Today is April 9th, 2025. It's been a bit since I've checked in here but with another trip around the sun lurking just a couple days away, and a new solo record set to drop in 2 weeks, seems like a good time to update a bit. Over the last 8-9 months I have been hunkered down here in the bus in Asheville, NC through a variety of changes, the biggest coming last September when Hurricane Helene ripped through Western NC and parts of Tennessee. We were without power and cell service for a few weeks and then potable water was a big issue for many months.
I sure do appreciate hearing from so many friends who checked in on me. 6 and ½ months later, Asheville is still rebuilding. Some of it will not come back and some of it will never be the same but the resilience and strength of the community here has been inspiring. Though I will be giving up my spot soon to roll west for a while, I have had a great time here connecting with so many old friends from the paddling community.
I did not get out to play a lot of live music in my year and a half here, but I have stayed busy teaching guitar and making a new solo record which will be released on April 24th, 2025. Chris Rosser and I co-produced the record (Ashland Avenue), and there are way too many friends and guests to name them all here. I had the great pleasure of working with many local players, as well as many friends from around the country including Nashville, New York, Memphis and lots of old Virginia pals.
Ashland Avenue will feature 13 previously unrecorded songs, 8 written solo, 1 with my long time brother and music partner Tom Kimmel, and 4 songs written with my other Sherpas brother Tom Prasada-Rao who lost his battle with cancer in June of 2024. Chris was also a dear friend of Tom's and many a day as we were tracking we could feel the angel on our shoulder as we recorded these tunes. When the birthing day rolls around in about 30 hours, it will be the first time in 30 years that Tom and I have not celebrated our 4/11/58 birthdays together.
I met Chris Rosser in the mid-90's in the Telluride Troubador song competition, and though it took nearly 30 years to work together, it was everything I'd hoped for and more. Chris is not only a superb singer / songwriter but a dream session musician on bass, keys and an array of exotic instruments. He's also a great guitarist but I had to do something on the record!
In a few weeks I'll be rolling toward VA to play a couple of gigs with SGGL in Richmond and DC, a gig with singer/songwriter phenom Carrie Brockwell, and then a May 11th bithday celebration with Karl Werne and friends. From there I'll be getting the rig ready to roll toward Aspen to honor the life of another musical brother Bobby Mason who passed in December, then gigs at Steve's Guitars in Carbondale, CO and the Grand Mesa Songwriter Festival in beautiful Cedaredge, CO.
I sure hope to see some of you along the way and also hope you'll spend a few minutes and check out the new record Ashland Avenue. It's been 20 years since my last solo project “Suitable Disguise”, so it feels good to get back in the stream!
It hits the air (or “drops” as the young 'uns say) on April 24th, and CDs will be available here on the website and at live shows for those of you still doing the compact disc thing!
Be as nice as you can to each other and if you have read this whole thing, I thank-you!
Much Love, M. Lille