Time to retreat!

Yes, I WILL indeed be doing some writing this week. I will have no choice!

More on that in a sec.

1. Other Peoples’ Music

2. New feature - and upcoming FIRST payout!

3. Space Jam!

One of the things that has surfaced for me lately is that I am always slightly uncomfortable writing these letters. Writing isn’t the thing I feel I am necessarily on the planet for (some people definitely are put here for that!) - I prefer in-person visits. But I’m learning to let go of the self-judgement part, knowing that you all can take it or leave it, and the struggle I have around ego and “sharing” can be dimmed by shining the light on others that I love!

Substack is definitely growing as a place to share music, and I want to share some music of others today.

David Baldwin from North Carolina, is the kind of guy I wish I lived next door to. Actually, when I lived in Yellow Springs, Ohio, going to High School in that Blue-dot Woodstock-like wonderland where my parents met and went to college at Antioch, where Shakespeare and puppets and Brecht and sculpture and painting and music and hippies made a glorious gumbo together, I feel I kind of DID live next door to him.

I was there, living with my Mom initially, after leaving the farm in KY for a High School that might (and did indeed) give me a better education. Then Mom moved to Louisville to run the ballet company there (one of her many hats), and I lived with the very cool town electrician, Larry Electric. My folks had always empowered me with a fantastic sense of self-sufficiency. They put me on a bus from KY to NYC when I was 10 to visit my grandparents - a 32 hour ride back then because of all the stops - and I loved it. Different times.

Anyhoo - Yellow Springs, Ohio does still lives in different times. It preserves its Shangri-La-La personality (Dave Chapelle has done a lot there recently, as a son of the town, to keep it afloat), and I recommend it as a stop on your next Ohio visit. I have very early childhood memories from pre-school, but my High School memories are strongest. That’s when I discovered musical theatre (“What? You can sing AND be in a play??”), my wonderful teachers Becky and Suzanne, my first girlfriend (Hello Elizabeth!), and — the coolest older friend group you could imagine.

I often vibed with older folks back then. And because of my roommate, Larry Electric, I fell in with some super-fun, charismatic and welcoming people, all older than me. They drank beer, did the occasional drugs, and were totally protective and supportive of me sticking with ginger ale. I was welcome at the volleyball court, the kitchen table and the poker table. I loved it so much.

One of the reasons I loved it was the music. Rolling Stones, Dylan, Hendrix, and a very eclectic mix of super-fun and interesting stuff - most of it curated by Peter Bent. He was the musicologist in our midst and it was like having a professional DJ spin tunes for your volleyball cookout. Sounds fun, right?

Why this bio detour?? Well, David Baldwin makes me feel like that. Like I am hanging with the coolest, funnest guy - who happens to be a fantastic musician. He’s had a storied career helping others with their brands, and has reunited with his band, The Gumbys and they just put out another record. It puts me in mind of driving to the beach on the Jersey Shore with Kathy and the boys, listening to Fountains of Wayne. In other words, It is VERY fun.

Looking forward to him moving next door. Enjoy the album in the meantime!

The other album I’m sharing is from a family member.

This cool lady, Cynthia Hammond, (scarf, Annie Lennox do) married my sweet brother Matthew (he finally got it right!) and became Cynthia Hammond Jenkins in 2019. And, In 2025, she released her band’s first official album, Breaking Through.

But of course that doesn’t tell the story.

Sally's Dream, based in Bloomington, Indiana (rehearsals started in a shipping container!) was together for six years touring this tight, loose, rebellious sound throughout the Midwest and Boston from 1983 to 1989 - honoring their heroes like Patti Smith. (They shared the stage with 10,000 Maniacs, ok? ‘Nuff said!).

Sadly, in 2022, they lost their dear friend, lead guitarist and songwriter, Chrissie Dickinson.

This created a need to reunite - and that created the momentum for releasing this album of re-mastered cuts - their first official full-length release. It was a lot of work to get there, but you can hear - and just imagine - the impact that Jenny Davis, Chrissie Dickinson, Cynthia, and Emily Jackson had on Bloomington and beyond. They were indeed remembered fondly, recently enjoying a LOT of radio play - requested by fans old and new.

I won’t dig in too much here, but how very cool indeed! Cynthia is working on a book now, chronicling the band’s journey - so she will soon fill you in on the whole story. We will be on the lookout for that!

Really proud and pleased for him. (I gave him a kick in the pants by enforcing a deadline. Like a writing retreat, it’s a good motivator!)

A quick update on PayMusicians. It’s getting real!

After a few months of learning, building and testing, the first artists are on board and the first support is coming in! The next test is actually getting the paying pipes working…! First payouts are on August 7th and I am weirdly excited.

I’ve encountered a funny trust thing - maybe it sounds too good to be true or something? Like, “Who is this guy who wants to give me money?" kind of thing. (Not everyone knows that I’m not a scam artist!). So I will work on that.

But I’m working on my elevator pitch, too, as I enter the next phase of acquiring users. So for those who don’t know, PayMusicians is an app that allows listeners to nominate and immediately support the independent musicians they already love and listen to - all in one place.

No need for them to create content, sell you a t-shirt, a ticket or an album - you can sustain as many artists as you want - monthly. That’s it! YOU are the record label for these folks - that you are already streaming. You probably are aware that they don’t really get paid for those streams - this is your way to make that happen!

Hit me up with your elevator pitches for this idea, people! :)

And come on in, nominate and support these awesome musicians (David and Cynthia are on the list)!

Tomorrow I head to a spot in Times Square with some sweet memories, too.

I had the incredible good fortune to do Roger Miller’s musical Big River in my first years in NYC (Well, my first “adult” years - I was born here, after all….). I then got to do it again reprising the role I did 20 years earlier (!) …well, providing the voice for that role - for the beautiful hard-of-hearing actor Ty Giordano - who portrayed Huck Finn in Deaf West’s revival. That version changed my life again - in too many ways for me to go into now - I’ll save that for another article. Suffice it to say, I loved every single moment of it.

And tomorrow I’ll be in that theatre for five days - but upstairs in a space provided by Roundabout Theatre, where they invite folks to come in and write for a week for… “Space Jam”! A room full of playwrights will be at desks in the larger room, and I will be tucked in a smaller room with a guitar and whatever else I bring, from 9 to 6 doing some songwriting. Away from most distractions. And very much looking forward to it!

I've done this before - mostly with co-writers - and it’s always revealing and productive. Gonna see if I can get the writers to share something when we get to Friday (we’ve never done that before), and sure, I’ll share a song or two in process.

Getting a little better at the sharing. Tender as it can feel.

Thanks for staying this far. Hope you are all breathing full breaths (Eek! Smoke! Floods! Tornados!!) and getting a walk in today.

XOX,

DJ