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Tom Kimmel Newsletter Spring 2006

Contents

1. Greetings!
2. News: book of poems available everywhere (!) and much more...
3. Recommended
4. Acknowledgments

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1. Greetings (from Sweden)

Yes, I am writing from Sweden! I'm participating this week in a songwriting retreat on the beautiful island of Gotland, which is off the Swedish coast. I'm in the midst of a very enjoyable 3 week visit of writing and touring here and in Denmark, thanks to several key supporters who are making it possible. [More on them below under Acknowledgments.]

2. Music News

a. The book! My long-promised book of poems, The Sweetest & the Meanest, is now widely available!

You can buy or order it from just about any bookstore, or online at www.cdfreedom.com, www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com. If you order from my web site (www.tomkimmel.com), however, you'll be ordering an actual signed copy. It's true. [I promise I didn't use a rubber stamp!]

Noteworthy book related items:

--You can get a good look at the book by visiting Amazon.com [Search for me by name or book title.]

--Speaking of Amazon, if you are one of those folks who love the book and would like to help spread the word about it, please visit my Amazon page and RATE the book. You can even write a review (and please do). Positive ratings and reviews at Amazon are tremendously helpful.

--Big thanks to Marshall Chapman and Pierce Pettis for generously contributing their endorsements (which you can view on the back cover of the book).

If you don't know their work, Marshall and Pierce are both extraordinary artists whom I revere. Visit their sites to check out their consistently fine music. I love Pierce's work so much I allude to it in one of my poems ("Cripple Me"), and Marshall's memoir "Goodbye Little Rock and Roller" is simply required reading.

(It's available at all virtual and actual bookstores.)

Check them out:

www.tallgirl.com

www.piercepettis.com

BTW, there'll be more book news in upcoming newsletters. [Next on tap: the E-book(!), which you'll be able to download to your computer or PDA.]

b. Welcome Shauna Nicholls, my new assistant! Shauna is a Belmont University music biz grad who began working with me a couple of months ago, and I am thrilled and grateful to have her on my team. In Alabama (where I grew up) someone as on-the-ball as Shauna would likely be described as being "sharp as a tack." She's also honest, dependable, thoughtful and capable. And I'm happy to say we're off to a great start.

c. I am very excited that I will be teaching week-long songwriting sessions later this summer at 2 well-loved music schools:

--1) the long running Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville,NC. [I'll be there for Contemporary Folk Week.] Thank you to Eric Garrison for the invitation.

www.swangathering.org

--2) SummerSongs in Ashokan NY. Thank you Penny Nichols for including me this year. I really look forward to this.

www.summersongs.com

For years I have heard many testimonials from friends attending or teaching at both these annual gatherings,and I'm "stoked" (an adjective popularized in my youth) to be a part of each one.

If you've ever considered a concentrated week of music study and sharing in the context of a supportive community of fellow artists, check out these retreats. Speaking from a personal perspective, I can tell you that there is a great depth of experience available in a focused retreat setting.

d. If you're into myspace.com, my page there is now being monitored and regularly updated. Check it out:

www.myspace.com/tomkimmelmusic

e. You'll also soon be noticing changes and new features at www.tomkimmel.com, including a free monthly podcast of concert and interview segments.

Work is now underway....

3. Recommended

--My good friend Michael Lille's new album "Suitable Disguise" is just out, and to my ear it's his best work yet. Recorded in Austin with Texas music stalwarts Paul Pearcy and Lloyd Maines producing and lending superb musical support, it's a real gem. Check it out:

www.michaellille.com

--For those of you who live in or near Nashville and appreciate therapeutic massage, I want to recommend a wonderful licensed massage and cranial sacral therapist I've recently discovered: Mary Beth Crawford. If you call her for an appointment I promise you'll thank me later.

Mary Beth Crawford: 615-347-6151

4. Acknowledgments

I can't say enough about my new friends in Sweden who have made my tour here possible. Sincere thanks to workshop leader extraordinaire Brett Perkins...

Visit www.brettperkinspresents.com and check his Listening Room songwriter retreat series. If you need a great excuse to visit Scandinavia, I can't imagine a better one.

Thanks too to a pair of very talented Swedish artists,Annika Fehling and Eva Hillered. My friend Dana Cooper set me up to write with both these women when they were visiting the US last year, and it's been a delight to work with them and get to know them.

To check out their fine work:

www.annikafehling.com

www.evahillered.com

Love & Peace,

Tom