Autumn Greetings to All Friends, Fans & Curious Onlookers!
It’s now sho’ nuff autumn in Memphis, and today's been spectacular! After an early morning walk, however, I've been holed up in my little attic studio, which is where I've been spending most every day of late. But what a JOY it is to lose myself in work! I have to admit, there've been stretches when I've lost that joy.
Speaking of the work, the new Sherpas album is just about to roll off the press, so on to the news....
—
CONTENTS of This Newsletter
1. Sherpas: New album is done & mixed and in the mastering engineer's hands RIGHT NOW.
2. There are a few seats on the bus available for…
a. Ireland '23 (next April)
b. Scotland '23 (next October)
3. I'll be playing Ann Arbor in 2 short weeks...
4. Writing retreat in TX in January
5. Just booked: CA shows in March '23
6. TK Poem of the Month: The Glass
7. Wisdom for our time from the Dalai Lama & Richard Rohr
—
1. “Promise to Harry” (a new Sherpas album) on the way...
Yes it’s being mastered RIGHT NOW. So as quick as we can get a few CDs pressed (and streaming) we’ll be telling the world.
Needless to say, we’re beyond excited to be releasing 10 new songs—our first album in 19 years.
—BTW ten days ago we played the sweetest set at The Welcome Home Festival in Kerrville, Texas. So good to again see many old friends and make live music with Tom Prasada-Rao and Michael Lille.
—
2. Ireland and Scotland 2023: a few of seats open for each tour
a. Ireland ’23
What: My 2023 friends-fans-and-family musical tour in Ireland for Inishfree Tours
When: Tuesday, April 18—Thursday, April 27, 2023
Where: Our home bases will be Counties Dublin, Waterford and Clare
I’m really looking forward to this tour as we’ll be visiting the East, South and West and covering a bit more ground than usual. And I’m especially excited to visit Glendalough for the first time. (And as always our last tour leg will be in Clare, my favorite west coast county.)
For more info:
—Visit my website’s Ireland page HERE.
—Visit Inishfree’s 2023 schedule HERE…
…and click the ENQUIRE button for my tour.
For more on Inishfree Tours, click HERE.
AND to contact me directly, email me at ireland(at)tomkimmel(dot)com
—
b. Scotland ’23
My May Scotland tour sold out very quickly, so we’ve added another.
What: I’ll be hosting my second music/culture/natural beauty tour in Scotland for Traceless Tours.
When: Monday, October 2–Thursday, October 12, 2023
Where: Our home bases will be Edinburgh, Pitlochry and Inverness.
For more info:
—Visit my website’s Scotland page HERE
—Visit my page at Traceless Tours *HERE
...and send the CONTACT form at the bottom of the page. You'll receive a prompt reply.
*Includes a sample itinerary
For more on Traceless Tours, click HERE
AND to contact me directly, email me at scotland(at)tomkimmel(dot)com
—
3. Solo show & folk mass service in Ann Arbor MI 2 weeks from now…
a. The concert...
When: Friday, November 11, 2022 8pm EST
What: Green Wood Coffeehouse presents Tom Kimmel (solo)
Where: Ann Arbor, MI
—For more info click HERE
—Note: I love playing this long running series. Special thanks to Katie Geddes for inviting me back.
—
3b The service...
I’ll also be performing all the music for a “folk mass” at the same location the following day.
When: Saturday, November 12, 2022 5-6pm EST
What: Folk Mass at Green Wood Methodist Church
Where: Ann Arbor, MI
—For more info click HERE
—Note: This will be my third opportunity to provide all music for one of these lovely services, and I very much look forward to it.
—
4. Writing retreat in Texas in January
I’ve gratefully accepted an invitation to participate in a songwriting retreat (and concert) at the world-class Blue Rock Artist Ranch & Studio in Wimberley, Texas. More to come on that…
Thank you to Billy & Dodee Crockett for hosting this special event.
—
5. California shows next March
I’ve just added 2 Bay Area (Gilroy and Soquel) solo performances to my calendar for next March. More to come closer to the dates...
To inquire about booking me for other CA dates, email shauna(at)tomkimmel(dot)com
—
6. TK Poem of the Month: The Glass
The Glass
I dropped the glass
and it didn’t break.
Inspecting carefully,
no chips, no chinks
no faint line across its face.
And I think of all the glasses
that broke, some at the least
tap or bump, and of the ones
that didn’t. I think of all
I’ve handled with care
that broke anyway,
and all I didn’t, that didn’t.
—
7. Wisdom for our time from the Dalai Lama and Richard Rohr
I've long felt that the artist is in the service business, and that service is to create honest work that invites (but not commands or manipulates) the listener or viewer to feel. When we feel deeply, our harsh rhetoric, demonization of other and cold self-protection is cast in a different light. It's malleable and subject to transformation.
“An open heart is an open mind. A change of heart is a change of mind.”
—Dalai Lama [Tenzin Gyatso] (b. 1940), spiritual leader, activist
“Mysticism is often foolishness to the educated and obvious to the simple.”
—Richard Rohr (b. 1943), spiritual leader, author & activist
—
Till next time, Maximum Peace, Love and Understanding,
TK
PS Thanks to the folks at Elixir Strings I have strung my guitars with the crème de la crème of strings for over 25 years.