This Much I Know....

My wife and I will watch American Idol tonight, and, as a result, my dear friend Colleen Wild will be disappointed with me.

A Few Random Thoughts

A small peek inside my brain:

1. Hugh Jackman did an incredible job hosting the Oscars last night.
2. House is on tonight. Love me some House.
3. Heroes is on tonight. Love me some Heroes.
4. I need to do a better job hydrating. Gotta drink more water.
5. I'm a recovering WoW addict, and I'm jonesing. Gotta stop reading WoW blogs.

That is all.

The "What's On Your iPod" Question

A few of the songs which are on heavy rotation on my iPod at the moment:

• Feel Alright - Steve Earle
• Tear-Stained Eye - Son Volt
• Big Sky Country - Chris Whitley
• Washed By the Water - Needtobreathe
• Home - Marc Broussard
• Landing In London - 3 Doors Down w/ Bob Seger
• Sunday Morning Coming Down - Johnny Cash (Yeah, I know Kristofferson wrote it)

Anybody wanna share their list?

Writer's Block? What Writer's Block?

Last night I wrote three songs.

Let me qualify that a bit: I rewrote one song that I originally wrote several years ago but never did anything with, I finally put on paper a song I've had in my head for like a week and a half, and I wrote one from scratch.

Still, that's almost a third of an album. I'm pleased.

On a related note, my Muse is back on my Christmas card list.

News from the Batcave

Haven't posted in a bit. Our youngest, Ruby, ended up in the hospital over the weekend with pneumonia. She's out now and feeling better.

What's the Batcave, you ask? It's my den of musical inspiration. A couple of houses ago, we had an upstairs room that was originally intended to be my music room. I called it my Fortress of Solitude. However, it quickly became an all-purpose office of sorts and a computer room. After that, Ruby was born and it became her nursery.

When we moved into our current house, my lovely wife Lara was determined to give me a place to play and write music free from the distractions of a house full of kids. As a surprise Christmas gift, she designed a beautiful music room for me in our finished basement. I couldn't have been happier when she unveiled it.

Lara said, "Now you finally have your Fortress of Solitude."

After thinking about that a second, I responded, "No, since it's in the basement and all my 'gadgets' are in here, this is my Batcave."

So what's happening in the Batcave? Quite a lot.

I'm booking 2009 and I have some gigs coming up. If anybody knows of any cool places where they wouldn't mind seeing a JB gig, please let me know. I'm always looking for new venues.

I'm also writing new songs and finding some cool covers that I can put my own spin on. I'm really excited to get back on a stage.

Stay tuned. Same Bat-time, same Bat-blog.

NACMAI Music Week

I'm not making the trip to Pigeon Forge this year for the NACMAI competition in March, but I'd like to take a moment to wish the best of luck to my friends in the ICMA who are.

I went down there a couple of years ago and had an incredible time. I'm not the world's biggest fan of "competitive music," but the opportunity to get up and sing in front of talented people from all over the country is entirely worth it. Not to mention the fact that you've got countless country artists crammed in a hotel for a week, which leads to nothing but shenanigans.

Illinois generally brings home quite a few NACMAI awards, and I'm sure this year will be no exception.

Remember my fellow ICMAers, don't do anything I wouldn't do...and if you do, take pictures.

Illinois Country Music Association

Illinois is loaded with talented country artists and die-hard country fans, and one of the best resources for artists and fans is the Illinois Country Music Association. The ICMA gives artists, both new and established, a chance to get out and get themselves heard. Also, it gives fans a chance to find new artists that they otherwise may have never heard.

If you live in or near Illinois and are interested, go to their website and download the application form. For a ridiculously reasonable annual fee, you get access to discounted prices at ICMA events, a newsletter with show listings, and a chance to vote for their annual People's Choice awards.

The ICMA brings artists and fans together. Instead of waiting around for the next big Nashville act to make a stop in your town, you can find a great local band playing just down the street and have an amazing night out listening to some awesome music.

Please get out and support local country music, whether you live in Illinois or not. Country music has always been the people's music, so let's keep it that way.

Ramping Up

Some really exciting things are happening in the JB camp. I'm working on some new material (and, in some cases, rewritten old material that never saw the light of day), which is a pretty big deal considering I've been fighting writer's block for a very, very long time. Colleen Wild and I had the first of many writing sessions this past weekend, so I'm very excited about what may come of that.

I've been trying to find some new places to play and reconnect with old venues so I can get back out and play some shows. It feels good to be back in the game.

For those of you who don't know, I've been on a hiatus due to my daughter's condition. She was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, and she's already had more surgeries than most adults I know. Things are slowly settling down, however, and it's about time she got a chance to see Daddy doing what he does best.

Elsewhere in the JB camp, my stepdaughter Alayne enrolled in the Rock Academy of DuPage. I can't wait to see her tear it up. I swear that kid was born to be a rock star. The Rock Academy is an awesome place. It gives kids the opportunity to learn what it's like to play in a band and collaborate with other musicians. If you have a pre-teen/teenager who likes to play music and you live in the Downers Grove, IL area, check it out.

Check back for more updates. Exciting things are happening.