After 1-1/2 years and 2 winters in Michigan, we still love being here. Heck, Brielle lives with her mom and dad, right around the corner from us, now. It used to take 9 hours to drive to their place in Atlanta from ours in Sarasota. Now, we cut across the parking lot and we’re there. We get to see so much more of them, now.
I’m enjoying making new friends and fans in west Michigan. I’m making them from Crystal Mountain down to Saugatuck and points in between. And, these west Michigan folks are so very receptive to what I do. Consequently, I have a very full summer which, began Memorial weekend at Crystal Mountain Resort and The Fillmore of Manistee. I am playing on the SS Badger some, this year and my new, regular venues at TJ’s Pub, The Fillmore, Crystal Mountain Resort, the Fox Barn Winery, the Village Cafe and many more. I’ve also added several new venues such as Douglas Valley Winery, Crane’s Pie Pantry & Winery, Iron Fish Distillery, the SS Badger and others. See Schedule
In addition to staying busy with performances there are also, the responsibilities of home ownership which, we did not have in Florida and, the resulting home improvement projects. Plus, we are also landlords once again. We still find time for fun, though. We’re camping next week at the Wheatland Music camp where Margi will get some instruction on fiddle and I will mostly hangout and do the campfire thing.
Margi is practicing acupuncture, as she did in Florida and, it’s going very well for her here. She has also taken up running and has run in several races in Lansing, Grand Rapids, the Mackinaw Bridge and here in Ludington, too. I’m very proud of her for that. Gardening is another of her passions.
My gigs are all in west Michigan this summer. If you’re in the area, be sure to take a look at my schedule at www.fremontjohn.com. Interestingly, I will be doing 8 more dates this year on the SS Badger, the Lake Michigan trans-lake car ferry that goes from Ludington, MI to Manitowoc, WI. This should prove to be fun and a very different experience for me. For the dates, times and places of other gigs, you’ll need to check the schedule at www.fremontjohn.com.
Very recently, I re-discovered an entire evening of live recordings from O’Leary’s, Sarasota, FL: Since my recording studio was out of commission for 2 years, I did not have access to the hard drive on the computer where I found them. I spent time this winter remodeling a small room in the back of our upstairs apartment that I intend to use as a mini-studio.
The studio is all set up now and I did have a chance to give a quick listen to some of the live tracks. I was very pleasantly surprised! It is my hope to do a live CD from these tracks. So, I plan to start reviewing these live recordings more closely to see what can be used. I want to include as many tunes as possible and still include only the performances that are solid. I would love to hear from you if you think you would be interested in a live CD from me. That’s it for now. Until next time, I remain
Musically Yours.
FJ
