The van Gogh Brothers
After more than two decades, and three for Paul and me (2025 marks 30 years!), we are finally releasing an album entitled, “The van Gogh Brothers.” Paul, Clay, Andy and I (our long-time live line-up) played every track and were joined by guests Cliff Goodwin, Stu Kimball, Kerri Powers, Ryan Lange, and, one of my dream artists, David Friedman, on vibes. The album was recorded and produced by David Minehan at Woolly Mammoth Sound in Waltham, Massachusetts. The album was mastered by David Westner. Clocking in at 45 minutes with 15 tracks, the record runs the gamut from Tim Buckley-inspired folk (“Open Hands”), to Run DMC-inspired rap (“Sinner Girl feat. RAL”). The album feels like a milestone work. Every track stands up and we are playing most of the songs live. The band suffered losses and health issues over the 2+ year span of recording. We saw the other side of the Covid epidemic and then faced the ravages of time, tragedy and shifting relevance. One night in particular stands out. Paul returned to the studio after a long absence and was joined by Stu and Michelle Kimball to lay down “His Own Resolve.” Our vulnerability and humanity were on full display. There were tears of camaraderie, joy and sadness. The track took on a gravity later augmented by Cliff Goodwin’s stellar guitar and slide work. We hit a home run. I think it is this brotherhood that inspired us to name this new record, “The van Gogh Brothers.” We come and go alone, but in between, if we’re lucky, we get to experience our humanity in intimate and unexpected ways. This often happens in a band, where we are connected by the mysterious, invisible art of music.
So the new yaer will bring a new album and new adventures. As I write from the sky on my return to Boston from Christmas in New Orleans, I’m wondering what will come into our lives in 2025. We make our plans and God laughs, I’ve heard, so I’m trying to keep an eye on the future with a loose grip. We just never know what will come our way. We resume our lifetime residency at Vincent’s Worcester on January 11th, and plan to release the new album in CD form at our April 8th show at the Burren, Somerville. I’m not sure about the streaming services. We literally make no money on Spotify and very little from the others so the economics are obvious— what bothers me more is that the executives at these companies are growing rich literally at the expense of artists, so it’s a bit of a morality issue for me. In any case, we are still fortunate to license our music to television on a pretty regular basis, so we know our songs are reaching a wider audience. And we believe very much in local— both in the Boston/Worcester area and in Malibu/Greater LA, where we perform live regularly. I feel extremely fortunate in this way, to be able to continue do this at this at this point in our lives. On January 10th, I will preview the new album on WCUW in Worcester with host Troy Tyree. More on that to come.
I’m planning to return to Malibu in late January, to New Orleans in February, and for Jazz Fest in the spring. I’m hoping to get to Morocco at some point in the early or late spring to reunite with my friend and former band mate, Biff Russell, who lives in South Africa. Morocco would be the 1/2 way point. And if I’m really lucky, Donna and I will find a spot in the warmth sometime mid-Winter.
I’m thrilled we have a new release for 2025, with help from some incredibly talented musicians. Many of you know Stu Kimball, Cliff Goodwin, and Kerri Powers. Kerri is a frequent writing partner and collaborator and Cliff has performed live with us. It had been years since I shared a stage with Stu, sometime just before he joined Dylan. It was his recent Alzheimer’s diagnosis (made public last summer) that inspired me to reach out, and we are especially glad to have him on the record. David Friedman is a whole other story. David played vibes on Tim Buckley’s 1969 album, “Happy Sad,” which remains on my playlist to this day, in particular the track, “Love From Room 109 at the Islander on the Pacific Coast Highway,” on which David brings the magic. I imagined California as a 14 year old listening to this song, and I eventually found the spirit it invoked on this opus which clocks in at 11 minutes. I found David in Berlin, and he agreed to lend his talents to “Open Hands.” He brings the vibe I’d carried all my life, and I am super grateful to have his work as part of my own legacy. Ryan Lange is a former Brooklyn rapper who I met through his girl, Marsha, a former chef at the Brooklyn General Store. As David Minehan and I were mixing “Sinner Girl,” I kept thinking about Aerosmith and Run DMC’s version of “Walk This Way.” “Sinner Girl (feat RAL)” is the result, with Anthony J. Resta producing, mixed by Karyadi Sutedja. Too many stories to recount but there are a couple!
Happy New Year to all. We look forward to seeing you in 2025!
Love,
JC