Guitar, piano, microphone...these are the tools of a musician. Packaging tape, address stamp, cardboard mailers...these are the tools of an independent musician with a new cd out. Hey, that's me! I've been busy getting copies of the new cd "With, To, From" into the hands of the post office employees so they can get them into your hands. The seemingly endless stuffing, taping, and stamping is almost completed. Then, I'll sit back and rest for at least a day. If you pre-ordered, your cd should be arriving soon. If not, you can now order it through my website store. Hammer, screwdriver, wrench...these are tools.

THANK YOU to everyone who came out to the cd release concert on Saturday night! Apparently, I had a great time. I wish I could remember what I was laughing about.

Hopefully I'll set up another show at the theater in a couple months. In the meanwhile, check the marquee for more great music there in the coming weeks.

Also a big thank you to Megan for inviting me to play at her sixteenth birthday party last week. Sixteen- in Wisconsin, it's the age you get your driver's license. Of course, just being 16 (or older) doesn't automatically make you a good driver. In fact, last night I saw over 100 car accidents!! Where you ask? I'll give you some hints- cotton candy, spinning tea cups, and cows. Yep, the demo derby at the county fair. Summer is officially over. Sort of.

Just a reminder that the cd release show at the Lake Geneva Theater(244 Broad St.) is this Saturday at 8pm. Tickets are $6 in advance, available here. Or $8 at the door. If you read the marquee wrong you might think that I'm the "Shoeless Reverend Jon Troast". Not the case. I wear shoes and they are red. Hope to see you Saturday!

There goes that theory...As a gesture of appreciation for playing this last weekend, I was given a dozen roses. Awwww. I enjoyed them for a bit, but because I was staying at a hotel and then flying back to WI, I really didn't have the best home for them. So, I decided to walk down to the lobby and offer them to the girl at the front desk. Do de do de do (walking down to the front desk). When I arrived and made my offer, the girl refused the flowers and said I could throw them out if I wanted, pointing to the trash can behind me! What?!... I thought girls loved getting flowers?!... In her defense, it was pretty late at night (I was actually offering them to her through the security window), but seriously, she didn't even hesitate- To the garbage with those! I mean, did she think they were poisonous or something?

I later found an appreciative recipient, and sent the roses on their way, but what a traumatic experience! I guess what they say is true, "Every rose has its thorn..."

Well, it's the one week anniversary of my last posting. I decided to celebrate by making a trip to California. Or maybe I was getting ready for a trip to CA, and was too busy to post anything for a week... Regardless, I'm here at the Amador Theater (speaking of theaters, CD release at the Lake Geneva Theater on Sat., August 30!) getting ready to play a couple songs as part of an art conference. And coincidentally, there are mainly women here. I know, you must be thinking, "Jon,...aren't you scared?" But I'm not. I've been in this situation once before, and I think the key is love songs. If played correctly, they render women harmless. I...have...to...be...brave. But if you don't hear from me for a little while, now you'll know why.

ps the picture is from a house concert last weekend in Bartlett, IL (I don't think they have anything to do with the pears). Thanks again everyone! Off to battle...

As you've probably noticed, I have a new entry page to my website. Feel free to make use of it and tell your friends to do the same.

This is a picture of the Lake Geneva Theater. The renovation is not quite complete, but it'll be done in time for my cd release show on Saturday, August 30 (8pm). It's going to be a full band show with lights, prizes and more (by "more" I mainly mean music, but who knows...?). Tickets are $6 in advance or $8 at the door. You can order the tickets here, or from me in person. Hope to see you there!

What a great Michigan weekend! I played a couple more living room shows in North Muskegon and Portage. Yes, the dog in this picture is quite huge, but then again, so are the flowers front/center! Michigan, a place where things grow wild...


Things like celery. Apparently Portage, MI was once the celery capital of the world or something. I just hope they also grew peanuts there, or maybe ranch plants, cause I'm not a huge fan of celery unless it's got some peanut butter or ranch dressing with it. I guess maybe that means I'm still not a fan of celery, just peanut butter and ranch dressing, but not together. Thanks Portage!


Of course no Michigan summer weekend would be complete without some outdoor adventures. I went camping (actually just fishing for a day- long story) with my cousin. We battled the storms and caught quite a few bite sized fish in this sweet row boat. (Helpful tip- if you've got two people in a row boat, make sure the person who isn't rowing sits in the BACK of the boat.)

I also got the chance to ride some wave runners out on Lake Michigan with a couple of friends. Let's just say they're slightly faster than a row boat. Still a little sore from that one! And THAT is a great Michigan weekend.

I'm a little worried there might be too many chemicals in the air. I've played some outdoor "living room" concerts lately and there have hardly been any bugs. It's actually been nice, as long as there are no side effects from inhaling bug repellent. This photo is from Grand Rapids, MI.

It's a beautiful day here in Michigan. I'm out visiting family, doing a little babysitting and playing some shows. A bit busy, but still a lot of fun. Just as long as I get a chance to sleep now and then. Speaking of sleeping- I thought you might enjoy some snapshots of a few of the "beds" I slept in over the last month. Better than in my car for sure!

I'll say it again- I love the living room tours! I got back home this weekend and I'm still re-living the experience in my head and on my camera and via my blog. My dad and I had a chance to stop at Mt. Rushmore ("I Want to be the President...?") for a good 10 minutes before heading over to these peoples' living room (back yard rather)

So much fun! We slept in their travel trailer in the street in front of their house. They also got the word out to their local Fox News station. They decided to do a story on their 9 o'clock news! You can check it out here. Pretty cool.

We made a final stop in Decorah, IA.
Yard games and mini-horses were all part of the experience. Thank you all!

I'm enjoying the time home, but really thinking about getting back out there soon. So much more to find...
We did find Wall Drug.



Check that one off the list.

As if the tour hasn't been busy enough, my dad and I decided to do some sight seeing. Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park were the two stops we made on the way to Gillette, Wyoming. (fascinating place by they way. I think it's one of the fastest if not THE fastest growing cities in America. Mainly due to its wealth of natural resources. Kind of hard to get people to work the service jobs though, because they know that they can easily make twice as much by taking a job with the mines. All the people we I met were very friendly. Maybe because it wasn't their job!) Anyway, we figured since we were going to be so close to the Parks, we might as well stop by and check them out. Of course the winding mountain roads don't really allow you to just make a quick stop. It's more of a slow crawl through beautiful mountains and other scenery, stopping when the car in front of you thinks they see something in the wildlife category. Definitely worth it!

Here are a few shots from the trip. Pretty amazing stuff.
Glacier National Park


Elk in Yellowstone.



A buffalo on the road in Yellowstone.


Deer at sunrise near the Mammoth Hot Spring in Yellowstone.



And of course, Old Faithful.


We did see a bear in Glacier NP, but my camera was on the wrong setting, so the picture is dark and blurry. So much for being a photographer and driver at the same time.

Stay tuned for more from our drive through South Dakota and a fun concert stop at someone's backyard in Rapid City.