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Hi, and hello to all my friends and foes way back East who made my journey through the upstate New York music scene a fun ,fruitful, and mostly friendly time. My apologies for checking out of this site for almost 3 months.I played 70 gigs or so from January to the end of July, and didnt book any shows out this way because i wasnt sure where we would decide to settle. After 2 months of camping up and down the Oregon and Northern Ca. coasts, we have found a great place in the western part of Oregon.This will be home base for my next excursion into the performers realm out here on the west coast. Im figuring that i will fire up shows starting in Jan or so, and hopefully will play as much as i did last winter/spring. I really loved taking the summer off to travel and camp with my beautiful partner Michelle. We drove about 6000 miles this summer, and spent 8 days at the Burning Man Festival in Black Rock City, Nevada, where i played my only show this summer.I have been practicing this week, as i didnt play at all cept for the show. My hands needed a break, as did my brain from all of the new stuff i was challenging myself with. I have a good version of Chet Atkins “Maybelle”, as well as finally getting the tune “Daydream” down well enough to start to perform it. It is a Duke Ellington tune with a wonderful and difficult guitar arrangement by Steven Hancock. I also am finally getting down to some basic bluegrass tunes…the flatpicking is coming along steady. One day soon i hope to have a live show that can show my “rock” flatpicking style ,culled from 30 years of lead guitar,traditional flatpicking basics,and fingerstyle work. Well im ramblig now….sooooo bye for now

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Hi again! Well, it is with a mix of glad and sad that i post this as a goodbye to New York State. Glad because i will live close to my beautiful and wonderful daughters again, and sad because i will miss my many friends i have made out here. It has been great to meet so many fine people. Many Blessings to Maurizio, Matt Durfee, and Nick C. We will miss you guys. Brian from The Clay People also- hope to see you on the playa at Burning Man this year. Thanks to Phil Drum and Ray from Cafe Lena’s for the tips and great music. Jim Barret and Ann from The Beat Shop in Troy, your support and energy are fabulous! Jim knows the importance of a paying gig and got me some good ones. Torey Adler’s knowledge and skills were great in getting my first CD and website out, thanks so much.Many Blessings to Gina at Jitters Cafe, get em Mama G. To Dale , Lisa and family, thanks for being so kind, and for your support and letting me know that my music is important to you. Dale, we are glad you have served your country for so long and so well, and are happy you are here! Darla and Mom too…keep on rockin! Jonny T. and Ben, Many Blessings to you both. If any of the aforementioned of you are out west, let us know please. Micheal and Michelle at Gotchya’s thanks for the gigs and friendship. Laz and Linda, what a pleasure to meet you guys, it is funny that one of the best flatpickers in the country and beyond move in next door, and i have to go…thanks for the jams. We will miss your love and friendship. Dave and Casey from Almost Awake, you two are special…keep it going….and thanks for my last bit onstage in Saratoga Springs. Jesse and Don at Saratoga Guitar , mucho gracias.. Gary Ruff, it was great spending time with you. Roger Kaye aka Wild Man you were great, keep jammin. Anyhow i will be back to play more next year.Some of you know i lost my Dad in May to leukemia. This coupled with my missing my kids immensely made my year here a transformational one. I have grown much as a musician, and hopefully as a person too. Having done 90 or so shows this year, i am going to take a break while we drive across country,and have a 1 hour set at the Burning Man Festival in Nevada on August 30th. I am looking forward to the time off to see where my passions lie with music, i have studied and learned a lot and need some time for it to integrate. The next Cd will be a guitar and vocal record, as i have 13 songs ready to record. That should happen sometime in the fall in Oregon. Well bye for now and Blessings on the Journey, Rick Zar

Hello any who may read this.Too long since my last post, but here goes.Thanks to Jim Barret and Ann at the Beat Shop in Troy, N.Y.You guys are awesome, and Jim WE LOVE YOU!Well you too Ann of course. We taped a great 15 minute Rick Zar section on Kaleidescope,about 3 minutes of chat and 12 minutes of tunes. So, 4 tracks from Mestizo made it on, and the show was broadcast on Saturday, June 17th at 8am to 10 am, and the next day at 6pm.Thanks to the Edge 104.9 for the airplay. I was very happy to hear that the music more than holds its own on the radio, Torey Adler did a fine job on the mastering as well as producing the cd. It was powerful to hear, the music is mellow on the cd, and it was mastered perfect for the airwaves because it came out HOT, nice and loud.On Saturday i also played for 3 hours or more at the Beat Shop in Troy during the River Street Festival.We guessed that a good couple of thousand of people saw and heard me play throughout the day. I was in fine shape and really laid down some grooves. I had my share of guitar players stop,stare, and let me know they thought it was good.Michelle attracted her share of attention with her natural beauty and handmade flower hat that had her in lots of pics. She is breaking it in for the Burning Man Festival in Las Vegas in August. Speaking of which, we have a scheduled performance there,time TBA,at the Coffee Camp, and i am also doing 3 stage managing shifts and a sound shift also. We are so excited to be there, counting down the days. By we , i mean Michelle and myself. We have done some things together on stage and will most likely do lots more in the future. My interests in performing go way beyond being a guitarist, and we have had a blast performing for folks at both the L.A. and N.Y. Burning Man Decompression Festivals. They tend to be adult oriented, though, so we are still exploring the longer term goals together as performers in the default world as well as the Burner Community. I will post links here and at MySpace to listen to the show as well as the Watt from Pedro show appearance. I also have some pics and will post them also soon. Thanks to the dozens of people who took the time to let me know i am on the right track when it comes to moving people with my music. Doing it is so rewarding, but hearing the responses has been a bit overwhelming…THANKS!!! Rick Zar

