NEWS, DECEMBER 2007

The cornucopiousness of another hearty harvest to you!
It has been a while since I collected my thoughts and news and flung them far and wide across the net of the web. If you've not received one of these fangled newsletters before, there is nothing wrong with your set. Welcome to the meandering spontenacious mindheart of Brian Cutean and thanks for signing up to hear from me. Not exactly the same as circular designs pressed into cornfields or the phases of a hologramoon, but this particular missive contains:
A. Ruminations on Secret Agent Year 007
B. Appreciations
C. QTNews
D. "Three Little Letters" song posted
E. CD and Card Special ordering info
F. The saga of "Food"
G. Joules Graves Tribute CD info

A. Winter solstice is already running up the ramp to greet us. A time to be inside more, in all ways. A season of short days, long nights and a chance to be still. It has been a bluster of a year with the travels and hairpin turns, abrupt departures and unexpected plot twists (peppermint and chubbychexsnaxmix). Twenty Oh! 8 looks like a pivotal year for many and coming soon to a theatre near us. I find myself home again in these trees and listening to rain and perhaps the sound of snow. After being gone lots again, I wonder who I am this time, what to bring forth and what new ways I can learn to stretch and become.

It's been a year of daunting unexpected weather everywhere I looked and went. Rain for more than a month everyday in usually smoldering Texas summer. Chilly evenings in the Northwest summer. Autumn way late in the Midwest. Towns running out of water. Earthquakes. mirthquakes, ground shakes, waters breakin, babies wakin, birthday cakes, toothaches, goodness sakes and sleepers wake (about time too). What was it we came here to do?...

So we now return you to your favourite program which is already in pro-gress (if pro is the opposite of con, isn't it better than being in con-gress?). A funny word is chagrin. Torpor too, and there is no lack of either, but if a man with one watch always knows what time it is, is a man with two watches ever certain? A new car commercial I saw recently has the announcer bragging "...featuring an energy efficient 28 miles per gallon..." and I couldn't believe my ears. My 1993 Toyota gets 28 mpg and it's 15 years old! One would think, after all these years, mileage standards would've improved lots more by now. Another episodawater in the continuum saga of a Swiftly Unraveling Planet. Tune in next week and collect 'em all...

And that brings me to:

B. I am grateful to all those who help get this musicheart out into the world. All the ones who come hear, tell their friends about it, play the songs on their radio shows and host concerts in their homes and venues, who write about it in the papers and on the web, buy CDs and cards, and bring thoughtful ideagift presence too. You who provide guest rooms and couches and homes to sleep in, all of this a huge giving: the essence of community action. I could not have done this without you for the last 25 years. This time of year when the road slows and my bounces are much smaller, I look back at you and see how much gets accomplished; a seemingly impossible lifepath made more possible.
To all who write and ask "howcome dey ain't no QTN newsletters for twice now?" YOW. Has it really been that long? Secret agent year 007 winked out in the mere twinkling of an eye? YOW again. My intention is to send at the turn of each season, but sometimes life gets loud.

C. QTNews: According to BMI, "Darkness Comes" has been getting lots of airplay this year in England of all places. In May, I get to play Maryland's sweet happening Susquehannah Folk Festival just before Kerrville kerrn-venes again. I haven't been to the east coast for 10+ years. A recording of guitar music may yet see the light of day before the close of 2008 along with another batch of worded songs to sing along with in the car or wherever you drive. A book project or two perhaps as well. Any underwriters out there?

D. For those who have asked, a live version of that crazy oft-requested evolving word piece "Three Little Letters" is posted on myspace.com/brianqtn; a fun recording from last June's Waterloo Ice House gig in Austin with the one and only Robert Vignaud on his monster elephant electric upright bass shaking this whole hunkjahunkja Ear-th.

E. www.QTNRG.org is where all the lyrics are, links and CDs. Hearthearthearth, Parakeetfishhead and Lubricating the Species are orderable (adorable?) online. The winter website sale of all QTN CDs is 3 for $40 postage paid. Complete your collection and share them as gifts. Bite-sized Mantra cards are in a cool new nestbox and appreciated wherever they go. Great for that card person you know. (Know a store who'll sell 'em? Send info here.) If you are not into online ordering, write me here and you can mail for any of this. CD soundclips are at CDbaby.com/qtn. Alas, the winter sale is not through CDbaby.

F. "Food" is still in the upper 300 of Neil Young's Living With War list of protest songs at www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/lwwsongspage.html. 2200 songs are linked there to check out. Programmers have contacted me doing radio shows with the listed songs. Use "Find" to locate "brianQTN" on the page and click on "Food".

G. Lastly, a CD tribute to Joules Graves' songs, For Joules, came out this spring getting airplay all over the place. When you order a copy, all the dough goes to Joules who has MS. Others who sing on the disc: Joanne Rand, Jim Page, Casey Neill, Lewi Longmire, Francine Allen, Tina Malia, Darryl Cherney and many other great West Coast talents. CDs are $17 via mail.

No wonder these missives only make it out a few times a year...
To you all I send beholdance, clarity and grace and wishes for abundance, the greatest bun dance there is. Onward to another opening year. Excelsior!

Your corn forest spondent,
bq