Just trying to cut down on the exclamation points. But it’s hard!!!! Aaah, addiction…

Here’s my latest news in letter form. To receive these newsletters in your own inbox simply add yourself to my email list or send me an email with the word ‘subscribe’ in the subject heading and a description of your favourite animal. (Autocorrect is making me spell things British-ly today because I’m backstage at the Thomas Dolby show in Frankfurt surreptitiously using the guitarist’s laptop to execute this ‘news’ mission. Shh!)

Oh My Dear Dear Dears!

How are you? I heard that the summertime has arrived in Berlin but the weather here is not so sure. Yes, I’m back in Berlin, back in front of the computer, and although we’ve had some pretty cold days lately at least I’m not hauling coal up from the cellar to keep the flat warm anymore.

Since coming back from the tour with Thomas Dolby I’ve felt more relaxed and focused than I have in a long time. I’ve talked about what a great experience it was for me in my last post, but now, right at the moment when I’m worried the positive effects of that tour might start to wear off, guess what’s happening TOMORROW NIGHT!! Right here in Berlin, Thomas Dolby will play at the Frannz Club in the Kulturbrauerei, Schönhauser Allee 36 in Prenzlauerberg. And then on Sunday the 20th I play with TD again in Frankfurt at Zoom.

The other really big event that’s coming up is the Froggy Mountain Boys CD Release Party Weekend. Wow, finally! I know I’ve been plugging our new (and first) album, ‘Route 77,’ since it became available online. But now we will have a weekend full of parties in Berlin to celebrate. For all the details and updates please ‘Join’ the event on FB. Briefly, we play 3 Schwestern on 26 May for a combination CD Release Party for us and 2nd Anniversary Party for 3 Schwestern. Then on the 27th in the afternoon we play in the Swing Parade which is part of the annualKarneval der Kulturen. We’ll play on a slow-moving wagon while a hundred or so swing dancers strut their stuff. Fun! And finally on the 27th in the evening we will have an after-parade party at Exil. Discounts for registered swing dancers from the parade at both parties!

Right now I’m working on finishing a ‘quick and dirty’ little recording I made with Thomas Bailey when I was in NYC a few weeks ago. This is in preparation for our upcoming ‘quick and dirty’ little tour in the UK that goes from 22 June-1 July. More on that in the next email… I’ve also been working on videos for the Long Branch Ramblers, my project with Ben Townsend andSabra Guzman, which now has its own website! Here’s the video I’m most proud of: Jealous Hearted Me. It’s like a real music video, gosh! That website of ours is just getting started so check back on it from time to time to hear the new tracks we’re posting (from our upcoming release, due out in early August!), tour dates, videos, etc.

The last big thing I’ll mention here before I list my gigs is a new klezmer project I’m co-founding in Berlin with my friend Hampus Melin. It’s in the earliest stages of development but we’re already planning on recording and playing some shows at the end of the month. What is it called? You Shouldn’t Know From It. We play traditional klezmer dance music without trying to be innovative or original, just being ourselves, playing great tunes and creating a fun atmosphere for dancing and having a party. Kind of like old time music. Looking forward to watching that grow!

So, here are my upcoming gigs (and as always you can see updates and last-minute additions on my website calendar):

– TONIGHT I play with Latcho Nash Nash at Zuhause, 11pm. – 18 May I play with Thomas Dolby in Frannz Club – 20 May with Thomas Dolby in Zoom, Frankfurt – 23 May with Latcho Nash Nash at Lombardo Bar – 26 May with Froggy Mountain Boys at 3 Schwestern, Doors 9pm, Entry €10 (includes CD!) – 27 May with Froggy Mountain Boys in the Swing Parade of the Karneval der Kulturen – 27 May with Froggy Mountain Boys at Exil Bar, Dresdenerstr. End of CD Release Party Weekend Party – 31 May with You Shouldn’t Know From It at Kaffee Burger – 1 June with You Shouldn’t Know From It at 3 Schwestern – 2 June with Froggys at Lombardo Bar for their Sixth Anniversary Party, featuring FREE BEER. We play 8pm. – 4 June with Froggys at Bassy – 8 June with Plump and Juicy Houseband at 3 Schwestern – 10 June I play solo at Schlesisch Blau, a really nice restaurant where you should make reservations because it’s a small place.

And then I’m off to the UK to play with Thomas Bailey! And then I’m off to the US to play with Long Branch Ramblers and to visit friends and family all over the place. I’ll surely be in Detroit and in Durham, NC, and in NYC, and in Galax, and and and… We’ll see!

Hope to see yall again soon. Lots of love from Berlin,

Aaron

P.S. I forgot to mention earlier that a number of new videos have made their way to youtube, videos from shows I’ve recently played. So here are the new ones:

– Oriental Blues w/Latcho Nash Nash in Berlin 

– Durang’s Hornpipe solo at Music in the Burbs, Detroit

– solo and with Rosalind Masson at Kugelbahn Wedding, Berlin, in which there’s a close-up on my face when I break a string…

– with Ben Belcher opening for Thomas Dolby at Anthology, San Diego

P.S. If you think you’d rather not subscribe to my monthly-ish email newsletters because you don’t live in Berlin, think again! I tour internationally and all over the place and sometimes suddenly! (Had to get one exclamation in there for the end) and even if you’re not going to be there at the same time as me, maybe you know someone who will be there. A friend, a loved one, a relative, or perhaps an enemy with no sense of humour… Send them on to my shows. And even if you live somewhere where I’ll never be (like Disney World, for example), you can still find out when I’ll be nearby and enjoy the new songs and videos that I like to share with you. So until next time, I remain, Yours Truly, Aaron Jonahpants Lewis x x x x