I am happy to be posting on this blog again. I have been very busy playing and just got back from Colorado where i stayed for a three gig weekend. I got into Albuquerque, New Mexico on Wed. afternoon and headed up through Santa Fe and Taos on my way to Colorado. I pulled up at Mark Dudrow’s home right as the sun was setting and a full moon was rising. The spaciousness of the Southern Colorado high plains is incredible with the Rocky mountains peaked with snow and miles of sageland. One forgets the immense impact that the physical environment has on the mind and soul. Mark Dudrow is a cellist, mandolin player and guitarist. Originally from Ohio, he has a wonderful spread that he has worked mucho very hard at creating the last decade or so. He makes and sells custom tiles and pottery with original artwork in a totally unique style. He is also one of the most sought after musicians in Northern New Mexico and So. Colorado. Anyhow , he totally rocks and is adept at any style anytime anywhere. He has an old adobe church that is the studio/guesthouse/rehearsal space. The acoustics are amazing, and the vibe is , well ,ya gotta be there to know. Mark was busy with 4 gigs in 3 days that weekend, so our paths crossed for some chill time and great conversation throughout the weekend. I played the Taos Inn on Thursday, the ninth time for me but the first solo show. Ed Caner, a violinist who is a world class player came and recorder the show on pro tools. I was a bit out of sorts with the travel and high altitude and thought i didnt perform well, but Ed said a few times that it sounded great. When i listened the next day i was psyched to have gotten it. There is some jammin stuff, as live onstage i tend to play harder than and improv more. Ed did a great job gettin it as well as doing the sound for me. The best part of this trip for me was getting to spend time with Ed and getting to hear him play and to know him a bit. When he lets loose on his violin, the Muse explodes with a devastating presence……seriously folks, some people change the molecules in the room when they play. Well, he is a fine artist, together Mark, Ed and another excellent player and friend Justin Dean play around a bunch and do lots of bluegrass, fiddle tunes, old timey, 70’s covers,irish, celtic…..you get the picture. Mark has a link on my page. The Taos Inn gig was good, but i was reminded the whole time of that laid back vibe out there. Slow motion when compared to the quickened pace of New York. The Sheva Gig was great on Friday. It was fun to see Noam and say hello after a year. They have a new location in El Prado in basically the finest location in all of Northern New Mexico, the Overland Sheepskin Complex. The views of Taos Pueblo land and Taos Mountain are the best an outsider can get of f the Reservation. I also ran into Rio and his girlfriend, and was glad to hear that he is taking the stage out a bit with his music. The same with Noah and Nicole, rock on Brotha! The next show was in Salida Colorado. What a cool town, about 12,000 to my understanding. The Venue was Bongo Billy’s Salida Cafe, and was the best gig and experience of the weekend. I got there about 15 minutes before i was to play and was helped by Clark,the owner, to get a sound and get refreshed. Im glad i did, because i really gave it my all there. The venue was very cool. A spacious room , a great stage w\ sound and stage lights. Out back is a river and trees, really a dream of a place. The audience was very appreciative, in tips as well as with the applause. I played untill my index finger bled on my picking hand.This venue is a real treasure, and so is Clark. He treats his performers very well, and i cannot wait to get back there next year, hopefully with a little more of a name to help bring people in.Bongo Billy’s is the kind of place that makes me want to push onward and get known to be able to bring in a good nights dollars for em next time…..One Day! Well, im sleepy, i will write more soon, since i have returned last monday i have done 5 gigs already, including Positively 4th St. in Troy, New York.and Slo Jed’s Mudhouse in Averill Park. More soon…Rick

