joshua zucker

Judy Van Evera	Lisa Dragna	Doug Burkhardt	KC Turner

what's new?
(last updated 7/17/2008)

• WHAT'S NEW?: Hello and happy Summer to you! I'm glad to say that all is well in my world. I've been playing lots of music with all sorts of incredibly talented people, traveling a bunch, and enjoying the heck out of my little family. My daughter Isadora is starting kindergarten next month, which is making me feel old and terribly grown-up, but I'm so excited and proud of her as she continues to grow and blossom. Truly my most profound creative act. It's gonna be hard to top that one! Lots of great shows in the works with old friends and several new ones all over this beautiful country of ours. For up-to-the-minute details, check out my upcoming shows page. 

  • Caren Armstrong and I have been having a great time playing together hither and yon. Look for us at a honky tonk near you this summer! Caren's new CD, Everything, is incredible. Check it out! We'll be at the Freight & Salvage on July 26 playing some new stuff and some old stuff. Just us for the whole night. Should be a good time. Come on down! After that, we'll be focusing on Southern Cali (where we'll be sharing bills with the great Stevie Coyle), Vegas and New Mexico in early autumn, so keep your eye out for dates down south. We'd love to see some familiar faces in the audience. 

  • The Rowan Brothers are keeping busy on both coasts in various formats. When not playing with his siblings, Lorin also leads a band called Rattlebox which features Doug Harman, Barry Sless, Paul Cicco. Oh, and me too. Lorin and I have also been working with Dave Jenkins and Steve Price (Pablo Cruise) and Ozzie Ahlers in a new band and having all sorts of fun playing all the hits. 

  • Jerry Hannan & the Brigade have been making waves in Marin and beyond. Jerry's just finished his latest CD and it sounds GREAT! Look for it soon at a record store near you. If you can't even wait that long, keep an eye out for CD release parties happening all over the place starting in August. 

  • Larkin Gayl has just released her first full-length CD, "Two Hands," and is getting rave reviews, radio airplay and a whole lot of buzz. The CD is in stores and available on Larkin's site and iTunes. The CD release party is August 22 at the Great American Music Hall. We'll be sharing the night with the Waybacks who will also be celebrating the release of their new CD, "Loaded." Buy your tickets now -- this one will sell out for sure!

  • Kenni & Co. are back playing and coming soon to your town. Anne Schrager's been dazzling crowds everywhere with her accordion pyrotechnics. Look for southern Cali and northeast dates soon!

  • Poor Man's Whiskey is continuing their quest for world domination. They're on the road a bit more than I can afford to be, so I've been mostly replaced, but still find myself subbing or sitting in from time to time. The band is sounding great and deserves the buzz they've been building. Go check 'em out when they come to your town! 

  • Corinne West is touring in support of her second full-length CD, "Second Sight." It's a great album chock full of the best acoustic musicians on this or any other planet, Jerry Douglas and Mike Marshall, just to name a few. I've been playing some local shows with Corinne and am looking forward to more in the near future. 

  • Tom Ross, my teacher and musical hero has just put the final touches on his latest CD entitled Reach in this Dream.  On Reach, Tom is reunited with singer/guitarist Jody Cormack for the first time on record since the legendary Horse of Stone sessions. Buy it here!  

  • Tony Perez & Second Hand Smoke has been given a permanent monthly slot at the Saloon in North Beach. Come spend the afternoon with us every third Saturday of the month. 

  • I've had the fortune to sub for local supergroup Houston Jones several times this year. If you haven't heard these guys, you must. Some of the best music the Bay Area has to offer. They've got an awesome new CD out called Calico Heart. Buy it while you can!

  • Down Not Out can still be seen regularly at Giordano's in North Beach (best sandwiches in SF!) and at Biscuits & Blues. We're doing more of the bluesy electric thing these days. Always great fun.

• JOKES: Man, the jokes page is getting pretty stale...Send me musician jokes for the site!

what's josh been listening to?

• Tal Wilkenfeld, Transformation

• Fernando Otero, Pagina De Buenos Aires

• Martina McBride, Live

• Larkin Gayl, Two Hands

• Carrie Underwood, Carnival

• Barenaked Ladies, Snacktime (another Izzy pick!)

• Tony Rice, Manzanita

• Corinne West, Second Sight

• 95.7 the Wolf! Yee Haw! I love me some new country! Great to have it back in the Bay Area.

• Floratone (featuring Bill Frisell, Matt Chamberlain and Viktor Krauss)

• Houston Jones, Calico Heart

• Caren Armstrong, Everything (One of the best that the Bay Area has to offer hands down)

• Brad Mehldau & Pat Metheny, both the duo and quartet records. wow.

• Brad Paisley, 5th Gear

• Rhonda Vincent, Ragin' Live and All-American Bluegrass Girl

• Cars Motion Picture Soundtrack (another Izzy pic. Great pop tunes by Sheryl Crow, Rascall Flats, John Mayer and James Taylor)

• Viktor Krauss, Far From Enough (Alison and Viktor Krauss on a record with Bill Frisell, Jerry Douglas and Steve Jordan!)

• Bill Frisell, East/West (The 'West' side was recorded at Yoshi's in Oakland. Bill continues to amaze)

• Peter Rowan and Tony Rice, You Were There For Me

• John Mayer, Try (smokin' band!)

• Jerry Hannan, Sounds Like A Story

• Nickel Creek, Why Should the Fire Die (Quite a stylistic departure for these guys -- great stuff!)

• They Might Be Giants, Here Comes the ABCs (Izzy's favorite!)

• The Makaha Sons of Nihau, Na Mele Henoheno, Vol. 2: Na Makahiki Mua-Helu Elua

• Kelly Clarkson, Breakaway (what can i say? I'm a fan...)

• Kenni & Co., Shine Shine Shine

• The Beatles

• Garrin Benfield, Where Joy Kills Sorrow

• Brad Paisley, Time Well Wasted

• Rowan Brothers, Now and Then

• Corinne West, Bound for the Living

• Down Not Out, self-titled

• Alison Krauss, Lonely Runs Both Ways

• John Scofield Trio, En Route (Sco live with Steve Swallow and Bill Stewart -- yow!)

• Dixie Chicks, Wide Open Spaces/Home

• Tom Ross, Horse of Stone

• Kitka, The Vine

• Weird Al Yankovic, Poodle Hat ("Genius in France" is worth the cost of the CD all by itself!)

That's all I can think to tell ya for now... I hope to see you at one of the shows...

...jz