9 July 1996

The debut of the newly revamped and super-heavy "Mose Salio de Misrayim" at the LionFish came off really well, I think. We'll be playing it regularly from now on, and it will only get better.

Mike Ciul, our soundman, is off in Paris studying computer music. Things had become so worry-free since he's settled into the job that we really miss his skills when he's gone. We've been mixing ourselves from the stage to the best of our ability, but certain things are just too difficult to contemplate right now. I'm not even going to touch the crumhorn until Mike gets back to adjust my volume.

Speaking of wind instruments: I've been shopping around for some sort of shawm, possibly of Turkish or North African origin. I'd like to have such a thing to belt out reels and to take on the Klezmer tunes as well. It would also be a natural fit for out Bulgarian and Macedonian music. Ideally, I'd like to phase out use of the clarinet; I'm unhappy with my playing and my instrument needs an expensive re-pad job.

Jim Speer