It’s July 4th!

If, like me, you’re in the United States, you’ll likely spend today celebrating Independence Day in one form or another; spangling whatever banners you find with stars, glaring at red rockets, and – Oh! – saying everything you see. If, however, you happen to live in Japan, you might be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Nozomi probe to Mars, or if you inhabit the tranquil pine clad valley of Ziro in the Lower Subansiri District of India, you might be celebrating the first night of the Dree Festival.

I, myself, will be celebrating the way I do most 4ths of July (I believe that’s the proper pluralization, like Inspectors General, or Dollars Bill), by hosting a shindig at my humble abode. There promises to be revelry aplenty, as my concert-organizing partners-in-crime Cassie Bishop, Mikey Silas, and I have put together a heck of a hootennany, with an amazing array of musicians performing, and a pop-up art show by fantastic visual artist (Tessa LeBaron). If you happen to be lacking July 4th plans and find yourself in the Cleveland area, you should absolutely join – details on the event are here.

For a while I’ve been teasing a release date for my next full-length album, House of Ghosts. I’m finally ready to reveal that release date is the most obvious possible choice – none other than October 31, my favorite holiday, Halloween. Expect a haunted-house themed release party – details will be forthcoming as they are finalized!

I’ve been continuing to release songs from my Almost Like Live video EP. The idea behind doing this was to showcase what my live show looks like for those who haven’t had a chance to attend, and also to give a first listen to several of the songs that will be on House of Ghosts. So here’s the third Almost Like Live video, “Skip”: