Ringing in the New Year ['99] at Coney Island High, on St. Mark's Place in the East Village. What better start for a new annum than singing "All Kindsa Girls" with the indestructible Real Kids?

Jonathan Richman, flanked by my girlfriend Catherine Mars (left) and my ex-girlfriend, Catherine Boone (right)...both sociology majors and gin-and-tonic-with-lime drinkers. Coincidence? YOU DECIDE!!! Ms. Boone's Boston roomie Christine is to Jojo's immediate left, and author/songwriter/proud New Jerseyan Jen Hixson is second from left.

Tribal Soundz, the store I helped three other folks to build before the last one in pulled a coup de etat. Like old times, receiving one final music biz burn... as they say, no good deed goes unpunished -especially in NYC.

Tribal Soundz, inside the store. Daniel Fink and Joe Grunberg opened the store just before I arrived in NYC, and focused mainly on string instruments; later, I'd help Nora Balaban pump the percussion and pre-recorded music aspects of the store, as well as handling the promo and marketing, computer systems, and graphics.

The logo I designed for the store.

During the year and a half I was at Tribal Soundz, I booked my first NY-area concert. The show by Griot masters Mamadou and Abdoulaya Diabate was held at the National Black Theater in Harlem, and was co-sponsored by the New York Open Center [for whom I was then webmaster] and Tribal Soundz.

View from behind the mixing board for Jonathan Richman's SummerStage appearance in '01. Though he usually brings a tiny P.A. and mixes his own sound right from the stage, Jonathan figured the outdoor gig at Central Park required an actual sound man; you bet I was psyched to do it, too. Jonathan and co-headliner Randy Newman each played strong sets.

Working on the Mama Gaia theme song in my Brooklyn home studio, with Theresa "Charlie" Millasovich on vocals; June, '01.

Spring of 2001: Dan and Charlie flew from London to Boston to shoot a documentary on late 80's Boston rock; since the Fort and a number of bands we'd worked with were prominently featured in the film, I went back to Boston for ten days to give an unofficial hand as tour guide without portfolio. l-r: former bones/Paranoids drummer Richie "Cunningham" Maddalo, Dan and Charlie.

New Year, new friends, '99. (R to L) Super Science magazine editor Nancy Finton, author/songwriter Jennifer Hixson, and Cathy Mars, Managing Editor of the erudite and intriguing Lapis magazine (published by the New York Open Center)...join yours truly at Coney Island High for the Real Kids show.

Our home was considerably brightened by the addition of a brother and sister team:Skippy and Skooch have tails like lemurs and are genuinely loving to one another...when they aren't destroying our apartment.

Skippy has been invaluable when it comes to editing the web site; he prefers raw HTML code, and a real mouse...

...whereas his sister Skooch prefers to help with the gardening; only natural fertilizers are utilized...

Bass player and buddy John Rosato and yours truly, on the last Saturday night of our monthly series at the Middle East's Corner.