I had a blast on Friday being a guest on KUPD's "Morning Sickness" with John Holmberg and Brady Bogen. I got to accompany Brady with some flamenco guitar while he sang dedications "Brady-o-grams" to happily surprised girlfriends/wives of KUPD's listeners.


John Holmberg, CBJ and Brady Bogen.

Muchas Gracias guys, and maybe we'll make this an annual event...Ole!

Today I had the privelege to go to the NAMM show in L.A. (BIG THANK YOU to Gene & Richard!) NAMM is the trade association of the international music products industry. Basically it's where all music stores (big and small) go to buy all of the instruments/gear seen and heard the world over. What is really cool is that as an artist I get to see, hear and play the latest and greatest instruments, PLUS I got to meet other artists and share in the overall NAMM Madness...oh, and there's NO SHORTAGE on the madness part...there are anywhere from 50,000 to 70,000 attendees! CRAZY!


Me and John 5


playing a Taylor Guitar...


The highlights for me of NAMM Show 2010: hanging out with my buddy Gene, running in to my buddy Mark, meeting John 5 and then meeting and giving a flamenco lesson to a guitar hero of mine - Peppino D'Agostino. I can't describe the surrealness of the situation when, after his impromptu stellar guitar performance at one of the booths, Gene introduced me to Peppino and within minutes HE is asking ME for a guitar lesson to show him some flamenco techniques...RIGHT THERE!! He grabbed a stool for me and, WOW! A picture (again, thanks to Gene!) is worth a thousand words, so here's a glimpse into what I experienced that afternoon...


Me and Peppino D'Agostino


Peppino asking me about a flamenco technique...


Peppino tuning up to get ready for an impromptu lesson...the guy is SO HUMBLE and always wanting to learn! That's why he's a MASTER, people!


I am nearly having an "accident" as Peppino leans in closer to get a better look at this flamenco technique he's so interested in.
Now THAT was a dream come true!!!

This is our first weekend at Luminarias @ Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ. We're having a blast! It's been really...REALLY cold, but we're figuring out how to stay warm. My secret is sitting on a hot pad, go figure! The pics included in this blog were shot by Ken Paul Chernock (Thanks Ken!!)

CBJ playing to the moon and fire...




Kris Hill, Adrian Goldenthal and CBJ staying warm with flamenco!



I think you can tell I'm a little cold...those first two nights (during the steep "get used to the cold" learning curve) were really tough. But I've heard it's good to suffer for your art. Thanks to everyone that's been coming to our part of the Garden and clapping along for us and giving such great "Ole's!". We're having a ton of fun and we're looking forward to the rest of the Luminarias nights. Come by if you haven't had a chance yet!

Ole!
Chris

A couple of weeks ago I was visiting a friend's house where several pets reside. I am allergic to cat hair and mildly allergic to dog hair depending on the type of hair. Well, within just 45 minutes i was miserable and it took well over 2 days to get back to a "normal" state of health. It got me thinking...when i was younger I had severe allergies and asthma. I took multiple medications daily and got allergy shots consistently for like 10 years or so. When I was a kid though, I just never thought about it. I was USED TO IT.

So I started reflecting....2 weeks ago when i got that allergic reaction, i got asthma and a really tight chest and lots of congestion and basically felt like I wanted to die. It was no fun at all. However I was able to recognize that when I was younger that same miserable feeling was a regular occurance that did not really phase me, it just seemed like a normal thing everyone goes through, it seemed NORMAL.

I can't believe i had been conditioned to think THAT was NORMAL! But it happened. We, as humans, are amazing creatures and it is amazing what we can get USED TO and call NORMAL, whether it be physically (such as an illness), emotionally, spiritually or mentally. So I started looking at what I'm doing every day and seeing if I'm doing this thing or that thing simply because I'm used to it? Am I really enjoying this or that or am I used to it?

What are you doing that you really don't want to do or like to do, but do it because you're "used to it"?

Today is one of the last days in the studio for my new album, "LEVANTO". I have many feelings and thoughts I am nearly speechless about it...NEARLY!

On one hand, I am ecstatic to get this album out to my fans who've been so patient and so supportive. This album is amazing and I can't wait to share it with the world! On the other hand, I'm going to have to learn how to live without making a CD every day all day like I have for the last year and a half. It's going to be very strange not to have it consuming my every waking thought and driving to and from the studio all the time. I calculated that I've put well over 7,000 miles on my car just driving to and from the studio for this album.

I have to finish my green tea and head off to the studio. Hope you have a tremendous week!

~CBJ