Greetings Everyone!
It's a rainy spring day in Memphis, and outside my rain-streaked window the yard is an impressionist's painting of green, white, deep violet, yellow, and pink. (I've really got to learn the names of these flowers.)
OK, the news!
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Contents of This Newsletter
1. New Feature: Song-of-the-Month (streaming for free from my website)
2. Update: My Nashville-Memphis-Missippi Delta friends-fans-and-family Music-Culture-Food tour kicking off in November!
3. My Inishfree Ireland 2025 Tour: taking reservations now!
4. Coming May 3: Zen Rydells EP… at last!
5. Poem of the Month: Bosillas, a poem about spring flowers, sort of.
6. Wisdom for writers and home owners from songwriting giants Bob McDill & Guy Clark
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1. Song of the Month
I've begun streaming a song-of-the-month from my website. I'll be drawing from my solo albums, trio albums, demos and work tapes.
Yes, we still call them “work tapes.”
This month I'm featuring Yes from the first Sherpas’ album, Honor Among Thieves. I wrote Yes with my Sherpas partners Tom Prasada-Rao and Michael Lille, and it's one of my favorite songs… ever. TPR’s vocal, keyboard and bass are simply exquisite.
(Stream it for free, or download for 99¢.)
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2. My Nashville-Memphis-Mississippi Delta friends-fans-and-family tour is happening in November!
Yes, this music/culture/food tour is happening this coming November!
Dates: Monday November 4, through Wednesday, November 13, 2024.
(We'll fly or drive to Nashville on Monday, November 4, and we'll depart from there on Thursday, November 14.)
I'm partnering with my longtime agent/manager Shauna Jamison, and we've put together a sweet small group tour we're really excited about.
It's going to be a laid back blast for just 14 of us, and as of right now we have 3 open seats.
We'll spend 3 days & nights in Nashville, 3 in Memphis and 3 in the Mississippi Delta.
We'll be making our must-see musical stops, finding off-the-beaten-path treasures, listening to excellent music, and we’ll sample tasty local cuisine along the way.
If you'd like more info, please email Shauna at shauna@tomkimmel.com. She'll be happy to send you a flyer, FAQ sheet, tentative itinerary... and answer your questions.
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4. My 2025 annual Inishfree Ireland tour!
In August 2025 our group will explore Counties Sligo, Mayo, and Galway. We'll fly into Shannon, motor up the Wild Atlantic Way to Sligo and meander our way south along the coast.
We'll avoid large groups of tourists as much as possible, and we'll enjoy amazing local music, private concerts, and the spectacular Irish outdoors.
For much more, visit my Ireland webpage HERE and the Innisfree site HERE.
To inquire about my tour, click HERE, scroll down to my August tour and click the ENQUIRE button. FYI that's how the spell inquire over there. They also drive on the wrong side of the road.
DATES: Tuesday, August 12 - Thursday, 21, 2025
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4. On the way at last! The Zen Rydells EP “The Early Years”
I took so long to finish producing this EP that these guys are calling it The Early Years! And that's not so much of a stretch.
—EP drops May 3—
5. Poem of the Month: Bosillas
Bosillas
Our yard is full of flowers
and we love flowers, but we
only know the names of a couple.
I’ve looked up a few of
them and immediately
forgotten what they’re called.
I’ll say oh look at these lovely
red bosillas and my wife
will say and these yellow
cartagennias. And the pop lilies,
the spectacular ferangiums,
and wow, the moon buds!
They're all so beautiful.
Surely they're blooming
all over the world.
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6. Wisdom for writers and home owners from songwriting giants Bob McDill & Guy Clark
“I never stop writing. Sometimes I just stop finishing.”
—Guy Clark (1941-2016), songwriter
“That which you own, owns you.”
—Bob McDill (b. 1944), songwriter
Till next month, Maximum Peace, Love & Understanding.
TK
PS Thanks always to the folks at Elixir Strings for keeping me playing the world's best strings for over 25 years.
