Remember MySpace? I do, if only vaguely. I was a holdout, although I couldn’t really say why. After months (years?) of friends saying how it was indispensable for promotion and networking, and with me having none of those skills, I finally signed up right around the time everyone started moving to Facebook. I was a Facebook holdout until all my friends said how indispensable it was for networking and promotion, and with me having none of those skills I finally signed up. The same with Twitter, and Instagram, until eventually I settled into a happy mental stasis with them all and used them to promote, and network, and share good things, and stay in touch with family, and reconnect with old friends, and all was well until I realized what a miserable person I was becoming.

I realize not being on any social media these days is akin to being That Guy who’s “never even OWNED a TV,” but vegging out on the Great British Bake Off for an hour might bum me out about my soggy pie crusts, at worst. Here’s a small list of things about social media that crush my heart:

• The feeling when I see others doing projects I wish I was doing
• The way I engage with others I don’t agree with
• The amount of time that flies by while I’m tricking myself into thinking I’m making meaningful interactions with other people
• Watching humanity slowly evolve into a hive mind of instant opinion
• The feeling I get with trying to promote anything I’m doing artistically
• Handing over my content and personal information to advertisers
• The compulsion I feel when it’s available
• I just hate it

But I get it! Social media is the world today. It’s how you are probably checking in with everyone you know, how you get your news, how you tell people what you’re doing. My options for doing so without it are a) keeping this website updated, and b) keeping people updated personally, both of which I am completely terrible at. All that said! I’ve been running into people I haven’t seen for a few months and they’ve all been asking, “where have you been?” So here’s where I’ve been.

I played music—I shared a lot of stage time, plus a healthy amount of studio time, with the Twilight Hours, Chris Koza, Erik Koskinen, Dylan Hicks, and more. A few interesting outliers like pretending to be Tommy Lee with Jeremy Ylvisaker’s Mötley Crüe tribute band (!) and a night backing up Sandra Bernhard (!!!).

I’ve had some projects fizzle (more than I care to admit) and joined a few others, one of the more fun being John Munson’s brainchild of 60s/70s organ funk, the Fragrants. I’ve been steadily plucking away at new music, although if any of it hits the airwaves before the end of the year it’ll be a small miracle.

I’ve acquired some new, inspiring gear—I’ve had more fun playing my 70s clear Vistalites equipped with triggers and effects than I’ve had in a while, and I’m the proud new owner of an Ableton Push which lets me play my favorite software like a musical instrument that can do almost anything I want it to.

More importantly, though, I’ve acquired new family. My wife, five-year-old son, and I journeyed off to Kolkata, India to meet and bring home with us our new daughter, two-year-old Aradhya. We’ve been deep in the adoption path for almost two years, and the joys of this beautiful, spirited, and shining girl in our life far outweigh any of the challenges we’ve faced in our process.

Turns out not steadily publishing my life is a slightly healthier way to live it. Let's stay in touch, us, okay?