Part One: January 15, 2003

For now I'm extremely busy playing a few gigs on the West Coast and getting ready for the Vital Info Tour. Besides working with my agent, Janet Williamson, on details concerning the gigs, signing and Fed Ex-ing stacks of contracts to Europe, I'm involved with many other administrative issues. For example, working with my travel agent on booking all of the plane flights (which is a huge job unto itself), booking hotels in some countries, negotiating for rent-a-vans or rent-a-cars in other countries, and finding different road crews for different countries.

All of the band members need Russian visas and UK Work Permits and some band members have expired passports or passports that need extra pages!! (this all takes time) I'm working with Ian Croft of Sonor on having loaner Sonor drums delivered to the different countries and Tom Coster is working with Korg to have his gear meet us as well. I have Zildjian cymbals and a DW bass drum pedal in the UK and I have to have those sent to the first gig in Russia.

Tom is having Hohner make him a new accordion for the tour, luckily Sonor and Hohner are connected! We needed to have new band photos, order CDs and DVDs to sell on the gigs, itineraries need to be put together, etc., etc. The details seem to be never ending. AND THEN we need to find time to work on the MUSIC!!! All of this will be ready in time for the tour, but for now I'm swamped.

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