Dispatches from the home office: Some new jams, some upcoming shows

The dog's head is currently resting in my lap because it's almost his dinnertime, so I'd better keep this brief.

I've had the pleasure of recording with some great people this year, and some of the fruits of this labor are beginning to bear.

That's me playing drums AND bonogs on the new Cliff Hills single, "Love Not War." Typical of Cliff, it's a lovely guitar-pop number and you can sample/purchase it here. We're celebrating the release of the single with a show I'll tell you about in just a second.

Another new tune I'm featured on: "Hating Nothing," the lead track off the debut EP from Heart Harbor, which is the nom de rock of Kerry Hallet. We spent a day tracking with Erin McKeown producing earlier this year in Philly and I'm really excited for the EP to find some ears. Kerry's got great songs and does a lovely job fusing the electronic and the human element, I think. Stream "Hating Nothing" here and look for the EP, Tender Trap, soon.

In show news, I'm rounding out the year with Cliff's single release show at Steel City in Phoenixville, Pa. Nov. 28, then it's a rare Photon Band show in Philly December 5 at Johnny Brenda's (old heads - I hope you've lined up the babysitter for that one), a record release show with Madalean Gauze at Boot and Saddle in Philly December 17 and the last one of the year: a special Clap Your Hands Say Yeah New Year's Eve show at Rough Trade Records in Brooklyn. Tix moving fast for that one.

And I'm also totally effin' psyched to begin 2016 playing with Eliza Hardy Jones, January 6 at Boot and Saddle. Eliza is the real deal. If you're familiar with her work (she has a great band called Buried Beds, she's played with Strand of Oaks, she's currently playing with Grace Potter and we've played together in the Lindsey Buckingham Appreciation Society) you know what I'm talking about. I recorded a bunch of songs with her over the course of the last two years and they're going to be on her debut solo album which will hopefully be out sometime in 2016. It’s so good it makes me cry.

Ticket info etc. for all these gig on the SHOWS page.

That's it for now.