Newsworthy April 2008 Hello Friends, We're mere days away from liftoff, with shows just around the corner. The Ballad Tour, as I've dubbed it, will kick off at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow on April 25, followed by stops in London, Dublin, Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, Stavanger, Auhus and Copenhagen. There, I'll be joined by keyboardist Jamie Edwards, a regular in Aimee Mann's band. This two-man acoustic excursion should make for some great off-roading –  no map, no setlist, no problem. The tour will then pick up in San Francisco at the Café Du Nord on June 13. Then it's back to Los Angeles on June 28 to perform at Largo's new home, the Coronet Theatre. This will be my first appearance at the legendary playhouse and music venue. (On a related note, the "Largo" concert film is slated to premiere at the LA Film Festival on June 22.) The summer will find me on the go, from Chicago to NYC, Boston, Philly and onward. Do keep an eye on the concerts section of this here website as more dates are added in the coming weeks. I'm looking forward to playing a lot of stuff from the ever-overflowing songbook. Speaking of songs, Aimee Mann and I co-wrote a new one called "True Believer" for her upcoming seventh solo CD, enigmatically titled "@#&*! Smilers," which comes out on June 3. Another collaboration that I'm eager to talk about is with singer and pro surfer Donavon Frankenreiter, who's an absolute charm to write with. Donavon has just recorded our new song, "Mansions On The Sand," for a CD due out later this summer on Lost Highway. In addition to writing with Donavon, I was privileged to sing and play on the track, produced by Joe Chicorelli. Presently I'm continuing to write and develop a bunch of new songs with an eye toward possibly recording this fall. It's a mysterious process that I can't seem to explain or articulate. One day ya got nothing, the next day there's a double album. Sitting down with the guitar seems to help, though -- that and driving. That might be where the road comes in handy. It's hard to strum and steer, though, so I don't tour as much as some folks. Nevertheless, come April I'll take to the highways once again. Hope to see you there! Make sure to honk! Grant-Lee