On Saturday, April 18, 2009, hundreds of independently owned music stores across the country will celebrate “Record Store Day.” Be sure to get out there and support your local independent record store…can’t think of anything to buy? Check out Pitchfork’s Record Store Day Round-up.

As far as I’m concerned, Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks is one of the greatest albums of all time. I’m not the only one who thinks so. Van’s label didn’t promote the album back in ‘68, so it was never performed live until last week at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Wish I was there.

Ballerina, live at The Hollywood Bowl

This is a welcomed opportunity for me to perform these songs the way I originally intended them to be. It’s about the world of creation and of the imagination: That is what a song is, a little movie with melodies and music built around it, poetry in moving pictures in the mind… In the 60’s and 70’s the record companies did not support the music, so I never got to take these songs on tour, and I certainly did not have the money to do it. These songs are as timeless and fresh right now as the day they were written and I am happy about taking them to the Hollywood Bowl.

The good folks at Arctic Rodeo Recordings in Hamburg Germany are releasing the Able Baker Fox album in Europe tomorrow! They’ve gotten us some great press and it was even chosen as the ‘Album of the Month’ by Visions Magazine…which apparently is really good news. It’ll be available on CD and limited-edition hand-numbered vinyl, thanks Arctic Rodeo!

I photographed the Regional Air Guitar Championship last week at the Metro…This is the almighty Nordic Thunder, he beat out 20 finalists and he’s going to San Fran to represent Chicago in the national finals, then hopefully on to Finland for the international title.

Quiksilver’s skateboarding team used my band Able Baker Fox’s song on the commercial for their new video “Journey into the Vortex.” You can see the clip on their home page, check it out.