ZuckFest.com is coming!

Years ago, I had a recording studio in Greensboro, NC. Fortunately, one of the many perks of having your own studio is that you witness a tremendous amount of talent--mostly from unrecognized and unappreciated musicians. To give these guitarists, keyboardists, vocalists, and drummers a chance to show off their abilities and, most of all, have fun, we started a weekly "Friday Night Jam" where I'd mix and record the sessions. Over time, we realized that some great stuff was happening and some real magic was being made, and that it would be fun to actually perform in front of a real audience (instead of just each other), so we launched what eventually became a recurring series of parties.

Known as "ZuckFests," after our friend and number 1 Beatles fan Alan Zuckerman, the ZuckFest concerts quickly became a yearly celebration that was enjoyed by many of the studio's close friends and family.

Unfortunately, the ZuckFests came to a complete halt when Jeannie and I moved to Raleigh, and it's now been ten years since we had the last one. Well, Steve and I talked the other week about bringing the old crowd together and performing once again. And, of course, our man Alan would have to come. It looks like it's now a done deal, scheduled for around July 27th, and you'll hear more about it at ZuckFest.com later this week.

I just bought the domain, so stay tuned--music, videos, blog posts and more are on the way...

hbh

Tomorrow is Yesterday

I've been trying to catch as many remastered Star Treks as possible, but have yet to see the latest installment--which is one of my favorites. Tomorrow is Yesterday takes the Enterprise Crew back to the 1960s, and features the ship itself fighting to escape Earth's atmosphere and attain orbit.


My favorite image (from TrekMovie.com)

That single image has stirred the lifetime of passion that I have for space exploration. When I was a kid we'd go to the beach almost every weekend for my Dad to work on our beach house, and I remember looking out the car window during the long drives and imagining that I could see this wonderful ship, and that I could be part of this grand exploration.



Lucky for me, the excitement's still there.

hbh

Henry's Life Tip #1

I've been thinking about writing a small book of advice for my kids, although I know they won't care about it in the least--that is, until they reach my age or have kids of their own. If I do ever get rolling on that project here's one that qualifies, and can be officially designated as Henry's Life Tip #1.

"Start each day with an act of kindness, and end it with reflection."

Last weekend was Mother's Day. It only comes once a year, but highlights the need for our family to do more for each other. This year Mitchell did the eggs and bacon, and I brought in the Starbucks blueberry scone and latte. It was fun, but more importantly it was unselfish. I'd like to see more of that out of our little clan--especially on school mornings. It can set the tone for the day.

Also, more often these days I find myself thinking about my father who passed away a couple years ago, of the house I grew up in, of the friends I once had, and the dreams left unfulfilled. Realizing that not all dreams come true isn't a bad thing--it prepares you for adulthood. At the same time, 46 year old dads (ok, me) no longer yearn for lofty world-changing goals. These few moments of reflection, often late in the evening, bring these emotions back into perspective. Yes, these are emotions I'm talking about--a feeling of confidence that you can do big things, and that you can make the world a better place.

I'll probably not reach this hoped-for level of accomplishment in my life, but I'll always appreciate the fact that I wanted to, and that I once felt I could do it. And with no regrets in the least.

hbh

Cool! My zillionth blog begins today. How soon will it end?

That all depends on how good a job Blogger does reflecting these posts in Google Blog Search.

We'll see.

hbh