Wow, i have been back from the West coast for a week and a couple of days, and have done 5 gigs already. The trip out to San Francisco and Los Angeles was fun and fruitful. Thanks to Bruce for the show at Sacred Grounds in Haight Asbury. The venue is cozy, i had fun gazing a bit out the window onto a rainy San Francisco night as i played a good 1 and a half hours nonstop before my break, then doing another hour. Sometimes i like to just groove and time disappears. The show down in Los Angeles was at Sacred Grounds in San Pedro an unrelated venue from the one up the coast.It was a hometown gig, and i played in front of my mom and dad as well as cousins, daughters, nephews , uncles, and old friends. Special thanks to Leah Bozulich and Joseph and his Bro for their support. Leah has been a friend for over 26 years now. Her sister Carla Bozulich is one of the West Coasts’ well respected alt-country singer/songwriter/performers, a veteran of The Geraldine Fibbers, The Nels Cline Singers, and Ethyl Meatplow. Go Carla! My brother Chet Zar, makeup and gore/creepy effects guy for Hollywood and rock bands, as well as a fine guitarist and songwriter in his own right also made the drive from Pasadena. Wow, Brother Matt,awesome DJ of the LA Burning Man Family and host of the Watt from Pedro Show was there as well as LA Burning Man Regional Director Twan, another 2 long time friends going wayyyy back. As luck would have it, the only day i was in Los Angeles with some time turned out to be one of 2 days that the Watt from Pedro show was being recorded each month. I got to the Wild Kingdom where the show is broadcast from, and was made comfy, while the brilliant Mike Watt of The Minutemen and fIREHOSE fame as well as current Bassist for Iggy Pop and The Stooges spun some records and a great vintage interview with Richard Hell, circa 1977. Watt was very cool and asked questions a bit throughout the first 2 hours , then Brother Matt did his Spin Cycle Live part of the show, while i improved on 12 string guitar, and at the coaxing of Watt played also on Dobro, which i had never done. It was cool, Watt is a true hero to some of us , and i was grateful for his generous self and time on the air. He invited me back on board next time, so i look forward to that. The Live Pedro gig at The Grounds was a top performance for me this year so far. Watt was playing there the next night too. Well next week im in New Mexico and Colorado playing 4 shows then right back here. The Coffee Planet Show last week was awesome, Cliff has a nice place and i just grooved , a lot of improve stuff. Peace for now, oh yeah , the date of the Podcast for the Radio show was the 22nd of april. Check it out on the Watt from pedro show. Peace, Rick Zar

Aside from the Jitters Cafe Open Mic Night this Wednesday night which i host and play at if there arent a lot of performers,i have done my last New York shows for a couple of weeks. I will be at Sacred Grounds Coffeehouse in Haight Asbury in San Francisco on Saturday night the 15th of April, at 7 o clock. If you are on the West Coast and in the Bay Area, come check out the playin’. The following Friday night i will be at another Sacred Grounds(no relation to the one up north)in San Pedro Ca.This will be a hometown CD release show, and should include an appearance on the WATT from Pedro show Webcast. I will be back in New York to play at the Moon and River Cafe in Schenectady on the 27th, and the Coffee Planet in Ballston Spa on the 29th, which will be no. 50 for gigs in 2006. Hopefully a few folks will come out for the Pedro gig, back in the Homeland as my friend Brother Matt says…..Peace Rick

I have received my shipment of Cds from Groovehouse records,and have sold some the past 2 shows…They look and sound great. Thanks to Torey Adler for his work on Mestizo. I think it captures perfectly some sounds that represent who i am as a player and person. I will be pushing these Cds pretty hard as i perform, i feel they are worth selling. YAY! I had a lesson with Craig Vance, the world class flatpicker who currently plays guitar for The McKrells,and who is also a contributer to Flatpicking Magazine. We focused on the basics of flatpicking, as i have a distinctly weird style of picking when i solo with a plectrum. Im going to put the effort into trying to develop a more traditional sounding flatpicking technique so that i have it as an option, I think that sound is what attracted me to start playing guitar when i was young.It was really great to watch and hear Craig play as he graciously shared some pointers, demonstrating an obvious mastery of the board as well as the most exceptional right hand style, smooth, rapid and clear. WOW! Im hoping to be able to work with him some more before the end of the summer. The only other thing to catch this blog up to the present date would be to say thanks to The Flavour Lounge, Illium Cafe, Moon and River Cafe, Gotchyas’Trattoria, Slo Jed’s Mudhouse The Coffee Planet,Samuels,Jitters Cafe, Saratoga Farmers Market Association, The Van Dyck Restaurant and Brewery, Borders Books and Music for providing great venues to play at so far in 2006.

Well, here is my first post…Extra special thanks to Torey Adler for designing and getting this site up and running…It has been a good and busy year so far. Last night i played in Alplaus N.Y., and tonight in Delmar N.Y.Samuels is a cool venue in a beautiful upstate country setting. Thanks Zak for making us feel welcome and for the great sound system. I will be back there on May 19th. I played at the 4 corners in Delmar. Bob and his lovely wife were there to listen, and i really want to thank them for the 4 shows i have done there this winter/spring.Thanks Dave. I went on thursday to Greenwich to Somethings Brewing for Bob Warrens’s open Mic Night, a once a month event that was the biggest so far according to Bob. I was the first one up and also the last , as Bob was kind enough to ask me to close out the evening. Including dancers, and lots of good singers and players, there were about 20 performers. Hopefully Bob can get me on the schedule before the end of the summer down there. Well, more tomorrow….does anyone read these? Next week Sacred Grounds in Haight Asbury and the following week in San Pedro Ca. at a different Sacred Grounds…PEACE..Rick Zar