Hello again, my fans and friends! I constantly surprise myself with how busy I get these days. Get a load of this: I've just finished recording and mastering a new one-off party song; it's called "Beer and Wine." It's just goofy fun. I've also finished recording an ambient collaboration with Walter Whitney (known for his participation in such past experimental entities as Delay Tactics) to be called "Lost In Familiar Territory." It awaits only some minor tweaks, and then the mastering process. I will likely post a track from it here in the next month. Meanwhile, I'm preparing my next song-oriented album and can't wait to get in the studio again to dive into that. The songs for this record are among the most personally meaningful I have ever written. If all that weren't enough, I am adding "producer" to my list of credits with an album of songs recorded by my Songwriting students at St. Louis Community College at Meramec. They are a remarkable bunch, mostly beginners or budding artists who've not yet shared their efforts in public. These amazing individuals have really shown their understanding of what a song can be, emotionally and musically. The album will be called "Time To Write a Song," fittingly. There will be a limited number of copies made, but I'll announce official information when we are done. This has truly been one of the most gratifying projects I've ever been involved with! I just LOVE it when angsty creative types can push through the many pitfalls and scary obstacles and bring their art to fruition. It has never been more meaningful to do that sort of thing than RIGHT NOW. I've been going through some of my older recordings, also, seeing what might be suitable to post for you guys. I'm enjoying some early tracks that I did not deem worthy of sharing before, but time has made me appreciate them a lot more lately. So stay tuned. As for "Beer and Wine," it will be available for download real soon. I may post it for streaming for a week free, shortly. Watch this space. Also in the cards: I am probably going to redesign or alter my website in some manner, soon as I figure out the logistics. I would really like to hear from any of you who had a certain experience with one of my songs or have thoughts to express about my music in general. I will use some of these quotes in promotional material and on the new site. You can send me a message through N1M or email me personally at kevinarenick@gmail.com. I'm grateful to anyone who feels they have something to share. Finally, if you are a Neil Young fan, my Neil tribute band Shakey Deal has gotten more and more attention. One of our best shows EVER was at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton, IL in July. We really showed the power of our band. We have shows coming up on September 21 at Naked Vine in Chesterfield, MO and another on Oct. 19 at the Pub House Brewing Company in St. James, MO. And something is in the works for November, to be announced. If you like what I do and you also like the genius music of Mr. Young, you should definitely enjoy Shakey Deal! We have a killer lineup right now! If you are in the St. Louis area, come see me play in a trio with Mark Arnold and Denise Chappell on Sat., Aug. 24 at the Irish Corner Bar at the intersection of Lemp and Cherokee. We have one heck of a show planned. After that except for a loose date or two I will be concentrating on recording and rehearsing until the next Shakey Deal concert. By the way, I highly recommend that y'all go see the David Crosby documentary "Remember My Name." It is unflinchingly honest and hard-hitting, and since CSNY were among my most influential songwriting heroes, this film affected me on multiple levels. It shows you almost every potential pitfall you can encounter on the road to artistic fame and it also depicts a rock legend who has somehow survived multiple traumas to outlive many of his contemporaries. Unforgettable stuff. See you all again real soon. P.S. Keep on rockin' in the freak world! That's what it feels like we are living in right now. Truth and singing birds... Kevin