Apologies for the ill-advised humor. But our president has assured us that everything will be perfectly O.K., so I'm putting my absolute trust in him because, well, you know, he never tells a lie.

I don't mean to make light of a dire situation but... well, no, that's not entirely true - I do mean to make light of a dire situation because sometimes that's the only sane response to a global pandemic, the parameters and consequences of which change from day to day. But, for whatever it's worth, so long as the planes continue to fly - and so long as my internal body temperature remains a balmy 98.5 Fahrenheit - I'm heading across the pond to kick off my UK/Ireland tour, in just over a month from now. (note: 98.6 Fahrenheit is no longer the average body temperature, by the way, and I haven't a clue what the average Celsius body temperature is, and have no plans to look it up). If the situation changes, I'll let you know but, for now, I'm continuing to confirm new dates and I'm learning the lyrics to some new songs.

As a an indie artist that books and promotes my own tours, I feel it's incumbent on me to keep abreast of the latest advice from the World Health Organization as regards public gatherings, so I've developed a comprehensive concert-goers safety policy which I hope will reassure anyone planning on attending one of my upcoming concerts. So, here goes:

▪ In order to limit the possibility of mass viral transmission, I will not be performing in any 30,000 seat stadiums on this upcoming tour. I hope you can appreciate the significant financial hardship this entails.

▪ Tickets will only be sold to people under the age of 10.

▪ Each one of my guitar picks will be meticulously cleaned after every performance in accordance with a rigorous checklist, by professional cleaning teams using high-grade disinfectant.

▪ Concert attendees will be asked to sign a notarized statement confirming that they have not had intimate relations with, or eaten, any bats or pangolins in the past three months.

▪ I have been practicing playing guitar and piano with gloves on, so as to prevent possible exposure from other musicians who may have been playing my guitar or piano while I wasn't looking. [a nod to the dutiful Mrs. Popper in Mr. Popper's Penguins, who played piano in their frigid basement, with gloves on, while rehearsing a family of performing penguins.]

Also, on the advice of healthcare expert, Dr. Lilo, of the University of Violaogy, I have prepared the following hand-washing posters using the song-lyrics to 'Lucky Stars' and 'Ariel' as a pneumonic device to keep you rub-a-dub-dubbing for a full 20 seconds: 

Seriously, though... everybody be safe, stay informed and let's try and find a thoughtful and rational approach to these unusual circumstances. I promise to keep you posted as things evolve. I still expect the whole tour to work out smoothly. But, worst case scenario, if there is ever a necessary reason to cancel/reschedule a gig, or if you need to stay home for health reasons, tickets will be honored at a future gig or will be credited towards albums or merch

Meanwhile, those persistent, pretty, little crocuses have bloomed again, all over our yard, a colorful carpet of tiny flowers that signals the impending arrival of spring.

Oh, and speaking of new dates, here are a few of 'em, including two which my esteemed singer-songwriting colleague, the amazing Boothby Graffoe, will be joining me on as my 'special guest'. They are...

• July 17 - Croydon - Fairfield Halls - The Recreational  w/ 'special guest' Boothby Graffoe ON SALE
• July 23 - Braintree - Braintree Arts Theatre - w/ 'special guest' Boothby Graffoe         ON SALE
• August 7 - Melrose (Borders) - Marmions At The Wynd         ON SALE

Also...

I'm pleased to announce the full lineup of SongFest 2020 to be held Saturday 25th July, 2020 at the Oxfordshire Gold Hotel & Spa and features what to my mind are some of the very best singer-songwriters around. Our latest addition is the truly hilarious Ben Norris who'll be performing selections from his new album, 'Moral Vacuum', including this charming ode, 'Jenny'. Stop reading now and check it out:

Visit www.SongFest.live to see the full lineup and I really hope you'll join us at what will be our 3rd SongFest. It's a special day filled with really good songs and the folks who make 'em. PLEASE NOTE: 'early bird' tickets are on sale from now until March 31st, so... 

ORDER TICKETS to SONGFEST 2020

The Oxfordshire Golf Hotel & Spa is located in the heart of the Chilterns countryside, in the town of Thame in Oxfordshire. On-site accommodations are almost sold-out, so if you're staying over Saturday night, it's highly recommended that you book now, however there are also plenty of nearby accommodation options, just a few minutes away (see www.SongFest.live for more info)

We've now got all the volunteer helpers we need, but we still have room for a few more vendors, so...

VENDORS:
Any Festival-type vendors - artists, artisans, crafts-folks, luthiers, sculptors, weavers and more - who are interested in having an exhibit table at SongFest please send an email with a description of your wares to: info@songfest.live

Let's see, what else? Have you got your ticket for my upcoming NJ gig, Sunday, March 22nd at Tim McLoone's Supper Club in Asbury Park, NJ? If not, ORDER HERE

I think that's about all for now.

Be well, try not to get too stressed out and... enjoy the music!

Dean

PS: The following video clips were produced by my son, Sam Friedman, with a feline collaborator, and are guaranteed to completely eliminate any anxiety you may be feeling about the current pandemic, Brexit or the upcoming US election:

 Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/sammyasher/videos/10216958991391191/

https://www.facebook.com/sammyasher/videos/10217229466272894/

https://www.facebook.com/sammyasher/videos/10217242488718447/

https://www.facebook.com/sammyasher/videos/10217306375955588/

or

YouTube:

https://youtu.be/cGiFDmgf-TI

https://youtu.be/OmQmPwB0Yr8

https://youtu.be/ZvhtxkUJoOA

https://youtu.be/4DggMexWZGE [Kulak's Woodshed, solo piano improv]

or

on TikTok go to sam.ash.fried

PPS: If you enjoyed those clips, you can support Sam's ongoing indie musician efforts by visiting his Patreon page and becoming a arts patron, here: https://www.patreon.com/sammyasher