Looks like I’ll be joining my wife next month in the birthing process. She’ll be giving birth to our third son Liam, and I’ll be pouring my heart out on my first EP release. As yet untitled, the EP (that’s Extended Play for the uninitiated) should be released on itunes sometime over the next few months. It will include ten originals. The music is very different than anything I’ve released so far and I’m excited about it. All of the music was originally written for my wife. They were all little presents for her, so it never occurred to me to publish them until this morning. So there they are, little pieces of my soul, now bared for all to see. I suppose it’s easier to share them now since I wrote them many years ago. All where written in order to woo my wife. And as our third son is due any day, I think it’s fair to say they were a success.

The Peter Pupping Band (of which I am proud to call myself a member) has just released its third CD called Sea Journey. Check it out at GuitarSounds.com. It’s a collection of tunes ranging from Latin Jazz to Calypso to Nuevo Flamenco. It’s our first release since 2001. Most of the tunes we have played for the last couple of years, so recording was a breeze. I think that comes through on the disc. Enjoy!

The Encinitas Guitar Orchestra is in full swing. And I do mean swing. This session we have thirty or so guitar players mastering the ins and outs of Jazz and Blues. It’s difficult for classical guitar types to improvise. Part of it is that they have never done it before. Part of it is that its tough to do. But, a lot of it is that they are used to being good at what they do and don’t want to sound bad again. You have to be willing to become a beginner again! Easy to say, hard to do.

What could be more romantic than Spanish guitar on Valentines day? Picture this a little wine, some candlelight, and the sweet sound of the guitar as you sit on the waterside. It’s perfect. Well almost, how about adding several thousand pound whale into the mix? No you’re talking. Is this a dream? No it’s Valentines with Shamu at Sea World. Should be fun!

We have started a new tradition here in Wilson land. I call it the Happy New Year Stomach Flu. I got it last year on New Year’s Eve and this year a few days after. What a great way to start the new year. I guess it’s a good way to get a jump start on losing those 10 pounds I put on last year.

I play a 1975 Sakurai guitar most of the time. When I first got the guitar it had a big set of controls on the side. Looked great, but sounded terrible. So I took out the control panel. The one I put in its place is well, a little smaller. So now I have a huge hole in the side of my guitar. Sounds great, looks terrible. I live in San Diego, and most of the time its sunny around here, so I nicknamed the hole my sunroof. Enter winter storm 2007. Now my sunroof is a rain roof and playing outside is impossible. Looks terrible, doesn’t sound.

I’ll be playing the Holiday Show with Shamu at Sea World San Diego again this year. I’ll be there every Saturday until the new year, and every evening between Christmas and New Years. Last years show was fantastic. If you are in the area I highly recommend it. I play classical Christmas tunes for 30 minutes before the actual show starts. Hope to see you there! Don’t sit too close to me though, you might get wet

Playing guitar is a physical activity. Well, in as much as you are physically moving the strings and using muscles to make them move. So if your muscles are injured, your ability to play the guitar is injured. Enter Saturday morning football. I played, we won, and now..oh how it hurts. I can barely lift my leg to put on the foot stool. Let this be a reminder to all of us musicians. Sports and the Arts just don’t mix.

One of the most amazing guitar players of all time, Django Reinhardt is the most loved of Gypsy Jazz guitarists. What makes him even more amazing is that he suffered an accident early in his career and played using only two fingers on the left hand. You wouldn’t know by listening to him though. Check out a Django CD sometime and hear for yourself.

I played at the Rancho Bernardo Inn a few weeks back. It’s a beautiful hotel in the Spanish Colonial style. I played for a wedding, and everything went great, nice people, nice weather. Why am I telling you this? Well if you have been watching the news lately you might have heard of Rancho Bernardo, it is one of the hardest hit by the wild fires. It really brings it home when it’s not just a name on the map. These sure are crazy times around here. My best to all of you affected by the fires.