harvest Festival this Friday, and at the Kerry Irish Pub next week. So far, everything sounds pretty good. 

 Darwin's Monkey Wrench, above; singer Carolyn Broussard below. Carolyn is the singer on my Black Cat Blues CD. That truck is in the yard of my new home... no one knows why.

Another new situation is that I have a room here set up as my photo studio, something I did not have in my former apartment. Below are a few photos I've been taking in my new studio, and around NOLA. You can see more on my gallery site. Advisory: there are nudes in my gallery.

 Model Dawn Day in my studio.

 Model Siffa Scary. Siffa speaks to young women about cutting and eating disorders through her video blog; the photo below is part of a shoot illustrating those issues.

 Lauren and Stephanie in the studio (above), part of a fairy tale shoot; and in Day Of The Dead make-up at Gryphon's Nest (below).

I'm back in the swing of writing, and I will have new posts up in a timely manner. See you soon!